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2020-10-18

 聖約釋經法
The Covenantal Hermeneutic

作者: Keith A. Mathison   譯者:誠之
https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2020/10/the-covenantal-hermeneutic/
https://www.h-land.us/blog/7994e091-0e4e-11eb-bdcc-558086d9b702?fbclid=IwAR0NUH3ME913q_UpBb4WLDgpRkIy0opQstSh3hSgqE2wQBy8vmYdnznqF6o

 
登山寶訓是否可以直接應用在今天的基督徒身上?安息日的誡命是否仍然有效?基督徒是否應該給嬰兒施洗?我們如何回答這些問題以及其他許多問題,取決於我們在打開聖經之前的解經前提。我們都是帶著某種想法來讀聖經的,但問題就出在這裏。如果我們是帶著這些假設來讀聖經,那麼我們當初是從哪里得到這些假設的呢?我們的假設是來自聖經,還是從聖經外引進來的呢?
Is the Sermon on the Mount directly applicable to Christians today? Is the Sabbath commandment still in effect? Should Christians baptize their infants? How we answer these and many other questions depends on the interpretive assumptions we have before we even open the Bible. We all come to the Bible with certain ideas about how it should be read, but herein lies the problem. If we bring these assumptionstoScripture, where did we get them in the first place? Are we deriving our assumptions from Scripture or bringing them in from the outside?
 
在我們談論我們用來解釋聖經的方法和原則時,我們所討論的就是詮釋學(hermeneutics)。我們每個人每天都在練習詮釋學,但我們通常都沒有意識到這一點。如果我們讀的是用我們自己的文化、自己的母語,以及在自己的時代所寫成的作品,我們通常不必再考慮詮釋的規則。例如,如果我們拿起一本以「很久以前......once upon a time)」開頭的書,我們就知道我們不應該像閱讀百科全書的文章那樣來閱讀它。我們會自動認識到這句開場白是表明這篇文章屬於「童話故事」的類型。我們也熟悉自己文化中對人、地、物的稱呼方式。如果我們讀到一個作者說他去過「大蘋果(the Big Apple)」,我們(美國人)就知道他指的是紐約市,而不是一個巨大的水果。紐約市就是作者用這個比喻的字面意思。
When we talk about the methods and principles we use to interpret the Bible, we are talking about hermeneutics. All of us practice hermeneutics every day, but we are usually unconscious of it. If we are reading works written in our own culture, in our own native language, and in our own time period, we usually don’t have to give a second thought to the rules of interpretation. If we pick up a book that begins with the words once upon a time . . . , for example, we know that we should not read it as we would read an encyclopedia article. We automatically recognize that opening line as an indicator that this writing belongs to the genre of “fairy tale.” We are also familiar with our own culture’s way of referring to people, places, and things. If we are reading an author who says he visited “the Big Apple,” we know he is referring to New York City and not a giant piece of fruit. New York City is what the author literally means by using this figure of speech.
 
但是,當我們拿起一本幾千年前用不同語言寫成的書,會發生什麼事呢?如果我們在一張脆弱的莎草紙卷上看到這本書,上面寫著古代語言的原始字母,我們可能會停下來,意識到在我們準備閱讀它之前,必須先做一些準備工作。我們將不得不學習這種語言。我們將不得不瞭解一些關於它的寫作文化。我們必須瞭解它是什麼類型的文學作品。當我們看到一幅古卷時,我們就會意識到它和現代小說不是同一種東西。但是,如果那個古卷已經被翻譯出來了呢?如果它已經被翻譯出來,並且以現代書籍的形式出版,且有漂亮的皮革封面呢?如果你是和那本書一起長大的,對內容有些熟悉呢?這樣的熟悉感可能會讓你誤以為,我們要用閱讀當代文字作品的文化假設來閱讀這本書。
But what happens when we pick up a book written thousands of years ago in a different language? If we were to see this book on a fragile papyrus scroll with the original letters of the ancient language in which it was written, we might stop and realize that we will have to do some work before we are prepared to read it. We will have to learn the language. We will have to learn something about the culture in which it was written. We will have to find out what genre of literature it is. When we see an ancient scroll, we recognize that it isn’t the same kind of thing as a modern novel. What if that ancient scroll has already been translated, however? What if it has been translated and published in a modern book format with nice leather covers? What if you grew up with that book and were somewhat familiar with the contents? Such familiarity could lull you into thinking that this book is to be read with the same cultural assumptions we bring to contemporary written works.
 
這些都是我們閱讀聖經時必須思考的一些問題。《聖經》是一本由眾多古代書卷集合而成的書籍,最初是用希伯來語、亞蘭語和希臘語寫成的。《舊約》聖經的書卷是由眾多的作者寫成的,他們生活在古近東世界,有自己的習俗和假設。《新約》聖經的書卷則是在羅馬帝國最鼎盛的時期寫成的。這些都不是我們現今生活的世界。如果我們不瞭解聖經中的書籍種類,就很容易誤認其文學體裁,從而導致歷史-語法釋經學(historical-grammatical hermeneutics)的誤用。我們可以忽略這些事情,因為我們的《聖經》已經從古文中翻譯出來了。我們的《聖經》也已經按照我們所繼承的某些釋經學體系來教導我們,我們也這樣來閱讀,其中有些體系比其他體系更忠實於原始文本。知道我們帶著其中的哪一種假設來閱讀聖經,以及為什麼這樣做是很重要的。
These are some of the issues we have to think about when we read the Bible. The Bible is a collection of ancient books, originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The books of the Old Testament were written by numerous authors who lived in the ancient Near Eastern world with its own customs and assumptions. The books of the New Testament were written during the height of the Roman Empire. Those are not the worlds in which we have lived our lives. If we fail to understand the kind of books found in the Bible, we can easily misidentify genres, which leads to a misapplication of historical-grammatical hermeneutics. We can forget these things because our Bibles have already been translated out of the ancient languages. Our Bibles have also already been taught to us and read by us along the lines of certain hermeneutical systems we inherited, and some of these are more faithful to the text than others. Knowing which of these we bring to Scripture and why is important.
 
在過去的一個半世紀裏,有兩種釋經系統,即聖約神學(covenant theology)和時代論(dispensationalism),它們是福音派基督徒中占主導地位的選項。聖約神學在教會教父的著作中是以種子的形式出現的,但它在十六和十七世紀有了重大的發展。它是由於認識到聖經揭示了神以盟約的方式與祂的子民交往而得到發展的。它最基本的教導是:盟約(covenant)是立約雙方或多方之間的正式協議。具體的協議取決於各種因素。每種類型的盟約都涉及一方或雙方的義務。有些盟約還涉及正式的宣誓,有些涉及儀式,有些則有外在的記號。所有的盟約都會使立約當事人之間產生某種關係。
Over the last century and a half, two systems of interpretation, covenant theology and dispensationalism, have been the dominant alternatives among evangelical Christians. Covenant theology was in seed form in the writings of the church fathers, but it saw significant developments during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It grew out of a recognition that the Bible reveals God as dealing with His people by means of covenants. At its most basic, a covenant is a formal arrangement between two or more parties. The specific kind of arrangement depends on various factors. Every type of covenant involves obligations for one or both parties. Some covenants also involve formal oaths, some involve ritual ceremonies, and some have external signs. All covenants effect some kind of relationship between the parties.
 
聖約神學強調創世記一到三章對我們理解全本聖經的重要性。它強調人的墮落所引起的根本性改變。在墮落之前,神按照某種正式的安排與人建立關係的。聖約神學稱這種安排為「行為之約」(covenant of works)或「生命之約」(covenant of life)。墮落之後,為了拯救祂的子民,上帝建立了一種新的安排,盟約神學將它稱為「恩典之約」。當上帝為差遣彌賽亞(基督)做準備時,祂在整個救贖歷史中設立了各種盟約(如亞伯拉罕之約、摩西之約和大衛之約),所有這些盟約都為彌賽亞和新的約(new covenant)的到來奠定了基礎。所有這些盟約都是神在恩典之約(唯靠恩典,唯獨藉著基督的工作)下的總體救贖計劃的一部分(譯按:傳統的聖約神學會稱這些盟約是這個涵蓋一切的恩典之約在救贖歷史不同時期中的“施行或治理方式[administrations]”)。這裏強調的是更正教信徒(Protestant)堅持的事實,即墮落之後,罪人得救的唯一途徑是單單藉著對基督的信心。聖約神學只是宗教改革五大唯獨(five solas)的產物。
Covenant theology emphasizes the importance of Genesis 1–3 for our understanding of all of Scripture. It emphasizes the radical change caused by man’s fall. Before the fall, God related to man according to a certain formal arrangement. Covenant theology speaks of this as the “covenant of works” or “covenant of life.” After the fall, in order to save His people, God established a new arrangement, which covenant theology refers to as the “covenant of grace.” As God prepared for the sending of the Messiah, He established various covenants throughout redemptive history (e.g., the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, and the Davidic covenant), all of which laid the groundwork for the coming of the Messiah and the new covenant. All these covenants were parts of God’s redemptive plan under the one covenant of grace—the one overarching plan of salvation by grace alone through the work of Christ alone. The emphasis here is the Protestant insistence on the fact that after the fall, the only way for sinful man to be saved is by faith alone in Christ alone. Covenant theology is simply an outgrowth of the five solas of the Reformation.
 
一個多世紀以來,時代論一直是福音派中廣泛流行的釋經學體系(譯按:受到倪柝聲弟兄的「聚會所」(或『地方教會Local Church』)神學的影響,這種釋經理論也在華人教會中大行其道)。雖然它最著名的是其獨特的末世論觀點(譯按,即前千禧年論,許多華人教會教導的「災前被提」論),時代論最重要的元素是它區分了上帝的兩群不同的子民,即以色列和教會。
For more than a century, dispensationalism has been a widespread and popular hermeneutical system among evangelicals. Although it is best known for its distinctive eschatological views, dispensationalism’s most important element is its distinction between two separate peoples of God: Israel and the church.
 
由於理解到神對兩群不同的子民有兩個不同的計劃,所以時代論將救贖歷史分為幾個不同的時期或時代。在每一個時代中,神都在考驗人類。在每一個時代中,人都沒有通過考驗,因此開啟了新的時代。大多數時代論者認為有七個不同的時代。目前的時代,即教會時代,是獨一無二的,因為它是救贖歷史中的一個「括號」,在此期間,神把祂的注意力從以色列轉向了教會。時代論者聲稱他們的體系是建立在前後一貫的字面解釋方法(literal method of interpretation)之上的。實際上,這種說法本身是建立在一種非常武斷的字面定義上,而這種定義是有選擇地應用的,沒有考慮到這些古代書籍中的文學類型。
Because of its understanding that God has two distinct plans for two distinct peoples, dispensationalism divides redemptive history into several separate time periods or dispensations. During each of these dispensations, God tests humanity. In each of these dispensations, man fails the test and a new dispensation is inaugurated. Most dispensationalists believe that there are seven distinct dispensations. The present dispensation, the church age, is unique because it is a parenthesis in redemptive history during which God turns His attention from Israel to the church. Dispensationalists claim that their system alone rests on a consistently literal method of interpretation. In reality, the claim itself rests on a very arbitrary definition of literal that is applied selectively and fails to take into account the kind of literature found in these ancient books.
 
這些釋經學體系影響了我們閱讀和解釋聖經的方式。例如,聖約神學認為全本聖經有著更多的連續性。它也拒絕神有兩群不同子民的想法。另一方面,時代論則看到更多的不連續性。它認為,聖經許多地方只適用於以色列,而不適用於今天的基督徒。這從根本上影響了我們讀聖經的方式。這也影響了聖經的講道。我記得我的一位時代論神學院教授對我們班上的同學說,當我們從舊約中講道時,我們應該能夠在猶太人的會堂裏講這篇講道,而不會引發爭議。只有當我們不提耶穌或福音時,才有可能做到這一點。然而,《新約》的作者是這樣處理《舊約》的嗎?當然不是。
These hermeneutical systems affect the way we read and interpret Scripture. Covenant theology, for example, sees much more continuity across all of Scripture. It also rejects the idea that God has two separate peoples. Dispensationalism sees much more discontinuity, on the other hand. It argues that much of Scripture applies only to Israel and not to Christians today. This radically affects the way we read the Bible. It also affects the preaching of the Bible. I recall one of my dispensationalist seminary professors telling our class that when we preach from the Old Testament, we should be able to preach that sermon at a Jewish synagogue without anyone raising an eyebrow. That is only possible if we do not mention Jesus or the gospel. Is that the way the authors of the New Testament dealt with the Old Testament? Certainly not.
 
近幾十年來,一些對舊有的選擇不滿的浸信會神學家提出了其他的選擇,他們認為這些選擇提供了一條介於時代論和聖約神學之間的中間道路。例如,從20世紀80年代和90年代開始,一些時代論者開始倡導「漸進時代論」(progressive dispensationalism)。漸進式時代論比傳統的時代論更看重聖經的連續性。它認為各個時代是漸進發展的,推動著神的計劃。漸進時代論者繼續保持以色列和教會之間的區別,但這種區別不像傳統的時代論那樣激進。
In recent decades, a number of Baptist theologians who were dissatisfied with the older options have offered alternatives that they believe provide a middle way between dispensationalism and covenant theology. Beginning in the 1980s and 1990s, a number of dispensationalists, for example, began advocating “progressive dispensationalism.” Progressive dispensationalism sees more continuity in Scripture than traditional dispensationalism does. It sees the dispensations as progressively developing and advancing God’s plan. Progressive dispensationalists continue to maintain a distinction between Israel and the church, but the distinction is not as radical as one finds in traditional dispensationalism.
 
另一種在一些改革宗浸信會中發現的選擇是「新聖約神學」(New Covenant Theology)。顧名思義,新聖約神學強調的是新的約(new covenant)的嶄新性。支持者以重新評價十誡,特別是安息日的誡命而聞名。他們傾向於質疑或拒絕區分道德律、禮儀律和民事律的用處,特別是質疑安息日誡命是否是上帝永恆不變的道德律的一部分。在那些自稱為「新聖約神學家」的人中,仍然存在許多分歧。有些人否認墮落前有任何行為之約,而有些人則肯定這個教義。有些人否認基督的主動順服。有些人則肯定它。這個體系還在不斷的發展變化當中。
Another alternative that is found in some Reformed Baptist churches is New Covenant Theology. As the name implies, the emphasis is on the newness of the new covenant. Proponents are known for their reevaluation of the Ten Commandments, specifically the Sabbath commandment. They tend to question or reject the usefulness of the distinction between moral, ceremonial, and civil law and specifically question whether the Sabbath commandment is part of the eternal unchanging moral law of God. Many differences remain among those who call themselves “new covenant theologians.” Some deny any covenant of works before the fall, while others affirm it. Some deny Christ’s active obedience. Others affirm it. This system is still evolving.
 
「漸進聖約論」(Progressive Covenantalism)則是一種較新的觀點,已經開始贏得一些信徒。這種觀點與「新聖約神學」有一些相似之處,但其支持者明確地肯定了他們所說的神與亞當立的創造之約。他們也一致肯定了基督主動順服的必要性。根據這種觀點,聖經中的諸約逐步揭示了上帝的完整救贖計劃。他們在肯定神與以色列和教會立了不同的盟約的同時,也肯定神的子民只有一個。這種區別的主要意義在於漸進聖約論者肯定,神的舊盟約子民包含了信徒和非信徒,而神的新盟約子民只包含信徒。這就支撐了漸進聖約論者堅持信徒受洗(believers baptism)的基礎。
Progressive Covenantalism is a more recent view that has begun to gain some adherents. This view has some similarities with New Covenant Theology, but its proponents clearly affirm what they would call a creation covenant with Adam. They are also unanimous in affirming the necessity of Christ’s active obedience. According to this view, the covenants in Scripture progressively reveal God’s one plan of salvation. While affirming a covenantal distinction between Israel and the church, they affirm that there is only one people of God. The primary import of the distinction is the affirmation among Progressive Covenantalists that the old covenant people of God contained believers and unbelievers and the new covenant people of God contains only believers. This undergirds Progressive Covenantalism’s insistence on believer’s baptism.
 
在研究這些不同的釋經學體系時,必須牢記的主要問題是,它們的主要原則是來自聖經,還是把這些主要原則讀進到聖經裏。我們沒有篇幅去徹底研究每一個系統的每一個爭議點。我的目標是比較卑微的,即讓讀者更意識到他們讀經時所透過的詮釋學鏡片。
The main question that must be kept in mind when examining these various hermeneutical systems is whether they derive their key principles from Scripture or are reading them into Scripture. We do not have the space to thoroughly examine each system on every disputed point. My goal is more modest—namely, to make readers more aware of the hermeneutical lenses through which they are reading Scripture.
 
雖然我們不可能徹底研究每一個有爭議的問題,但我們必須簡單地看一個問題,即以色列和教會的關係。時代論的激進區分是取自聖經還是把這種區分讀進去聖經?《新約》聖經所提供給我們的答案似乎很清楚。例如在羅馬書十一章1724節中,保羅把神的子民以色列說成是一棵橄欖樹,不信的猶太人的枝子已經被折斷,只剩下真正的以色列人。信主的外邦人的枝子已經被嫁接到這棵已經存在的橄欖樹上,也就是現在的教會。如果不信主的猶太人悔改信靠基督,他們就可以重新被嫁接到這棵橄欖樹上。請注意,橄欖樹只有一棵。如果時代論是真的,保羅的比喻就必須有很大的改變。他必須講到神在舊的橄欖樹(以色列)旁邊種上一棵新的橄欖樹(教會)。神必須從以色列的樹上取下信主的猶太人的枝子,從其他外邦樹上取下信主的枝子,然後把這些枝子嫁接到新的教會樹上。然而,就目前而言,只有一棵好樹,就是真以色列樹。這就是為什麼保羅可以對以弗所大體上是外邦人的教會說,他們過去在以色列的諸約之外(弗二12);保羅也對加拉太大體上是外邦人的教會說,如果他們是屬基督的,他們就是亞伯拉罕的後裔(加三1629)。任何假設神的兩群不同子民的釋經學系統,都是把外來的東西帶到了聖經裏。
Although we cannot thoroughly examine every disputed question, we must briefly look at one—the relationship between Israel and the church. Is dispensationalism’s radical distinction taken from Scripture or read into it? The New Testament answer would appear to be clear. In Romans 11:17–24, for example, Paul speaks of the people of God, Israel, as an olive tree from which unbelieving Jewish branches have been broken off, leaving only the true Israel. Believing gentile branches have been grafted into this already existing olive tree that is now the church. If unbelieving Jews repent and trust Christ, they can be grafted back into this olive tree. Note that there is only the one olive tree. If dispensationalism were true, Paul’s analogy would have to change dramatically. He would have to speak of God’s planting a new olive tree (the church) alongside the old olive tree (Israel). God would have to take believing Jewish branches from the Israel tree and believing branches from other gentile trees and graft those branches into the new church tree. As it stands, however, there is only one good tree—the true Israel. This is why Paul can say to the largely gentile church in Ephesus that they used to be separated from the commonwealth of Israel (Eph. 2:12) and to the largely gentile church in Galatia that if they are Christ’s, they are Abraham’s offspring (Gal. 3:16, 29). Any hermeneutical system that posits two separate peoples of God is bringing something foreign to the Bible.
 
聖約釋經法從聖經的前提出發,承認它是何種類型的書,強調它所強調的東西。它認識到神對祂子民的計劃,有一種優美的潛在連續性,同時也認識到在這個計劃中,有合乎聖經的發展和各樣區別。最重要的是,它承認並宣告了耶穌基督完整的福音,以及唯獨靠著恩典、唯獨藉著信心、唯獨在基督裏的唯一救恩之路。
The covenantal hermeneutic begins with the Scripture as it is given, recognizing the kind of book it is and emphasizing what it emphasizes. It recognizes the beautiful underlying continuity of the plan of God for His people while also recognizing the biblical development and distinctions within that plan. Most importantly, it recognizes and proclaims the one gospel of Jesus Christ and the one way of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
 
馬蒂森博士(Keith A. Mathison)是位於佛羅裏達州桑福德的宗教改革聖經學院(Reformation Bible College)的系統神學教授。他是多本著作的作者,包括《主的晚餐》(The Lord's Supper)。

 聖約如何成為救贖歷史的架構?
How do covenants structure redemptive history?

作者:貝爾徹(Richard Belcher  譯者:誠之
https://rts.edu/resources/how-do-covenants-structure-redemptive-history/
https://www.h-land.us/blog/40e78c20-0a75-11eb-bbb3-c773907a43b5?fbclid=IwAR2y1ENDOYbf3pKvUWrxhlfsWpdUVaf1ozsdlQ06xRIlVSDiKi9ybFCuRHs
短片: https://youtu.be/Bk7kmj7bIBo
 
聖約如何架構救贖歷史?貝爾徹(Richard Belcher)博士解釋了聖約如何幫助我們理解上帝的救贖計劃。
How do covenants structure redemptive history? Dr. Richard Belcher unpacks how the covenants help us understand God’s plan for salvation.
 
聖約是一個複雜的話題,關於聖約神學,我們可以說的有很多,但我認為瞭解聖約如何使聖經信息具有結構上的統一是有幫助的。盟約就像建築物的結構圖,為救贖歷史提供了結構框架。在解釋聖約神學時,理解聖經中有兩個主要的聖約是有益處的:行為之約和恩典之約。這兩個聖約彼此之間有很大的不同,但是它們共同提供了一個雙重聖約框架,這是福音的基礎。
Covenants are a complex topic, and there’s a lot we could say about covenant theology, but I think it’s helpful to understand how covenants give a structural unity to the message of Scripture. Covenants are like the architecture of a building, giving a structural framework for redemptive history. Now in explaining covenant theology, it’s helpful to understand that there are two overarching covenants in Scripture: there’s the covenant of works and the covenant of grace. These two covenants are very different from each other, but together they give a bi-covenantal framework that is foundational to the gospel.
 
行為之約
The Covenant of Works

 
我們將從行為之約開始。當亞當背叛了上帝時,行為之約就正式結束了。但是,重要的是要認識到,人必須完全遵守上帝律法的要求並未就此結束。它不會被刪除。我們所有人都有義務完全遵守上帝的律法。問題是我們不能遵守上帝的律法,因此我們受到律法的定罪。如今,末後的亞當基督來了,完全遵行了上帝的律法,通過祂在十字架上受死,祂擔當了罪的刑罰,也就是背約的咒詛,這是我們所有的人都必須承擔的這咒詛。
We’ll start with the covenant of works. When Adam disobeys God, the covenant of works formally comes to an end. However, it’s important to recognize that the requirement to perfectly keep the law of God does not come to an end. It is not removed. All of us are under the obligation to perfectly keep the law of God. The problem is we are not able to keep the law of God, and therefore we stand condemned by the law. Now Christ, the second Adam, came and perfectly kept the law of God, and through his death on the cross, he bore the condemnation, the covenant curse, that all of us stand under.
 
基督把這咒詛擔在自己肩上,好叫神可以藉著這歸算的義,稱凡信基督的罪人為義。因此,我們可以說,救恩在某種意義上是通過行為——不是通過我們的行為,而是通過由信心所接受的基督的行為。
He took that upon himself so that God justifies sinners through the imputed righteousness of Christ for those who believe in him. So we could say that salvation in one sense is by works, not our works, but the works of Christ received by faith.
 
恩典之約
The Covenant of Grace

 
恩典之約是上帝對亞當未能守約的回應。為了開始這個救贖的過程,在伊甸園裏的上帝以一種滿有恩典的方式對亞當做出了回應,為他披上了動物皮,以遮蓋他的裸體,遮掩他的羞愧和罪惡感。上帝還應許會有一位即將來臨的救贖主,將與那蛇爭戰,並戰勝蛇。許多人把創世記三章15節中的這個應許稱為第一個福音。儘管盟約的詛咒使上帝賦予亞當的任務更加難以實現,但亞當仍以信心回應,稱呼他的妻子為「夏娃」,意思是眾生之母。
The covenant of grace is God’s response to the failure of Adam. To begin that process of salvation, God right there in the garden responded in a gracious way to Adam by providing him animal skins to clothe his nakedness, to cover up his shame and guilt. God also promised that there would be a coming redeemer who would do battle with the serpent and would have victory over the serpent. Many call this the first gospel there in Genesis 3:15. And even though the covenant curse made the mandate that God had given to Adam more difficult to fulfill, Adam responds in faith by naming his wife Eve. Eve means the mother of all living.
 
救贖歷史在諸約中展開
Redemptive History Unfolds in Covenants

 
救贖歷史和上帝救恩的發展與推進是藉由舊約聖經中的各個盟約中實現的:挪亞之約,亞伯拉罕之約,摩西之約,大衛之約。這些盟約都由耶穌基督應驗了。我提到的每一個盟約都有各自獨特的重點,但它們共同代表了基督在祂第一次降臨時帶給我們的救恩的豐滿,而且在祂第二次降臨時會完全應驗。這些盟約中的每一個都不是通過取代早期盟約的承諾而取得進展,而是藉著擴充這些承諾,並在這些承諾的基礎上得到發展。這些聖約代表了耶穌基督所成全的我們救贖的盛豐。當神在救贖歷史中、在新天新地裏完成我們的救贖,並最終復興所有受造物的工作時,在這個涵括一切的恩典之約裏有極大的統一性。盟約是救贖歷史的結構框架,而救贖歷史則是上帝實現我們完整救恩的方法。
The development and progress of redemptive history and God’s salvation is worked out in the various covenants of the Old Testament: the covenant with Noah, the covenant with Abraham, the covenant with Moses, the covenant with David. All of these are fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Each of these covenants that I’ve mentioned have their own distinctive emphasis, but together they represent the fullness of salvation that Christ initially brings to us in his first coming and completely fulfills in his second coming. Each of these covenants progress not by replacing the promises of the earlier covenants but by expanding upon those promises and building upon those promises. These covenants represent the fullness of our salvation fulfilled by Jesus Christ. There’s great unity in the overarching covenant of grace as God in redemptive history works out our salvation and ultimately the restoration of all creation in the new heavens and the new earth. Covenants are the structural framework for redemptive history, God’s method to bring about our full and complete salvation.
 
貝爾徹(Richard P. Belcher
 
Richard Belcher (Ph.D., Westminster Theological Seminary) is the John D. and Frances M. Gwin Professor of Old Testament at RTS Charlotte and the Academic Dean at both the Charlotte and Atlanta campuses. He is an ordained minister in the PCA and pastored an urban nondenominational church in Rochester, NY for ten years before pursuing the Ph.D.
貝爾徹(威斯敏斯特神學院博士)是夏洛特改革宗神學院(RTS Charlotte)的舊約教授(the John D. and Frances M. Gwin Professor of Old Testament),以及夏洛特和亞特蘭大校區的院長(Academic Dean)。他是PCA按立的牧師,在取得博士學位之前曾在紐約州羅切斯特市的一間無宗派城市教會牧會十年。

 為之約的重要性
The Importance of the Covenant of Works

作者:范司寇(J. V. Fesko)譯者: 誠之:
https://credomag.com/2020/09/the-importance-of-the-covenant-of-works/
https://www.h-land.us/blog/e753f440-0a5c-11eb-bbb3-c773907a43b5?fbclid=IwAR1cjCPYh0sKtvl1BAVd6sbJFwp9tM2h1DG89zMmvHAU2cdnNU8F7Yg8vVs

 
為什麼行為之約的歷史是一個重要的研究課題?要回答這個問題,我們首先要簡單地界定一下這個教義,其次,要重溫一下它的起源、發展和接納。然後,我們就可以反思為什麼行為之約的歷史值得我們研究。「約」(covenant)最簡單的定義來自教導兒童的教理問答,它將約定義為兩個或兩個以上的人之間的協議。
 
如此,行為之約就是神與亞當達成的協議,即神會賜給他永生,條件是他要順從神的命令:遍滿地面,治理這地(創一28);不要吃分別善惡樹上的果子(創二16-17)。順服會帶來巨大的祝福,但不順服會給亞當和他的後代帶來死亡。那麼,這個教義的歷史是如何展開的呢?
 
此教義的歷史
 
早在兩約之間的時期,次經《德訓篇》(Ecclesiasticus)等猶太教外典書籍就解釋說,當上帝給亞當下達不得吃知識樹上的果子的命令時,他就與人立了約。「凡有血肉的,有如衣服,逐漸陳舊,因為自古以來的定案(原文作:約)是:你一定要死」(《德訓篇》十四17;參創二16-17)。這對聖奧古斯丁來說是拼圖的關鍵圖塊,使他得出結論說,上帝和亞當是有立約關係的。其他早期教父的神學家如耶柔米在他著名的舊約拉丁文《武加大譯本》中把何西阿書六章7節譯為:「他們卻如亞當背約」。這意味著,到了十六世紀,亞當之約的觀念已經很普遍了,從羅馬天主教和新教神學家都主張這一學說就可以看出。
 
在天特會議(Council of Trent)上,神學家們談到了上帝與亞當所立的第一個約;另一位羅馬天主教神學家卡塔里尼斯(Ambrogio Catharinus)認為,在亞當之約中,上帝將亞當的罪歸算給他的後代。同樣,新教徒如慈運理(Ulrich Zwingli)也解釋說,上帝和亞當立了約;加爾文(John Calvin)堅持認為,上帝所有的約都有聖禮的記號;他令人信服地指出,生命樹是生命的聖禮記號,這意味著上帝和亞當立了約。十六世紀其他的改革宗神學家,如烏爾西努(Zacharias Ursinus)、珀金斯(William Perkins)和羅洛克(Robert Rollock)等,也都呼應了這些主題,於是行為之約的教義就形成了。此教義不單單是改革宗或更正教的獨特現象,而是有大公教會的根基。
 
到了十七世紀,該教義繼續廣傳,在英國和歐洲大陸都有倡導者。它最早被編入阿爾馬(Armagh)大主教烏瑟(James Ussher)撰寫的《愛爾蘭信條》(the Irish Articles1615年),這為它被納入著名的《威斯敏斯特信仰標準》(Westminster Standards 1648年)奠定了基礎。但是,儘管行為之約很普遍,也廣受接納,但到了十八世紀初,人們對該教義的重要性的認識發生了變化。
 
此教義的衰落
 
有兩個因素促成了該教義的衰落。首先,神學家們因神學分歧、宗教戰爭和暴力而疲憊不堪,他們試圖減少信仰告白的神學承諾,以促進更多的普世合作,因此,為了平息神學爭論所引發的洪濤巨浪,行為之約就是被扔下船的教義之一。其次,一些神學家撇開了宗教改革合乎聖經釋經原則。行為之約的擁護者完全知道「約」這個詞並沒有出現在《創世記》的前三章中,但他們是在更廣闊的聖經正典的背景下解讀這些開頭章節的:在《摩西五經》、《舊約聖經》的其他部分和《新約聖經》中。該教義的批評者不再被這樣的釋經策略所說服,他們要求在創世記一至三章中必須出現約這個詞,以驗證該教義。
 
這並不是說改革宗神學家們集體放棄了這一學說,而是說這一學說不再得到廣泛的接納。不過,十八、十九世紀仍有一批神學家,包括波士頓(Thomas Boston)、柯古洪(John Colquhoun)和一些參與18世紀初蘇格蘭「精髓爭議」(the Marrow Controversy)的神學家(the Marrow men)等,他們都在推廣該教義。在二十世紀,對該教義的分歧更加尖銳。批評者包括巴特(Karl Barth)、慕理(John Murray)和豪克摩(Herman Hoeksema);支持者包括凱波爾(Abraham Kuyper)、巴文克(Herman Bavinck)、魏司堅(Geerhardus Vos)和伯克富(Louis Berkhof)。
 
此教義的重要性

 
從行為之約的起源、發展和接納的歷史中,我們可以學到什麼?首先,亞當之約是一個大公教會的思想,也就是說,在教會歷史上,神學家們一直在提倡它。第二,批評者和擁護者對這一學說的爭論表明,他們採用了不同的釋經學原則。詆毀者要求「約」這個詞必須出現在創世記一至三章中,而提倡者則將創世記一至三章章放在一個更廣大的正典框架中解讀,並將十幾處不同的聖經經文拿出來證實該學說的合法性。第三,現代歷史學家和神學家把行為之約定性為上帝和亞當之間赤裸裸、冷冰冰的法律交易。但當你閱讀原始資料時,倡導者經常宣稱,行為之約是關於上帝對亞當的愛,以及反過來,亞當對上帝的愛。
 
許多的批評和拒絕都是站不住腳的,因為他們沒有正視與該教義有關的釋經學和神學的概念。因此,作為一個歷史問題,行為之約是重要的,因為它為我們提供了一個窗口,讓我們瞭解上帝與人類最初的互動。因此,我們可以從教會的集體智慧和洞察力中學到很多東西。此外,如果說亞當是那以後要來之人的預像(或譯為預表)(羅五14),即末後的亞當,耶穌,那麼,聆聽教會對創世初始(proton)的理解,將使我們對末世(eschaton)的理解更加厚實。瞭解亞當的工作的性質,將為我們提供瞭解基督工作的工具。因此,研究行為之約的歷史,是一項有價值、有指導意義的工作。
 
范司寇(J. V. Fesko
 
范司寇(阿伯丁大學博士)在傑克遜改革宗神學院(RTS Jackson)擔任系統神學和歷史神學教授。他自1998年起在正統長老會按立牧師,曾任教會植堂者、牧師,現在是教師。范司寇博士撰寫或編輯了二十多本書籍,包括Reforming Apologetics: Retrieving the Classic Reformed Approach to Defending the Faith, The Trinity and the Covenant of Redemption, Death in Adam, Life in Christ: The Doctrine of Imputation, Justification: Understanding the Classic Reformed Doctrine, The Covenant of Works: The Origins, Development, and Reception of the Doctrine (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020).

 們從宗教改革的崇拜和禮儀中可以學到什麼
What We Can Learn from Reformation Worship and Liturgies

作者:傅格森(Sinclair Ferguson)譯者:誠之
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/studying-reformation-worship-liturgies/
https://www.h-land.us/blog/7bd15b90-0fd9-11eb-bdcc-558086d9b702?fbclid=IwAR2y1ENDOYbf3pKvUWrxhlfsWpdUVaf1ozsdlQ06xRIlVSDiKi9ybFCuRHs
 
《宗教改革的崇拜:來自過去、給當代的禮儀》是一個在這個領域中幾乎可以說是無與倫比的豐富資源,代表著編輯和翻譯者的巨大愛心。它彙集了由更正教宗教改革中的一些領頭人物精心製作的崇拜禮儀,他們使用這些禮儀來幫助在各樣的地點和教會中的敬拜服事。
Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present is a resource of almost unparalleled richness in its field, representing an immense labor of love on the part of its editors and translators. It gathers together liturgies crafted by some of the leading figures in the Protestant Reformation and employed by them to aid worship in a wide variety of places and churches.
 
對那些參與這項工程的人,我們欠他們極大的債。我確信,他們會告訴我們,我們償還這筆債務的最佳方式是認真閱讀,按照聖經來加以評估,然後深入瞭解過去在這些崇拜儀式中所表達的敬拜首要原則,並在我們現在的崇拜中明智而敏感地應用這些原則。這必將帶來對三位一體神崇拜的全新變革。
We owe an immense debt of gratitude to those who have participated in this project. They would, I feel sure, tell us that the best way we can repay that debt is to read carefully, to assess biblically, and then to reach down into the first principles of worship variously expressed in these liturgies from the past, and apply them wisely and sensitively in our worship in the present. This can only lead to a new reformation of the worship of God the Trinity.
 
這種藉著聖靈的能力與天父的接觸,才能幫助上帝子民的會眾,在他們所在的地方和時間裏,以更新的心靈,轉變的情感和聖潔的喜樂來敬拜。
Such access to the Father through the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit can alone help the congregations of God’s people, in the place and time they occupy, to worship with renewed mind, transformed affections, and holy joy.
 
崇拜的重要性
Importance of Worship
 
《宗教改革的崇拜》是一本重要的書,原因有幾個。
Reformation Worship is an important book for several reasons.
 
首先,太明顯了,我們可能沒有充分強調它,就是它提供了令人印象深刻的證據,證明來自各國的改教家們如此關注崇拜主題的方式。他們很清楚,福音的重新發現和敬拜方式的改革是同一枚硬幣的兩面,因為歌唱讚美、認罪和認信、禱告,以及讀經講道,都不過是聖道事工的不同方面而已。
The first—so obvious that we might not underline it sufficiently—is that it gives impressive testimony to the way the reformers in various countries devoted so much attention to the subject of worship. They well understood that the rediscovery of the gospel and the reformation of worship were two sides of the same coin, because sung praise, confessions of sin and faith, prayer, and the reading and preaching of Scripture are but various aspects of the one ministry of the Word.
 
出於這個原因,改教家認為將教會崇拜禮儀視為應用聖經的一個重要方面。因此,崇拜服事的順序不能簡單地隨意拼湊。它可能屬於「無關緊要的事」(adiaphora;譯按:即聖經中沒有明確規定,可以按基督徒的良心自由選擇的事);但是「無關緊要的事」絕不能對聖經的一般教導無動於衷(正如威斯敏斯特神學後來明確指出的那樣,WCF 1.6)。
For that reason, the reformers regarded the liturgies that framed the church’s worship as being an important aspect of the application of Scripture. An order of service could not therefore be simply thrown together casually. It might belong to the adiaphora; but “things indifferent” are never to be treated with indifference to the general teaching of Scripture (as the Westminster Divines would later make clear, WCF 1.6).
 
約翰·加爾文(John Calvin)在1544年(當時他才30多歲)寫下了《改革教會的必要性》(The Necessity of Reforming the Church),清楚地表明福音的重新發現和崇拜變革之間的結合。他是為了準備在斯皮爾斯舉行的帝國議會而寫的,他為他的小冊子寫了一篇〈對皇帝查理五世的謙卑勸誡〉的序言,他在其中充分論證到:
The integration between gospel rediscovery and worship transformation was made clear by John Calvin, when, in 1544 (and still in his mid-30s), he wrote The Necessity of Reforming the Church. Penned in preparation for the Imperial Diet at Spires, he prefaced his tract with a “Humble Exhortation to the Emperor, Charles V,” in which he tellingly wrote:
 
如果有人問,那麼,基督教主要是靠什麼在我們中間始終屹立不搖,並維護其真理的,就會發現,以下兩點不僅佔據了主要的位置,而且在它們之下包含了所有其他的部分,因此,基督信仰——[]一種知識——的整個實質乃是:第一,崇拜上帝的正當方式;第二,救贖是從哪個來源獲得的。當這些都被排除在我們的視野之外時,雖然我們可以用基督徒的名義來榮耀,但我們的認信卻是空洞和虛妄的……如果有人希望得到更清楚、更熟悉的說明,我會說,教會中的規則、牧師的職分和所有其他的秩序問題,都類似於身體,而這樣的教義,即規範對神應有的敬拜,並指出人的良心必須寄託在其救贖盼望的基礎的教義,則是激勵身體的靈魂,使它變得生動活潑,簡而言之,使它不至於成為一具僵死而無用的屍體。
If it be inquired, then, by what things chiefly the Christian religion has a standing existence amongst us and maintains its truth, it will be found that the following two not only occupy the principal place, but comprehend under them all the other parts, and consequently the whole substance of Christianity, [namely], a knowledge, first, of the mode in which God is duly worshiped; and, secondly, of the source from which salvation is to be obtained. When these are kept out of view, though we may glory in the name of Christians, our profession is empty and vain. . . . If any one is desirous of a clearer and more familiar illustration, I would say, that rule in the church, the pastoral office, and all other matters of order, resemble the body, whereas the doctrine which regulates the due worship of God, and points out the ground on which the consciences of men must rest their hope of salvation, is the soul which animates the body, renders it lively and active, and, in short, makes it not to be a dead and useless carcass.
 
至於我所講的,在虔誠人當中,或在有正確心智和理智的人當中,都沒有爭議。
As to what I have yet said, there is no controversy among the pious, or among men of right and sane mind.
 
這裏立即引人注目的不僅是基本要道——敬拜和福音——的結合,前者更被賦予了優先的地位,或許是因為正確理解福音所結出的第一個果子就是真正的敬拜。它就有這等的重要性。
What is immediately striking here is not only the combination of fundamentals—worship and gospel—but the fact that the former is given pride of place, perhaps because the first fruit of rightly understanding the gospel is true worship. It is that important.
 
為此,我們不應該貶低本書內容的價值,把它們當作一種禮儀考古學的挖掘,只有那些對古物或美學感興趣的人才會關注。因為這些禮儀是出於對天主榮耀的熱情而製作的。
For this reason, we ought not to devalue the contents of this book by treating them as a kind of liturgical archaeological dig, the concern only of those who are interested in antiquities or aesthetics. For these liturgies were crafted out of a passion for the glory of God.
 
而這本彙編雖然不是作為時代的小冊子來制定的,但對當代教會來說,它卻蘊含著重要而有力的信息。
And while this compilation is not formulated as a tract for the times, it carries an important and powerful message for the contemporary church.
 
積極參與敬拜
Active Participation in Worship

 
 16世紀的改教家們都有一種深深的憂慮,那就是中世紀晚期的崇拜服事已經成為一種旁觀者的活動。會眾在很大程度上是被動的。
The 16th-century reformers shared a deep underlying concern that late medieval worship had become a kind of spectator event. The congregation was largely passive.
 
「敬拜者」,如果可以這樣描述的話, 他們基本上是彌撒這齣戲劇的觀眾, 和唱詩班唱的歌詞的聽眾。會眾並不是神聖的崇拜儀式的參與者,而是旁觀者。
“Worshipers,” if they could be thus described, were essentially observers of the drama of the Mass, and listeners to the words of the choir. The service of divine worship was not an event in which the congregation were participants so much as spectators.
 
因此,敬拜的「品質」不是以敬拜者的聖潔喜悅來衡量的,而是以音樂的標準、唱詩班的卓越表演、彌撒劇的美學印象,包括其中的聖袍、鐘聲、香,以及當然還有拉丁語來衡量的。就所有實際目的而言,敬拜是為你而做的——由他人所代理。
The “quality” of worship was therefore measured not by the holy joy of the worshipers but by the standard of the music, the excellence of the singing of the choir, the aesthetic impressiveness of the drama of the Mass, with its vestments, bells, incense—and, of course, its Latin. Worship was, for all practical purposes, done for you—vicariously.
 
宗教改革將所有這些都轉化為個人崇拜者和會眾的積極參與和理解,既用悟性也用心靈來祈禱和歌唱(以及聆聽聖道、觀看並領受聖禮)。
All this the Reformation transformed into the active participation and understanding of the individual worshiper and the congregation, praying and singing (as well as listening to the Word and seeing and receiving the Sacraments), with both the mind and the spirit.
 
提出基本問題
Asking Fundamental Questions

 
在教會顧問評估「晨間敬拜的品質」的時代,很容易讓人想到,這樣的改革是需要的(人們會認為,除了敬拜的神聖領受者之外,這項任務超出了任何人的智慧)。我們的視線是否設定在水平方向,而不是垂直方向?我們是否已經不再渴望像以賽亞或約翰那樣的經歷,在手足無措的崇拜中匍匐在地?
It’s tempting to think that such a reformation is needed again in an age when church consultants assess “the quality of morning worship” (a task one would have thought beyond the wit of anyone but its Divine Recipient). Is our gaze being set horizontally, more so than vertically, and has our desire ceased for the Isaiah-like or John-like experience of being laid prostrate and undone in hand-over-the-mouth adoration?
 
保羅對敬拜的看法與我們是何等不同。
How different was Paul’s perspective on worship from ours:

 
「若……不通方言的人進來,就被眾人勸醒,被眾人審明,他心裡的隱情顯露出來,就必將臉伏地,敬拜神,說:「神真是在你們中間了。」(林前十四24-25
If . . . an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted . . . he is called to account . . . the secrets of his heart are disclosed and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. (1 Cor. 14:24–25)
 
無論當代敬拜急於填補教會傳統禮儀的哪一種空白,現代的「敬拜改革」通常很少關注這種敬拜異象。驅動著改教家的那些問題並沒有驅動著我們。
Whatever lacunae in the churches’ traditional liturgy that contemporary worship has rushed in to fill, the modern “worship revolution” has usually paid scant attention to this vision of worship. The kind of questions that drove the reformers do not drive us:
 
-「在崇拜中,上帝如何向我們揭示祂所喜悅的是什麼?」
“How has God revealed to us what his pleasure is in worship?”
 
-「我們如何在自己的會眾中切實地解決這個問題,使一切都能為榮耀上帝和造就聖徒而做?」
 “How can we work that out in practical terms in our own congregations, so that everything is done for the glory of God and the edification of the saints?”
 
如果我們不能提出這些基本問題,因而不探究聖經來尋找答案,我們對敬拜(也就是對神)的態度就有可能變成簡單的實用主義,甚至是相對輕率地模仿 「有效的方法」,甚至是在其他教會中看起來「很酷」的東西。
When we fail to ask these fundamental questions, and consequently do not probe Scripture to find answers, our approach to worship (that is, to God) will be in danger of becoming simply pragmatic, even a relatively thoughtless imitation of “what works,” or even seems “cool” in some other church.
 
舉個例子,很少有人注意到,即使是這樣一個表面上善意而純真的改變,從把我們所唱的詩篇和讚美詩的歌集上的歌詞印在大屏幕上播放,也很容易產生意想不到的效果。其結果非但沒有達到 「造就」的目的,反而往往是有害的。
To give one example, it is rarely noticed that even such an apparently well-meant and innocent change from having the words we sing printed in psalm- and hymn books to showing them on large screens can easily produce unanticipated effects. Rather than achieving the goal of “edification” the result is often to its detriment.
 
例如,年輕的基督徒在屏幕上只看到讚美詩或歌曲的一節,失去了整體的流暢度,他或她不知道正在唱的是詩篇、讚美詩還是靈歌。而且,更重要的是,當代的敬拜者不可能像他們的祖父母那樣,幾乎是把150首詩篇中的許多詩篇都熟記於心,其中既有讚美,也有哀歌,再加上許多對聖經的解說,以及其他數百首由聖徒寫成的讚美詩,他們的文學技巧和神學智慧,至少可以說,與我們的時代相比,令人印象深刻。
Thus, for instance, the young Christian sees only one verse of the hymn or song on the screen; the flow of the whole is lost; he, or she, does not know whether a psalm, a hymn, or a spiritual song is being sung. And, to boot, contemporary worshipers are unlikely to know virtually by heart—as their grandparents did—many of the 150 psalms, with both their praises and laments, plus many paraphrases of Scripture, and hundreds of other hymns written by men and women whose literary skills and theological acumen were, to say the least, impressive by comparison with ours.
 
而今天有哪一個年輕人,對基督教信仰、對自己參加的崇拜產生了新的興趣,在幾周之內,幾乎不費吹灰之力,就把《使徒信經》等基督教信仰的總結背得滾瓜爛熟,使自己第一次能夠說出福音的基本真理呢?
And what young person today, taking a new interest in the Christian faith, in the worship he or she attends, learns by heart in a matter of weeks, almost effortlessly, a summary of the Christian faith such as the Apostles’ Creed, which enables him or her to state the fundamental truths of the gospel for the first time?
 
我們都熟悉「尼八的兒子耶羅波安使以色列人陷在罪裡」這節經文(譯按:參見王上廿二52)。但我們太容易忘記,舊約聖經還向我們介紹了「所羅門的兒子羅波安」的罪,他接受同輩人的勸告,而不是探索過去的智慧,把以色列人引向災難。
We’re all familiar with “Jeroboam the son of Nebat who caused Israel to sin.” But it is all too easy to forget that the Old Testament also introduces us to the sin of “Rehoboam, the son of Solomon” who, accepting the counsel of his peers rather than exploring the wisdom of the past, led Israel into disaster.
 
在這樣的文化中,本書所介紹的禮儀似乎像是在清晨洗的一場冷水澡;但冷水澡可以使人奇妙地煥然一新、重新得力。這通常不是個人的錯,因為他或她的一生都是以流行音樂為飲食,他或她認為流行音樂是正常的,也是可取的。
In such a culture the liturgies presented in this book may seem like a cold shower in the morning; but cold showers can be wonderfully reinvigorating. It is usually not the fault of the individual whose whole life has been a diet of popular music that he or she regards it as both the normal and the preferable.
 
但是,如果偶然發現了一個古典音樂電臺,進入到巴哈和貝多芬、孟德爾松和韓德爾的世界,就會發展出一種新的對豐富性和深度的胃口,發現一個更有營養和更令人滿意的世界。
But if perchance a classical music radio station is discovered, and an entry is made into the world of Bach and Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Handel, a new taste for richness and depth develops, and a world is discovered that is both more nourishing and more satisfying.
 
古老的崇拜禮儀也是如此,使我們的敬拜有了形狀、韻律和節奏。
So it is with the old liturgies that give shape and flow and rhythm to our worship.
 
讓我們敬拜上帝
Let Us Worship God

 
這並不是對任何或所有古老禮儀進行僵化的採納,或卑躬屈膝的模仿的一個懇求;也不是一種語帶恐嚇且刺耳的堅持,說我們今天應該使用它們,只「因為改教家使用它們」。這可能,而且幾乎肯定會,對我們的敬拜產生一種死氣沉沉的影響。我們大多數人並不是生活在歐洲大陸上,也沒有人生活在16世紀。
This isn’t a plea for a wooden adopting, or a slavish imitation, of any or all older liturgies; nor is it an intimidating and metallic insistence that we should use them today “because the reformers used them.” That could—and almost certainly would—have a deadening effect on our worship. Most of us do not live on the continent of Europe, and none of us lives in the 16th century.
 
我們今天最需要的是在聖靈裏(in Spirit)以及在真理裏的敬拜(譯按:約四23的正確翻譯)。但古老的禮儀應該刺激我們仔細思考,並使我們問如何在今天應用他們的原則,以呼應他們三一神的、以基督為中心的、以聖經為依據的內容,使我們的敬拜,在我們的地方和時間,能呼應他們所表現的福音內容和節奏。
Our greatest need is for worship in Spirit as well as in truth today. But older liturgies should stimulate us to careful thought, and cause us to ask how we can apply their principles today in a way that echoes their Trinitarian, Christ-centered, biblically informed content, so that our worship, in our place and time, will echo the gospel content and rhythm they exhibit.
 
這不是一項容易的任務,它需要智慧、技巧、敏銳度,並謹慎地傳達出其中的原則和目標。但也確實如此,歸根結底,人們傾向於通過經驗和口頭指示來學習和成長。他們需要感知並品味一種更好的方式的幫助和價值。而由於他們的胃口可能已經被現代化的飲食所鈍化,所以一點一滴地推動是很重要的。
This is no easy task, and it requires wisdom, tact, sensitivity, and careful communication of principles and goals. But it’s also true that, at the end of the day, people tend to learn and to grow as much by experience as by verbal instructions. They need to sense and taste the help and the value of a better way. And since their appetite may have been blunted by a diet of modernity, it’s important to advance little by little.
 
我們也不能忘記宗教改革的一些關鍵要點:聖經及其闡釋的中心地位,以基督為教導,恩典的奇妙,對信心的需要,聖靈的事奉,對上帝獨享榮耀的渴望。因為如果沒有這些現實景況,到了最後,我們的敬拜可能會被最精美的禮儀所主宰,卻又是如石頭般的死氣沉沉,缺乏上帝同在的聖潔權能。
Nor must we forget the Reformation keys: the centrality of Scripture and its exposition, the focus on Christ, the wonder of grace, the need for faith, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the desire for the glory of God alone. For without these realities, at the end of the day, our worship may be ordered by the finest of liturgies and yet be stone-cold dead, lacking the holy power of the presence of God.
 
在我的童年時代,幾乎每一次的敬拜儀式都是以同樣的話開始的:「讓我們敬拜上帝」。現在人們很少聽到這些話了。它們已經被各式各樣的詞語所取代,這些詞語在功能上的意思都是「讓我們感到自在」或「讓我們歡迎你」。我們的歡迎確實應該是熱烈而真實的。
In my childhood, virtually every service of worship began with the same words: “Let us worship God.” One hears them rarely now. They have been ousted by various forms of words that functionally mean “Let us be comfortable” or “Let us welcome you.” Our welcome should indeed be warm and real.
 
但敬拜是親近那位聖者;祂的臨在會產生一種莊嚴喜樂的感覺,和濃濃的令人感到謙卑的敬畏。正是這一點,使我們產生出令人手足無措的特權感,祂歡迎我們進到祂的面前。因為敬拜首先涉及的是神對我們的歡迎,而不是我們彼此的歡迎。
But worship is drawing near to the Holy One; his presence effects a sense of solemn joy, and of densely humbling awe. It is this that creates our overwhelming sense of privilege that he welcomes us into his presence. For worship involves first and foremost God’s welcome of us, not our welcome of each other.
 
我們需要歸回到這種對聖經和宗教改革的看法。這本特殊的崇拜禮儀集為我們指明了正確的方向。在任何善於和明智地使用它的人手中,它必將成為教會的祝福。
We need to return to this perspective of the Bible and the Reformation. This exceptional collection of liturgies points us in the right direction. In the hands of anyone who uses it well and wisely, it will surely be a benediction to the church.
 
編者注:這是《宗教改革的崇拜:來自過去、給當代的禮儀》(Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present),一書的序言,本書由Jonathan GibsonMark Earngey編輯(新成長出版社,2018)。

 上帝的恩典之約
God's Covenant of Grace

作者:R.C. Sproul   
誠之譯自:The ESV Reformation Study Bible, Ligonier Ministry, 2005, p. 30
https://www.h-land.us/blog/d32d9231-0f0e-11eb-bdcc-558086d9b702?fbclid=IwAR12UudL4SA475uZ1SLt3QLTKHp1sghjm4TVQsGjbfqN523LsEYbnmNYPU0

 
聖經中的盟約是經過協商或單方面強加的莊嚴協議,它使雙方在永久確定的關係中互相約束,雙方都有具體的承諾、要求和義務(如婚約,瑪二14)。
 
當上帝與祂的受造物立約時,祂獨自確立其條款,正如祂與挪亞和每一個活物的約所顯示的那樣(創九9)。當亞當和夏娃未能服從行為之約的條款時(見創三6和神學注釋「墮落」),上帝並沒有毀滅他們,而是通過應許一位救主來啟示祂的恩典之約(創三15)。上帝的約建立在祂的應許之上,這一點從祂與亞伯拉罕的約中可以清楚地看出。神呼召亞伯拉罕去祂要賜給他的地,並應許通過他祝福他和地上的萬族(創十二1-3)。亞伯拉罕聽從神的呼召,因為他相信神的應許;正是他對應許的信心使他被算為義(創十五6;羅四18-22)。神與以色列人在西奈上立的約是以古代近東宗主條約的形式出現的。這些條約是一個強大的國王單方面強加給一個附庸王和一群奴僕百姓的盟約。
 
雖然西奈之約要求在上帝的咒詛威脅下順服上帝的律法,但它是恩典之約的延續(出三15;申七78,九56)。上帝把誡命賜給祂已經救贖並宣告擁有主權的子民(出十九4,廿2)。通過給摩西的律法的預表和影子,進一步確定了神的蒙約的恩典應許。以色列人未能遵守祂的約,表明需要一個新的約,這個新的約會賜予順服的能力(耶卅一31-34,卅二38-40;參創十七7;出六7,廿九4546;利十一4445,廿六12)。
 
上帝與以色列民立的約是為上帝自己的到來做準備,以祂兒子的身份,履行祂所有的應許,並使預表所投下的影子具有實質意義(賽四十10;瑪三1;約一14;來七~十)。耶穌基督,新約的中保,為罪獻上了自己真正和最後的祭。祂完全順服了律法,作為末後的亞當(人類的第二個代表元首),祂與那些因著信而與祂聯合的人一起,成了所有盟約祝福的繼承者,在祂更新的受造萬物中享受與神的和平與團契。在《舊約》聖經中用來分賜這些祝福臨時安排,在預期的事情實現後,這些安排就被廢棄了。
 
正如希伯來書七到十章所解釋的那樣,上帝通過基督為祂與罪人所立的一個永恆之約制定了一個更好的版本(來十三20),一個有更美應許的更美的約(來八6),這是基於一個更美的大祭司在更美的聖所裏所獻的(來七26~八6111314)更美的祭物(來九23)。這更美的約保證了比以前版本的約,在「更好的家鄉,就是在天上的」中與神同享榮耀更美的盼望(來十一16;參第40節)。
 
舊的約在基督裏的應驗,為外邦人打開了信仰之門。「亞伯拉罕的後裔」,即與之立約的群體,在基督裏被重新定義,就是亞伯拉罕最後和最終的後裔(加三16)。因信與基督聯合的外邦人和猶太人,在基督裏都成為亞伯拉罕的後裔(加三26-29),而在基督以外的人都不能與神建立救贖的盟約關係(羅四9-17,十一13-24)。
 
上帝的立約行動,其目標一如既往都是要「從各國、各族、各民、各方」(啟七9)所招聚而來的盟約百姓,並且要使他們分別為聖,他們要在一個更新的世界秩序裏住在新耶路撒冷裏(啟廿一3)。在這裏,立約關係將得到最充分的表達——「他們要作祂的子民,上帝要親自與他們同在,作他們的上帝」(啟廿一3;參創十七7注釋;出廿九4546)。朝著這個目標,上帝對普世事件的塑造仍然在進行當中。
 
聖約的框架包含了上帝主權恩典的整個經營。基督在天上的事奉仍然是「新約的中保」(來十二24)。救恩是聖約的救恩:重生、稱義、收養和成聖都是聖約的恩典;揀選是上帝對祂的立約群體,即教會成員的選擇。洗禮和主的晚餐,與舊的約的割禮和逾越節的儀式相對應,並取代了舊的約的儀式,它們是聖約的典章。上帝的律法是聖約律法,遵守此律法是對盟約恩典的感恩和對我們聖約上帝的忠誠最真實的表達。因著上帝與我們立約而與上帝立約,應該成為所有信徒經常性的靈修操練,無論是在私下還是在主的聖餐桌上。對恩典之約的理解會引導著我們,幫助我們領會神救贖之愛的一切奧妙。

 盟約
COVENANT

作者: R. C. Sproul    誠之譯自:
The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (p. 37). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust.
譯文參考史鮑爾著,姚錦燊譯,《神學入門》,65-66頁。
 https://www.h-land.us/blog/1ccd58b0-0ef8-11eb-bdcc-558086d9b702
https://yibaniba.blogspot.com/2020/10/covenant-r.html

上帝是用「盟約」(covenant)這個基本架構來和祂的子民建立關係的。盟約通常被認為是一種合同(contract)。雖然盟約和合同之間肯定有一些相似之處,但也有重要的區別。兩者都是具有約束力的協議。合同是地位平等的雙方訂立的,雙方都有自由不去簽署。盟約同樣也是一種協議。然而,聖經中的盟約通常不是地位平等的雙方之間所訂立的。相反,它們遵循的是古代近東宗主-附庸條約(suzerain-vassal treaties)的常見模式。宗主-附庸條約(如赫人諸王之間的條約)是戰勝者和被征服者之間簽訂的。雙方之間沒有談判或討價還價的餘地。
 
這些盟約的第一部分內容是立約前言(preamble;也可譯為引子),它列出了立約的當事人。出埃及記二十章2節以「我是耶和華你的神」開頭。上帝是宗主,以色列百姓是附庸。第二部分內容是歷史序文(historical prologue)。這個段落列舉了宗主(或耶和華)所做的值得附庸效忠的事,比如帶領希伯來人離開埃及為奴之家。用神學的詞彙來說,這部分的內容是恩典。
 
在下一段落中,耶和華列出了祂對所要統治的人的要求。在出埃及記二十章中,這些要求就是十誡。每一條誡命對於整個立約群體來說都被認為具有道德上的約束力。
 
這類型的盟約的最後一部分則列出了守約的祝福和背約的咒詛。耶和華列出了如果祂的附庸臣民謹守盟約的規定,祂將賜給他們的好處。這方面的一個例子見於第五條誡命。上帝應許以色列民,如果他們孝敬父母,他們在應許之地上的日子就會長久。此約還提出了如果百姓不履行責任就會受到的詛咒。上帝警告以色列人,如果他們不尊榮祂的名,祂必不以他們為無罪。這種基本模式在上帝與亞當、挪亞、亞伯拉罕、摩西立的約中,以及耶穌與祂的教會之間立的約中都明顯可見。
 
在聖經時代,盟約是用血來確立的。習慣上,盟約雙方都要從劈開的動物中間穿過,表示他們同意立約的條款(見耶卅四18)。我們在創世記十五章721節中有這種立約的例子。在這裏,上帝向亞伯拉罕作出了某些應許,這些應許是通過獻上祭牲來確認的。然而在這個例子裏,只有上帝經過獻祭的祭牲,表明祂是以莊嚴的誓言來約束自己,必定會履行此約。
 
新的約(new covenant),也就是恩典之約,是通過基督在十字架上所流的血來核准、確立的。此約的核心是上帝救贖的應許。上帝不僅應許要救贖所有信靠基督的人,而且用最神聖的誓言來印證並確認這個應許。我們所事奉和敬拜的是一位承諾要完全救贖我們的神。

 宗教改革紀念日
Reformation Day

作者: Timothy George  譯者:誠之
http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2009/10/reformation-day
https://www.h-land.us/blog/f06417f0-0f1a-11eb-bdcc-558086d9b702?fbclid=IwAR2y1ENDOYbf3pKvUWrxhlfsWpdUVaf1ozsdlQ06xRIlVSDiKi9ybFCuRHs
 
 15171031日,這個所有聖徒的日子,大約是下午兩點鐘,馬丁路德拿著錘子,來到威登堡城堡教會(the Schlosskirche, Castle Church)的北門,把他的〈九十五條論綱〉釘在教堂的大門上,以抗議當時教會對贖罪券的教導和實踐。為紀念這個事件,成千上萬的基督徒至今仍慶祝這個象徵宗教改革開始的日子。例如在比森神學院,我們不慶祝萬聖節,而是舉行一個宗教改革的晚會。
It was around two o’clock in the afternoon on the eve of the Day of All Saints, October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther, hammer in hand, approached the main north door of the Schlosskirche (Castle Church) in Wittenberg and nailed up his Ninety-Five Theses protesting the abuse of indulgences in the teaching and practice of the church of his day. In remembrance of this event, millions of Christians still celebrate this day as the symbolic beginning of the Protestant Reformation. At Beeson Divinity School, for example, we do not celebrate Halloween on October 31. Instead we have a Reformation party.
 
但這個事件真的發生過嗎?一位天主教的學者Erwin Iserloh,把這個張貼論綱的故事,歸因給日後的傳說故事。他指出,這個故事最先是莫蘭頓(Philip Melancthon)在路德死後講出來的。其他研究路德的學者們,紛紛為這個威登堡釘錘的歷史性辯護。事實上,城堡教會的大門,的確被用來作為大學正式的公告板,經常被用來作為公佈像路德所作的這類公告,要大眾一起參與有關贖罪券的討論。
But did this event really happen? Erwin Iserloh, a Catholic Reformation scholar, attributed the story of the theses-posting to later myth-making. He pointed to the fact that the story was first told by Philip Melanchthon long after Luther’s death. Other Luther scholars rushed to defend the historicity of the hammer blows of Wittenberg. In fact, the door of the Castle Church did serve as the official university bulletin board and was regularly used for exactly the kind of announcement Luther made when he called for a public disputation on indulgences.
 
這個事件到底是不是發生在下午2點鐘,或甚至是否實際上發生過,並不是重點。但路德寫就的論綱的副本,確實很快地被人文主義學者傳播到全歐洲,這的確是事實。在幾個禮拜之內,這個在一個偏僻的大學城中,本來籍籍無名的奧古斯丁派的修士,忽然成了家喻戶曉的人物,並且變成了眾人口中談論的對象。
But whether the event happened at two o’clock in the afternoon, or at all, is not the point. Copies of Luther’s theses were soon distributed by humanist scholars all over Europe. Within just a few weeks, an obscure Augustinian monk in a backwater university town had become a household name and was the subject of chatter from Lisbon to Lithuania.
 
路德並沒有想要分裂教會,更不是要創立一個全新的教會。直到他生命結束前,他都認為自己還是一個忠心順服獨一、聖潔、大公、使徒教會的僕人。雖然路德聲明放棄他修士的誓言,並與一位還俗的修女凱瑟琳(Katarina von Bora)結了婚,他從來沒有忘記他接受過一個聖經博士的學位。他的天職是教導神的話,並把男男女女帶到聖經的主,也就是耶穌基督的面前。
It was not Luther’s intention to divide the Church, much less to start a brand new church. To the end of his life, he considered himself to be a faithful and obedient servant of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. Though Luther renounced his monastic vows and married a former nun, Katarina von Bora, he never forgot that he had received a doctorate in Holy Scripture. His vocation was to teach the written Word of God and to point men and women to the Lord of Scripture, Jesus Christ.
 
在這個宗教改革紀念日中,我們應該記得馬丁路德是屬於全教會的,不是專屬於路德會和新教徒,有如阿奎那(Thomas Aquinas)對所有宗派忠心的信徒來說,是基督徒智慧的一個寶藏,不只是屬於道明會和羅馬天主教一樣。幾周之前(2009年),包約瑟(Franz-Josef Bode),北德Osnabrück的一位天主教的主教,當他在一個聯合崇拜中以路德為題講道時,也承認了這點。他說道,「路德如何徹底地把上帝放在中心,是很迷人的!」路德教導說,世上每個人在生命的每個時刻,都絕對地直面上帝(coram deo)——在上帝面前,與上帝面對面,接受祂的質問——這帶領他質問當時教會重大的錯誤,以為恩典和赦罪可以像市場的商品一樣進行買賣。「以基督、聖經和神真實可靠的話為我們的焦點,是今日羅馬天主教會所唯一需要強調的。」包約瑟說。這位主教的觀點受到第二次梵蒂岡會議後許多神學家的回應,路德的教導,特別是他對神的話的尊崇,在許多方面都受到讚賞,這在一個世紀以前是無法想像的。
On this Reformation Day, it is good to remember that Martin Luther belongs to the entire Church, not only to Lutherans and Protestants, just as Thomas Aquinas is a treasury of Christian wisdom for faithful believers of all denominations, not simply for Dominicans and Catholics. This point was recognized several weeks ago by Franz-Josef Bode, the Catholic Bishop of Osnabrück in northern Germany, when he preached on Luther at an ecumenical service. “It’s fascinating,” he said, “just how radically Luther puts God at the center.” Luther’s teaching that every human being at every moment of life stands absolutely coram deo ”before God, confronted face-to-face by God”led him to confront the major misunderstanding in the church of his day that grace and forgiveness of sins could be bought and sold like wares in the market. “The focus on Christ, the Bible and the authentic Word are things that we as the Catholic church today can only underline,” Bode said. The bishop’s views have been echoed by many other Catholic theologians since the Second Vatican Council as Luther’s teachings, especially his esteem for the Word of God, has come to be appreciated in a way that would have been unthinkable a century ago.
 
 2009年標誌著普世信義宗聯會(Lutheran World Federation)和天主教會所簽署的〈因信稱義聯合聲明〉(Joint Declaration of Justification)的第10周年。如同1997年的「福音派與天主教攜手運動」(Evangelicals and Catholics Together)所共同發表的「救恩的禮物」(The Gift of Salvation),這個因信稱義聯合聲明代表在某種程度上,天主教會和改教教會對信心這論題有了更為一致的看法(a convergence)。我們可以引用一句路德派最喜歡的話,信心的問題是教會存亡的關鍵。例如,聯合聲明主張:
The year 2009 marks the tenth anniversary of the Joint Declaration of Justification between the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church. Like The Gift of Salvation statement issued by Evangelicals and Catholics Together in 1997, the Joint Declaration represents a measure of convergence between Catholic and Reformational understandings of that article of faith by which the Church either stands or falls, to quote a favorite Lutheran saying. For example, the Joint Declaration asserts, “We confess together: By grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works.”
 
「我們一同承認,我們之所以得神的接納,領受聖靈,唯獨是靠著恩典,因著信心,並藉著基督的救贖工作,而不是因為我們所作的任何功德。聖靈更新我們的心,並裝備我們,呼召我們去行善。」
For example, the Joint Declaration asserts, “We confess together: By grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works.”
 
但對稱義有更接近的看法並不等於在救恩論上所有的看法都達成了共識。聯合聲明的起草者被迫在文件之後加上了一個附錄,描述了一個未獲解決的差異:一個信徒同時既是義人又是罪人(simul iustus et peccator)。這是路德的觀念。稱義和成聖如何聯繫到基督徒的一生,仍然有待辯論。在這些問題和其他許多有關權柄和教會的問題上,向前走的方法不是去把這兩個傳統間仍存在的一些深層差異越描越黑,而是公開地承認其存在,並繼續以禱告,以及更深入地查考聖經,得到新鮮的亮光,共同來奮鬥。前進的道路是在認信上達成一致,而不是在妥協上達成一致。
But convergence on justification does not equal consensus on all aspects of the doctrine of salvation. The framers of the Joint Declaration itself were forced to add an annex to the document delineating unresolved differences on simul iustus et peccator , Luther’s idea that justified believers are at one and the same time sinful and righteous before God. How justification and sanctification are related in the life of the Christian still continues to be debated. On these and many other issues related to authority and ecclesiology, the way forward is not to smudge over deep differences that remain between the two traditions but to acknowledge them openly and to continue to struggle over them together in prayer and in fresh engagement with the Scriptures. The way forward is an ecumenism of conviction, not an ecumenism of accommodation.
 
幾年前,我的朋友樂馬可(Mark Noll)要我為他的書《宗教改革結束了嗎?》(Is the Reformation Over)寫一些話。我的回應是說,只有當它的目標完成了,宗教改革才算結束。事實上,在某種程度上,宗教改革是成功的,在羅馬教會內的改革,比一小部分新教世界的改革還要來得更大。路德神學中恩典的勝利,過去是——現在也是——對整個基督的身體的服事。路德不是沒有缺點,但是我們無法想像他會被封為聖人。(記得:simul iustus et peccator!)但是1933年卡爾巴特曾經問的一個關於路德的問題,仍然值得我們在這個宗教改革紀念日沉思:「基督教會的教師紀念路德最好的方式,除了聆聽他之外,還有更好的辦法嗎?」
Several years ago I was asked to endorse a book by my friend Mark Noll called Is the Reformation Over? I responded by saying that the Reformation is over only to the extent that it succeeded. In fact, in some measure, the Reformation has succeeded, and more within the Catholic Church than in certain sectors of the Protestant world. The triumph of grace in the theology of Luther was”and still is”in the service of the whole Body of Christ. Luther was not without his warts, and we can hardly imagine him canonized as a saint. (Remember: simul iustus et peccator !) But the question Karl Barth asked about him in 1933 is still worth pondering this Reformation Day: “What else was Luther than a teacher of the Christian church whom one can hardly celebrate in any other way but to listen to him?”
 
 Timothy George是三福德大學比森神學院(Beeson Divinity School of Samford University)的創校教務長。他是First Things雜誌編委會的成員,也是今日基督教雜誌的資深編輯。

 聖經中記載的歷史
Biblical History

摘自 IVP New Dictionary of Biblical Theology
作者: P. E. Satterthwait
https://www.h-land.us/blog/2e9ede50-03f0-11eb-8a5d-9fd7b4dc7724?fbclid=IwAR3hP98NJxAVV3KUC6JsNPYODr8w2yY5Mx-3kMre4mqKDBt6lbCFwIIkJHo



 
從創造到新創造
 

《舊約》
 
舊約聖經一開始所描述的是,上帝創造了世界,創造了一切有生命的活物,尤其是第一對男人和女人。他們蒙受上帝的祝福、受到上帝的委派、要以順服上帝意旨的姿態來管理這個世界(創一、二)。創世記三章至十一章所講述的,是這第一對男女對上帝的悖逆以及其種種後果。創世記十一章19節是這段故事的結束,故事結尾給我們留下的,就是一幅與我們現在所看到的世界非常相似的圖畫。在這幅圖畫裏,所有世人,無論男女,都與上帝隔絕,他們彼此也相互地隔絕,無法自救。
 
但在講述人類如何遍滿全地時,聖經不僅僅是注重講到人類的邪惡蔓延到全地,也講到上帝把應許賜給了人類第一個女人(創三15),這要向我們顯示,她的子孫中將會出現把這個因邪惡而導致的毀壞性後果扭轉過來的「後代」(「後裔」一詞可以是指一個人,也可以是指眾多的子孫,其詞義具有一定的含糊性),而這個後代將會消除由罪惡帶來的各種毀滅性後果。
 
創世記三至十一章的家譜,就是在講這個應許的發展,那裏集中講到某一個後代的延伸,從亞當到塞特,再到挪亞和閃,這些人都與盼望、公義、祝福息息相關(創四2526,五29,六9,九2627)。後來又記載了一個家譜,把這一支派的後代一直延續到亞伯蘭(創十一1026)。
 
在創世記十二章中,亞伯蘭蒙召離開他的本族、本地,並得到上帝給他的一個應許,說他的後裔將成為大國,他們不僅要自己蒙福,而且上帝還要透過他們,使「地上的萬族」(23節)都蒙福。從這一應許的條款中,我們隱約
 
可以看到,創世記三至十一章所描述的那些負面的發展趨勢,將會被扭轉過來:有一個後裔將重新恢復上帝應許給第一個人類的祝福(參見創一28),有一個國將要被上帝用來對付人類現在分散隔離、成為多國、多族的這個咒詛(參見創十一1-9)。這樣,在創世記第三至十一章與第十二章之間,就形成了一個「難題」與「解答」的關係。而摩西五經的其餘部分,講的就是這一應許如何部分地一一得到實現。
 
亞伯蘭的後裔在埃及成為了一個大族群(出一67),他們在《出埃及記》裏得以從被壓迫的奴役中拯救出來,並且通過摩西的中保工作,得以在西奈山上與上帝進入到一個聖約的關係中,成為地上一個特殊的國家,即上帝的百姓以色列。他們將要認上帝為王,遵守祂的律法,以他們集體的生活反射出上帝的聖潔來,以此成為祭司,向萬國彰顯上帝的屬性,並且使萬國蒙福(出十九462023;利十九12;參見申廿六1719)。
 
《出埃及記》至《民數記》這幾卷書,則是從對以色列這個民族生活形象的描述,來反映出以色列與上帝的特殊關係。當他們紮營時,上帝在他們中間;當他們邁向應許之地時,上帝在他們前面行走。當來到《申命記》時,也是到了摩西向以色列民宣佈遺言訓示的時候,當時他們正要進入那片應許之地(申四12;比較創十五1821)。
 
以色列民對應許之地的奪取過程始於約書亞的率領(書一~十二)。經過了後來幾代人在這片土地上所遭遇的種種困難後(《士師記》,特別參見二6 ~三6),整個對應許之地的征服,在以色列的第二個君王,大衛,攻取耶路撒冷後,正式完成(撒下五610)。
 
由於大衛的登基作王,應驗了許多上帝給亞伯拉罕的應許,所以要給大衛一個應許,也是一件十分合宜的事了。於是,上帝應許他,以後凡坐在寶座上的王,都將會由他的後裔而出。而這個應許的條款,也是與先前的應許相呼應的(撒下七916,特別參見12節;參見創十二7,十五4)。
 
大衛王與所羅門王在位的時期,以色列國在那片土地上安享了摩西所預期的「太平」(撒下七1;王上五34;參見申十二10)。上帝在以色列中作王這一事實,也彰顯在約櫃被搬到了耶路撒冷(撒下第六章),以及聖殿在耶路撒冷被建造起來(王上六~八章)這些事情上。這時,以色列開始受到鄰邦國家的仰慕,這同樣也是正如摩西所期盼的(撒下八89;王上五127,十19;比較申四58)。
 
從這時起,「坐在大衛寶座上的王」(對於這個王的另一個稱呼就是「彌賽亞」或「受膏者」;參見撒上二10)這個人物的形像,就變得非常重要了。例如,《詩篇》中許多的章節都對這個王之角色的重要性作出了許多的闡述,將之與上帝在錫安對萬國施行公義統治這個主題聯繫起來。
 
此後則是一段長期的衰落時期:從所羅門王對上帝不忠開始,導致了國家在他兒子羅波安繼位後分裂(王上十一~十二);接下來就是南北兩國越來越悖逆上帝(王上十六;王下,特別參見十六章,廿一章;何四~五;耶二~三);然後就是這聖約的詛咒(申廿八章)應驗在外敵對南北兩國的入侵(王上十四2526;王下五12,十3233,十五29,廿四12)、圍城與饑荒(王下六2425,十七5,廿五13)以致最後,兩個王國分別被擄到亞述和巴比倫(王下十七623,廿五11)這些事情上。耶路撒冷的聖殿被毀,這時上帝的榮耀早已離開了聖殿,因為它已經被上帝的百姓所玷污(王下廿五9;結八~十)。
 
先知書中記載了審判將至的警告,同時也包括對審判之後必要來臨之復興的預言:那裏講到上帝必會赦免祂那些願意回轉悔改的百姓(何二;耶卅一1820;比較申卅110;王上八4651);講到兩國必會合二為一,居住在被潔淨的土地上(賽十一1116;耶三18,卅111;結卅七1523,四八129),並且得著能力,以一種全新的方式順服上帝(耶卅一3134;結十一1621;番三913);講到耶路撒冷和聖殿必會被重建起來(賽五四;耶卅三113;結40 43),上帝必會再度居住在聖殿中(結四三14,四八3035);講到將來必有一位君王要從大衛的支派出來,以公平治理百姓(何三5;賽十一19;彌五15;耶廿三16;結卅七2428);講到將來萬國都要聚集到錫安,要認識以色列上帝的道(賽二14;耶三17);最後還講到,整個創造界必會恢復原貌,正如以西結在異象中所見到的那樣,有一條河從聖殿流出,讓死海的水得以活過來(四七12),或者像以賽亞在異象中見到的新天新地那樣(六五1725)。
 
對以色列國復興的描述,有時候用的幾乎是跟描寫復活的語言(比喻式地)一樣(結卅七114;比較何六13)。在此需要著重強調的一點是,以色列的復興被視為是一幅更大圖畫的一部分,那就是整個受造界的更新,以及萬國得福,對上帝呼召亞伯拉罕之目的的實現。
 
對於這個復興的預言,先知書中一段最長的經文,要數《以賽亞書》4055章了。這段預言中引介出了一個被稱為「(主的)僕人」的人物(賽四二1,四九56),他在某種意義上取代了以色列的角色(以下這幾章裏,也以「僕人」一詞來指稱他:四一810,四五4)。這人是為見證上帝的大能而來的(四三10-13),即當那些活在悲慘的被擄生活中的以色列民太軟弱或太頑梗,無法完成這項見證上帝大能的任務時(四二1825,四八1-11),他來了。這一思想在四十九章36節中尤為突出。在這些段落裏,這位「僕人」以第一人稱宣佈,上帝對他說:「你是我的僕人以色列」(3節),而他受差遣的任務,是既要向被擄中的以色列傳講信息(5節),又要成為「外邦人的光」(6節)。有關這位僕人的經文,最讓人震驚的一段說到,他將會替上帝百姓的罪受死(五三5681112),其所用的語言,不禁讓人想起《利未記》關乎到獻祭的經文。這人的身分並不確定,而且這還不僅僅是由於文中沒有道出他的名字之故而已。他在某些方面,像個君王或者先知,還在許多地方與摩西相似,尤其是《民數記》裏所描述的摩西。無論如何,他的角色基本上來說,都是前所未有的。《以賽亞書》四十九至五十五章所描寫的時間段也不是很清楚,這些章節似乎講論著一個超出被擄回歸的時期,而且延伸到一個錫安的榮耀完全被恢復的未來時期(五十四章),並且這位僕人的事工與受死的時間,也可能就在這個遙遠的未來。
 
《以斯拉記》與《尼希米記》兩本書,記錄了接下來具體發生了些什麼事:波斯王居魯士擊敗巴比倫後,允許從南國被擄來的猶太人及其後代歸回猶大地(拉一14);他們當中許多人也確實回到了猶大地,重建了聖殿,再次在猶大地過逾越節(拉三,六1322);在尼希米的帶領下,耶路撒冷的城牆在面對敵人四面攻擊的情況下得以重建(尼三~四、六);耶路撒冷城終於再度有人居住了(尼十一)。城牆落成後,眾人舉行獻城牆禮,歡天喜地地慶祝(尼十二2743)。這些都是重大成就。然而,在這些書卷中,依然蕩漾著一種渴望與失望的調調。在《尼希米記》八至十章所描述獻城牆禮的中段,有一個很長的認罪禱告(九章),而那個禱告則是以以色列民為他們當下的處境哀痛作結束的。他們現在在上帝賜給他們祖先的土地上仍舊為奴(36節),受外族君王的轄制,「遭了大難」(37節)。而《以斯拉記》與《尼希米記》兩卷書的最後幾章,都說到一些被擄回歸的人如何又陷入罪中:如不守安息日(尼十三1522)、不繳納什一奉獻(尼十三1013),更嚴重的是,他們娶了非以色列民的外族女子為妻(拉九~十;尼十三2328)。很明顯,《以斯拉記》與《尼希米記》裏所描述的事,跟論及「復興」的那些預言所表達的期望,相去甚遠。
 
每一卷被擄歸回後時代的先知書,在結束時都以不同的方式重申或發展了早期先知書關於復興的預言(該二2023;亞十二~十四,比較第八章;瑪四),表明這預言的完全應驗,仍然尚需等候。
 
 
《新約》
 
四部福音書都在一開始敍述耶穌事蹟時,明確地跟舊約關聯上:《馬太福音》一開始就追溯耶穌的家譜至亞伯拉罕,點出大衛時期與被擄到巴比倫時期,都是家譜中的重要階段(太一117);《馬可福音》敍述了施洗約翰的到來,說這是「耶穌基督福音的起頭」,並將之與兩條預言復興的經文聯繫在一起(可一14;參見瑪三1;賽四十3);《路加福音》在描述施洗約翰和耶穌出世時說,此乃顯示了上帝對以色列的信實(路一46556779,二2932);《約翰福音》則與創世記1章相呼應(約一19)。
 
耶穌在呼召人悔改時,是在「上帝的國近了」這個前提下發出呼籲的(太四17;可一15),這似乎與舊約中上帝統治萬國的思想一脈相承(例如詩九六~九九),也與上帝赦免以色列並恢復他們民族命運的思想(例如賽四十111;耶卅一34;番三1420)一脈相承。舊約對以色列復興的預言是否會在耶穌身上應驗呢?或許如此,但絕不會是簡單意義上的應驗。
 
耶穌似乎不斷在否定這樣一種的想法,就是上帝的國的來臨,一定會包括以色列國被重新恢復到她在萬族中享有顯赫地位的狀態。耶穌的訓誨與行事,都可以說是在評擊那種以民族主義的思想來詮釋上帝的國的做法:祂強調要以非暴力的方式使這國降臨(太五579);祂教人要愛仇敵(太五43-48),而這種對仇敵的愛,甚至要伸展到對羅馬的兵丁也要寬厚對待(太五41);祂對一些基於強烈民族主義聖潔觀的習俗提出質疑(守安息日的習俗,可二2327;潔淨儀式,可七123),以及祂選擇跟那些被公認為不能得著這種聖潔的人在一起(路五2732);祂猛烈評擊某些猶太人的宗教領袖,說他們將百姓引入歧途(太廿三132);他攻擊聖殿(太廿一1217),即那個整個猶太民族生活的中心,或許甚至還暗示了,錫安山將要被廢除作為上帝「聖山」的特殊地位(太廿一2122;比較詩四六~四八);祂預言審判將必臨到耶路撒冷(路廿一524),而這場審判必會讓聖殿化為廢墟(56節)。所以祂後來被處死也是一件不足為奇的事。
 
然而,耶穌的行為也是與祂所說的上帝的國近了的言論一致:祂不禁食,暗示以色列的厄運結束了(可二1822;比較亞八1819);祂赦免人,這也與以色列的復興有關(可二112);祂呼召十二門徒,意味著以色列(所有十二支派)圍繞著祂而得到復興;祂醫病救人,有一處地方甚至說,這是神跡,要表明被擄的情形就要告終了(太十一26;比較賽卅五章,特別參見56節)。最後,祂承認祂就是那位應許要來的彌賽亞,雖說祂只是私下對十二個門徒說,並且立刻補充到,祂很快會受死(可八2733)。在祂人生後段所說的一句話,似乎暗示了,祂視祂自己的角色跟《以賽亞書》所說的那位僕人的角色相仿(可十45;比較《使徒行傳》八2635;彼前二2425),以此來解釋祂即將受死這件事。
 
耶穌的復活,出乎意料地證明了祂先前所說的一切都是真的。祂透過自己的復活,向眾人宣告,祂就是彌賽亞(徒二2236,四811;比較羅一34)。就像《以賽亞書》所說的那個僕人一樣,祂也是背負了他的百姓的罪孽,且從死亡的另一端再度複現出來(參見賽五三5-61112),藉此,祂就使以色列的救贖得到了保障(路廿四1727;徒三1726),開通了救恩的道路(徒四12,五31),且展開了對整個創造界的更新(徒三21;林後五17)。
 
耶穌在復活後向眾門徒顯現,差遣他們,叫他們從耶路撒冷開始,奉祂的名將這悔改與赦罪的福音傳給萬民(太廿八1820;路廿四4748;徒一8)。當耶穌在離開他們回到父那裏去的時候,祂告訴眾門徒,祂還會再回來(徒一911);這一盼望在新約的其他部分裏不斷迴響著(徒十七31;羅十三1114;帖前四13~五10;來九2728)。就這樣,早期教會就透過使徒的傳道開始被建立起來,從耶路撒冷遍及地中海一帶,直至《使徒行傳》的結尾部分,保羅到了羅馬去傳講耶穌的信息(徒廿八31)。
 
在《使徒行傳》中對早期教會之建立的敍述,也發展且更新了一些舊約的思想。「使萬民作我的門徒……凡我所吩咐你們的,都教訓他們遵守」(太廿八1819;比較羅一5),這項吩咐乃延續了上帝在錫安作萬國之王的思想。聖靈在五旬節降臨,讓許多民族的人都得以聽到救恩的信息(徒二111),應驗了《約珥書》有關「主的日子」的預言(二282),也反轉了巴別塔事件的咒詛(創十一19),應驗了上帝對亞伯拉罕的應許(創十二13),製造出了一個可能性,就是萬族聚集在一起,但是是來承認而不是來質疑上帝的王權(比較啟七910)。
 
眾使徒醫病,乃延續了耶穌對人醫治(徒三110,五1516,十四810,十九1112):兩者都象徵著一種「能夠傳染人」的新聖潔,而這種聖潔是向外發散的,不像《利未記》所描述的那樣,會經常受到罪的威脅的。與這種聖潔直接相關的一點,就是非猶太人,現在也歡迎他們加入教會了,他們也能領受聖靈的恩賜(徒十1 ~十一18;參見弗二1113);對非猶太人的接納與對舊約聖潔觀的更新,這兩者間的關聯,在彼得接見羅馬百夫長哥尼流之前所看到的異象那裏表達得最明確。上帝在彼得的異象裏宣佈,那些代表外邦人的不潔淨動物都是「潔淨的」(十131528)。保羅在寫給哥林多和以弗所那些摻入了外邦人的教會的書信時,把他們集體稱作「上帝的殿」(林前三1617;弗二1922;比較約二1922;彼前二48),這一稱呼,不禁讓人對舊約的聖殿有更含義深遠的認識:上帝居住在哥林多的基督徒裏(參見王上八1011),他們就是上帝治理萬國的居所(比較詩四七8),萬國要透過他們來到上帝面前(比較賽五六7)。
 
然而,到了《使徒行傳》結束時,耶穌差遣門徒,要他們為萬民施洗,使萬民成為門徒的任務,還遠遠沒有完成。後期的書信更談到,教會裏有人走偏,追隨錯誤的教導(提前一311;提後三19;猶3 4;啟二1462025),很像約書亞時代之後,轉向敬拜偶像的以色列民。顯然,新約即將結束時,教會的故事尚未結束,甚至那不可能是故事的結尾。
 
但新約的最後一卷書卻描繪了一個異象,就是在人類歷史結束時,上帝的仇敵最終會被擊敗(啟十九~二十),上帝和「羔羊」(耶穌)在「新耶路撒冷城」作王,這新耶路撒冷城就是新天新地的一部分(啟廿一~廿二)。在這城裏有一道「生命水的河」和一棵「生命樹」(啟廿二1-2),這就讓人想起了創世記一開頭所描述的情形(創二814)。
 
正如這些河流、樹木在城中的出現會使人想起創世記,這個人類的創造(參見創四17),也讓人想到後來人類的歷史,但現在人類歷史已被提升到全新的創造中了。新約所響起的最後一個音符,則是期盼與渴望主耶穌回來的音符(啟廿二1221)。