947 英翻中 (647) The Word became flesh. 道成肉身. 12/25/2024

947 英翻中 (647)                    The Word became flesh.                   道成肉身.                12/25/2024

我們在天上的父, 感謝祢賜下祢的愛子給我們, 為我們的罪, 死在十字架上, 使信祢的人有永生的盼望. 今天孩子在眾人面前作謝飯禱告時, 沒有見證說出祢賜下祢的愛子是為拯救我這罪人.  求主耶穌基督饒恕.  奉主的聖名禱告.  阿們.  

4. Greed                                                                                                                                                        4. 貪婪                                                                                                                                                          “He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house” (Prov. 15:27 nkjv). “Hell and Destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied” (27:20 nkjv).                                                                    「貪圖財利的，禍害自己的家」（箴 15:27 NKJV）。 「地獄與毀滅永遠不會滿；因此，人的眼睛永遠不會滿足」（27:20 NKJV）。                                                                                                          A 1994 Money magazine survey indicates that Americans are a greedy lot and will even cheat to “make money.” Twenty-four percent said they wouldn’t correct a waiter who undercharged them, up from 15 percent in 1987; 9 percent said they’d keep money found in a wallet, up from 4 percent in their 1987 survey.10 Here’s the saddest of all: Twenty-three percent said they’d be willing to commit a crime to “get $10 million” if they knew they wouldn’t get caught! The love of money is still a root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim. 6:10).                                                                                                                                     1994年《金錢》雜誌的一項調查表明，美國人是一個貪婪的人，甚至會為了「賺錢」而欺騙。 24% 的人表示，他們不會糾正少收他們費用的服務員，而 1987 年這一比例為 15%； 9% 的人表示他們會把發現的錢放在錢包裡，這一比例高於 1987 年調查中的 4%。 「如果他們知道就不會被抓住了！貪愛金錢仍是一切罪惡的根源（提摩太前書 6:10）。                                                            God calls covetousness idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5) because a covetous heart puts something else in the place that God rightfully should occupy in our lives. But the modern business society applauds covetousness and calls it “ambition” and “the first step to success.” Business magazines praise the “pyramid climbers” who get to the top, no matter how they got there. Unfortunately, this contemporary view of success has invaded the church, and some Christian workers have thrown ethics and godliness aside in their quest to become important and successful.                              神稱貪婪為偶像崇拜（弗 5:5；歌羅西書 3:5），因為貪婪的心將其他事物置於神在我們生命中理應佔據的位置。但現代商業社會對貪婪表示讚賞，並稱之為「野心」和「成功的第一步」。商業雜誌稱讚那些登上頂峰的“金字塔攀登者”，無論他們是如何到達那裡的。不幸的是，這種當代的成功觀已經侵入了教會，一些基督教工人在追求變得重要和成功的過程中把道德和敬虔拋在了一邊。                                                                                                                                      An Arabian proverb says, “Covetousness has for its mother unlawful desire, for its daughter injustice, and for its friend violence.” Is it any wonder that our modern covetous society witnesses so much injustice and violence? The only cure is to change the heart and replace desire for things with devotion to God, and only Jesus Christ can perform that miracle.  阿拉伯諺語說：“貪婪，其母親有不正當的慾望，其女兒有不公正，其朋友有暴力。”我們現代貪婪的社會目睹瞭如此多的不公義和暴力，這有什麼奇怪的嗎？唯一的治療方法是改變內心，用對上帝的奉獻取代對事物的渴望，只有耶穌基督才能創造這個奇蹟。                                                                                                           If believers today would read John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, they’d meet Mr. Hold-the-World, Mr. Save-All, and Mr. Money-Love; they’d discover what Bunyan thought about Demas, the one-time associate of Paul who fell in love with “this present world” (Col. 4:14; Philem. 24; 2 Tim. 4:10). While it isn’t a sin to be wealthy—Abraham and David were both wealthy men and yet godly men—it is a sin to want more than we really need and to keep what we ought to give. Covetousness is like cancer: It grows secretly and robs us of spiritual health, and the only remedy is to cut it out.                                            如果今天的信徒讀約翰·班揚的《天路歷程》，他們就會遇到「掌管世界」先生、「拯救一切」先生和「愛錢」先生；他們會發現班揚對底馬的看法，底馬是保羅曾經的同事，愛上了「今世」（西 4:14；腓利門書 24；提後書 4:10）。雖然富有並不是罪——亞伯拉罕和大衛都是富有的人，同時也是敬虔的人——但想要超過我們真正需要的東西並保留我們應該給予的東西就是罪。貪婪就像癌症：它悄悄地生長，剝奪我們靈性的健康，唯一的補救辦法就是把它切除。                                                                                                                                                                       In chapter 7 of this study, we studied what Proverbs says about wealth, and there’s no need to repeat it. The emphasis in Proverbs is on seeing material possessions as the gift of God, thanking Him for them, and using them for the glory of God and the good of others. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, taught his people:                                                                                                                  在本研究的第七章中，我們研究了箴言中關於財富的說法，無需重複。箴言的重點是將物質財富視為上帝的恩賜，為此感謝上帝，並利用它們來榮耀上帝和造福他人。衛理公會創始人約翰衛斯理教導他的人民：                             

                      Do all the good you can,      盡你所能，                                                                                                    By all the means you can,    用你能用的一切手段，                                                                                In all the ways you can,       用你能用的一切方式，                                                                                  In all the places you can,     在你能用的所有地方，                                                                                  At all the times you can,      在你能用的時間，                                                                                          To all the people you can,    對你能用的所有人，                                                                                      As long as you ever can.      只要你能做到。

               If ever there was a prescription for curing greed, that’s it!                                                                           如果有治療貪婪的藥方，那就是它了！

5. Pride                                                                                                                                                      5. 驕傲                                                                                                                                                  Many theologians believe that pride is the “sin of all sins,” for it was pride that changed an angel into the devil (Isa. 14:12–15). Lucifer’s, “I will be like the Most High” (v. 14) challenged the very throne of God; in the Garden of Eden, it became, “You will be like God” (Gen. 3:5). Eve believed it, and you know the rest of the story. “Glory to man in the highest” is the rallying cry of proud, godless humanity that’s still defying God and trying to build heaven on earth (11:1–9; Rev. 18).                                        許多神學家相信驕傲是“萬罪中的罪”，因為正是驕傲將天使變成了魔鬼（賽 14:12-15）。路西弗的「我要與至高者一樣」（14節）挑戰了神的寶座。在伊甸園裡，它變成了：「你們便如神」（創 3:5）。夏娃相信了，你也知道故事的其餘部分。 「榮耀歸與至高者」是驕傲、不敬虔的人類的戰鬥口號，他們仍然反抗上帝並試圖在地上建立天堂（11：1-9；啟示錄18）。 

          “The proud and arrogant man—‘Mocker’ is his name; he behaves with overweening pride” (Prov. 21:24 niv). “Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor” (18:12 niv; see 29:23). God hates “a proud look” (6:16–17) and promises to destroy the house of the proud (15:25). Just about every Christian can quote Proverbs 16:18, but not all of us heed it: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (nkjv).                                                                      「驕傲自大的人－『嘲笑者』是他的名字；他行事驕傲自大」（箴 21:24 niv）。 「人在沒落之前，心是驕傲的；但在尊榮之前，先要謙卑」（18:12 niv；參閱29:23）。神討厭「驕傲的面容」（6:16-17），並應許要毀滅驕傲人的家（15:25）。幾乎每個基督徒都會引用《箴言》16:18，但並非所有人都留意它：「驕傲在滅亡之前，狂傲的靈在跌倒之前」（NKJV）。                    The saintly Scottish preacher James Denney said, “No man can bear witness to Christ and to himself at the same time. No man can give the impression that he himself is clever and that Christ is mighty to save.” That quotation should be printed in large letters and displayed in every church sanctuary and conference auditorium where God’s people gather. It might humble some of the preachers and musicians who call so much attention to themselves that the hungry sheep can’t see Jesus. If the greatest sin is the corruption of the highest good, then people who use the Christian religion to promote themselves are guilty of great transgression.                                                                         聖潔的蘇格蘭傳教士詹姆斯‧丹尼說：「沒有人可以同時為基督作見證，也為自己作見證。沒有人能給人留下這樣的印象：他自己很聰明，而基督有大能來拯救。引文應以大字印刷，並展示在上帝子民聚集的每個教堂聖所和會議禮堂中。這可能會讓一些傳道者和音樂家感到謙卑，他們把太多的注意力放在自己身上，以至於飢餓的羊看不見耶穌。如果最大的罪惡是對最高善的敗壞，那麼利用基督教來推銷自己的人就犯了極大的罪。                                                              Solomon illustrated our desire for recognition and praise by writing about honey. “It is not good to eat much honey; so to seek one’s own glory is not glory” (25:27 nkjv). Balance this with 25:16: “Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit” (25:16). If honey represents praise, then beware of trying to digest too much of it! More than one celebrity has admitted being “sick of it all” and wishing he or she could just enjoy life as a normal average citizen. I think it was the late radio comedian Fred Allen who defined celebrities as “people who work hard to be famous so they have to wear dark glasses so as not to be recognized.”                                                                            所羅門透過描寫蜂蜜來表達我們對認可和讚美的渴望。 「蜂蜜吃多了不好；所以，追求自己的榮耀並不是榮耀」（25:27 NKJV）。與 25:16 平衡：「你找到蜂蜜了嗎？你要吃多少就吃多少，免得你吃飽而吐」（25:16）。如果蜂蜜代表讚美，那麼要小心不要消化太多它！不只一位名人承認“厭倦了這一切”，並希望自己能夠像普通公民一樣享受生活。我認為是已故廣播喜劇演員弗雷德艾倫將名人定義為「努力工作以出名的人，因此他們必須戴上墨鏡以免被認出」。                                                                                                                                                                   “The pride of life” is one of the commodities that the world system offers (1 John 2:15–17), and most people will pay anything to acquire it. Bible commentator William Barclay said, “Pride is the ground in which all the other sins grow, and the parent from which all the other sins come.” If we’re going to get rid of the poisonous fruit, we have to attack the dangerous root; that’s a painful thing to do. For the believer, the answer is found in obeying the Christ described in John 13:1–17 and Philippians 2:1–18.                                                                                                                                                                 「今生的驕傲」是世界體系所提供的商品之一（約翰一書2：15-17），大多數人願意不惜一切代價來獲得它。聖經評論家威廉·巴克利說：“驕傲是所有其他罪惡生長的土壤，也是所有其他罪惡的根源。”如果我們要除掉有毒的果實，我們就必須攻擊危險的根源；這是一件痛苦的事。對信徒來說，答案可以在服從約翰福音 13:1-17 和腓立比書 2:1-18 中描述的基督中找到。             The five “popular sins” I’ve discussed—drunkenness, disrespect, illusion, greed, and pride—have been with mankind since the days of the flood, but for some reason, they seem to be even more prevalent today. Perhaps it’s because the news coverage is better. Or maybe it’s because we’re in the last days. We expect to find these sins prevalent among lost people, but we don’t expect to find them in the church. If the church ever hopes to witness to the lost world, it must be different from the lost world.                                                                                                                                                                    我討論過的五種「流行罪」——酗酒、不尊重、幻想、貪婪和驕傲——自洪水時代以來就一直伴隨著人類，但出於某種原因，它們在今天似乎更加普遍。也許是因為新聞報導比較好。也或許是因為我們正處於末世。我們期望發現這些罪在失喪的人中普遍存在，但我們不期望在教會中發現它們。如果教會希望向失落的世界作見證，它就必須與失落的世界有所不同。                  Paul learned that believers at Corinth were getting drunk at their church meetings (1 Cor. 11:21), and he warned them that drunkards would not inherit the kingdom of God (6:10; see 5:11).                              保羅得知哥林多的信徒在教會聚會中喝醉了（哥林多前書 11:21），他警告他們醉酒的人不能承受神的國（6:10；參考 5:11）。                                                                                                                Some children in the Ephesian church were not respecting and obeying their parents, and Paul reminded them that the fifth commandment still applied (Eph. 6:1–3).                                                               以弗所教會的一些孩子不尊重和服從他們的父母，保羅提醒他們第五誡仍然適用（弗 6:1-3）。                                                                                                                                                                     The apostle John warned the saints to whom he sent his first epistle that the world was passing away, with all of its illusions, and that they had better keep themselves from idols (1 John 2:15–17; 5:21).                                                                                                                                                                     使徒約翰警告他寫第一封書信的聖徒們，世界和一切幻想都將過去，他們最好遠離偶像（約翰一書2：15-17；5：21）。                                                                                                                      Jesus warned His disciples, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness” (Luke 12:15); Paul wrote to the Colossian believers that covetousness was idolatry (Col. 3:5). 耶穌警告祂的門徒：「你們要謹慎，防備貪心」（路 12:15）；保羅寫信給歌羅西信徒說，貪婪就是拜偶像（歌羅西書 3:5）。          Paul cautioned the churches not to appoint young Christians to places of spiritual leadership, “lest being lifted up with pride [they] fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). And John had to deal with proud Diotrephes, who was running the church and wouldn’t submit to the authority of God’s apostle (3 John 9–11).                                                                                                                                          保羅告誡教會不要任命年輕的基督徒擔任屬靈領袖，「免得他們驕傲自大，落入魔鬼的刑罰」（提摩太前書 3:6）。約翰也得對付驕傲的丟特腓，他管理教會，不肯服從上帝使徒的權柄（約翰三書 9-11）。                                                                                                                                          Alas, these sins are found in the church!                                                                                                      唉，這些罪惡都存在於教會中！                                                                                                              James was right: “My brethren [and sisters], these things ought not to be so” (James 3:10).                      雅各是對的：「我的弟兄們，這是不應該的」（雅各書 3:10）。

Notes  註                                                                                                                                                      1 Arnold M. Washton and Donna Boundy, Willpower’s Not Enough (New York: Harper & Row, 1989), 7–18.                                                                                                                                                            1 阿諾德·M·華盛頓和唐娜·邦迪，《意志力不夠》（紐約：Harper & Row，1989 年），7-18。    2 See Habakkuk 2:15; Isaiah 5:11–22; 28:1–3; Amos 6:3–6; Deuteronomy 21:20.                                    2 參閱哈巴谷書 2:15；以賽亞書 5:11-22； 28:1-3；阿摩司書 6:3-6；申命記 21:20。                     3 I haven’t been able to learn when the Jews added wine to their Passover meal, although some authorities claim the custom goes back to the days of the first temple. Wine isn’t mentioned in Exodus 12:11–27, but by the time you get to the New Testament, wine is a part of the meal (Matt. 26:26–30). Would they use unleavened bread and leavened (fermented) wine? Since four different cups of wine were used in the ceremony, the wine was diluted.                                                                                      3 我無法得知猶太人何時在逾越節晚餐中添加葡萄酒，儘管一些權威人士聲稱這一習俗可以追溯到第一座聖殿的時代。出埃及記 12:11-27 中沒有提到酒，但當你讀到新約時，酒就成了膳食的一部分（太 26:26-30）。他們會使用無酵麵包和發酵（發酵）酒嗎？由於儀式中使用了四杯不同的酒，所以酒被稀釋了。                                                                                                                 4 The Lincoln (Neb.) Star, July 15, 1994.                                                                                                    4 《林肯（內布拉斯加州）星報》，1994 年 7 月 15 日。                                                                   5 It’s worth noting that immorality is closely associated with drunkenness (Prov. 23:27–28), for the two often go together.                                                                                                                                          5 值得注意的是，不道德與醉酒密切相關（箴言 23：27-28），因為兩者經常同時出現。            6 The Hebrew word translated “redness” in the KJV and “bloodshot” in the NIV, means “dullness, dimness.” The drunkard’s vision is blurred so that he doesn’t see clearly what is there and claims he sees what isn’t there. Too much alcohol can produce bloodshot eyes as well as a ruddy face. Some expositors think that the word suggests “blacked eyes,” i.e., as the result of a fight; yet true as it is, that probably isn’t what the writer had in mind.                                                                                                  6 希伯來文在英皇欽定本 (KJV) 中被翻譯為“紅色”，在新國際版 (NIV) 中被翻譯為“血絲”，意思是“暗淡、昏暗”。醉漢的視力模糊，看不清那裡的東西，卻聲稱看到了不存在的東西。過多的酒精會導致眼睛充血以及臉色紅潤。一些解經者認為這個詞暗示“眼睛變黑”，即打鬥的結果；但事實上，這可能不是作者的初衷。                                                                                                     7 Lemuel means “devoted to God” and may have been another name for King Solomon. God’s special name for Solomon was Jedidiah, which means “beloved of Jehovah.” We don’t know for sure who King Lemuel and his mother were, and it’s useless to speculate. 7 雷米爾的意思是“獻身於上帝”，可能是所羅門王的另一個名字。上帝給所羅門的特別名字是耶底底亞，意思是「耶和華所愛的」。我們不確定雷米爾國王和他的母親是誰，猜測是沒有用的。                                                   8 In Paul’s day, wine was used for medicinal purposes (1 Tim. 5:23), but this doesn’t give us license to make an ancient practice into a modern norm. Many people seize this one verse but reject everything else Paul wrote in this epistle. If we’re going to obey one admonition, why not obey all of them?            8 在保羅的時代，酒被用於醫療目的（提摩太前書 5:23），但這並不意味著我們有資格將一種古老的做法變成現代的規範。許多人抓住這一節經文，卻拒絕保羅在這封信中所寫的其他一切內容。如果我們要遵守一項勸告，為什麼不遵守所有的勸告呢？                                                     9 A report issued by the Commission on Substance Abuse at Colleges and Universities, sponsored by Columbia University, states that drinking is a serious problem on American campuses. Ninety-five percent of violent crime on campus is alcoholrelated. Sixty percent of the female students who had sexually transmitted diseases were “under the influence of alcohol at the time of intercourse,” and alcohol was involved in 90 percent of all campus rapes. At the time of the survey, 42 percent of the students (men and women) admitted “binge drinking” within the previous two weeks. One-third of the students drink primarily to get drunk. Students who live in fraternity and sorority houses drink more than other students. One ponders the future of the nation if the next generation of leaders is already suffering from “bottle fatigue.”                                                                                                                    9 由哥倫比亞大學贊助的大學藥物濫用委員會發布的一份報告指出，飲酒是美國校園的一個嚴重問題。校園內百分之九十五的暴力犯罪與酒精有關。 60%患有性病的女學生“在性交時受到酒精的影響”，而90%的校園強姦案都與酒精有關。調查時，42% 的學生（男性和女性）承認在過去兩週內「酗酒」。三分之一的學生第一次喝酒是為了喝醉。住在兄弟會和聯誼會的學生比其他學生喝酒更多。如果下一代領導人已經遭受“瓶子疲勞”，人們就會思考國家的未來。               10 Twenty-one percent of the people ages eighteen to thirty-four would keep the money, but only two percent of the people sixty-five and older would do so. Where is our younger generation getting its ethical standards.                                                                                                                                        10  21% 的 18 歲至 34 歲的人會保留這筆錢，但只有 2% 的 65 歲及以上的人會這樣做。我們的年輕一代的道德標準在哪裡？