852 英翻中 (552) Lord! Have a mercy on me. 求主憐憫我. 9/15/2024

852 英翻中 (552)            Lord!  Have a mercy on me.              求主憐憫我.                  9/15/2024

3.  The Practical Blessings (4:30–31)                                                                                                        3.  实質的福氣（4：30-31）

We Christians, like Isaac, are the children of promise by grace. The covenant of grace, pictured by Sarah, is our spiritual mother. The law and the old nature (Hagar and Ishmael) want to persecute us and bring us into bondage. How are we to solve this problem?                                    像以撒一样，我们基督徒是靠恩典的應許所生的孩子。撒萊描绘的恩典之约，是我们屬靈的母亲。律法和老我（夏甲和以实玛利）想要迫害我们，把我們带回綑綁。我们將如何處理它？

We can try to change them. This must fail, for we cannot change either the law or the old nature. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh” (John 3:6), and, we might add, it always will be flesh. God did not try to change Ishmael and Hagar, either by force or by education; neither can you and I change the old nature and the law.                                                                                               我们能尝试的來改变它们。那註定要失败，因为我们不能改变律法或老我的本性。 “由肉体所生的就是肉体”（约  3：6），而且，可以加強的來說，它永遠是肉体。上帝没有试图用武力或教導來改变以實瑪利和夏甲;  你和我都對改变老我的本性和律法毫無能力。

We can try to compromise with them. This did not work in Abraham’s home, and neither will it work in our lives. The Galatians were trying to effect such  a compromise, but it was only leading them gradually into bondage. False teachers today tell us, “Don’t abandon Christ; simply move into a deeper Christian life by practicing the law along with your faith in Christ.” Invite Hagar and Ishmael back home again. But this is a path back into slavery: “How turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” (Gal. 4:9).                 我们能尝试与他们妥协。在亚伯拉罕的家中都不行，更何況在我们的生活中。加拉太人试图用妥協來得到效果，但它只是引导他们逐渐的進入束缚。今天的假教师告诉我们， “不要放弃基督; 简单地实行律法，进入更深层次的以信心進入基督徒生活就行了。” 邀请夏甲和以实玛利再次回到家中。但这是回到奴隶被綑綁的路：“怎麼還要回到那軟弱乞求的小學，情願再做它的奴僕呢？”（加  4：9）。

We can cast them out. This is what we are supposed to do. First, Paul applied this to the nation of Israel (Gal. 4:25–27); then he applied it to the individual Christian. The nation of Israel had been in bondage under the law, but this was a temporary thing, preparing them for the coming of Christ. Now that Christ had come, law had to go. Jesus Christ, like Isaac, was a child of promise, born by the miraculous power of God. Once He had come and died for the people, the law had to go.                                                                                                                                                               我们能把它们赶出去。这就是我们所期望要做的。首先，保罗将這方法应用于以色列國（加  4：25-27）;  然后他将它应用于个別的基督徒。以色列國一直处于律法的綑綁下，但这只是暫时的，是為他们基督降临作准备。现在基督来了，律法不必要了。像以撒一样，耶稣基督是由應許而生的孩子，是靠上帝的神跡大能所生的。一旦基督来为人的罪而死，那律法必须離去.

Paul quoted Isaiah 54:1, applying his words to Sarah, who was barren before the birth of Isaac; but also applying it to the church (Gal. 4:27).  Note the contrasts.                                                        保罗引用以赛亚书54章1節，用於他對撒萊的論點，在生以撒之前，她是不能生育的;  但也将它应用于教会（加   4:27）。注意這对比。

Israel                           The Church                                                                                                              以色列                             教会

earthly Jerusalem           heavenly Jerusalem                                                                                     地上的耶路撒冷                 天上的耶路撒冷

bondage                              freedom                                                                                                         綑綁                                     自由

barren legalism                 fruitful grace                                                                                                    在律法之下                        結滿恩典的果子

Sarah had been barren, and she tried to become fruitful by having Abraham marry Hagar. This failed and brought only trouble. The law cannot give life or fruitfulness; legalism is barren. For the early church to go back into bondage would mean barrenness and disobedience to the Word of God. Because it held fast to grace, the church spread across the world in fruitfulness.                       撒萊曾經不會生育，她试图促使亚伯拉罕与夏甲结婚，結實累累。但失败了，反带来了麻烦。律法不能给予生命，或結果實丰收;  律法主义是不生育的。因为早期的教会要回到律法束缚中，就是針对上帝圣言的不生育和不顺服。因为上帝的話是恩典的鞏固的山寨，所以教会在世上結滿果實。

But individual churches and Christians can make the same mistake the Galatians were making: they can fail to cast out Hagar and Ishmael. Legalism is one of the major problems among Christians today. We must keep in mind that legalism does not mean the setting of spiritual standards; it means worshipping these standards and thinking that we are spiritual because we obey them. It also means judging other believers on the basis of these standards. A person can refrain from smoking, drinking, and gambling, for example, and still not be spiritual. The Pharisees had high standards; yet they crucified Jesus.                                                                       但單獨的教会和基督信徒可能会犯上加拉太人所犯的同样错误：他们可能无法驱逐夏甲和以实玛利。律法主义是当今基督信徒的主要问题之一。我们必须牢记在心，律法主义并不是說，沒有设定屬靈的准繩;  它只是設定崇拜的标准，并认为我们只要遵守這些标准，就是属灵了。它还意味着使用这些标准作基石，來判断其他的信徒。例如，人可以避免吸烟，饮酒和赌博，但仍然不是屬靈的。法利赛人有很高的标准; 但他们却把耶稣钉在十字架上。  

The old nature loves legalism because it gives the old nature a chance to “look good.” It costs very little for Ishmael not to do certain bad things, or to do certain religious deeds, just so long as he can remain Ishmael. For seventeen years Ishmael caused no trouble in the home; and then Isaac came along, and there was conflict. Legalism caters to Ishmael. The Christian who claims to be spiritual because of what he doesn’t do is only fooling himself. It takes more than negations to make a positive, fruitful  spiritual life.                                                                                                     老我喜欢律法主义，因为律法主义使老我有机会“讓自己看起来很好。”以实玛利只要付出很小代价，就能幹坏事，且只要他仍舊是以實瑪利，他就可做宗教的事。十七年来，以实玛利在家中没有製造任何麻烦; 然后以撒出生了，就发生了衝突。律法主义迎合了以实玛利。声称自己是属灵的基督徒因为他不做事，只是欺骗自己而已。基督徒不仅仅是不做負面的事，而要變成積極做正面，富有成效的屬靈生活的事。

No doubt the Judaizers were attractive people. They carried credentials from religious authorities (2 Cor. 3:1). They had high standards and were careful in what they ate and drank. They were effective in making converts and liked to advertise their accomplishments (Gal. 4:17–18; 6:12–14). They had rules and standards to cover every area of life, making it easy for their followers to know who was “spiritual” and who was not. But the Judaizers were leading the people into bondage and defeat, not liberty and victory, and the people did not know the difference.               犹太律法師有吸引力是毫无疑问的。他们从宗教領袖获得信任（林前  3：1）。他们有很高的标准，并且小心翼翼選他们吃喝的食物。 他们在引 人入教方面很有成效，并喜欢誇張他们的成就（加   4：17-18; 6：12-14）.  他们在生活的每个领域都有规條和标准，讓追随他們的人，轻易的知道谁是“屬靈的”，谁不是。 但是，犹太律法師正在引导人陷入束缚和失败，而不是自由和胜利，並且，人不知道這些区别。

In the closing chapters of this letter, Paul will point out the greatest tragedy of legalism: it gives opportunity for the flesh to work. The old nature cannot be controlled by law; eventually it has to break out—and when it does, watch out! This explains why legalistic religious groups often have fights and divisions (“ye fight and devour one another,” Gal. 5:15), and often are plagued with the defiling sins of the flesh (Gal. 5:19ff.). While every church has its share of these problems, it is especially prominent in those groups where there is an atmosphere of legalism. When you invite Hagar and Ishmael to live with Sarah and Isaac, you are inviting trouble.                                         在这封信的最后几章中，保罗将指出律法主义的最大悲剧：它让肉体有机会发挥作用。老我的本性不可能受律法的控制; 最终它必须暴露 ---當它暴露时，要小心！这說明了为什么律法的宗教团体经常有斗争和分裂（“你们若相咬相吞，”   5:15），经常他们因肉體的罪恶污秽所困扰（加    5：19  比照研讀）。虽然每个教会都有这些问题，但有律法主义的气氛的教會，在他們群体中尤顯得突出。当你邀请夏甲和以實瑪利与撒萊和以撒住在一起，你是自找麻烦。

Thank God, the Christian is set free from the curse of the law and the control of the law. “Cast out the bondwoman and her son.” It may pain us deeply, as  it did Abraham; but it must be done. To attempt to mix law and grace is to attempt the impossible. It makes for a frustrated, barren Christian life. But to live by grace, through faith, gives one a free and fulfilling Christian life.       感谢上帝，基督徒摆脱了律法的诅咒和它的控制。“赶走了綑綁的婦女和她的儿子。”  這可能会深深地使亚伯拉罕心碎;  但必须这样做。尝试將律法和恩典混合是不可能的。 這樣會使基督徒生活沮丧，且不能結果子。只能靠上帝的恩典生活，藉著信心，给基督徒自由而充实的生活。

What is the secret? The Holy Spirit. And it is this secret that Paul will share in the closing “practical” chapters of the letter. Meanwhile, you and I need to beware lest Ishmael and Hagar have crept back into our lives. If they have—let us cast them out.                                                     這秘密在那裡？ 是聖圣內住。保罗就是用这祕密在最后的一章中分享“实践”。同时，你和我需要要小心，避免以实玛利和夏甲偷偷地回到我们的生活裡。若他们進來居住 --- 一定要把他们赶出去。