2019-02-23


兩國論與基督徒政治學:五把鑰匙The Two Kingdoms and ChristianPolitics: 5 Keys

作者Caleb Smith  譯者: 駱鴻銘

很少話題像政治那樣具有爭議性。特別是對於基督徒來說我們有時甚至會爭論我們應當怎麼作甚至是否應該參與政治正如我們在許多具體觀點上會爭論那樣。一些基督徒認為我們必須打一些政治上的戰役才能維護聖經。對於其他人來說,政治是一個邪惡帝國,上帝的所有兒女都不應該參與其中。有些人認為它會分散我們對大使命的注意力,而另一些人則認為它是大使命的一部分。美國在2016年大選期間,有許多分歧特別生動活潑。兩年後,許多基督徒仍然感到困惑。有什麼辦法可以往前進呢?
Few topics are as controversial as politics. For Christians in particular, we sometimes argue almost as much about how, or even whether, we should be involved in politics as we do any specific views. Some Christians think that we need to fight political battles to stand up for the Bible. To others, politics is a demonic system that no child of God should have any part in. Some think it’s a distraction from the Great Commission, while others think that it’s part of the Great Commission. Many of these disagreements were especially vivid during the 2016 election. Two years later, a lot of Christians are still confused. Is there any way forward?

我認為沒有人可以直接回答所有的問題。但是我確實相信一些基本原則。這些原則不會告訴我們究竟如何處理每一種情況,但它們會教導我們如何起步。我們在基督「兩個國度」(two kingdoms)的經典新教教義中找到了這些原則。我懷疑如果我們只想忠於我們的政治見證這些鑰匙將為我們打開一個智慧的世界。
I don’t think anyone can directly answer everything. That said, I do believe in some basic principles. These won’t tell us exactly how to handle every situation, but they give us somewhere to start. We find these principles in the classical Protestant doctrine of Christ’s two kingdoms. These keys, I suspect, will unlock for us a world of wisdom, if we seek only to be faithful in our political witness.

鑰匙1基督以兩種方式統治
Key 1: Christ rules in two ways

兩國論的教義有時候被稱為「兩政府論」two governments或譯兩種治理方式),這是有充分理由的。它並不是關於基督統治的不同地方或領域,而是關於祂統治的方式。眾所周知,耶穌是主。父在天上和地上都賜給祂一切的權柄。但是這種權柄以兩種根本不同的方式顯明在我們身上。這些方式就是我們稱之為兩個政府或兩個國度的方式。
The doctrine of the two kingdoms sometimes goes by the “two governments,” and this is for good reason. It’s not really about different places or spheres in which Christ rules, but about the ways He rules. For Jesus, as we all know, is Lord. The Father has given Him all authority in heaven and on earth. But this authority comes on us in two fundamentally different ways. These ways are what we call the two governments, or two kingdoms.

一方面藉著聖靈耶穌永遠與我們同在。祂在我們裏面,我們在祂面前。所以我們所做的一切都會立刻出現在祂面前,在那裏祂可以判斷、指揮我們的良心,並且把一些義務放在我們的良心上。最終,祂是我們唯一必須對其負責的主。祂的權威足以推翻地上區區的法官、法庭、主教、牧師、執事或教會所宣告的任何判決。這是一種內向和無形的統治。它沒有中間人,而是直截了當地存在於基督徒和基督之間。我們在這裏的地位完全憑信心,與任何外在的東西無關,因為祂看透這一切,並審斷人心。這些都是對屬靈國度spiritual kingdom的描述。
On one hand, by the Holy Spirit, Jesus is always present with us. He is within is, and we are before Him. So everything we do is immediately in His presence, where He can judge, command, and put obligations on our conscience. At the end of it all, He is the only Lord to whom we are truly accountable. His authority can overturn any judgment proclaimed by mere earthly judges, courts, bishops, pastors, deacons, or churches. This is an inward and invisible kind of rule. It has no mediator, but instead is directly between a Christian and Christ. Our standing here is strictly by faith, apart from anything external, since He sees through it all and judges the heart. All of this describes the spiritual kingdom.

另一方面耶穌也不在這裏。祂在天上作王,與可見的時空隔開。因此,在這個可見的領域內,耶穌也通過可見的人物來統治。祂允許父母、教師、牧師、君王和立法者,在我們的日常生活中代表祂的權威。路德把這些人物形容為基督所穿戴的「面具」(masks)。他們對生活中外在、可見的問題揮舞權柄。只有耶穌自己的目光可以刺穿你的心,看到它的信賴或背叛,但是地上的權柄可以確保,無論我們的心態如何,我們都不會惹出太大的麻煩。他們可能(應該?)想要並企圖把你的心推向正確的方向,但他們的權威本身只是外在的。他們的命令或教導都沒有來自耶穌的命令或教導的全部力量,所以祂仍然是最後的裁判官。這些權柄就構成了世俗國度temporal kingdom
On the other hand, Jesus also is away. He reigns in heaven, separated from our visible time and space. So, within this visible realm, Jesus also rules through visible figures. He allows parents, teachers, pastors, kings, and legislators to represent His authority in our daily lives. Luther described these figures as “masks” which Christ wears. They wield authority over the outward and visible matters of life. Only Jesus’ own gaze can pierce your heart and see its trust or rebellion, but earthly authorities can make sure that, whatever the state of our hearts, we don’t cause much trouble. They might (should?) want and try to push your heart in the right direction, but their authority itself is only external. None of their commands or teachings have the full force of those from Jesus, so He remains a final appeal. These authorities, then, make up the temporal kingdom.

鑰匙2世俗國度是有限的
Key 2: The temporal kingdom is limited

當我們談到永恆時最重要的是我們在上帝面前的地位。你會記得這是屬靈國度的問題。除了耶穌之外,沒有人有最後的發言權,祂的判決會貫穿外在有形的一切事物,直達內心深處。任何世俗的權柄對以下這個最終極的問題都無能為力:你是否與上帝和好了?它們既不能決定上帝如何看待你,也不能決定你如何看待上帝。
When it comes down to eternity, what matters is our standing before God. This, as you will remember, is a matter of the spiritual kingdom. No one but Jesus has the final say, and His verdict cuts through everything visible to the depths of the heart. No earthly authorities have any power over the ultimate question: are you in the right with God? They can decide neither how God regards you nor how you regard God.

正因為如此世俗國度的掌權者其直接的影響力僅限於地上的事物即今生之事。政府不能(即:不可能)利用其權力阻止你恨你的兄弟,但警察可以限制你結束他在世上的生命。牧師無法用教會懲戒把自私、淫蕩的心轉變成純淨的心,但他可以阻止一個好色之徒來到聖餐桌前,不讓他領聖餐。當然,牧師可能會想要幫助這樣的人成為清心的人,但他的權柄無法使這件事發生。他只能把聖經的真理帶給他然後就是這人和耶穌之間的事了。
Because of this, the direct effects of authorities in the temporal kingdom are limited to earthly matters, the stuff of this life. The government cannot (i.e. it’s not possible) use its power to stop you from hating your brother, but a cop can restrain you from ending his earthly life. A pastor can’t use church discipline to bend a selfish, lustful heart into a pure one, but he can keep a womanizer from the Communion table. Now, the pastor may want to help such a man become pure in heart, but his authority can’t make it happen. He can only serve the truth of the Word, and then it is between the man and Jesus.

除了能力有限外世俗國度裏的掌權者其權柄是有限的。既然他們無法知道、也無法做任何重要的事,他們就不能直接站在耶穌面前。他們只能代表祂到一定的程度。除了重覆基督的命令之外,他們不能提出絕對的要求。他們的判斷並非是無可質疑的,因為耶穌可以推翻他們的判斷。除了神自己所啟示的話之外,他們不能說某些信念和行動會使你上天堂或下地獄。簡而言之,他們無法捆綁你的良心。只有上帝能做到這一點。
In addition to limited ability, the authorities in the temporal kingdom have limited authority. Since they cannot know and cannot do everything that matters, they cannot stand directly for Jesus. They only represent Him up to a point. They can’t make absolute demands except to repeat those of Christ. Their judgments are not unquestionable, since Jesus can overturn them. They cannot say, beyond what God Himself has revealed, that certain beliefs and actions will send you to heaven or hell. In short, they cannot bind your conscience. Only God can do that.

鑰匙3政治在人類和基督徒生活中具有合法的地位
Key 3: Politics has a legitimate place in human (and Christian) life

在上述的基礎上我們可以討論政治在基督徒生活中的地位。首先很重要的是要定義什麼是「政治」。許多基督徒(和其他人)對政治一開始就有錯誤的看法,因為他們並不明白政治真正的內涵。政治來自希臘文「politika」,它又來自城邦(polis)或「城市」(city)。Politika單純是指城市的商業而城市可以廣泛地指代任何社區或群體。
Building on what we have already seen, we can work on the place of politics in the Christian life. First, it’s important to define “politics.” A lot of Christians (and other people) start off wrong about politics because they don’t get what it really is at heart. Politics comes from the Greek word politika, which in turn comes from polis, or “city.” Politika simply means the business of the polis, and polis can be broad enough to refer to any community or group of people.

所以基本上引用維基百科「政治是制定適用於團體成員的決策過程。」
So, basically, to quote Wikipedia, “Politics is the process of making decisions that apply to members of a group.”

政治基本上是一個家庭坐下來談論財務、家務和日常行程時所做的事的放大版。政治是許多家庭處理他們共同的業務而不是單獨一個家庭處理其業務。有些路需要修補有些罪行需要懲罰或者是有令人餓死的饑荒需要處理。生活中的事不止影響一個家庭。政治只是用來描述處理這些事的名詞。
Politics is basically a bigger version of what a family does when they sit down to talk finances, chores, and schedules. Instead of one household handling its business, many households are working on their shared business. There can be roads that need repairs, crime that needs to be punished, or a famine that’s causing starvation. Some things in life affect more than one household. Politics is just a word for handling them.

基於這個定義基督徒顯然需要參與政治。這並不意味著我們必須跳到各式各樣的政治活動裏但每個基督徒家庭都應該為了每個人的利益而共同努力。如果我們在任何影響鄰舍的問題上置身事外,我們就無法愛他們。即使我們決定不參加全國大選(舉例來說),我們也應該竭盡所能去幫助我們每天看到的人,他們的生活會受到社區裏發生的事的影響。
Given this definition, Christians obviously need to do politics. This doesn’t mean we must jump in to every kind of politics, but every Christian household should work together their neighbors for everyone’s benefit. We can’t love our neighbors if we stay out of any issue that affect lots of them at once. Even if we decided to sit out, say, a national election, we should do what we can to help the people we see every day whose lives are affected by community happenings.

鑰匙4政治只能用於有限的目標
Key 4: Politics can only serve limited goals

瞭解世俗國度的本質應該有助於我們認識到政治的合法角色也是非常有限的。政治完全是屬於世俗國度的問題。它是為了今生,為了地上的正義、秩序和維持而存在的。政府的權力純粹是外在的是刀劍的權柄因此它只能用於外在的目的。
Understanding the nature of the temporal kingdom should help us realize that politics’ legitimate role is also a highly limited one. Politics is entirely a matter of the temporal kingdom. It exists for the sake of this life, for earthly justice, order, and sustenance. The power of government is purely external, the power of the sword, and it as such it can only serve external purposes.

這應該會澄清一些問題。當人們主張教會與國家應當分離的時候或者指出他們不會也不應該藉由政治來推進上帝的國度時他們是有道理的。政治無法改變人心。你不能通過法律和懲罰把信仰強加給人。因此,我們甚至不應該認為把政治用在傳福音上是合理的,或者認為政治活動可以直接用來為福音服務。上帝國度的權柄是聖道和聖靈的權柄而不是刀劍的權柄。
This should give us some clarity. When people argue for a separation of church and state, or point out that they don’t/shouldn’t advance the kingdom of God through politics, they have a point. Politics can’t change hearts. You cannot coerce faith by law and punishment. So we should not even think it makes sense to use politics for evangelism, or think that political activity can directly serve the Gospel. The power of the kingdom of God is the power of Word and Spirit, not the sword.

但是這並不是說政治是沒有用的或者與福音工作是對立的。絕對不是這樣政治可以通過堅持它的實際作用間接地為福音服務保持人類社會的良好狀態。混亂、無政府狀態、犯罪,貧困、飢餓等等都是問題。它們會阻撓上帝賦予我們的任務,諸如文化使命和大使命。它們是造成苦難的原因,而基督徒的愛和憐憫會要求我們減輕苦難。這些問題往往涉及由某個人對別人犯罪而造成的苦難,在這種情況下,公義也會要求使用政府的刀劍來懲罰罪犯。
But this doesn’t mean politics is useless or opposed to Gospel work. By no means! Politics can serve the Gospel in an indirect way by sticking to its actual use: keeping human society in decent shape. Chaos, anarchy, crime, poverty, starvation, and the like are problems. They are obstacles to the tasks God has given us, like the cultural mandate and the Great Commission. And they are causes of suffering, which Christian love and mercy demand that we alleviate. Often they involve suffering caused by some person sinning against another, in which case justice also demands that the sword of government be used against the offender.

鑰匙5基督教解釋了實現世俗利益的最佳方法
Key 5: Christianity explains the best ways to achieve earthly good

所以考慮到這一點為了地上的好處而使用政治是好的。你可能會懷疑這種說法是在支持要嚴格地把宗教與政治分開,但那會是一個錯誤。因為,即使只是在地上的層面,關於甚麼才是對人類繁榮有益的東西,不同的人會有不同的看法。其中有許多看法都是錯誤的。
So, with this in mind, politics is good to use for the sake of earthly goods. You might suspect that this supports a strict separation of religion from politics, but that would be a mistake. See, even just on the earthly level, different people have different ideas about what is good for human flourishing. Many of these are simply wrong.

設想任何人都可以勤奮地研究人性和我們在受造界中的地位來瞭解對於人類在地上的生活來說甚麼是最有利的事。這之所以可能,就是因為幾乎所有的文化對大多數基礎知識都有一致的看法。但是,因著罪惡和我們有限的思想,每個人和每一種文化對甚麼才是最好的,都會有一些錯誤的看法。有些人的看法則是大錯特錯的。而在政治上對這件事有錯誤的看法,就好像一個外科醫生,對一個健康的人體看起來是甚麼樣子,有非常混亂的認知一樣。它只能帶來災難。
Hypothetically, anyone can know most of what is best for a human person with respect to our earthly lives by diligently studying human nature and our place in creation. This being possible at all is why almost all cultures agree on most of the basics. But, because of sin and our finite minds, every person and every culture gets some of it wrong. Some get a lot wrong. And getting this wrong in politics is like a surgeon with a confused picture of what a healthy human body looks like. It can only lead to disaster.

身為基督徒我們有一些「特長」可以貢獻。我們有特殊啟示:聖經。關於人性和甚麼才是對我們有益的事物,聖經裏有無謬無誤的教導(聖經也教導了其他的事)。這包括我們在地上的好處,和在天上的好處。雖然我們理論上可以通過理性,認識到幾乎所有關於地上好處的事物,但是聖經製作了一個無可挑剔的「備忘錄」(cheat sheet)。例如,對於習慣於現代思維方式的人來說,僅僅憑著理性要發現我們為甚麼必須把性愛限制在永久的、異性戀的婚姻當中,可能會很困難,但聖經保證了這一點。我們可以通過合理地研究人性來學習同樣的事情但是聖經事先就告訴我們了。因此我們有來自人性的建築師所作的值得信賴的陳述。
This is where, as Christians, we have something “special” to contribute. We have special revelation, the Scriptures. Scripture contains, among other things, infallible teachings about human nature and what is good for us. This includes our earthly good as much as it does heaven. And while we could theoretically learn nearly everything about our earthly good by reason, Scripture makes an impeccable “cheat sheet.” It may be hard, for example, for people accustomed to modern ways of thinking to discover by reason alone why we should limit sex to permanent, heterosexual marriage, but Scripture assures us that this is the case. We could learn the same thing by rationally studying human nature, but Scripture tells us in advance. Thus we have a trustworthy statement from the Architect of human nature.

如此結論就是基督徒可以毫不羞愧地訴諸於我們從聖經中學到的關於人性的客觀真理。(更不用說基於聖經和理性的基督教傳統中,大量先進的社會和政治思想。)我們可以利用這個真理,來幫助我們以實際有益於鄰舍的方式去參與政治。如果我們只把這個任務留給教會以外的人或者把神聖啟示留在教會的大門以內那麼政府就只能成為盲目的嚮導。儘管他們對身體的運作方式或健康狀況有嚴重誤解卻仍然企圖要對社會這個身體進行手術。
The conclusion of this, then, is that Christians can unashamedly appeal to objective truth about human nature which we have learned from Scripture. (Not to mention the large body of developed social and political thought in the Christian tradition based on Scripture and reason.) We can use this truth for helping us do politics in way that will actually benefit our neighbors. If we leave this task only to people outside the Church, or check what we know from divine revelation at the door, then governments can only be blind guides. They try to operate on the body that is society despite serious misunderstandings of how that body works or what it looks like in good health.

結論
Conclusion

我們從這裏實際上學到的其實非常簡單。政治是必要的工作,甚至可以是好的工作。它的能力和用途也是有限的。政治可以、而且應該服務於和正義、秩序、鄰舍整體福祉有關的世俗需要上。既然我們的鄰居需要這些東西,我們身為基督徒就應該愛他們。我們不該認為這樣做是一種傳福音的工作。我們也不該把它和藉著聖靈的能力傳揚聖道的福音工作混為一談。但僅僅因為時間上的考量, 我們可以利用我們關於人性的特許知識, 更好地使今生的事務保持在健康的狀態下, 僅僅是因為我們的鄰居需要我們這樣做。
The practical takeaway from this is actually pretty simple. Politics is a necessary work, and even can be a good one. It is also limited in power and purpose. Politics can and should serve earthly needs related to justice, order, and the overall well-being of our neighbors. Since our neighbors need these things, we as Christians should serve them in love. We can’t think that doing this is a kind of evangelism. Nor can we confuse it with the Gospel work of proclaiming the Word in the power of the Spirit. But for merely temporal concerns, we can use our privileged knowledge about human nature to do a better job keeping the affairs of this life in shape, simply because our neighbors need us to.


參看:
論巴文克思想中的自然法和兩個國度

作者Nelson Kloosterman
駱鴻銘譯自:“Natural Law and the Two Kingdoms in the Thought of Herman Bavinck, in Kingdoms Apart: Engaging the Two Kingdoms Perspective, edited by Ryan C. McIlhenny. Philipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2012


活在被擄中Living in Exile

[每日靈修] 2/22/2019,  駱鴻銘編譯

我們面向尼希米尋找一些線索以便在困苦的時期作我們朝聖之旅的指引。尼希米聽說了耶路撒冷光景的消息,因此悲痛欲絕。牆壁被拆毀,城門被焚燒。對於失去此遺產,他首先感到的是悲傷,而不是苦毒或憤怒。尼希米哭泣、哀悼,正如耶穌後來也為同一個城市哭泣那樣。

在他的悲痛中,尼希米進行到下一步,即祈禱、禁食。他的禱告首先是讚美的禱告,讚美上帝的威嚴和祂對其子民的信實:「大而可畏的神啊,你向愛你、守你誡命的人守約、施慈愛。」(尼一5)。

即使在被擄期間,尼希米也讚美上帝對聖約的信實。然後他將禱告的焦點轉向悔改,他懇求上帝赦免祂自己百姓的罪,承認他們使被擄的命運臨到自己身上。

活在神的面光中(在神面前禱告):
想一想上帝在過去用了哪些方法證明祂對你是信實的,然後感謝祂!

進一步研讀:
申七9 所以,你要知道耶和華─你的上帝,祂是上帝,是信實的上帝;向愛祂、守祂誡命的人守約、施慈愛,直到千代。
尼一36 他們對我說:「那些被擄歸回剩下的人在猶大省遭大難,受凌辱;並且耶路撒冷的城牆拆毀,城門被火焚燒。」 我聽見這話,就坐下哭泣,悲哀幾日,在天上的神面前禁食祈禱,說: 「耶和華天上的神,大而可畏的神啊,你向愛你、守你誡命的人守約施慈愛。 願你睜眼看,側耳聽,你僕人晝夜在你面前為你眾僕人以色列民的祈禱,承認我們以色列人向你所犯的罪;我與我父家都有罪了。

Living in Exile

“The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the capital, that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah” (Neh. 1:1–2a).

- Nehemiah 1:1-3
After the Babylonian empire fell to the Persians, the new world power was left in charge of all the lands over which Babylon once reigned. To help maintain peace in its territories, Persia often allowed exiled peoples to return to their homelands, including the Jews following Cyrus’ proclamation in 538 BC (2 Chron. 36:22–23). Since the restoration did not get off to a very good start, God sent prophets and leaders to encourage the people to rebuild the temple and prepare for the Messiah. Nehemiah was one of these leaders, and so we will spend this week looking at his ministry with the help of Dr. R.C. Sproul’s teaching series Book of Nehemiah.

Even though the book of Nehemiah is probably not one of the more familiar portions of Scripture, Dr. Sproul believes that it has a special relevance for Western Christians today, especially those who live in the United States. This is on account of the “culture war” that has been raging for over five decades. Undeniably, American society is greatly divided today over several moral issues. A large majority is committed to the sanctity of life and opposes abortion on demand, while a great number of people want to preserve the legality of abortion because of their commitment to personal autonomy over the well-being of the defenseless. In large swaths of the country, homosexual “marriage” is regarded as a moral imperative, while elsewhere the idea that marriage can be anything other than the union of one man and one woman is anathema. The roots of these conflicts, at least in their current form, go back to the “sexual revolution” of the 1960s. Prior to that decade, there was a degree of shame attached to promiscuity, though it is not as if the decadence of that era was unknown before then. Yet the 1960s marked a turning point in that what was once done shamefully in secret emerged as good and normal. Since that day, secular society has grown increasingly hostile to the biblical ethic that undergirds much of Western civilization.

Nehemiah, a Jew serving in the Persian court, lived in a similar situation. He was facing the loss of his traditions as Jerusalem lay in ruins and the people of God were held in reproach (Neh. 1:1–4). He had to learn how to be faithful to the Lord while under the rule of a king who did not know the God of Israel. Like us, Nehemiah had to learn to preserve the sanctity of the covenant community in a foreign land.

Coram Deo
When it comes to the “culture war,” American evangelicals often embrace one of two extremes. On the one hand, they can give up trying to influence society altogether. On the other, they might believe the nation will be saved if we elect the right people and pass the right laws. A more biblical approach would be to affirm the legitimacy of Christians serving the common good in the public square while recognizing that the gospel saves, not moralism.

Passages for Further Study
Deuteronomy 8
Proverbs 3:1–2
Daniel 1
2 Thessalonians 2:15