516 雅各書第三章 HOW TO HANDLE TEMPTATION 如何处理试探 01/03/2026

516  雅各書第三章      HOW TO HANDLE TEMPTATION         如何处理试探               01/03/2026

Chapter three              HOW TO HANDLE TEMPTATION                           James 1:13–18
第三章                          如何处理试探                                                                 雅各书 1:13-18
 
The mature person is patient in trials. Sometimes the trials are testings on the outside, and sometimes they are temptations on the inside. Trials may be tests sent by God, or they may be temptations sent by Satan and encouraged by our own fallen nature. It is this second aspect of trials—temptations on the inside—that James dealt with in this section.
We may ask, “Why did James connect the two? What is the relationship between testings without and temptations within?” Simply this: if we are not careful, the testings on the outside may become temptations on the inside. When our circumstances are difficult, we may find ourselves complaining against God, questioning His love, and resisting His will. At this point, Satan provides us with an opportunity to escape the difficulty. This opportunity is a temptation.
成熟的人在试炼(上帝的管教)中是有耐心的。试炼是外在的考验，试探(魔鬼的誘惑)是内在的。试炼可能是上帝的考验，试探可能會是撒旦的誘惑，用來鼓励我們堕落的本性去犯罪。雅各在本节中所講的是有關内心誘惑的试探。可能会问，“为什么雅各将两者關联起来？ 外面的试煉和里面的试探有什么关系？”简单地说：如果我们不小心，外面的考验可能会变成里面的诱惑。当我们在处境困难时，可能会发现自己在埋怨上帝，质疑祂的爱，并抗拒祂的旨意。在这点上，撒但为我们提供了摆脱困境的鬼計。就是  “诱惑”。
 
There are many illustrations of this truth found in the Bible. Abraham arrived in Canaan and discovered a famine there. He was not able to care for his flocks and herds. This trial was an opportunity to prove God; but Abraham turned it into a temptation and went down to Egypt. God had to chasten Abraham to bring him back to the place of obedience and blessing.
圣经中有许多关于这真理的例证。亚伯拉罕到达迦南，发现那里有饥荒。他无法照顾他的羊牛。这次试炼是证明上帝的考驗；但亚伯拉罕却把試煉变成试探，下到埃及去了。上帝必须管教亚伯拉罕，使他顺服祂旨意和命他回到祝福的迦南地。
 
While Israel was wandering in the wilderness, the nation often turned testings into temptations and tempted the Lord. No sooner had they been delivered from Egypt than their water supply vanished and they had to march for three days without water. When they did find water, it was so bitter they could not drink it. Immediately they began to murmur and blame God. They turned their testing into a temptation, and they failed.
当以色列人在旷野漂流时，这国家经常把试煉变成试探，试探主。他们刚从埃及救出来，水就断了，他们不得不在没有水的情况下前進三天。当他们找到水时，水是苦的，他们不能喝。他们立刻开始抱怨并责怪上帝。他们把試煉变成了试探，结果失败了。
 
Certainly, God does not want us to yield to temptation, yet neither can He spare us the experience of temptation. We are not God’s sheltered people; we are God’s scattered people. If we are to mature, we must face testings and temptations. There are three facts that we must consider if we are to overcome temptation.
誠然，上帝不願意我们向试探屈服，但祂也不能让我们免于受试探的经历。我们不是上帝溺愛的子民；却是上帝分散的子民。如果我们要成熟，就必须面对管教和诱惑。若要胜過试探，我们就必须考虑三件事。
 
Consider God’s Judgment (1:13–16)
思考上帝的审判（1:13-16）
 
This is a negative approach, but it is an important one. James said, “Look ahead and see where sin ends— death!” Do not blame God for temptation. He is too holy to be tempted, and He is too loving to tempt others. God does test us, as He did Abraham (Gen. 22); but He does not and cannot tempt us. It is we who turn occasions of testing into temptations.
这是消极的方法，但却是很重要。雅各说，“向前展望，看罪的结果 --- 死亡！”不要因为上帝的试煉而责怪祂。祂太圣洁，不能被惡试探，祂也太爱我們，祂也不试探人。上帝确实管教我们，就像祂管教亚伯拉罕（创世记 22）；但祂不会也不能试探我们。是我们把考验变成了試探。
 
A temptation is an opportunity to accomplish a good thing in a bad way, out of the will of God. Is it wrong to want to pass an examination? Of course not, but if you cheat to pass it, then you have sinned. The temptation to cheat is an opportunity to accomplish a good thing (passing the examination) in a bad way. It is not wrong to eat, but if you consider stealing the food, you are tempting yourself.
试探不是上帝的旨意，因祂不會以坏的方式來完成好事。想通过考驗是错吗？ 顯然不是，但如果你作弊得到通过，那么你就犯罪。作弊的诱惑是以坏的方式完成好事（通过考驗）的作為。吃没有错，但如果你想偷取食物，那你就是在試探自己。
 
We think of sin as a single act, but God sees it as a process. Adam committed one act of sin, and yet that one act brought sin, death, and judgment on the whole human race. James described this process of sin in four stages.
我们认为罪是单純的行为，但上帝认为它是誘惑的过程。亚当犯罪，然而这罪给整个人类带来了罪，死亡和审判。雅各分四个阶段來描述犯罪的过程。
 
Desire (v. 14). The word lust means any kind of desire, and not necessarily sexual passions. The normal desires of life were given to us by God and, of themselves, are not sinful. Without these desires, we could not function. Unless we felt hunger and thirst, we would never eat and drink, and we would die. Without fatigue, the body would never rest and would eventually wear out. Sex is a normal desire; without it the human race could not continue.
肉體的慾望（第 14 节）。慾望意味着所有的慾望，不一定要是性的慾望。正常的生活欲望是上帝恩赐给我们的，它们本身并没有罪。没有这些欲望，我们就无法生活。除非我们感到饥饿和口渴，否则永远不会有吃喝的欲望，我们將會会死。没有疲劳，身体永远不会有要休息的欲望，最终会勞累致死。性是正常的欲望；没有它，人类就无法延续下去。
 
It is when we want to satisfy these desires in ways outside God’s will that we get into trouble. Eating is normal; gluttony is sin. Sleep is normal; laziness is sin. “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled; but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge” (Heb. 13:4).       
当想要以上帝旨意之外的方式满足該些慾望时，我们就会陷入困境。吃饭是正常
的；暴食是罪。睡眠正常；懒惰是罪。 “婚姻神聖至上，床不能弄髒亂；淫乱的，上帝必审判”（希伯來書 13:4）。
 
Some people try to become “spiritual” by denying these normal desires or by seeking to suppress them, but this only makes them less than human. These fundamental desires of life are the steam in the boiler that makes the machinery go. Turn off the steam and you have no power. Let the steam go its own way and you have destruction. The secret is in constant control. These desires must be our servants and not our masters, and this we can do through Jesus Christ.
有些人试图通过否认这些正常的欲望，或试图压抑它们来顯得“屬靈”，但这只会使他们变得不那么像人。該些生活上基本的愿望是發電厰燃燒锅炉中的蒸汽，使机器运转。開閉蒸汽開关，你就没有电的能力。若讓让蒸汽不受控制，那就會發生破坏。秘诀在于常常嚴密控制它。該慾望必须是我们的仆人，而不是主人，這要藉由信靠耶稣基督才能做到。
 
Deception (v. 14). No temptation appears as temptation; it always seems more alluring than it really is. James used two illustrations from the world of sports to prove his point. Drawn away carries with it the idea of the baiting of a trap; and enticed in the original Greek means “to bait a hook.” The hunter and the fisherman have to use bait to attract and catch their prey. No animal is deliberately going to step into a trap and no fish will knowingly bite at a naked hook. The idea is to hide the trap and the hook.
欺骗（第 14 节）。没有試探作为诱惑出现；它似乎总是比实际更诱惑人。雅各用了两个世界体育上的例子来证明他的观点。用诱餌和陷阱的想法來捕捉獵物；在原版中希腊语  “引诱” 的意思是“诱饵”。猎人和渔夫必须使用陷阱，和诱饵来吸引和捕捉猎物。没有动物会故意进入陷阱，也没有鱼会故意咬無誘餌的釣钩。这想法是把陷阱和钩子隐藏起來。
 
Temptation always carries with it some bait that appeals to our natural desires. The bait not only attracts us, but it also hides the fact that yielding to the desire will eventually bring sorrow and punishment. It is the bait that is the exciting thing. Lot would never have moved toward Sodom had he not seen the “well-watered plains of Jordan” (Gen. 13:10ff.). When David looked on his neighbor’s wife, he would never have committed adultery had he seen the tragic consequences: the death of a baby (Bathsheba’s son), the murder of a brave soldier (Uriah), the violation of a daughter (Tamar). The bait keeps us from seeing the consequences of sin.
诱惑总是带有一些诱人的诱饵，可以满足老我的慾望。诱饵不仅吸引了我们，还隐藏了屈服于慾望最终会带来悲伤和惩罚的事实。诱饵才是令人兴奋的事情。若罗得没有看到“约旦河畔是水源充足的平原”（创世记 13:10比照研讀），他就永远不会搬到所多玛去。若大衛先看到悲惨的后果：婴儿（拔示巴的儿子）的死亡，勇敢的將帥（乌利亚）的谋杀，女儿（他玛）遭侵犯，他就永远不会與拔示巴犯通奸罪。诱饵使我们看不到犯罪的后果。
 
When Jesus was tempted by Satan, He always dealt with the temptation on the basis of the Word of God. Three times He said, “It is written.” From the human point of view, turning stones into bread to satisfy hunger is a sensible thing to do; but not from God’s point of view. When you know the Bible, you can detect the bait and deal with it decisively. This is what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.
当撒但在曠野试探耶稣时，祂总是以上帝的话来对付牠的试探。祂说了三遍， “写在聖經上。” 从人的角度来看，把石头变成麫包来满足饥饿是明智的事；但不是从上帝的角度来看。当你熟悉圣经，就能发现這是诱饵，并且果断地拒絕它。这就是凭信心而不是凭眼见而行的意思。
 
Disobedience (v. 15). We have moved from the emotions (desire) and the intellect (deception) to the will. James changed the picture from hunting and fishing to the birth of a baby. Desire conceives a method for taking the bait. The will approves and acts, and the result is sin. Whether we feel it or not, we are hooked and trapped. The baby is born, and just wait until it matures!
不順服（第 15 节）。我们已经从情感（欲望）和智力（欺骗）转移到意志。雅各将画面从打猎和捕鱼轉变到婴儿的诞生。欲望構想一種使上钩的方法。意志认可并采取行动，结果就是罪。不管我们是否感觉到，我们都被吸引住了。宝宝出生了，就等它成熟吧！
 
Christian living is a matter of the will, not the feelings. I often hear believers say, “I don’t feel like reading the Bible.” Or, “I don’t feel like attending prayer meeting.” Children operate on the basis of feeling, but adults operate on the basis of will. They act because it is right, no matter how they feel. This explains why immature Christians easily fall into temptation: they let their feelings make the decisions. The more you exercise your will in saying a decisive no to temptation, the more God will take control of your life. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).
基督徒的生活是意志的问题，而不是感觉的问题。我经常听到信徒说，“我不想读圣经。”或者說，“我不想参加祷告会。” 孩子是基於感觉行動，而成年人则根据意志运作。他们行动是因为認定是对的，不管感觉如何。这就解释了为什么不成熟的基督徒容易陷入试探：他们让自己的感觉做决定。你越是运用意志对试探断然拒绝，上帝就越能掌控你的生活。 “因为你們立志行事，都是上帝在你们里面运行，為要成就祂的美意”（腓 2:13）。
 
Death (v. 15). Disobedience gives birth to death, not life. It may take years for the sin to mature, but when it does, the result will be death. If we will only believe God’s Word and see this final tragedy, it will encourage us not to yield to temptation. God has erected this barrier because He loves us. “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” (Ezek. 18:23).
死亡（第 15 节）。不顺服就生出死來，而不是生命。罪可能需要長時間才能成熟，但當它成熟，结果将是死亡。若我们只相信上帝的话语，并看到这最后的悲剧，就会鼓励我们對试探不要屈服。上帝设立这屏障是因为祂爱我们。 “恶人死亡，豈是我喜悅的吗？” （结18:23）。
 
These four stages in temptation and sin are perfectly depicted in the first sin recorded in the Bible in Genesis 3.
这四个阶段對试探和罪完美的描述了，在圣经创世记第 3 章记载中的首次犯罪。
 
The serpent used desire to interest Eve: “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5). Is there anything wrong with gaining knowledge? Is there anything wrong with eat[1]ing food? Eve saw that “the tree was good for food” (Gen. 3:6), and her desire was aroused.
蛇用欲望来引起夏娃的兴趣：“因为上帝知道，你们吃的日子眼睛就明亮了，你们就如神能知道善恶”（创世记 3:5）。获取知识有什么错吗？ 吃东西有什么不对吗？夏娃看到“那棵树上的果子好作食物”（创世记 3:6），她的欲望就引起了。
 
Paul described the deception of Eve in 2 Corinthians 11:3: “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” Satan is the deceiver, and he seeks to deceive the mind. The bait that he used with Eve was the fact that the forbidden tree was good and pleasant, and that eating of it would make her wise. She saw the bait but forgot the Lord’s warning: “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:17).
保罗在哥林多后书 11 章 3 节描述了夏娃的欺骗：“我只怕你們的心或偏於邪，失去那向基督所存純一清潔的心，就像蛇用詭詐诱惑夏娃一样。”撒旦是骗子，他想欺骗人的心志。牠对夏娃使用的诱饵是这棵禁树所結的果子又好吃，又誘人，吃了它会使她变得聪明。她看到了诱饵，却忘记了主的警告：“你吃的日子必定死”（创世记 2:17）。
 
Eve disobeyed God by taking the fruit of the tree and eating it. Then she shared it with her husband, and he disobeyed God. Because Adam was not deceived, but sinned with his eyes wide open, it is his sin that plunged the human race into tragedy (read Rom. 5:12–21; 1 Tim. 2:12–15).
夏娃不順服上帝的旨意，拆下禁树上的果子，而吃了。然后，与她的丈夫分享，他也违背了上帝。因为亚当没有受骗，而是睁大眼睛犯罪，是他的罪使人类陷入了悲剧（阅读罗马书 5：12-21；提摩太前书 2：12-15）。
 
Both Adam and Eve experienced immediate spiritual death (separation from God), and ultimate physical death. All men die because of Adam (1 Cor. 15:21–22). The person who dies without Jesus Christ will experience eternal death, the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11–15).
亚当和夏娃都经历了直接屬靈的死亡（与上帝隔离）和最终的肉体死亡。所有人都因亚当而死（林前 15：21-22）。没有耶稣基督而死的人，将经历永恒的死亡，即火湖（启示录 20：11-15）。
 
Whenever you are faced with temptation, get your eyes off the bait and look ahead to see the consequences of sin: the judgment of God. “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).
每当你面临试探时，把你的眼睛从诱饵上移开，向前看罪的后果：上帝的审​​判。 “因为罪的工价乃是死”（罗马书 6:23）。
 
Consider God’s Goodness (1:17)
思考上帝的良善（1:17）
 
One of the enemy’s tricks is to convince us that our Father is holding out on us, that He does not really love us and care for us. When Satan approached Eve, he suggested that if God really loved her, He would permit her to eat of the forbidden tree. When Satan tempted Jesus, he raised the question of hunger. “If Your Father loves You, why are You hungry?”
仇敌的诡计之一，是让我们相信天父保守我们，祂并没有真正爱和关心我们。当撒旦走近夏娃时，牠建议如果上帝真的爱她，祂会允许她吃禁树結的果子。当撒旦试探耶稣时，牠提出了饥饿的问题。 “若天父上帝爱祢，为什么使祢挨饿？”
 
The goodness of God is a great barrier against yielding to temptation. Since God is good, we do not need any other person (including Satan) to meet our needs. It is better to be hungry in the will of God than full outside the will of God. Once we start to doubt God’s goodness, we will be attracted to Satan’s offers, and the natural desires within will reach out for his bait. Moses warned Israel not to forget God’s goodness when they began to enjoy the blessings of the Promised Land (Deut. 6:10–15). We need this warning today.
上帝的良善是防止向试探屈服的巨大屏障。因為上帝是良善的，就不需要任何其他人（包括撒旦）来满足我们的需要。順服上帝的旨意而挨饿，胜过不順服祂旨意吃得饱足。一旦开始怀疑上帝的良善，撒但就会用牠的提议來吸引我们，老我犯罪的欲望就会因誘餌上鈎。当以色列人开始享受应许之地的祝福时，摩西警告他们不要忘记上帝的良善（申 6:10-15）。我们今天仍應記住这个警告。
 
James presented four facts about the goodness of God.
雅各對上帝的良善提出了有關的四件事实。
 
God gives only good gifts. Everything good in this world comes from God. If it did not come from God, it is not good. If it comes from God, it must be good, even if we do not see the goodness in it immediately. Paul’s thorn in the flesh was given to him by God and it seemed to be a strange gift; yet it became a tremendous blessing to him (2 Cor. 12:1–10).
上帝只赐予美好的礼物。世界上的一切美好的都来自上帝。若不是来自上帝，那就不好的。若是来自上帝，一定是好的，即使我们没有立即看到它的优点。保罗身上的刺是上帝给他的，似乎是奇怪的礼物；然而，对他来说却是极大的祝福（林後 12:1-10）。
 
The way God gives is good. We can translate the second clause “and every act of giving.” It is possible for someone to give us a gift in a manner that is less than loving. The value of a gift can be diminished by the way it is given to us. But when God gives us a blessing, He does it in a loving, gracious manner. What He gives and how He gives are both good.
上帝賜予的方式是好的。我们可以翻译第二个子句“和任何賜予的作为”。有人可能会以低於爱的方式给我们礼物。礼物的价值可能会因赠送给我们的心態而减少其情誼。但是，当上帝赐予我们祝福时，祂会以仁愛，恩慈的方式來做。祂賜予什麼和方式都是好的。
 
He gives constantly. “Cometh down” is a present participle: “it keeps on coming down.” God does not give occasionally; He gives constantly. Even when we do not see His gifts, He is sending them. How do we know this? Because He tells us so and we believe His Word.
上帝繼續地賜予。 “Come down”是现在分词：“它不断地賜給。”上帝不会偶尔賜予；祂不断地賜予。即使我们没有看到祂的恩赐，祂仍也在繼續的賜下。怎么知道呢？因为祂这样告诉我们，我们就這樣相信祂的话。
 
God does not change. There are no shadows with the Father of Lights. It is impossible for God to change. He cannot change for the worse because He is holy; He cannot change for the better because He is already perfect. The light of the sun varies as the earth changes, but the sun itself is still shining. If shadows come between us and the Father, He did not cause them. He is the unchanging God. This means that we should never question His love or doubt His goodness when difficulties come or temptations appear.
上帝永不改变。眾光之父没有轉動的影兒。祂是不可能改变的。上帝永遠不能变坏，因为祂是圣洁的；祂不能变得更好，因为祂已经是完美的。太阳的光随着地球的变化而变化，但太阳本身仍然在发光。如果影兒出现在我们和天父之间，那不是上帝造成的。祂是不变的上帝。这意味着当困难来临或试探出现时，永远不应该质疑祂對我們的爱，或怀疑祂的良善。
 
If King David had remembered the goodness of the Lord, he would not have taken Bathsheba and committed those terrible sins. At least this is what Nathan the prophet told the king. “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, ‘I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; and I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things’” (2 Sam. 12:7–8). Note the repetition of the word give in this brief statement. God had been good to David, yet David forgot God’s goodness and took the bait.
如果大卫王记念主的恩慈，他就不会带走拔示巴并犯下那些可怕的罪行。至少这是先知拿单告诉国王的。 “主以色列的上帝如此说：‘我膏你作以色列的王，救你脱离扫罗的手；我将你主人的家业赐给你，将你主人的妻子放在你的怀裡，又将以色列和犹大家业赐给你；你若還以為不足，我早就加倍地賜给你…’”（撒下 12:7-8）。请注意在这简短的陈述中重复了“賜予”这词。上帝一直对大卫很好，但大卫却忘记了上帝的良善而被私慾誘餌鈎上了。
 
The first barrier against temptation is a negative one: the judgment of God. This second barrier is positive: the goodness of God. A fear of God is a healthy attitude, but the love of God must balance it. We can obey Him because He may chasten us, or we can obey Him because He has already been so generous to us, and because we love Him for it.
首先抵制试探的屏障是消极的：上帝的审判。其次抵制試探的屏障是积极的：上帝的良善。敬畏上帝是健康的心态，但祂的爱必须平衡。我们可以順服祂，因为上帝可能会管教我们，或者我们可以順服祂，因为祂已经对我们如此慷慨，并且因为我们如此爱祂。
 
It was this positive attitude that helped to keep Joseph from sinning when he was tempted by his master’s wife (Gen. 39:7ff.). “Behold, with me around, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God?” (Gen. 39:8–9 nasb). Joseph knew that all these blessings had come from God. It was the goodness of God, through the hands of his employer, that restrained him in the hour of temptation.
是正面的心态帮助约瑟，在他受到主人妻子的诱惑时不犯罪（创世记 39:7 比照研讀）。 “看哪，有我在，主子不擔心家中的事，他所有的一切都交给我管。这房子里没有比我更大的人，除了你，凡他所有的对我没有任何隐瞒，因为你是他的妻子。我怎么能做这罪大恶極的事，得罪上帝呢？” （创世记 39:8-9 新美國標準版）。约瑟知道所有这些祝福都来自上帝。是祂的良善藉由他雇主的手，在试探的时刻约束了他。
 
God’s gifts are always better than Satan’s bargains. Satan never gives any gifts, because you end up paying for them dearly. “It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it” (Prov. 10:22 nasb). Achan forgot the warning of God and the good[1]ness of God, saw the forbidden wealth, coveted it, and took it. He became rich, but the sorrow that followed turned his riches into poverty (Josh. 7).
上帝的礼物总是比撒旦的交易好。撒旦从不赠送任何礼物，因为你最终会为它们付出高昂的代价。 “使人富足的是主的祝福，祂不加添忧愁”（箴言 10:22新美國標準版）。亚干忘记了上帝的警告和祂的美善，看到了禁忌的财富，贪恋它，并取得了它。他变得富有，但随之而来的悲伤使他的财富变成了贫穷（约书亚记  7章）。
 
The next time you are tempted, meditate on the goodness of God in your life. If you think you need something, wait on the Lord to provide it. Never toy with the devil’s bait. One purpose for temptation is to teach us patience. David was tempted twice to kill King Saul and hasten his own coronation, but he resisted the temptation and waited for God’s time.
下次你受到试探时，默想上帝在你生命中的良善。如果你认为你需要什么，就等待主来供应。永远不要玩弄魔鬼的诱饵。试探的目的之一是教我们忍耐。大卫曾两次受试探要杀死扫罗王并加速自己的加冕典礼，但他抗拒了试探，等待上帝的时间。
 
Consider God’s Divine Nature Within (1:18)
在內心思考上帝神聖的本性（1:18）
 
In the first barrier, God says, “Look ahead and beware of judgment.” In the second barrier, He says, “Look around and see how good I have been to you.” But with this third barrier, God says, “Look within and realize that you have been born from above and possess the divine nature.”
在為首的屏障中上帝说：“要警醒，提防审判。”在第二屏障中祂说，“环顾四周，看看我的良善。”但是对于这第三屏障祂说，“向内心看，意识到你是从上面生的，拥有神聖的良善。”
 
James used birth as a picture of desire leading to sin and death (James 1:15). He also used it to explain how we can enjoy victory over temptation and sin. The apostle John used a similar approach in 1 John 3:9, where “his seed” refers to the divine life and nature within the believer. Note the characteristics of this birth.
雅各用出生作为导致罪恶和死亡的欲望的圖像（雅各书 1:15）。他还用它来解释我们如何享受战胜诱惑和罪恶的乐趣。使徒约翰在约翰一书 3章9節中，使用了类似的方法，其中“他的后裔”指的是信徒里面神圣的生命和本性。注意这出生的特征。
 
It is divine. Nicodemus thought he had to reenter his mother’s womb to be born again, but he was wrong. This birth is not of the flesh: it is from above (John 3:1–7). It is the work of God. Just as we did not generate our own human birth, we cannot generate our own spiritual birth. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, it was God who performed the miracle.
是神圣的。尼哥底母以为他必须重新进入母腹才能重生，但他错了。这出生不是肉身：而是从上面生的（约翰福音 3：1-7）。这是上帝的作為。正如我不能产生自己人的出生一样，就也不能产生我们自己的灵性出生。当我们相信耶稣基督时，是上帝行神跡。
 
It is gracious. We did not earn it or deserve it; God gave us spiritual birth because of His own grace and will. “Which were born, not of blood [human descent], nor of the will of the flesh [human efforts], nor of the will of man [human assistance], but of God” (John 1:13). No one can be born again because of his relatives, his resolutions, or his religion. The new birth is the work of God.
是恩典。我们賺取不到，也不配得到；上帝因着祂自己的恩典和旨意，賜给了我们属灵重生的這些人。 “不是从人的血 [人的血统]，也不是从肉体的意願 [人的努力]，也不是从人的意志 [人的帮助]生的，而是从上帝生的”（约翰福音1:13）。没有人可以因为他的亲属，他的决心或他的宗教信仰而重生。重生是上帝的作為。
 
It is through God’s Word. Just as human birth requires two parents, so divine birth has two parents: the Word of God and the Spirit of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Peter 1:23). The Spirit of God uses the word of God to bring about the miracle of the new birth. Since the Word of God is “living and powerful” (Heb. 4:12) it can generate life in the heart of the sinner who trusts Christ, and that life is God’s life.
是藉由上帝的话。正如人的出生需要父母一样，從上帝重生的也要有父母：上帝的话和祂的聖灵。 “从肉身生的就是肉身；从灵生的就是灵”（约翰福音 3：6）。 “你們蒙了重生，不是由於能坏的种子，乃是由於不能坏的种子，是藉着上帝活潑常存的道”（彼得前书 1:23）。上帝的灵使用祂的话带来重生的神迹。既然上帝的话语是“有生命的，有能力的”（希伯來 4:12），上帝的道可以在相信基督的罪人的心中产生生命，而這生命就是上帝的生命。
 
It is the finest birth possible. We are “a kind of firstfruits of His creatures,” James wrote to Jewish believers, and the word firstfruits would be meaningful to them. The Old Testament Jews brought the firstfruits to the Lord as the expression of their devotion and obedience. “Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase” (Prov. 3:9). Of all the creatures God has in this universe, Christians are the very highest and the finest! We share God’s nature. For this reason, it is beneath our dignity to accept Satan’s bait or to desire sinful things. A higher birth must mean a higher life.
重生是最好的可能誕生。我们是“祂所造之物初熟的果子，”雅各写信给犹太信徒，初熟一词对他们来说意义重大。旧约犹太人将初熟的果子带到主面前，以表达他们的奉献和順服。 “要以你的财物和一切初熟之物荣耀主”（箴言 3:9）。對上帝在宇宙中所創造的所有萬物中，基督徒是最高和最优秀的！我们有上帝的本性。因此，接受撒但的诱饵或渴望罪恶的事，是有损我们的尊严。更高的出生必须意味着更高的生活形態。
 
By granting us a new birth, God declares that He cannot accept the old birth. Throughout the Bible, God rejects the firstborn and accepts the secondborn. He accepted Abel, not Cain; Isaac, not Ishmael; Jacob, not Esau. He rejects your first birth (no matter how noble it might have been in the eyes of men), and He announces that you need a second birth.
藉由恩赐的重生，上帝宣布祂不能接受老我。在整本圣经中，上帝拒绝承受亞當的頭一次生的，而接纳重生。祂接受了亚伯，而不是该隐；以撒，而不是以实玛利；雅各，不是以扫。祂拒绝你藉由亞當先袓承襲出生（无论在人眼中有多么高贵），上帝宣告你必需要重生。
 
It is this experience of the new birth that helps us overcome temptation. If we let the old nature (from the first birth) take over, we will fail. We received our old nature (the flesh) from Adam, and he was a failure. But if we yield to the new nature, we will succeed, for that new nature comes from Christ, and He is the Victor.
重生的经历帮助我们克服试探。若让旧的老我本性（头生的）接管，我们肯定会失败。因為从亚当那里又承受了我们老我的旧本性（肉体），而他是失败者。但若我们屈服于新的重生的本性，就会成功，因为新的本性来自基督，而祂是得胜者。
 
A Sunday school child explained the matter in simple terms. “Two men live in my heart: the old Adam and Jesus. When temptation knocks at the door, somebody has to answer. If I let Adam answer, I will sin, so I send Jesus to answer. He always wins!”
主日学的一位孩子，用简单的話解释重生的事。 “我心里住着两个人：老亚当和耶稣。当诱惑敲门时，必须有人回應。让亚当去，我可能会得勝，因此我請耶稣去應門。祂总是赢！”
 
Of course, this new nature must be fed the Word of God daily, that it might be strong to fight the battle. Just as the Holy Spirit used the Word of God to give you spiritual birth, He uses the Word to give you spiritual strength. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).
誠然，新的重生的本性必须每天都有上帝的话來喂养，这样才能有能力去爭戰。正如圣灵用上帝的话给你属灵的出生一样，祂也用上帝的话语给你属灵的大能。 “人活着，不是单靠食物，而是靠上帝口里所出的一切话”（马太福音 4:4）。
 
No matter what excuses we make, we have no one to blame for sin but ourselves. Our own desires lead us into temptation and sin. God is not to blame. But God has erected these three barriers to keep us from sin. If we heed the barriers, we will win a crown (James 1:12). If we break through the barriers, we will find a coffin (James 1:15). Which will it be?
无论尋找什么借口，除了我们自己之外，没有人可以为罪负责。是自己的欲望使我们陷入诱惑和罪恶。上帝不应该受到责备。但是上帝已经设立了这三屏障来阻止我们犯罪。如果我们留意這些屏障，将赢得冠冕（雅各书 1:12）。如果我们衝破這些障碍而犯罪，就会找到棺材（雅各书 1:15）。你想得的是哪个？