If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift—Matthew 5:23-24
It is easy for us to imagine that we will suddenly come to a point in our lives where we are fully prepared, but preparation is not suddenly accomplished. In fact, it is a process that must be steadily maintained. It is dangerous to become settled and complacent in our present level of experience. The Christian life requires preparation and more preparation.
The sense of sacrifice in the Christian life is readily appealing to a new Christian. From a human standpoint, the one thing that attracts us to Jesus Christ is our sense of the heroic, and a close examination of us by our Lord’s words suddenly puts this tide of enthusiasm to the test. “. . . go your way. First be reconciled to your brother. . . .” The “go” of preparation is to allow the Word of God to examine you closely. Your sense of heroic sacrifice is not good enough. The thing the Holy Spirit will detect in you is your nature that can never work in His service. And no one but God can detect that nature in you. Do you have anything to hide from God? If you do, then let God search you with His light. If there is sin in your life, don’t just admit it— confess it. Are you willing to obey your Lord and Master, whatever the humiliation to your right to yourself may be?
Never disregard a conviction that the Holy Spirit brings to you. If it is important enough for the Spirit of God to bring it to your mind, it is the very thing He is detecting in you. You were looking for some big thing to give up, while God is telling you of some tiny thing that must go. But behind that tiny thing lies the stronghold of obstinacy, and you say, “I will not give up my right to myself”— the very thing that God intends you to give up if you are to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
[去]的準備
所以你在祭壇上獻禮物的時候，若想起弟兄向你懷怨，就把禮物留在壇前，先去同弟兄和好，然後來獻禮物。 （太五23-24）
我們很容易幻想自己會達到一個完全準備妥當的地步，但其實準備功夫不是突然間可以作成，準備乃是一個不斷持續的過程。陷進固有的經歷中，是一種危險。我們要準備加上準備。 [犧牲精神]對青年信徒來說，是很具吸引力。按人性論，唯一吸引我們向主耶穌的，就是那英雄氣概。可是在主話的細察下，這熱潮要受到考驗。主說：[先去同弟兄和好。 ][去]的準備，是先讓神的話查驗。單有英雄氣概是不夠的。聖靈要在你身上查處不合用於事奉的意向。這意向，除了神以外，沒有人能查察出來。你有什麼東西要向神隱藏？若有，就讓神用他的光來搜查。若有罪，就要認罪，不要單單承認。不管是怎樣卑躬，你願意順服主麼？
千萬不可不顧良心的譴責。若神的靈叫你想起那事，那事就是重要的，是他所要查察的。你以往不斷要找些大的事來放棄，神卻要你註一些小事。因為在這小事的背後，正藏著頑梗的大本營：[我不肯放棄自己的主權。 ]若要作耶穌基督的門徒，神要你放棄的正是你的主權。
祈禱◆主啊，讓今天充滿了對你的讚美。願你使我脫離各式各樣的煩擾。為著我的思想能專注於你，我讚美你，但我仍渴望你的美善臨到我身上。
Showing posts with label Confession. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Confession. Show all posts
September 24, 2014
June 30, 2014
Do It Now!
Agree with your adversary quickly . . . —Matthew 5:25
In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.
Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?
Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).
“Agree with your adversary quickly . . . .” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!
立刻做
趕緊與他（對頭）和息。 （太五25）
耶穌基督定下了一個原則－－知道該做的現在就去做，而且要快快的做；否則，那無法避免的歷程就必發生，而你也得嘗受痛苦。神的律是不更改的，人也無法逃避。耶穌的教訓是針對我們本質而說的。
要仇敵尊重我的權利，是很自然的事，可是耶穌卻說償還仇敵的一切，才是最急切而有永恆價值的事。從主的角度看來，我被人欺詐與否，並不要緊；要緊的是我不欺詐人。我是否堅持爭取自己的權益，還是站在主的立場，償還我所欠的？
要快快的做，立即審判自己。不論在道德上，或屬靈上，都必須立刻去做；否則那無情的歷程就必開始。神一心要他的兒女清潔雪白，任何不順服他教訓的，他的靈就會不遺餘力地工作。
我們若一味堅持自己無辜，就表示還有些地方不順服。怪不得聖靈這麼強烈地催逼我們要常在光明中。
[趕快與他和息。 ]你是否一瞬間就察覺與人的關係中有憤怒存在？快快認罪，在神面前趕快解決，與那人和好－－現在就要去做。
祈禱◆主啊，願你成為我生命中一道生機蓬勃、寧謐安恬的廣闊河流。願你今天向我們每一個人展示更多的愛與溫柔－－尤其是我，因為許多人被我直接影響。
In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.
Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?
Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).
“Agree with your adversary quickly . . . .” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!
立刻做
趕緊與他（對頭）和息。 （太五25）
耶穌基督定下了一個原則－－知道該做的現在就去做，而且要快快的做；否則，那無法避免的歷程就必發生，而你也得嘗受痛苦。神的律是不更改的，人也無法逃避。耶穌的教訓是針對我們本質而說的。
要仇敵尊重我的權利，是很自然的事，可是耶穌卻說償還仇敵的一切，才是最急切而有永恆價值的事。從主的角度看來，我被人欺詐與否，並不要緊；要緊的是我不欺詐人。我是否堅持爭取自己的權益，還是站在主的立場，償還我所欠的？
要快快的做，立即審判自己。不論在道德上，或屬靈上，都必須立刻去做；否則那無情的歷程就必開始。神一心要他的兒女清潔雪白，任何不順服他教訓的，他的靈就會不遺餘力地工作。
我們若一味堅持自己無辜，就表示還有些地方不順服。怪不得聖靈這麼強烈地催逼我們要常在光明中。
[趕快與他和息。 ]你是否一瞬間就察覺與人的關係中有憤怒存在？快快認罪，在神面前趕快解決，與那人和好－－現在就要去做。
祈禱◆主啊，願你成為我生命中一道生機蓬勃、寧謐安恬的廣闊河流。願你今天向我們每一個人展示更多的愛與溫柔－－尤其是我，因為許多人被我直接影響。
June 24, 2014
Reconciling Yourself to the Fact of Sin
This is your hour, and the power of darkness —Luke 22:53
Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against it. Have you taken this “hour, and the power of darkness” into account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger immediately and say, “Yes, I see what this sin would mean.” The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship— it simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.
Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile himself to the fact of sin.
承認罪的事實
現在卻是你們的時候，黑暗掌權了。 （路二十二53）
不承認罪的事實，會帶來人生一切的禍患。你可以大談人性的尊嚴，可是人性中有一種東西，在你一切的理想面前，會當面嗤笑你。你若不肯承認人性的邪惡自私，有根本上的罪過，這樣，當這些東西襲擊你時，你就會與它妥協，並說抵抗也是沒用。你有沒有準備面對這個關頭，面對這黑暗的權勢？還是你對自己的評價，沒有把罪算在內？你與親屬的關係，與朋友的關係，有沒有承認有罪的事實存在？若沒有，不需多久，你就會被罪追上，與之妥協了。
但若你承認罪的事實，就必立即覺察到危險－－[對啦，我知道這是什麼一回事了。 ]承認罪的事實，並不會破壞友情的根基，反而使彼此看清楚人生基本是可惡的。
耶穌基督雖不信任人，卻不挑剔多疑，因為祂深信為人有所不為。人得到安全的保障是由於清潔，而不是因為無罪。無罪的人是不可靠的。成為無罪，不是人可以做到，只有神才可要求人潔淨敬虔。無邪是孩童的特徵，但成人則要承認罪這事實。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，以你的恩典和榮耀淹沒我，讓你那浩瀚的潮水覆蓋所有。
Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against it. Have you taken this “hour, and the power of darkness” into account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger immediately and say, “Yes, I see what this sin would mean.” The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship— it simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.
Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile himself to the fact of sin.
承認罪的事實
現在卻是你們的時候，黑暗掌權了。 （路二十二53）
不承認罪的事實，會帶來人生一切的禍患。你可以大談人性的尊嚴，可是人性中有一種東西，在你一切的理想面前，會當面嗤笑你。你若不肯承認人性的邪惡自私，有根本上的罪過，這樣，當這些東西襲擊你時，你就會與它妥協，並說抵抗也是沒用。你有沒有準備面對這個關頭，面對這黑暗的權勢？還是你對自己的評價，沒有把罪算在內？你與親屬的關係，與朋友的關係，有沒有承認有罪的事實存在？若沒有，不需多久，你就會被罪追上，與之妥協了。
但若你承認罪的事實，就必立即覺察到危險－－[對啦，我知道這是什麼一回事了。 ]承認罪的事實，並不會破壞友情的根基，反而使彼此看清楚人生基本是可惡的。
耶穌基督雖不信任人，卻不挑剔多疑，因為祂深信為人有所不為。人得到安全的保障是由於清潔，而不是因為無罪。無罪的人是不可靠的。成為無罪，不是人可以做到，只有神才可要求人潔淨敬虔。無邪是孩童的特徵，但成人則要承認罪這事實。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，以你的恩典和榮耀淹沒我，讓你那浩瀚的潮水覆蓋所有。
June 23, 2014
“Acquainted With Grief”
He is . . . a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief —Isaiah 53:3
We are not “acquainted with grief” in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives we do not bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at life through the eyes of reason and say that if a person will control his instincts, and educate himself, he can produce a life that will slowly evolve into the life of God. But as we continue on through life, we find the presence of something which we have not yet taken into account, namely, sin— and it upsets all of our thinking and our plans. Sin has made the foundation of our thinking unpredictable, uncontrollable, and irrational.
We have to recognize that sin is a fact of life, not just a shortcoming. Sin is blatant mutiny against God, and either sin or God must die in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue— if sin rules in me, God’s life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is nothing more fundamental than that. The culmination of sin was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and what was true in the history of God on earth will also be true in your history and in mine— that is, sin will kill the life of God in us. We must mentally bring ourselves to terms with this fact of sin. It is the only explanation why Jesus Christ came to earth, and it is the explanation of the grief and sorrow of life.
常經憂患
他……多受痛苦，常經憂患。 （賽五十三3）
我們所經的憂患與主所經的不同；我們是忍受、經歷，卻與憂患沒有密切的關係。我們從起頭就不肯接受罪惡這個事實，對人生採取一種合乎理性的觀點，以為人只要約束自己，教育自己，生命就能逐漸似神。可是日久便發覺有一種東西存在，是意想之外的，就是罪。它把我們一切籌算破壞了。罪使事物本末倒置，毫無道理可言。我們必須承認罪是一個事實，不是一種缺陷；罪是對神赤手空拳的反叛。在我生命中不是神死，就是罪死。新約的真理使我們面對這個問題。若罪在我裡面掌權，神在我裡面的生命就死了；若神在我裡面掌權，罪在我裡面就要死；除此之外，不可能有別的結果了。人滔天的大罪，就是把耶穌基督釘在十架上。神在世上的歷史如何，你我的生命史上也必如何。我們必須承認，罪是人生苦痛憂患的因由。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，你是沒有時間性的，因為[在你看來，千年如已過的昨日]；可是，對我這卻截然不同。你彌補我那被腐敗所吞蝕的年日，在基督耶穌裡使我成為一個新造的人！求你接納我對你的感恩。
We are not “acquainted with grief” in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives we do not bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at life through the eyes of reason and say that if a person will control his instincts, and educate himself, he can produce a life that will slowly evolve into the life of God. But as we continue on through life, we find the presence of something which we have not yet taken into account, namely, sin— and it upsets all of our thinking and our plans. Sin has made the foundation of our thinking unpredictable, uncontrollable, and irrational.
We have to recognize that sin is a fact of life, not just a shortcoming. Sin is blatant mutiny against God, and either sin or God must die in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue— if sin rules in me, God’s life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is nothing more fundamental than that. The culmination of sin was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and what was true in the history of God on earth will also be true in your history and in mine— that is, sin will kill the life of God in us. We must mentally bring ourselves to terms with this fact of sin. It is the only explanation why Jesus Christ came to earth, and it is the explanation of the grief and sorrow of life.
常經憂患
他……多受痛苦，常經憂患。 （賽五十三3）
我們所經的憂患與主所經的不同；我們是忍受、經歷，卻與憂患沒有密切的關係。我們從起頭就不肯接受罪惡這個事實，對人生採取一種合乎理性的觀點，以為人只要約束自己，教育自己，生命就能逐漸似神。可是日久便發覺有一種東西存在，是意想之外的，就是罪。它把我們一切籌算破壞了。罪使事物本末倒置，毫無道理可言。我們必須承認罪是一個事實，不是一種缺陷；罪是對神赤手空拳的反叛。在我生命中不是神死，就是罪死。新約的真理使我們面對這個問題。若罪在我裡面掌權，神在我裡面的生命就死了；若神在我裡面掌權，罪在我裡面就要死；除此之外，不可能有別的結果了。人滔天的大罪，就是把耶穌基督釘在十架上。神在世上的歷史如何，你我的生命史上也必如何。我們必須承認，罪是人生苦痛憂患的因由。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，你是沒有時間性的，因為[在你看來，千年如已過的昨日]；可是，對我這卻截然不同。你彌補我那被腐敗所吞蝕的年日，在基督耶穌裡使我成為一個新造的人！求你接納我對你的感恩。
April 10, 2014
Complete and Effective Decision About Sin
. . . our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin —Romans 6:6
Co-Crucifixion. Have you made the following decision about sin—that it must be completely killed in you? It takes a long time to come to the point of making this complete and effective decision about sin. It is, however, the greatest moment in your life once you decide that sin must die in you-not simply be restrained, suppressed, or counteracted, but crucified—just as Jesus Christ died for the sin of the world. No one can bring anyone else to this decision. We may be mentally and spiritually convinced, but what we need to do is actually make the decision that Paul urged us to do in this passage.
Pull yourself up, take some time alone with God, and make this important decision, saying, “Lord, identify me with Your death until I know that sin is dead in me.” Make the moral decision that sin in you must be put to death.
This was not some divine future expectation on the part of Paul, but was a very radical and definite experience in his life. Are you prepared to let the Spirit of God search you until you know what the level and nature of sin is in your life— to see the very things that struggle against God’s Spirit in you? If so, will you then agree with God’s verdict on the nature of sin— that it should be identified with the death of Jesus? You cannot “reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin” (Romans 6:11) unless you have radically dealt with the issue of your will before God.
Have you entered into the glorious privilege of being crucified with Christ, until all that remains in your flesh and blood is His life? “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me . . .” (Galatians 2:20).
對罪的道德判斷
因為知道我們的舊人，和他同釘十字架，使罪身滅絕，叫我們不再作罪的奴僕（羅六6）
同釘十字架。我對罪下過這決心麼？它在我裏面必須根除殺滅？我對罪所作的道德判決，是要花很長時間的。可是，這卻是我生命的轉捩點。我看準了，耶穌基督既為世人的罪而死，照樣地，罪也必須在我裡面死去。不是要把罪約制、壓抑或是抵擋，乃是要把它釘死在十字架上。沒有人可以使別人下這決心；我們也許會在宗教意識裡同意，但我們必須照保羅在此所強調的，作出決定。
要鼓起勇氣，振作起來，花時間與神單獨相對，作一個道德上的抉擇，對主說：[主阿，讓你的死成為我的死，直至我知道罪已在我裡面死去。 ]要斬釘截鐵，下定決心，把罪治死。
對保羅來說，這不是一種屬靈的期望，而是一個非常基本而肯定的經驗。我肯不肯讓神的靈鑑察我，直到我真知道罪的本相－－就是在我裡面與神的靈相爭的事物？若肯的話，我接受神對罪的判斷－－就是與耶穌同死嗎？我必須解決這個基本的意志問題，在神面前尋求清楚，否則不能算己[向罪死了]。
我有沒有進入與基督同釘的最高福祉裡，直到我血肉之軀，除了基督的生命以外，再無別的？ [我已經與基督同釘十字架，現在活著的，不再是我，乃是基督在我裡面活著。 ]
祈禱◆[我的靈在生病]－－何等適切地描述我今天的狀況！求你控制它，幫助我在當中起來和超越它。
Co-Crucifixion. Have you made the following decision about sin—that it must be completely killed in you? It takes a long time to come to the point of making this complete and effective decision about sin. It is, however, the greatest moment in your life once you decide that sin must die in you-not simply be restrained, suppressed, or counteracted, but crucified—just as Jesus Christ died for the sin of the world. No one can bring anyone else to this decision. We may be mentally and spiritually convinced, but what we need to do is actually make the decision that Paul urged us to do in this passage.
Pull yourself up, take some time alone with God, and make this important decision, saying, “Lord, identify me with Your death until I know that sin is dead in me.” Make the moral decision that sin in you must be put to death.
This was not some divine future expectation on the part of Paul, but was a very radical and definite experience in his life. Are you prepared to let the Spirit of God search you until you know what the level and nature of sin is in your life— to see the very things that struggle against God’s Spirit in you? If so, will you then agree with God’s verdict on the nature of sin— that it should be identified with the death of Jesus? You cannot “reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin” (Romans 6:11) unless you have radically dealt with the issue of your will before God.
Have you entered into the glorious privilege of being crucified with Christ, until all that remains in your flesh and blood is His life? “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me . . .” (Galatians 2:20).
對罪的道德判斷
因為知道我們的舊人，和他同釘十字架，使罪身滅絕，叫我們不再作罪的奴僕（羅六6）
同釘十字架。我對罪下過這決心麼？它在我裏面必須根除殺滅？我對罪所作的道德判決，是要花很長時間的。可是，這卻是我生命的轉捩點。我看準了，耶穌基督既為世人的罪而死，照樣地，罪也必須在我裡面死去。不是要把罪約制、壓抑或是抵擋，乃是要把它釘死在十字架上。沒有人可以使別人下這決心；我們也許會在宗教意識裡同意，但我們必須照保羅在此所強調的，作出決定。
要鼓起勇氣，振作起來，花時間與神單獨相對，作一個道德上的抉擇，對主說：[主阿，讓你的死成為我的死，直至我知道罪已在我裡面死去。 ]要斬釘截鐵，下定決心，把罪治死。
對保羅來說，這不是一種屬靈的期望，而是一個非常基本而肯定的經驗。我肯不肯讓神的靈鑑察我，直到我真知道罪的本相－－就是在我裡面與神的靈相爭的事物？若肯的話，我接受神對罪的判斷－－就是與耶穌同死嗎？我必須解決這個基本的意志問題，在神面前尋求清楚，否則不能算己[向罪死了]。
我有沒有進入與基督同釘的最高福祉裡，直到我血肉之軀，除了基督的生命以外，再無別的？ [我已經與基督同釘十字架，現在活著的，不再是我，乃是基督在我裡面活著。 ]
祈禱◆[我的靈在生病]－－何等適切地描述我今天的狀況！求你控制它，幫助我在當中起來和超越它。
March 16, 2014
The Master Will Judge
We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ . . . —2 Corinthians 5:10
Paul says that we must all, preachers and other people alike, “appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” But if you will learn here and now to live under the scrutiny of Christ’s pure light, your final judgment will bring you only delight in seeing the work God has done in you. Live constantly reminding yourself of the judgment seat of Christ, and walk in the knowledge of the holiness He has given you. Tolerating a wrong attitude toward another person causes you to follow the spirit of the devil, no matter how saintly you are. One carnal judgment of another person only serves the purposes of hell in you. Bring it immediately into the light and confess, “Oh, Lord, I have been guilty there.” If you don’t, your heart will become hardened through and through. One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it. It is not only God who punishes for sin, but sin establishes itself in the sinner and takes its toll. No struggling or praying will enable you to stop doing certain things, and the penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it, until you finally come to the place where you no longer even realize that it is sin. No power, except the power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit, can change or prevent the inherent consequences of sin.
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light. . .” (1 John 1:7). For many of us, walking in the light means walking according to the standard we have set up for another person. The deadliest attitude of the Pharisees that we exhibit today is not hypocrisy but that which comes from unconsciously living a lie.
主的審判
因為我們眾人，必要在基督台前顯露出來。 （林後五10）
保羅說，我不論是傳道人，還是平信徒，[必要在基督台前顯露出來]。你若隨時隨地活在基督聖潔的光中，審判將使你因神在你身上的工作而歡樂。使自己可以面對基督的審判台；盡力行在最聖潔的光中。不管你如何聖潔，若對別人存有一絲惡意，至終必帶進魔鬼的靈。只要你下一個屬血氣的論斷，你就嚐到地獄的苦味。要立即去到主的光中，對主說：[我的神阿，我在這事上有罪了。 ]要不然剛硬的心，就會充滿全人。罪的刑罰，就是罪的本身。神不但要刑罰罪，罪在人身上的結果，也已證實了。無論怎樣掙扎禱告，都不能停止做那些事；那罪的刑罰就是要你漸漸習慣，不再覺得這是罪，除了聖靈的能力，沒有其他辦法改變罪所帶來的後果。
[我們若在光明中行，如同神在光明中……]我們不少人認為行在光中，就是行在我對別人要求的標準中。今日最致命的法利賽主義，不是假冒為善，乃是與現實脫節而不自覺。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你的恩典，並你在我的內心和動機上所作的工，我感謝你，可是，在我現實的生活中，我能否在世人面前表達你的平安呢？
Paul says that we must all, preachers and other people alike, “appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” But if you will learn here and now to live under the scrutiny of Christ’s pure light, your final judgment will bring you only delight in seeing the work God has done in you. Live constantly reminding yourself of the judgment seat of Christ, and walk in the knowledge of the holiness He has given you. Tolerating a wrong attitude toward another person causes you to follow the spirit of the devil, no matter how saintly you are. One carnal judgment of another person only serves the purposes of hell in you. Bring it immediately into the light and confess, “Oh, Lord, I have been guilty there.” If you don’t, your heart will become hardened through and through. One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it. It is not only God who punishes for sin, but sin establishes itself in the sinner and takes its toll. No struggling or praying will enable you to stop doing certain things, and the penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it, until you finally come to the place where you no longer even realize that it is sin. No power, except the power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit, can change or prevent the inherent consequences of sin.
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light. . .” (1 John 1:7). For many of us, walking in the light means walking according to the standard we have set up for another person. The deadliest attitude of the Pharisees that we exhibit today is not hypocrisy but that which comes from unconsciously living a lie.
主的審判
因為我們眾人，必要在基督台前顯露出來。 （林後五10）
保羅說，我不論是傳道人，還是平信徒，[必要在基督台前顯露出來]。你若隨時隨地活在基督聖潔的光中，審判將使你因神在你身上的工作而歡樂。使自己可以面對基督的審判台；盡力行在最聖潔的光中。不管你如何聖潔，若對別人存有一絲惡意，至終必帶進魔鬼的靈。只要你下一個屬血氣的論斷，你就嚐到地獄的苦味。要立即去到主的光中，對主說：[我的神阿，我在這事上有罪了。 ]要不然剛硬的心，就會充滿全人。罪的刑罰，就是罪的本身。神不但要刑罰罪，罪在人身上的結果，也已證實了。無論怎樣掙扎禱告，都不能停止做那些事；那罪的刑罰就是要你漸漸習慣，不再覺得這是罪，除了聖靈的能力，沒有其他辦法改變罪所帶來的後果。
[我們若在光明中行，如同神在光明中……]我們不少人認為行在光中，就是行在我對別人要求的標準中。今日最致命的法利賽主義，不是假冒為善，乃是與現實脫節而不自覺。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你的恩典，並你在我的內心和動機上所作的工，我感謝你，可是，在我現實的生活中，我能否在世人面前表達你的平安呢？
September 24, 2013
The “Go” of Preparation
If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift—Matthew 5:23-24
It is easy for us to imagine that we will suddenly come to a point in our lives where we are fully prepared, but preparation is not suddenly accomplished. In fact, it is a process that must be steadily maintained. It is dangerous to become settled and complacent in our present level of experience. The Christian life requires preparation and more preparation.
The sense of sacrifice in the Christian life is readily appealing to a new Christian. From a human standpoint, the one thing that attracts us to Jesus Christ is our sense of the heroic, and a close examination of us by our Lord’s words suddenly puts this tide of enthusiasm to the test. “. . . go your way. First be reconciled to your brother. . . .” The “go” of preparation is to allow the Word of God to examine you closely. Your sense of heroic sacrifice is not good enough. The thing the Holy Spirit will detect in you is your nature that can never work in His service. And no one but God can detect that nature in you. Do you have anything to hide from God? If you do, then let God search you with His light. If there is sin in your life, don’t just admit it— confess it. Are you willing to obey your Lord and Master, whatever the humiliation to your right to yourself may be?
Never disregard a conviction that the Holy Spirit brings to you. If it is important enough for the Spirit of God to bring it to your mind, it is the very thing He is detecting in you. You were looking for some big thing to give up, while God is telling you of some tiny thing that must go. But behind that tiny thing lies the stronghold of obstinacy, and you say, “I will not give up my right to myself”— the very thing that God intends you to give up if you are to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
[去]的準備
所以你在祭壇上獻禮物的時候，若想起弟兄向你懷怨，就把禮物留在壇前，先去同弟兄和好，然後來獻禮物。 （太五23-24）
我們很容易幻想自己會達到一個完全準備妥當的地步，但其實準備功夫不是突然間可以作成，準備乃是一個不斷持續的過程。陷進固有的經歷中，是一種危險。我們要準備加上準備。 [犧牲精神]對青年信徒來說，是很具吸引力。按人性論，唯一吸引我們向主耶穌的，就是那英雄氣概。可是在主話的細察下，這熱潮要受到考驗。主說：[先去同弟兄和好。 ][去]的準備，是先讓神的話查驗。單有英雄氣概是不夠的。聖靈要在你身上查處不合用於事奉的意向。這意向，除了神以外，沒有人能查察出來。你有什麼東西要向神隱藏？若有，就讓神用他的光來搜查。若有罪，就要認罪，不要單單承認。不管是怎樣卑躬，你願意順服主麼？
千萬不可不顧良心的譴責。若神的靈叫你想起那事，那事就是重要的，是他所要查察的。你以往不斷要找些大的事來放棄，神卻要你註一些小事。因為在這小事的背後，正藏著頑梗的大本營：[我不肯放棄自己的主權。 ]若要作耶穌基督的門徒，神要你放棄的正是你的主權。
祈禱◆主啊，讓今天充滿了對你的讚美。願你使我脫離各式各樣的煩擾。為著我的思想能專注於你，我讚美你，但我仍渴望你的美善臨到我身上。
It is easy for us to imagine that we will suddenly come to a point in our lives where we are fully prepared, but preparation is not suddenly accomplished. In fact, it is a process that must be steadily maintained. It is dangerous to become settled and complacent in our present level of experience. The Christian life requires preparation and more preparation.
The sense of sacrifice in the Christian life is readily appealing to a new Christian. From a human standpoint, the one thing that attracts us to Jesus Christ is our sense of the heroic, and a close examination of us by our Lord’s words suddenly puts this tide of enthusiasm to the test. “. . . go your way. First be reconciled to your brother. . . .” The “go” of preparation is to allow the Word of God to examine you closely. Your sense of heroic sacrifice is not good enough. The thing the Holy Spirit will detect in you is your nature that can never work in His service. And no one but God can detect that nature in you. Do you have anything to hide from God? If you do, then let God search you with His light. If there is sin in your life, don’t just admit it— confess it. Are you willing to obey your Lord and Master, whatever the humiliation to your right to yourself may be?
Never disregard a conviction that the Holy Spirit brings to you. If it is important enough for the Spirit of God to bring it to your mind, it is the very thing He is detecting in you. You were looking for some big thing to give up, while God is telling you of some tiny thing that must go. But behind that tiny thing lies the stronghold of obstinacy, and you say, “I will not give up my right to myself”— the very thing that God intends you to give up if you are to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
[去]的準備
所以你在祭壇上獻禮物的時候，若想起弟兄向你懷怨，就把禮物留在壇前，先去同弟兄和好，然後來獻禮物。 （太五23-24）
我們很容易幻想自己會達到一個完全準備妥當的地步，但其實準備功夫不是突然間可以作成，準備乃是一個不斷持續的過程。陷進固有的經歷中，是一種危險。我們要準備加上準備。 [犧牲精神]對青年信徒來說，是很具吸引力。按人性論，唯一吸引我們向主耶穌的，就是那英雄氣概。可是在主話的細察下，這熱潮要受到考驗。主說：[先去同弟兄和好。 ][去]的準備，是先讓神的話查驗。單有英雄氣概是不夠的。聖靈要在你身上查處不合用於事奉的意向。這意向，除了神以外，沒有人能查察出來。你有什麼東西要向神隱藏？若有，就讓神用他的光來搜查。若有罪，就要認罪，不要單單承認。不管是怎樣卑躬，你願意順服主麼？
千萬不可不顧良心的譴責。若神的靈叫你想起那事，那事就是重要的，是他所要查察的。你以往不斷要找些大的事來放棄，神卻要你註一些小事。因為在這小事的背後，正藏著頑梗的大本營：[我不肯放棄自己的主權。 ]若要作耶穌基督的門徒，神要你放棄的正是你的主權。
祈禱◆主啊，讓今天充滿了對你的讚美。願你使我脫離各式各樣的煩擾。為著我的思想能專注於你，我讚美你，但我仍渴望你的美善臨到我身上。
June 30, 2013
Do It Now!
Agree with your adversary quickly . . . —Matthew 5:25
In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.
Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?
Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).
“Agree with your adversary quickly . . . .” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!
In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.
Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?
Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).
“Agree with your adversary quickly . . . .” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!
June 24, 2013
Reconciling Yourself to the Fact of Sin
This is your hour, and the power of darkness —Luke 22:53
Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against it. Have you taken this “hour, and the power of darkness” into account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger immediately and say, “Yes, I see what this sin would mean.” The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship— it simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.
Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile himself to the fact of sin.
承認罪的事實
現在卻是你們的時候，黑暗掌權了。 （路二十二53）
不承認罪的事實，會帶來人生一切的禍患。你可以大談人性的尊嚴，可是人性中有一種東西，在你一切的理想面前，會當面嗤笑你。你若不肯承認人性的邪惡自私，有根本上的罪過，這樣，當這些東西襲擊你時，你就會與它妥協，並說抵抗也是沒用。你有沒有準備面對這個關頭，面對這黑暗的權勢？還是你對自己的評價，沒有把罪算在內？你與親屬的關係，與朋友的關係，有沒有承認有罪的事實存在？若沒有，不需多久，你就會被罪追上，與之妥協了。
但若你承認罪的事實，就必立即覺察到危險－－[對啦，我知道這是什麼一回事了。 ]承認罪的事實，並不會破壞友情的根基，反而使彼此看清楚人生基本是可惡的。
耶穌基督雖不信任人，卻不挑剔多疑，因為祂深信為人有所不為。人得到安全的保障是由於清潔，而不是因為無罪。無罪的人是不可靠的。成為無罪，不是人可以做到，只有神才可要求人潔淨敬虔。無邪是孩童的特徵，但成人則要承認罪這事實。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，以你的恩典和榮耀淹沒我，讓你那浩瀚的潮水覆蓋所有。
Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against it. Have you taken this “hour, and the power of darkness” into account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger immediately and say, “Yes, I see what this sin would mean.” The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship— it simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.
Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile himself to the fact of sin.
承認罪的事實
現在卻是你們的時候，黑暗掌權了。 （路二十二53）
不承認罪的事實，會帶來人生一切的禍患。你可以大談人性的尊嚴，可是人性中有一種東西，在你一切的理想面前，會當面嗤笑你。你若不肯承認人性的邪惡自私，有根本上的罪過，這樣，當這些東西襲擊你時，你就會與它妥協，並說抵抗也是沒用。你有沒有準備面對這個關頭，面對這黑暗的權勢？還是你對自己的評價，沒有把罪算在內？你與親屬的關係，與朋友的關係，有沒有承認有罪的事實存在？若沒有，不需多久，你就會被罪追上，與之妥協了。
但若你承認罪的事實，就必立即覺察到危險－－[對啦，我知道這是什麼一回事了。 ]承認罪的事實，並不會破壞友情的根基，反而使彼此看清楚人生基本是可惡的。
耶穌基督雖不信任人，卻不挑剔多疑，因為祂深信為人有所不為。人得到安全的保障是由於清潔，而不是因為無罪。無罪的人是不可靠的。成為無罪，不是人可以做到，只有神才可要求人潔淨敬虔。無邪是孩童的特徵，但成人則要承認罪這事實。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，以你的恩典和榮耀淹沒我，讓你那浩瀚的潮水覆蓋所有。
June 23, 2013
“Acquainted With Grief”
He is . . . a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief —Isaiah 53:3
We are not “acquainted with grief” in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives we do not bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at life through the eyes of reason and say that if a person will control his instincts, and educate himself, he can produce a life that will slowly evolve into the life of God. But as we continue on through life, we find the presence of something which we have not yet taken into account, namely, sin— and it upsets all of our thinking and our plans. Sin has made the foundation of our thinking unpredictable, uncontrollable, and irrational.
We have to recognize that sin is a fact of life, not just a shortcoming. Sin is blatant mutiny against God, and either sin or God must die in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue— if sin rules in me, God’s life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is nothing more fundamental than that. The culmination of sin was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and what was true in the history of God on earth will also be true in your history and in mine— that is, sin will kill the life of God in us. We must mentally bring ourselves to terms with this fact of sin. It is the only explanation why Jesus Christ came to earth, and it is the explanation of the grief and sorrow of life.
常經憂患
他……多受痛苦，常經憂患。 （賽五十三3）
我們所經的憂患與主所經的不同；我們是忍受、經歷，卻與憂患沒有密切的關係。我們從起頭就不肯接受罪惡這個事實，對人生採取一種合乎理性的觀點，以為人只要約束自己，教育自己，生命就能逐漸似神。可是日久便發覺有一種東西存在，是意想之外的，就是罪。它把我們一切籌算破壞了。罪使事物本末倒置，毫無道理可言。我們必須承認罪是一個事實，不是一種缺陷；罪是對神赤手空拳的反叛。在我生命中不是神死，就是罪死。新約的真理使我們面對這個問題。若罪在我裡面掌權，神在我裡面的生命就死了；若神在我裡面掌權，罪在我裡面就要死；除此之外，不可能有別的結果了。人滔天的大罪，就是把耶穌基督釘在十架上。神在世上的歷史如何，你我的生命史上也必如何。我們必須承認，罪是人生苦痛憂患的因由。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，你是沒有時間性的，因為[在你看來，千年如已過的昨日]；可是，對我這卻截然不同。你彌補我那被腐敗所吞蝕的年日，在基督耶穌裡使我成為一個新造的人！求你接納我對你的感恩。
We are not “acquainted with grief” in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives we do not bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at life through the eyes of reason and say that if a person will control his instincts, and educate himself, he can produce a life that will slowly evolve into the life of God. But as we continue on through life, we find the presence of something which we have not yet taken into account, namely, sin— and it upsets all of our thinking and our plans. Sin has made the foundation of our thinking unpredictable, uncontrollable, and irrational.
We have to recognize that sin is a fact of life, not just a shortcoming. Sin is blatant mutiny against God, and either sin or God must die in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue— if sin rules in me, God’s life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is nothing more fundamental than that. The culmination of sin was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and what was true in the history of God on earth will also be true in your history and in mine— that is, sin will kill the life of God in us. We must mentally bring ourselves to terms with this fact of sin. It is the only explanation why Jesus Christ came to earth, and it is the explanation of the grief and sorrow of life.
常經憂患
他……多受痛苦，常經憂患。 （賽五十三3）
我們所經的憂患與主所經的不同；我們是忍受、經歷，卻與憂患沒有密切的關係。我們從起頭就不肯接受罪惡這個事實，對人生採取一種合乎理性的觀點，以為人只要約束自己，教育自己，生命就能逐漸似神。可是日久便發覺有一種東西存在，是意想之外的，就是罪。它把我們一切籌算破壞了。罪使事物本末倒置，毫無道理可言。我們必須承認罪是一個事實，不是一種缺陷；罪是對神赤手空拳的反叛。在我生命中不是神死，就是罪死。新約的真理使我們面對這個問題。若罪在我裡面掌權，神在我裡面的生命就死了；若神在我裡面掌權，罪在我裡面就要死；除此之外，不可能有別的結果了。人滔天的大罪，就是把耶穌基督釘在十架上。神在世上的歷史如何，你我的生命史上也必如何。我們必須承認，罪是人生苦痛憂患的因由。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，你是沒有時間性的，因為[在你看來，千年如已過的昨日]；可是，對我這卻截然不同。你彌補我那被腐敗所吞蝕的年日，在基督耶穌裡使我成為一個新造的人！求你接納我對你的感恩。
April 10, 2013
Complete and Effective Decision About Sin
. . . our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin —Romans 6:6
Co-Crucifixion. Have you made the following decision about sin—that it must be completely killed in you? It takes a long time to come to the point of making this complete and effective decision about sin. It is, however, the greatest moment in your life once you decide that sin must die in you-not simply be restrained, suppressed, or counteracted, but crucified—just as Jesus Christ died for the sin of the world. No one can bring anyone else to this decision. We may be mentally and spiritually convinced, but what we need to do is actually make the decision that Paul urged us to do in this passage.
Pull yourself up, take some time alone with God, and make this important decision, saying, “Lord, identify me with Your death until I know that sin is dead in me.” Make the moral decision that sin in you must be put to death.
This was not some divine future expectation on the part of Paul, but was a very radical and definite experience in his life. Are you prepared to let the Spirit of God search you until you know what the level and nature of sin is in your life— to see the very things that struggle against God’s Spirit in you? If so, will you then agree with God’s verdict on the nature of sin— that it should be identified with the death of Jesus? You cannot “reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin” (Romans 6:11) unless you have radically dealt with the issue of your will before God.
Have you entered into the glorious privilege of being crucified with Christ, until all that remains in your flesh and blood is His life? “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me . . .” (Galatians 2:20).
對罪的道德判斷
因為知道我們的舊人，和他同釘十字架，使罪身滅絕，叫我們不再作罪的奴僕（羅六6）
同釘十字架。我對罪所作的道德判決，是要花很長時間的。可是，這卻是我生命的轉捩點。我看準了，耶穌基督既為世人的罪而死，照樣地，罪也必須在我裡面死去。不是要把罪約制、壓抑或是抵擋，乃是要把它釘死在十字架上。沒有人可以使別人下這決心；我們也許會在宗教意識裡同意，但我們必須照保羅在此所強調的，作出決定。
要鼓起勇氣，振作起來，花時間與神單獨相對，作一個道德上的抉擇，對主說：[主阿，讓你的死成為我的死，直至我知道罪已在我裡面死去。 ]要斬釘截鐵，下定決心，把罪治死。
對保羅來說，這不是一種屬靈的期望，而是一個非常基本而肯定的經驗。我肯不肯讓神的靈鑑察我，直到我真知道罪的本相－－就是在我裡面與神的靈相爭的事物？若肯的話，我接受神對罪的判斷－－就是與耶穌同死嗎？我必須解決這個基本的意志問題，在神面前尋求清楚，否則不能算己[向罪死了]。
我有沒有進入與基督同釘的最高福祉裡，直到我血肉之軀，除了基督的生命以外，再無別的？ [我已經與基督同釘十字架，現在活著的，不再是我，乃是基督在我裡面活著。 ]
祈禱◆[我的靈在生病]－－何等適切地描述我今天的狀況！求你控制它，幫助我在當中起來和超越它。
Co-Crucifixion. Have you made the following decision about sin—that it must be completely killed in you? It takes a long time to come to the point of making this complete and effective decision about sin. It is, however, the greatest moment in your life once you decide that sin must die in you-not simply be restrained, suppressed, or counteracted, but crucified—just as Jesus Christ died for the sin of the world. No one can bring anyone else to this decision. We may be mentally and spiritually convinced, but what we need to do is actually make the decision that Paul urged us to do in this passage.
Pull yourself up, take some time alone with God, and make this important decision, saying, “Lord, identify me with Your death until I know that sin is dead in me.” Make the moral decision that sin in you must be put to death.
This was not some divine future expectation on the part of Paul, but was a very radical and definite experience in his life. Are you prepared to let the Spirit of God search you until you know what the level and nature of sin is in your life— to see the very things that struggle against God’s Spirit in you? If so, will you then agree with God’s verdict on the nature of sin— that it should be identified with the death of Jesus? You cannot “reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin” (Romans 6:11) unless you have radically dealt with the issue of your will before God.
Have you entered into the glorious privilege of being crucified with Christ, until all that remains in your flesh and blood is His life? “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me . . .” (Galatians 2:20).
對罪的道德判斷
因為知道我們的舊人，和他同釘十字架，使罪身滅絕，叫我們不再作罪的奴僕（羅六6）
同釘十字架。我對罪所作的道德判決，是要花很長時間的。可是，這卻是我生命的轉捩點。我看準了，耶穌基督既為世人的罪而死，照樣地，罪也必須在我裡面死去。不是要把罪約制、壓抑或是抵擋，乃是要把它釘死在十字架上。沒有人可以使別人下這決心；我們也許會在宗教意識裡同意，但我們必須照保羅在此所強調的，作出決定。
要鼓起勇氣，振作起來，花時間與神單獨相對，作一個道德上的抉擇，對主說：[主阿，讓你的死成為我的死，直至我知道罪已在我裡面死去。 ]要斬釘截鐵，下定決心，把罪治死。
對保羅來說，這不是一種屬靈的期望，而是一個非常基本而肯定的經驗。我肯不肯讓神的靈鑑察我，直到我真知道罪的本相－－就是在我裡面與神的靈相爭的事物？若肯的話，我接受神對罪的判斷－－就是與耶穌同死嗎？我必須解決這個基本的意志問題，在神面前尋求清楚，否則不能算己[向罪死了]。
我有沒有進入與基督同釘的最高福祉裡，直到我血肉之軀，除了基督的生命以外，再無別的？ [我已經與基督同釘十字架，現在活著的，不再是我，乃是基督在我裡面活著。 ]
祈禱◆[我的靈在生病]－－何等適切地描述我今天的狀況！求你控制它，幫助我在當中起來和超越它。
March 16, 2013
The Master Will Judge
We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ . . . —2 Corinthians 5:10
Paul says that we must all, preachers and other people alike, “appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” But if you will learn here and now to live under the scrutiny of Christ’s pure light, your final judgment will bring you only delight in seeing the work God has done in you. Live constantly reminding yourself of the judgment seat of Christ, and walk in the knowledge of the holiness He has given you. Tolerating a wrong attitude toward another person causes you to follow the spirit of the devil, no matter how saintly you are. One carnal judgment of another person only serves the purposes of hell in you. Bring it immediately into the light and confess, “Oh, Lord, I have been guilty there.” If you don’t, your heart will become hardened through and through. One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it. It is not only God who punishes for sin, but sin establishes itself in the sinner and takes its toll. No struggling or praying will enable you to stop doing certain things, and the penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it, until you finally come to the place where you no longer even realize that it is sin. No power, except the power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit, can change or prevent the inherent consequences of sin.
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light. . .” (1 John 1:7). For many of us, walking in the light means walking according to the standard we have set up for another person. The deadliest attitude of the Pharisees that we exhibit today is not hypocrisy but that which comes from unconsciously living a lie.
主的審判
因為我們眾人，必要在基督台前顯露出來。 （林後五10）
保羅說，我不論是傳道人，還是平信徒，[必要在基督台前顯露出來]。你若隨時隨地活在基督聖潔的光中，審判將使你因神在你身上的工作而歡樂。使自己可以面對基督的審判台；盡力行在最聖潔的光中。不管你如何聖潔，若對別人存有一絲惡意，至終必帶進魔鬼的靈。只要你下一個屬血氣的論斷，你就嚐到地獄的苦味。要立即去到主的光中，對主說：[我的神阿，我在這事上有罪了。 ]要不然剛硬的心，就會充滿全人。罪的刑罰，就是罪的本身。神不但要刑罰罪，罪在人身上的結果，也已證實了。無論怎樣掙扎禱告，都不能停止做那些事；那罪的刑罰就是要你漸漸習慣，不再覺得這是罪，除了聖靈的能力，沒有其他辦法改變罪所帶來的後果。
[我們若在光明中行，如同神在光明中……]我們不少人認為行在光中，就是行在我對別人要求的標準中。今日最致命的法利賽主義，不是假冒為善，乃是與現實脫節而不自覺。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你的恩典，並你在我的內心和動機上所作的工，我感謝你，可是，在我現實的生活中，我能否在世人面前表達你的平安呢？
Paul says that we must all, preachers and other people alike, “appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” But if you will learn here and now to live under the scrutiny of Christ’s pure light, your final judgment will bring you only delight in seeing the work God has done in you. Live constantly reminding yourself of the judgment seat of Christ, and walk in the knowledge of the holiness He has given you. Tolerating a wrong attitude toward another person causes you to follow the spirit of the devil, no matter how saintly you are. One carnal judgment of another person only serves the purposes of hell in you. Bring it immediately into the light and confess, “Oh, Lord, I have been guilty there.” If you don’t, your heart will become hardened through and through. One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it. It is not only God who punishes for sin, but sin establishes itself in the sinner and takes its toll. No struggling or praying will enable you to stop doing certain things, and the penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it, until you finally come to the place where you no longer even realize that it is sin. No power, except the power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit, can change or prevent the inherent consequences of sin.
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light. . .” (1 John 1:7). For many of us, walking in the light means walking according to the standard we have set up for another person. The deadliest attitude of the Pharisees that we exhibit today is not hypocrisy but that which comes from unconsciously living a lie.
主的審判
因為我們眾人，必要在基督台前顯露出來。 （林後五10）
保羅說，我不論是傳道人，還是平信徒，[必要在基督台前顯露出來]。你若隨時隨地活在基督聖潔的光中，審判將使你因神在你身上的工作而歡樂。使自己可以面對基督的審判台；盡力行在最聖潔的光中。不管你如何聖潔，若對別人存有一絲惡意，至終必帶進魔鬼的靈。只要你下一個屬血氣的論斷，你就嚐到地獄的苦味。要立即去到主的光中，對主說：[我的神阿，我在這事上有罪了。 ]要不然剛硬的心，就會充滿全人。罪的刑罰，就是罪的本身。神不但要刑罰罪，罪在人身上的結果，也已證實了。無論怎樣掙扎禱告，都不能停止做那些事；那罪的刑罰就是要你漸漸習慣，不再覺得這是罪，除了聖靈的能力，沒有其他辦法改變罪所帶來的後果。
[我們若在光明中行，如同神在光明中……]我們不少人認為行在光中，就是行在我對別人要求的標準中。今日最致命的法利賽主義，不是假冒為善，乃是與現實脫節而不自覺。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你的恩典，並你在我的內心和動機上所作的工，我感謝你，可是，在我現實的生活中，我能否在世人面前表達你的平安呢？
September 24, 2012
The “Go” of Preparation
If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift—Matthew 5:23-24
It is easy for us to imagine that we will suddenly come to a point in our lives where we are fully prepared, but preparation is not suddenly accomplished. In fact, it is a process that must be steadily maintained. It is dangerous to become settled and complacent in our present level of experience. The Christian life requires preparation and more preparation.
The sense of sacrifice in the Christian life is readily appealing to a new Christian. From a human standpoint, the one thing that attracts us to Jesus Christ is our sense of the heroic, and a close examination of us by our Lord’s words suddenly puts this tide of enthusiasm to the test. “. . . go your way. First be reconciled to your brother. . . .” The “go” of preparation is to allow the Word of God to examine you closely. Your sense of heroic sacrifice is not good enough. The thing the Holy Spirit will detect in you is your nature that can never work in His service. And no one but God can detect that nature in you. Do you have anything to hide from God? If you do, then let God search you with His light. If there is sin in your life, don’t just admit it— confess it. Are you willing to obey your Lord and Master, whatever the humiliation to your right to yourself may be?
Never disregard a conviction that the Holy Spirit brings to you. If it is important enough for the Spirit of God to bring it to your mind, it is the very thing He is detecting in you. You were looking for some big thing to give up, while God is telling you of some tiny thing that must go. But behind that tiny thing lies the stronghold of obstinacy, and you say, “I will not give up my right to myself”— the very thing that God intends you to give up if you are to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
[去]的準備
所以你在祭壇上獻禮物的時候，若想起弟兄向你懷怨，就把禮物留在壇前，先去同弟兄和好，然後來獻禮物。 （太五23-24）
我們很容易幻想自己會達到一個完全準備妥當的地步，但其實準備功夫不是突然間可以作成，準備乃是一個不斷持續的過程。陷進固有的經歷中，是一種危險。我們要準備加上準備。 [犧牲精神]對青年信徒來說，是很具吸引力。按人性論，唯一吸引我們向主耶穌的，就是那英雄氣概。可是在主話的細察下，這熱潮要受到考驗。主說：[先去同弟兄和好。 ][去]的準備，是先讓神的話查驗。單有英雄氣概是不夠的。聖靈要在你身上查處不合用於事奉的意向。這意向，除了神以外，沒有人能查察出來。你有什麼東西要向神隱藏？若有，就讓神用他的光來搜查。若有罪，就要認罪，不要單單承認。不管是怎樣卑躬，你願意順服主麼？
千萬不可不顧良心的譴責。若神的靈叫你想起那事，那事就是重要的，是他所要查察的。你以往不斷要找些大的事來放棄，神卻要你註一些小事。因為在這小事的背後，正藏著頑梗的大本營：[我不肯放棄自己的主權。 ]若要作耶穌基督的門徒，神要你放棄的正是你的主權。
祈禱◆主啊，讓今天充滿了對你的讚美。願你使我脫離各式各樣的煩擾。為著我的思想能專注於你，我讚美你，但我仍渴望你的美善臨到我身上。
It is easy for us to imagine that we will suddenly come to a point in our lives where we are fully prepared, but preparation is not suddenly accomplished. In fact, it is a process that must be steadily maintained. It is dangerous to become settled and complacent in our present level of experience. The Christian life requires preparation and more preparation.
The sense of sacrifice in the Christian life is readily appealing to a new Christian. From a human standpoint, the one thing that attracts us to Jesus Christ is our sense of the heroic, and a close examination of us by our Lord’s words suddenly puts this tide of enthusiasm to the test. “. . . go your way. First be reconciled to your brother. . . .” The “go” of preparation is to allow the Word of God to examine you closely. Your sense of heroic sacrifice is not good enough. The thing the Holy Spirit will detect in you is your nature that can never work in His service. And no one but God can detect that nature in you. Do you have anything to hide from God? If you do, then let God search you with His light. If there is sin in your life, don’t just admit it— confess it. Are you willing to obey your Lord and Master, whatever the humiliation to your right to yourself may be?
Never disregard a conviction that the Holy Spirit brings to you. If it is important enough for the Spirit of God to bring it to your mind, it is the very thing He is detecting in you. You were looking for some big thing to give up, while God is telling you of some tiny thing that must go. But behind that tiny thing lies the stronghold of obstinacy, and you say, “I will not give up my right to myself”— the very thing that God intends you to give up if you are to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
[去]的準備
所以你在祭壇上獻禮物的時候，若想起弟兄向你懷怨，就把禮物留在壇前，先去同弟兄和好，然後來獻禮物。 （太五23-24）
我們很容易幻想自己會達到一個完全準備妥當的地步，但其實準備功夫不是突然間可以作成，準備乃是一個不斷持續的過程。陷進固有的經歷中，是一種危險。我們要準備加上準備。 [犧牲精神]對青年信徒來說，是很具吸引力。按人性論，唯一吸引我們向主耶穌的，就是那英雄氣概。可是在主話的細察下，這熱潮要受到考驗。主說：[先去同弟兄和好。 ][去]的準備，是先讓神的話查驗。單有英雄氣概是不夠的。聖靈要在你身上查處不合用於事奉的意向。這意向，除了神以外，沒有人能查察出來。你有什麼東西要向神隱藏？若有，就讓神用他的光來搜查。若有罪，就要認罪，不要單單承認。不管是怎樣卑躬，你願意順服主麼？
千萬不可不顧良心的譴責。若神的靈叫你想起那事，那事就是重要的，是他所要查察的。你以往不斷要找些大的事來放棄，神卻要你註一些小事。因為在這小事的背後，正藏著頑梗的大本營：[我不肯放棄自己的主權。 ]若要作耶穌基督的門徒，神要你放棄的正是你的主權。
祈禱◆主啊，讓今天充滿了對你的讚美。願你使我脫離各式各樣的煩擾。為著我的思想能專注於你，我讚美你，但我仍渴望你的美善臨到我身上。
June 30, 2012
Do It Now!
Agree with your adversary quickly . . . —Matthew 5:25
In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.
Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?
Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).
“Agree with your adversary quickly . . . .” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!
In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.
Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?
Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).
“Agree with your adversary quickly . . . .” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!
June 24, 2012
Reconciling Yourself to the Fact of Sin
This is your hour, and the power of darkness —Luke 22:53
Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against it. Have you taken this “hour, and the power of darkness” into account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger immediately and say, “Yes, I see what this sin would mean.” The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship— it simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.
Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile himself to the fact of sin.
承認罪的事實
現在卻是你們的時候，黑暗掌權了。 （路二十二53）
不承認罪的事實，會帶來人生一切的禍患。你可以大談人性的尊嚴，可是人性中有一種東西，在你一切的理想面前，會當面嗤笑你。你若不肯承認人性的邪惡自私，有根本上的罪過，這樣，當這些東西襲擊你時，你就會與它妥協，並說抵抗也是沒用。你有沒有準備面對這個關頭，面對這黑暗的權勢？還是你對自己的評價，沒有把罪算在內？你與親屬的關係，與朋友的關係，有沒有承認有罪的事實存在？若沒有，不需多久，你就會被罪追上，與之妥協了。
但若你承認罪的事實，就必立即覺察到危險－－[對啦，我知道這是什麼一回事了。 ]承認罪的事實，並不會破壞友情的根基，反而使彼此看清楚人生基本是可惡的。
耶穌基督雖不信任人，卻不挑剔多疑，因為祂深信為人有所不為。人得到安全的保障是由於清潔，而不是因為無罪。無罪的人是不可靠的。成為無罪，不是人可以做到，只有神才可要求人潔淨敬虔。無邪是孩童的特徵，但成人則要承認罪這事實。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，以你的恩典和榮耀淹沒我，讓你那浩瀚的潮水覆蓋所有。
Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against it. Have you taken this “hour, and the power of darkness” into account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger immediately and say, “Yes, I see what this sin would mean.” The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship— it simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.
Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile himself to the fact of sin.
承認罪的事實
現在卻是你們的時候，黑暗掌權了。 （路二十二53）
不承認罪的事實，會帶來人生一切的禍患。你可以大談人性的尊嚴，可是人性中有一種東西，在你一切的理想面前，會當面嗤笑你。你若不肯承認人性的邪惡自私，有根本上的罪過，這樣，當這些東西襲擊你時，你就會與它妥協，並說抵抗也是沒用。你有沒有準備面對這個關頭，面對這黑暗的權勢？還是你對自己的評價，沒有把罪算在內？你與親屬的關係，與朋友的關係，有沒有承認有罪的事實存在？若沒有，不需多久，你就會被罪追上，與之妥協了。
但若你承認罪的事實，就必立即覺察到危險－－[對啦，我知道這是什麼一回事了。 ]承認罪的事實，並不會破壞友情的根基，反而使彼此看清楚人生基本是可惡的。
耶穌基督雖不信任人，卻不挑剔多疑，因為祂深信為人有所不為。人得到安全的保障是由於清潔，而不是因為無罪。無罪的人是不可靠的。成為無罪，不是人可以做到，只有神才可要求人潔淨敬虔。無邪是孩童的特徵，但成人則要承認罪這事實。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，以你的恩典和榮耀淹沒我，讓你那浩瀚的潮水覆蓋所有。
June 23, 2012
“Acquainted With Grief”
He is . . . a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief —Isaiah 53:3
We are not “acquainted with grief” in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives we do not bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at life through the eyes of reason and say that if a person will control his instincts, and educate himself, he can produce a life that will slowly evolve into the life of God. But as we continue on through life, we find the presence of something which we have not yet taken into account, namely, sin— and it upsets all of our thinking and our plans. Sin has made the foundation of our thinking unpredictable, uncontrollable, and irrational.
We have to recognize that sin is a fact of life, not just a shortcoming. Sin is blatant mutiny against God, and either sin or God must die in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue— if sin rules in me, God’s life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is nothing more fundamental than that. The culmination of sin was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and what was true in the history of God on earth will also be true in your history and in mine— that is, sin will kill the life of God in us. We must mentally bring ourselves to terms with this fact of sin. It is the only explanation why Jesus Christ came to earth, and it is the explanation of the grief and sorrow of life.
常經憂患
他……多受痛苦，常經憂患。 （賽五十三3）
我們所經的憂患與主所經的不同；我們是忍受、經歷，卻與憂患沒有密切的關係。我們從起頭就不肯接受罪惡這個事實，對人生採取一種合乎理性的觀點，以為人只要約束自己，教育自己，生命就能逐漸似神。可是日久便發覺有一種東西存在，是意想之外的，就是罪。它把我們一切籌算破壞了。罪使事物本末倒置，毫無道理可言。我們必須承認罪是一個事實，不是一種缺陷；罪是對神赤手空拳的反叛。在我生命中不是神死，就是罪死。新約的真理使我們面對這個問題。若罪在我裡面掌權，神在我裡面的生命就死了；若神在我裡面掌權，罪在我裡面就要死；除此之外，不可能有別的結果了。人滔天的大罪，就是把耶穌基督釘在十架上。神在世上的歷史如何，你我的生命史上也必如何。我們必須承認，罪是人生苦痛憂患的因由。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，你是沒有時間性的，因為[在你看來，千年如已過的昨日]；可是，對我這卻截然不同。你彌補我那被腐敗所吞蝕的年日，在基督耶穌裡使我成為一個新造的人！求你接納我對你的感恩。
We are not “acquainted with grief” in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives we do not bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at life through the eyes of reason and say that if a person will control his instincts, and educate himself, he can produce a life that will slowly evolve into the life of God. But as we continue on through life, we find the presence of something which we have not yet taken into account, namely, sin— and it upsets all of our thinking and our plans. Sin has made the foundation of our thinking unpredictable, uncontrollable, and irrational.
We have to recognize that sin is a fact of life, not just a shortcoming. Sin is blatant mutiny against God, and either sin or God must die in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue— if sin rules in me, God’s life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is nothing more fundamental than that. The culmination of sin was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and what was true in the history of God on earth will also be true in your history and in mine— that is, sin will kill the life of God in us. We must mentally bring ourselves to terms with this fact of sin. It is the only explanation why Jesus Christ came to earth, and it is the explanation of the grief and sorrow of life.
常經憂患
他……多受痛苦，常經憂患。 （賽五十三3）
我們所經的憂患與主所經的不同；我們是忍受、經歷，卻與憂患沒有密切的關係。我們從起頭就不肯接受罪惡這個事實，對人生採取一種合乎理性的觀點，以為人只要約束自己，教育自己，生命就能逐漸似神。可是日久便發覺有一種東西存在，是意想之外的，就是罪。它把我們一切籌算破壞了。罪使事物本末倒置，毫無道理可言。我們必須承認罪是一個事實，不是一種缺陷；罪是對神赤手空拳的反叛。在我生命中不是神死，就是罪死。新約的真理使我們面對這個問題。若罪在我裡面掌權，神在我裡面的生命就死了；若神在我裡面掌權，罪在我裡面就要死；除此之外，不可能有別的結果了。人滔天的大罪，就是把耶穌基督釘在十架上。神在世上的歷史如何，你我的生命史上也必如何。我們必須承認，罪是人生苦痛憂患的因由。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，你是沒有時間性的，因為[在你看來，千年如已過的昨日]；可是，對我這卻截然不同。你彌補我那被腐敗所吞蝕的年日，在基督耶穌裡使我成為一個新造的人！求你接納我對你的感恩。
April 10, 2012
Complete and Effective Decision About Sin
. . . our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin —Romans 6:6
Co-Crucifixion. Have you made the following decision about sin—that it must be completely killed in you? It takes a long time to come to the point of making this complete and effective decision about sin. It is, however, the greatest moment in your life once you decide that sin must die in you-not simply be restrained, suppressed, or counteracted, but crucified—just as Jesus Christ died for the sin of the world. No one can bring anyone else to this decision. We may be mentally and spiritually convinced, but what we need to do is actually make the decision that Paul urged us to do in this passage.
Pull yourself up, take some time alone with God, and make this important decision, saying, “Lord, identify me with Your death until I know that sin is dead in me.” Make the moral decision that sin in you must be put to death.
This was not some divine future expectation on the part of Paul, but was a very radical and definite experience in his life. Are you prepared to let the Spirit of God search you until you know what the level and nature of sin is in your life— to see the very things that struggle against God’s Spirit in you? If so, will you then agree with God’s verdict on the nature of sin— that it should be identified with the death of Jesus? You cannot “reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin” (Romans 6:11) unless you have radically dealt with the issue of your will before God.
Have you entered into the glorious privilege of being crucified with Christ, until all that remains in your flesh and blood is His life? “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me . . .” (Galatians 2:20).
對罪的道德判斷
因為知道我們的舊人，和他同釘十字架，使罪身滅絕，叫我們不再作罪的奴僕（羅六6）
同釘十字架。我對罪所作的道德判決，是要花很長時間的。可是，這卻是我生命的轉捩點。我看準了，耶穌基督既為世人的罪而死，照樣地，罪也必須在我裡面死去。不是要把罪約制、壓抑或是抵擋，乃是要把它釘死在十字架上。沒有人可以使別人下這決心；我們也許會在宗教意識裡同意，但我們必須照保羅在此所強調的，作出決定。
要鼓起勇氣，振作起來，花時間與神單獨相對，作一個道德上的抉擇，對主說：[主阿，讓你的死成為我的死，直至我知道罪已在我裡面死去。 ]要斬釘截鐵，下定決心，把罪治死。
對保羅來說，這不是一種屬靈的期望，而是一個非常基本而肯定的經驗。我肯不肯讓神的靈鑑察我，直到我真知道罪的本相－－就是在我裡面與神的靈相爭的事物？若肯的話，我接受神對罪的判斷－－就是與耶穌同死嗎？我必須解決這個基本的意志問題，在神面前尋求清楚，否則不能算己[向罪死了]。
我有沒有進入與基督同釘的最高福祉裡，直到我血肉之軀，除了基督的生命以外，再無別的？ [我已經與基督同釘十字架，現在活著的，不再是我，乃是基督在我裡面活著。 ]
祈禱◆[我的靈在生病]－－何等適切地描述我今天的狀況！求你控制它，幫助我在當中起來和超越它。
Co-Crucifixion. Have you made the following decision about sin—that it must be completely killed in you? It takes a long time to come to the point of making this complete and effective decision about sin. It is, however, the greatest moment in your life once you decide that sin must die in you-not simply be restrained, suppressed, or counteracted, but crucified—just as Jesus Christ died for the sin of the world. No one can bring anyone else to this decision. We may be mentally and spiritually convinced, but what we need to do is actually make the decision that Paul urged us to do in this passage.
Pull yourself up, take some time alone with God, and make this important decision, saying, “Lord, identify me with Your death until I know that sin is dead in me.” Make the moral decision that sin in you must be put to death.
This was not some divine future expectation on the part of Paul, but was a very radical and definite experience in his life. Are you prepared to let the Spirit of God search you until you know what the level and nature of sin is in your life— to see the very things that struggle against God’s Spirit in you? If so, will you then agree with God’s verdict on the nature of sin— that it should be identified with the death of Jesus? You cannot “reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin” (Romans 6:11) unless you have radically dealt with the issue of your will before God.
Have you entered into the glorious privilege of being crucified with Christ, until all that remains in your flesh and blood is His life? “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me . . .” (Galatians 2:20).
對罪的道德判斷
因為知道我們的舊人，和他同釘十字架，使罪身滅絕，叫我們不再作罪的奴僕（羅六6）
同釘十字架。我對罪所作的道德判決，是要花很長時間的。可是，這卻是我生命的轉捩點。我看準了，耶穌基督既為世人的罪而死，照樣地，罪也必須在我裡面死去。不是要把罪約制、壓抑或是抵擋，乃是要把它釘死在十字架上。沒有人可以使別人下這決心；我們也許會在宗教意識裡同意，但我們必須照保羅在此所強調的，作出決定。
要鼓起勇氣，振作起來，花時間與神單獨相對，作一個道德上的抉擇，對主說：[主阿，讓你的死成為我的死，直至我知道罪已在我裡面死去。 ]要斬釘截鐵，下定決心，把罪治死。
對保羅來說，這不是一種屬靈的期望，而是一個非常基本而肯定的經驗。我肯不肯讓神的靈鑑察我，直到我真知道罪的本相－－就是在我裡面與神的靈相爭的事物？若肯的話，我接受神對罪的判斷－－就是與耶穌同死嗎？我必須解決這個基本的意志問題，在神面前尋求清楚，否則不能算己[向罪死了]。
我有沒有進入與基督同釘的最高福祉裡，直到我血肉之軀，除了基督的生命以外，再無別的？ [我已經與基督同釘十字架，現在活著的，不再是我，乃是基督在我裡面活著。 ]
祈禱◆[我的靈在生病]－－何等適切地描述我今天的狀況！求你控制它，幫助我在當中起來和超越它。
March 16, 2012
The Master Will Judge
We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ . . . —2 Corinthians 5:10
Paul says that we must all, preachers and other people alike, “appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” But if you will learn here and now to live under the scrutiny of Christ’s pure light, your final judgment will bring you only delight in seeing the work God has done in you. Live constantly reminding yourself of the judgment seat of Christ, and walk in the knowledge of the holiness He has given you. Tolerating a wrong attitude toward another person causes you to follow the spirit of the devil, no matter how saintly you are. One carnal judgment of another person only serves the purposes of hell in you. Bring it immediately into the light and confess, “Oh, Lord, I have been guilty there.” If you don’t, your heart will become hardened through and through. One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it. It is not only God who punishes for sin, but sin establishes itself in the sinner and takes its toll. No struggling or praying will enable you to stop doing certain things, and the penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it, until you finally come to the place where you no longer even realize that it is sin. No power, except the power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit, can change or prevent the inherent consequences of sin.
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light. . .” (1 John 1:7). For many of us, walking in the light means walking according to the standard we have set up for another person. The deadliest attitude of the Pharisees that we exhibit today is not hypocrisy but that which comes from unconsciously living a lie.
主的審判
因為我們眾人，必要在基督台前顯露出來。 （林後五10）
保羅說，我不論是傳道人，還是平信徒，[必要在基督台前顯露出來]。你若隨時隨地活在基督聖潔的光中，審判將使你因神在你身上的工作而歡樂。使自己可以面對基督的審判台；盡力行在最聖潔的光中。不管你如何聖潔，若對別人存有一絲惡意，至終必帶進魔鬼的靈。只要你下一個屬血氣的論斷，你就嚐到地獄的苦味。要立即去到主的光中，對主說：[我的神阿，我在這事上有罪了。 ]要不然剛硬的心，就會充滿全人。罪的刑罰，就是罪的本身。神不但要刑罰罪，罪在人身上的結果，也已證實了。無論怎樣掙扎禱告，都不能停止做那些事；那罪的刑罰就是要你漸漸習慣，不再覺得這是罪，除了聖靈的能力，沒有其他辦法改變罪所帶來的後果。
[我們若在光明中行，如同神在光明中……]我們不少人認為行在光中，就是行在我對別人要求的標準中。今日最致命的法利賽主義，不是假冒為善，乃是與現實脫節而不自覺。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你的恩典，並你在我的內心和動機上所作的工，我感謝你，可是，在我現實的生活中，我能否在世人面前表達你的平安呢？
Paul says that we must all, preachers and other people alike, “appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” But if you will learn here and now to live under the scrutiny of Christ’s pure light, your final judgment will bring you only delight in seeing the work God has done in you. Live constantly reminding yourself of the judgment seat of Christ, and walk in the knowledge of the holiness He has given you. Tolerating a wrong attitude toward another person causes you to follow the spirit of the devil, no matter how saintly you are. One carnal judgment of another person only serves the purposes of hell in you. Bring it immediately into the light and confess, “Oh, Lord, I have been guilty there.” If you don’t, your heart will become hardened through and through. One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it. It is not only God who punishes for sin, but sin establishes itself in the sinner and takes its toll. No struggling or praying will enable you to stop doing certain things, and the penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it, until you finally come to the place where you no longer even realize that it is sin. No power, except the power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit, can change or prevent the inherent consequences of sin.
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light. . .” (1 John 1:7). For many of us, walking in the light means walking according to the standard we have set up for another person. The deadliest attitude of the Pharisees that we exhibit today is not hypocrisy but that which comes from unconsciously living a lie.
主的審判
因為我們眾人，必要在基督台前顯露出來。 （林後五10）
保羅說，我不論是傳道人，還是平信徒，[必要在基督台前顯露出來]。你若隨時隨地活在基督聖潔的光中，審判將使你因神在你身上的工作而歡樂。使自己可以面對基督的審判台；盡力行在最聖潔的光中。不管你如何聖潔，若對別人存有一絲惡意，至終必帶進魔鬼的靈。只要你下一個屬血氣的論斷，你就嚐到地獄的苦味。要立即去到主的光中，對主說：[我的神阿，我在這事上有罪了。 ]要不然剛硬的心，就會充滿全人。罪的刑罰，就是罪的本身。神不但要刑罰罪，罪在人身上的結果，也已證實了。無論怎樣掙扎禱告，都不能停止做那些事；那罪的刑罰就是要你漸漸習慣，不再覺得這是罪，除了聖靈的能力，沒有其他辦法改變罪所帶來的後果。
[我們若在光明中行，如同神在光明中……]我們不少人認為行在光中，就是行在我對別人要求的標準中。今日最致命的法利賽主義，不是假冒為善，乃是與現實脫節而不自覺。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你的恩典，並你在我的內心和動機上所作的工，我感謝你，可是，在我現實的生活中，我能否在世人面前表達你的平安呢？
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