11 神的超越性——神的本质是属灵的Transcendence - God's natureis spiritual
《简明神学》Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs，巴刻（J. I. Packer）著/張麟至译，更新传道会，2007年。
11 神的超越性——神的本质是属灵的
Transcendence - God's nature is spiritual
耶和华如此说：[天是我的座位，地是我的脚凳。你们要为我造何等的殿宇？哪里是我安息的地方呢？ ]。（赛66:1）
[神是灵]，耶稣在井旁对撒玛利亚妇人这样说（约4:24）。虽然神有完全的位格，但祂不像我们，需要一个身体，并透过它而存活；因此，神并不受限于时空的范畴之内，根据这项事实，再加上神是自存的，祂不像我们，并没有罪在里面所导致的位格瓦解问题（即位格的涣散与失控），我们就可得知以下的诸项真理：
第一，神既不受空间（祂的灵满在任何地方都连续存在），也不受时间的局限（在祂并没有所谓的[现在这一刻]，可以将祂锁定住，如将我们锁定住一样）。神学家将神能脱离限制与局限的这种自由，归诸于祂的无限性（infinity）、无垠性（immensity）、和超越性（tuanscendence）（有关神的这些属性，见王上8:27；赛40:12-26；66:1）。因为神托住每一事物，使之存在，所以在每一个所在，神使每一事物一直存在祂的思维面前；而在祂的世界里，神对每一事物、每一个人，都有其包罗万象的计划与旨意，神也使每一事物与祂自己有关系（但4:34-35；弗1:11）
第二，神是不变的（immutable），此意谓祂是全然一致的；因为祂必然是完全的，所以祂不会有所改变，既不会变好也不会变坏；再说，因为祂不在时间的局限之内，祂就不会像受造之物臣服于改变之下（彼后3:8）。祂绝非孤高冷漠、也非静立不动，祂在世上总是活跃的，不断地使新事发生（赛42:9；林后5：17 启21:5）而在以上的种种里，祂以完全的一致性表达出完全的性格，正因为祂的不变性（immutability），这保证了祂会固守祂所说过的话，和祂所筹算的计划（民23:19；诗33:11；玛3:6；雅1:16-18）。神的不变性可用来解释，当人改变了对祂的态度时，神为何也会也会改变对人的态度，（创6:5-7；出32:9-14；撒上15:11；拿3:10）。人们以为神的不变性，就是神对世事冷漠、无反应，这种看法实与[神的不变性]之真理背道而驰。
第三，神的感情在祂的管制之内，并不像人无法管制他的感情那样。神学家用神的[无痛感性]（impassibility）来表达这种管制力。神学家们的意思不是说，神是不动感情的、也没有感情，而是说神的感觉就像祂所做的事一样，是一椿随祂心所欲的事。出于祂旨意之抉择，也包括在祂无限实存的合一里。神从来不会成为人作为下的牺牲品，好像祂先前并没有要选择去受苦，却被我们苦害一样。圣经表露了神有丰富的情绪（喜乐、忧伤、愤怒、喜悦、爱恋、憎恨等等），忘记神有祂的感觉是大错特错的看法---只是祂的感觉必然是超越了有限者对情绪的感受。
第四，神所有的思绪和行动，都涉及祂的整体。祂是统一整全的，这个特点有时候亦被称为祂的单一性（simplicity）。神的单一性与我们之存在的复杂和缺乏整全性，形成极强烈的对比；而我们的这种复杂光景是罪所带来的结果，使我们很难或可说从未能将我们的全人、全力，集中在任何一整件事上。而神之奇妙之一，就在于祂能在同一时间内，全神贯注不只在一件事，而是在世界上每一地方的每一人、每一事上；而且过去、现在、将来都是这样（参太10:29-30）。
第五，神既是灵，人就要如耶稣所说的（约4:24），以心灵和真实去敬拜祂，[以心灵]的意思说[出自一颗被圣灵更新过得心]。礼义、肢体的动作或者灵修的方式，若没有心的涉入，都不足以成为敬拜，而心的涉入也只有靠圣灵来感动。[以真实]的意思是[用神所启示的实际为根基，而这启示在道成肉身的耶稣基督身上到达了顶点]。尤为重要的是，这个启示指出我们是失落的罪人，并指出神透过耶稣为中保的服事，成为我们的创造主并救赎主。
今日在地上没有任何一个地方可被规定为唯一敬拜神的中心。当神的时候满足时，先前用来象征神在地上居住的耶路撒冷，就被祂居住的天上的耶路撒冷所取代，耶稣在那里尽祂的职事。（来12:22-24）。在圣灵里，[凡求告耶和华的，就是诚心求告祂的，耶和华便与他们相近]，不论他们在哪里（诗145:18；另参来4:14-16）。神在普世各处都是可就近的，这也是福音里好消息的一部分，这个礼物弥足珍贵，我们不可等闲视之。
TRANSCENDENCE
GOD’S NATURE IS SPIRITUAL
This
is what the LORD says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?”
ISAIAH 66:1
“God
is spirit,” said Jesus to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:24). Though
fully personal, God does not live in and through a body as we do, and so is not
anchored in a spatio-temporal frame. From this fact, plus the further fact that
he is self-existent and not marked as we are by the personal disintegration
(lack of concentration and control) that sin has produced in us, several things
follow.
First,
God is limited neither by space (he is everywhere in his fullness continually)
nor by time (there is no “present moment” into which he is locked as we are).
Theologians refer to God’s freedom from limits and bounds as his infinity, his
immensity, and his transcendence (1 Kings 8:27; Isa. 40:12-26; 66:1). As he
upholds everything in being, so he has everything everywhere always before his
mind, in its own relation to his all-inclusive plan and purpose for every item
and every person in his world (Dan. 4:34-35; Eph. 1:11).
Second,
God is immutable. This means that he is totally consistent: because he is
necessarily perfect, he cannot change either for the better or for the worse;
and because he is not in time he is not subject to change as creatures are (2
Pet. 3:8). Far from being detached and immobile, he is always active in his
world, constantly making new things spring forth (Isa. 42:9; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rev.
21:5); but in all this he expresses his perfect character with perfect
consistency. It is precisely the immutability of his character that guarantees
his adherence to the words he has spoken and the plans he has made (Num. 23:19;
Ps. 33:11; Mal. 3:6; James 1:16-18); and it is this immutability that explains
why, when people change their attitude to him, he changes his attitude to them
(Gen. 6:5-7; Exod. 32:9-14; 1 Sam. 15:11; Jon. 3:10). The idea that the
changelessness of God involves unresponsive indifference to what goes on in his
world is the precise opposite of the truth.
Third,
God’s feelings are not beyond his control, as ours often are. Theologians
express this by saying that God is impassible. They mean not that he is
impassive and unfeeling but that what he feels, like what he does, is a matter
of his own deliberate, voluntary choice and is included in the unity of his
infinite being. God is never our victim in the sense that we make him suffer
where he had not first chosen to suffer. Scriptures expressing the reality of
God’s emotions (joy, sorrow, anger, delight, love, hate, etc.) abound, however,
and it is a great mistake to forget that God feels—though in a way of necessity
that transcends a finite being’s experience of emotion.
Fourth,
all God’s thoughts and actions involve the whole of him. This is his
integration, sometimes called his simplicity. It stands in stark contrast to
the complexity and lack of integration of our own personal existence, in which,
as a result of sin, we are scarcely ever, perhaps never, able to concentrate
the whole of our being and all our powers on anything. One aspect of the marvel
of God, however, is that he simultaneously gives total and undivided attention
not just to one thing at a time but to everything and everyone everywhere in
his world past, present, and future (cf. Matt. 10:29-30).
Fifth,
the God who is spirit must be worshiped in spirit and in truth, as Jesus said
(John 4:24). “In spirit” means “from a heart renewed by the Holy Spirit.” No
rituals, body movements, or devotional formalities constitute worship without
involvement of the heart, which the Holy Spirit alone can induce. “In truth”
means “on the basis of God’s revelation of reality, which culminates in the
incarnate Word, Jesus Christ.” First and foremost, this is the revelation of
what we are as lost sinners and of what God is to us as Creator-Redeemer
through Jesus’ mediatorial ministry.
No
one place on earth is now prescribed as the only center for worship. God’s
symbolic dwelling in earthly Jerusalem was replaced when the time came (John
4:23) by his dwelling in heavenly Jerusalem, whence Jesus now ministers (Heb.
12:22-24). In the Spirit, “the LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who
call on him in truth,” wherever they may be (Ps. 145:18; cf. Heb. 4:14-16).
This worldwide availability of God is part of the good news of the gospel; it
is a precious benefit, and should not simply be taken for granted.