58 重生 基督徒是重生的人Regeneration - The Christianis born again
《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。
58 重生——基督徒是重生的人
Regeneration
- The Christian is born again耶稣回答说：“我实实在在的告诉你，人若不重生，就不能见神的国。”（约3:3）
重生是一项新约的观念，显然是出自耶稣的一段比喻性的话语，用来告诉尼哥底母，若想看见、并进入神的国，就必须经历这种内在和深入的改变，这经历即使连信奉犹太教的犹太人亦不能免（约3:3–15 ）。耶稣把这种改变描述为“重生”。
重生的观念是说到神重造了人的心（心是一个人实存的核心），神的法子是将一种新的管制人的欲求、目的和作为的原则，种在人的心里。这个原则也是一种性情上的动力，使人对福音和基督有正面的回应。耶稣的语汇——“从水和圣灵生的”（约3:5）——使人追溯到以西结书三十六章25至27节，此处经文以象征的语法，描述神用水洁净人的罪污，借着将祂自己的灵放在人的里面，神赐给人一颗“新心”。因为以西结书记得这么清楚，所以耶稣责备尼哥底母，“以色列的先生”，居然不明白重生是怎样回事（约3:9–10）。耶稣始终只有一个重点：若不重生，人就不会相信祂是超然的救主，也不会悔改，不会作真正的门徒。
在别处约翰教导说，相信主的道成肉身、救赎，对神有信心、有爱心，为人圣洁、公义，都是人由神而生的结果和证据（约一2:29；3:9；4:7；5:1,4）。既然没有重生就没有归正，那么，也就没有不带着归正的重生了。
虽然因着神蓄意的安排，婴儿重生有发生的可能（路1:15；41–44），但在一般情况下，重生乃是来自有效的呼召——也就是说，人听了福音，又有圣灵的光照，使他明白其中的真理和意义是神赐给他的信息。重生是有效呼召中不可或缺的一项因素。
重生是神独力所成就的（monergistic）；亦即说，它完全是圣灵之神的工作。祂将选民从属灵的死亡复活过来，使他得着在基督里的新生命（弗2:1–10）。重生是由属灵的死亡到属灵生命的过渡；而有感觉的、有意向的、主动的对基督的信心，是重生立即的果子，而非其原因。重生是奥古斯丁所说的“先行的恩典”（prevenient grace）的工作，这种恩典先于我们的心对神的回应。[1]
REPENTANCE
A CHRISTIAN CHANGES RADICALLY
....
I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance
by their deeds. ACTS 26:20
The
New Testament word for repentance means changing one’s mind so that one’s
views, values, goals, and ways are changed and one’s whole life is lived
differently. The change is radical, both inwardly and outwardly; mind and
judgment, will and affections, behavior and life-style, motives and purposes,
are all involved. Repenting means starting to live a new life.
The
call to repent was the first and fundamental summons in the preaching of John
the Baptist (Matt. 3:2), Jesus (Matt. 4:17), the Twelve (Mark 6:12), Peter at
Pentecost (Acts 2:38), Paul to the Gentiles (Acts 17:30; 26:20), and the
glorified Christ to five of the seven churches in Asia (Rev. 2:5, 16, 22; 3:3,
19). It was part of Jesus’ summary of the gospel that was to be taken to the
world (Luke 24:47). It corresponds to the constant summons of the Old Testament
prophets to Israel to return to the God from whom they had strayed (e.g., Jer.
23:22; 25:4-5; Zech. 1:3-6). Repentance is always set forth as the path to
remission of sins and restoration to God’s favor, impenitence as the road to
ruin (e.g., Luke 13:1-8).
Repentance
is a fruit of faith, which is itself a fruit of regeneration. But in actual
life, repentance is inseparable from faith, being the negative aspect (faith is
the positive aspect) of turning to Christ as Lord and Savior. The idea that
there can be saving faith without repentance, and that one can be justified by
embracing Christ as Savior while refusing him as Lord, is a destructive
delusion. True faith acknowledges Christ as what he truly is, our God-appointed
king as well as our God-given priest, and true trust in him as Savior will
express itself in submission to him as Lord also. To refuse this is to seek
justification through an impenitent faith, which is no faith.
In
repentance, says the Westminster Confession, a sinner, out of the sight and
sense not only of the danger, but also the filthiness and odiousness of his
sins, as contrary to the holy nature, and righteous law of God; and upon the
apprehension of his mercy in Christ to such as are penitent; so grieves for,
and hates his sins, as to turn from them all unto God, purposing and
endeavoring to walk with him in all ways of his commandments. (XV.2)
This
statement highlights the fact that incomplete repentance, sometimes called
“attrition” (remorse, self-reproach, and sorrow for sin generated by fear of
punishment, without any wish or resolve to forsake sinning) is insufficient.
True repentance is “contrition,” as modeled by David in Psalm 51, having at its
heart a serious purpose of sinning no more but of living henceforth a life that
will show one’s repentance to be full and real (Luke 3:8; Acts 26:20).
Repenting of any vice means going in the opposite direction, to practice the
virtues most directly opposed to it.
