宗教改革為什麼是必要的？WhyWas the Reformation Necessary?

作者：葛福雷（Robert Godfrey）  譯者：駱鴻銘
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/necessity-reformation/
https://www.facebook.com/peddrluo/posts/10158016230524653

教會需要不斷的改革。即使在新約聖經中，我們也看到耶穌在譴責彼得，保羅在糾正哥林多人。由於基督徒永遠是罪人，教會就不斷需要改革。然而，對我們來說，問題在於：何時是絕對需要改革的時候？

The church is always in need of reform. Even in the New Testament, we see Jesus rebuking Peter, and we see Paul correcting the Corinthians. Since Christians are always sinners, the church will always need reform. The question for us, however, is when does the need become an absolute necessity?

十六世紀的偉大改教家們認為，當時的改革是緊迫的、必要的。在為教會進行改革時，他們拒絕了兩個極端。一方面，他們拒絕那些堅持認為教會基本健全，不需要從根本進行變革的人。另一方面，他們拒絕那些自以為可以在每個細節上創造出完美教會的人。教會需要根本的改革，但它也必須不斷地自我歸正。改教家是從他們對聖經的研究得出了這些結論。

The great Reformers of the sixteenth century concluded that reform was urgent and necessary in their day. In pursuing reform for the church, they rejected two extremes. On the one hand, they rejected those who insisted that the church was essentially sound and needed no fundamental changes. On the other hand, they rejected those who believed that they could create a perfect church in every detail. The church needed fundamental reform, but it would also always need to be reforming itself. The Reformers reached these conclusions from their study of the Bible.

1543年，斯特拉斯堡的改革家馬丁•布瑟（Martin Bucer）要求約翰•加爾文（John Calvin）為宗教改革撰寫一份辯護文，以便在1544年在斯拜爾（Speyer）舉行的帝國會議中呈現給皇帝查理五世。布瑟知道羅馬天主教皇帝被一些政客所包圍，他們不斷詆毀改革教會的努力，他相信加爾文是最有能力捍衛更正教事業的牧師。

In 1543, the Reformer of Strasbourg, Martin Bucer, asked John Calvin to write a defense of the Reformation for presentation to Emperor Charles V at the imperial diet set to meet at Speyer in 1544. Bucer knew that the Roman Catholic emperor was surrounded by counselors who were maligning reform efforts in the church, and he believed that Calvin was the most capable minister to defend the Protestant cause.

加爾文接受了這個挑戰，並撰寫了他最佳的作品之一：〈改革教會的必要性〉（The Necessity of Reforming the Church）。這篇重要的論文並沒有說服皇帝，但它已被許多人視為有史以來說明改革宗理想的最佳說帖。

Calvin rose to the challenge and wrote one of his best works, “The Necessity of Reforming the Church.” This substantial treatise did not convince the emperor, but it has come to be regarded by many as the best presentation of the Reformed cause ever written.

加爾文首先觀察到，每個人都認為教會有「無數的、嚴重的毛病」。加爾文認為事情如此嚴重，以至於基督徒無法忍受「更久的拖延」或等待「緩慢的補救措施」來改革教會。他拒絕這個論點，說改教家犯了「魯莽和邪惡的創新」的罪。相反，他堅持認為「上帝興起了路德和其他人」，以保護「敬虔的真理」。加爾文看到基督教的基礎受到了威脅，唯有聖經真理才能更新教會。

Calvin begins by observing that everyone agreed that the church had “diseases both numerous and grievous.” Calvin argues that matters were so serious that Christians could not abide a “longer delay” for reform or wait for “slow remedies.” He rejects the contention that the Reformers were guilty of “rash and impious innovation.” Rather, he insists that “God raised up Luther and others” to preserve “the truth of our religion.” Calvin saw that the foundations of Christianity were threatened and that only biblical truth would renew the church.

加爾文著眼於教會生活中需要改革的四個重要領域。這些領域構成了他所謂的「教會的靈魂和身體」。教會的靈魂是由「對上帝的純淨和正當的敬拜」和「人的救贖」所組成。而教會的身體是由「聖禮」和「教會治理」所組成。對加爾文來說，這幾件事是宗教改革辯論的核心。它們對教會的生活至關重要，也只能根據聖經的教導才能正確理解。

Calvin looks at four great areas in the life of the church that needed reform. These areas form what he calls the soul and the body of the church. The soul of the church is composed of the “pure and legitimate worship of God” and “the salvation of men.” The body of the church is composed of the “use of the sacraments” and “the government of the church.” For Calvin, these matters were at the heart of the Reformation debates. They are essential to the life of the church and can only be rightly understood in light of the teaching of the Scriptures.

我們可能感到驚訝的是，加爾文把「如何敬拜上帝」作為宗教改革的首要問題，但這是他一貫堅持的主題。早些時候，他寫信給紅衣主教沙度裏多（Sadoleto）：「沒有什麼比荒謬的崇拜對我們的得救更為有害的。」崇拜是我們與上帝會面的地方，這樣的會面必須按照上帝的標準來進行。我們的崇拜形式會表明，我們是否真正接受上帝的話語作為我們的權威並順服它。自己創造的崇拜，既是一種靠行為稱義的形式，也是偶像崇拜的表現。

We might be surprised that Calvin placed the worship of God as the first of the Reformation issues, but this was a consistent theme of his. Earlier, he had written to Cardinal Sadoleto: “There is nothing more perilous to our salvation than a preposterous and perverse worship of God.” Worship is where we meet with God, and that meeting must be conducted by God’s standards. Our worship shows whether we truly accept God’s Word as our authority and submit to it. Self-created worship is both a form of works-righteousness and an expression of idolatry.

接下來，加爾文轉向我們通常認為的，宗教改革最重要的議題，即稱義的教義：

Next, Calvin turned to what we often think of as the greatest issue of the Reformation, namely, the doctrine of justification:

「我們堅持認為，無論我們如何描述一個人的行為，他在上帝面前被視為義人，都只是基於白白的憐憫；因為上帝在不看重人的行為的情況下，藉著將基督的義歸算給人，就在基督裏白白地納認他，把他當成屬自己的百姓。我們稱之為信心的義，也就是說，一個人對一切行為失去了信心，確信他蒙上帝接納的唯一理由就是自己所缺乏的義，並且是從基督借來的。世界總是受到誤導而誤入歧途之處（因這個錯誤幾乎盛行在每個時代在），在於想像：人無論有多少缺陷，仍然在某種程度上可以藉著行為得到上帝的恩寵。」

We maintain, that of what description so ever any man’s works may be, he is regarded as righteous before God, simply on the footing of gratuitous mercy; because God, without any respect to works, freely adopts him in Christ, by imputing the righteousness of Christ to him, as if it were his own. This we call the righteousness of faith, viz., when a man, made void and empty of all confidence of works, feels convinced that the only ground of his acceptance with God is a righteousness which is wanting to himself, and is borrowed from Christ. The point on which the world always goes astray, (for this error has prevailed in almost every age,) is in imagining that man, however partially defective he may be, still in some degree merits the favor of God by works.

這兩樣構成教會靈魂的基本事宜是由教會身體所支持的：聖禮和教會治理。聖禮必須恢復到聖經所規定的純淨而單純的意義和用法。教會治理必須拒絕所有違背神的話、捆綁基督徒良心的暴政。

These foundational matters that form the soul of the church are supported by the body of the church: the sacraments and the government of the church. The sacraments must be restored to the pure and simple meaning and use given in the Bible. The government of the church must reject all tyranny that binds the consciences of Christians contrary to the Word of God.

當我們看到今日的教會時，我們很可能會得出結論：在加爾文關注的許多領域上，教會仍然需要進行宗教改革——誠然，這是必要的。只有上帝的聖道和聖靈才能改變教會。但我們應該忠心地禱告和工作，懇求主讓這種改革在我們這個時代就降臨。

As we look at the church in our day, we may well conclude that reformation is needed—indeed, is necessary—in many of the areas about which Calvin was so concerned. Only the Word and Spirit of God will ultimately reform the church. But we should pray and work faithfully that such reform will come in our time.