789 英翻中 (489) Jesus Christ is the head of the church. 耶穌基督是教會的頭. 05/07/2024

 789 英翻中 (489)    Jesus Christ is the head of the church.   耶穌基督是教會的頭.        5/7/2024                     

2. The Assembly (1:1b–2)                                                                                                                            2. 教會（弗   1章1節下半段和第2節）

Are you surprised to find Paul addressing his letter to saints? After all, saints are dead people who have achieved such spiritual eminence that they have been given that special title,  saints.    Or are they?                                                                                                                                              當你發現保羅這封信是寫給眾聖徒的，會驚訝嗎？畢竟，聖徒是死了的人，他們獲得如此屬靈的成就，因而得到如此特殊的尊稱 — 聖徒。他們配嗎？

No word in the New Testament has suffered more than this word saint. Even the dictionary defines a saint as a “person officially recognized for holiness of life.” Who makes this official recognition? Usually some religious body, and the process by which a person becomes a saint is technically known as canonization. The deceased person’s life is examined carefully to see whether he qualifies for sainthood. If the candidate’s character and conduct are found to be above reproach, if he has been responsible for working at least two miracles, then he is qualified to be made a saint.                                                                                                                                    在新約聖經中沒有比聖徒這個詞更帶有更多受苦的意味。就連字典也將聖人定義為  “官方認可在生活上聖潔的人”。 誰做出這個官方認可？ 通常是一些宗教機構，在技術上被封稱為聖徒是信徒成為聖徒的過程。死者的生活會被仔細查驗，看他是否有資格成為聖徒。如果發現候選人的品格和行為無可非議，如果他負責創造了至少兩個奇蹟，那麼他就有資格成為聖徒。

As interesting as this procedure is, we do not find it authorized in the Bible. Nine times in this brief letter, Paul addressed his readers as saints (Eph. 1:1, 15, 18; 2:19; 3:8, 18; 4:12; 5:3; 6:18). These saints were alive, not dead, though once they had been “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1–3). And it is clear that they had never performed any miracles, though they had experienced a miracle by trusting Christ as Savior (Eph. 2:4–10). The word saint is simply one of the many terms used in the New Testament to describe “one who has trusted Jesus Christ as Savior.” The person is “alive,” not only physically, but also spiritually (Eph. 2:1). You will find Christians called disciples (Acts 9:1, 10, 19, 25–26, 36, 38), people of the Way (Acts 9:2), and saints (Acts 9:13, 32, 41).                                                                                                                                              儘管這個程序很有趣，但我們發現它在聖經中沒有授權。在這封簡短的信中，保羅九次將他的讀者稱為聖徒（弗 1:1、15、18；2:19；3:8、18；4:12；5:3；6:18）。這些聖徒還活著，沒有死，儘管他們曾經  “死在過犯罪惡之中”（弗  2:1-3）。很明顯，他們從未行過任何神蹟，儘管他們因相信基督為救主而經歷了神蹟（弗  2:4-10）。聖徒這詞只是新約聖經中用來描述  “相信耶穌基督為救主的人”  的眾多術語之一。人是  “仍活著的”，不僅是身體上的，也是屬靈上的（弗   2:1）。你會發現基督徒被稱為門徒（徒  9:1, 10, 19, 25-26, 36, 38）、信奉這道的人（徒   9:2），和聖徒（徒   9:13、32、41）。

The word saint means “one who has been set apart.” It is related to the word sanctified, which means “set apart.” When the sinner trusts Christ as his Savior, he is taken out of “the world” and placed “in Christ.” The believer is in the world physically, but not of the world spiritually (John 17:14–16). Like a scuba diver, he exists in an alien environment because he possesses special equipment—in this case, the indwelling Holy Spirit of God. Every true believer possesses the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19–20), and it is through the Spirit’s power that the Christian is able to function in the world.                                                                                                                     聖徒是  “分別為聖的人”。 聖徒與成聖有關，意思是 “分別出來”。當罪人相信基督是他的救主時，他就從  “世界” 分別出來，安置在  “基督裡”。信徒在世界上是屬肉體，但在屬靈上不屬於世界（約   17：14-16）。 就像潛水員一樣，他存在於一個陌生的環​​境中，因為他擁有特殊的裝備 — 在這種情況下，是上帝的聖靈內住在他的體內。每個真正的信徒都擁有聖靈（羅  8:9；林前   6:19-20），而基督徒正是藉著聖靈的大能，使他在世上能發揮作用。

Now for the important question: How did these people at Ephesus become saints? The answer is found in two words: “faithful” and “grace” (Eph. 1:1–2). When Paul addressed his letter to the “saints … and faithful in Christ Jesus” he was not addressing two different groups of people. The word faithful carries the meaning of “believers in Christ Jesus.” These people were not saved by living faithful lives; rather they put their faith in Christ and were saved. This is clear from Ephesians 1:12–14, 19.                                                                                                                            現在看看這重要的問題：以弗所的這些人是如何成為聖徒的？  答案是兩個詞：“信實” 和“恩典”（弗   1:1-2）。當保羅寫信給  “在基督耶穌裡有忠心的聖徒……” 時，他不是針對兩個不同的群體。 “忠心” 的意思是  “在指在基督耶穌裡的信徒”。這些人並沒有因過忠心的生活而得救；相反，他們以相信基督而得救的。這在以弗所書 1章12至14和19等節中記載得很清楚。

The word grace is used twelve times in Ephesians, and refers to “the kindness of God toward undeserving people.” Grace and mercy often are found together in the Bible, and they certainly belong together in the experience of salvation. Grace and faith go together, because the only way to experience grace and salvation is through faith (Eph. 2:8–9).                                                        以弗所書使用  “恩典” 這詞達十二次之多，意思是 “上帝對不配得的罪人, 而賜予祂的恩慈”。恩典和憐憫常常在聖經中一起出現，它們在救恩的經歷中當然是一起的。恩典和信心是相輔相成的，因為經歷恩典和救恩的唯一途徑是藉著信心（弗   2:8-9）。

That latter phrase “in Christ Jesus” is used twenty-seven times in this letter! It describes the spiritual position of the believer: He is identified with Christ he is in Christ, and therefore is able to draw on the wealth of Christ for his own daily living.                                                                   “在基督耶穌裡” 這末尾的短語，在這封信中使用了二十七次！它描述了信徒屬靈的地位：他與基督認同，他在基督裡，因此能夠在日常生活中汲取基督豐盛的恩典。