53 保惠师——圣灵服事信徒Paraclete - The Holy Spiritministers to believers
《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。
53 保惠师——圣灵服事信徒
Paraclete - The Holy Spirit ministers to believers
只等真理的圣灵来了，祂要引导你们进入一切的真理，因为祂不是凭自己说的，乃是把祂所听见的都说出来，并要把将来的事告诉你们。祂要荣耀我，因为祂要将受于我的告诉你们。（约16：13-14）
耶稣在受难之前曾应许，祂与父神要赐给门徒[另一位保惠师]（约14:16,26；15:26；16:7）这位保惠师（counselor 或parachute，来自希腊文parakletos，其意为一位给予帮助的人），是一位帮助者、顾问、加力量者、鼓励着、盟友与辩论者。[另一位]一词则指出；耶稣是第一位保惠师，祂应许在祂走了以后，将有一位来取代祂的，要继续祂所开始的教导和见证（约16:6-7）。
保惠师服事的本质表现出，这是讲究位格和关系的一项工作，暗示出此职事者具体完全的位格。虽然旧约圣经说了许多有关圣灵在创造中（如，创1:2；诗33:6）、在启示中（如，赛61:1-6；弥3:8）、在加能力给侍奉者（如，出31:2-6；士6:34；15:14-15；赛11:2），和内在的更新上（如诗51:10-12；结36:25-27）所从事的种种活动，但它并没有清楚说明，圣灵是一位分明有别的神圣位格。不过新约圣经就明言，圣灵是一位真正有别于父神的位格，正如同子神有别于父神那样。这一点是很明显的，不但从耶稣应许说到[另一位保惠师]可以看出，此外也可以从圣灵会说话（徒1:16；8:29；10:19；11:12；13：2；28:25）、会教导（约14:26）、会作见证（约15:26）、会参透（林前2:10），会随意行事（林前12:11）、会代求（罗8:26-27）、人会欺哄祂（徒5:3）、会担忧（弗4:30）等事实看出，惟有一位有位格者才会做这些事。
圣灵的神性可由以下的事显明出来：圣经曾宣告说，欺哄圣灵，就等于欺哄神（徒5:3-4）；祝福时将圣灵与父神及子神并提（林后13:14；启1:4-6）；在浸礼之宣告中的用法（太28:19）。在启示录一章4节、三章1节、四章5节、五章6节里，圣灵被称为[七灵]，一部分原因似乎是在于[七]象征神性的完全，而另一部分原因则是因为圣灵服事的丰满。
因此，圣灵的代名词是[祂]，而非[它]；祂应当与圣父、圣子同样地受到人的顺服、爱戴与渴慕。
为耶稣作见证，籍着向门徒启示耶稣的身份及工作来荣耀耶稣（约16:7-15），并叫门徒明白他们在基督里的意义为何（罗8:15-17；加4:6），这些都是保惠师主要的职事。圣灵能光照我们（弗1:17-18）、重生我们（约3:5-8）、引导我们进入圣洁（罗8:14；加5:16-18）、改变我们（林后3:18；加5:22-23）、赐给我们救恩的确据（罗8:16）和服事的恩赐（林前12:4-11）。神在我们里面所有的工作——举凡摸触我们的心、建立我们的性格，和斧正我们的行为——都要靠着圣灵才能做成，虽然有时候我们将一部分作为归于父或子，然而其执行者仍是圣灵。
圣灵完满的保惠师职事，是从耶稣升天以后的第一个五旬节开始的（徒2：1-4）。施洗约翰按照旧约圣经曾应许的，在末后的日子里将有神的灵浇灌（珥2:28-32；另参耶31:31-34），而预言说，耶稣要用圣灵给人施洗（可1:8；约1:33），而耶稣自己也重复了这应许（徒1:4-5）。五旬节的意义是两方面的：它标明了基督再来以前世界历史最后一阶段的开始；而且与旧约时代相较，它比标明了圣灵的职事之巨幅扩大，以及向神而活的经历。
耶稣的门徒在五旬节以前，很明显已是被圣灵重生过的信徒了。所以，给他们生活与侍奉带来能力的灵洗。（徒1:8），并不是他们属灵经历的开始。然而对于所有在五旬节以后信主的人而言，包括五旬节那天归正的人在内，自那天起，在新约全备的祝福下得着了圣灵，就成了他们归正与新生的一部分（徒2:37；罗8:9；林前12:13）。举凡后来显在基督徒生活中的事奉潜力，都当看成是又这个起首的灵洗所流出来的表现。这个灵洗将罪人与复活的基督、活泼的联合在一起。
PARACLETE
THE HOLY SPIRIT MINISTERS TO
BELIEVERS
When
he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not
speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what
is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and
making it known to you. JOHN 16:13-14
Before
Jesus’ passion, he promised that the Father and he would send his disciples
“another Counselor” (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). The Counselor or Paraclete,
from the Greek word parakletos (meaning one who gives support), is a helper,
adviser, strengthener, encourager, ally, and advocate. Another points to the
fact that Jesus was the first Paraclete and is promising a replacement who,
after he is gone, will carry on the teaching and testimony that he started
(John 16:6-7).
Paraclete
ministry, by its very nature, is personal, relational ministry, implying the
full personhood of the one who fulfills it. Though the Old Testament said much
about the Spirit’s activity in Creation (e.g., Gen. 1:2; Ps. 33:6), revelation
(e.g., Isa. 61:1-6; Mic. 3:8), enabling for service (e.g., Exod. 31:2-6; Judg.
6:34; 15:14-15; Isa. 11:2), and inward renewal (e.g., Ps. 51:10-12; Ezek.
36:25-27), it did not make clear that the Spirit is a distinct divine Person.
In the New Testament, however, it becomes clear that the Spirit is as truly a
Person distinct from the Father as the Son is. This is apparent not only from
Jesus’ promise of “another Counselor,” but also from the fact that the Spirit,
among other things, speaks (Acts 1:16; 8:29; 10:19; 11:12; 13:2; 28:25),
teaches (John 14:26), witnesses (John 15:26), searches (1 Cor. 2:11),
determines (1 Cor. 12:11), intercedes (Rom. 8:26-27), is lied to (Acts 5:3),
and can be grieved (Eph. 4:30). Only of a personal being can such things be
said.
The
divinity of the Spirit appears from the declaration that lying to the Spirit is
lying to God (Acts 5:3-4), and from the linking of the Spirit with the Father
and the Son in benedictions (2 Cor. 13:14; Rev. 1:4-6) and in the formula of
baptism (Matt. 28:19). The Spirit is called “the seven spirits” in Revelation
1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6 partly, it seems, because seven is a number signifying
divine perfection and partly because the Spirit ministers in his fullness.
The
Spirit, then, is “he,” not “it,” and he must be obeyed, loved, and adored along
with the Father and the Son.
Witnessing
to Jesus Christ, glorifying him by showing his disciples who and what he is
(John 16:7-15), and making them aware of what they are in him (Rom. 8:15-17;
Gal. 4:6) is the Paraclete’s central ministry. The Spirit enlightens us (Eph.
1:17-18), regenerates us (John 3:5-8), leads us into holiness (Rom. 8:14; Gal.
5:16-18), transforms us (2 Cor. 3:18; Gal. 5:22-23), gives us assurance (Rom.
8:16), and gifts us for ministry (1 Cor. 12:4-11). All God’s work in us,
touching our hearts, our characters, and our conduct, is done by the Spirit,
though aspects of it are sometimes ascribed to the Father and the Son, whose
executive the Spirit is.
The
Spirit’s full Paraclete ministry began on Pentecost morning, following Jesus’
ascension (Acts 2:1-4). John the Baptist had foretold that Jesus would baptize
in the Spirit (Mark 1:8; John 1:33), according to the Old Testament promise of
an outpouring of God’s Spirit in the last days (Joel 2:28-32; cf. Jer.
31:31-34), and Jesus had repeated the promise (Acts 1:4-5). The significance of
Pentecost morning was twofold: it marked the opening of the final era of world
history before Christ’s return, and, as compared with the Old Testament era, it
marked a tremendous enhancing of the Spirit’s ministry and of the experience of
being alive to God.
Jesus’
disciples were evidently Spirit-born believers prior to Pentecost, so their
Spirit-baptism, which brought power to their life and ministry (Acts 1:8), was
not the start of their spiritual experience. For all who have come to faith
since Pentecost morning, however, beginning with the Pentecost converts
themselves, the receiving of the Spirit in full new-covenant blessing has been
one aspect of their conversion and new birth (Acts 2:37; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor.
12:13). All capacities for service that subsequently appear in a Christian’s
life should be seen as flowing from this initial Spirit-baptism, which vitally
unites the sinner to the risen Christ.
