阿民念主义者缺少安全感TheArminian Sense Of Insecurity
摘自《基督教預定論》The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, 伯特納Loraine Boettner著/趙中輝譯，222-223頁, 台北基督教改革宗出版社
一个人如果完全信从阿民念主义，恪遵「人有自由意志」与「人可能从恩典中堕落」的教义，那么在他还活在地上的年日里，他是不能确信自己是否永远得救的。他当然可以有把握现在得救，但是将来呢？他只能盼望自己永远得救。他可以揣测他自己可能永远得救，但是他不能确定。他看见有人信主起头很好，后来跌倒灭亡了。他有什么理由断定这样的事不会临到自己呢？只要人还在世上，就有残余的罪性紧随我们，又加上最诱人的世界享乐，以及魔鬼最狡猾的试探环绕身旁，还在许多所谓的基督教会中听新派牧师的教导，其实这些教导根本不合基督教信仰。如果阿民念主义正确，那么基督徒仍然很危险，因为他们只是受造物，意志软弱而不完全，而他们永恒的命运却必须由他们这样的意志决定。我们凭自己的意志能持续择选正途的机率有多大，你我心知肚明。再者，阿民念主义在逻辑上应该主张「人即使进了天国，仍然无法保证可以一直圣洁」；因为即使到了天国，人还是保有他的自由意志，也随时有犯罪的可能。
阿民念主义好比有一个人承继了一笔十万圆的遗产，他知道还有许多人也承受了这笔遗产，但是由于判断力不足、被人欺诈、遭遇灾祸等各种因素而失去。但是他自信满满，以为靠自己的力量能够明智地处理这笔财产，一点不疑惑。别人都失败了，但是他有把握必能成功。只是如果把这个比喻用到灵界的事上，那可就真是自欺欺人了！一个人如果对自己稍有认识，知道自己何等倾向罪恶，居然还要把自己得救的确据建立在这么脆弱的基础上，那就太可悲了！不以全能神永远的膀臂为他永蒙保守的原因，而以为罪人软弱的意志可以使自己坚忍到底，这就是阿民念主义。
从逻辑来看，阿民念主义者应该说：「基督徒最聪明的办法，不就是趁早离开世界吗？」，「这样不就可以确保那无价的遗产了吗？」。他已经看见许多人堕落了，那么他为了多活几年地上的生命，享受那至暂至轻的今世福乐，却冒着他丧失永远救恩的危险，这样值得吗？如果有人做生意为了多赚几块钱，而把他全部财产放在一个公认不被看好的投资事业上，那么恐怕这个人脑筋有问题。说实话，这至少有点暗示「神没有把他们在还作真基督徒的时候就把他们提到天上去，是有点考虑不周」的味道。至少笔者认为，如果有人是阿民念主义者，又知道自己是已经得救的基督徒，就会想要赶快离开世界，好保证他自己可以得救，万无一失。
在属灵的事上，心存怀疑总是令人苦恼。真基督徒永远不能与神的爱隔绝，这样的信念能带给信徒极大的安慰。否认这个教义，就是毁坏圣徒在地上喜乐的根基。试想，一个人如果相信随时有可能被别人欺侮，或者自己随时有可能堕落，那么他还能有什么喜乐呢？如果我们的安全感只建筑在我们摇摆善变的性情上，我们就永远不能知道「基督徒内心平安而稳妥」是怎么回事，而这正是基督徒的特质。马飞治(McFetridge)在他所写《历史中的加尔文主义》(Calvinism in History)这本小册中说：「我很能体会一个敏锐的心灵如果对救恩不确定，那样的黑暗会带来怎样的恐惧。同样，如果一个人虽然成为基督徒已经很久，也经历许多少熬炼，却仍然一直觉得有可能从恩典中堕落，这样的恐惧实在不好受，而这就是阿民念主义的教导。对我而言，阿民念主义带出的这种恐惧，足以使我永远不要碰它，又会使我一直充满说不出的困惑。我会觉得我好象要越过危险的人生海洋，而我是否安全，到头来却是由我自己叛逆的本性来决定！这足以使我满心惊恐，而且这样的惊恐将永无止息。如果可能，我要确定这只船是否能在海上行驶，因为我把我的生命交托给这只船了。我也要知道我上了船以后，是否就会平安到达目的地。」(注一)
其实我们能得救，不是靠我们对神软弱易变的爱，而是在于神对我们永恒不变的爱。除非我们对这个奇妙的真理有正确的体认，否则我们基督徒的生活就不可能平安稳妥；而只有加尔文主义者因为知道自己在神手中绝对安全，才能感受到这种内在的平安与稳妥，因为知道在神永远的旨意中，他已被拣选、得洁净、得荣耀了，没有任何事可以阻碍神的旨意。他知道自己是被一股属灵的能力带到称义的地位，这能力好象地心引力，取之不尽，历久不变，又好象阳光与维他命，供应我们灵命成长一切的需要。
ARMINIAN SENSE OF INSECURITY
A consistent Arminian, with
his doctrines of free will and of falling from grace, can never in this life be
certain of his eternal salvation. He may, indeed, have the assurance of his
present salvation, but he can have only a hope of his final salvation. He may
regard his final salvation as highly probable, but he cannot know it as a
certainty. He has seen many of his fellow Christians backslide and perish after
making a good start. Why may not he do the same thing? So long as men remain in
this world they have the remnants of the old sinful nature clinging to them;
they are surrounded by the most alluring and deceptive pleasures of the world
and the most subtle temptations of the Devil. In many of the supposedly
Christian churches they hear the false teaching of modernistic, and therefore
unchristian, ministers. If Arminianism were true, Christians would still be in
very dangerous positions, with their eternal destiny suspended upon the
probability that their weak, creaturely wills would continue to choose right.
Furthermore, Arminianism would logically hold that no confirmation in holiness
is possible, not even in heaven; for even there the person would still retain
his free will and might commit sin any time he chose.
By comparison the Arminian is
like the person who has inherited a fortune of, say, $100,000. He knows that many
others who have inherited such fortunes have lost them through poor judgment,
fraud, calamity, etc., but he has enough confidence in his own ability to
handle money wisely that he does not doubt but that he will keep his. His
assurance is based largely on self-confidence. Others have failed, but he is
confident that he will not fail. But what a delusion is this when applied to
the spiritual realm! What a pity that any one who is at all acquainted with his
own tendency to sin should base his assurance of salvation upon such grounds!
His system places the cause of his perseverance, not in the hands of an
all-powerful, never-changing God, but in the hands of weak sinful man.
And does not the logic of the
Arminian system tell us that the wise thing for the Christian to do is to die
as soon as possible and thus confirm the inheritance which to him is of
infinite value? In view of the fact that so many have fallen away, is it worth
while for him to remain here and risk his eternal salvation for the sake of a little
more life in this world? What would be thought of a business man who, in order
to gain a few more dollars, would risk his entire fortune in some admittedly
questionable venture? In fact, does it not at least suggest that the Lord has
made many mistakes in not removing these people while they were true
Christians? The writer, at least, is convinced that if he held the Arminian
view and knew himself to be a saved Christian he would want to die as soon as
possible and thus place his salvation beyond all possible doubt.
In regard to spiritual
matters, a state of doubt is a state of misery. The assurance that Christians
can never be separated from the love of God is one of the greatest comforts of
the Christian life. To deny this doctrine is to destroy the grounds for any
rejoicing among the saints on earth; for what kind of rejoicing can those have
who believe that they may at any time be deceived and led astray? If our sense
of security is based only on our changeable and wavering natures, we can never
know the inward calm and peace which, should characterize the Christian. Says
McFetridge, in his very illuminating little book, Calvinism In History, “I can
well conceive of the terror to a sensitive soul of dark uncertainty as to
salvation, and of that ever-abiding consciousness of the awful possibility of
falling away from grace after a long and painful Christian life, which is
taught by Arminianism. To me such a doctrine has terrors which would cause me
to shrink away from it for ever, and which would fill me with constant and
unspeakable perplexities. To feel that I were crossing the troubled and
dangerous sea of life dependent for my final security upon the actings of my
own treacherous nature were enough to fill me with a perpetual alarm. If it is
possible, I want to know that the vessel to which I commit my life is
seaworthy, and that, having once embarked, I shall arrive in safety at my
destination.” (P.
112.)
It is not until we duly
appreciate this wonderful truth, that our salvation is not suspended on our
weak and wavering love to God, but rather upon His eternal and unchangeable
love to us, that we can have peace and certainty in the Christian life. And
only the Calvinist, who knows himself to be absolutely safe in the hands of
God, can have that inward sense of peace and security, knowing that in the
eternal counsels of God he has been chosen to be cleansed and glorified and
that nothing can thwart that purpose. He knows himself to be held to
righteousness by a spiritual power which is as exhaustless and unvarying as the
force of gravitation, and as necessary to the development of the spirit as
sunshine and vitamins are to the body.
