65 英翻中 Courage for the conflict 面对冲突的勇气 5/22/2025
CHAPTER FOUR COURAGE FOR THE CONFLICT 2 Corinthians 4:1—5:8 第四課 面对冲突的勇气 哥林多前书 4:1—5:8
The key
theme of this section is repeated in 1 Corinthians 4:1 and 16: “We faint not!”
Literally, Paul said, “We do not lose heart!” There were certainly plenty of
reasons for discouragement in Paul’s situation, yet the great apostle did not
quit. What was it that kept him from fainting in the conflicts of life? He knew
what he possessed in Jesus Christ! Instead of complaining about what he did not
have, Paul rejoiced in what he did have; and you and I can do the same thing. 这部分的关键主题在哥林多前书 4:1 和 16 中重复出现：“我们不会灰心！”从字面上看，保罗说，“我们不灰心！”保罗的处境当然有很多令人沮丧的理由，但这位伟大的使徒并没有放弃。是什么让他不至于在生活的冲突中晕倒？他知道在耶稣基督里他拥有什么！保罗没有抱怨他所没有的，而是为他所拥有的而高兴。你和我可以做同样的這樣做。
1. We Have a Glorious
Ministry (4:1–6) 1. 我们有荣耀的事工（4:1-6）
“Therefore,
seeing we have this kind of ministry” is the literal translation of
what Paul wrote. What kind of ministry? The kind described in the previous
chapter: a glorious ministry that brings men life, salvation, and
righteousness; a ministry that is able to transform men’s lives. This ministry
is a gift—we receive it from God. It is given to us because of God’s mercy, not
because of anything we are or we have done (see 1 Tim.
The way
you look at your ministry helps to determine how you will fulfill it. If you
look on serving Christ as a burden instead of a privilege, you will be a drudge
and do only what is required of you. Some people even look on service as a
punishment from God. When Paul considered the fact that he was a minister of
Jesus Christ, he was overwhelmed by the grace and mercy of God. His positive
attitude toward the ministry had some practical consequences in his life. 你看待你的事工的心態有助于确定你将如何完成它。如果你把侍奉基督视为负担而不是榮譽，你就会認為是苦工，只做需要你做的事。有些人甚至将事奉视为上帝的惩罚。当保罗想到他是耶稣基督的仆人这一事实时，他被上帝的恩典和怜悯所震撼。他对事工的积极态度，在他的生活中产生了一些实际的影响。
It kept him from being a quitter (v. 1). He confessed to the
Corinthians that his trials in
A
discouraged Methodist preacher wrote to the great Scottish preacher Alexander
Whyte to ask his counsel. Should he leave the ministry? “Never think of giving
up preaching!” Whyte wrote to him. “The angels around the throne envy you your
great work!” That was the kind of reply Paul would have written, the kind of
reply all of us need to ponder whenever we feel our work is in vain. 有位灰心的卫理公会传教士写信给伟大的苏格兰传教士亚历山大 · 怀特(Alexander Whyte)，征求他的意见。他应该离开職是吗？怀特写信给他說， “ “永远不要放弃讲道！ 宝座周围的天使羡慕你這伟大的工作！”这是保罗会写的那种回复，当我们觉得我们的工作徒劳无功时，所有人都需要思考該如何回复。
It kept
him from being a deceiver (vv. 2–4). “But we have renounced the things hidden
because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the Word of God,
but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s
conscience in the sight of God” (2 Cor. 4:2 nasb). Paul was certainly alluding
to the Judaizers when he wrote these words. Many false teachers today claim to
base their doctrine on the Word of God, but false teachers handle God’s Word in
deceptive ways. You can prove anything by the Bible, provided you twist the
Scriptures out of context and reject the witness of your own conscience. The
Bible is a book of literature, and it must be interpreted according to the
fundamental rules of interpretation. If people treated other books the way they
treat the Bible, they would never learn anything. 这使他不至于成为骗子（2-4 等节）。 “但我们放弃了因羞耻而隐藏的事情，不是行事诡诈或掺假上帝的话语，而是通过真理的表现在上帝面前将自己推荐给每个人的良心”（可林多後書 4:2 新美國標準版 ）。当保罗写下这些话时，他肯定是在暗指犹太教徒。今天许多假教师，声称他们的教义是以上帝的话语为基础的，但假教师以欺骗的方式处理上帝的话语。你可以通过圣经证明任何事情，只要你断章取义地扭曲圣经，并拒绝你自己良心來作的见证。圣经是本屬靈的文学著作，必须按照著作者所受的聖靈感動来解释。如果人们像对待圣经像對待其他书籍一樣，他们将永远学不会任何东西。
Paul
had nothing to hide, either in his personal life or in his preaching of the
Word. Everything was open and honest; there was no deception or distortion of
the Word. The Judaizers were guilty of twisting the Scriptures to fit their own
preconceived interpretations, and ignorant people were willing to follow them. 保罗没有什么可隐瞒的，无论是在他的个人生活中，还是在他的传道中。一切都是公开和诚实的；圣经没有欺骗或歪曲。犹太律法師犯了歪曲圣经，以适应他们自己先入为主的解释的罪行，无知的人愿意跟随他们。
If Paul
was such a faithful teacher of the Word, then why did not more people believe
his message? Why were the false teachers so successful in winning converts?
Because the mind of the lost sinner is blinded by Satan, and fallen man finds
it easier to believe lies than to believe truth. The gospel “is hid to them
that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Cor. 4:3–4). 若保罗是忠实的圣经教师，那么为什么没有更多的人相信他的信息呢？为什么假教师在赢得皈依者方面是如此成功？ 因为失丧的罪人的心被撒但蒙蔽了，堕落的人发现相信谎言比相信真理更容易。福音是“向失丧的人隐藏：这世界的神祗使不信之人的心眼瞎了，免得基督荣耀福音的光照耀他们，基督是上帝的像” （可林多後書 4:3-4）。
Paul
had already explained that the minds of the Jews were “veiled” because of the
blindness of their hearts (Rom.
It kept
him from being a self-promoter (vv. 5–6). The awesome fact that Paul had
received this ministry from Christ kept him from being a quitter and a
deceiver; but it also kept him from being a self-promoter (2 Cor. 4:5–6). “We
preach not ourselves” (2 Cor. 4:5). The Judaizers enjoyed preaching about
themselves and glorying in their achievements (2 Cor.
Paul
was certainly a man who practiced genuine humility. He did not trust in himself
(2 Cor. 1:9) or commend himself (2 Cor. 3:1–5) or preach himself (2 Cor. 4:5).
He sought only to lead people to Jesus Christ and to build them up in the
faith. It would have been easy for Paul to build a “fan club” for himself and
take advantage of weak people who thrive on associating with great men. The
Judaizers operated in that way, but Paul rejected that kind of ministry. 保罗当然是真正谦卑的人。他不相信自己（哥林多后書 1:9）或称赞自己（哥林多后書3:1-5）或宣传自己（哥林多后書4:5）。他只寻求带领人们归向耶稣基督，并在信仰中建立他们。保罗很容易为自己建立“粉丝俱乐部”，并利用那些因与伟人交往而茁壮成长的弱者。犹太律法師就是这样运作的，但保罗拒绝了这類事工。
What
happens when you share Jesus Christ with lost sinners? The light begins to
shine! Paul compared conversion to creation as described in Genesis 1:3. Like
the earth of Genesis 1:2, the lost sinner is formless and empty; but when he
trusts Christ, he becomes a new creation (2 Cor.
5. We Have a Valuable
Treasure (4:7–12) 5. 我们有宝贵的宝藏（4:7-12）
From
the glory of the new creation, Paul moved to the humility of the clay vessel.
The believer is simply a “jar of clay”; it is the treasure within the vessel
that gives the vessel its value. The image of the vessel is a recurring one in
Scripture, and from it we can learn many lessons. 保罗从新造的荣耀转向陶器的谦卑。信徒只是像“陶罐”；器皿中的宝藏赋予了器皿价值。容器的形象在圣经中反复出现，我们可以从中学到很多功课。
To
begin with, God has made us the way we are so that we can do the work He wants
us to do. God said of Paul, “He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name
before the Gentiles” (Acts
The
important thing about a vessel is that it be clean, empty, and available for
service. Each of us must seek to become “a vessel unto honor, sanctified [set
apart], and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” (2
Tim.
We must
focus on the treasure and not on the vessel. Paul was not afraid of suffering
or trial, because he knew that God would guard the vessel so long as Paul was
guarding the treasure (see 1 Tim.
Sometimes
God permits our vessels to be jarred so that some of the treasure will spill
out and enrich others. Suffering reveals not only the weakness of man but also
the glory of God. Paul presented a series of paradoxes in this paragraph:
earthen vessels—power of God; the dying of Jesus—the life of Jesus; death
working— life working. The natural mind cannot understand this kind of
spiritual truth and therefore cannot understand why Christians triumph over
suffering. Not only must we focus on the treasure and not on the vessel, but we
must also focus on the Master and not on the servant. If we suffer, it is for
Jesus’ sake. If we die to self, it is so that the life of Christ might be
revealed in us. If we go through trials, it is so that Christ might be
glorified. And all of this is for the sake of others. As we serve Christ, death
works in us—but life works in those to whom we minister. 有时上帝允许我们的器皿被震动，这样一些财宝就会溢出，并丰富其他人。苦难不仅显明人的软弱，也显明上帝的荣耀。保罗在这一段章節中，提出了一系列的似是而非的论調：瓦器 — 上帝的能力；耶稣的死 — 耶稣的生平；死的運作 — 活的運作。属血气的头脑无法理解这种属灵的真理，因此无法理解为什么基督徒会战胜苦难。不仅要着眼于宝物，不着眼于器皿，更要着眼于主人，不要着眼于仆人。如果我们受苦，那是为了耶稣。如果我们向自己死，基督的生命就会在我们里面显明出来。如果我们经历试炼，就是为了使基督得荣耀。而这一切都是为了别人。当我们侍奉基督时，死亡在我们身上运行 — 但生命在我们所服务的人身上运行。
Dr. John Henry Jowett said, “Ministry that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing.” He was right. A pastor friend and I once heard a young man preach an eloquent sermon, but it lacked something. “There was something missing,” I said to my friend; and he replied, “Yes, and it won’t be there until his heart is broken. After he has suffered awhile, he will have a message worth listening to.” 约翰·亨利·乔维特博士说，“不花钱的事工，一事无成。”他是对的。我和一位牧师朋友曾经听过一个年轻人讲雄辩的布道，但它缺乏一些东西。”我对朋友说， “少了点什么，” 他回答说， “是的，直到他的心碎了才会出现。等他受了些苦之后，就会有值得一听的信息。”
The
Judaizers did not suffer. Instead of winning lost souls, they stole converts
from Paul’s churches. Instead of sacrificing for the people, they made the
people sacrifice for them (2 Cor.
It has
been my experience that many churches are ignorant of the price a pastor pays
to be faithful to the Lord in serving His people. This section is one of three
sections in 2 Corinthians devoted to a listing of Paul’s sufferings. The other
two are 6:1–10 and
How can
we keep from giving up? By remembering that we are privileged to have the
treasure of the gospel in our vessels of clay! 我们怎样才能不放弃？记住我们有幸在我们的陶器中拥有福音的宝貝！
3. We Have a Confident
Faith (4:13–18) 3. 我们有坚定的信心（4:13-18）
The
phrase spirit of faith means “attitude or outlook of faith.” 信心的灵性这句话的意思是“信心的态度或看法”。
Paul
was not referring to a special gift of faith (1 Cor. 12:9), but rather to that
attitude of faith that ought to belong to every believer. He saw himself
identified with the believer who wrote Psalm 116:10: “I believed, and therefore
have I spoken.” True witness for God is based on faith in God, and this faith
comes from God’s Word (Rom.
Of what
was Paul so confident? That he had nothing to fear from life or death! He had
just listed some of the trials that were a part of his life and ministry, and
now he was affirming that his faith gave him victory over all of them. Note the
assurances that he had because of his faith. 什么使保罗如此自信？ 生与死，他无所畏惧！他刚刚列出了他生活和事工中的一些试炼，现在肯定他的信仰使他战胜了所有这些试炼。注意，因他的信心而得到信仰的確據。
He was
sure of ultimate victory (v. 14). If Jesus Christ has conquered death, the last
enemy, then why fear anything else? Men do everything they can to penetrate the
meaning of death and prepare for it, yet the world has no answer to death. Until
a person is prepared to die, he is not really prepared to live. The joyful
message of the early church was the victory of Christ over death, and we need
to return to that victorious emphasis. Note too that Paul saw a future reunion
of God’s people when he wrote, “and shall present us with you.” Death is the
great divider, but in Jesus Christ there is assurance that His people shall be
reunited in His presence (1 Thess. 4:13–18). 他确信最终的胜利（第 14 节）。如果耶稣基督已经战胜了死亡，最后的敌人，那为什么还要害怕呢？人尽其所能去洞悉死亡的意义，并为之作好准备，但这个世界却没有死亡的答案。在一个人准备好死之前，他并没有真正准备好活下去。早期教会的喜乐信息是基督战胜死亡的復活，我们需要回到胜利的重点。还要注意，當保罗看到上帝子民未来的重新結合時，他在信中写道，“将我们用人的推薦信介绍给你们。" 死亡是最大的隔阂，但在耶稣基督里，祂的子民将在祂面前重新团聚（帖撒羅尼迦前書 4:13-18）。
He was
sure God would be glorified (v. 15). This verse parallels Romans
He was
sure his trials were working for him, not against him (vv. 16–17). “We faint
not” (see 2 Cor. 4:1) was Paul’s confident testimony. What does it matter if
the “outward person” is perishing, so long as the “inward person” is
experiencing daily spiritual renewal? Paul was not suggesting that the body is
not important, or that we should ignore its warnings and needs. Since our
bodies are the temples of God, we must care for them; but we cannot control the
natural deterioration of human nature. When we consider all the physical trials
that Paul endured, it is no wonder he wrote as he did. 保羅确信他的试炼对他有用，而不是对他不利（16-17 兩节）。 “我们没有灰心”（见 哥林多前书 4:1）是保罗自信的见证。只要“里面的人”每天都在经历属灵的更新，“外面的人”正在灭亡又有什么关系？保罗并不是说身体不重要，或者我们应该忽略它的警告和需要。既然我们的身体是上帝的殿，我们就必须爱护它们；但我们无法控制人性的自然退化。当我们考虑保罗所经受的所有身体考验时，难怪他如此写。
As
Christians, we must live a day at a time. No person, no matter how wealthy or
gifted, can live two days at a time. God provides for us “day by day” as we
pray to Him (Luke 11:3). He gives us the strength that we need according to our
daily requirements (Deut. 33:25). We must not make the mistake of trying to “store
up grace” for future emergencies, because God gives us the grace that we need
when we need it (Heb.
When we
learn to live a day at a time, confident of God’s care, it takes a great deal of
pressure off of our lives. 当我们学会一天一天地生活，相信上帝的看顾时，我们的生活就会承受很大的压力。
Yard by yard, life is hard! 一码一码，生活艰难！
Inch by inch, life’s a cinch! 一寸一寸，人生如画！
When
you live by faith in Christ, you get the right perspective on suffering. Note
the contrasts Paul presented in 2 Corinthians 4:17: light affliction—weight of
glory; momentary—eternal; working against us— working for us. Paul was writing
with eternity’s values in view. He was weighing the present trials against the
future glory, and he discovered that his trials were actually working for him
(see Rom.
We must
not misunderstand this principle and think that a Christian can live any way he
pleases and expect everything to turn into glory in the end. Paul was writing
about trials experienced in the will of God as he was doing the work of God.
God can and does turn suffering into glory, but He cannot turn sin into glory.
Sin must be judged, because there is no glory in sin. 我们千万不要误解这个原则，以为基督徒可以随心所欲地生活，并期望一切最终都变成荣耀。保罗写的是他在做上帝的工作时，在祂的旨意中所经历的考验。上帝能也确实将苦难变为荣耀，但祂不能将罪变为荣耀。罪必须受到审判，因为在罪中没有荣耀。
Second
Corinthians
He was
sure the invisible world was real (v. 18). Dr. A. W. Tozer used to remind us
that the invisible world described in the Bible was the only “real world.” If
we would only see the visible world the way God wants us to see it, we would
never be attracted by what it offers (1 John
The
things of this world seem so real because we can see them and feel them; but
they are all temporal and destined to pass away. Only the eternal things of the
spiritual life will last. Again, we must not press this truth into extremes and
think that “material” and “spiritual” oppose each other. When we use the
material in God’s will, He transforms it into the spiritual, and this becomes a
part of our treasure in heaven. (More on this in 2 Cor. 8—9.) We value the
material because it can be used to promote the spiritual, and not for what it
is in itself. 这个世界的事物看起来是如此真实，因为我们可以看到并感觉到它们的存在；不過它们都是暂时的，注定要过去。只有属灵生命的永恒事物才会持久。重複再說一次，我们不能把这个真理推到极端，认为“物质”和“靈命”是相互对立的。当我们在上帝的旨意中使用物质时，祂就将其转化为属灵的，使它成为在天上财宝的一部分。 （更多信息，请参见 哥林多後書 8-9。）我们重视物質，因为它可以用来促进靈命，而不是因为它本身發生什麼作用。
How can
you look at things that are invisible? By faith, when you read the Word of God.
We have never seen Christ or heaven, yet we know they are real because the Word
of God tells us so. Faith is “the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).
Because Abraham looked for the heavenly city, he separated himself from
Of
course, the unsaved world thinks we are odd— perhaps even crazy—because we
insist on the reality of the invisible world of spiritual blessing. Yet
Christians are content to govern their lives by eternal values, not temporal
prices. 当然，未得救的世界认为我们很奇怪 — 甚至可能是疯狂的 — 因为我们坚持属灵祝福的无形世界的实存。然而，基督徒满足于以永恒的价值观，而不是以暂时的价值观来支配他们的生活。
6. We Have a Future
Hope (5:1–8) 6. 我们有未来的希望（5:1-8）
“We have this ministry.… We have this treasure.… We [have] the same spirit of faith.… We have a building of God” (2 Cor. 4:1, 7, 13; 5:1). What a testimony Paul gave to the reality of the Christian faith! “我们有这職事......有这宝貝......我们 且 [拥有] 同样的屬靈信心...... 有上帝建造的房屋”（哥林多后書 4:1, 7, 13; 5:1）。保罗对基督信仰的实存作了何等偉大的见证！
This
“building of God” is not the believer’s heavenly home, promised in John 14:1–6.
It is his glorified body. Paul was a tentmaker (Acts 18:1–3), and here he used
a tent as a picture of our present earthly bodies. A tent is a weak, temporary
structure, without much beauty; but the glorified body we shall receive will be
eternal, beautiful, and never show signs of weakness or decay (see Phil.
3:20–21). Paul saw the human body as an earthen vessel (2 Cor. 4:7) and a temporary
tent; but he knew that believers would one day receive a wonderful glorified
body, suited to the glorious environment of heaven. 这座“上帝建造的房屋”并不是约翰福音 14 章 1-6 等节所应许的信徒在天上的家。这是他荣耀的身体。保罗是編織帐篷者（使徒行传 18：1-3），他在这里用帐篷来描绘我们目前在世上的身体。帐篷是脆弱的临时结构，没有太多的美感；但我们将获得荣耀的身体将是永恒的、美丽的，绝不会表现出软弱或衰败的迹象（见 腓立比书 3：20-21）。保罗将身体视为陶器（哥林多后書 4:7）和临时帐篷。但他知道信徒有一天会得到奇妙的荣耀的身体，适合天堂荣耀的居住。
It is
interesting to trace Paul’s testimony in this paragraph. 追溯保罗在这一段中的见证很有趣。
We know
(v. 1). How do we know? Because we trust the Word of God. No Christian has to
consult a fortune-teller, a Ouija board, a spiritist, or a deck of cards to
find out what the future holds or what lies on the other side of death. God has
told us all that we need to know in the pages of His Word. Paul’s “we know” connects
with his “knowing” in 2 Corinthians 4:14, and this relates to the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. We know that He is alive; therefore, we know that death cannot
claim us. “Because I live, ye shall live also” (John
We
groan (vv. 2–5). Paul was not expressing a morbid desire for death. In fact,
his statement is just the opposite: he was eager for Jesus Christ to return so
that he would be “clothed upon” with the glorified body. He presented three
possibilities, using the image of the body as a tent: (1) alive—residing in the
tent; (2) dead—unclothed, out of the tent, “naked”; (3) clothed upon—the
transformation of the body at the return of Christ. Paul was hoping that he
would be alive and on the earth at the return of Christ, so that he might not
have to go through the experience of death. Paul used a similar picture in 1
Corinthians 15:51–58, and he used the idea of “groaning” in Romans 8:22–26. 我们叹息（2-5 节）。保罗并没有表达对死亡的病态渴望。事实上，他的说法恰恰相反：他渴望耶稣基督再来，这样他就可以“披上”荣耀的身体。他提出了三种可能性，用身体作为帐篷的形象：（1）活着 — 住在帐篷里； (2) 死者 — 赤身裸体，走出帐篷，“赤身裸体”； (3) 披戴 — 基督再来时身体的变化。保罗希望基督再来时他还活着，在地上，这样他就不必经历死亡的经历。保罗在哥林多前书 15章51-58等節中使用了类似的图片，他在罗马书 8章22-26等節中使用了“嘆息”的概念。
The
glorified body is called “a building of God, a house not made with hands” in 2
Corinthians 5:1, and “our house which is from heaven” in 2 Corinthians 5:2.
This is in contrast to our mortal bodies, which came from the dust of the
earth. “And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the
image of the heavenly” (1 Cor.
This
explains why death holds no terrors for the Christian. Paul called his death a
“departure” (2 Tim. 4:6). One meaning of this Greek word is “to take down one’s
tent and move on.” But how can we be sure that we shall one day have new bodies
like the glorified body of our Savior? We can be sure because the Spirit lives
within us. Paul mentioned the sealing and the earnest of the Spirit in 2
Corinthians
We are
always confident (vv. 6–8). The people of God can be found in one of two
places: either in heaven or on earth (Eph.
Because
he had this kind of confidence, Paul was not afraid of suffering and trials, or
even of dangers. This is not to suggest that he tempted the Lord by taking
unnecessary risks, but it does mean that he was willing to “lose his life” for
the sake of Christ and the ministry of the gospel. He walked by faith and not
by sight. He looked at the eternal unseen, not the temporal seen (2 Cor.
As we
review this section of 2 Corinthians, we can see how Paul had courage for the
conflict and would not lose heart. He had a glorious ministry that transformed
lives. He had a valuable treasure in the earthen vessel of his body, and he
wanted to share that treasure with a bankrupt world. He had a confident faith
that conquered fear, and he had a future hope that was both a destination and a
motivation. 当我们回顾哥林多后书的这一段章節时，可以看到保罗有勇气以面对衝突，而不喪志。他有光荣的職事，改变了生命。他的瓦器身体內藏有珍贵的宝貝，他要与這衰敗的世界分享那宝物。他有战胜恐惧的自信，他有既是目的地又是动機的未来希望。
No
wonder Paul was “more than conqueror” (Rom.
Every believer in Jesus Christ has these same marvelous possessions and can find through them courage for the conflict. 任何耶稣基督的信徒都拥有这些同样奇妙的产業，并且可以通过它们找到对抗衝突的勇气。
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