943 英翻中 (643) The Influence of Righteousness. 公義的偉大. 12/21/2024

943 英翻中 (643)                    The Influence of Righteousness.      公義的偉大.         12/21/2024

3. The Influence of Righteousness                                                                                                            3. 公義的偉大.                                                                                                                                             The life of righteousness must not become a solitary and selfish experience. When God blesses the righteous, He does it so they can share the blessing with others. “I will bless you,” God promised Abraham, “and you shall be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2 nkjv). The “blessed man” of Psalm 1 is “like a tree” that produces fruit for others to enjoy (Ps. 1:3). “The righteous will thrive like a green leaf…. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life” (Prov. 11:28, 30 niv).      公義的生活絕不能成為一種孤獨和自私的經驗。當神祝福義人時，祂這樣做是為了讓他們能夠與他人分享祝福。 「我要賜福給你，」神向亞伯拉罕保證，「你也必成為別人的福氣」（創 12:2 新欽定版）。詩篇第 1 篇中的“有福的人”“像一棵樹”，結出果子供別人享用（詩篇 1:3）。 「正義的人會像綠葉一樣茁壯成長......義人的果子就是生命樹」（箴 11:28, 30 新國際版）。                                                                                           Let’s trace the circles of influence that radiate from the lives of men and women of God who walk on His paths.                                                                                                                                                          讓我們追蹤走在神的道路上的男男女女的生活所輻射出的影響圈。                                                   They are blessed in their character. The eminent American preacher Phillips Brooks said that the purpose of life was the building of character through truth. Christian character is one thing we’ll take to heaven with us. We’ll all have glorified bodies like that of our Lord (Phil. 3:20–21; 1 John 3:1–3), and we’ll all be happy in His presence, but we will not all immediately have the same capacity for appreciating spiritual things. Every vessel will be filled, but not all vessels will be the same size. Those who have walked closely with their Lord will be delighted to see Him (2 Tim. 4:8), but others will be “ashamed before him at his coming” (1 John 2:28).                                                                                              他們的品格是有福的。美國著名傳教士菲利普​​斯布魯克斯說，人生的目的是透過真理塑造品格。基督徒的品格是我們可以帶到天堂的一件事。我們都會擁有像我們主一樣榮耀的身體（腓立比書 3:20-21；約翰一書 3:1-3），我們都會在他面前喜樂，但我們不會立即擁有同樣的身體。事物的能力。每個容器都會被填滿，但並非所有容器的大小都相同。那些與主親密同行的人會很高興見到他（提後書 4:8），但其他人會「在他來的時候在他面前感到羞愧」（約翰一書 2:28）。                                                                                                                                                                  The righteous desire the very best from the Lord, and He grants it to them (Prov. 10:24; 11:23). When we delight ourselves in the Lord, we will want the things that delight Him (Ps. 37:4). The developing of spiritual perception, a godly appetite, and the ability to choose the best (Phil. 1:9–11), is one of the blessed by-products of a holy walk with God. The more we become like Christ, the less we enjoy the “entertainment” of this world and long for the enrichment of the world to come.    義人渴望從主那裡得到最好的東西，祂就將這一切賜給他們（箴 10:24；11:23）。當我們以主為樂時，我們就會想要令祂喜悅的事物（詩篇 37:4）。屬靈知覺的發展、敬虔的胃口以及選擇最好事物的能力（腓 1:9-11），是與神潔同行的神聖副產品之一。我們越變得像基督，就越少享受這個世界的“娛樂”，也就越不渴望來世的豐富。                                                                                                           Of course, godly character comes from feeding on the Word and taking time to be holy. “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning” (Prov. 9:9). Even reproof helps the godly person to mature. “Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you” (v. 8 nkjv).   當然，敬虔的品格來自於以神的道為糧，並花時間變得聖潔。 「教導智者，他會更明智；教導義人，他的學問就必增長」（箴 9:9）。即使責備也能幫助敬虔的人成熟。 「不要糾正褻慢人，免得他恨你；責備智慧人，他就必愛你」（8節  新欽定版）。                                                                                                                                                    The righteous are kind and generous (21:26) and show their kindness not only in the way they treat people (29:7) but also in the way they treat animals. “A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel” (12:10 nkjv).                                                                     義人仁慈而慷慨（21:26），他們的仁慈不僅體現在對待人的方式上（29:7），也體現在對待動物的方式上。 「義人顧惜牲畜的性命；惡人的十種憐憫卻是殘酷的」（12:10 新欽定版）。                                                                                                                                                                       They are blessed in their home. “The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the righteous” (3:33 niv). “The house of the wicked will be overthrown, but the tent of the upright will flourish” (14:11 nkjv). The wicked may live in houses, and the righteous have only tents, but with the blessing of the Lord, the righteous person’s tent will be a palace! “The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous shall stand” (12:7).                                                          他們在家裡受祝福。 「耶和華咒詛惡人的家庭，賜福給義人的家庭」（3:33 新國際版）。 「惡人的家必傾覆，正直人的帳棚必興旺」（14:11 新欽定版）。惡人可能住在房屋裡，義人只有帳篷，但若有主的祝福，義人的帳篷將成為宮殿！ 「惡人傾覆，歸於無有；義人的家必站立得住」（12:7）。                                                                                                                                                   In the Hebrew culture, “house” refers to the family as well as the structure in which the family dwells (2 Sam. 7:16, 25, 27), which means that the children of the godly are included in the blessing. “The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him” (20:7 nkjv). “Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches” (24:3–4; see 14:1).                                                                                              在希伯來文化中，「家」指的是家庭以及家庭居住的結構（撒母耳記下 7:16,25,27），這意味著敬虔的兒女也包括在祝福之內。 「義人行事純正；他的子孫在他之後是有福的」（20:7 新欽定版）。 「房子因智慧而建造，因聰明而堅立；藉著知識，房間裡充滿了一切寶貴而令人愉快的財富」（24：3-4；見14：1）。                                                                                                             One of the greatest rewards in life is to be a blessing to your children and grandchildren. “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread” (Ps. 37:25 nkjv). This blessing includes material things (Prov. 13:22), but it applies even more to spiritual treasures.                                                                                                                                                    生命中最大的回報之一就是成為你的子孫的祝福。 「我曾經年輕過，現在已經老了；我卻沒有看見義人被離棄，也沒有看見他的後裔討飯」（詩 37:25 新欽定版）。這祝福包括物質財富（箴言 13:22），但它更適用於屬靈的財富。                                                                                                    When I was born, a doctor told my parents that I wouldn’t live beyond the age of two; yet the Lord enabled them to raise me, even though I wasn’t a robust child. Why did I survive? Partly because of a greatgrandfather who had prayed years before that there would be a preacher of the gospel in every generation of our family—and there has been! “The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot” (10:7).                                                                                                                                         當我出生時，一位醫生告訴我的父母，我活不過兩歲；然而主讓他們撫養我，儘管我不是個強壯的孩子。為什麼我能活下來？部分原因是一位曾祖父多年前就祈禱我們家族的每一代人都會有一位福音傳道者——而且確實如此！ 「義人的名譽必蒙福；惡人的名必朽壞」（10:7）。                                                                                                                                                             “Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home” (27:8 niv). In our contemporary American society, about 17 percent of the population relocates each year, but in ancient Israel, people stayed close to home. The extended family was the norm, with children and grandchildren learning to revere their ancestors and respectfully learning from them. The person who strayed from home was either up to no good or had to leave because of family problems.                                                      「人離家，如同飛鳥離巢」（27:8 新國際版）。 在當代美國社會，每年約有 17% 的人口搬遷，但在古代以色列，人們卻留在家附近。大家庭是常態，子孫學會尊敬祖先並向他們學習。離家出走的人要不是不懷好意，就是因為家庭問題而不得不離開。                                                              But the verse applies spiritually as well as geographically: We must not stray from the example of our godly ancestors or the spiritual treasures they left us. How tragic it is when children and grandchildren ridicule and reject the spiritual heritage of their family and turn instead to the ways of the world.                                                                                                                                                                      但這節經文不僅適用於地理，也適用於靈命：我們絕不能偏離我們敬虔祖先的榜樣或他們留給我們的精神寶藏。當子孫們嘲笑和拒絕家族的精神遺產，而轉向世俗的方式時，這是多麼悲慘的事情。                                                                                                                                                          They are blessed as citizens and leaders. “When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; and when the wicked perish, there is jubilation. By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked” (11:10–11 nkjv). “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan” (29:2 nkjv).      他們作為            公民和領導人受到祝福。 「義人得福，全城都歡喜；當惡人滅亡時，人們歡呼雀躍。城因正直人的祝福而高舉，卻因惡人的口而傾覆」（11:10-11 新欽定版）。 「當義人掌權，百姓歡喜；惡人作王，百姓就哀嘆」（29:2 新欽定版）。                                                                                         Israel was a monarchy and the king was expected to rule in the fear of the Lord (20:8, 26). “It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness” (16:12). “Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness” (25:5). God cast out the Canaanite nations because their sins were abominable to Him (Deut. 12:29–32), and He chastened Israel when they imitated the sins of those nations (Judg. 2). God would not tolerate the sin of idolatry.                                                                                                                                                    以色列是君主制國家，國王應該敬畏耶和華來統治（20:8, 26）。 「作惡是君王所憎惡的；因為王位是靠公義堅立的」（16:12）。 「除掉王面前的惡人，王的寶座就必因公義堅立」（25：5）。神驅逐了迦南民族，因為他們的罪對他來說是不可憎惡的（申命記 12:29-32），當以色列效法這些民族的罪時，他就管教他們（士師記 2）。上帝不會容忍拜偶像的罪。                         By turning away from God’s law, wicked rulers led the way for the nation to become evil. Whenever the nation had a godly king, such as David, Josiah, or Hezekiah, God blessed His people. But when an ungodly king ascended the throne, the Lord withdrew His blessing and left them to their own devices. Eventually, the northern kingdom of Israel was taken over by Assyria, the Southern Kingdom of Judah was exiled in Babylon, and Jerusalem and the temple destroyed.                                                          邪惡的統治者背棄上帝的律法，導致國家走向邪惡。每當這個國家有一位敬虔的君王，例如大衛、約西亞或希西家時，神就會祝福他的子民。但當一個不敬虔的國王登上王位時，主就撤回了他的祝福，讓他們自行其是。最終，北國以色列被亞述佔領，南國猶大被流放到巴比倫，耶路撒冷和聖殿被毀。                                                                                                                                  During times of spiritual decay, it was the godly remnant of righteous people who maintained the flickering flame of spiritual life in the nation. When false prophets, greedy priests, and ruthless kings joined together to lead the nation away from the true God, it was the faithful remnant that served as salt and light in the land. “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name” (Mal. 3:16).                                                                                               在靈命衰落的時期，正是正義之人​​的敬虔殘餘維持了這個國家精神生活的閃爍火焰。當假先知、貪婪的祭司和殘暴的君王聯合起來帶領國家遠離真神時，忠心的餘民在這片土地上充當了鹽和光。 「敬畏耶和華的人屢次彼此說話，耶和華垂聽，也聽見了；並且有一本紀念冊，為那些敬畏耶和華、思念他名的人，寫在他面前」（瑪拉基書 3： 16）。                                                      Israel is the only nation that has a special covenant relationship with God, but the principle of Proverbs 14:34 still stands: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (niv). Deuteronomy 12, Amos 1—2, and Romans 1:18–32 make it clear that God judges the Gentile nations for their sins even though He didn’t give them the same law that He gave to Israel (Ps. 147:19–20). National leaders can’t escape the judgment of God when they lead the people away from God’s holy standards. Legalizing sin doesn’t make it right. No wonder Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.”                                                                                                     以色列是唯一與神有特殊立約關係的國家，但箴言 14:34 的原則仍然成立：「公義使邦國高舉，罪卻使萬民蒙羞」（新國際版）。申命記12 章、阿摩司書1-2 和羅馬書1:18-32 清楚表明，神會因外邦人的罪孽審判他們，儘管他沒有賜給他們與以色列人相同的律法（詩篇147 :19- 20）。當國家領導人帶領人民背離上帝神聖的標準時，他們就無法逃脫上帝的審判。使罪合法化並不意味著它是正確的。難怪托馬斯·傑斐遜寫道：“當我想到上帝是公正的時，我確實為我的國家顫抖。”                                                                                                                                                           Godly parents can raise godly children, and godly children can provide godly influence in their communities and in the nation. In a democracy, where leadership is elected and not inherited, the Lord’s remnant must exert as much influence for righteousness as possible; certainly every believer ought to pray for those in authority (1 Tim. 2:1–8). I have ministered the Word in hundreds of churches and conferences in the United States, and I confess that rarely have I heard government leaders mentioned in the pulpit prayers. If the church obeyed the Word and prayed, national leaders would have to take God into account in their deliberations. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; He directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases” (Prov. 21:1 niv).                                                                                               敬虔的父母可以養育敬虔的孩子，敬虔的孩子也可以在他們的社區和國家中產生敬虔的影響力。在民主國家，領導階層是選舉產生的，而不是繼承的，主的餘民必須盡可能發揮正義的影響力；當然，每個信徒都應該為那些有權柄的人禱告（提摩太前書 2：1-8）。我曾在美國數百個教堂和會議中宣講過神的道，我承認我很少聽到在講壇祈禱中提到政府領導人。如果教會遵守神的話語並祈禱，國家領導人必須在他們的審議中考慮到上帝。 「王的心在耶和華的手中；他隨心所欲地引導它，就像水道一樣」（箴言21：1新國際版）。                                                       I occasionally hear people lamenting the state of the nation, but most of them fail to point out the main cause: The church collectively and believers individually aren’t doing their job in spreading righteousness. If the righteous remnant were spreading more salt and light, there would be less decay and darkness (Matt. 5:13–16). Christians have a job to do: praying for all in authority, winning the lost, living godly lives, and raising godly children.                                                                                                       我偶爾聽到人們感嘆國家的現狀，但大多數人都沒有指出主要原因：教會集體和信徒個人沒有盡到傳播公義的職責。如果正義的餘民傳播更多的鹽和光，腐朽和黑暗就會減少（太 5:13-16）。基督徒有工作要做：為所有有權柄的人禱告，贏得失喪的人，過敬虔的生活，養育敬虔的孩子。                                                                                                                                                                  And it would help if we humbled ourselves and sought God’s face (2 Chron. 7:14); for apart from the deep working of God’s Spirit in hearts, there is no hope for any nation.                                                          如果我們謙卑自己並尋求上帝的面，這將會有所幫助（歷代誌下 7:14）；因為若沒有上帝的靈在人心中深入運行，任何國家都沒有希望。                                                                                               “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance” (Ps. 33:12 niv).                                                                                                                                                                       「以耶和華為上帝的那國，祂所揀選為基業的百姓，都是有福的」（詩篇 33:12 新國際版）。

Notes  註                                                                                                                                                      1 Paul is referring to Abraham’s faith in Genesis 15:6. Some people have the idea that sinners during the Old Testament era were saved by good works, while sinners today are saved by faith in Christ, but this idea is wrong. Anybody who has ever been saved has been saved by faith, because nobody can be saved by good works (Eph. 2:8–9). Hebrews 11 informs us that Old Testament saints were saved by faith, and Habakkuk 2:4 states, “The just shall live by his faith.” This verse is quoted in Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38; these three epistles make it very clear that salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ and faith alone.                                                                                                                                              1 保羅在創世記 15:6 中指的是亞伯拉罕的信心。有些人認為舊約時代的罪人是靠善行得救，而今天的罪人是靠信基督得救，但這種想法是錯的。任何曾經得救的人都是因著信心得救的，因為沒有人可以因著好行為而得救（弗2:8-9）。希伯來書 11 章告訴我們，舊約聖徒因信得救，哈巴谷書 2:4 說：「義人必因信得生」。羅馬書 1:17、加拉太書 3:11 和希伯來書 10:38 都引用了這節經文；這三封書信非常清楚地表明，救恩是因著對耶穌基督的信心，並且唯獨靠著信心。  2 Justification is the gracious act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous in Jesus Christ and gives us a righteous standing in His sight. Sanctification is the divine process whereby God makes His children more like Jesus Christ as we walk in the Spirit and yield to His will. The person who is justified will want to reject sin and obey God because justification involves sharing the life of God as well as having a right standing before God (Rom. 5:18). A right position before the Lord leads to a right practice in daily life.                                                                                                                          2 稱義是神恩典的作為，藉此他宣告相信的罪人在耶穌基督裡為義，並讓我們在他眼中擁有正義的地位。成聖是一個神聖的過程，當我們順著聖靈而行並順服祂的旨意時，神就會使祂的孩子更像耶穌基督。稱義的人會想要拒絕罪惡並服從上帝，因為稱義涉及分享上帝的生命以及在上帝面前擁有正確的地位（羅馬書5:18）。在主面前有正確的立場會帶來日常生活中正確的實行。