758 英翻中 (458) Paul was “filling up in his turn the leftover parts of Christ’s sufferings, preaching completed gospel. 保羅用自身痛苦填補基督受苦患難,使福音得傳講全備. 09/05/2024

758 英翻中 (458)     Paul was “filling up in his turn the leftover parts of Christ’s  sufferings,                               preaching completed gospel.  保羅用自身痛苦填補基督受苦患難,使福音得傳講全備.       09/05/2024

親愛的主內訪友,  編輯者懇請您們打開聖經對照研讀, 只有 6 節, 句句扎心, 好嗎?  作者魏士比的文章實在是簡潔有力, 沒有太深奧的哲理, 却明白寫出讀者心裡所想知道聖經的奧祕.  編輯者在約翰福音查經時, 同仁推薦兩本解經書 : Be Alive 約翰福音上1- 12章, Be Transformed約翰福音下13-21章. 讀後獲益非淺. 特此敬告親愛的主內訪友.

2.  Suffering for the Gentiles (1:24–27)                                                                                                      2.  為外邦人受苦（1：24–27） 

Paul’s enemies made much of the fact that the great apostle was a prisoner of Rome. The false teachers in Colosse probably ridiculed Paul and used this as a weapon to fight the truth of the gospel. But Paul turned this weapon around and used it to defeat his enemies and to build a closer relationship with the church in Colosse.                                                                                                保羅的敵人使用他是羅馬囚犯的事實，使人懷疑他是偉大的使徒的確認。歌羅西的假教師，可能嘲笑保羅，並將這事實作為對抗福音真理的武器。但是，保羅却把這事實作為反擊的武器，擊敗了他的敵人，並與歌羅西的教堂建立更緊密的關係。 

Paul’s rejoicing (v. 24). “Instead of being ashamed of my suffering, I am rejoicing in it!” How could anyone rejoice in suffering? To begin with, Paul was suffering because of Jesus Christ. It was “the fellowship of his sufferings” (Phil. 3:10). Like the early apostles, Paul rejoiced that he was “counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). A Christian should never suffer “as a thief or as an evildoer,” but it is an honor to “suffer as a Christian” (1 Peter 4:15–16).         保羅的喜樂（第24節）。 “將我痛苦的羞辱變為喜樂！”  怎麼會有人在痛苦中還能喜樂呢？首先，保羅是 因耶穌基督的緣故受苦。這是 “他受苦的團契”（腓  3:10）。 像早期的使徒一樣，保羅非常喜樂， “因他能為耶穌的名受苦，這是值得的”（徒  5:41）。基督徒應該永遠不要因  “偷竊或作惡” 而受苦，但  “若因為作基督徒而受苦”  這是榮耀（彼前  4：15-16）。

There is a special blessing and reward reserved for the faithful believer who suffers for the sake of Christ (Matt. 5:10–12).                                                                                                                       為基督而受苦的忠實信徒，有特殊的祝福和獎勵為他們存留（太  5：10-12）。

Paul had a second cause for rejoicing in his suffering: he was suffering because of the Gentiles. Paul was the chosen apostle to the Gentiles (Eph. 3:1–13). In fact, he was a prisoner in Rome because of his love for the Gentiles. He was arrested in Jerusalem on false charges, and the Jews listened to his defense until he used the word Gentiles (see Acts 22:21ff.). It was that word that infuriated them and drove them to ask for his execution. (The full account is given in Acts 21–28, and an exciting account it is.)                                                                                                                 保羅在苦難中有第二種使他喜樂的事： 他為外邦人受苦。保羅是上帝特別選為外邦人職事的使徒（弗  3：1-13）。在事實上，由於他對外邦人的熱愛，他被囚於羅馬。他因虛假的指控在耶路撒冷被捕，猶太人聽了他的辯護，直到他使用 "外邦人" 這詞句（見  徒  22：21 比照研讀）。那是激怒猶太人的造句，激怒他们要求处死他。 （徒   21-28 等章，是描寫這事件的完整叙述，令人兴奋的事件。）

So the Gentile believers in Colosse had every reason to love Paul and be thankful for his special ministry to them. But there was a third cause for Paul’s rejoicing: he was suffering for the sake of Christ’s body, the church. There was a time when Paul had persecuted the church and caused it to suffer. But now Paul devoted his life to the care of the church. Paul did not ask, as do some believers, “What will I get out of it?” Instead he asked, “How much will God let me put into it?” The fact that Paul was a prisoner did not stop him from ministering to the church.                       因此，歌羅西的外邦信徒有充分的理由愛保羅，並感謝他對他們的特殊職事。但是，保羅的第三種喜樂是他為基督的身體教會的緣故受苦。保羅曾經多次迫害教會，使教會受苦。但現在保羅畢生致力於教會的照顧。保羅不像別的信徒那樣問，“我將從中學到什麼？” 相反，他問，“上帝會讓我放入多少事奉進去？”  保羅是囚犯這一事實，並沒阻止他服侍教會。

It is important to note, however, that these sufferings had nothing to do with the sacrificial sufferings of Christ on the cross. Only the sinless Lamb of God could die for the sins of the world (John 1:29). Paul was “filling up in his turn the leftover parts of Christ’s sufferings” (Col. 1:24, literal translation). The word afflictions refers to the “pressures” of life, the persecutions Paul endured. This word is never used in the New Testament for the sacrificial sufferings of Jesus Christ.                                                                                                                                                       然而，重要的是這些苦難，與基督在十字架上的犧牲痛苦無關。只有上帝的無罪羔羊可能會為世人的罪而死（約  1：29）。保羅是  “用他的肉身填補基督受苦患難的欠缺”（西  1:24，直譯）。苦難是指生活的  “壓力”，保羅忍受了這迫害。在新約中從未將它使用過在耶穌基督犧牲的苦難上。

The sacrificial sufferings of Christ are over, but His body, the church, experiences suffering because of its stand for the faith. The Head of the church in heaven feels the sufferings that His people endure. (“Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” [Acts 9:4]) Paul was taking his turn in sharing these afflictions, and others would follow in his train. But Paul did not complain. “For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds by Christ” (2 Cor. 1:5).     基督犧牲的苦難過去，但祂的身體，教會，因為堅立的信心，經驗此痛苦。在天堂裡教會的，感受祂子民受苦難。（“掃羅，掃羅，為什麼逼迫我？” 徒 9：4） 該輪流到保羅，也來分享這些苦難，而其他人會跟隨他一起受苦。但是保羅沒有抱怨。 “我們既多受基督的苦楚， 就靠基督多得安慰”（林後  1：5）。