1664英翻中 ( 生命活書- 约翰福音-来得生命前段) 约翰福音第三章 重生 14/08/2026

1664英翻中 (   生命活書-    约翰福音-来得生命前段)                                             约翰福音第三章                             重生                                                           14/08/2026

CHAPTER THREE 

John 3

 A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

 约翰福音第三章  

生与死的问题 ---    重生    

Not only was Benjamin Franklin a great statesman and inventor, but he was also a great correspon dent and received letters from famous people from all over the world. One day he received what could well have been the most important letter ever to come to his desk. It was from the well-known British preacher George Whitefield                                                                                                                       富兰克林 (Benjamin Franklin) 不只是大政治家和发明家, 他也是伟大的新闻从业员, 并与世界各处有名的人有信件的来往.  有一天, 他收到从英国著名的布道家怀特.乔治 (George Whitefield) 寄来的一封最重要的信.

 

“I find that you grow more and more famous in the learned world,” Whitefield wrote. “As you have made such progress in investigating the mysteries of electric ity, I now humbly urge you to give diligent heed to the mystery of the new birth. It is a most important and interesting study and, when mastered, will richly repay you for your pains.” 

  怀特.乔治说,“ 你现在是世上有学问的人中, 名气越来越大, 尤其是在电的领域中的伟大发现, 现在我恳切的请求你, 也对新生命加以精细的思考. 它是非常重要和有趣的, 并且当你得到, 它会丰富的回报你所付出的代價”.

The new birth is one of the key topics in John 3. In addition, in this chapter we see Jesus Christ in three different roles: the Teacher (John 3:1–21), the Bridegroom (John 3:22–30), and the Witness (John 3:31–36). 

  新生命是约翰福音第三章的主题.  你並且還可在本章中, 讀到耶稣所扮演的三个不同的角色 : 教师(1-21), 新郎 (22-30), 和见证者 (31-36).

1.  Jesus Christ the Teacher (3:1–21) 

1.      耶稣基督是教师(约 3:1-21)

We have already noted the connection between John 2:23–25 and 3:1. Nicodemus was initially attracted to Jesus because of the miracles He did. He wanted to know more about Jesus and the doctrines that He taught. Nicodemus himself was “the teacher of the Jews” (John 3:10, literal translation), and he had great respect for the Teacher from Galilee. 

约翰福音2章23至25节和第三章连在一起,     知道尼哥底母是因耶稣所行的神迹所吸引.     他要知道更多有关耶稣和祂的教导.       尼哥底母也是“犹太人的师傅” (3:10, 字面的翻译) 并且在加利利的教师中很受尊敬.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, which meant he lived by the strictest possible religious rules. Not all of the Pharisees were hypocrites (as one may infer from Jesus’ comments recorded in Matt. 23), and evidence indi cates that Nicodemus was deeply sincere in his quest for truth. He came to Jesus by night, not because he was afraid of being seen, but most likely because he wanted to have a quiet uninterrupted conversation with the new Teacher “come from God.” The fact that Nicodemus used the plural pronoun “we,” and Jesus responded with the plural “ye” (John 3:7) may indicate that Nicodemus was representing the religious leaders. He was a man of high moral character, deep religious hunger, and yet profound spiritual blindness. 

尼哥底母是生活在宗教律法下非常严谨的法利赛人.     并不是所有的法利人都是虚伪者 (可能是基于记载在马太福音23章有关耶稣对法利赛人的批评), 事实证明尼哥底母是对真理非常想往追求的人. 至于,     他晚上来见耶稣, 不是因为他怕被人發現, 很可能是因为他想有一个安静不受打扰的时间, 能与“从上帝那里来”的新教师交谈.     至于尼哥底母用复数“我们”, 而耶稣回答用复数“你们”(3:7),  可能是尼哥底母代表宗教领袖們.  他的道德标准很高,     对宗教有深厚的饥渴, 并且还在灵性上有深度的瞎眼.

In order to instruct Nicodemus in the basics of sal vation, our Lord used four quite different illustrations.

我们的主为了啟示尼哥底母得救的基本方法, 特别舉出四个不同的例子:

 Birth (vv. 3:7). Our Lord began with that which was familiar, birth being a universal experience. The word translated “again” also means “from above.” Though all human beings have experienced natural birth on earth, if they expect to go to heaven, they must experience a supernatural spiritual birth from above. 

重生(3:7).       我们的主开始以重生为例, 这是世人比较熟悉的经验.“再(again)”字也可翻译为“从上面”的意思. 虽然世人都熟悉自然生的肉体, 若要希望进天堂, 那就必须经历从上面属灵的重生.

Once again, we meet with the blindness of sinners: this well-educated religious leader, Nicodemus, did not understand what the Savior was talking about! Jesus was speaking about a spiritual birth, but Nicodemus thought only of a physical birth. The situation is no different today. When you talk with people about being born again, they often begin to discuss their fam ily’s religious heritage, their church membership, religious ceremonies, and so on. 

  我们又再一次,   论到罪人是瞎子:  有教养的宗教领袖尼哥底母, 他不了解救主耶稣所谈论的是什么!     祂讲的是从灵生的生命, 尼哥底母仍以为谈的是有关地上肉体的生命.  在今日它們并没有什么分别.  若你与人谈重生的事, 他们常会以为你讨论他们的家庭在宗教上的传统, 教会的成員, 宗教的仪式等等事項.

Being a patient teacher, our Lord picked up on Nicodemus’s words and further explained the new birth. To be “born of water” is to be born physically (“enter a second time into his mother’s womb”) but to be born again means to be born of the Spirit. Just as there are two parents for physical birth, so there are two “parents” for spiritual birth: the Spirit of God (John 3:5) and the Word of God (James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23–25). The Spirit of God takes the Word of God and, when the sinner believes, imparts the life of God. 

  我们的主, 是很有耐心的教师, 祂從尼哥底母的话中选出几句来解释新生命.“从水生的”是从肉体生的 (“再一次进入母亲的子宫”),  但是重生意义是經由圣灵生的.     正如从肉体生的有父亲与母亲的“双亲”,      从圣灵生也有上帝的灵(3:5), 和上帝话的“双亲”(彼前1:23-25: 雅1:18).  当罪人相信上帝的话, 祂的灵經由祂的话进入罪人的身体, 而使他有上帝的生命.

Jesus was not teaching that the new birth comes through water baptism. In the New Testament, bap tism is connected with death, not birth, and no amount of physical water can effect a spiritual change in a per son. The emphasis in John 3:14–21 is on believing, because salvation comes through faith (Eph. 2:8–9). The evidence of salvation is the witness of the Spirit within (Rom. 8:9), and the Spirit enters your life when you believe (Acts 10:43–48; Eph. 1:13–14). 

耶稣没有讲新生命是由受洗而来.  在新约中, 受洗是表示死, 而不是生; 并且物质的水不能使人的灵有所改变. 在约翰福音3章14至21节所强调的是信心, 因为救恩是来自信心 (弗 2:8-9).  得救是圣灵在你内心的见证 (罗 8:9), 当你相信耶稣时, 圣灵就进入你的心中 (弗 1:13-14; 使 10:43-48).

  

Water baptism is certainly a part of our obedience to Christ and our witness for Christ (Matt. 28:18–20; Acts 2:41). But it must not be made an essential for salvation; otherwise, none of the Old Testament saints was ever saved, nor was the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39–43). In every age, there has been but one way of salvation—faith in God’s promise—though the out ward evidence of that faith has changed from age to age. 

 水礼是我们顺服基督的和为基督作的见证 (太 28:18-20; 使 2:41).  但是, 这不是唯一的要件;  否则, 旧约里的圣者就没有得救的, 那在十字架上悔改信主的强盗也不可能得救 (路 23:39-43). 在任何时代惟一得救的方式 — 是对上帝的应许的信心 — 虽然其外表的形式每个时代不一样.                                               

Human birth involves travail (John 16:21), and so does the birth from above. Our Savior had to travail on the cross so that we might become members of the family of God (Isa. 53:11). Concerned believers have to travail in prayer and witness as they seek to lead sin ners to Christ (1 Cor. 4:15; Gal. 4:19). 

世人生产有阵痛 (约 16:21),  上面從生靈生的孩子依然.  我们的主在十字架上受的阵痛, 使我们能成为上帝家里的人 (赛 53:11).  虔誠的基督信仰者, 在他们要带领罪人到耶稣面前时, 是要经过祷告和见证的阵痛(林前 4:15; 加 4:19).

The child inherits the nature of the parents, and so does the child of God. We become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). Nature determines appetite, which explains why the Christian has an appetite for the things of God (1 Peter 2:2–3). He has no desire to go back to the foul things of the world that once appealed to him (2 Peter 2:20–22). He feeds on the Word of God and grows into spiritual maturity (Heb. 5:11–14).                                                                                                                            儿子继承父母的人性, 重生的人也有上帝的性情.  我们成为 “神性的一部分”(彼后 1:4).  性格决定人的嗜好, 就像基督徒有上帝的喜好一样 (彼前 2:2 - 3).  他不再想要回到过去世上引诱他的事 (彼后 2:20- 22). 上帝的话来喂养他,使仔渐渐进入灵命的成熟 (来 5:11-14). 

 Of course, birth involves life, and spiritual birth from above involves God’s life. John uses the word life thirty-six times in his gospel. The opposite of life is death, and the person who has not believed on Jesus Christ does not have God’s life, eternal life, abundant life. You do not manufacture Christians any more than you manufacture babies! The only way to enter God’s family is through the new birth (John 1:11–13). 

诚然,     人生育带来生命;     因此, 从上面生的有上帝的生命.  约翰在他的约翰福音书中,用了36次“生命”字词.      生命的反面字是死亡, 不信耶稣基督的人没有上帝的生命, 祂永远的生命, 和丰盛的生命. 你不可能带領人成为基督徒, 像世人生孩子一样!    "重生" 是唯一成为上帝家中人的途徑 (约 1:11-13).

Birth involves a future, and we are “born again to a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3 nasb). A newborn baby can not be arrested because he or she has no past! When you are born again into God’s family, your sins are for given and forgotten, and your future is bright with a living hope. 

出生意味著未來，我們「重生得著活潑的盼望」（彼得前書 1:3 新美國標準版）。新生兒不會被逮捕，因為他/她沒有過去！當你重生進入上帝的家，你的罪就被赦免和遺忘，你的未來充滿光明和活潑的盼望。

Nicodemus must have had a surprised and yet bewildered look on his face, for the Lord had to say, “You must not be surprised that I told you that all of you must be born again” (John 3:7 ph). But Nicodemus was born a Jew! He was a part of God’s covenant people (Rom. 9:4–5)! Certainly his birth was better than that of a Gentile or a Samaritan! And his life was exemplary, for he was a faithful Pharisee! He could well understand Jesus telling the Romans that they had to be born again, but certainly not the Jews! 

尼哥底母臉上一定帶著驚訝和困惑的表情，因為主不得不說：「我告訴你們，你們都必須重生，你們不要以為希奇」（約翰福音 3:7）。但尼哥底母生來就是猶太人！祂是神立約子民的一員（羅馬書 9:4-5）！他的出身當然比外邦人或撒瑪利亞人好！他的生活也堪稱典範，因為他是一位忠實的法利賽人！他完全可以理解耶穌告訴羅馬人他們需要重生，但肯定無法理解猶太人需要重生！

Our Lord then used a second illustration : The wind (vv. 8–13). It is likely that the evening wind was blowing just then as Nicodemus and Jesus sat on the housetop conversing. The word wind in both Hebrew and Greek can also be translated “spirit.” One of the symbols of the Spirit of God in the Bible is the wind or breath (Job 33:4; John 20:22; Acts 2:2). Like the wind, the Spirit is invisible but powerful, and you cannot explain or predict the movements of the wind. 

我們的主接著用了第二個比喻：風（8-13節）。當時，尼哥底母和耶穌坐在屋頂上交談，很可能正刮著晚風。希伯來文和希臘文中，「風」這個字也可以翻譯為「靈」。聖經中，上帝的靈的象徵之一是風或氣息（約伯記 33:4；約翰福音 20:22；使徒行傳 2:2）。如同風一樣，聖靈無形卻大有能力，風的運作也無法解釋或預測。

When Jesus used this symbol, Nicodemus should have readily remembered Ezekiel 37:1–14. The prophet saw a valley full of dead bones, but when he prophesied to the wind, the Spirit came and gave the bones life. Again, it was the combination of the Spirit of God and the Word of God that gave life. The nation of Israel (including Nicodemus and his fellow council members) was dead and hopeless, but in spite of the morality and religion of the people, they needed the life of the Spirit. 

當耶穌使用這個象徵時，尼哥底母應該立刻想起以西結書 37:1-14。先知看到一個充滿枯骨的山谷，但當他向風發預言時，聖靈降臨，使枯骨復活。同樣，是神的靈與神的話語的結合帶來了生命。以色列國（包括尼哥底母和他的同僚）當時死氣沉沉，毫無希望，但儘管百姓擁有道德和宗教信仰，他們仍然需要聖靈的生命。

The new birth from above is a necessity (“Ye must be born again”), but it is also a mystery. Everyone who is born of the Spirit is like the wind: you cannot fully explain or predict either the wind or the child of God! For that matter, human birth is still a mystery, in spite of all that we know about anatomy and physiology. Each new life is exciting and different. 

從上頭來的重生是必要的（「你們必須重生」），但它也是一個奧秘。凡從聖靈生的，都像風一樣：你無法完全解釋或預測風，也無法完全預測神的兒女！就此而言，儘管我們對解剖學和生理學了解甚多，人的出生仍然是個奧秘。每一個新生都令人興奮，各不相同。

Nicodemus came “by night,” and he was still in the dark! He could not understand the new birth even after Jesus had explained it to him. Our Lord stated clearly that Nicodemus’s knowledge of the Old Testament should have given him the light he needed (John 3:10). Alas, “the teacher of the Jews” knew the facts recorded in the Scriptures, but he could not understand the truths.

尼哥底母「夜間」來訪，他仍然一無所知！即使耶穌已經向他解釋了重生的意義，他仍然無法理解。我們的主清楚地表明，尼哥底母對舊約的了解本應給祂所需的光（約翰福音 3:10）。然而，「猶太人的老師」雖然知道聖經中記載的事實，卻無法理解其中的真理。

 What was the problem? For one thing, the religious leaders would not submit to the authority of Christ’s witness (John 3:11). We will see this “authority con flict” increase as we continue in our studies. The religious leaders claimed to believe Moses, yet they could not believe Jesus (John 5:37–47). The Pharisees were more concerned about the praise of men than the praise of God (John 12:37–50).

問題出在哪裡呢？首先，宗教領袖們不願意順服基督見證的權柄（約翰福音 3:11）。隨著我們學習的深入，我們將看到這種「權柄衝突」愈演愈烈。宗教領袖聲稱相信摩西，卻不相信耶穌（約翰福音 5:37-47）。法利賽人更重視人的稱讚，而不是神的稱讚（約 12:37-50）。

 “I have used earthly illustrations,” said Jesus, “and you cannot understand. If I began to share the deep spiritual truths, you still would not believe” (John 3:12). 

耶穌說：「我用人間的比喻，你們卻不明白；即使我把屬靈的真理告訴你們，你們還是不信。」（約翰福音 3:12）

The third picture  Jesus used was from the Old Testament :  the serpent on the pole (vv. 14–18). The story in Numbers 21:4–9 was certainly familiar to Nicodemus. It is a story of sin, for the nation rebelled against God and had to be punished. God sent fiery serpents that bit the people so that many died. It is also a story of grace, for Moses interceded for the people and God provided a remedy. He told Moses to make a brass ser pent and lift it up on a pole for all to see. Any stricken person who looked at the serpent would immediately be healed. So, it is also a story of faith: when the peo ple looked by faith, they were saved. 

耶穌使用的第三個比喻來自舊約：桿上的銅蛇（14-18 節）。尼哥底母對民數記 21:4-9 的故事肯定很熟悉。這是一個關於罪的故事，因為以色列人悖逆神，必須受到懲罰。神差遣火蛇咬人，許多人因此喪命。這也是一個關於恩典的故事，因為摩西為百姓代求，神也提供了補救。神吩咐摩西要造一條銅蛇，掛在桿子上，讓眾人看見。任何患病的人只要仰望那條蛇，就會立刻痊癒。因此，這也是一個關於信心的故事：人們憑著信心仰望，就得救了。

The verb lifted up has a dual meaning: to be cruci fied (John 8:28; 12:32–34) and to be glorified and exalted. In his gospel, John points out that our Lord’s crucifixion was actually the means of His glorification 237 John 3 (John 12:23ff.). The cross was not the end of His glory; it was the means of His glory (Acts 2:33).

「舉起」一詞有雙重意義：一是釘十字架（約 8:28；12:32-34），二是得榮耀和高舉。約翰福音指出，我們主的釘十字架其實是祂得榮耀的途徑（約翰福音 12:23 比較研讀）。十字架並非祂榮耀的終點，而是祂榮耀的途徑（使徒行傳 2:33）。 

Much as the serpent was lifted up on that pole, so the Son of God would be lifted up on a cross. Why? To save us from sin and death. In the camp of Israel, the solution to the “serpent problem” was not in killing the serpents, making medicine, pretending they were not there, passing antiserpent laws, or climbing the pole.  The answer was in looking by faith at the uplifted serpent. 

正如蛇被高舉在桿子上一樣，神的兒子也將被高舉在十字架上。為什麼？為了拯救我們脫離罪惡和死亡。在以色列的營中，解決「蛇的問題」的方法並非殺死蛇、製作藥物、假裝它們不存在、頒布禁蛇法，或是爬上桿子。答案在於憑著信心仰望那高舉的蛇。

The whole world has been bitten by sin, and “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). God sent His Son to die, not only for Israel, but for a whole world. How is a person born from above? How is he or she saved from eternal perishing? By believing on Jesus Christ; by looking to Him in faith. 

全世界都被罪惡侵蝕，「罪的工價乃是死」（羅馬書 6:23）。神差遣祂的兒子為世人而死，不只是為了以色列，也是為了全世界。人如何才能重生？如何從永恆的滅亡中得救？藉著信靠耶穌基督；藉著憑信心仰望祂。

On January 6, 1850, a snowstorm almost crippled the city of Colchester, England, and a teenage boy was unable to get to the church he usually attended. So he made his way to a nearby Primitive Methodist chapel, where an ill-prepared layman was substituting for the absent preacher. His text was Isaiah 45:22—“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” For many months this young teenager had been miserable and under deep conviction, but though he had been reared in church (both his father and grandfather were preachers), he did not have the assurance of salvation. 

1850年1月6日，一場暴風雪幾乎癱瘓了英國科爾切斯特市，一位少年因此無法前往他常去的教堂。於是，他來到附近的一座原始衛理公會教堂，那裡一位準備不足的信徒正在代牧師講道。牧師講的經文是以賽亞書45章22節－「地極的人當仰望我，就必得救。」幾個月來，這位少年一直鬱鬱寡歡，內心充滿悔恨，雖然他從小在教會長大（他的父親和祖父都是牧師），但他卻沒有得救的確據。

The unprepared substitued minister did not have much to say, so he kept repeating the text.  "A man need not go to college to to look ,"he shouted.  "Anyone can look---a can look! "About that time , he saw the  visito, r sitting to the side and he point to himand said, "Young man, you look very miserable.  Young man , look to Jesus Christ!"

這位準備不足的代牧師沒什麼好講的，只好一遍又一遍重複經文。 “人不需要上大學才能學會仰望，”他喊道，“任何人都能仰望——連孩子都能仰望！” 這時，他看見這位來訪者坐在旁邊，便指著他說：“年輕人，你看上去很痛苦。年輕人，仰望耶穌基督吧！”

The young man did look by faith, and that was how the great preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon was converted.   

這位年輕人憑著信心仰望，偉大的佈道家查爾斯‧哈登‧司布真就是這樣歸信基督的。

待續