21 天命——神管治这个世界Providence - God governs thisworld
《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。
21 天命——神管治这个世界
Providence - God governs this world
“神管治这个世界“签放在怀里，定事由耶和华。（箴16:33）
[神的天命（注1）之工就是祂用至极的圣洁、智慧、全能，保护并管治祂所造的万物及其中一切的作为。] 《西敏斯特小要理问答》第十一问。如果说创造是神能力的独特的运作，使世界存在，那么天命则是同一能力继续的运作，籍着它造物主按着祂的旨意，得以：（1）保守所有的受造之物的存在；（2）使祂自己涉身在所有的事件中；以及（3）引导所有的事件，走向祂指定的终局。神管理的模式是有目标的，亲身参与的，祂全程[亲手]管治，祂完全在管理这个世界。祂的手或许是隐藏的，但是祂的掌权是绝对的。
有些人将神的天命局限为没有控制力的先见而已，或为不加干涉式的支持，或为不过问细节的大局监督而已；但是上段所陈述天命的定义却是见证如山。
圣经的教训很清楚地说，神的天命管治（1）是凌驾在全宇宙之上（诗103：19；但4：35；弗1：11）；（2）是凌驾在物质的宇宙之上（诗104：21，28；太6：26；10：29）；（3）是凌驾在动物之上（诗104:21,28：太6：26；10:29）（4）是凌驾在国际事物之上（伯12：23；诗22：28；66：7；徒17：26）；（5）凌驾在人的出生与一生命运之上（撒上16：1；诗139：16；赛45：5；加1：15-16）；（6）凌驾在人生外在得失之上（诗75：6，7；路1：52）；（7）凌驾在看似意外或无意义的事情之上（箴16：33；太10：30）；（8）是在于保护我者（诗4：8；5：12；63：8；121：3；罗8：28）；（9）是在于供应神百姓需要（创22：8，14；申8：3；腓4：19）；（10）是在于答应祷告（撒上1：19；赛20：5，6；代下33：13；诗65：2；太7：7；路18：7，8）；以及（11）是在于暴露恶者并惩罚他们（诗7：12-13；11：6）。（注2）
清晰地思考神在今世过程中，以及在有理性的受造之物的行为中的参与，需要以下如此互补的叙述：人所采取的行动或一樁事件，有由自然原因触发的，或有撒旦的手在其中，可是神的管制超越其上。以斯帖记虽然通篇未见神的名字，却正表达出这个信息。圣经又使人看见：事情就算违反神的命令、意旨而行，仍能成就神对万事所定的旨意（弗1：11）。还有，人出于恶念而做的事，超越管治的神仍能使用他们的作为，以成就善（创50：20；徒2：23）。圣经还使人看见：人在神的超越管治之下犯罪—但神不是罪的始作俑者（雅1：13-17），神乃是审判罪的法官。
神[协同]或[合流]参与所有发生的世事之中，神不违反事物的本性、因果进行的程序，和人的自由，却使事情按祂旨意而发生——这种作为的本质对我们来说，是个奥秘；但是圣经仍一致地教导，我们的神参与的确一如上述。
论及影响神所造之世界的邪恶（道德的和属灵的怪僻、弃置良善、物质的混乱和被破坏宇宙的分崩），我们可以总结地说：神允许罪恶的存在（徒14：16）；祂惩罚邪恶（诗81：11-12；罗1：26-32）；祂从恶中成就善（创50：20；徒2：23；4：27-28；13：27；林前2：7-8）；祂籍邪恶来试练、管教祂所爱的（太4：1-11；来12：4-14）；而且有一天祂要救赎祂的百姓，完全脱离邪恶的权势和存在（启21：27；22：14-15）.
天命的教义教导基督徒：他们绝非有盲目力量（运气、机会、好运、噩运）的掌握之中，所有领导他们的事都是神计划过的；既然知道所有的事都是为着他自己属灵的和永远的益处（罗8：28），每一件事的临到，不外就是呼召他有新的信靠、顺服与喜乐。
1、译者注：providence一词，中多译作[摄取]或[摄理]。其实在中国古代思想里，已有极其强烈的[天命]观，而天命正是providence一词所要表达的，所以我们用[天命]一词来译providence。
2、译者注：louisbrekhof，systematic theology ，4thed.p.168
PROVIDENCE
GOD
GOVERNS THIS WORLD
The
lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. PROVERBS
16:33
“God’s
works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and
governing all his creatures, and all their actions” (Westminster Shorter
Catechism Q.11). If Creation was a unique exercise of divine energy causing the
world to be, providence is a continued exercise of that same energy whereby the
Creator, according to his own will, (a) keeps all creatures in being, (b)
involves himself in all events, and (c) directs all things to their appointed
end. The model is of purposive personal management with total “hands-on”
control: God is completely in charge of his world. His hand may be hidden, but
his rule is absolute.
Some
have restricted God’s providence to foreknowledge without control, or upholding
without intervention, or general oversight without concern for details, but the
testimony to providence as formulated above is overwhelming.
The
Bible clearly teaches God’s providential control (1) over the universe at
large, Ps. 103:19; Dan. 4:35; Eph. 1:11; (2) over the physical world, Job 37;
Pss. 104:14; 135:6; Matt. 5:45; (3) over the brute creation, Ps. 104:21, 28;
Matt. 6:26; 10:29; (4) over the affairs of nations, Job 12:23; Pss. 22:28;
66:7; Acts 17:26; (5) over man’s birth and lot in life, 1 Sam. 16:1; Ps.
139:16; Isa. 45:5; Gal. 1:15-16; (6) over the outward successes and failures of
men’s lives, Ps. 75:6, 7; Luke 1:52; (7) over things seemingly accidental or insignificant,
Prov. 16:33; Matt. 10:30; (8) in the protection of the righteous, Pss. 4:8;
5:12; 63:8; 121:3; Rom. 8:28; (9) in supplying the wants of God’s people, Gen.
22:8, 14; Deut. 8:3; Phil. 4:19; (10) in giving answers to prayer, 1 Sam. 1:19;
Isa. 20:5, 6; 2 Chron. 33:13; Ps. 65:2; Matt. 7:7; Luke 18:7, 8; and (11) in
the exposure and punishment of the wicked, Pss. 7:12-13; 11:6. (L. Berkhof,
Systematic Theology, 4th ed.)
Clear
thinking about God’s involvement in the world-process and in the acts of rational
creatures requires complementary sets of statements, thus: a person takes
action, or an event is triggered by natural causes, or Satan shows his hand—yet
God overrules. This is the message of the book of Esther, where God’s name
nowhere appears. Again: things that are done contravene God’s will of
command—yet they fulfill his will of events (Eph. 1:11). Again: humans mean
what they do for evil—yet God who overrules uses their actions for good (Gen.
50:20; Acts 2:23). Again: humans, under God’s overruling, sin—yet God is not
the author of sin (James 1:13-17); rather, he is its judge.
The
nature of God’s “concurrent” or “confluent” involvement in all that occurs in
his world, as—without violating the nature of things, the ongoing causal
processes, or human free agency—he makes his will of events come to pass, is
mystery to us, but the consistent biblical teaching about God’s involvement is
as stated above.
Of
the evils that infect God’s world (moral and spiritual perversity, waste of
good, and the physical disorders and disruptions of a spoiled cosmos), it can
summarily be said: God permits evil (Acts 14:16); he punishes evil with evil
(Ps. 81:11-12; Rom. 1:26-32); he brings good out of evil (Gen. 50:20; Acts
2:23; 4:27-28; 13:27; 1 Cor. 2:7-8); he uses evil to test and discipline those
he loves (Matt. 4:1-11; Heb. 12:4-14); and one day he will redeem his people
from the power and presence of evil altogether (Rev. 21:27; 22:14-15).
The
doctrine of providence teaches Christians that they are never in the grip of
blind forces (fortune, chance, luck, fate); all that happens to them is
divinely planned, and each event comes as a new summons to trust, obey, and
rejoice, knowing that all is for one’s spiritual and eternal good (Rom. 8:28).
