I did not come to bring peace but a sword —Matthew 10:34
Never be sympathetic with a person whose situation causes you to conclude that God is dealing harshly with him. God can be more tender than we can conceive, and every once in a while He gives us the opportunity to deal firmly with someone so that He may be viewed as the tender One. If a person cannot go to God, it is because he has something secret which he does not intend to give up— he may admit his sin, but would no more give up that thing than he could fly under his own power. It is impossible to deal sympathetically with people like that. We must reach down deep in their lives to the root of the problem, which will cause hostility and resentment toward the message. People want the blessing of God, but they can’t stand something that pierces right through to the heart of the matter.
If you are sensitive to God’s way, your message as His servant will be merciless and insistent, cutting to the very root. Otherwise, there will be no healing. We must drive the message home so forcefully that a person cannot possibly hide, but must apply its truth. Deal with people where they are, until they begin to realize their true need. Then hold high the standard of Jesus for their lives. Their response may be, “We can never be that.” Then drive it home with, “Jesus Christ says you must.” “But how can we be?” “You can’t, unless you have a new Spirit” (see Luke 11:13).
There must be a sense of need created before your message is of any use. Thousands of people in this world profess to be happy without God. But if we could be truly happy and moral without Jesus, then why did He come? He came because that kind of happiness and peace is only superficial. Jesus Christ came to “bring . . . a sword” through every kind of peace that is not based on a personal relationship with Himself.
注意什麼？
我來，並不是叫地上太平，乃是叫地上動刀兵。 （太十34）
若有人的遭遇令你覺得神是冷酷無情的，不要對這人表示同情。神比想像中更柔和，他有時讓我們經歷艱難，是為我們的好處。人若不能通達主前，是由於他藏著不肯放下的東西－－[我承認有錯，但我不打算放棄它。 ]對這樣的人是不需要同情的：即使他們憎惡敵擋我們的信息，也要直斥其非。人都愛神的祝福，可是卻不肯接受那些命中要害的東西。
神若是使用你，作他的僕人，你的信息就該不通融遷就，直指問題根源，否則人就得不著醫治。把信息清楚傳明，使人無可諱避。先從人的本相著手，直到他們發現自己的缺欠，然後舉出主耶穌的榜樣：[我們永遠也不能像耶穌一樣！ ]你就立即說：[耶穌基督說你必須如此。 ][我們怎能如此？ ][你不能，除非你有了更新的聖靈。 ]（路十一13）
先要喚起人的需要，你的信息才派用場。世上千萬人沒有神，生活依然快活。我在耶穌未來以先，原是快活的，道德也不差，他來到底做什麼？原來那種快樂平安是建築在錯誤的水平上；耶穌基督來，就是要用刀劍刺透一切不是建基於與他個人關係的平安。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，今天我來到你的面前，願你的美善、恩典和充滿安慰的平安臨到我。願沒有任何風暴、不適或焦慮，觸動你在我生命中和在此處的平安。
Showing posts with label Conviction Of. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conviction Of. Show all posts
December 19, 2014
December 07, 2014
Repentance
Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation . . . —2 Corinthians 7:10
Conviction of sin is best described in the words:
My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall.
Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight . . .” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.
The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.
悔改
依著神的意思憂愁，就生出沒有後悔的懊悔來，以致得救。 （林後七10）
對罪的自責，哲學話說的最貼切：[我的罪，我的罪啊，落在你身上，我的救主，多悲痛！ ]認罪是一個人最罕有的打擊，那是認識神的門檻。耶穌基督說聖靈來，是叫人為罪自責；當聖靈喚醒人的良心，叫他面對神的時候，使他不安的，不是與人的關係，而是與神的關係－－[我向你犯罪，惟獨得罪了你，在你眼前行了這惡。 ]認罪、赦免和聖潔三者奇妙的交織著，只有蒙赦罪的人，才成為聖潔。他蒙赦免的證據，是因著神的恩典，以致前後判若兩人。悔改總叫人承認：[我犯了罪。 ]一個人肯這樣忠心表示，就是神作工的最大明證。若非這樣，那就只不過是因犯錯事而勝的懊悔，是鄙屑自己的一種反射作用罷了。
進入神的過度，是藉著悔改的苦痛，刺透人自以為是的高貴良善；然後聖靈來了，在人裡面開始創造神兒子的生命。新生命的表彰，是明明的悔改，與不知不覺的成聖，絕不會有相反表現的。基督信仰的基石是悔改。嚴格來說，人無法自己悔改，悔改是神的禮物。古代清教徒就常求[眼淚的恩賜]。所以什麼時候你不再覺得悔改的好處，就是在黑暗裡了。試省察自己，是否已忘記了怎樣知錯。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，藉著你的聖靈和恩典，我的內心產生和孕育了極大的渴望－－願我能適當地讚美你。
Conviction of sin is best described in the words:
My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall.
Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight . . .” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.
The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.
悔改
依著神的意思憂愁，就生出沒有後悔的懊悔來，以致得救。 （林後七10）
對罪的自責，哲學話說的最貼切：[我的罪，我的罪啊，落在你身上，我的救主，多悲痛！ ]認罪是一個人最罕有的打擊，那是認識神的門檻。耶穌基督說聖靈來，是叫人為罪自責；當聖靈喚醒人的良心，叫他面對神的時候，使他不安的，不是與人的關係，而是與神的關係－－[我向你犯罪，惟獨得罪了你，在你眼前行了這惡。 ]認罪、赦免和聖潔三者奇妙的交織著，只有蒙赦罪的人，才成為聖潔。他蒙赦免的證據，是因著神的恩典，以致前後判若兩人。悔改總叫人承認：[我犯了罪。 ]一個人肯這樣忠心表示，就是神作工的最大明證。若非這樣，那就只不過是因犯錯事而勝的懊悔，是鄙屑自己的一種反射作用罷了。
進入神的過度，是藉著悔改的苦痛，刺透人自以為是的高貴良善；然後聖靈來了，在人裡面開始創造神兒子的生命。新生命的表彰，是明明的悔改，與不知不覺的成聖，絕不會有相反表現的。基督信仰的基石是悔改。嚴格來說，人無法自己悔改，悔改是神的禮物。古代清教徒就常求[眼淚的恩賜]。所以什麼時候你不再覺得悔改的好處，就是在黑暗裡了。試省察自己，是否已忘記了怎樣知錯。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，藉著你的聖靈和恩典，我的內心產生和孕育了極大的渴望－－願我能適當地讚美你。
November 20, 2014
The Forgiveness of God
In Him we have . . . the forgiveness of sins . . . —Ephesians 1:7
Beware of the pleasant view of the fatherhood of God: God is so kind and loving that of course He will forgive us. That thought, based solely on emotion, cannot be found anywhere in the New Testament. The only basis on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the Cross of Christ. To base our forgiveness on any other ground is unconscious blasphemy. The only ground on which God can forgive our sin and reinstate us to His favor is through the Cross of Christ. There is no other way! Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony at Calvary. We should never take the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and our sanctification in simple faith, and then forget the enormous cost to God that made all of this ours.
Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost to God was the Cross of Christ. To forgive sin, while remaining a holy God, this price had to be paid. Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revealed truth of God is that without the atonement He cannot forgive— He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God through the atonement of the Cross. God’s forgiveness is possible only in the supernatural realm.
Compared with the miracle of the forgiveness of sin, the experience of sanctification is small. Sanctification is simply the wonderful expression or evidence of the forgiveness of sins in a human life. But the thing that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven his sin. Paul never got away from this. Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vise, constrained by the love of God.
神的赦免
我們藉這愛子的血……過犯得以赦免。 （弗一7）
別以為神既是父親－－他既是這樣慈愛，必會赦免我們。這種情感作用在新約是沒有的。神赦免我們，唯一的根源就是基督十字架上的大悲劇；若把赦免放在任何別的根據上，是無形的褻瀆。神赦免哦我們，唯一原因是叫我們重生與他相和好，是藉基督的十字架，此外別無他法。赦免是多麼容易接受的事，可是卻付上加略山的苦楚。我們接受赦罪，接受所賜的聖靈，憑單純的信心得以成聖，卻忘記了是神付出極大的代價為我們成就的。
赦免是神恩典的神聖奇蹟：他要付出基督的十字架，才能赦罪，而仍不失為聖潔的神。切勿接受一個把救贖刪去，只以神為父的觀點。神的啟示是他不能赦免；若赦免就違反他的本性。我們蒙赦的唯一途徑，是藉救贖歸回神。神的赦免惟有在超然的領域上，才不反其自然。
若拿赦罪的奇蹟來比較，成聖的經歷就顯得微不足道。成聖不過是人生命蒙赦罪之後奇妙的表現，在人心中挑起最深感激的，該是神赦免罪。保羅從未忘懷這一點。你一旦體會神為赦免你的罪所付出的，你就會被抓住，被神的愛深深激勵。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你透過主耶穌的恩典，向我顯明你至高的父性，我讚美你。噢，我因此可以成為天父的孩子了！
Beware of the pleasant view of the fatherhood of God: God is so kind and loving that of course He will forgive us. That thought, based solely on emotion, cannot be found anywhere in the New Testament. The only basis on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the Cross of Christ. To base our forgiveness on any other ground is unconscious blasphemy. The only ground on which God can forgive our sin and reinstate us to His favor is through the Cross of Christ. There is no other way! Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony at Calvary. We should never take the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and our sanctification in simple faith, and then forget the enormous cost to God that made all of this ours.
Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost to God was the Cross of Christ. To forgive sin, while remaining a holy God, this price had to be paid. Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revealed truth of God is that without the atonement He cannot forgive— He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God through the atonement of the Cross. God’s forgiveness is possible only in the supernatural realm.
Compared with the miracle of the forgiveness of sin, the experience of sanctification is small. Sanctification is simply the wonderful expression or evidence of the forgiveness of sins in a human life. But the thing that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven his sin. Paul never got away from this. Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vise, constrained by the love of God.
神的赦免
我們藉這愛子的血……過犯得以赦免。 （弗一7）
別以為神既是父親－－他既是這樣慈愛，必會赦免我們。這種情感作用在新約是沒有的。神赦免我們，唯一的根源就是基督十字架上的大悲劇；若把赦免放在任何別的根據上，是無形的褻瀆。神赦免哦我們，唯一原因是叫我們重生與他相和好，是藉基督的十字架，此外別無他法。赦免是多麼容易接受的事，可是卻付上加略山的苦楚。我們接受赦罪，接受所賜的聖靈，憑單純的信心得以成聖，卻忘記了是神付出極大的代價為我們成就的。
赦免是神恩典的神聖奇蹟：他要付出基督的十字架，才能赦罪，而仍不失為聖潔的神。切勿接受一個把救贖刪去，只以神為父的觀點。神的啟示是他不能赦免；若赦免就違反他的本性。我們蒙赦的唯一途徑，是藉救贖歸回神。神的赦免惟有在超然的領域上，才不反其自然。
若拿赦罪的奇蹟來比較，成聖的經歷就顯得微不足道。成聖不過是人生命蒙赦罪之後奇妙的表現，在人心中挑起最深感激的，該是神赦免罪。保羅從未忘懷這一點。你一旦體會神為赦免你的罪所付出的，你就會被抓住，被神的愛深深激勵。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你透過主耶穌的恩典，向我顯明你至高的父性，我讚美你。噢，我因此可以成為天父的孩子了！
November 19, 2014
“When He Has Come”
When He has come, He will convict the world of sin . . . —John 16:8
Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin. We know the experience of being disturbed because we have done wrong things. But conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit blots out every relationship on earth and makes us aware of only one— “Against You, You only, have I sinned . . .” (Psalm 51:4). When a person is convicted of sin in this way, he knows with every bit of his conscience that God would not dare to forgive him. If God did forgive him, then this person would have a stronger sense of justice than God. God does forgive, but it cost the breaking of His heart with grief in the death of Christ to enable Him to do so. The great miracle of the grace of God is that He forgives sin, and it is the death of Jesus Christ alone that enables the divine nature to forgive and to remain true to itself in doing so. It is shallow nonsense to say that God forgives us because He is love. Once we have been convicted of sin, we will never say this again. The love of God means Calvary— nothing less! The love of God is spelled out on the Cross and nowhere else. The only basis for which God can forgive me is the Cross of Christ. It is there that His conscience is satisfied.
Forgiveness doesn’t merely mean that I am saved from hell and have been made ready for heaven (no one would accept forgiveness on that level). Forgiveness means that I am forgiven into a newly created relationship which identifies me with God in Christ. The miracle of redemption is that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of Himself, the Holy One. He does this by putting into me a new nature, the nature of Jesus Christ.
祂既來了
他既來了，就要叫世人為罪、為義、為審判、自己責備自己。 （約十六8）
很少人真懂得什麼叫做為罪責備自己，我們做錯事之後，只有煩惱；可是聖靈叫人為罪自責，把地上一切的關係刪除，只剩下一個關係，就是[我犯罪得罪了你，惟獨得罪了你]。人若這樣為罪自責，他的良心會告訴他，神不會赦免他。若神赦免他，他的公義感就比神更高了。但神實在赦免，這是要透過耶穌的死，使神心腸撕裂破碎，才做得到。神恩典的奇妙，在於他藉主耶穌的死赦罪，以致他赦罪，仍忠於自己的本性。若說神是愛，所以他赦免我們，這是很膚淺無稽的。我們若曾為罪自責，就絕不會這樣說了。神的愛等如加略山，一絲一毫不減。神的愛在十字架上完全表現出來，此外別無他處。神惟獨根據主的十字架而赦免我。在那兒，他的心才得以滿足。
赦免不單是我從地獄中被救出來，進入天堂（沒有人以這個看法接受赦免）；赦免的意思是，我得赦免進入一個新造的關係裡，進入與神在基督的合一里。救贖的奇蹟是神把我這不潔的人，改變成他的標準，是聖潔的；把新的個性－－耶穌基督的個性－－放進我裡面。
祈禱◆對於在世上為你結果子上，我是何等的無助，那麼的氣量狹小，而且毫不像你。求你赦免我，並且藉著住在耶穌裡面，願我多結果子，榮耀父神。
Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin. We know the experience of being disturbed because we have done wrong things. But conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit blots out every relationship on earth and makes us aware of only one— “Against You, You only, have I sinned . . .” (Psalm 51:4). When a person is convicted of sin in this way, he knows with every bit of his conscience that God would not dare to forgive him. If God did forgive him, then this person would have a stronger sense of justice than God. God does forgive, but it cost the breaking of His heart with grief in the death of Christ to enable Him to do so. The great miracle of the grace of God is that He forgives sin, and it is the death of Jesus Christ alone that enables the divine nature to forgive and to remain true to itself in doing so. It is shallow nonsense to say that God forgives us because He is love. Once we have been convicted of sin, we will never say this again. The love of God means Calvary— nothing less! The love of God is spelled out on the Cross and nowhere else. The only basis for which God can forgive me is the Cross of Christ. It is there that His conscience is satisfied.
Forgiveness doesn’t merely mean that I am saved from hell and have been made ready for heaven (no one would accept forgiveness on that level). Forgiveness means that I am forgiven into a newly created relationship which identifies me with God in Christ. The miracle of redemption is that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of Himself, the Holy One. He does this by putting into me a new nature, the nature of Jesus Christ.
祂既來了
他既來了，就要叫世人為罪、為義、為審判、自己責備自己。 （約十六8）
很少人真懂得什麼叫做為罪責備自己，我們做錯事之後，只有煩惱；可是聖靈叫人為罪自責，把地上一切的關係刪除，只剩下一個關係，就是[我犯罪得罪了你，惟獨得罪了你]。人若這樣為罪自責，他的良心會告訴他，神不會赦免他。若神赦免他，他的公義感就比神更高了。但神實在赦免，這是要透過耶穌的死，使神心腸撕裂破碎，才做得到。神恩典的奇妙，在於他藉主耶穌的死赦罪，以致他赦罪，仍忠於自己的本性。若說神是愛，所以他赦免我們，這是很膚淺無稽的。我們若曾為罪自責，就絕不會這樣說了。神的愛等如加略山，一絲一毫不減。神的愛在十字架上完全表現出來，此外別無他處。神惟獨根據主的十字架而赦免我。在那兒，他的心才得以滿足。
赦免不單是我從地獄中被救出來，進入天堂（沒有人以這個看法接受赦免）；赦免的意思是，我得赦免進入一個新造的關係裡，進入與神在基督的合一里。救贖的奇蹟是神把我這不潔的人，改變成他的標準，是聖潔的；把新的個性－－耶穌基督的個性－－放進我裡面。
祈禱◆對於在世上為你結果子上，我是何等的無助，那麼的氣量狹小，而且毫不像你。求你赦免我，並且藉著住在耶穌裡面，願我多結果子，榮耀父神。
July 03, 2014
The Concentration of Personal Sin
Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips . . . —Isaiah 6:5
When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.
This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said: ’Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged’ ” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.
人罪惡的集中地
禍哉，我滅亡了。因為我是嘴唇不潔的人。 （賽六5）
我來到神面前，自覺是個罪人。那意識不會是模棱兩可的，我必然是意識到我生命的某一方面有罪。人可以很容易地說：[是的，我是個罪人。 ]但當他一旦來到神面前，就不能憑這句話輕輕逃過去。那知罪的意念會集中在——[我這個不是，那個不對。 ]人來到神面前總有這個表記。罪的意識不會模糊不清，一定是集中在個人的某一些事上。神起初總是藉聖靈指控我們心中的某一件事，我們若在這件事上承認自己有罪，他便把我們引進下面最大的罪根性區。我們若是在神面前，他總是這樣對付我們。
這個把罪惡集中的經歷，不論在最偉大的聖徒或最渺小的罪人身上，都毫無分別。在這經歷第一級階梯上的人會說：[我不知過錯何在，但神的靈必會指出我在哪一件事上犯了錯。 ]以賽亞看見聖潔的神，他就察覺自己是嘴唇不潔的人。 [將炭沾我的口說，看哪，這炭沾了你的嘴，你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了。 ]潔淨的火必要施於罪惡集中之處。
祈禱◆主啊，願你的純潔滲透我們的思想、身體和感情；讓我們完全認知和迅速彰顯你那活潑而使人充滿生氣的作為。願你那豐富的能力，進入我們的生活中。
When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.
This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said: ’Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged’ ” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.
人罪惡的集中地
禍哉，我滅亡了。因為我是嘴唇不潔的人。 （賽六5）
我來到神面前，自覺是個罪人。那意識不會是模棱兩可的，我必然是意識到我生命的某一方面有罪。人可以很容易地說：[是的，我是個罪人。 ]但當他一旦來到神面前，就不能憑這句話輕輕逃過去。那知罪的意念會集中在——[我這個不是，那個不對。 ]人來到神面前總有這個表記。罪的意識不會模糊不清，一定是集中在個人的某一些事上。神起初總是藉聖靈指控我們心中的某一件事，我們若在這件事上承認自己有罪，他便把我們引進下面最大的罪根性區。我們若是在神面前，他總是這樣對付我們。
這個把罪惡集中的經歷，不論在最偉大的聖徒或最渺小的罪人身上，都毫無分別。在這經歷第一級階梯上的人會說：[我不知過錯何在，但神的靈必會指出我在哪一件事上犯了錯。 ]以賽亞看見聖潔的神，他就察覺自己是嘴唇不潔的人。 [將炭沾我的口說，看哪，這炭沾了你的嘴，你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了。 ]潔淨的火必要施於罪惡集中之處。
祈禱◆主啊，願你的純潔滲透我們的思想、身體和感情；讓我們完全認知和迅速彰顯你那活潑而使人充滿生氣的作為。願你那豐富的能力，進入我們的生活中。
December 19, 2013
The Focus Of Our Message
I did not come to bring peace but a sword —Matthew 10:34
Never be sympathetic with a person whose situation causes you to conclude that God is dealing harshly with him. God can be more tender than we can conceive, and every once in a while He gives us the opportunity to deal firmly with someone so that He may be viewed as the tender One. If a person cannot go to God, it is because he has something secret which he does not intend to give up— he may admit his sin, but would no more give up that thing than he could fly under his own power. It is impossible to deal sympathetically with people like that. We must reach down deep in their lives to the root of the problem, which will cause hostility and resentment toward the message. People want the blessing of God, but they can’t stand something that pierces right through to the heart of the matter.
If you are sensitive to God’s way, your message as His servant will be merciless and insistent, cutting to the very root. Otherwise, there will be no healing. We must drive the message home so forcefully that a person cannot possibly hide, but must apply its truth. Deal with people where they are, until they begin to realize their true need. Then hold high the standard of Jesus for their lives. Their response may be, “We can never be that.” Then drive it home with, “Jesus Christ says you must.” “But how can we be?” “You can’t, unless you have a new Spirit” (see Luke 11:13).
There must be a sense of need created before your message is of any use. Thousands of people in this world profess to be happy without God. But if we could be truly happy and moral without Jesus, then why did He come? He came because that kind of happiness and peace is only superficial. Jesus Christ came to “bring . . . a sword” through every kind of peace that is not based on a personal relationship with Himself.
注意什麼？
我來，並不是叫地上太平，乃是叫地上動刀兵。 （太十34）
若有人的遭遇令你覺得神是冷酷無情的，不要對這人表示同情。神比想像中更柔和，他有時讓我們經歷艱難，是為我們的好處。人若不能通達主前，是由於他藏著不肯放下的東西－－[我承認有錯，但我不打算放棄它。 ]對這樣的人是不需要同情的：即使他們憎惡敵擋我們的信息，也要直斥其非。人都愛神的祝福，可是卻不肯接受那些命中要害的東西。
神若是使用你，作他的僕人，你的信息就該不通融遷就，直指問題根源，否則人就得不著醫治。把信息清楚傳明，使人無可諱避。先從人的本相著手，直到他們發現自己的缺欠，然後舉出主耶穌的榜樣：[我們永遠也不能像耶穌一樣！ ]你就立即說：[耶穌基督說你必須如此。 ][我們怎能如此？ ][你不能，除非你有了更新的聖靈。 ]（路十一13）
先要喚起人的需要，你的信息才派用場。世上千萬人沒有神，生活依然快活。我在耶穌未來以先，原是快活的，道德也不差，他來到底做什麼？原來那種快樂平安是建築在錯誤的水平上；耶穌基督來，就是要用刀劍刺透一切不是建基於與他個人關係的平安。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，今天我來到你的面前，願你的美善、恩典和充滿安慰的平安臨到我。願沒有任何風暴、不適或焦慮，觸動你在我生命中和在此處的平安。
Never be sympathetic with a person whose situation causes you to conclude that God is dealing harshly with him. God can be more tender than we can conceive, and every once in a while He gives us the opportunity to deal firmly with someone so that He may be viewed as the tender One. If a person cannot go to God, it is because he has something secret which he does not intend to give up— he may admit his sin, but would no more give up that thing than he could fly under his own power. It is impossible to deal sympathetically with people like that. We must reach down deep in their lives to the root of the problem, which will cause hostility and resentment toward the message. People want the blessing of God, but they can’t stand something that pierces right through to the heart of the matter.
If you are sensitive to God’s way, your message as His servant will be merciless and insistent, cutting to the very root. Otherwise, there will be no healing. We must drive the message home so forcefully that a person cannot possibly hide, but must apply its truth. Deal with people where they are, until they begin to realize their true need. Then hold high the standard of Jesus for their lives. Their response may be, “We can never be that.” Then drive it home with, “Jesus Christ says you must.” “But how can we be?” “You can’t, unless you have a new Spirit” (see Luke 11:13).
There must be a sense of need created before your message is of any use. Thousands of people in this world profess to be happy without God. But if we could be truly happy and moral without Jesus, then why did He come? He came because that kind of happiness and peace is only superficial. Jesus Christ came to “bring . . . a sword” through every kind of peace that is not based on a personal relationship with Himself.
注意什麼？
我來，並不是叫地上太平，乃是叫地上動刀兵。 （太十34）
若有人的遭遇令你覺得神是冷酷無情的，不要對這人表示同情。神比想像中更柔和，他有時讓我們經歷艱難，是為我們的好處。人若不能通達主前，是由於他藏著不肯放下的東西－－[我承認有錯，但我不打算放棄它。 ]對這樣的人是不需要同情的：即使他們憎惡敵擋我們的信息，也要直斥其非。人都愛神的祝福，可是卻不肯接受那些命中要害的東西。
神若是使用你，作他的僕人，你的信息就該不通融遷就，直指問題根源，否則人就得不著醫治。把信息清楚傳明，使人無可諱避。先從人的本相著手，直到他們發現自己的缺欠，然後舉出主耶穌的榜樣：[我們永遠也不能像耶穌一樣！ ]你就立即說：[耶穌基督說你必須如此。 ][我們怎能如此？ ][你不能，除非你有了更新的聖靈。 ]（路十一13）
先要喚起人的需要，你的信息才派用場。世上千萬人沒有神，生活依然快活。我在耶穌未來以先，原是快活的，道德也不差，他來到底做什麼？原來那種快樂平安是建築在錯誤的水平上；耶穌基督來，就是要用刀劍刺透一切不是建基於與他個人關係的平安。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，今天我來到你的面前，願你的美善、恩典和充滿安慰的平安臨到我。願沒有任何風暴、不適或焦慮，觸動你在我生命中和在此處的平安。
December 07, 2013
Repentance
Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation . . . —2 Corinthians 7:10
Conviction of sin is best described in the words:
My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall.
Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight . . .” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.
The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.
悔改
依著神的意思憂愁，就生出沒有後悔的懊悔來，以致得救。 （林後七10）
對罪的自責，哲學話說的最貼切：[我的罪，我的罪啊，落在你身上，我的救主，多悲痛！ ]認罪是一個人最罕有的打擊，那是認識神的門檻。耶穌基督說聖靈來，是叫人為罪自責；當聖靈喚醒人的良心，叫他面對神的時候，使他不安的，不是與人的關係，而是與神的關係－－[我向你犯罪，惟獨得罪了你，在你眼前行了這惡。 ]認罪、赦免和聖潔三者奇妙的交織著，只有蒙赦罪的人，才成為聖潔。他蒙赦免的證據，是因著神的恩典，以致前後判若兩人。悔改總叫人承認：[我犯了罪。 ]一個人肯這樣忠心表示，就是神作工的最大明證。若非這樣，那就只不過是因犯錯事而勝的懊悔，是鄙屑自己的一種反射作用罷了。
進入神的過度，是藉著悔改的苦痛，刺透人自以為是的高貴良善；然後聖靈來了，在人裡面開始創造神兒子的生命。新生命的表彰，是明明的悔改，與不知不覺的成聖，絕不會有相反表現的。基督信仰的基石是悔改。嚴格來說，人無法自己悔改，悔改是神的禮物。古代清教徒就常求[眼淚的恩賜]。所以什麼時候你不再覺得悔改的好處，就是在黑暗裡了。試省察自己，是否已忘記了怎樣知錯。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，藉著你的聖靈和恩典，我的內心產生和孕育了極大的渴望－－願我能適當地讚美你。
Conviction of sin is best described in the words:
My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall.
Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight . . .” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.
The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.
悔改
依著神的意思憂愁，就生出沒有後悔的懊悔來，以致得救。 （林後七10）
對罪的自責，哲學話說的最貼切：[我的罪，我的罪啊，落在你身上，我的救主，多悲痛！ ]認罪是一個人最罕有的打擊，那是認識神的門檻。耶穌基督說聖靈來，是叫人為罪自責；當聖靈喚醒人的良心，叫他面對神的時候，使他不安的，不是與人的關係，而是與神的關係－－[我向你犯罪，惟獨得罪了你，在你眼前行了這惡。 ]認罪、赦免和聖潔三者奇妙的交織著，只有蒙赦罪的人，才成為聖潔。他蒙赦免的證據，是因著神的恩典，以致前後判若兩人。悔改總叫人承認：[我犯了罪。 ]一個人肯這樣忠心表示，就是神作工的最大明證。若非這樣，那就只不過是因犯錯事而勝的懊悔，是鄙屑自己的一種反射作用罷了。
進入神的過度，是藉著悔改的苦痛，刺透人自以為是的高貴良善；然後聖靈來了，在人裡面開始創造神兒子的生命。新生命的表彰，是明明的悔改，與不知不覺的成聖，絕不會有相反表現的。基督信仰的基石是悔改。嚴格來說，人無法自己悔改，悔改是神的禮物。古代清教徒就常求[眼淚的恩賜]。所以什麼時候你不再覺得悔改的好處，就是在黑暗裡了。試省察自己，是否已忘記了怎樣知錯。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，藉著你的聖靈和恩典，我的內心產生和孕育了極大的渴望－－願我能適當地讚美你。
November 20, 2013
The Forgiveness of God
In Him we have . . . the forgiveness of sins . . . —Ephesians 1:7
Beware of the pleasant view of the fatherhood of God: God is so kind and loving that of course He will forgive us. That thought, based solely on emotion, cannot be found anywhere in the New Testament. The only basis on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the Cross of Christ. To base our forgiveness on any other ground is unconscious blasphemy. The only ground on which God can forgive our sin and reinstate us to His favor is through the Cross of Christ. There is no other way! Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony at Calvary. We should never take the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and our sanctification in simple faith, and then forget the enormous cost to God that made all of this ours.
Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost to God was the Cross of Christ. To forgive sin, while remaining a holy God, this price had to be paid. Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revealed truth of God is that without the atonement He cannot forgive— He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God through the atonement of the Cross. God’s forgiveness is possible only in the supernatural realm.
Compared with the miracle of the forgiveness of sin, the experience of sanctification is small. Sanctification is simply the wonderful expression or evidence of the forgiveness of sins in a human life. But the thing that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven his sin. Paul never got away from this. Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vise, constrained by the love of God.
神的赦免
我們藉這愛子的血……過犯得以赦免。 （弗一7）
別以為神既是父親－－他既是這樣慈愛，必會赦免我們。這種情感作用在新約是沒有的。神赦免我們，唯一的根源就是基督十字架上的大悲劇；若把赦免放在任何別的根據上，是無形的褻瀆。神赦免哦我們，唯一原因是叫我們重生與他相和好，是藉基督的十字架，此外別無他法。赦免是多麼容易接受的事，可是卻付上加略山的苦楚。我們接受赦罪，接受所賜的聖靈，憑單純的信心得以成聖，卻忘記了是神付出極大的代價為我們成就的。
赦免是神恩典的神聖奇蹟：他要付出基督的十字架，才能赦罪，而仍不失為聖潔的神。切勿接受一個把救贖刪去，只以神為父的觀點。神的啟示是他不能赦免；若赦免就違反他的本性。我們蒙赦的唯一途徑，是藉救贖歸回神。神的赦免惟有在超然的領域上，才不反其自然。
若拿赦罪的奇蹟來比較，成聖的經歷就顯得微不足道。成聖不過是人生命蒙赦罪之後奇妙的表現，在人心中挑起最深感激的，該是神赦免罪。保羅從未忘懷這一點。你一旦體會神為赦免你的罪所付出的，你就會被抓住，被神的愛深深激勵。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你透過主耶穌的恩典，向我顯明你至高的父性，我讚美你。噢，我因此可以成為天父的孩子了！
Beware of the pleasant view of the fatherhood of God: God is so kind and loving that of course He will forgive us. That thought, based solely on emotion, cannot be found anywhere in the New Testament. The only basis on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the Cross of Christ. To base our forgiveness on any other ground is unconscious blasphemy. The only ground on which God can forgive our sin and reinstate us to His favor is through the Cross of Christ. There is no other way! Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony at Calvary. We should never take the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and our sanctification in simple faith, and then forget the enormous cost to God that made all of this ours.
Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost to God was the Cross of Christ. To forgive sin, while remaining a holy God, this price had to be paid. Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revealed truth of God is that without the atonement He cannot forgive— He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God through the atonement of the Cross. God’s forgiveness is possible only in the supernatural realm.
Compared with the miracle of the forgiveness of sin, the experience of sanctification is small. Sanctification is simply the wonderful expression or evidence of the forgiveness of sins in a human life. But the thing that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven his sin. Paul never got away from this. Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vise, constrained by the love of God.
神的赦免
我們藉這愛子的血……過犯得以赦免。 （弗一7）
別以為神既是父親－－他既是這樣慈愛，必會赦免我們。這種情感作用在新約是沒有的。神赦免我們，唯一的根源就是基督十字架上的大悲劇；若把赦免放在任何別的根據上，是無形的褻瀆。神赦免哦我們，唯一原因是叫我們重生與他相和好，是藉基督的十字架，此外別無他法。赦免是多麼容易接受的事，可是卻付上加略山的苦楚。我們接受赦罪，接受所賜的聖靈，憑單純的信心得以成聖，卻忘記了是神付出極大的代價為我們成就的。
赦免是神恩典的神聖奇蹟：他要付出基督的十字架，才能赦罪，而仍不失為聖潔的神。切勿接受一個把救贖刪去，只以神為父的觀點。神的啟示是他不能赦免；若赦免就違反他的本性。我們蒙赦的唯一途徑，是藉救贖歸回神。神的赦免惟有在超然的領域上，才不反其自然。
若拿赦罪的奇蹟來比較，成聖的經歷就顯得微不足道。成聖不過是人生命蒙赦罪之後奇妙的表現，在人心中挑起最深感激的，該是神赦免罪。保羅從未忘懷這一點。你一旦體會神為赦免你的罪所付出的，你就會被抓住，被神的愛深深激勵。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你透過主耶穌的恩典，向我顯明你至高的父性，我讚美你。噢，我因此可以成為天父的孩子了！
November 19, 2013
“When He Has Come”
When He has come, He will convict the world of sin . . . —John 16:8
Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin. We know the experience of being disturbed because we have done wrong things. But conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit blots out every relationship on earth and makes us aware of only one— “Against You, You only, have I sinned . . .” (Psalm 51:4). When a person is convicted of sin in this way, he knows with every bit of his conscience that God would not dare to forgive him. If God did forgive him, then this person would have a stronger sense of justice than God. God does forgive, but it cost the breaking of His heart with grief in the death of Christ to enable Him to do so. The great miracle of the grace of God is that He forgives sin, and it is the death of Jesus Christ alone that enables the divine nature to forgive and to remain true to itself in doing so. It is shallow nonsense to say that God forgives us because He is love. Once we have been convicted of sin, we will never say this again. The love of God means Calvary— nothing less! The love of God is spelled out on the Cross and nowhere else. The only basis for which God can forgive me is the Cross of Christ. It is there that His conscience is satisfied.
Forgiveness doesn’t merely mean that I am saved from hell and have been made ready for heaven (no one would accept forgiveness on that level). Forgiveness means that I am forgiven into a newly created relationship which identifies me with God in Christ. The miracle of redemption is that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of Himself, the Holy One. He does this by putting into me a new nature, the nature of Jesus Christ.
祂既來了
他既來了，就要叫世人為罪、為義、為審判、自己責備自己。 （約十六8）
很少人真懂得什麼叫做為罪責備自己，我們做錯事之後，只有煩惱；可是聖靈叫人為罪自責，把地上一切的關係刪除，只剩下一個關係，就是[我犯罪得罪了你，惟獨得罪了你]。人若這樣為罪自責，他的良心會告訴他，神不會赦免他。若神赦免他，他的公義感就比神更高了。但神實在赦免，這是要透過耶穌的死，使神心腸撕裂破碎，才做得到。神恩典的奇妙，在於他藉主耶穌的死赦罪，以致他赦罪，仍忠於自己的本性。若說神是愛，所以他赦免我們，這是很膚淺無稽的。我們若曾為罪自責，就絕不會這樣說了。神的愛等如加略山，一絲一毫不減。神的愛在十字架上完全表現出來，此外別無他處。神惟獨根據主的十字架而赦免我。在那兒，他的心才得以滿足。
赦免不單是我從地獄中被救出來，進入天堂（沒有人以這個看法接受赦免）；赦免的意思是，我得赦免進入一個新造的關係裡，進入與神在基督的合一里。救贖的奇蹟是神把我這不潔的人，改變成他的標準，是聖潔的；把新的個性－－耶穌基督的個性－－放進我裡面。
祈禱◆對於在世上為你結果子上，我是何等的無助，那麼的氣量狹小，而且毫不像你。求你赦免我，並且藉著住在耶穌裡面，願我多結果子，榮耀父神。
Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin. We know the experience of being disturbed because we have done wrong things. But conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit blots out every relationship on earth and makes us aware of only one— “Against You, You only, have I sinned . . .” (Psalm 51:4). When a person is convicted of sin in this way, he knows with every bit of his conscience that God would not dare to forgive him. If God did forgive him, then this person would have a stronger sense of justice than God. God does forgive, but it cost the breaking of His heart with grief in the death of Christ to enable Him to do so. The great miracle of the grace of God is that He forgives sin, and it is the death of Jesus Christ alone that enables the divine nature to forgive and to remain true to itself in doing so. It is shallow nonsense to say that God forgives us because He is love. Once we have been convicted of sin, we will never say this again. The love of God means Calvary— nothing less! The love of God is spelled out on the Cross and nowhere else. The only basis for which God can forgive me is the Cross of Christ. It is there that His conscience is satisfied.
Forgiveness doesn’t merely mean that I am saved from hell and have been made ready for heaven (no one would accept forgiveness on that level). Forgiveness means that I am forgiven into a newly created relationship which identifies me with God in Christ. The miracle of redemption is that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of Himself, the Holy One. He does this by putting into me a new nature, the nature of Jesus Christ.
祂既來了
他既來了，就要叫世人為罪、為義、為審判、自己責備自己。 （約十六8）
很少人真懂得什麼叫做為罪責備自己，我們做錯事之後，只有煩惱；可是聖靈叫人為罪自責，把地上一切的關係刪除，只剩下一個關係，就是[我犯罪得罪了你，惟獨得罪了你]。人若這樣為罪自責，他的良心會告訴他，神不會赦免他。若神赦免他，他的公義感就比神更高了。但神實在赦免，這是要透過耶穌的死，使神心腸撕裂破碎，才做得到。神恩典的奇妙，在於他藉主耶穌的死赦罪，以致他赦罪，仍忠於自己的本性。若說神是愛，所以他赦免我們，這是很膚淺無稽的。我們若曾為罪自責，就絕不會這樣說了。神的愛等如加略山，一絲一毫不減。神的愛在十字架上完全表現出來，此外別無他處。神惟獨根據主的十字架而赦免我。在那兒，他的心才得以滿足。
赦免不單是我從地獄中被救出來，進入天堂（沒有人以這個看法接受赦免）；赦免的意思是，我得赦免進入一個新造的關係裡，進入與神在基督的合一里。救贖的奇蹟是神把我這不潔的人，改變成他的標準，是聖潔的；把新的個性－－耶穌基督的個性－－放進我裡面。
祈禱◆對於在世上為你結果子上，我是何等的無助，那麼的氣量狹小，而且毫不像你。求你赦免我，並且藉著住在耶穌裡面，願我多結果子，榮耀父神。
July 03, 2013
The Concentration of Personal Sin
Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips . . . —Isaiah 6:5
When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.
This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said: ’Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged’ ” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.
人罪惡的集中地
禍哉，我滅亡了。因為我是嘴唇不潔的人。 （賽六5）
我來到神面前，自覺是個罪人。那意識不會是模棱兩可的，我必然是意識到我生命的某一方面有罪。人可以很容易地說：[是的，我是個罪人。 ]但當他一旦來到神面前，就不能憑這句話輕輕逃過去。那知罪的意念會集中在——[我這個不是，那個不對。 ]人來到神面前總有這個表記。罪的意識不會模糊不清，一定是集中在個人的某一些事上。神起初總是藉聖靈指控我們心中的某一件事，我們若在這件事上承認自己有罪，他便把我們引進下面最大的罪根性區。我們若是在神面前，他總是這樣對付我們。
這個把罪惡集中的經歷，不論在最偉大的聖徒或最渺小的罪人身上，都毫無分別。在這經歷第一級階梯上的人會說：[我不知過錯何在，但神的靈必會指出我在哪一件事上犯了錯。 ]以賽亞看見聖潔的神，他就察覺自己是嘴唇不潔的人。 [將炭沾我的口說，看哪，這炭沾了你的嘴，你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了。 ]潔淨的火必要施於罪惡集中之處。
祈禱◆主啊，願你的純潔滲透我們的思想、身體和感情；讓我們完全認知和迅速彰顯你那活潑而使人充滿生氣的作為。願你那豐富的能力，進入我們的生活中。
When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.
This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said: ’Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged’ ” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.
人罪惡的集中地
禍哉，我滅亡了。因為我是嘴唇不潔的人。 （賽六5）
我來到神面前，自覺是個罪人。那意識不會是模棱兩可的，我必然是意識到我生命的某一方面有罪。人可以很容易地說：[是的，我是個罪人。 ]但當他一旦來到神面前，就不能憑這句話輕輕逃過去。那知罪的意念會集中在——[我這個不是，那個不對。 ]人來到神面前總有這個表記。罪的意識不會模糊不清，一定是集中在個人的某一些事上。神起初總是藉聖靈指控我們心中的某一件事，我們若在這件事上承認自己有罪，他便把我們引進下面最大的罪根性區。我們若是在神面前，他總是這樣對付我們。
這個把罪惡集中的經歷，不論在最偉大的聖徒或最渺小的罪人身上，都毫無分別。在這經歷第一級階梯上的人會說：[我不知過錯何在，但神的靈必會指出我在哪一件事上犯了錯。 ]以賽亞看見聖潔的神，他就察覺自己是嘴唇不潔的人。 [將炭沾我的口說，看哪，這炭沾了你的嘴，你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了。 ]潔淨的火必要施於罪惡集中之處。
祈禱◆主啊，願你的純潔滲透我們的思想、身體和感情；讓我們完全認知和迅速彰顯你那活潑而使人充滿生氣的作為。願你那豐富的能力，進入我們的生活中。
December 19, 2012
The Focus Of Our Message
I did not come to bring peace but a sword —Matthew 10:34
Never be sympathetic with a person whose situation causes you to conclude that God is dealing harshly with him. God can be more tender than we can conceive, and every once in a while He gives us the opportunity to deal firmly with someone so that He may be viewed as the tender One. If a person cannot go to God, it is because he has something secret which he does not intend to give up— he may admit his sin, but would no more give up that thing than he could fly under his own power. It is impossible to deal sympathetically with people like that. We must reach down deep in their lives to the root of the problem, which will cause hostility and resentment toward the message. People want the blessing of God, but they can’t stand something that pierces right through to the heart of the matter.
If you are sensitive to God’s way, your message as His servant will be merciless and insistent, cutting to the very root. Otherwise, there will be no healing. We must drive the message home so forcefully that a person cannot possibly hide, but must apply its truth. Deal with people where they are, until they begin to realize their true need. Then hold high the standard of Jesus for their lives. Their response may be, “We can never be that.” Then drive it home with, “Jesus Christ says you must.” “But how can we be?” “You can’t, unless you have a new Spirit” (see Luke 11:13).
There must be a sense of need created before your message is of any use. Thousands of people in this world profess to be happy without God. But if we could be truly happy and moral without Jesus, then why did He come? He came because that kind of happiness and peace is only superficial. Jesus Christ came to “bring . . . a sword” through every kind of peace that is not based on a personal relationship with Himself.
注意什麼？
我來，並不是叫地上太平，乃是叫地上動刀兵。 （太十34）
若有人的遭遇令你覺得神是冷酷無情的，不要對這人表示同情。神比想像中更柔和，他有時讓我們經歷艱難，是為我們的好處。人若不能通達主前，是由於他藏著不肯放下的東西－－[我承認有錯，但我不打算放棄它。 ]對這樣的人是不需要同情的：即使他們憎惡敵擋我們的信息，也要直斥其非。人都愛神的祝福，可是卻不肯接受那些命中要害的東西。
神若是使用你，作他的僕人，你的信息就該不通融遷就，直指問題根源，否則人就得不著醫治。把信息清楚傳明，使人無可諱避。先從人的本相著手，直到他們發現自己的缺欠，然後舉出主耶穌的榜樣：[我們永遠也不能像耶穌一樣！ ]你就立即說：[耶穌基督說你必須如此。 ][我們怎能如此？ ][你不能，除非你有了更新的聖靈。 ]（路十一13）
先要喚起人的需要，你的信息才派用場。世上千萬人沒有神，生活依然快活。我在耶穌未來以先，原是快活的，道德也不差，他來到底做什麼？原來那種快樂平安是建築在錯誤的水平上；耶穌基督來，就是要用刀劍刺透一切不是建基於與他個人關係的平安。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，今天我來到你的面前，願你的美善、恩典和充滿安慰的平安臨到我。願沒有任何風暴、不適或焦慮，觸動你在我生命中和在此處的平安。
Never be sympathetic with a person whose situation causes you to conclude that God is dealing harshly with him. God can be more tender than we can conceive, and every once in a while He gives us the opportunity to deal firmly with someone so that He may be viewed as the tender One. If a person cannot go to God, it is because he has something secret which he does not intend to give up— he may admit his sin, but would no more give up that thing than he could fly under his own power. It is impossible to deal sympathetically with people like that. We must reach down deep in their lives to the root of the problem, which will cause hostility and resentment toward the message. People want the blessing of God, but they can’t stand something that pierces right through to the heart of the matter.
If you are sensitive to God’s way, your message as His servant will be merciless and insistent, cutting to the very root. Otherwise, there will be no healing. We must drive the message home so forcefully that a person cannot possibly hide, but must apply its truth. Deal with people where they are, until they begin to realize their true need. Then hold high the standard of Jesus for their lives. Their response may be, “We can never be that.” Then drive it home with, “Jesus Christ says you must.” “But how can we be?” “You can’t, unless you have a new Spirit” (see Luke 11:13).
There must be a sense of need created before your message is of any use. Thousands of people in this world profess to be happy without God. But if we could be truly happy and moral without Jesus, then why did He come? He came because that kind of happiness and peace is only superficial. Jesus Christ came to “bring . . . a sword” through every kind of peace that is not based on a personal relationship with Himself.
注意什麼？
我來，並不是叫地上太平，乃是叫地上動刀兵。 （太十34）
若有人的遭遇令你覺得神是冷酷無情的，不要對這人表示同情。神比想像中更柔和，他有時讓我們經歷艱難，是為我們的好處。人若不能通達主前，是由於他藏著不肯放下的東西－－[我承認有錯，但我不打算放棄它。 ]對這樣的人是不需要同情的：即使他們憎惡敵擋我們的信息，也要直斥其非。人都愛神的祝福，可是卻不肯接受那些命中要害的東西。
神若是使用你，作他的僕人，你的信息就該不通融遷就，直指問題根源，否則人就得不著醫治。把信息清楚傳明，使人無可諱避。先從人的本相著手，直到他們發現自己的缺欠，然後舉出主耶穌的榜樣：[我們永遠也不能像耶穌一樣！ ]你就立即說：[耶穌基督說你必須如此。 ][我們怎能如此？ ][你不能，除非你有了更新的聖靈。 ]（路十一13）
先要喚起人的需要，你的信息才派用場。世上千萬人沒有神，生活依然快活。我在耶穌未來以先，原是快活的，道德也不差，他來到底做什麼？原來那種快樂平安是建築在錯誤的水平上；耶穌基督來，就是要用刀劍刺透一切不是建基於與他個人關係的平安。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，今天我來到你的面前，願你的美善、恩典和充滿安慰的平安臨到我。願沒有任何風暴、不適或焦慮，觸動你在我生命中和在此處的平安。
December 07, 2012
Repentance
Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation . . . —2 Corinthians 7:10
Conviction of sin is best described in the words:
My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall.
Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight . . .” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.
The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.
悔改
依著神的意思憂愁，就生出沒有後悔的懊悔來，以致得救。 （林後七10）
對罪的自責，哲學話說的最貼切：[我的罪，我的罪啊，落在你身上，我的救主，多悲痛！ ]認罪是一個人最罕有的打擊，那是認識神的門檻。耶穌基督說聖靈來，是叫人為罪自責；當聖靈喚醒人的良心，叫他面對神的時候，使他不安的，不是與人的關係，而是與神的關係－－[我向你犯罪，惟獨得罪了你，在你眼前行了這惡。 ]認罪、赦免和聖潔三者奇妙的交織著，只有蒙赦罪的人，才成為聖潔。他蒙赦免的證據，是因著神的恩典，以致前後判若兩人。悔改總叫人承認：[我犯了罪。 ]一個人肯這樣忠心表示，就是神作工的最大明證。若非這樣，那就只不過是因犯錯事而勝的懊悔，是鄙屑自己的一種反射作用罷了。
進入神的過度，是藉著悔改的苦痛，刺透人自以為是的高貴良善；然後聖靈來了，在人裡面開始創造神兒子的生命。新生命的表彰，是明明的悔改，與不知不覺的成聖，絕不會有相反表現的。基督信仰的基石是悔改。嚴格來說，人無法自己悔改，悔改是神的禮物。古代清教徒就常求[眼淚的恩賜]。所以什麼時候你不再覺得悔改的好處，就是在黑暗裡了。試省察自己，是否已忘記了怎樣知錯。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，藉著你的聖靈和恩典，我的內心產生和孕育了極大的渴望－－願我能適當地讚美你。
Conviction of sin is best described in the words:
My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall.
Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight . . .” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.
The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.
悔改
依著神的意思憂愁，就生出沒有後悔的懊悔來，以致得救。 （林後七10）
對罪的自責，哲學話說的最貼切：[我的罪，我的罪啊，落在你身上，我的救主，多悲痛！ ]認罪是一個人最罕有的打擊，那是認識神的門檻。耶穌基督說聖靈來，是叫人為罪自責；當聖靈喚醒人的良心，叫他面對神的時候，使他不安的，不是與人的關係，而是與神的關係－－[我向你犯罪，惟獨得罪了你，在你眼前行了這惡。 ]認罪、赦免和聖潔三者奇妙的交織著，只有蒙赦罪的人，才成為聖潔。他蒙赦免的證據，是因著神的恩典，以致前後判若兩人。悔改總叫人承認：[我犯了罪。 ]一個人肯這樣忠心表示，就是神作工的最大明證。若非這樣，那就只不過是因犯錯事而勝的懊悔，是鄙屑自己的一種反射作用罷了。
進入神的過度，是藉著悔改的苦痛，刺透人自以為是的高貴良善；然後聖靈來了，在人裡面開始創造神兒子的生命。新生命的表彰，是明明的悔改，與不知不覺的成聖，絕不會有相反表現的。基督信仰的基石是悔改。嚴格來說，人無法自己悔改，悔改是神的禮物。古代清教徒就常求[眼淚的恩賜]。所以什麼時候你不再覺得悔改的好處，就是在黑暗裡了。試省察自己，是否已忘記了怎樣知錯。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，藉著你的聖靈和恩典，我的內心產生和孕育了極大的渴望－－願我能適當地讚美你。
November 20, 2012
The Forgiveness of God
In Him we have . . . the forgiveness of sins . . . —Ephesians 1:7
Beware of the pleasant view of the fatherhood of God: God is so kind and loving that of course He will forgive us. That thought, based solely on emotion, cannot be found anywhere in the New Testament. The only basis on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the Cross of Christ. To base our forgiveness on any other ground is unconscious blasphemy. The only ground on which God can forgive our sin and reinstate us to His favor is through the Cross of Christ. There is no other way! Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony at Calvary. We should never take the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and our sanctification in simple faith, and then forget the enormous cost to God that made all of this ours.
Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost to God was the Cross of Christ. To forgive sin, while remaining a holy God, this price had to be paid. Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revealed truth of God is that without the atonement He cannot forgive— He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God through the atonement of the Cross. God’s forgiveness is possible only in the supernatural realm.
Compared with the miracle of the forgiveness of sin, the experience of sanctification is small. Sanctification is simply the wonderful expression or evidence of the forgiveness of sins in a human life. But the thing that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven his sin. Paul never got away from this. Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vise, constrained by the love of God.
神的赦免
我們藉這愛子的血……過犯得以赦免。 （弗一7）
別以為神既是父親－－他既是這樣慈愛，必會赦免我們。這種情感作用在新約是沒有的。神赦免我們，唯一的根源就是基督十字架上的大悲劇；若把赦免放在任何別的根據上，是無形的褻瀆。神赦免哦我們，唯一原因是叫我們重生與他相和好，是藉基督的十字架，此外別無他法。赦免是多麼容易接受的事，可是卻付上加略山的苦楚。我們接受赦罪，接受所賜的聖靈，憑單純的信心得以成聖，卻忘記了是神付出極大的代價為我們成就的。
赦免是神恩典的神聖奇蹟：他要付出基督的十字架，才能赦罪，而仍不失為聖潔的神。切勿接受一個把救贖刪去，只以神為父的觀點。神的啟示是他不能赦免；若赦免就違反他的本性。我們蒙赦的唯一途徑，是藉救贖歸回神。神的赦免惟有在超然的領域上，才不反其自然。
若拿赦罪的奇蹟來比較，成聖的經歷就顯得微不足道。成聖不過是人生命蒙赦罪之後奇妙的表現，在人心中挑起最深感激的，該是神赦免罪。保羅從未忘懷這一點。你一旦體會神為赦免你的罪所付出的，你就會被抓住，被神的愛深深激勵。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你透過主耶穌的恩典，向我顯明你至高的父性，我讚美你。噢，我因此可以成為天父的孩子了！
Beware of the pleasant view of the fatherhood of God: God is so kind and loving that of course He will forgive us. That thought, based solely on emotion, cannot be found anywhere in the New Testament. The only basis on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the Cross of Christ. To base our forgiveness on any other ground is unconscious blasphemy. The only ground on which God can forgive our sin and reinstate us to His favor is through the Cross of Christ. There is no other way! Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony at Calvary. We should never take the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and our sanctification in simple faith, and then forget the enormous cost to God that made all of this ours.
Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost to God was the Cross of Christ. To forgive sin, while remaining a holy God, this price had to be paid. Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revealed truth of God is that without the atonement He cannot forgive— He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God through the atonement of the Cross. God’s forgiveness is possible only in the supernatural realm.
Compared with the miracle of the forgiveness of sin, the experience of sanctification is small. Sanctification is simply the wonderful expression or evidence of the forgiveness of sins in a human life. But the thing that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven his sin. Paul never got away from this. Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vise, constrained by the love of God.
神的赦免
我們藉這愛子的血……過犯得以赦免。 （弗一7）
別以為神既是父親－－他既是這樣慈愛，必會赦免我們。這種情感作用在新約是沒有的。神赦免我們，唯一的根源就是基督十字架上的大悲劇；若把赦免放在任何別的根據上，是無形的褻瀆。神赦免哦我們，唯一原因是叫我們重生與他相和好，是藉基督的十字架，此外別無他法。赦免是多麼容易接受的事，可是卻付上加略山的苦楚。我們接受赦罪，接受所賜的聖靈，憑單純的信心得以成聖，卻忘記了是神付出極大的代價為我們成就的。
赦免是神恩典的神聖奇蹟：他要付出基督的十字架，才能赦罪，而仍不失為聖潔的神。切勿接受一個把救贖刪去，只以神為父的觀點。神的啟示是他不能赦免；若赦免就違反他的本性。我們蒙赦的唯一途徑，是藉救贖歸回神。神的赦免惟有在超然的領域上，才不反其自然。
若拿赦罪的奇蹟來比較，成聖的經歷就顯得微不足道。成聖不過是人生命蒙赦罪之後奇妙的表現，在人心中挑起最深感激的，該是神赦免罪。保羅從未忘懷這一點。你一旦體會神為赦免你的罪所付出的，你就會被抓住，被神的愛深深激勵。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，為著你透過主耶穌的恩典，向我顯明你至高的父性，我讚美你。噢，我因此可以成為天父的孩子了！
November 19, 2012
“When He Has Come”
When He has come, He will convict the world of sin . . . —John 16:8
Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin. We know the experience of being disturbed because we have done wrong things. But conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit blots out every relationship on earth and makes us aware of only one— “Against You, You only, have I sinned . . .” (Psalm 51:4). When a person is convicted of sin in this way, he knows with every bit of his conscience that God would not dare to forgive him. If God did forgive him, then this person would have a stronger sense of justice than God. God does forgive, but it cost the breaking of His heart with grief in the death of Christ to enable Him to do so. The great miracle of the grace of God is that He forgives sin, and it is the death of Jesus Christ alone that enables the divine nature to forgive and to remain true to itself in doing so. It is shallow nonsense to say that God forgives us because He is love. Once we have been convicted of sin, we will never say this again. The love of God means Calvary— nothing less! The love of God is spelled out on the Cross and nowhere else. The only basis for which God can forgive me is the Cross of Christ. It is there that His conscience is satisfied.
Forgiveness doesn’t merely mean that I am saved from hell and have been made ready for heaven (no one would accept forgiveness on that level). Forgiveness means that I am forgiven into a newly created relationship which identifies me with God in Christ. The miracle of redemption is that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of Himself, the Holy One. He does this by putting into me a new nature, the nature of Jesus Christ.
祂既來了
他既來了，就要叫世人為罪、為義、為審判、自己責備自己。 （約十六8）
很少人真懂得什麼叫做為罪責備自己，我們做錯事之後，只有煩惱；可是聖靈叫人為罪自責，把地上一切的關係刪除，只剩下一個關係，就是[我犯罪得罪了你，惟獨得罪了你]。人若這樣為罪自責，他的良心會告訴他，神不會赦免他。若神赦免他，他的公義感就比神更高了。但神實在赦免，這是要透過耶穌的死，使神心腸撕裂破碎，才做得到。神恩典的奇妙，在於他藉主耶穌的死赦罪，以致他赦罪，仍忠於自己的本性。若說神是愛，所以他赦免我們，這是很膚淺無稽的。我們若曾為罪自責，就絕不會這樣說了。神的愛等如加略山，一絲一毫不減。神的愛在十字架上完全表現出來，此外別無他處。神惟獨根據主的十字架而赦免我。在那兒，他的心才得以滿足。
赦免不單是我從地獄中被救出來，進入天堂（沒有人以這個看法接受赦免）；赦免的意思是，我得赦免進入一個新造的關係裡，進入與神在基督的合一里。救贖的奇蹟是神把我這不潔的人，改變成他的標準，是聖潔的；把新的個性－－耶穌基督的個性－－放進我裡面。
祈禱◆對於在世上為你結果子上，我是何等的無助，那麼的氣量狹小，而且毫不像你。求你赦免我，並且藉著住在耶穌裡面，願我多結果子，榮耀父神。
Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin. We know the experience of being disturbed because we have done wrong things. But conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit blots out every relationship on earth and makes us aware of only one— “Against You, You only, have I sinned . . .” (Psalm 51:4). When a person is convicted of sin in this way, he knows with every bit of his conscience that God would not dare to forgive him. If God did forgive him, then this person would have a stronger sense of justice than God. God does forgive, but it cost the breaking of His heart with grief in the death of Christ to enable Him to do so. The great miracle of the grace of God is that He forgives sin, and it is the death of Jesus Christ alone that enables the divine nature to forgive and to remain true to itself in doing so. It is shallow nonsense to say that God forgives us because He is love. Once we have been convicted of sin, we will never say this again. The love of God means Calvary— nothing less! The love of God is spelled out on the Cross and nowhere else. The only basis for which God can forgive me is the Cross of Christ. It is there that His conscience is satisfied.
Forgiveness doesn’t merely mean that I am saved from hell and have been made ready for heaven (no one would accept forgiveness on that level). Forgiveness means that I am forgiven into a newly created relationship which identifies me with God in Christ. The miracle of redemption is that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of Himself, the Holy One. He does this by putting into me a new nature, the nature of Jesus Christ.
祂既來了
他既來了，就要叫世人為罪、為義、為審判、自己責備自己。 （約十六8）
很少人真懂得什麼叫做為罪責備自己，我們做錯事之後，只有煩惱；可是聖靈叫人為罪自責，把地上一切的關係刪除，只剩下一個關係，就是[我犯罪得罪了你，惟獨得罪了你]。人若這樣為罪自責，他的良心會告訴他，神不會赦免他。若神赦免他，他的公義感就比神更高了。但神實在赦免，這是要透過耶穌的死，使神心腸撕裂破碎，才做得到。神恩典的奇妙，在於他藉主耶穌的死赦罪，以致他赦罪，仍忠於自己的本性。若說神是愛，所以他赦免我們，這是很膚淺無稽的。我們若曾為罪自責，就絕不會這樣說了。神的愛等如加略山，一絲一毫不減。神的愛在十字架上完全表現出來，此外別無他處。神惟獨根據主的十字架而赦免我。在那兒，他的心才得以滿足。
赦免不單是我從地獄中被救出來，進入天堂（沒有人以這個看法接受赦免）；赦免的意思是，我得赦免進入一個新造的關係裡，進入與神在基督的合一里。救贖的奇蹟是神把我這不潔的人，改變成他的標準，是聖潔的；把新的個性－－耶穌基督的個性－－放進我裡面。
祈禱◆對於在世上為你結果子上，我是何等的無助，那麼的氣量狹小，而且毫不像你。求你赦免我，並且藉著住在耶穌裡面，願我多結果子，榮耀父神。
July 03, 2012
The Concentration of Personal Sin
Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips . . . —Isaiah 6:5
When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.
This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said: ’Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged’ ” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.
人罪惡的集中地
禍哉，我滅亡了。因為我是嘴唇不潔的人。 （賽六5）
我來到神面前，自覺是個罪人。那意識不會是模棱兩可的，我必然是意識到我生命的某一方面有罪。人可以很容易地說：[是的，我是個罪人。 ]但當他一旦來到神面前，就不能憑這句話輕輕逃過去。那知罪的意念會集中在——[我這個不是，那個不對。 ]人來到神面前總有這個表記。罪的意識不會模糊不清，一定是集中在個人的某一些事上。神起初總是藉聖靈指控我們心中的某一件事，我們若在這件事上承認自己有罪，他便把我們引進下面最大的罪根性區。我們若是在神面前，他總是這樣對付我們。
這個把罪惡集中的經歷，不論在最偉大的聖徒或最渺小的罪人身上，都毫無分別。在這經歷第一級階梯上的人會說：[我不知過錯何在，但神的靈必會指出我在哪一件事上犯了錯。 ]以賽亞看見聖潔的神，他就察覺自己是嘴唇不潔的人。 [將炭沾我的口說，看哪，這炭沾了你的嘴，你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了。 ]潔淨的火必要施於罪惡集中之處。
祈禱◆主啊，願你的純潔滲透我們的思想、身體和感情；讓我們完全認知和迅速彰顯你那活潑而使人充滿生氣的作為。願你那豐富的能力，進入我們的生活中。
When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.
This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said: ’Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged’ ” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.
人罪惡的集中地
禍哉，我滅亡了。因為我是嘴唇不潔的人。 （賽六5）
我來到神面前，自覺是個罪人。那意識不會是模棱兩可的，我必然是意識到我生命的某一方面有罪。人可以很容易地說：[是的，我是個罪人。 ]但當他一旦來到神面前，就不能憑這句話輕輕逃過去。那知罪的意念會集中在——[我這個不是，那個不對。 ]人來到神面前總有這個表記。罪的意識不會模糊不清，一定是集中在個人的某一些事上。神起初總是藉聖靈指控我們心中的某一件事，我們若在這件事上承認自己有罪，他便把我們引進下面最大的罪根性區。我們若是在神面前，他總是這樣對付我們。
這個把罪惡集中的經歷，不論在最偉大的聖徒或最渺小的罪人身上，都毫無分別。在這經歷第一級階梯上的人會說：[我不知過錯何在，但神的靈必會指出我在哪一件事上犯了錯。 ]以賽亞看見聖潔的神，他就察覺自己是嘴唇不潔的人。 [將炭沾我的口說，看哪，這炭沾了你的嘴，你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了。 ]潔淨的火必要施於罪惡集中之處。
祈禱◆主啊，願你的純潔滲透我們的思想、身體和感情；讓我們完全認知和迅速彰顯你那活潑而使人充滿生氣的作為。願你那豐富的能力，進入我們的生活中。
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