747 英翻中 (447) Faith is only for sacrifice to Jesus Christ.信心是只对耶稣基督的委身. 4/28/2024

747 英翻中 (447) Faith is only for sacrifice to Jesus Christ.信心是只对耶稣基督的委身.   4/28/2024

2.  They Believed in Jesus Christ (1:4)                                                                                                    2.  他们相信耶稣基督（1：4）                

It is possible to hear and not believe, even though the Word of God has the power to generate faith in those who hear (Rom. 10:17). Millions of people have heard the good news of salvation and yet not believed. But those who believe in Jesus Christ receive from God the gift of eternal life (John 3:14–18).                                                                                                                                    尽管上帝的话语有权力，对那些听见的人生發信心（罗10:17），也有可能听到後並不相信的。成千上万的人听到救恩的好消息，還是有不信的。但是那些相信耶稣基督的人，從上帝那裡得到永生的禮物（约3：14-18）。 

We are not saved by faith in faith. There is a cult of “believism” today that promotes faith but has little to do with Jesus Christ. Even some popular songs carry the message of “faith in faith.” The modern attitude is “If you believe, you are safe.” But the obvious question is, “Believe in what?” Their answer: “Just believe!”                                                                                                                 我们不是因信仰而得救。今天有一种異端的所謂 “信仰主義”，只促进信仰，但与耶稣基督无关。 即使是流行的歌曲也带有  “信仰信心”  的信息，现代人的心态是  “如果你相信，你就安全。”  但问题很顯明是   “你相信什么？”  他们的答案：“只是相信！”

Nor are we saved by faith in a set of doctrines. I have often told the story about the famous evangelist George Whitefield, who was witnessing to a man.                                                                也不是藉著信一套教义，我們因而得救。我经常以著名的福音传教士乔治 · 怀特（George Whitefield）的故事讲述給人聽，他對人作見證。 

“What do you believe?” Whitefield asked. The man replied, “I believe what my church believes.”                                                                                                                                                     乔治 · 怀特問，“你相信什么？”这人回答说，“我相信我的教会相信的。” 

“And what does your church believe?” asked the evangelist.                                                             传道人繼續问，“你的教会相信什么？”

“What I believe,” replied the man.                                                                                                         這人回答，“是我相信的。”

Undaunted, Whitefield tried again and asked, “And what do you both believe?”                             乔治 · 怀特不畏懼再次尝试的來问，“你们都相信什么？”

 “Why, we both believe the same thing!” was the man’s evasive reply.                                              这人規避的回答，“說什么，我们都相信同样的事情！”

Saving faith involves the mind, the emotions, and the will. With the mind we understand the truth of the gospel, and with the heart we feel conviction and the need to be saved. But it is only when we exercise the will and commit ourselves to Christ that the process is complete. Faith is not mental assent to a body of doctrines, no matter how true those doctrines may be.  Faith is not emotional concern. Faith is commitment to Jesus Christ.                                                                     得救的信心涉及心志，情绪，和意志。我们以心志來理解福音的真理，以內心來感受得救要認罪及需要。但是，只有当我们以意志來認定，並委身基督過程才完成。信心不是屬靈上同意任一套教义，也不管它們是否真实。 信心不是對情绪上的关心。信心是只对耶稣基督的委身。

When missionary John G. Paton was translating the Bible in the Outer Hebrides, he searched for the exact word to translate believe. Finally, he discovered it: the word meant “lean your whole weight upon.” That is what saving faith is—leaning your whole weight upon Jesus Christ.           当宣教士约翰 · 巴顿（John G. Paton）在  “外 . 赫布來(Outer Hebrides)”地方翻译圣经时，他搜索确切的词来翻译相信(believe)。最后，他发现了这词的意思是 “把你整個人的重量都依靠在它上面”。 这就是得救信心的確認 — 把你整体依靠在耶稣基督身上。

Saving faith is grounded in the gospel (Col. 1:23).   It is the Word of God that gives us assurance. As we grow in the Lord, our faith becomes steadfast (Col. 2:5) and established (Col. 2:7).            得救的信心是以聖經为基础的（西   1:23）。上帝的話是我们信靠的確據。当在主里长大时，我们的信心变得坚固（西   5：5），并在主裡生根建造（西   2:7）。

The false teachers who had come to Colosse tried to undermine the saints’ faith in Christ and the Word. This same kind of undermining goes on today. Any religious teaching that dethrones Jesus Christ, or that makes salvation other than an experience of God’s grace through faith, is either confused or anti-Christian and born of Satan.                                                                                     當假教师来到歌羅西，试图逐漸破坏圣徒对基督和圣言的信心。今天仍有同样的逐漸破坏存在。任何企圖消灭耶稣基督的國度的宗教教学，或企圖不以上帝恩典的经验獲拯救的宗教教学，都是混淆或敵基督，并由撒但產生的邪惡思想。

One final thought: the experience of the believers in Colosse was so wonderful that people talked about it! Paul heard about it from Epaphras; the false teachers heard about it and decided to visit the Colossian assembly to see the remarkable change for themselves.                                           最后的思想：當人谈论歌羅西信徒的信主经验，真是奇妙！   保罗从以巴弗那里听到這事;  當假教师听到这事，他們决定拜访歌羅西教会，看看他們自己的顯著的变化。

You cannot keep silent once you have experienced salvation in Jesus Christ. Is your Christian life the kind that encourages others and makes it easy for them to witness? Is your church fellowship so exciting that even the unsaved are taking notice?                                                                            一旦你在耶稣基督里经历了祂的救恩，就不能不傳揚開來，或閉口不言。你的基督徒新生命是否鼓励他人，让他们容易作见证？  你的教会团是契如此令人兴奋，即使没有得救的人也經歷到？

3.  They Were Discipled (1:7)                                                                                                                    3.  他们是門徒訓練者（1：7) 

Epaphras did not simply lead the Colossians to Christ and then abandon them. He taught them the Word and sought to establish their faith. The word translated “teamed” in Colossians 1:7 is related to the word disciple in the Greek language. It is the same word Jesus used: “Learn of me” (Matt. 11:29) or, in effect, “Become My disciple.”                                                                                以巴弗不是只把歌罗西人带到基督身前面，而後放弃他们。他作門徒訓練，教他们上帝的话，寻求建立他们的信心。在歌罗西书1章7節中，翻译的  “從以巴弗及保羅所學的” 词句，与希腊语中的 “门徒訓練”的词句有关。耶稣使用同樣的词句：“学我的樣式”（太   11:29）或，实际上是  “成为我的门徒”。

These new believers were in danger of turning from the truth and following the false teachers. Paul reminded them that it was Epaphras who led them to Christ, discipled them, and taught them the Word. The word before (Col. 1:5) probably means “before these false teachers appeared on the scene.” Like the Colossians, we should beware of any religious leader who does not seek to win lost souls, but who devotes himself to “stealing sheep” from the flocks of others.    这些新信徒處於從真正的真理而去跟随假教师的危险。保罗提醒他们，是以巴弗将他们带到基督前面，使他们接受門徒訓練，并教導他们上帝的話。以前的话 (西   1:5）可能意味着  “在这些虚假的教师出现之前”。应该像歌罗西人一样，我们要注意任何不以寻求失喪灵魂為宗旨的宗教领袖，却只投身于自其他人的羊群中，以  “偷羊” 為目的假教師。

We should never forget that new Christians must be discipled. Just as the newborn baby needs loving care and protection till he can care for himself, so the new Christian needs discipling. The Great Commission does not stop with the salvation of the lost, for in that commission Jesus commanded us to teach converts the Word as well (Matt. 28:19–20). That is what the fellowship of the local church is all about. The New Testament does not teach the kind of “individual Christianity” that is so prevalent today—people who ignore the local  church and who find all their spiritual food in books, radio, TV, or recordings.                                                                       我们永遠不应该忘记新的基督徒必须受門徒訓練。正如新生婴儿需要爱的照护和保护一樣，直到他能照顾自己，所以新的基督徒需要操練。大使命并没有停止在失喪者的得救，因为在耶稣基督所頒發的大使命中，祂吩咐我们要教导悔改者有關上帝的话（太   28：19-20）。那就是当地教会的团契所以建立的原因。新约没有記載教导今天流行的   — 我们忽视当地的教会對他們門徒訓練的需要，却以书籍，广播，电视或录音中，去供給他们的屬靈糧食。

Epaphras was a faithful minister. He not only won people to Christ, but he taught them the Word and helped them to grow. He also prayed for them (Col. 4:12–13) that they might become mature in Jesus Christ. When danger threatened the members of the church, Epaphras went to Rome to get counsel from Paul. He loved his people and wanted to protect them from false doctrines that would destroy the fellowship and hinder their spiritual development.                                             以巴弗是虔誠的牧師。他不仅為基督赢得人，而且還教导他们聖言，帮助他们成长。他也为他们祷告（西    4：12-13），使他们在耶稣基督里成熟。当危险威胁教会教友时，以巴弗去到罗马，尋求保罗的幫助。以巴弗爱他的同胞，并希望保护他们免受虚假的教义來破坏团契和阻碍他们的屬靈的成長。

The word disciple is found more than 260 times in the Gospels and Acts, and the verb translated, “to learn as a disciple” is found twenty-five times in the New Testament. In that day, a disciple was not simply a person who sat and listened to a teacher. He was someone who lived with the teacher and who learned by listening, looking, and living. Discipleship involved more than enrolling in a school and attending lectures. It meant total surrender to the teacher. It meant learning by living. Perhaps our modern-day medical students or trade apprentices come close to illustrating the meaning of discipleship.                                                                                                在四福音书和使徒行传中，使用  “门徒” 一詞超过260次，在新约中作动词用，記載為 “学徒” 有25次。在那個時代，门徒不仅仅是坐在老师身边只听。他還是与老师住在一起的人，他通过倾听，寻求和接受生活的教学。门徒訓練不仅仅是入学校研讀，还要参加了讲習。这意味着全人降服老师，從生活中向祂学习。我们现代医学生或贸易学徒也许很接近  “门徒”  的學習方式.

But we who disciple other believers must be careful not to get in the way. We are not to make disciples for ourselves, but for Jesus Christ. We must relate people to Him so that they love and obey Him. Epaphras faithfully taught his people and related them to Jesus Christ, but the false teachers came in and tried to “draw away disciples.” (For Paul’s warning about this problem, see Acts 20:28–30.) Human nature has the tendency to want to follow men instead of God—to want “something new” instead of the basic foundational truths of the gospel.                                           但是，作他人的信徒的门徒訓練，一定要警覺，不要妨碍門徒訓練的真義。我们不是为自己造就门徒，而是为耶稣基督造就门徒。我们必须将信徒与主联系，使他们爱主和順服祂。 以巴弗忠实地教导他的同胞，并将他们与耶稣基督联系在一起，但是虚假的教师进来，并试图  “偷竊门徒”（保罗对这个问题的警告，见    徒  20：28-30）。人性倾向於跟随人，而不要跟隨上帝，想要  “新的东西”，而不是聖經福音的基本真理。

Now we come to the results of  Epaphras’s efforts.                                                                               现在我们来看看以巴弗在歌羅西的成就。

4.  They Became Faithful in Christ (1:6, 8)                                                                                          4.  他们變成在基督里有信心（1：6，8）

The Word of God is seed (Luke 8:11). This means the Word has life in it (Heb. 4:12). When it is planted in the heart, it can produce fruit. “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing” (Col. 1:6 niv).                                                                                                                           上帝的道是种子（路     8:11）。这是說圣经里有生命（来    4:12）。当它种植在人心中时，它可以成長為樹，且結果子。 “这福音在世界各地，結果子和成长”（西   1：6   新國際版）。

Near King’s Cross station in London, England, there is a cemetery containing a unique grave, that of the agnostic Lady Ann Grimston. She is buried in a marble tomb, marked by a marble slab. Before she died, she said sarcastically to a friend, “I shall live again as surely as a tree will grow from my body.”                                                                                                                               在英国伦敦的国王十字车站附近，有座公墓，内有一座独特的坟墓，是不可知论的安 . 格倫敦夫人( Lady Ann Grimston)之墓。她被埋在大理石墳墓中，以大理石板为特征。在她去世之前，向她朋友讽刺地说，“我会再度活著，有棵树会从我身体中肯定成长出来。”

An unbeliever, Lady Ann Grimston did not believe that there was life after death. However, a tree did grow from her grave! A tiny seed took root, and as it grew, it cracked the marble and even tore the metal railing out of the ground! There is life and power in a seed, and there is life and power in the Word of God.                                                                                                                像 安·格倫顿沒有信仰的人，她不相信死后有生命。然而，一棵树从她的坟墓长大了！一顆小小的种子向下扎根，随着它的成长，它擠壓碎了大理石，甚至把金属栏杆撕拉離开了地面！在种子中有生命和能力，在上帝的道中，有生命和能力。

When God’s Word is planted and cultivated, it produces fruit. Faith, hope, and love are among the firstfruits in the spiritual harvest. These spiritual graces are among the evidences that a person has truly been born again (see Rom. 5:1–4; Eph. 1:13–15; 1 Thess. 1:3; Heb. 6:9–12; 1 Peter 1:3–9).                                                                                                                                             当上帝的话种植，培植时，会成長，結果子。信心，盼望和爱心是屬靈收获中的初熟之果子。屬靈恩典是人真正重生後的证据（见  罗   5：1-4; 弗   1：13-15; 提前   1：3; 来   6：9-12;     彼前 1：3-9）。

Faith comes through the hearing of God’s Word (Rom. 10:17). Our Christian lives start with saving faith; but this is only the beginning. We learn to walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7) and work by faith (1 Thess. 1:3). It is faith that gives power to prayer (Luke 17:5–6). Faith is a shield that protects us from Satan’s fiery darts (Eph. 6:16).                                                                                  信心是經由听道而產生（罗10:17）。 基督徒生活是从得救的信心开始，但这只是开始。我们学会靠信心行事為人（林前5：7），靠信心行事（帖前1：3）。信心是祷告能力的來源（路17：5-6）。信心是抵擋免受撒旦火箭飞镖的攻擊擋箭牌（弗6:16）。

Love is another evidence of true salvation, for the unsaved person is wrapped up mainly in himself (Eph. 2:1–3). The fact that these people loved all the saints was proof that God had changed them and given them eternal life. Christian love is not a shallow feeling that we manufacture; it is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts (Rom. 5:5; Col. 1:8). It is worth noting that Colossians 1:8 is the only verse in the letter that mentions the Holy Spirit, and it is in connection with love.                                                                                                                               爱心是真正救恩的另一个证据，因为在未得救的人自己身上是不能顯示（弗   2：1-3）。他們爱圣徒的事实，是证明上帝改变了他们，並賜永生。基督徒的爱心，不是可以制造出來的，人浅薄感觉;  它是內住在我们心中圣灵的作為（罗  5：5;  西  1:8）。值得注意的是歌罗西书1章8節，是保羅在他的信中提到圣灵唯一的一節经文，它与爱心有关。

This Spirit-given love was for “all the saints” (Col. 1:4) and not only for the people of their own fellowship. As Christians, we also need to realize the vastness of God’s love and share it with all the saints (Eph. 3:17–19). Believers should be “knit together in love” (Col. 2:2) so that there will be a true spiritual unity to the glory of God. The bond that unites us is love (Col. 3:14). Uniformity is the result of compulsion from the outside; unity is the result of compassion on the inside.                                                                                                                                                        圣灵賜予的爱，是为  “所有的圣徒” 的（西   1:4），不仅是为了团契的契友自己的人。像基督徒也需要意识到，上帝的爱是博愛，要与所有的圣徒分享（弗   3：17-19）。信徒是以  “爱互相聯絡”（西   2：2），以便与上帝的荣耀有真正的屬靈合一。是爱來结合我们（西   3:14）。 “一致”是外界壓力促成的结果;   “合一”是信徒内心互相熱愛的结果。                                     

(待續)