795 英翻中 (495) We live to please and glorify God. 我们活着是为了取悦和荣耀上帝. 11/07/2024

795 英翻中 (495) We live to please and glorify God. 我们活着是为了取悦和荣耀上帝.   11/7/2024       

2.  That we might know God’s calling (1:18a). The word called is an important word in the Christian’s vocabulary. The word church is a combination of two Greek words that mean “called out.” Paul never tired of testifying that God called him “by His grace” (Gal. 1:15), and he reminded Timothy that the believer has a “holy calling” (2 Tim. 1:9). We have been “called out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9), and have even been “called to glory” (1 Peter 5:10). God calls us by His grace and not because of any merit that we may possess.                          2. 使我们知道上帝的呼召（1:18 節上） 呼召在基督徒的词汇中是重要的單词。 教会是两个希腊词的组合，意思是 “呼召” 。 保罗喜愛见证上帝 “出於祂的恩典” 呼召他（加 1:15），他提醒提摩太，信徒有 “神圣的呼召”（提后  1:9）。我们 “呼召出黑暗进入祂奇妙的光明”（彼前  2:9），甚至 “呼召得荣耀”（彼前  5:10）。上帝以祂的恩典呼召我们，而不是因为我们拥有什麼善行。

Paul wanted us to understand the hope that is ours because of this calling (Eph. 4:4). Some callings offer no hope, but the calling we have in Christ assures us of a delightful future. Keep in mind that the word hope in the Bible does not mean “hope so,” like a child hoping for a doll or a bike at Christmas. The word carries with it “assurance for the future.” The believer’s hope is, of course, the return of Jesus Christ for His church (1 Thess. 4:13–18; 1 John 3:1–3). When we were lost, we were “without hope” (Eph. 2:12), but in Jesus Christ, we have a “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3) that encourages us day by day.                                                                                                        保罗希望我们明白，因这呼召而有的盼望（弗  4:4）。有些呼召没有任何盼望，但我们在基督里的呼召，使我们确信有愉快的未来。请记住，圣经中的 “盼望” ，并不意味着 “希望如此”，就像孩子在圣诞节希望得到洋娃娃或自行车一样。它带有 “对未来的保证” 的意思。当然，信徒的盼望是耶稣基督为祂的教会再来（帖前  4:13-18；约壹  3:1-3）。当我们失丧时，我们  “没有盼望”（弗  2:12），但在耶稣基督里，我们有  “活泼的盼望”（彼前  1:3），每天這盼望都在激励我们。

Dr. Kenneth Chafin, a well-known Baptist author, tells about the pastor and deacon who were visiting prospective members and drove up to a beautiful suburban home surrounded by a velvet lawn and gorgeous landscaping. Two expensive cars stood in the driveway, and through the picture window, the men saw their prospect, lounging in an easy chair and watching TV. The deacon turned to his pastor and said, “What kind of good news do we have for him?”                    著名浸信会作家肯尼 · 查芬 (Kenneth Chafin) 博士讲述，有關牧师和执事正在探访准備成教會的會员，他們開车前往郊外住宅區，有天鹅绒草坪和美丽景观环绕的美丽住家的故事。两辆昂贵的汽车停在车道上，透过落地窗，人们看到了他们的前景，他们躺在安乐椅上看电视。执事转向他的牧师说，“我们能向他們傳講什么好消息？”

How prone we are to confuse prices and values. Ephesus was a wealthy city. It boasted the temple of Diana, one of the wonders of the ancient world. Today, Ephesus is an archeologist’s paradise, but all of its wealth and splendor are gone. But the Christians who once lived there are today in heaven, enjoying the glory of God!                                                                                                          我们多么容易混淆价格和真价值。以弗所是富裕的城市。它以戴安娜神庙而自豪，这是古代世界的奇迹之一。今天，以弗所是考古学家的天堂，但它所有的财富和辉煌都消失了。但曾经住在那里的基督徒，今天在天堂享受上帝的荣耀！

The hope that belongs to our calling should be a dynamic force in our lives, encouraging us to be pure (1 John 2:28–3:3), obedient (Heb. 13:17), and faithful (Luke 12:42–48). The fact that we shall one day see Christ and be like Him should motivate us to live like Christ today.                              属于呼召的盼望，应该成为我们生活中的动力，激励我们成为聖洁（约壹  2:28-3:3），顺服（来  13:17）和信實（路  12:42- 48)。 总有一天，我们会看到基督，并像祂一样的实存，应该激励我们今天要活得像基督。

3.  That we might know God’s riches (1:18b).  This phrase does not refer to our inheritance in Christ (Eph. 1:11), but His inheritance in us. This is an amazing truth—that God should look on us as a part of His great wealth! Just as a man’s wealth brings glory to his name, so God will get glory from the church because of what He has invested in us. When Jesus Christ returns, we shall be “to the praise of the glory of his grace” (Eph. 1:6).                                                                        3. 這將使我们知道上帝的丰富（1:18  節下）。 这句话不是指我们在基督里的基业（弗   1:11），而是指祂在我们里面的基业。这是惊人的真理 — 上帝应该視我们为祂的巨大财富的一部分！ 正如人的财富为他的名字带来荣耀一样，上帝也会因为祂对我们的投资，而从教会得到荣耀。当耶稣基督再来时，我们将  “因祂恩典的荣耀而受到赞美”（弗  1:6）。

God deals with us on the basis of our future, not our past. He said to cowardly Gideon, “The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor” (Judg. 6:12). Jesus said to Andrew’s brother, “Thou art Simon … thou shalt be called Cephas [a stone]” (John 1:42).  Gideon did become a mighty man of valor, and Simon did become Peter, a rock. We Christians live in the future tense, our lives controlled by what we shall be when Christ returns. Because we are God’s inheritance, we live to please and glorify Him.                                                                                                                            上帝是根据我们的未来，而不是根据过去来对待我们。祂对懦弱的基甸说，“大能的勇士阿! 主与你同在”（士  6:12）。耶稣对安得烈的兄弟彼得说，“你是西门….將要稱你为矶法 ‘ 盤石’ ”（约  1:42）。基甸确实成为勇士，而西门确实成为了彼得，傳福音的磐石。我们基督徒生活在未来时态，生活由基督再来时，将成为祂的样子所控制。因为我们是上帝的产业，我们活着是为了取悦和荣耀祂。

This truth suggests to us that Christ will not enter into His promised glory until the church is there to share it with Him. He prayed for this before He died, and this prayer will be answered (John 17:24). Christ will be glorified in us (2 Thess. 1:10), and we will be glorified in Him (Col. 3:4). Knowing this should lead the believer into a life of dedication and devotion to the Lord.      这真理向我们表明，除非教会在那里与耶穌基督分享，否则不会进入祂所应许的荣耀。祂在死前为此祈祷，这祈祷将得到回应（约  17:24）。基督会在我们里面得荣耀（帖后  1:10），我们也会在祂里面得荣耀（西  3:4）。知道这点後，這點真理应该带领信徒进入对主委身和虔誠奉献的生活。

4.  That we might know God’s power (1:19–23). By making us His inheritance, God has shown His love. By promising us a wonderful future, He has encouraged our hope. Paul offered something to challenge our faith: “the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe” (Eph. 1:19). So tremendous is this truth that Paul enlisted many different words from the Greek vocabulary to get his point across: dunamis—“power” as in dynamo and dynamite; energeia—“working” as in energy; kratos—“mighty”; ischus—“power.” Ephesians 1:19 can be translated, “What is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the operation of the might of His strength.” He is talking about divine dynamic, eternal energy, available to us!                      4. 使我们可能认识上帝的大能（1章19-23等節）。 上帝使我们成为祂的产业，表明祂對我們的爱。藉由向我们许诺美好的未来，鼓励我们的盼望。保罗提供向我们信心来挑战的一些東西：“並知道祂向我们這信的人所显的能力，是何等的浩大”（弗  1:19）。这真理是如此伟大，以至于保罗从希腊语词汇中引用了许多不同的词来表达他的观点：動力(dunamis)，如发电机和炸药；能力(energeia) “工作” 的能力；强大(kratos)；大能( ischus)。以弗所书 1章19節可译成：“並知道祂向我们這信的人所显的能力，是何等的浩大，照祂大能何等偉大的运行。”  保羅在谈论屬天的动力，永恒的能力，可供我们使用！

After all, what good is it to have wealth if you are too weak to use it? Or if you are so afraid of robbers that you cannot really enjoy it? John D. Rockefeller was the world’s first billionaire. It is said that for many years, he lived on crackers and milk because of stomach troubles caused by worrying about his wealth. He rarely had a good night’s sleep, and guards stood constantly at his door. Wealthy—but miserable! When he began to share his wealth with others in great philanthropic endeavors, his health improved considerably and he lived to be an old man.            誠然，若你太軟弱而无法使用它，那么拥有财富又有什么好处呢？  換句話說，若你非常害怕强盗，以至无法真正享用它？ 约翰 · 洛克菲勒是世界上首位亿万富翁。相传多年以来，他因担心财產而引发胃病，以至靠吃饼干和喝牛奶为生。他很少睡个好觉，守卫经常站在他的门口。富有 — 但悲惨！ 当他开始以伟大的慈善事业与他人分享他的财富时，他的健康有了很大的改善，並活到高壽。