上帝要透过冠状病毒告诉我们什么What God Is Telling Us ThroughThe Corona Virus

作者：Scott Clark   译者：诚之

https://heidelblog.net/2020/03/what-god-is-telling-us-through-the-corona-virus/

https://www.facebook.com/peddrluo/posts/10158468682459653

每当有大规模的、令人恐惧的事件（例如恐怖攻击或疫病爆发）发生时，总是会有人宣告说，这是上帝在审判我们的罪孽。毫无疑问，就本质来说，堕落之后，我们所有的人都当受永恒的定罪，无论是因我们的原罪还是本罪。

Whenever there is a dreadful, large-scale event, e.g., a terrorist attack or the outbreak of disease, someone is sure to announce that this is God’s judgment on the world for our sins. Without a doubt, by nature, after the fall, we all deserve nothing less than eternal condemnation for our sins both original and actual.

集体的罪咎和集体的福音

Corporate Guilt And Corporate Gospel

根据圣经神的话，所有的人都是由首先的人亚当所代表。无论是就基因来说，还是就律法来说，我们都在他里面。他代表我们接受神的考验；而我们当时也在场。我们是在公义和真正的圣洁中受造的（海德堡要理问答 6）。圣经说：「神看着一切所造的都甚好。有晚上，有早晨，是第六日。」（创一31）。亚当有顺服的能力。他被造时并没有堕落。他被造时也没有邪情私欲（concupiscence），即堕落的欲望。

According to God’s Word, all human beings were represented by the first man, Adam. We were in him both genetically and legally. He stood in our place. We were there. We were created in righteousness and true holiness (Heidelberg Catechism 6). Scripture says, “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day” (Gen 1:31; ESV). Adam was created with the ability to obey. He was not created fallen. He was not created with concupiscence, i.e., a corrupt desire.

在创世记第二章和第三章中，亚当代表全人类，因为在创三14-15中宣告的判决是集体的：

It is implicit in Genesis chapters 2 and 3 that Adam represented all of humanity, since the judgment pronounced in 3:14–15 is corporate:

「耶和华 神对蛇说：你既做了这事，就必受咒诅，比一切的牲畜野兽更甚。你必用肚子行走，终身吃土。我又要叫你和女人彼此为仇；你的后裔和女人的后裔也彼此为仇。女人的后裔要伤你的头；你要伤他的脚跟。」

Yahweh Elohim said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall strike your head, and you shall strike his heel.”

被诅咒的不仅是夏娃和毒蛇：「在你的后裔和她的后裔之间」，使亚当成为了一个公众人物，即代表人物。我们与亚当的关系，就如同我们与曾祖父母的关系一样。亚当的所作所为确实影响了我们所有的人。他招惹的审判，也是我们招惹的。

It was not only Eve and serpent who were cursed: “between your offspring and her offspring” makes Adam a public, i.e., representative person. We are as related to Adam as we are to our great grandparents. What Adam did affects us all. The judgment that he incurred, we incurred.

经文清楚地表明，罪的工价就是死（罗六23）。上帝与亚当立约，要以永生来奖赏他的顺服，并以死亡来诅咒他的不顺服：「你吃的日子，必定死。」（创二17）这就是为什么伊甸园里有两棵树的原因：一棵是生命树，另一棵是死亡树。令人不解地，亚当悲惨地选择了死亡，在我们的周围都可以看到并感受到这个选择的后果。在申命记二十七章26节中，上帝在堕落之后重复了对完全顺服的要求，祂也重复了诅咒：

Scripture is clear that the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). God had covenanted with Adam to reward his obedience with eternal life and to curse his disobedience with death: “the day you eat thereof you shall surely die.” That is why there were two trees in garden, a tree of life and the tree of death. Mysteriously, tragically, Adam chose death and we see and feel the consequences all round. In Deuteronomy 27:26 God repeated the demand for perfect obedience after the fall and he repeated the curse too:

「『不坚守遵行这律法言语的，必受咒诅！』百姓都要说：『阿们！』」

（申廿七26）

‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen’ (Deut 27:26; ESV)

在加拉太书三章10节中，使徒保罗引用了这节经文，解释了罪恶的后果以及甚至在堕落之后，律法所作的持续要求。律法是圣洁、公义、良善的。律法会追究它所要求的，因为上帝不悖乎祂自己。

In Galatians 3:10 the Apostle Paul quoted this very verse in explaining the consequences of sin and the continuing demands of the law even after the fall. The law is holy, just, and good. It demands what it demands because God is what he is.

然而，圣经也同样清楚地表明：「惟有上帝的恩赐，在我们主耶稣基督里，乃是永生」（罗六23）。好消息是，福音的应许不是个别地只给了亚当和夏娃：「女人的后裔要伤你的头，你要伤他的脚跟。」（创三15）立约和守约的上帝耶和华，向那恶者作了一个应许。牠最终将受审判，而根据此判决，上帝允许牠击打那胜利者的脚跟，但胜利者会击打或碾碎牠的头。再一次，这工作不是为一个人作的，而是为凡是胜利者要为之而来的人而作的，也就是凡天父赐给祂的，祂都为他们而死。祂会以一次的顺从来拯救他们众人（罗五19）。祂代表祂全体百姓行事。在海德堡要理问答60问中，改革宗教会承认，对于那些相信基督的人来说，「好像我从来没有犯过罪，也不曾是罪人，好像我已经完全顺服，像基督为我顺服一样。」

Scripture is equally clear, however, that the “gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). The good news is that the gospel was also promised to more than to Adam and Eve individually: “ he shall strike your head, and you shall strike his heel.” The covenant-making and covenant-keeping God, Yahweh Elohim, made a promise to the the Evil One. He would be finally judged and in that judgment, he would be allowed to strike the heel of his conqueror but the conqueror would strike or crush his head. Again, this work was not for one but for all those for whom the conqueror would come, whom the Father gave him, for whom he died. He would save them all in that one act of obedience (Rom 5:19). He acted on behalf of all his people. In Heidelberg Catechism 60 the Reformed Churches confess that, for those who believe in Christ, it is as if “as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, and as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me.”

对于那些在基督里的人，唯独靠恩典（sola gratia），唯独藉着信心（sola fide），就不定罪了（罗八1）。耶稣亲自说，在祂的十字架上，已经执行了对恶者的审判：「这世界的王要被赶出去」（约十二31）。信徒已经不在审判之下。耶稣说：「我实实在在告诉你们，那听我话、又信差我来者的，就有永生；不至于定罪，是已经出死入生了。」（约五24）。

For those who are in Christ, by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide), there is now, therefore no condemnation (Rom 8:1). Jesus himself said that, in his cross, the judgment against the Evil One was executed: “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out” (John 12:31; ESV). Believers are not under judgment. Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24; ESV).

然而，还有最后的审判，是给那些在基督之外的人的定罪。我们的主说：「你们不要把这事看作希奇。时候要到，凡在坟墓里的，都要听见祂的声音，就出来：行善的，复活得生；作恶的，复活定罪。」（约五28-29）。那些在基督里的人已经「行善」。祂就是我们的善。那些在基督之外的人，面临的是永恒的定罪。要是你正在阅读此文，但尚未承认自己在上帝律法下的罪恶和苦难，并转向基督，现在就请这样作吧！

There remains yet a final judgment, a condemnation for those who are outside of Christ. Our Lord said, “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29; ESV). Those who are in Christ have “done good.” He is our good. Those who are outside of Christ face eternal condemnation. If you are reading this and you have not acknowledged your sin and misery under the law of God and turned to Christ, do it now!

关于楼房与瞎眼的

Of Towers And Blindness

因此，毫无疑问我们都是有罪的。救恩之道是毫无疑义的。此外，毫无疑问，罪的后果仍然在荼毒这个世界。当我在写作本文时，美国的城市、企业正在关闭当中，崇拜服事也被推迟，很明显，这都是由于病毒从中国武汉的「海鲜市场」传播到世界各地。对那些本身就罹患疾病（如呼吸系统的疾病）的人和老年人来说，这种病毒特别致命。

So, there is no question of our sinfulness. There is no question of the way of salvation. Further, there is no question that the effects and affects of sin still plague the world. As I write cities in the USA are being shut down, businesses closed, and worship services postponed because of the virus that spread, apparently, from a “wet market” in Wuhan, China to the rest of the world. This virus is particularly deadly for those who have an underlying illness (e.g., a respiratory ailment) and seniors.

对此，可以预见地，有些人宣称这是上帝的审判。可以肯定的是，上帝以前曾对世界施行审判。耶和华用洪水淹没了大地（创六～九章），祂用十灾惩罚埃及，直到法老（暂时）释放了神的子民（出六～十四章）。耶和华在一些事件中使迦南人罹病，他们是旧约时代围绕着上帝子民的民族。有几个情节是耶和华击打一些个人，例如亚拿尼亚和撒非拉（徒五）和希律（徒十二23）。

In response, some have predictably announced that this is a divine judgment. To be sure, there have been divine judgments in the world. The Lord flooded the earth (Genesis chapters 6–9) and he plagued Egypt until Pharaoh released the (temporarily) national people of God (Exodus chapters 6–14). There were episodes when the Lord afflicted the Canaanites, who surrounded the Old Testament national people of God. There are a couple of episodes where the Lord struck down individuals, e.g., Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) and Herod (Acts 12:23).

然而，我们的主耶稣亲自警告我们，不要从灾难中推断出灾难与一群人的罪恶之间有直接的因果联系，甚至有任何关联：

Nevertheless, our Lord Jesus himself cautioned us about inferring from calamities a direct causal link or even a correlation between a calamity and the sins of a group:

就在那时候，有几个在那里的人，把加利利人的事告诉耶稣，就是彼拉多把他们的血和他们的祭物搀在一起的事。祂回答∶「你们以为这些加利利人比其他的加利利人更有罪，纔这样受害吗？不是的，我告诉你们，你们若不悔改，都要这样灭亡。你们以为从前西罗亚楼倒塌的时候，压死的那十八个人，比一切在耶路撒冷的居民更有罪吗？不是的，我告诉你们，你们若不悔改，也都要这样灭亡。」（路十三1-5；《新译本》）。

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (Luke 13:1-3; ESV).

这是个堕落的世界。荆棘、蒺藜、花粉、病毒就在我们四周。正如有普遍恩典，上帝借此限制堕落带来的一切邪恶后果，也有普遍苦难。忠心的、虔诚的信徒也会得癌症。有些彻底败坏的人却看似毫发无损地度过今生（耶十二1）。他们向上帝交帐的日子被推迟了。

This is a fallen world. Thorns, thistle, pollen, and viruses are all around us. Just as there is common grace, whereby God restrains the evil consequences of the fall, so too there is common suffering. Faithful, godly believers get cancer. There are thoroughly rotten people who seem to get through this life without a scratch (Jer 12:1). Their day of accounting is postponed.

我们的主耶稣在这里警告我们，不要把一个民族的罪恶及其苦难直接拉上关系。加利利人并不比其他人更恶劣。约翰福音第九章中那个生来就瞎眼的人也是如此：

Our Lord Jesus here warns us against drawing a correlation or a causal link between the sins of a people and their afflictions. The Galileans were not worse sinners than anyone else. So it was with the man born blind in John 9:

「耶稣过去的时候，看见一个人生来是瞎眼的。门徒问耶稣说：『拉比，这人生来是瞎眼的，是谁犯了罪？是这人呢？是他父母呢？』耶稣回答说：『也不是这人犯了罪，也不是他父母犯了罪，是要在他身上显出神的作为来。』」（约九1-3）

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:1-3; ESV).

门徒犯了同样的错误。他们认为他们也可以解释上帝的护理之工，可以直接把特定的罪恶和特定的审判拉上关系。

The disciples made the same error. They thought they too could interpret providence, that they could draw a correlation and a causal link between particular sins and particular judgments.

这里有个诀窍：上帝的道路不是我们的道路；祂的意念不是我们的意念。盟约会众的召集人传道者这样解释说：

Here is a tip: God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. Qoheleth, the convener of the covenant assembly, explained:

世上有一件虚空的事，就是义人所遭遇的，反照恶人所行的；又有恶人所遭遇的，反照义人所行的。我说，这也是虚空。（传道书八14）。

There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity (Ecclesiastes 8:14; ESV).

耶和华亲自警告我们不要如此愚蠢，想要猜测祂的旨意：

The Lord himself had warned us against the folly of trying to outguess him:

「耶和华说：『我的意念非同你们的意念；我的道路非同你们的道路。天怎样高过地，照样，我的道路高过你们的道路；我的意念高过你们的意念』」（赛五五8-9）。

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares Yahweh. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9.

主从开始就知道结局。但我们不知道。

The Lord knows the end from the beginning. We do not.

解读上帝的护理之工

Interpreting Providence

解释上帝的护理之工是一个极大而危险的诱惑。当地震打断对约翰•威克里夫（John Wycliffe）在伦敦的审判时，他的敌人将其解释为对他的判决，而他却将其解释为对他的控告者的判决。当我们尝试从一般启示中汲取特定信息时，就会发生这种情形。

Interpreting providence is a great but hazardous temptation. When an earthquake disrupted the trial of John Wycliffe in London, his enemies interpreted it as a judgment against him and he interpreted it as a judgment against his accusers. So it is when we try to draw specific messages from general revelation.

耶稣确实教导我们如何解释神的护理。这里的关键词是「普遍」。在这两种情况下，我们的主耶稣都实实在在告诉我们，当我们看到苦难时应该作出怎样的推论。对于那个生来瞎眼的，主说他是瞎子，好叫祂——耶稣——可以医治他，以彰显神的能力。这种解释是特殊启示，不是一般启示，因为我们的主耶稣今天并不是以肉身与我们同在，医治人、使人从死里复活（对那些声称有能力这样做的人，我们十分怀疑）。然而，在路加福音十三章中，祂确实对特定事件作了普遍应用：「我告诉你们，不是的！你们若不悔改，都要这样灭亡。」这是一个普遍的应用，适用于我们所有的人。

Jesus did teach us how to interpret providence. The key term here is general. In both cases our Lord Jesus did tell us what sorts of inferences we should draw when we see affliction. In the case of the man born blind, the Lord said that he was blind so that the he, Jesus, could heal him and demonstrate God’s power. This interpretation is special, not general since our Lord Jesus is not with us bodily healing and raising (and we may fairly doubt those who claim the power to do the same). In Luke 13, however, he did give a general application of the specific episode: “ No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” This is a general application that applies to all of us everywhere.

Covid-19告诉我们什么？它告诉我们，我们往往自以为手中掌握一切，但事实并非如此。它告诉我们，上帝从未缺席。它提醒我们上帝的大能，祂只要轻轻挥动一根手指，就能打乱正常事物的走向。这不是说上帝以前不在场，今天才进行干预（这叫偶因论，occasionalism），而是说上帝在一切发生的事情中，都一直在工作。这就是基督徒所谓的「上帝与人同工」（concursus；直译作：协同）的教义。

What does Covid-19 tell us? It tells us that as often as we think that we have everything under control, we do not. It tells us that God is not absent from us. It reminds us of his power to disrupt the ordinary course of things with, as it were, the flick of a finger. It is not that God was absent and then intervened (occasionalism) but that God is always working in and through all things that occur. This is the Christian doctrine of concursus.

就像我们都会背诵的其他故事一样，这个插曲提醒我们，这是个堕落的世界，而我们都是软弱的。看看囤货者在恐惧中清空货架的情况。看看现代生活可以多快地还原到一些基本需求：食物、蔽身之处和洗手。我们用自以为强大的美梦来欺骗自己，然而事实上却敌不过一只小小的病毒。你现在可能就是个带菌者（带原者），连你自己都不知道。尽管有国家的医疗照护（或因这个医疗照护）和高科技的现代医学，全球仍然有成千上万人丧生。我们嘲笑中世纪的落后和瘟疫，直到我们发现麦当劳的每个触控荧幕都覆盖着病毒。这是启蒙时代的幻觉。我们嘲笑中世纪的人猎巫，却坐待人提出关于人类活动与「气候变化」之间的因果关系的问题；相比之下，猎巫还比较合理。

This episode, like many others we can all recite, remind us that this is a fallen world. That we are frail. Look at the hordes emptying the shelves in panic. Look how quickly late modern life can be reduced to basics, food, shelter, and washing one’s hands. We delude ourselves with the dream that we are mighty and powerful when in fact we may be felled by a tiny little virus. You might be a vector (a carrier) right now and not even know it. Thousands have already died across the globe despite national health care (or because of it) and high-tech late, modern medicine. We mock the medieval world for being backward and plague-ridden until we discover that every touch screen in McDonalds is covered in filth. This is the illusion of Enlightenment. We mock the medievals for witch trials but just let someone raise a question about the causal link between human activity and “Climate Change” and witch trials look positively rational by comparison.

有一场审判就要到来，但这场瘟疫还不是。这只是对即将发生的事的轻微警示。上帝的儿子为了拯救罪人而道成肉身。值得注意的是，因为祂说的是真理，所以我们就把祂钉死在十字架上，但祂并没有留在坟墓里。祂已经复活了。祂今天依旧藉着祂的话晓谕我们，警告我们悔改，并邀请一切会来到祂面前的人。正如祂以前藉着先知以西结所说的，

There is a judgment coming but this is not it. This is only a mild warning of what is to come. God the Son became incarnate to save sinners. Remarkably, we crucified him for telling the truth but he did not remain in the grave. He was raised. He still speaks to us in his Word. He is still warning us to repent and inviting all who will to come. As he said through his prophet Ezekiel,

「人子啊，你要对以色列家说：『你们常说：我们的过犯罪恶在我们身上，我们必因此消灭，怎能存活呢？』你对他们说，主耶和华说：我指着我的永生起誓，我断不喜悦恶人死亡，惟喜悦恶人转离所行的道而活。以色列家啊，你们转回，转回吧！离开恶道，何必死亡呢？」（以西结书三十三章10-11节）

“And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 33:10-11; ESV)

耶和华对祂旧约的百姓说了这些话，但这些话在今天仍然适用。使徒彼得写道：「主所应许的尚未成就，有人以为祂是耽延，其实不是耽延，乃是宽容你们，不愿有一人沉沦，乃愿人人都悔改」（彼后三9）。

The Lord spoke those words to his Old Testament national people but they apply today. The Apostle Peter wrote, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9; ESV).

这些话是针对所有人而写的。我们与挪亚和「当时的世界」（彼后三6）处于同样的光景。即将到来的审判如今正在宣告出来，有些人仔细倾听，有些人却嗤之以鼻。那些聆听的人要登上方舟，基督就是那救赎的方舟。现在就来寻求祂，以免为时已晚。

These words were written in regard to all. We are in the same condition as Noah and “the world that then was.” The coming judgment is being announced and some are listening and some are not. Those who listen will climb aboard the ark and Christ is the ark of salvation. Come to him now before it is too late.