為什麽宗教改革依舊重要？Why the Reformation StillMatters

作者： Michael Reeves   譯者:   Maria Marta

https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2017/10/reformation-still-matters/

https://plus.google.com/u/0/106695469993489516884/posts/B95iBBYiSks

2016年10月31日，羅馬天主教教宗方濟各（在瑞典倫德主教座堂參加大公祈禱禮儀時）表示，五百年後，現在新教徒和天主教徒可以「超越那些常常妨礙我們彼此相互理解的爭議和分歧，有機會修補我們歷史關鍵時刻上所發生的裂痕。」這些說話聽起來好像宗教改革是一場不幸和不必要的，為瑣事而發生的爭吵，而現在我們成熟了，能夠把種幼稚的情緒爆發拋諸腦後。

請對馬丁·路德說這些話吧，路德在重新發現唯獨因信稱義，感到無與倫比的自由與喜樂時，揮筆寫下：「我感到自己全然重生，已經走進了敞開的大門，來到天堂」。請對威廉·丁道爾（William Tyndale）說這些話吧，他發覺宗教改革這一如此令人「快樂、高興、歡欣的消息」，情不自禁地「唱歌、跳舞、歡呼振奮起來」。請對湯瑪斯•比爾尼（Thomas Bilney）說這些話吧，他發現宗教改革給他一種「奇妙的安慰與寧靜，以致我受傷的骨頭也歡呼雀躍。」顯然，第一批改教家並不認為他們在挑起青少年般的紛爭，正如他們所認為的，他們發現了大喜的佳音。

1517年的好消息

在十六世紀初，歐洲沒有一本象這千年來人們一直能夠閱讀的聖經。 故此，托馬斯·比爾尼從未聽（或讀）過這句話：「基督耶穌降世，為要拯救罪人」（提前一15）。 沒有上帝的聖言，人們只能認為上帝是一位賦予人能力去賺取他們自己的救恩的神。當天的教師們都喜歡這樣表述：「上帝不會拒絕施恩給那些做得最好的人」，但作為鼓勵說話，其意思對認真看待這些說話的人產生了持續不利的影響。你怎麽確定你真的做得最好？你怎麽告訴自己，你是否成為那種配得拯救的人呢？

無疑，馬丁·路德為這些說話而努力不懈過。他曾寫道：「我是一個虔誠的修士，嚴格地遵守規則，可以說，假如一個修士，可以通過修行到達天堂，我應該有這種資格。」然而，他發現：

「我的良心沒有給我確據，我總是在懷疑，總是說，『你那樣做不對。你懺悔得還不夠。還有一個罪，你沒有認。』 我每日越努力去矯正一顆不確定、軟弱，和受人類傳統困擾的良心，我就越發現它更不確定、更軟弱、與更受困擾。」

根據羅馬天主教的教導，路德不確定自己一定會上天堂是非常正確的。確信會上天堂被視為是錯誤的假設，並且在1431年對貞德審判中，這是對她的其中一項指控。法官宣告：

「這個女人說她肯定被接納進天堂，好像她已經有份於………榮耀,  她在犯罪，因為在塵世的旅程當中，沒有一位朝聖者知道他是否配得榮耀或懲罰，只有至高無上的審判官才能確定。」

這種判斷在系統邏輯裏完全合情合理：假若只有我們能上天堂，是因為我們（藉著上帝賜能力的恩典）個人配得到的，所以當然沒有人能確定。順著這條線索推理，我只有確信自己無罪，方能確信自己會上天堂。

這正正是年輕的馬丁·路德還作學生的時候，有次幾乎在雷雨中被閃電擊中，害怕得尖叫起來的原因。他害怕死亡，因為他不認識基督足夠、恩慈的救恩-----不知道唯獨因信稱義------他對天堂沒有盼望。

這也是為何他在重新發現聖經的唯獨因信稱義時，感覺象穿過敞開的大門，進入了天堂的原因。這意味著，他不再有焦慮和恐懼，故此他能寫出：

「當魔鬼將我們的罪拋在我們面前，宣告我們配得死亡和地獄的時候，我們應該如此說：『我承認我配得死亡和地獄。那又怎麽樣呢？這是否意味著我將被處下地獄的永恒刑罰？絕無此事。我知道那一位替我受苦，滿足了上帝公義的要求。那一位的名字是耶穌基督，上帝的兒子。祂在哪裏，我也在那裏。』」

這更是為何宗教改革使人獲得聽道和聖經閱讀的一些體驗的原因。因為宗教改革是為了人能夠閱讀上帝的聖言，從中領受上帝拯救罪人，不是基於他們悔改的程度，而是基於他們對其恩典的完全依靠的好消息，這好消息就像地中海的陽光照射，光芒灑向漆黑的充滿宗教罪惡的世界。

2017年的好消息

在過去五百年，宗教改革所承傳的精髓與實用性絲毫沒有減弱。同一關鍵問題的答案，在人類的絕望與人類的幸福之间依舊發揮了決定性的作用。我死後將會怎樣？我如何知道？稱義是獲得義之地位的禮物（正如改教家所爭辯的），抑或是一個變得更加聖潔的過程（如羅馬天主教所斷言的）？  我能確信唯獨依靠基督得救呢？抑或我的救恩取決於自己努力和成功地達致聖潔？

幾乎可以肯定，「宗教改革只不過是對當天的一些問題的一種反應」這種觀念易使人混淆，讓人誤認為宗教改革是我們可以超越的一些歷史。但我們越仔細察看，就越清晰地認識到：宗教改革首先不是一場與羅馬及其腐敗脫離關係的消極運動；而是一場歸向福音的積極運動。這恰恰是宗教改革之正確性為今天所存留的。假若宗教改革僅僅是對五百年前的歷史形勢的一種反應，人們便認為它應該結束了。但作為一個更加靠近福音的程序，它不可能結束。

另一種異議是，當今文化中的積極思想和自我價值感，已將罪人必須稱義的所有感知需要抹掉。今天能穿著剛毛襯衣（苦行者穿的），堅持整夜在寒冷中禱告，以賺取上帝恩寵的人為數不多。總的說來，路德在上帝審判前飽受罪咎折磨的問題，已被視為十六世紀的問題而遭摒棄，因此，對我們今天而言，路德唯獨因信稱義的解決辦法同樣被視作不必要而遭搁置。

但事實上正是在這樣的背景下，路德的解決辦法，作為帶來歡欣、與人相關的消息而響遍大地。因為拋棄我們在上帝面前必定有罪，因此需要上帝的義的觀念，我們的文化便會以更微妙的方式屈從於罪咎這個老問題，絕無能力作回答。今天，我們都飽受這些信息的轟炸：當我們使自己變得更有魅力，我們就會更加受寵愛。這也許與上帝不相關，但卻仍然是一種宗教工作，這想法已深深紮根於人裏面。因此，宗教改革是最閃爍的好消息。路德的說話象突如其來的，穿破黑暗的璀燦陽光。

然而上帝的愛並不是尋找，而是創造祂所喜悅之事物……上帝的愛並不尋求自己的益處，反而流溢出來，贈恩惠予人。因此，罪人因為被愛而具有魅力；不是因為具有魅力而被愛。

再一次，時機成熟了

五百年後，羅馬天主教會仍未改革。仍有那麽多的新教徒和天主教徒使用所有溫和的普世語言，羅馬天主教依舊否認因信稱義。她認為可以這樣否認，因為教皇和議會沒有將聖經視為最高權威，而教義必須與聖經相符。因為聖經這樣遭貶低，讀寫聖經是不受鼓勵的，因此數百萬可憐的天主教徒仍看不見上帝話語的亮光。

在羅馬天主教以外，唯獨因信稱義常被視作無關緊要、固執乖僻、或令人困惑的教義而受到回避。有關使徒保羅對稱義看法的一些新觀點，特別傾向於將重點從個人歸正之需要轉移，使稱義與其他事情同等，混淆人的思想，並在發表的文章中說，馬丁路德說不能放棄或妥協正好表明這教義-------已經是放棄或妥協了的。

現在不是羞於宣告稱義或聖經之最高權威的時候。唯獨因信稱義不是歷史書上的遺物；今天它依舊是獲得最終自由的唯一信息，這信息大有能力，能促進人類發展與繁榮。這信息賜給我們確據，讓我們確信能夠站在聖潔的上帝面前，並能將企圖收買上帝的罪人轉變成愛慕和敬畏上帝的人。

傳播這大好消息，今天是多麼難得的好機會啊！五百年前，古騰堡最新發明的印刷機讓福音之光以前所未有的速度傳播。丁道爾翻譯的聖經和路德的短文能數以千計地印發出去。今天，數碼科技带給我們又一個古騰堡般的機遇，現在，同樣的信息能以路德從未想象過的速度傳播。

現在的需求和機會都和五百年前一樣的多------事實上，更多。讓我們從改教家對上帝的忠心中吸取勇氣，高舉同樣寶貴奇妙的福音，這福音從未失去驅散我們的黑暗的榮光或大能。

作者簡介：

邁克爾·李維斯（Michael Reeves）是“高校基督徒團契”（Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship，UCCF）——一個支持在全英國高校中傳福音的慈善機構的神學顧問，作者此前在位於倫敦朗豪街的萬靈教會（All Souls Church）擔任助理牧師，並在倫敦國王學院（King’s College London）獲得系統神學博士。

本文原刊於Tabletalk雜誌2017年十月號  。

Why the Reformation Still Matters

by Michael Reeves

Last year, on October 31, Pope Francis announced that after five hundred years, Protestants and Catholics now “have the opportunity to mend a critical moment of our history by moving beyond the controversies and disagreements that have often prevented us from understanding one another.” From that, it sounds as if the Reformation was an unfortunate and unnecessary squabble over trifles, a childish outburst that we can all put behind us now that we have grown up.

But tell that to Martin Luther, who felt such liberation and joy at his rediscovery of justification by faith alone that he wrote, “I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.” Tell that to William Tyndale, who found it such “merry, glad and joyful tidings” that it made him “sing, dance, and leap for joy.” Tell it to Thomas Bilney, who found it gave him “a marvellous comfort and quietness, insomuch that my bruised bones leaped for joy.” Clearly, those first Reformers didn’t think they were picking a juvenile fight; as they saw it, they had discovered glad tidings of great joy. 「

GOOD NEWS IN 1517

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Europe had been without a Bible the people could read for something like a thousand years. Thomas Bilney had thus never encountered the words “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). Instead of the Word of God, they were left to the understanding that God is a God who enables people to earn their own salvation. As one of the teachers of the day liked to put it, “God will not deny grace to those who do their best.” Yet what were meant as cheering words left a very sour taste for everyone who took them seriously. How could you be sure you really had done your best? How could you tell if you had become the sort of just person who merited salvation?

Martin Luther certainly tried. “I was a good monk,” he wrote, “and kept my order so strictly that I could say that if ever a monk could get to heaven through monastic discipline, I should have entered in.” And yet, he found:

My conscience would not give me certainty, but I always doubted and said, “You didn’t do that right. You weren’t contrite enough. You left that out of your confession.” The more I tried to remedy an uncertain, weak and troubled conscience with human traditions, the more daily I found it more uncertain, weaker and more troubled.

According to Roman Catholicism, Luther was quite right to be unsure of heaven. Confidence of a place in heaven was considered errant presumption and was one of the charges made against Joan of Arc at her trial in 1431. There, the judges proclaimed,

This woman sins when she says she is as certain of being received into Paradise as if she were already a partaker of . . . glory, seeing that on this earthly journey no pilgrim knows if he is worthy of glory or of punishment, which the sovereign judge alone can tell.

That judgment made complete sense within the logic of the system: if we can only enter heaven because we have (by God’s enabling grace) become personally worthy of it, then of course no one can be sure. By that line of reasoning, I can only have as much confidence in heaven as I have confidence in my own sinlessness.

That was exactly why the young Martin Luther screamed with fear when as a student he was nearly struck by lightning in a thunderstorm. He was terrified of death, for without knowledge of Christ’s sufficient and gracious salvation—without knowledge of justification by faith alone—he had no hope of heaven.

And that was why his rediscovery in Scripture of justification by faith alone felt like entering paradise through open gates. It meant that, instead of all his angst and terror, he could now write:

When the devil throws our sins up to us and declares that we deserve death and hell, we ought to speak thus: “I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means. For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Where he is, there I shall be also.”

And that was why the Reformation gave people such a taste for sermons and Bible reading. For, to be able to read God’s words and to see in them such good news that God saves sinners, not on the basis of how well they repent but entirely by His own grace, was like a burst of Mediterranean sunshine into the gray world of religious guilt.

GOOD NEWS IN 2017

None of the goodness or relevance of the Reformation’s insights have faded over the last five hundred years. The answers to the same key questions still make all the difference between human hopelessness and happiness. What will happen to me when I die? How can I know? Is justification the gift of a righteous status (as the Reformers argued), or a process of becoming more holy (as Rome asserts)? Can I confidently rely for my salvation on Christ alone, or does my salvation also rest on my own efforts toward and success in achieving holiness?

Almost certainly, what confuses people into thinking that the Reformation is a bit of history we can move beyond is the idea that it was just a reaction to some problem of the day. But the closer one looks, the clearer it becomes: the Reformation was not principally a negative movement about moving away from Rome and its corruption; it was a positive movement, about moving toward the gospel. And that is precisely what preserves the validity of the Reformation for today. If the Reformation had been a mere reaction to a historical situation five hundred years ago, one would expect it to be over. But as a program to move ever closer to the gospel, it cannot be over.

Another objection is that today’s culture of positive thinking and self-esteem has wiped away all perceived need for the sinner to be justified. Not many today find themselves wearing hair-shirts and enduring all-night prayer vigils in the freezing cold to earn God’s favor. All in all, then, Luther’s problem of being tortured by guilt before the divine Judge is dismissed as a sixteenth-century problem, and his solution of justification by faith alone is therefore dismissed as unnecessary for us today.

But it is in fact precisely into this context that Luther’s solution rings out as such happy and relevant news. For, having jettisoned the idea that we might ever be guilty before God and therefore in need of His justification, our culture has succumbed to the old problem of guilt in subtler ways and with no means to answer. Today, we are all bombarded with the message that we will be more loved when we make ourselves more attractive. It may not be God-related, and yet it is  still a religion of works, and one that is deeply embedded. For that, the Reformation has the most sparkling good news. Luther speaks words that cut through the gloom like a glorious and utterly unexpected sunbeam:

The love of God does not find, but creates, that which is pleasing to it. . . . Rather than seeking its own good, the love of God flows forth and bestows good. Therefore sinners are attractive because they are loved; they are not loved because they are attractive.

ONCE AGAIN, THE TIME IS RIPE

Five hundred years later, the Roman Catholic Church has still not been reformed. For all the warm ecumenical language used by so many Protestants and Roman Catholics, Rome still repudiates justification by faith alone. It feels it can do so because Scripture is not regarded as the supreme authority to which popes, councils, and doctrine must conform. And because Scripture is so relegated, biblical literacy is not encouraged, and thus millions of poor Roman Catholics are still kept from the light of God’s Word.

Outside Roman Catholicism, the doctrine of justification by faith alone is routinely shied away from as insignificant, wrongheaded, or perplexing. Some new perspectives on what the Apostle Paul meant by justification, especially when they have tended to shift the emphasis away from any need for personal conversion, have, as much as anything, confused people, leaving the article that Luther said cannot be given up or compromised as just that—given up or compromised.

Now is not a time to be shy about justification or the supreme authority of the Scriptures that proclaim it. Justification by faith alone is no relic of the history books; it remains today as the only message of ultimate liberation, the message with the deepest power to make humans unfurl and flourish. It gives assurance before our holy God and turns sinners who attempt to buy God off into saints who love and fear Him.

And oh what opportunities we have today for spreading this good news! Five hundred years ago, Gutenberg’s recent invention of the printing press meant that the light of the gospel could spread at a speed never before witnessed. Tyndale’s Bibles and Luther’s tracts could go out by the thousands. Today, digital technology has given us another Gutenberg moment, and the same message can now be spread at speeds Luther could never have imagined.

Both the needs and the opportunities are as great as they were five hundred years ago—in fact, they are greater. Let us then take courage from the faithfulness of the Reformers and hold the same wonderful gospel high, for it has lost none of its glory or its power to dispel our darkness.

Dr. Michael Reeves is president and professor of theology at Union School of Theology in Oxford, England. He is author of several books, including Rejoicing in Christ. He is the featured teacher on the Ligonier teaching series The English Reformation and the Puritans.