神的聖約是有條件的還是無條件的？
Are God’s Covenants Conditional or Unconditional?
作者：溥偉恩（訪談記錄） 誠之翻譯：
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/are-gods-covenants-conditional-or-unconditional/
https://peddrluo.wordpress.com/2021/01/31/%e7%a5%9e%e7%9a%84%e8%81%96%e7%b4%84%e6%98%af%e6%9c%89%e6%a2%9d%e4%bb%b6%e7%9a%84%e9%82%84%e6%98%af%e7%84%a1%e6%a2%9d%e4%bb%b6%e7%9a%84%ef%bc%9f%ef%bc%88poythress%e8%a8%aa%e8%ab%87%ef%bc%89/
 
一位優秀神學家的記號之一，就是縝密的思維，它是以基於神的全盤計劃的仔細區分為標誌的。我認為溥偉恩（Vern Poythress）在這個（關於救恩歷史的）訪談（全文下載：https://frame-poythress.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/2008Interview.pdf）中，在被問到如何分辨關於聖經諸約的有條件性和無條件性時，他展示了這一點。以下是他的回答：
One of the marks of a good theologian is good thinking marked by good distinctions based on the whole counsel of God. I think Vern Poythress demonstrates that in this interview when asked to think through the differences between conditionality and unconditionality regarding the biblical covenants:
 
關於理解聖經諸約的挑戰之一是，聖經中的聖約不止一個。我們必須仔細研究每一個約的特殊性，同時也要從一般的模式（整體的恩典之約）中學習。
One of the challenges with respect to understanding covenants is that there is more than one particular covenant in the Bible. We must be careful to study the particularities of each covenant, as well as to see lessons with respect to the general pattern (an overall covenant of grace).
 
例如，在創世記九章1-17節，神在洪水過後與挪亞立約。此約包括了挪亞的後裔（九9）。神應許不再帶來洪水毀滅全地，並賜下彩虹作為記號。這個應許對挪亞的所有後裔都有效。在一般意義上，這是一個「無條件」的約。沒有額外的條件，沒有「如果」的條款。神並不是說：「只有你的後裔順從我，我才會這樣應許」。同樣，當神向亞伯拉罕應許要領以色列人出埃及時，我們也找不到明顯的附加條件（創十五13-16）。
For example, God makes a covenant with Noah after the flood, in Gen. 9:1–17. It includes Noah’s descendants (9:9). God makes a promise not to bring another flood to destroy the earth, and gives the rainbow as a sign. The promise is valid for all Noah’s descendants. In the ordinary sense, this is an “unconditional” covenant. There is no extra condition, no “if” clause. God does not say, “I promise this only if your descendants obey me.” Similarly, we can find no obvious added conditions when God promises to Abraham that he will bring the Israelites out of Egypt (Gen. 15:13–16).
 
另一方面，在創世記十七章的割禮之約中，有某種「條件」，即未受割禮之人「必從民中剪除」（十七14）。所以，對亞伯拉罕的後裔來說，割禮是一種「條件」。在申命記中，作為神與以色列人之間盟約關係的一部分，神要求以色列人對祂保持忠誠，並威脅說，如果他們堅持不順從，他們就會遭到被擄的命運（申命記廿八章）。因此，他們的順服是留在應許地的一個「條件」。
On the other hand, in the covenant of circumcision in Genesis 17, there is a kind of “condition”: someone who is uncircumcised “shall be cut off from his people” (17:14). So circumcision is a kind of “condition” for Abraham’s descendants. In Deuteronomy, as part of the covenantal relation between God and Israel, God requires that Israel remain faithful to him, and threatens to put them into exile if they persistently disobey (Deuteronomy 28). Their obedience is a “condition” for remaining in the land.
 
許多人最感興趣的是如何看待神通過基督最後救贖的應許。這些應許在《新約》聖經中闡述得最充分，並與新的約（new covenant）有關。這些應許總是與既是完全神又是完全人的基督有關（來一3，二11、14）。作為完全的人，基督被要求信靠父神，順從父的旨意。這些對基督的要求，在某種意義上是「條件」。如果沒有祂的信靠和順服，就沒有人能夠得救。同時，因為基督是完全的神，因為神在《舊約》聖經中應許說祂會確定無誤地完成救贖（賽四十二3-4），所以基督的順服是有保證的。這並不意味著也的順服是容易的或微不足道的。還記得祂在客西馬尼園是如何禱告的嗎？希伯來書評論了祂的順服所帶來的苦難的深刻現實。「基督在肉體的時候，既大聲哀哭，流淚禱告，懇求那能救祂免死的主，就因祂的虔誠蒙了應允。祂雖然為兒子，還是因所受的苦難學了順從。」（來五7-8）。救贖涉及到一個「條件」，即基督的受苦和順服。如果我們要得救，這些都必須發生。同時，神藉著祂發出的預言，無條件地保證基督會滿足這些條件！
Many people are most interested in what to think about God’s promises of final salvation through Christ. These promises are most fully articulated in the NT, and are associated with the new covenant. The promises always come in relation to Christ, who is both God and man (Heb. 1:3; 2:11, 14). As man, Christ was required to trust in God the Father and to obey the Father’s will. These requirements for Christ were, in a sense, “conditions.” Apart from his trust and his obedience, no one would have been saved. At the same time, because Christ is God, and because God promised in the OT that he would infallibly accomplish salvation (Isa. 42:3–4), Christ’s obedience was guaranteed. That does not make his obedience easy or trivial. Remember how he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Hebrews comments on the deep reality of his obedient suffering: “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered” (Heb. 5:7–8). Salvation involved a “condition,” that is, Christ’s suffering and obedience. These had to take place if we were to be saved. At the same time, God through his prophetic word unconditionally guaranteed that Christ would meet the conditions!
 
基督既然是完全的人，所以神作為神，與作為人子的基督就有一種特殊關係，這種神與人之間的關係，從一般意義上講，是「約」的關係。就上帝這方面來說，祂在《舊約》的應許中對基督作出了承諾。而基督則在祂的塵世生活中，致力於跟隨天父的道路。神和基督之間的這個約既是「有條件的」——涉及到基督順服的必要性，又是「無條件的」——是由神所擔保的。所以「有條件」和「無條件」這兩個詞必須小心使用。我們不僅要問自己，我們所討論的是哪一種約的關係，而且要問這種關係的哪一方面。
Since Christ is fully man, God as God had a relationship to Christ the man, and this relationship between God and the man was, in the general sense, “covenantal.” God on his part made commitments to Christ in his OT promises. Christ, in his earthly life, committed himself to following the Father’s way. This covenant between God and Christ was both “conditional”—involving the necessity of Christ’s obedience—and “unconditional”—guaranteed by God. So the words “conditional” and “unconditional” must be used with care. We have to ask ourselves not only which covenantal relation we are discussing, but what aspect of that relation.
 
當我們轉向神對我們最後救贖的應許時，它們是以基督為基礎的。這些應許是安全的，因為基督已經完成了完整的救贖，而不僅僅是救贖的可能性。
When we turn to God’s promises of final salvation to us, they are based on Christ. These promises are secure, because Christ has accomplished full salvation, not merely the possibility of salvation:
 
「凡吃我肉，喝我血的，就有永生，在末日我要叫他復活。」（約六54）
“Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:54)
 
「差我來者的意思，就是祂所賜給我的，叫我一個也不失落，在末日卻要叫他復活。因為我父的意思，是叫一切見子而信的人得永生，並且在末日我要叫他復活。」（約六39-40）
“And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:39–40)
 
「我父把羊賜給我，祂比萬有都大，誰也不能從我父手裏把他們奪去。」（約十29)
“My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:29)
 
因此，我們可以說，當我們相信基督的時候，我們是「無條件」得救的。但，信基督是不是一種條件呢？顯然是的。而相信的意思是真正信靠基督，不僅僅是口頭上說我們在信靠而已。信心本身就是上帝事先為我們安排好的產物。「若不是差我來的父吸引人，就沒有能到我這裏來；到我這裏來的，在末日我要叫他復活。」（約六44）。
Thus, we can say that when we believe in Christ, we are “unconditionally” saved. But then is belief in Christ a kind of condition? Clearly it is. And belief means really trusting in Christ, not merely mouthing words in which we verbally say that we are trusting. Belief is itself a product of God’s prior purpose for us: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44).
 
有人推測，神主動揀選我們，「吸引」我們，最終要追溯到祂預見了我們未來的信心。但這個順序顛倒了《聖經》的順序。這種顛倒實際上是說：「凡信的人，就被神預定得永生」。但《聖經》的說法恰恰相反：「凡預定得永生的人都信了」（徒十三48）。神的預定，也就是祂揀選我們得救，是無條件的。這並不取決於我們的信心，也不取決於我們身上的任何東西。「你有什麼不是領受的呢？」（林前四7）。但當神吸引我們來到基督面前時，祂就會提供我們所需要的一切，既包括信心，也包括與基督相交、過新生活的能力。信心和新的聖潔生活都是基督徒生活中不可缺少的部分。它們在這個意義上是「條件」。但神藉著基督應許在我們身上作工；基督自己的能力是我們繼續走在信仰裏的保證。
Some people have postulated that God’s initiative in choosing us and “drawing” us goes back ultimately to his foreseeing our future faith. But this order reverses the order of the Bible. This reversal says, in effect, “as many as believed were appointed by God to eternal life.” But the Bible says the opposite: “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). God’s appointment, that is, his choosing us to be saved, is unconditional. It does not depend on our belief or on anything in us. “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor. 4:7). But when God draws us to Christ, he provides everything that we need, both faith and the power for new living in fellowship with Christ. Faith and new, holy living are both indispensable parts of the Christian life. They are “conditions” in this sense. But God undertakes through Christ to work in us; Christ’s own power is the guarantee that we will continue:
 
「……當恐懼戰兢做成你們得救的工夫。因為你們立志行事都是神在你們心裏運行，為要成就祂的美意。」（腓二12-13）。
 “. . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12–13).
 
我們還應該說，加入教會使一個人與神建立了一種盟約關係，因為這個人在受洗時就向神作出了承諾。但受洗並不能保證一個人永遠得救。聖經坦誠地描述了叛教的可能性和現實——有些人從他們早先宣稱的信仰中失落了。「他們從我們中間出去，卻不是屬我們的；若是屬我們的，就必仍舊與我們同在；他們出去，顯明都不是屬我們的。」（約壹二19）。「出去」描述的是離道叛教，脫離基督教團體、教會。離道叛教就像一個消極的條件。如果你要得救，就不能叛教。但這個教導與信靠基督的人得救的保障並不矛盾。約翰壹書說：「他們不是屬我們的」。叛教甚至可以說是提前公開揭示了真實的光景：叛教者的心一開始就沒有真正信靠基督。
We should also say that joining the church brings a person into a kind of covenantal relationship with God, since the person makes promises to God at the time of his baptism. But being baptized does not guarantee that a person is eternally saved. The Bible frankly described the possibility and the reality of apostasy—some people fall away from a faith that they earlier professed: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us” (1 John 2:19). The “going out” describes apostasy, falling away from the Christian community, the church. Apostasy is like a negative condition. If you are to be saved, you must not apostasize. But this teaching is not inconsistent with the security of salvation for those who trust in Christ. First John says, “They were not of us.” Apostasy reveals openly what was true even beforehand: that the apostate heart was never set on genuinely trusting in Christ in the first place.
 
簡短總結可以這樣說：《舊約》中無條件應許的事例，預示著神在基督裏保證永遠的救恩時，要賜給我們的確信。《舊約》中關於條件的一些事例，既預示了基督自己順服的必要性，也預示了這樣的一個現實，也就是當神在我們身上施行救贖的工作時，祂就會在我們身上帶來順服。這種在我們裏面的工作是整個救贖過程的一部分。
A short summary might say that the instances of unconditional promises in the OT anticipate the security that God gives us when he guarantees eternal salvation in Christ. The instances of conditions in the OT anticipate both the necessity of Christ’s own obedience, and the reality that when God works salvation in us, he brings about obedience in us. This working in us is part of the total process of salvation.