1665-II司布貞悔改(第40頁頂上) 司布貞弟兄得救过程 重生(二) 15/08/2026

1665-II司布貞悔改(第40頁頂上)              司布貞弟兄得救过程   重生(二)   15/08/2026

     

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

這年青人真的带着信心仰望, 这就是后来被主所重用的司布真牧师的得救过程.

 

The difference between perishing and living, and between condemnation and salvation, is faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus could well have come to this world as a judge and destroyed every rebellious sinner, but in love, He came to this world as our Savior, and He died for us on the cross! He became the “uplifted serpent.” The ser pent in Moses’ day brought physical life to dying Jews, but Jesus Christ gives eternal life to anyone who trusts Him. 

受苦与生命, 及审判与得救之间的不同,是關于对耶稣的信心的問題.  祂来到世上,可以审判, 来審判世上的罪人都下地狱; 但也可以因爱来到这世上作我们的救主, 并且为我们贖罪,死在十字架上!  祂成为“悬挂的铜蛇”.    那在摩西时代拯救垂死的犹太人肉体生命的铜蛇. 可是耶稣基
督赐给凡相信祂的人是永远的生命.  祂带给全世人的救赎!

The fourth illustration Jesus used was light and darkness (John 3:19-21).  This is one of the major images used in this gospel (John 1:4–13). Why will sinners not come into the “light of life”? Because they love the darkness! They want to persist in their evil deeds, and this keeps them from coming to the light, for the closer the sinner gets to the light, the more his sins are exposed. It is not “intellectual problems” that keep people from trusting Christ; it is the moral and spiritual blindness that keeps them loving the darkness and hating the light. 

耶稣用的第四个例证, 是光明与黑暗(约 3:19-21).  这是约翰福音非常重要的画面(1:4 -13).  为什么罪人不喜欢来到“生命的光”面前?     因为他们喜爱黑暗! 他们愿意一直停留在罪恶行为里, 这是他们抵挡光的原因; 罪人逾接近光, 他的罪行就逾容易暴露.  不是“智慧的问题” 使人不信靠基督, 而是他们的道德沦丧和灵命的瞎眼使得他们爱黑暗而恨光.

   

Please note that Nicodemus finally did “come to the light.” He was in the “midnight of confusion” (John 3:1–21), but eventually he came out into the “sunlight of confession” when he identified with Christ at Calvary (John 19:38–42). He realized that the uplifted Savior was indeed the Son of God. 

请留意, 尼哥底母最后终于“来到光前”.    那是在“惶惑的午夜”(约 3:1-21), 但 当他与死在骷髅山的基督认同时,     他终于来到“认罪的正午的阳光中”(19 : 38 - 42).  他了解挂在十字架上的耶稣,  真正是上帝的儿子.

2. Jesus the Bridegroom (3:22–30)                                                                                                            2. 新郎耶穌（3:22-30）

Until John the Baptist was arrested by Herod and put into prison, his ministry overlapped that of the Lord Jesus. John did not want anyone to follow him; his ministry was to point to the Lamb of God and urge people to trust Him. But when two popular preachers are involved in similar work, it is easy for both friends and enemies to get caught up in competition and comparison. 

在施洗約翰被希律王逮捕入獄之前，他的事工與主耶穌的事工重疊。約翰不想讓任何人跟隨他；他的事工是指向上帝的羔羊，並勸勉人們信靠祂。但是，當兩位廣受歡迎的傳道人從事類似的工作時，朋友和敵人都很容易陷入競爭和比較的泥淖。

It appears that some of John’s disciples started the argument. It began on doctrinal grounds—the matter of purifying—but soon moved to personal grounds. In John 3:25, some manuscripts read “a Jew” instead of “the Jews.” Could this unnamed Jew have possibly been Nicodemus? We cannot say, but it is a possibility. 

似乎是約翰的一些門徒挑起了這場爭論。爭論最初是從教義層面——潔淨的問題——開始的，但很快就轉移到了個人層面。在約翰福音3:25中，一些抄本將「猶太人」寫成了「一個猶太人」。這位未具名的猶太人會不會是尼哥底母呢？我們無法確定，但這並非不可能。

The matter of purifying was important to the Jews (Mark 7:1–23). Under the Old Testament law, it was necessary for them to keep themselves ceremonially clean if they were to serve God and please Him. Unfortunately, the Pharisees added so many extra tra ditions to the law that the observing of it became a burden. 

潔淨的問題對猶太人來說非常重要（可7:1-23）。根據舊約律法，信徒若要事奉神、取悅神，就必須保持禮儀上的潔淨。不幸的是，法利賽人在律法上增添了許多額外的規條，以至於遵守律法成了沉重的負擔。

Without realizing it, John’s disciples were putting him into a situation of competing against the Lord Jesus! “All men come to him!” (John 3:26) sounds like a wail of despair. It is interesting to note that four of the greatest men in the Bible faced this problem of comparison and competition: Moses (Num. 11:26–30), John the Baptist (John 3:26–30), Jesus (Luke 9:46–50), and Paul (Phil. 1:15–18). A leader often suffers more from his zealous disciples than from his critics! 

約翰的門徒不知不覺地將他置於與主耶穌競爭的境地！ 「人人都到他那裡去！」（約翰福音 3:26）聽起來像是絕望的哀嘆。值得注意的是，聖經中最偉大的四位人物都曾面臨過這種比較和競爭的問題：摩西（民數記 11:26-30）、施洗約翰（約翰福音 3:26-30）、耶穌（路加福音 9:46-50）和保羅（腓立比書 1:15-18）。領袖往往承受更多來自狂熱門徒的攻擊，而非來自批評者的攻擊！

How did John the Baptist handle this controversy? To begin with, he stated a conviction: all ministry and blessing come from God, so there can be no competi tion (John 3:27). Paul would have agreed with this (1 Cor. 3:1–9; 4:1–7). Our gifts and opportunities come from God, and He alone must get the glory. 

施洗約翰是如何處理這場爭議的呢？首先，他闡明了一個信念：一切事奉和祝福都來自上帝，因此不存在競爭（約翰福音 3:27）。保羅也會同意這一點（哥林多前書 3:1-9；4:1-7）。我們的恩賜和機會都來自上帝，唯有祂配得榮耀。

”Then John used a beautiful illustration. He compared Jesus to the bridegroom and himself only to the best man (John 3:29). Once the bridegroom and bride had been brought together, the work of the best man was completed. What a foolish thing it would be for the best man to try to “upstage” the bridegroom and take his place. John’s joy was to hear the voice of the Bridegroom and know that He had claimed His bride. 

然後，約翰用了一個優美的比喻。他將耶穌比喻為新郎，而自己只是伴郎（約翰福音 3:29）。新郎和新娘結合之後，伴郎的工作就完成了。伴郎若想「搶了」新郎的風頭，取而代之，那該是多麼愚蠢啊！約翰的喜樂在於聽到新郎的聲音，並且知道祂已經迎娶了祂的新娘。

Even before his birth, John the Baptist rejoiced in the Lord (Luke 1:44). John was content to be the voice announcing Jesus to be the Word (John 1:23). Jesus was the Light, and John the Baptist was the witness pointing to the Light (John 1:6–8). 

施洗約翰甚至在出生前就因主而喜樂（路 1:44）。約翰甘願成為宣告耶穌是道的聲音（約 1:23）。耶穌是光，施洗約翰是指向這光的見證人（約翰福音 1:6-8）。

Often press releases and book reviews cross my desk, along with conference folders, and at times I am perturbed by what I read. Very few speakers and writ ers are ordinary people. They are “world travelers” or  “noted lecturers” who have addressed “huge audiences.” They are always in “great demand,” and their ministries are described in such ways that they make the apostle Paul a midget by comparison. 

我經常會收到新聞稿、書評以及會議資料，有時讀到的內容會讓我感到不安。很少有演講者和作家是普通人。他們是“環球旅行家”，或“著名講員”，曾向“無數聽眾”發表過演講。他們總是“炙手可熱”，他們的事工被如此描述，以至於使徒保羅與之相比都顯得渺小。

A Presbyterian pastor in Melbourne, Australia introduced J. Hudson Taylor by using many superla tives, especially the word great. Taylor stepped to the pulpit and quietly said, “Dear friends, I am the little servant of an illustrious Master.” If John the Baptist in heaven heard that statement, he must have shouted “Hallelujah!” 

澳洲墨爾本的一位長老教會牧師在介紹戴德生時，使用了許多最高級的形容詞，尤其是「偉大」一詞。戴德生走上講台，平靜地說：“親愛的朋友們，我是一位偉大主人的卑微僕人。”如果天上的施洗約翰聽到這句話，他一定​​會高呼“哈利路亞！

The word must is used in three significant ways in this chapter. There is the “must” of the sinner (John 3:7), the “must” of the Savior (John 3:14), and the “must” of the servant (John 3:30). 

在本章中，「必須」一詞以三種重要的方式出現。罪人的「必須」（約翰福音 3:7），救主的「必須」（約翰福音 3:14），以及僕人的「必須」（約翰福音 3:30）。

3. Jesus the Witness (3:31–36) 

3. 耶穌作見證（3:31-36）

Bible scholars do not agree as to who is speaking in John 3:31–36, John the apostle or John the Baptist. For that matter, some students believe that John 3:16–21 came from the apostle John and not the Lord Jesus. There were no quotation marks in early manu scripts, but since all Scripture is inspired, it really makes little difference who said the words. 

聖經學者對於約翰福音 3:31-36 的作者是誰有分歧，究竟是使徒約翰還是施洗約翰。甚至有些學者認為約翰福音 3:16-21 出自使徒約翰，而非主耶穌。早期手稿中沒有引號，但由於所有經文都是聖靈默示的，所以究竟是誰說的其實並不重要。

The emphasis in this paragraph is on witness (“testimony”), one of the key subjects in John’s gospel. The Greek word translated “witness” or “testimony” is used forty-seven times. John bore witness to Jesus (John 1:7; 5:33), but Jesus was also a witness to the truth. Why should we heed His witness?  For several reasons. 

本段的重點在於「見證」（希臘文為「testimony」），這是約翰福音的關鍵主題之一。譯為「見證」或「證言」的希臘文出現了四十七次。約翰為耶穌作見證（約 1:7；5:33），但耶穌也是真理的見證人。我們為什麼要聽從祂的見證呢？原因有幾個。

For one thing,  He came from heaven (v. 31). He was not simply called from heaven, or empowered by heaven; He came from heaven. It was this claim that the Jews disputed, because they knew it was His claim that He was God (John 6:38–42). John the Baptist certainly was not “from above,” nor did he claim to be. No earthly mes senger of God came “from above.” Only Jesus Christ can make that claim and prove it to be true. 

首先，他來自天上（31節）。祂並非僅僅是被從天上呼召，或被天上賦予能力；祂本身就是從天上來的。猶太人質疑的正是這一點，因為他們知道耶穌宣稱自己是神（約翰福音 6:38-42）。施洗約翰當然不是“從天上來的”，他也從未自稱如此。沒有任何一位地上的神使者是「從天上來的」。只有耶穌基督才能做出這樣的宣告，並證明它是真實的。

Since Jesus came from heaven, He represents the Father; and to reject His witness is to reject the Father (John 5:23). We know that His witness is true because He is the true God. We can trust it and rely on it. 

耶穌既然從天而降，就代表父神；拒絕祂的見證就是拒絕父神（約 5:23）。我們知道祂的見證是真實的，因為祂是真神。我們可以信賴祂的見證。

Another reason why we must receive Christ's witness is because it comes from Him firsthand (vv. 32–33). He shares what He has seen and heard from the Father (John 8:38). Those who receive His witness and act on it know by personal experience that His witness is true (John 7:17). Our Lord’s teachings are not to be studied intellectually, separated from everyday life. It is when we obey His Word and put it into practice that we see its truth and experience its power. 

我們必須接受基督的見證的另一個原因是，這見證是祂親口告訴我們的（32-33節）。祂分享了祂從父那裡所見所聞（約翰福音 8:38）。那些接受祂的見證並付諸行動的人，會從親身經歷中知道祂的見證是真實的（約翰福音 7:17）。我們主的教導不應只停留在理論層面，脫離日常生活。只有當我們順服祂的話語並付諸實踐時，我們才能看到真理，體驗祂的大能。

A third reason we must receive  His witness is that the  The Father has authorized His Son (vv. 34–35). God sent Him (another key theme in John’s gospel); God gave Him the Word; God gave Him the Spirit; and God gave Him all things (John 13:3). What a commissioning! To reject the Son’s witness is to rebel against the highest authority in the universe. 

我們必須接受祂的見證的第三個原因是，父神已經授權祂的兒子（34-35節）。神差遣祂（這是約翰福音的另一個關鍵主題）；神賜給祂道；神賜給祂聖靈；神將萬有都賜給祂（約翰福音 13:3）。這是何等偉大的使命！拒絕聖子的見證，就是反叛宇宙至高無上的權威。

We usually think of God’s love for a lost world (John 3:16), but John reminds us of the Father’s love for His Son. Jesus is the Father’s “beloved Son” (Matt. 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22). Because the Father loves the Son, He has given Him all things, and He shows Him all things (John 5:20). It is a love that can hold nothing back. 

我們通常想到的是上帝對迷失世界的愛（約翰福音 3:16），但約翰也提醒我們，天父對祂兒子的愛。耶穌是天父「愛子」（太 3:17；可 1:11；路 3:22）。因為天父愛子，祂已將萬物賜給祂，並將萬物指示祂（約翰福音 5:20）。這是一種毫無保留的愛。

Therefore, when we receive His witness, we share in His love and His wealth. To reject Christ’s witness is to sin against love and light. No wonder our Lord wept over the city of Jerusalem (Matt. 23:37–39). They had rejected His witness—both His messages and His miracles—and their rejection led to judgment. 

因此，當我們接受祂的見證時，我們就分享了祂的愛和祂的豐盛。拒絕基督的見證，就是違背愛與光明。難怪我們的主為耶路撒冷城哭泣（太 23:37-39）。他們拒絕了祂的見證——祂的信息和祂的神蹟——他們的拒絕帶來了審判。

The final reason given is that we might escape the wrath of God (v. 36). This is the only place in any of John’s epistles or his gospel that he uses the word wrath. (He uses it six times in the book of Revelation.) This verse parallels John 3:18 and makes it clear that there can be no neutrality when it comes to the witness of Jesus Christ: we either trust Him or we reject Him. 

最後一個原因是，我們或許可以逃脫上帝的忿怒（第36節）。這是約翰書信和福音書中唯一一次使用「忿怒」一詞。 （他在啟示錄中用了六次。）這節經文與約翰福音3:18平行，清楚地表明，在耶穌基督的見證面前，沒有中立可言：我們要么信靠他，要么拒絕他。

“Everlasting life” does not simply mean eternity in heaven. The believer possesses that life right now! It is the life of God in the believer. The opposite of eternal life is eternal death, the wrath of God. A person does not have to die and go to hell to be under the wrath of God. “He that believeth not is condemned already” (John 3:18). The verdict has already been given, but the sentence has not yet been executed. Why? Because God is patient and long suffering, and continues to call sinners to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). 

「永生」並非僅指在天堂的永恆。信徒現在就擁有那生命！那是神在信徒裡面的生命。永生的反面是永死，即神的忿怒。人不必死後下地獄才會承受神的忿怒。 「不信的人，罪已經定了」（約翰福音3:18）。判決已經下達，但刑罰尚未執行。為什麼？因為神有耐心，祂恆久忍耐，不斷呼召罪人悔改（彼得後書3:9）。

As you review John 3, you can see that the apostle John is emphasizing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

當你閱讀約翰福音第三章時，你會發現使徒約翰強調的是與耶穌基督建立個人關係。

It is a living relationship that begins with the new birth, the birth from above. When we receive Jesus Christ into our lives, we share His very life and become children in the family of God. 

這是一種活生生的關係，始於重生，也就是從上頭來的重生。當我們接受耶穌基督進入我們的生命時，我們就分享祂的生命，成為上帝家中的兒女。

It is also a loving relationship, for He is the Bridegroom and we are a part of the bride. Like John the Baptist, we desire that Jesus Christ increase as we decrease. He must receive all the honor and glory. 

這也是一種愛的關係，因為祂是新郎，我們是新娘的一部分。如同施洗約翰一樣，我們渴望耶穌基督興盛，而我們衰微。祂理當得著一切的榮耀和尊榮。

It is a learning relationship, for He is the faithful Witness who shares God’s truth with us. What a delight it is to receive His Word, meditate on it, and make it part of our very lives.                                 這也是一種學習的關係，因為祂是忠實的見證人，與我們分享神的真理。領受祂的話語，默想祂的話語，並讓它成為我們生命的一部分，是何等的喜樂！

But we must never forget the cost of these blessings. For us to be born into God’s family, Jesus Christ had to die. For us to enter into the loving relationship of salva tion, He had to endure the hatred and condemnation of men. He had to be lifted up on the cross so that we might experience forgiveness and  eternal life.                                                                                                                                                   但我們絕不能忘記這些祝福的代價。為了使我們重生進入神的家，耶穌基督必須為我們而死。為了使我們進入救恩的愛的關係，祂必須忍受世人的憎恨和定罪。祂必須被釘在十字架上，使我們能經歷饒恕和永生。

 May we never take this for granted!                                                                                                           願我們永遠不要將這一切視為理所當然！                                                                                          

 “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).                                                                             「祂必興盛，我必衰微」（約翰福音 3:30）。