1653英翻中(約壹三課) Something old, somthing new. 有些是舊物, 有些是新物. 26/07/2026
Lesson 3 SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW 1 John 2:7–11 第三課 有些是舊物, 有些是新物 约翰一书2:7-11
“I just love that hat!”
我就是喜欢那顶帽子!”
“Man, I really love the old-fashioned kind of baked beans!”
“老兄,我真的很喜欢老式的烘烤豆!”
“But, Mom, don’t you realize that Tom and I love each other?”
“但是,妈妈,您知不知道汤姆和我彼此相爱吗?”
Words, like coins, can be in circulation for such a long time that they start wearing out. Unfortunately, the word love is losing its value and is being used to cover a multitude of sins.
語言有如硬币,它們可能会流行很长的一段时间,才开始磨損。不幸的是,“爱” 这词正在失去其意義,并被用来掩盖许多罪恶。
It is really difficult to understand how a man can use the same word to express his love for his wife as he uses to tell how he feels about baked beans! When words are used that carelessly, they really mean little or nothing at all. Like the dollar, they have been devalued.
真的很难理解,人能用同一个單词来表达对妻子的爱,就像他用来表达对烘烤豆的感觉一样!当粗心地使用詞藻时,就使它们的含义实际上模糊或根本没有。像美元的贬值一样。
As John described the life that is real, he used three words repeatedly: life, love, and light. In fact, he devoted three sections of his letter to the subject of Christian love. He explained that love, life, and light belong together. Read these three sections (1 John 2:7–11; 3:10–24; 4:7–21) without the intervening verses, and you will see that love, life, and light must not be separated.
像约翰描述实存的生命时,他反复的使用了三个單词:生命,爱和光。实际上,在他的信中,他将這三段致力用于基督教之爱。他解释说,爱,生命和光是在一起的。读这三段經节(约壹2:7-11; 3:10-24; 4:7-21),不要讀中间插入经文,你会发现,爱,生命,和光绝對不能分开。
In our present study (1 John 2:7–11), we learn how Christian love is affected by light and darkness. A Christian who is walking in the light (which simply means he is obeying God) is going to love his brother Christian. In 1 John 3:10–24, we are told that Christian love is a matter of life or death: to live in hatred is to live in spiritual death. In 1 John 4:7–21 we see that Christian love is a matter of truth or error (cf. 1 John 4:6): because we know God’s love toward us, we show God’s love toward others.
在我们目前這一課的研究中(约壹2:7-11),我们了解到基督徒的爱如何受到光明与黑暗的影响。行在光明中的基督徒(这仅仅意味着他順服上帝)爱他的基督徒兄弟。在约翰一书3章10至24等節中,我们得知基督徒的爱是生死攸关的问题:生活在仇恨中就是生活在属灵的死亡中。在约翰一书4章7至21等節中,我们看到基督徒的爱是有關真理或謬误的问题(参见 约壹4:6):因为我们知道上帝对我们的爱,我们对他人表现出上帝的爱。
In these three sections, then, we find three good reasons why Christians should love one another:
然后,在这三段經節中,我们找到了基督徒应该彼此相爱的三个很好的理由:
1. God has commanded us to love (1 John 2:7–11).
2. We have been born of God and God’s love lives in us (1 John 3:10–24).
3. God first revealed His love to us (1 John 4:7–21). “We love … because He first loved us.”
1.上帝命令我们相爱(约壹2:7-11)。
2.我们是上帝所生的,祂的爱生活在我们里面(约壹3:10-24)。
3.上帝首先向我们启示了祂的爱(约壹4:7-21)。“我们爱....因为祂首先爱了我们。”
John not only wrote about love but also practiced it. One of his favorite names for his readers was “Beloved.” He felt love for them. John is known as the “apostle of love” because in his gospel and his epistles he gives such prominence to this subject. However, John was not always the apostle of love. At one time Jesus gave John and his brother James, both of whom had hot tempers, the nickname “Boanerges” (Mark 3:17), which means “sons of thunder.” On another occasion these two brothers wanted to call down fire from heaven to destroy a village (Luke 9:51–56).
约翰不仅写了約翰壹書 “爱” 的书,而且还实践了它。該“爱” 的书读者最喜欢他的另一名
字 “主爱的”。他能感覺他们的爱。约翰被称为“爱的使徒”,因为在他的福音和书信中,愛是如此突出的主题。但是,约翰并不总是如此。有一次,耶稣给了约翰和他的兄弟雅各一個绰号 “ 雷子(Boanerges)”(可3:17),意思是 “雷的兒子”。在另外一个场合,这两个兄弟想从天上下火来烧毁一个村庄(路9:51-56)。
Since the New Testament was written in Greek, the writers were often able to use more precise language. It is unfortunate that our English word love has so many shades of meaning (some of them contradictory). When we read in 1 John about “love,” the Greek word used is agape (ah-GAH-pay), the word for God’s love toward man, a Christian’s love for other Christians, and God’s love for His church (Eph. 5:22–33).
由于新约圣经是用希腊语写的,所以作家通常能够使用更精确的语言。不幸的是,我们的英语 “爱” 有很多含义(其中有些是互相矛盾的)。当我们在约翰一书中读到 “爱” 时,是希腊语 “神聖的愛(agape)”(ah-GAH-pay),是指的上帝对人的爱,基督徒相互的爱,以及上帝教会的爱(弗5 :22–33)。
Another Greek word for love, philia (fee-LEE-ah), used elsewhere, carries the idea of “friendship love,” which is not quite as profound or divine as agape love. (The Greek word for sensual love, eros, from which we get our word erotic, is not used at all in the New Testament.)
在希腊语中另一个表示爱的词是 “入相互的愛(philia)”(fee-LEE-ah),用在很多處,带有 “友谊之爱” 的意思,它不像上帝的爱那么深刻或神圣。 (新约中根本没有使用希腊语中的 “性爱” 这个表示色情的字)。
The amazing thing is that Christian love is both old and new (1 John 2:7–8). This seems to be a contradiction. Love itself, of course, is not new, nor is the commandment—that men love God and each other— a new thing. Jesus Himself combined two Old Testament commandments, Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, and said (Mark 12:28–34) that these two commandments summarize all the law and the prophets. Loving God and loving one’s neighbor were old, familiar responsibilities before Jesus ever came to earth.
令人惊讶的是,基督教的爱是新旧共存的(约壹2:7-8) 。这似乎有些矛盾。誠然,爱本身不是新鲜的事物,人们的爱上帝和彼此相愛的诫命也是早就有的事。耶稣结合了旧约的两个诫命,申命记6章5節和利未记19章18節,并在登山寶訓中说(可12:28-34)这两个诫命概括了所有律法和先知書。在耶稣降世之前,爱上帝和爱邻居是人古老常新的熟悉责任。
In what sense, then, is “love one another” a “new” commandment (1 John 2:8)? Again, a look at the Greek helps to answer the question.
“彼此相爱” 在什麼理念下是 “新的” 诫命呢(约壹2:8)?同样的,再看希腊文有助于回答这个问题。
The Greeks had two different words for “new.” One means “new in time,” and the other means “new in quality.” For example, you would use the first word to describe the latest car, a recent model. But if you purchased a car that was so revolutionary that it was radically different, you would use the second word— new in quality. (Our English words recent and fresh just about make this distinction: “recent” means new in time, “fresh” means new in character.)
希腊語使用两个不同的單词来表示 “新”。一是表示 “时间上的新”,另一則是表示 “质量上的新”。例如,你将使用“时间上的新”来描述你現在正使用的汽车,最近的车型。但是,若你要购买的汽车是非常具有革命性的,以至于与以往的車截然不同,那么你将使用质量上的新來形容。 (時近使用的英文形容新的英文词彚 “ 新(news)” 和 “ 新鮮(fresh)”几乎就是这样的区别:“新近” 表示时间上的新事物,“新鲜” 表示性質上的新事物。)
The commandment to love one another is not new in time, but it is new in character. Because of Jesus Christ, the old commandment to “love one another” has taken on new meaning. We learn in these five brief verses (1 John 2:7–11) that the commandment is new in three important ways.
彼此相爱的诫命不是时间上的新事物,但是在質量上却是新特性。由于耶稣基督的缘故,“彼此相爱” 的旧诫命有了新的含义。我们从这五个简短的经文(约壹2:7-11)中得知,诫命在三个重要方面是新的。
1. It Is New in Emphasis (2:7)
1. 重点是新的(2:7)
In the previous paragraph (1 John 2:3–6), John had been talking about “the commandments” in general, but now he narrowed his focus down to one single commandment. In the Old Testament, the command that God’s people love one another was only one of many, but now this old commandment is lifted out and given a place of preeminence.
在上一章節中(约壹2:3-6)中,约翰一直在谈论 “诫命”,但现在他将注意力集中到在僅僅的一条诫命上。在旧约中,上帝的子民彼此相爱的命令所有诫命中的一條,但是现在,这条古老的诫命被提昇了,赋予它优越的地位。
How is it possible for one commandment to stand head and shoulders above all the others? This is explained by the fact that love is the fulfillment of God’s law (Rom. 13:8–10).
怎麼樣可能使一条诫命超越其他之上?爱是上帝律法成全的解釋(罗13:8-10)。
Parents must care for their children according to law. Child neglect is a serious crime. But how many parents have a conversation like this when the alarm clock goes off in the morning?
父母必须依法律照顾子女。虐待儿童是严重的罪行。当闹钟在早上不響时,會有多少父母仍舊如下一像交谈?
She: “Honey, you’d better get up and go to work. We don’t want to get arrested.”
她:“亲爱的,你最好起床去上班。我们不想被捕。”
He: “Yeah, and you’d better get up and get breakfast for the kids, and get their clothes ready. The cops might show up and put us both in jail.”
他:“是的,您最好起床给孩子们預備早餐,并准备好他们的衣服。警察可能会出现并将我们俩关进监狱。”
She: “You’re right. Boy, it’s a good thing they have a law, or we’d stay in bed all day!”
她:“你是对的。真是,有法律是件好事,否则我们将整日躺在床上!”
It’s doubtful that the fear of the law is often the motive behind earning a living or caring for one’s children. Parents fulfill their responsibilities (even if grudgingly on occasion) because they love each other and their children. To them, doing the right thing is not a matter of law—it’s a matter of love.
令人怀疑的是,对法律的恐惧往往是谋生或照顾孩子的动机。父母履行彼此的责任(即使偶尔有些勉强),因为他们彼此相爱,且爱他們的孩子。对他们而言,做正确的事不是因為法律,而是與爱有关。
The commandment “Love one another” is the fulfillment of God’s law in the same way. When you love people, you do not lie about them or steal from them. You have no desire to kill them. Love for God and love for others motivates a person to obey God’s commandments without even thinking about them! When a person acts out of Christian love he obeys God and serves others—not because of fear, but because of his love.
“彼此相爱”的诫命是以同样的方式應驗了上帝的律法。当你爱人时,你不会撒谎或从别人那里偷窃。你不想杀死他们。对上帝的爱和对他人的爱,促使人甚至會不加思考的順服上帝的诫命!当人出于基督徒的爱服从上上帝,并服侍他人 — 不是因为恐惧,而是因为他的爱。
This is why John said that “Love one another” is a new commandment—it is new in emphasis. It is not simply one of many commandments. No, it stands at the top of the list!
这就是為什麼约翰说,“彼此相爱” 是条新命令的原因 — 强调新的這點。这不單單指它是许多诫命之一。不,它位于所有誡命列出表的首位!
But it is new in emphasis in another way too. It stands at the very beginning of the Christian life. “The old commandment is the word which ye had from the beginning” (1 John 2:7). This phrase “from the beginning” is used in two different ways in John’s letter, and it is important that you distinguish them. In 1 John 1:1, describing the eternality of Christ, we read that He existed “from the beginning.” In John 1:1—a parallel verse—we read, “In the beginning was the Word.”
但是,也有另一种方法強調它是新的。它是基督徒生活的真正的开始。 “旧的诫命是从一开始你们就有”(约壹2:7)。在约翰的书信中,“从一开始” 這词有两种不同的用法,能区分它们是很重要。在约翰一书1章1節中,描述基督的永恒,我们读到 “从一开始祂就存在”。在约翰福音1章1節 — 我们读到平行的经文,“論到從起初原有的生命之道道。”
But in 1 John 2:7, the subject is the beginning of the Christian life. The commandment to love one another is not an appendix to our Christian experience, as though God had an afterthought. No! It is in our hearts from the very beginning of our faith in Jesus Christ. If this were not so, John could not have written, “We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren” (1 John 3:14 nasb). And Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35 nasb)
但是在约翰一书2章7節中,主题是基督徒生活的开始。彼此相爱的诫命,并不是我们基督徒经验的附录,好像是上帝有事后的想法。不!从一开始信靠耶稣基督,基督就在我们心中。如果不是这样,约翰就不会写:“我们知道我们已经死了,因为我们爱弟兄而死入了生命”(约壹3:14 新美國標準版)。耶稣说:“到此,如果你们彼此相爱,所有人都将知道您是我的门徒”(约13:35新美國標準版)
By nature, an unsaved person may be selfish and even hateful. As much as we love a newborn baby, we must confess that the infant is self-centered and thinks the whole world revolves around his crib. The child is typical of an unsaved person. “We ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another” (Titus 3:3). This unretouched photo of the unbeliever may not be beautiful, but it is certainly accurate! Some unregenerate persons do not display the traits here mentioned, but the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19–21) are always potentially present in their dispositions.
从本质上说,未得救的人可能是自私的,甚至是恨人的。就像爱新生婴儿一样,我们必须承认婴儿是以自我為中心的,并认为整个世界都围绕着婴儿床旋转。孩子是典型的未得救的人。 “我们自己有时也愚蠢,不順從,欺骗,服侍各式各樣的欲望和娱乐,生活在恶毒和嫉妒中,仇恨和彼此仇恨”(多3:3)。这张未经修饰的未信者的照片,可能并不漂亮,但绝对准确!一些没有重生的人,雖然没有表现出这里所提到的特征,但是其肉体情慾的行为(加5:19–21)总是潜在地存在于他们的性癖之中。
When a sinner trusts Christ, he receives a new life and a new nature. The Holy Spirit of God comes to live in him and the love of God is “shed abroad in [his] heart” by the Spirit (Rom. 5:5). God does not have to give a new believer a long lecture about love! “For ye yourselves are taught of God [i.e., by the Holy Spirit within you] to love one another” (1 Thess. 4:9). A new believer discovers that he now hates what he used to love, and that he loves what he used to hate!
当罪人信靠基督时,他就会获得新的生命,和新的人性。上帝的圣灵活在他里面,上帝的爱,被圣灵 “澆灌在他的心中”(罗5:5)。上帝不必要给新信徒,长的有关于爱的訓導! “因为你们自己被上帝所教導(就是内住的圣灵)彼此相爱”(帖前4:9)。新信徒发现他现在讨厌曾经他爱过的东西,并且喜欢他曾经讨厌的东西!
So the commandment to love one another is new in emphasis: it is one of the most important commandments Christ gave us (John 13:34). In fact, “love one another” is repeated at least a dozen times in the New Testament (John 13:34; 15:9, 12, 17; Rom. 13:8; 1 Thess. 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11–12; 2 John 5). And there are many other references to brotherly love.
因此,彼此相爱的诫命是被强调為新的:这是基督赐给我们的最重要的诫命之一
(约13:34)。实际上,“彼此相爱”在新约中,至少重复出現過十二次(约13:34; 15:9、12、17;罗13:8;帖前4:9;彼后1: 22; 约壹3:11,23; 4:7,11-12; 约二5)。还有很多其他兄弟之爱的有关記載。
It is important that we understand the meaning of Christian love. It is not a shallow sentimental emotion that Christians try to “work up” so they can get along with each other. It is a matter of the will rather than an emotion—an affection for and attraction to certain persons. It is a matter of determining—of making up your mind—that you will allow God’s love to reach others through you, and then of acting toward them in loving ways. You are not to act “as if you loved them,” but because you love them. This is not hypocrisy—it is obedience to God.
重要的是我们了解基督教之爱的含义。基督徒尝试 “漸漸形成” 以使彼此和睦相处,這并並不是浅薄的情感的激動。它是有關意志,而不是情感 — 是对某些人的喜爱和吸引力。这是下定决心有關意志決定的事 — 這樣上帝的爱通过你可以到达他人,然后以爱心对他们行為互動。你的行为不是 “好像爱他们”,而是因为你爱他们。这不是伪善,而是对上帝的順服。
Perhaps the best explanation of Christian love is 1 Corinthians 13. You should read a modern translation of this chapter to get the full force of its message: the Christian life without love is NOTHING!
哥林多前书13章也许是对基督的爱最好詮釋。应该阅读聖經现代译本的哥林多前书13章,以获取信息全部真實的含义:没有爱的基督徒生活是空虛的!
But the commandment “Love one another” is not only new in emphasis. It is new in another way.
但是“彼此相爱”的诫命不仅強調它是新的。它在另方面也是新的。
2. It Is New in Example (2:8)
2. 在範例中是新的(2:8)
“Love one another,” John pointed out, was first true in Christ, and now it is true in the lives of those who are trusting Christ. Jesus Himself is the greatest Example of this commandment.
约翰指出,“彼此相爱” 首先在基督里是真实的,现在,在凡信靠基督的人的生活中也是如此。耶稣自己就是这诫命的最大典型。
Later on we will think about that great statement “God is love” (1 John 4:8), but it is anticipated here. When one looks at Jesus Christ, one sees love embodied and exemplified. In commanding us to love, Jesus does not ask us to do something that He has not already done Himself. The four gospel records are the account of a life lived in the spirit of love—and that life was lived under conditions far from ideal. Jesus says to us, in effect, “I lived by this great commandment, and I can enable you to follow My example.”
稍后,我们将思考 “上帝就是爱” 這伟大宣告(约壹4:8),但在这裡是可以料想到的。当人们仰望耶稣基督时,就看到爱的化身和典型。耶稣吩咐我们去爱,並不是要求我们做祂自己还没有做過的。四福音书记载了爱的屬靈生活 — 并且该生活遠远离開理想的条規。耶稣实际上是对我们说,“我遵守了这伟大的诫命,可以使你們效法我的榜样。”
Jesus illustrated love by the very life that He lived. He never showed hatred or malice. His righteous soul hated all sin and disobedience, but He never hated the people who committed such sins. Even in His righteous announcements of judgment, there was always an undercurrent of love.
耶稣以祂愛的生命來活出祂的生活中的爱。祂从未顯出過仇恨或恶意。祂公義的靈仇恨一切罪和不順服,但祂从未恨过犯下这种罪的人。即使在他公義的審判中,常常总会暗暗的流露出爱。
It is encouraging to think of Jesus’ love for the twelve disciples. How they must have broken His heart again and again as they argued over who was the greatest or tried to keep people from seeing their Master. Each of them was different from the others, and Christ’s love was broad enough to include each one in a personal, understanding way. He was patient with Peter’s impulsiveness, Thomas’s unbelief, and even Judas’s treachery. When Jesus commanded His disciples to love one another, He was only telling them to do as He had done.
想到耶稣对十二个门徒的爱總是會得著鼓舞。当祂的門徒在争论谁為大,或试图阻止人與他們的主见面时,他们是如何一次又一次地剌伤祂的心。他们每人之間都互相不同,基督的爱何其廣闊,它包含對所有門徒的個人的理解及處理方法。祂对彼得的冲动,多馬的不信,甚至犹大的背叛都以耐心待之。耶稣命令门徒彼此相爱时,祂只是告诉他们照著祂所做過的去做。
Consider too our Lord’s love for all kinds of people. The publicans and sinners were attracted by His love (Luke 15:1), and even the lowest of the low could weep at His feet (Luke 7:36–39). Spiritually hungry rabbi Nicodemus could meet with Him privately at night (John 3:1–21), and four thousand of the “common people” could listen to His teaching for three days (Mark 8:1–9) and then receive a miraculous meal from Him. He held babies in His arms. He spoke about children at play. He even comforted the women who wept as the soldiers led Him out to Calvary.
也要考虑我们的主对各种人的爱。稅吏和罪人被祂的爱所吸引(路15:1),即使是下層中的最低者,也可能在主的脚前哭泣(路7:36-39)。屬靈饥饿的拉比尼哥底母可以在晚上祂私下会面(约3:1-21),而四千 “普通百姓” 听祂的教导三天(可8:1-9),然后从祂那里得到神迹的夠飽晚餐。祂怀抱婴儿。他與在玩耍的孩子们谈話。当羅馬士兵将祂带到骷髅地时,祂甚至安慰那些哭泣的妇女。
Perhaps the greatest thing about Jesus’ love was the way it touched even the lives of His enemies. He looked with loving pity on the religious leaders who in their spiritual blindness accused Him of being in league with Satan (Matt. 12:24). When the mob came to arrest Him, He could have called on the armies of heaven for protection, but He yielded to His enemies. And then He died for them—for His enemies! “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). But Jesus died not only for His friends, but also for His foes! And as they crucified Him, He prayed for them: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
耶稣的爱中,最伟大的事也许是祂摸著仇敌的生命。祂满怀怜悯地看着宗教领袖,他们在属灵上的盲目中,控告祂与撒但同盟(太12:24)。当暴民来逮捕耶穌时,祂本可以呼吁天上的军队加以保护,但祂却屈服于敌人。然后祂为他们而死 — 为祂的敌人而死! “世上再没有比这更伟大的愛,一人为自己的朋友献出生命”(约15:13)。但是耶稣不仅为朋友而死,也为祂的敌人而死!当祂钉在十字架上时,祂为釘祂的敵人祈祷:“天父,请原谅他们,因为他们不知道自己在做的是什么。”
In His life, in His teachings, and in His death, Jesus is the perfect Example of this new commandment, “Love one another.” And this is what helps to make the commandment “new.” In Christ we have a new illustration of the old truth that God is love and that the life of love is the life of joy and victory.
在祂的一生,祂的教導以及祂的死中,耶稣對这新诫命 “彼此相爱” 都是的完美典型。这就是使诫命变得“新”的原因。在基督里,我们對古老的真理的新例证,那就是上帝是爱,爱的生命就是喜悦和胜利的生命。
What is true in Christ ought to be true in each believer. “As he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). A believer should live a life of Christian love “because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8 nasb). This reminds us of the emphasis on walking in the light (1 John 1). Two ways of life are contrasted: those who walk in the light practice love; those who walk in the darkness practice hatred. The Bible repeatedly emphasizes this truth. 在基督里的真理對其信徒都应该是真理。 “因為祂如何,我们在这世界上也如何”(约壹4:17)。信徒应该过基督徒愛的生活,“因为黑暗已经过去,真光已经照耀”(约壹2:8 新美國標準版)。这使我们想起行在光中的重要(约壹1章)。有两种生活方式形成对比:那些行在光明中的人操练爱;那些行在黑暗中的人操練仇恨。圣经反复强调这真理。
“The darkness is passing away,” but the light does not yet shine fully all over the world, nor does it penetrate every area of even a believer’s life.
“黑暗正在消失,”但是光还没有在世界上完全照耀,甚至没有進入到信徒生活的每个角落。
When Christ was born, “the dayspring from on high” visited the world (Luke 1:78). “Dayspring” means sunrise. The birth of Christ was the beginning of a new day for mankind! As He lived before men, taught them, and ministered to them, He spread the light of life and love. “The people who sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up” (Matt. 4:16).
基督出生时,“叫清晨的日光,从高天臨到我們” 照亮了全世界(路1:78)。 “清晨(Dayspring)” 是指日出。基督的诞生是世人新的一天的开始!当祂在世人面前生活,教导他们并服侍他们时,祂传播了生命和爱的光芒。 “坐在黑暗中的人们看到了大光。 致於坐在那里的人,死的光的影子就跳躍起来了”(太4:16)。
But there is a conflict in this world between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. “And the light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness is not able to put it out” (John 1:5, literal translation). Satan is the Prince of darkness, and he extends his evil kingdom by means of lies and hatred. Christ is the “Sun of righteousness” (Mal. 4:2), and He extends His kingdom by means of truth and love.
但是,在这世界上,光的力量和黑暗的力量之间存在冲突。 “光在黑暗中照耀,黑暗却无法熄灭光”(约1:5,直译)。撒但是黑暗之王子,牠用谎言和仇恨扩大牠的邪恶王国。基督是 “公義的太阳”(玛4:2),祂通过真理和爱心扩展祂的国度。
The kingdoms of Christ and of Satan are in conflict today, but “the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Prov. 4:18). The darkness is passing away little by little, and the True Light is shining brighter and brighter in our hearts.
基督的国度和撒但的王国,在今天处于冲突中,但 “義人的道路如同光照耀越来越多,直到完美的日子”(箴4:18)。黑暗渐渐消失,但真光照在我们的心中越来越亮。
Jesus Christ is the standard of love for Christians. “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another,” He said, “as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34). And He repeated: “This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12, ). We are not to measure our Christian love against the love of some other Christian (and we usually pick somebody whose life is more of an excuse than an example!) but against the love of Jesus Christ our Lord. The old commandment becomes “new” to us as we see it fulfilled in Christ. 耶稣基督是基督徒的爱的准繩。祂说,“我给你们一條新诫命,就是你们要彼此相爱。正如我爱你们一样,你们也彼此相爱”(约13:34)。耶稣又说,“这是我的命令,你们要彼此相爱,就像我爱你們一样”(约15:12)。我们不要将基督徒的爱与其他一些基督徒的爱來相比较(因為我们總会挑选一些人的生活帶更多借口; 而不是榜样!),是敵对主耶稣基督的爱。当我们看到旧的诫命在基督里應驗时,旧的诫命对我们就成为 “新的” 了。
So the commandment “Love one another” is new in emphasis and new in example. It is also new in a third way.
因此,“彼此相爱” 在強調诫命上是新的,在诫命舉例上是新的。在这第三种體驗上也是新的。
3. It Is New in Experience (2:9–11)
3. 彼此相愛在體验上是新的(2:9-11)
Our passage continues the illustration of light and darkness. If a Christian walks in the light and is in fellowship with God, he will also be in fellowship with others in God’s family. Love and light go together, much as hatred and darkness go together.
我们的章節继续在顯示光明与黑暗比照的範例。如果基督徒行在光明中并与上帝相交,他也与上帝家庭中的其他人相交。爱与光是并存的,就像仇恨与黑暗会并存一樣。
It is easy to talk about Christian love, but much more difficult to practice it. For one thing, such love is not mere talk (1 John 2:9). For a Christian to say (or sing!) that he loves the brethren while he actually hates another believer is for him to lie. In other words (and this is a sobering truth), it is impossible to be in fellowship with the Father and out of fellowship with another Christian at the same time.
說說基督徒的爱很容易,但要实践起来却非常困难。一方面,这样的爱不只是谈談的(约壹2:9)。以基督徒來論(或唱歌!)他爱弟兄,而同時又实际上却恨另一个信徒,對他是撒谎。换句话说(並且是嚴謹的真理),不可能与天父相交,而同時却不与另一位基督徒相交。
This is one reason why God established the local church, the fellowship of believers. “You can’t be a Christian alone”; a person cannot live a complete and developing Christian life unless he is in fellowship with God’s people. The Christian life has two relationships: the vertical (Godward) and the horizontal (man-ward). And what God has joined together, man must not put asunder! And each of these two relationships is to be one of love, one for the other.
这就是上帝建立地方教会,信徒团契的原因之一。 “你不能單獨一人成为基督徒”;人除非与上帝的子民也相交,否则就无法生活完整,而发展性的基督徒的生活。基督徒生活有两种关系:垂直关系(向上帝)和水平的人際关系(與世人)。上帝所連在一起的,人绝不能把它分開!这两种关系中的每一种的組成 : 一是愛,另一是彼此相爱。
Jesus dealt with this matter in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 5:21–26). A gift on the altar was valueless as long as the worshipper had a dispute to settle with his brother. Note that Jesus did not say that the worshipper had something against his brother, but that the brother had something against the worshipper. But even when we have been offended, we should not wait for the one who has offended us to come to us; we should go to him. If we do not, Jesus warned us that we will end up in a prison of spiritual judgment where we will have to pay the last penny (Matt. 18:21–35). In other words, when we harbor an unforgiving, unloving spirit, we harm ourselves most.
耶稣在登山寶訓中已經处理此事(见 太5:21–26)。只要基督徒在敬拜上帝前,与他的兄弟有争执,那麼放在祭坛上祭物就毫无价值。请注意,耶稣并没有说獻祭者,对他的兄弟有什么冒犯的事,或是兄弟有对獻祭者有什么冒犯的事。但是,即使我们被冒犯了,我们也不应等待冒犯我们的那人来到我们身边; 我们应该先去找他。如果我们不这样做,耶稣警告我们,将最终我們像是,被关在屬靈审判的监狱中,直到我们在那里必須付出最后欠的一分钱(太18:21-35)。换句话说,当我们隱匿在不饒恕,沒有爱的靈性裡时,最受伤害的還是自己。
The contrast between “saying” and “doing” is one we have met before (1 John 1:6, 8, 10; 2:4, 6). It is easy to practice a Christianity of “words”—singing the right songs, using the right vocabulary, praying the right prayers—and, through it all, deceiving ourselves into thinking we are spiritual. This mistake also ties into something Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:33–37). What we say should be the true expression of our character. We should not need extra words (“oaths”) to fortify what we say. Our yes should mean yes, and our no should mean no. So, if we say we are in the light, we will prove it by loving the brethren. Many Christians urgently need to be accepted, loved, and encouraged.
“说”与“做”之间的对比是我们之前遇到的(约壹1:6、8、10; 2:4、6)。操練基督徒的習語很容易 — 唱正确的歌,使用合適的词汇,用正确的祷告詞祈禱 — 并通过所有这些來欺骗自己,使我们认为自己是很属灵。这種错误,耶稣在登山寶訓已經有关的提及(太5:33-37)。凡我们所说的应该是我们品格的真实表达。不需要多余的言词(如 “誓言”)来加强我们所说的。“是” 就该說 “是”,“不是” 就說 “否”。因此,如果我们说自己行在光明中,通过爱弟兄的事實可以证明。许多基督徒迫切需要被接納,爱,和鼓励。
Contrary to popular opinion, Christian love is not “blind.” When we practice true Christian love, we find life getting brighter and brighter. Hatred is what darkens life! When true Christian love flows out of our hearts, we will have greater understanding and perception in spiritual things. This is why Paul prayed that our love may grow in knowledge and perception, “that ye may distinguish the things that differ” (see Phil. 1:9–10). A Christian who loves his brother is a Christian who sees more clearly.
与流行观点相反,基督徒的爱不是 “盲目的”。当我们操練真正的基督徒爱时,发现生活越来越光明。仇恨使我們的生活变得暗淡!当真正的基督徒爱从我们心中流出时,對属灵的事物,我們會更容易見識和洞悉。这就是为什么保罗在祈祷中求,就是要我们的爱心,在知识和各樣見識上,多而又多,“使你们能分別是非”(见 腓1:9-10)。爱他兄弟的基督徒就是能分辨是非的基督徒。
No book in the Bible illustrates the blinding power of hatred like the book of Esther. The events recorded there take place in Persia, where many of the Jews were living after the captivity. Haman, one of the king’s chief men, had a burning hatred for the Jews. The only way he could satisfy this hatred was to see the whole nation destroyed. He plunged ahead in an evil plot, completely blind to the fact that the Jews would win and that he himself would be destroyed. 圣经中没有那一本书能像以斯帖记,那样記載仇恨的盲目力量。事件是发生在波斯,许多被捉拿的犹太人居住在那里。国王的首領之一哈曼(Haman)对犹太人怀有强烈的仇恨。满足他的仇恨的唯一方法,是看到整个国家的滅亡。他陷入了邪恶的阴谋中,对犹太人將获胜,而他本人将被摧毁这一事实完全瞎眼。
Hatred is blinding people today too.
仇恨也使今天的人瞎眼。
Christian love is not a shallow sentiment, a passing emotion that we perhaps experience in a church service. Christian love is a practical thing; it applies in the everyday affairs of life. Just consider the “one another” statements in the New Testament and you will see how practical it is to love one another. Here are just a few (there are over twenty such statements):
基督徒的爱并不是一种浅薄的情操,或是在教堂礼拜中,可能经历的短暫的情感。基督徒的爱是务实的事;它适用于日常生活的事。只要考虑新约聖經中的 “彼此” 陈述,就会體會到彼此相爱是多么的实在。这里只是提出几件(有超过二十多种这样的语句):
Wash one another’s feet (John 13:14). 彼此洗脚(约13:14)。
Prefer one another (Rom. 12:10). 彼此喜爱(罗12:10)。
Be of the same mind one to another (Rom. 12:16). 彼此同心(罗12:16)。
Do not judge one another (Rom. 14:13). 不要彼此判斷(罗14:13)。
Receive one another (Rom. 15:7). 彼此接待(罗15:7)。
Admonish one another (Rom. 15:14). 彼此告诫(罗15:14)。
Edify [build up] one another (1 Thess. 5:11). 彼此培养[建立](帖前5:11)。
Bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2). 承担彼此的重担(加6:2)。
Confess your faults to one another (James 5:16). 互相承认自己的过错(雅5:16)。
Use hospitality one to another (1 Peter 4:9). 彼此款待(彼前4:9)。
In short, to love other Christians means to treat them the way God treats them—and the way God treats us. Christian love that does not show itself in action and in attitude is spurious (see 1 Cor. 13:4–7).
简言之,爱其他基督徒意味着像上帝对待他们一樣,以及上帝对待我们的方式一樣。没有行动和心态的基督徒的爱是虚假的(见 林前13:4-7)。
What happens to a believer who does not love the brethren? We have already seen the first tragic result: he lives in the darkness, though he probably thinks he is living in the light (1 John 2:9). He thinks he sees, but he is actually blinded by the darkness of hatred. This is the kind of person who causes trouble in Christian groups. He thinks he is a “spiritual giant,” with great understanding, when actually he is a babe with very little spiritual perception. He may read the Bible faithfully and pray fervently, but if he has hatred in his heart, he is living a lie.
不爱弟兄的信徒会怎样?我们已经看到了第一个悲剧性的後果:他生活在黑暗中,尽管他可能认为自己行在光明中(约壹2:9)。他认为自己看到了,但实际上他对仇恨的黑暗视而不见。这种人在基督徒团体中造成麻烦。他认为自己是 “屬靈巨人”,很有洞悉力,而实际上他是一个很少有屬靈體念的小孩子氣。他可以忠实地阅读圣经,并热切地祈祷,但是如果在他内心疾恨,他就是在撒谎。
The second tragic result is that such a believer becomes a cause of stumbling (see 1 John 2:10). It is bad enough when an unloving believer hurts himself (1 John 2:9), but when he starts to hurt others the situation is far more serious. It is serious to walk in the darkness. It is dangerous to walk in the darkness when stumbling blocks are in the way! An unloving brother stumbles himself, and in addition he causes others to stumble.
第二个悲惨的后果,是这样的信徒構成绊脚石的原因(见 约壹2:10)。当不敬虔的信徒伤害自己时,这已经很糟糕了(约壹2:9),但是当他开始伤害別人时,情况就更加严重。在行黑暗中很严重。在有绊脚石的黑暗中行走是危险的!不讨人喜欢的兄弟绊倒了自己,此外,他还绊倒别人。
A man who was walking down a dark street one night saw a pinpoint of light coming toward him in a faltering way. He thought perhaps the person carrying the light was ill or drunk, but as he drew nearer he could see a man with a flashlight carrying a white cane.
一天晚上,一个人在黑暗的街道上行走,看见一道细微的亮光以步履蹒跚的方式向他扑来。他以为携带亮光的人病了或喝醉了,但是当他走近时,他可以看到拿着手电筒里和白色的拐杖的人。
“Why would a blind man be carrying a light?” the man wondered, and then he decided to ask.
这人想知道,“为什么盲人会带著手電筒?” 然后他决定问那拿著手電筒的人。
The blind man smiled. “I carry my light, not so I can see, but so that others can see me. I cannot help being blind,” he said, “but I can help being a stumbling block.”
瞎子笑了。 “我帶着這亮光,不是為我看见,而是让别人能看见我。他繼續说,“我無法幫助自己的看不見,但我却可不成为绊脚石。”
The best way to help other Christians not to stumble is to love them. Love makes us stepping-stones; hatred (or any of its “cousins,” such as envy or malice) makes us stumbling blocks. It is important that Christians exercise love in a local church, or else there will always be problems and disunity. When we are falling over each other, instead of lifting each other higher, we will never become a truly happy spiritual family.
最好帮助其他基督徒的方法是爱他们,不要绊倒他們。爱使我们成为踏脚石; 仇恨(或任何它的“表兄弟” 嫉妒或恶毒)都是绊脚石。基督徒在当地的教堂里行使爱很重要,否则,总会有问题和不团结。更重要的是,当我们只是互相絆腳跌倒,而不是互相提攜,那麼,我们永远不会成为真正幸福的屬靈家庭。
Apply this, for instance, to the delicate matter of “questionable things” (Rom. 14—15). Since believers come from different backgrounds, they do not always agree. In Paul’s day, they differed on such matters as diets and holy days. One group said it was unspiritual to eat meat offered to idols. Another group wanted strict observance of the Sabbath. There were several facets to the problem, but basic to its solution was “Love one another!” Paul put it this way: “Let us not, therefore, judge one another anymore; but judge this, rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.… But if thy brother be grieved with thy food, now walkest thou not in love” (Rom. 14:13, 15 sco).
例如,将其应用于微妙 “可疑事物”的问题上(罗14-15)。由于信徒来自不同的背景,他们的意見并不总是一致的。在保罗时代,在食物潔淨和圣日等问题上存在分歧。一幫人说吃拜偶像肉是不屬靈的。另一幫人說,希望严格遵守安息日。这问题是多面的,但基本解决方案是 “彼此相爱!” 保罗这样说,“所以,我们不再彼此論斷;寧可定意誰也不給弟兄放下绊倒祂兄弟的物。……但是,你若因食物叫你弟兄憂愁,就不是按照愛弟兄的道理行”(罗14:13,15 司可福聖經)。
A third tragic result of hatred is that it retards a believer’s spiritual progress (1 John 2:11). A blind man—a person who is walking in darkness—can never find his way! The only atmosphere that is conducive to spiritual growth is the atmosphere of spiritual light—of love. Just as the fruits and flowers need sunshine, so God’s people need love if they are going to grow.
仇恨的第三个悲剧性结果,是它阻碍了信徒的灵命进深(约壹2:11)。瞎子,在黑暗中行走的人,永远找不到路! 唯一有助于他靈命成长的气氛,是爱的屬靈的光照。正如水果和花朵需要阳光一样,上帝的子民若要成长,就需要爱。
The commandment “Love one another” becomes new to us in our own day-by-day experience. It is not enough for us to recognize that it is new in emphasis and say, “Yes, love is important!” Nor is it enough for us to see God’s love exemplified by Jesus Christ. We must know this love in our own experience. The old commandment “Love one another” becomes a new commandment as we practice God’s love in daily life.
在我们自己的日常生活的经验中,“彼此相爱”的诫命对我们来说是新的。我们还不夠去意识到強調它是新的, 就说,“是的,爱很重要!” 同時,还不够让我们看到上帝以耶稣基督所代表的,祂的爱。我们必须要自己來经历體念这种爱。当我们在日常生活中实践上帝的爱时,旧的诫命 “彼此相爱” 就变成了新的诫命。
Thus far, we have seen the negative side of 1 John 2:9–11; now let’s look at the positive. If we practice Christian love, what will the wonderful results be?
到目前为止,我们已经看到了约翰一书2章9至11等節的消极面。现在让我们看一下它的極積面。如果我们实践基督徒的爱,那么美好的後果将会是什么?
First of all, we will be living in the light—living in fellowship with God and with our Christian brothers.
首先,我们将生活在光明中,与上帝和我们的基督徒兄弟在團契裡。
Second, we will not stumble or become stumbling blocks to others.
第二,我们不会绊倒,或成为别人的绊脚石。
And, third, we will grow spiritually and will progress toward Christlikeness.
第三,我们将在灵命上成长,并朝着基督的樣式漸漸接近。
At this point, we should think about the contrast between the ugly “works of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19–21) and the beautiful fruit of the Spirit—“Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23).
在这一点上,我们应该考虑丑陋的 “肉体慾火”(加5:19-21)和圣灵所結的美丽果子 ---“仁爱,喜乐,和平,忍耐,恩慈,良善,信實 ,温柔和節制”(加5:22-23)。
When we are walking in the light, the “seed of the Word” (Luke 8:11) can take root and bear fruit. And the first cluster the Spirit produces is love!
当我们行在光明中时,“圣言的种子”(路8:11)可以生根結果。圣灵結的第一个果子是仁爱!
But love does not live alone. Love produces joy! Hatred makes a man miserable, but love always brings him joy.
但是仁爱并不孤单。仁爱生喜乐!仇恨使人痛苦不堪,但爱总是帶給他喜乐。
A Christian couple came to see a pastor because their marriage was beginning to fall apart. “We’re both saved,” the discouraged husband said, “but we just aren’t happy together. There’s no joy in our home.” As the pastor talked with them and they considered together what the Bible has to say, one fact became clear: both the husband and wife were nursing grudges. Each recalled many annoying little things the other had done!
一对婚姻开始破裂的基督徒夫妇来找牧师。灰心丧气的丈夫说,“我们俩都得救,但我们在一起并不开心。我们的家没有喜乐。” 当牧师与他们交谈时,與他们一起思考圣经所说的话,一件事实变得很清楚:夫妻双方都有怀恨的心。每个人都回想起对方所做的许多烦擾對方的小事!
“If you two really loved each other,” said the pastor, “you wouldn’t file these hurts away in your hearts. Grudges fester in our hearts like infected sores and poison the whole system.”
牧师说,“如果你们雙方真的彼此相爱,您們就不会把这些伤害埋在心里。像感染的毒疮一样使我们的心烦恼,使整个身體中毒。”
Then he read, “[Love] thinketh no evil” (1 Cor. 13:5). He explained, “This means that love never keeps records of things others do that hurt us. When we truly love someone, our love covers their sins and helps to heal the wounds they cause.” Then he read, “And above all things have fervent love among yourselves; for love shall cover the multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8 sco). 然后,牧師读,“ [爱]不計算人的恶”(林前13:5)。他解释说,“它的意思是,爱永远不会保留别人伤害我们的事放在自己心裡。当我们真正爱一个人时,我们的爱掩盖了他的过錯,并幫助治愈他们所造成的创伤。” 然后又读到,“最要緊的,是你们切實相爱。因為爱能掩盖許多的罪”(彼前4:8 司可福聖經)。
Before the couple left, the pastor counseled them: “Instead of keeping records of the things that hurt, start remembering the things that please. An unforgiving spirit always breeds poison, but a loving spirit that sees and remembers the best always produces health.”
在这对夫妇离开之前,牧师劝告他们,“与其记著受伤害的事,不如记起那些令人愉悦的事。无情的惡靈总会滋生毒素,而愛的靈總看是到,并记住最好的事,常常生長健康。”
暫停
A Christian who walks in love is always experiencing some new joy because the “fruit of the Spirit” is love and joy. And when we blend “love” and “joy,” we will have “peace”—and peace helps to produce “patience.” In other words, walking in the light, walking in love, is the secret of Christian growth, which nearly always begins with love.
帶爱心的基督徒总是遇到一些新的快乐,因为“圣灵的果实”就是爱与快乐。当我们将“爱”与“喜悦”融合在一起时,我们将拥有“和平”-而和平有助于产生“耐心”。换句话说,走在光明中,走在爱中,是基督徒成长的秘诀,这几乎总是从爱情开始。
Now, all of us must admit that we cannot generate Christian love under our own power. By nature, we are selfish and hateful. It is only as God’s Spirit floods our hearts with love that we, in turn, can love one another. “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Rom. 5:5). The Spirit of God makes the commandment “Love one another” into a new and exciting day-by-day experience. If we walk in the light, God’s Spirit produces love. If we walk in darkness, our own selfish spirit produces hatred.
现在,我们所有人都必须承认,我们无法凭自己的力量产生基督徒的爱。从本质上讲,我们是自私的和可恨的。只有当上帝的灵充满爱时,我们才能彼此相爱。 “上帝的爱被赐予我们的圣灵在我们心中散布在国外”(罗5:5)。上帝的灵使诫命“彼此相爱”成为新的令人兴奋的日常体验。如果我们在光明中行走,上帝的灵就会产生爱。如果我们在黑暗中行走,我们自己的自私精神就会产生仇恨。
The Christian life—the life that is real—is a beautiful blending of “something old, something new.” The Holy Spirit takes the “old things” and makes them “new things” in our experience. When you stop to think about it, the Holy Spirit never grows old! He is always young! And He is the only Person on earth today who was here centuries ago when Jesus lived, taught, died, and rose again. He is the only One who can take “old truth” and make it fresh and new in our daily experience at this present time.
基督徒生活-真实的生活-是“旧事物,新事物”的完美融合。在我们的经验中,圣灵接受“旧事物”并使它们成为“新事物”。当您停止思考时,圣灵永远不会变老!祂总是年轻!耶稣是当今地球上唯一的一个世纪以来,耶稣在世的人生活,教导,死亡和复活。祂是目前唯一能够接受“古老的真理”并使之在我们的日常经验中新鲜和新的人。
There are other exciting truths in the rest of John’s letter, but if we fail to obey in this matter of love, the rest of the letter may well be “darkness” to us. Perhaps the best thing we can do, right now, is to search our hearts to see if we hold anything against a brother, or if someone has anything against us. The life that is real is an honest life—and it is a life of doing, not merely saying. It is a life of active love in Christ. This means forgiveness, kindness, longsuffering. But it also means joy and peace and victory.
约翰书信的其余部分还有其祂令人振奋的真理,但是如果我们在爱情问题上未能服从,书信的其余部分很可能对我们来说是“黑暗”。也许我们现在能做的最好的事情是,发掘自己的内心,看看我们是否对兄弟持反对态度,或者有人对我们持反对态度。真实的生活是诚实的生活,而且是做事的生活,而不仅仅是说。这是在基督里积极爱的生活。这意味着宽恕,友善和忍耐。但这也意味着欢乐,和平与胜利。
The love life is the only life, because it is the life that is real!
爱情生活是唯一的生活,因为这是真实的生活!
5. TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 1 John
第五章 真理或後果 约翰一书2:18-29
It makes no difference what you believe, just as long as you are sincere!”
只要你是誠心的相信,不管信什麼都沒有關係!
That statement expresses the personal philosophy of many people today, but it is doubtful whether most of those who make it have really thought it through. Is “sincerity” the magic ingredient that makes something true? If so, then you ought to be able to apply it to any area of life, and not only to religion.
该当今许多人的宗教哲学,但令人怀疑這大多数人的哲學觀點是否真的想透了。 “诚心”是使事情成為真理的靈藥吗?如果真是这样,那么应该能够将其应用于生活的任何领域,而不仅仅是宗教。
A nurse in a city hospital gives some medicine to a patient, and the patient becomes violently ill. The nurse is sincere but the medicine is wrong, and the patient almost dies.
舉例來說,一家城市医院的护士给病人服用一些药物,使病人的病更厲害。护士是诚心醫病,但拿錯了药,病人几乎快死了。
A man hears noises in the house one night and decides a burglar is at work. He gets his gun and shoots the “burglar,” who turns out to be his daughter! Unable to sleep, she has gotten up for a bite to eat. She ends up the victim of her father’s “sincerity.”
又如,晚上听到房子里有奇怪的声音,主人肯定是小偷在偷東西。他拿起枪就射,而这“小偷”原来是他的女儿!因她无法入睡,所以起床找食物充饑。她最终成为父亲 “诚心”的受害者。
It takes more than “sincerity” to make something true. Faith in a lie will always cause serious consequences; faith in the truth is never misplaced. It does make a difference what a man believes! If a man wants to drive from
要認識真理,除 “诚心”以外,還需要更多的思考。對谎言的信心往往会造成严重的后果;但对真理的信心永远不会错的。人只要誠心深信真理,他錯不了!如果有人希望从芝加哥开车到纽约,若他上的高速公路指標是指向洛杉矶,再誠心他也到不了纽约。真誠的人是建立他的生活在真理上,而不是迷信或谎言。相信谎言是不可能过真实的生活。
God has warned the church family (“little children”) about the conflict between light and darkness (1 John 1:1—2:6) and between love and hatred (1 John 2:7–17). Now He warns them about a third conflict: the conflict between truth and error. It is not enough for a believer to walk in the light and to walk in love; he must also walk in truth. The issue is truth—or consequences!
上帝曾經警告過教会的大家庭份子(“小子們”),关于光明与黑暗(约翰一书1:1:2:6)和爱与恨之间的矛盾(约壹2:7-17)。现在,祂警告他们有关第三种冲突:真理与错误之间的冲突。信徒行在光明中,且在爱中是不够的。他还必须對真理誠心。问题是真理或發生的后果!
Before John explained the tragic consequences of turning from the truth, he emphasized the seriousness of the matter. He did so by using two special terms: “the last time” and “antichrist.” Both terms make it clear that Christians are living in an hour of crisis and must guard against the errors of the enemy.
在约翰未解释背离真理的悲慘的后果之前,他强调了它的严重性。他使用了两个特殊术语:“最后一次” 和 “敌基督”。这两个短語都闡釋基督徒的生活在短时間的危机中,必须防范敌人的错误。
“The last time” (or “the last hour”) is a term that reminds us that a new age has dawned on the world. “The darkness is past, and the true light now shineth” (1 John 2:8). Since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God is doing a “new thing” in this world. All of Old Testament history prepared the way for the work of Christ on the cross. All history since that time is merely preparation for “the end,” when Jesus will come and establish His kingdom. There is nothing more that God must do for the salvation of sinners.
“最后一次”(或“最后一小时”)是短語,提醒我们已经进入了晨曦的世界新时代。 “黑暗已經过去,真正的光辉出现了”(约壹2:8)。自从耶稣基督死亡和复活以来,上帝正在對这世界做 “新事”。旧约的所有历史都为基督在十字架上所做的工作預備好了道路。自那时以来的所有历史都只是为這 “结局” 做准备,那时耶稣将要来建立祂的国度。上帝为必須拯救罪的事已經完成。
You may ask, “But if it was ‘the last hour’ in John’s day, why has Jesus not yet returned?”
可能你們会问:“若是如此,在约翰的時間表的 “最后一小时”,为什么耶稣还没有回来呢?”
This is an excellent question and Scripture gives us the answer. God is not limited by time the way His creatures are. God works in human time, but He is above time (see 2 Peter 3:8).
这问题很好,圣经記載給我们答案。上帝并没有限制祂创造物的时间。上帝是以人世的時間作工,但祂超越时间之上(參看 彼後3:8)。
“The last hour” began back in John’s day and has been growing in intensity ever since. There were ungodly false teachers in John’s day, and during the intervening centuries they have increased both in number and in influence. “The last hour” or “the last times” are phrases that describe a kind of time, not a duration of time. “The latter times” are described in 1 Timothy 4. Paul, like John, observed characteristics of his time, and we see the same characteristics today in even greater intensity.
“最后一小时” 起始于约翰計算的日子,从那以后一直猛烈的在增加。在约翰的日子,有不敬虔的假教师,在此後的数百年中,他们的人数和影响力都有所增加。 “最后一小时”或 “最后一次” 是描述某種时段,而不是描寫持续时间的短语。在提摩太前书1章中描述 “較后的時間”。保罗像约翰一样,观察了他那个日子的時代特征,今天我们看到的相同看特征,却為强勁。
In other words, Christians have always been living in “the last time”—in crisis days. It is therefore important that you know what you believe and why you believe it.
换句话说,在危机时期,基督徒一直生活在 “最后一次” 之中。因此,重要的是你們要知道自己信的是什么,以及为什么要信它。
The second term, “antichrist,” is used in the Bible only by John (1 John
其次是 “敌基督”, 仅在约翰寫的圣经書卷中用到(约壹2:18,22; 4:3;约弍7)。它描述了三件事:(1)世界上反对或否认基督的邪靈; (2)具体化这种邪靈的假教师; (3)将领导最后的世界反抗基督的人。
The “spirit of antichrist” (1 John 4:3) has been in the world since Satan declared war on God (see Gen. 3). The “spirit of antichrist” is behind every false doctrine and every “religious” substitute for the realities Christians have in Christ. The prefix anti- actually has a dual meaning. It can mean, in the Greek, both “against” Christ and “instead of” Christ. Satan in his frenzy is fighting Christ and His eternal truth, and he is substituting his counterfeits for the realities found only in our Lord Jesus. The “spirit of antichrist” is in the world today. It will eventually lead to the appearance of a “satanic superman” whom the Bible calls “Antichrist” (capital A). He is called (2 Thess. 2:1–12) “the man of sin” (or “lawlessness”).
自从撒但向上帝宣战以来,“敌基督的邪靈”(约壹4:3)就已存在于世上(见 创3)。任何虚假的学说和 全任何“宗教的”替代品,都以 “敌基督的邪靈”作後盾,代替了基督徒在基督里所拥有的实存(reality)。字首(anti-)实际上有双重含义。在希腊语中,它們可能意味着 “敵对” 和 “代替” 基督。撒旦狂热地与基督及祂永恒的真理敵對,牠用伪造品,代替只有在我们主耶稣里才具有的实存。当今世界上已有 “敵基督的邪靈”。最终将导致“撒旦超人” 的出现,圣经将其称为 “敌基督”(Antichrist的第一個字母A大写)。牠被称为 “有罪的人”(或“不法之徒”)。(帖後2:1-12)
This passage explains that there are two forces at work in today’s world: truth is working through the church by the Holy Spirit, and evil is working by the energy of Satan. The Holy Spirit, in Christians, is holding back lawlessness; but when the church is removed at the rapture (1 Thess.
这段经文解释说,当今世界有两种力量在工作:真理通过圣灵在教会中工作,而邪恶通过撒但的能力进行工作。圣灵使用在基督徒阻止不法之徒。但是,当教堂在大災難期中被提升在空中时(帖前4:13-18),撒但将有能力完成牠的暂时性胜利,并占领整个世界。 (约翰在《启示录》中有更多关于邪恶体系對统治世界的記載,特别是在13:1-18; 16:13和19:20等處。)
Does it make any difference what you believe? It makes all the difference in the world! You are living in crisis days—in the last hour—and the spirit of antichrist is working in the world! It is vitally important that you know and believe the truth and be able to detect lies when they come your way.
這對你的信仰有什么不同吗?牠把這世界改变得大大的不同!在最后的這一小时段里,你正处在危机时期,而敌基督的邪靈正在世界上运作!更重要的是,你必须知道,并相信真理,且能够在他们走在你的前面時,能发现牠們的谎言。
John’s epistle gives three outstanding marks of the false teacher who is controlled by the “spirit of antichrist.”
约翰的书信指出 “敌基督邪靈” 控制的假教师的三个突出标记。
1. He Departs from the Fellowship (
1. 他离开团契(2:18-19)
“They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us” (1 John
“他们脱离了我们,但他们并不真正属于我们。因为他们若是属于我们,就必仍與留我们同在一起”(约壹 2:19 新美國標準版)。
The word us refers, of course, to the fellowship of believers, the church. Not everyone who is part of an assembly of believers is necessarily a member of the family of God!
“我们”这词,当然是指信徒的团契,教会。并非所有参加信徒聚会的人,都一定是上帝大家庭的一员!
The New Testament presents the church in a twofold way: as one worldwide family and as local units or assemblies of believers. There is a “universal” as well as “local” aspect of the church. The whole worldwide company of believers is compared with a body (1 Cor. 12) and with a building (Eph.
新约圣经以双重方式記載顯明教会:作为当地信徒团体或信徒的廣闊世界的大家庭。教会既有 “普遍性” 又有 “地方性” 的兩方面。整个全球的信徒团体与地方教會的基督屬靈身体(林前12章)和其建筑物(弗2:19-22)进行比较。当罪人相信基督为救世主时,他将获得永生,并立即成为上帝家庭的一员和基督属灵身体的一部分。然后,他应该与当地的基督徒群體(教会),向他們认同自己,并开始为基督事奉(徒2:41-42)。但是,其要点他可以属于当地的教会,而不能成为真正基督属灵身体的一部分。
One of the evidences of true Christian life is a desire to be with the people of God. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren” (1 John
基督徒真实的生活证据之一就是渴望与上帝的子民在一起。 “我们知道因为爱弟兄,就出死入生”(约壹3:14)。当人们拥有相同的上帝屬天的本性(彼前2:1),并且有同樣的圣灵內住(罗8:14–16),他们要享受团契的喜樂,并彼此分享。正如我们所见,团契意味着 “有共同点”。当人们有共同的屬靈的实存时,他们想要在一起。
But the “counterfeit Christians” mentioned in 1 John 2 did not remain in the fellowship. They went out. This doesn’t imply that “staying in the church” keeps a person saved; rather, it indicates that remaining in the fellowship is one evidence that a person is truly a Christian. In His Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:1–9, 18–23), Jesus makes it clear that only those who produce fruit are truly born again. It is possible to be close to an experience of salvation, and even to have some characteristics that would pass for “Christian,” and yet not be a child of God. The people in view in 1 John 2 left the fellowship because they did not possess the true life and the love of Christ was not in their hearts.
但是在约翰一书2章中提到的“假冒基督徒”,并没有留在团契中。他们脫離出去。这并不意味着 “留在教堂里” 的每个人都得救;相反,它表明留在团契中的人,确实是基督徒的证据。耶稣在 “撒种的比喻”(太13:1-9,18-23)中明确指出,只有那些能结出果子的人才是真正重生的人。可能得到救赎的经历,甚至具有可能会成为 “基督徒” 的特征,但還不是上帝的儿女。约翰一书2章中所见的人,他們离开团契是因为没有真正的生命,并且基督的爱不在他们的心中。
There are many unfortunate divisions among the people of God today, but all true Christians have things in common, regardless of church affiliation. They believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that Jesus is the Son of God. They confess that men are sinners and that the only way one can be saved is through faith in Christ. They believe that Christ died as man’s substitute on the cross, and that He arose again from the dead. They believe that the Holy Spirit indwells true believers. Finally, they believe that one day in the future Jesus will come again. Christians may differ on other matters—church government, for example, or modes of baptism—but they agree on the basic doctrines of the faith.
今天,在上帝的子民之间,有许多不幸的分歧,但无论教会的隶属关系如何,所有真正的基督徒都有共同点。他们相信圣经是上帝的话,而耶稣是上帝的儿子。他们承认人都是罪人,唯一可以得救的方法就是信靠耶穌基督。他们深信基督是为贖人的罪死在十字架上,而三天後祂又从死里复活。他们相信圣灵住在真正的信徒當中。最后,他们相信耶稣的再來。基督徒在其他事情上可能有所不同(例如,教会的組織或洗礼的方式),但他们信心的基本教义肯定是完全一致的。
If you will investigate the history of the false cults and antichristian religious systems in today’s world, you will find that in most cases their founders started out in a local church! They were “with us” but not “of us,” so they went out “from us” and started their own groups.
如果调查当今世界上的虚假的邪教和反基督教宗教系统的历史,你会发现在大多数情况下,其创始人都是从当地的教堂出去的!他们曾“与我们在一起”,但不是 “屬我们的”,因此他们是 “从我们” 中間脫離出去的,并成立了自己的团体。
Any group, no matter how “religious,” that for doctrinal reasons separates itself from a local church that holds to the Word of God, must immediately be suspect. Often these groups follow human leaders and the books men have written, rather than Jesus Christ and God’s Word. The New Testament (e.g., 2 Tim. 3—4; 2 Peter 2) makes it clear that it is dangerous to depart from the fellowship.
任何出于教义原因将自己与持有上帝圣言的地方教会分开的人,无论多么“有宗教氣氛”,都必须立即受到怀疑。这些团体常常跟随人的领袖和人写的书,而不是耶稣基督和上帝的圣言。 新约(例如 提後 3-4章;彼後2章)清楚地表明,离开团契是危险的。
2. He Denies the Faith (
2. 他否认信心(約壹2:20–25; 4:1–6)
The key question for a Christian is, Who is Jesus Christ? Is Christ merely “an Example,” “a good Man,” or “a wonderful teacher,” or is He God come in the flesh?
基督徒的关键问题是,谁是耶稣基督?基督仅仅是 “好榜样”,“好人” 或 “出色的教师”,还是祂是道成肉体的的上帝?
John’s readers knew the truth about Christ, or else they would not have been saved. “You all know the truth, because you have the Spirit of God, an unction, and the Spirit teaches you all things” (see 1 John
约翰著作的读者知道有关基督的真相,否则他们将不会得救。 “你们都知道真理,因为你们拥有上帝的灵,恩膏,而灵靈教導你们万事”(见 约壹2:20,27)。 “现在,如果有人没有基督的灵,他就不是屬祂的”(罗8:9)。
False Christians in John’s day used two special words to describe their experience: “knowledge” and “unction.” They claimed to have a special unction (anointing) from God that gave them a unique knowledge. They were “illuminated” and therefore living on a much higher level than anybody else. But John pointed out that all true Christians know God and have received the Spirit of God! And because they have believed the truth, they recognize a lie when they meet it. 暫停 9/25/2020 7:30 AM 開始
约翰时代的假基督徒用两个特殊的词来形容他们的经历:“知识”和“恩膏”。他们自称有上帝特别的恩膏(膏油),这使他们有了独特的知识。並被 “光照”,因此,生活水平比任何人都高。但是约翰指出,所有真正的基督徒都认识上帝,并接受了上帝的灵!因为他们相信真理,所以当他们遇到谎言时就会认出。
The great assertion of the faith that sets a Christian apart from others is this: Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh (1 John 4:2).
基督信仰与其他信仰者不同的伟大宣言是:耶稣基督是道成肉身的上帝(约壹4:2)
Not all preachers and teachers who claim to be Christian are really Christian in their belief (1 John 4:1–6). If they confess that Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh, then they belong to the true faith. If they deny Christ, then they belong to antichrist. They are in and of the world, and are not, like true believers, called out of the world. When they speak, the world (unsaved persons) hears them and believes them. But the unsaved world can never understand a true Christian. A Christian speaks under the direction of the Spirit of Truth; a false teacher speaks under the influence of the spirit of error—the spirit of antichrist.
并非所有声称是基督徒的传教士和教师,他們都是真正的基督信仰者(约壹4:1-6)。若他们认耶稣基督是道成肉身的上帝,那么才是真正的有基督信仰的人。若否认基督,那么他们就是敌基督。他们在世界和屬世界的,而不像真正的基督信徒是被上帝召唤脫離這世界。当假信徒说话时,世界(未得救的人)会去听,并相信他们。但是未得救的世界永远无法理解真正的基督信仰者。基督徒在真理的靈指导下说话;假教师却在邪靈(敵基督的靈)的控制下讲话。
To confess that “Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh” involves much more than simply to identify Christ. The demons did this (Mark
认“耶稣基督是道成肉身的上帝”,是遠遠超過只証明基督。魔鬼也这样做(可1:24)牠們并没有得到拯救。真正的认罪,包括个人對对基督信仰的信心,即祂是谁,祂做了些什么。认罪不仅仅是背诵富有理智的 “神学道義”;它是你内心对基督为你所做的一切的个人见证。如果你已经信靠基督,并承认了自己的基督信仰,那么你将获得永生(约翰2:25)。那些不肯诚实坦白認定主的人,得不到永生,这是極终的严重问题。
George Whitefield, a great British evangelist, was speaking to a man about his soul. He asked the man, “Sir, what do you believe?”
英国伟大的福音传教士乔治·怀特(George Whitefield)与人正在谈论他的灵魂。他问那人,“先生,您相信什么?”
“I believe what my church believes,” the man replied respectfully.
那人恭敬地回答:“我相信我的教会所信仰的。”
“And what does your church believe?”
“那麼,您的教会相信什么?”
“The same thing I believe.”
“與我相信的像同。”
“And what do both of you believe?” the preacher inquired again.
传教士再次询问, “你和你的教會都相信什么?”
“We both believe the same thing!” was the only reply he could get.
他唯一能答复的是,“我们的相信都一樣!”
A man is not saved by assenting to a church creed. He is saved by trusting Jesus Christ and bearing witness to his faith (
人不能通过教会信条得拯救。他只有信靠耶稣基督,并见证他因信耶穌基督得救
(罗10:9-10)。
False teachers will often say, “We worship the Father. We believe in God the Father, even though we disagree with you about Jesus Christ.”
假教师经常會说:“我们敬拜父。即使我们不同意耶稣基督,我们仍然相信父神。”
But to deny the Son means to deny the Father also. You cannot separate the Father and the Son, since both are one God. Jesus said, “I and my Father are one” (John
但是,否认子也就說他否认父。你不能把父子分开,因为两者都是同一位上帝。耶稣说,“我和我父是一體”(约10:30)。祂还明确表示,真正的基督信仰者,既要尊敬圣父,又要尊敬圣子: “不尊敬儿子的,就不尊敬差遣祂來到世上的父”(约5:23)。如果你说 “敬拜独一的上帝”,却不敬拜耶稣基督,那你并不是真正基督徒的崇拜。
It is important that you stay with the truth of God’s Word. The Word (or message) Christians have “heard from the beginning” is all you need to keep you true to the faith. The Christian life continues just as it began: through faith in the Bible’s message. A religious leader who comes along with “something new,” something that contradicts what Christians have “heard from the beginning,” is not to be trusted. “Try the spirits, whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1). Let the Word abide in you (1 John
守住上帝聖言的真理很重要。基督徒“从一开始就听”的道(或信息)就是使你忠于信心的真實。基督徒生活的继续,就像他开始时那样:对圣经信息的信心。信奉“新事物”且与基督徒“从一开始就听到的”矛盾的宗教领袖,他們是不應該相信。 “试驗那些靈是否出於上帝”(约壹4:1)。愿圣言住在你里面(约壹2:24),並且基督的內住(约壹2:28);要不然,你会被敌基督的邪靈误入歧途。不管假教师作什么應允,你都已經有永生确保的應許(约壹2:25)。不需要其它任何事物!
If false teachers were content to enjoy themselves in their own meetings, it would be bad enough; the tragedy is that they try earnestly to convert others to their antichristian doctrines. This is the third mark of a man who has turned away from God’s truth.
如果假教师满足于他自己的会议中欺騙,那就太糟糕了; 悲剧是他们认真地尝试,要将別人转变到他們敵基督教的教义去。这是人背弃了上帝真理的第三个標誌。
3. He Tries to Deceive the Faithful (
3. 他试图欺骗信實的基督徒(2:26–29)
It is interesting to observe that antichristian groups rarely try to lead lost sinners to their false faith. Instead, they spend much of their time trying to convert professing Christians (and church members, at that) to their own doctrines. They are out to “seduce” the faithful.
观察敵基督团体很少试图将失喪的罪人,带入他们的虛假的信念裡,是有趣得很。反之,他们花很大氣力及时间,试图将自称是基督徒(以及当时教会的會员)转向到自己虛假的教義。這顯而是为了“勾引”信實者。
The word seduce carries the idea of “being led astray.” We have been warned that this would happen: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils [teachings of demons]” (1 Tim. 4:1).
勾引是引人“误入歧途”的意思。我们已经被警告这种情况会发生:“现在,圣灵明确地说出,在以后的日子裡,有些人会背离信仰,順服引诱的邪靈,以及魔鬼的教义 ‘恶魔的教导’”(提前4: 1)。
Jesus called Satan the “father of lies” (John 8:44 niv). The devil’s purpose is to lead Christians astray by teaching them false doctrines (2 Cor. 11:1–4, 13–15). We should not accept everything a person tells us simply because he claims to believe the Bible, for it is possible to “twist” the Bible to make it mean almost anything (2 Cor. 4:1–2).
耶稣称撒但为 “說谎之父”(约8:44)。魔鬼的目的是通过教导基督徒虛構的教义,使他们误入歧途(林後11:1–4,13–15)。我们不应该仅仅因为人声称他相信圣经,而接受他所说的一切,因为他可能會 “扭曲”圣经的真理,把聖經解釋為幾乎是他們所要的意思(林前4:1-2)。
Satan is not an originator; he is a counterfeiter. He imitates the work of God. For example, Satan has counterfeit “ministers” (2 Cor.
撒旦不是源始者; 而是造假者。他模仿上帝的工作。例如,撒旦有伪造的 “宣教師”(林後11:13-15),他们宣扬伪造的福音(加1:6–12),产生信靠假公義(罗10:1-10)的基督徒(约8:43-44)。在稗子的比喻中(太13:24-30,36-43),耶稣和撒但被記載為撒种的人。耶稣播下真實的种子,上帝的儿女,但撒但播下 “魔鬼的儿女”。它們同時一起生长,看似非常相同,以至于仆人無法分辨,直到果实出现时才有差异!撒旦在今日的主要策略是在基督培植真品的地方,撒下假的货品。重要的是,必须能够发现假冒伪劣的貨品,并将基督的教义与敵基督的假教义分別开来。
How does a believer do this? By depending on the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Each believer has experienced the anointing (the “unction,” 1 John
信徒如何做到这一点?靠圣灵的教导。信徒都经历圣灵的膏油塗抹(“恩膏”,约壹2:20),是圣灵教导他們真理(约14:17; 15:26)。虚假的老师不是由真理聖灵的带领。他们依賴邪靈为主导(约壹4:3,6)。
The word anoint reminds us of the Old Testament practice of pouring oil on the head of a person being set apart for special service. A priest was anointed (Ex. 28:41), and so was a king (1 Sam. 15:1) or a prophet (1 Kings
膏油塗抹这词使我们想起旧约的受膏的儀禮,就是要分派給特殊職事的人的头上傾倒下膏油。祭司要受膏(出28:41),国王要受膏(撒上 15:1)或先知也要受膏(王上19:16)。在新约中,基督徒的受膏不是用真正的膏油,而是用上帝的灵 --- 这樣的受膏使他成为神职人员中而脱颖而出為牧师(彼前2:5,9)。不必要为 “圣灵的受膏” 而祈祷。如果你是基督徒,那么,就已经得到了這特别的恩膏。並且这恩膏 “住在我们里面”,因此不需受膏。
We have seen that false teachers deny the Father and the Son; they also deny the Spirit. The Spirit is the Teacher God has given us (John
我们已经看到,假教师否认了父和子。他们也否认圣灵。圣灵是上帝赐给我们的靈裡老师(约14:26),但是这些假基督徒想自己当這屬靈老师,想把其他人帶入歧途。他们试图取代圣灵!
We are warned against letting any man be our teacher, for God has given us the Spirit to teach us His truth. This does not deny the office of human teachers in the church (Eph.
我们被警告不要让任何人当我们的老师,因为上帝赐已經賜圣灵来教导我们祂的真理。这并不否认在教会中的主日學老师的职責(弗4:11-12),但这意味着在圣灵的引导下,当你自己寻找圣经的真義时,必须检验這人的教导(见 徒17 :11)。
A missionary to the American Indians was in Los Angeles with a Indian friend who was a new Christian. As they walked down the street, they passed a man on the corner who was preaching with a Bible in his hand. The missionary knew the man represented a cult, but the Indian saw only the Bible. He stopped to listen to the sermon.
在洛杉矶,有位美国印地安人的传教士与他的剛信主的印地安朋友。他们走在街上时,路过一个拐角处,看到手里拿着圣经在讲道的人。传教士知道这人代表着邪教,但印地安朋友只看到圣经。他停下来去听讲道。
“I hope my friend doesn’t get confused,” the missionary thought, and he began to pray. In a few minutes the Indian turned away from the meeting and joined his missionary friend.
传教士开始祈祷,並且他想,“希望我的朋友不要感到困惑。”。几分钟后,他的朋友退出会议,來到他的传教士朋友。
“What did you think of the preacher?” the missionary asked.
传教士问他的朋友,“你对宣教士有什么看法?”。
“All the time he was talking,” exclaimed the Native American, “something in my heart kept saying, ‘Liar! Liar!’”
印第安人大声说道,“他一直在讲话,我内心一直在说,'骗子!骗子!’ ”
That “something” in his heart was “Someone”—the Holy Spirit of God! The Spirit guides us into the truth and helps us to recognize error. This anointing of God is “no lie,” because “the Spirit is truth” (1 John 5:6).
他心中的 “某物” 就是 “某人” --- 上帝的圣灵! 圣灵引导我们进入真理,并帮助我们认识虛假。上帝的恩膏是 “不會说谎”,因为 “圣灵就是真理”(约壹5:6)。
Why are some Christians led astray to believe false teachings? Because they are not abiding in the Spirit. The word abide occurs several times in this section of 1 John, and it would be helpful to review:
为什么有些基督徒會误入歧途,而相信虛假的教义? 因为他们没有圣灵內住。在约翰一书的本段章節中,多次出现 “住在” 一词,在回顾其内容時很有帮助:
• False teachers do not abide (“continue”) in the fellowship (1 John 2:19).
• The word (message) we have heard should abide in us (1 John
• The anointing (the Holy Spirit) abides in us, and we should abide in the Spirit (1 John
• As we abide in the Word and in the Spirit, we also abide in Christ (1 John
We noticed this word abide earlier in John’s letter too:
• If we say we abide in Christ, we should walk as He walked (1 John 2:6).
• If we love our brother, we abide in the light (1 John
• If the Word abides in us, we will be spiritually strong (1 John
• If we do the will of God, we shall abide forever (1 John
•假教师不住在(“继续留下”)我們团契中(约壹2:19)。
•我们所听见的話語(信息)必須住在我们里面(约壹2:24)。
•恩膏(圣灵)住在我们里面,我们必須住在圣灵裡面(约壹2:27)。
•当我们住在圣经和圣灵中时,住在基督裡(约壹2:28)。
我们在约翰的書信其他地方,也看到過“住在”这短語:
•若我们说我们住在基督裡面,就应该與祂同行(约壹2:6)。
•若我们爱我们的兄弟,将住在光明中(约壹2:10)。
•如果聖言常住我们里面,我们将在属灵的坚强(约壹2:14)。
•如果我们住在上帝的旨意中,将永远與祂同住(约壹2:17)。
“To abide” means to remain in fellowship; and “fellowship” is the key idea in the first two chapters of this epistle. From chapters 3 to 5, the emphasis is on sonship, or being “born of God.”
“住在” 是指继续留在团契裡; “团契”是本书卷前两章的主要信念。从第3章到第5章的重点是在儿子身份或 “由上帝生的” 信念上。
It is possible to be a child in a family and yet be out of fellowship with one’s father and with other members of the family. When our heavenly Father discovers that we are out of fellowship with Him, He deals with us to bring us back into the place of abiding. This process is called “chastening”—child-training (Heb. 12:5–11).
有可能家庭中的孩子与父亲和家庭其他成员脫離团契。但当我们的天父发现我们脱离与祂的团契时,祂注重我们,要我们重新回到住在祂裡面。这过程称为 “孩童培训(chastening)”(来12:5-11)。
A believer must allow the Spirit of God to teach him from the Bible. One of the major functions of a local church is the teaching of God’s Word (2 Tim. 2:2; 4:1–5). The Spirit gives the gift of teaching to certain individuals in the fellowship (
信徒必须让上帝的灵,教导他圣经。地方教会的主要功能之一就是传讲上帝的圣言(提後2:2; 4:1-5)。圣灵賜給团契中一些人,教导的恩賜(罗12:6-7),他们教導别人,但他们所教導的必须经过查验(约壹4:1-3)。
There is a difference between deliberate deception and spiritual ignorance. When Apollos preached in the synagogue at
故意的欺骗和屬靈上的无知有区别。当阿波罗在以弗所的会堂里宣讲时,他的信息说得很对,但还不完整。会众中的兩位成熟信徒百基拉(Priscilla)和亞居拉(Aquila)私下将他带到一边,并指點他有關基督的全部信息(徒18:24-28)。基督徒每天用在讀圣经和祷告的时间,将使他行在圣灵中,并使他具有所需要的洞悉能力。
The Spirit teaches us “of all things” (1 John 2:27, italics mine). False teachers have a way of “riding a hobby”—prophecy or sanctification or even diet—and neglecting the whole message of the Bible. Jesus implied that we are to live by “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Paul was careful to preach “all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable” (2 Tim.
圣灵教導我们“所有的事物”(约壹2:27)。假教师有“喜爱上的偏好” 例如, 對 “先知書”,或 “成圣”,乃至“禁食”等。而忽略了圣经的整體的信息。耶稣暗示我们靠 “从上帝口中传出的每一句话来活”(太4:4 )。保罗谨慎地传讲“上帝的一切的忠告”(徒20:27)。 “所有经文都是上帝所默示的,…都有益處”(提後3:16)。
If you ignore or neglect any part of the Bible, you invite trouble. You must read and study the whole Book, and be able to rightly divide it (see 2 Tim. 2:15); that is, you must handle it accurately (cf. nasb). You should discern in the Bible what God says to different people at different times; there are passages that apply specifically to the Jews, or to the Gentiles, or to the church (1 Cor. 10:32). You must be careful to distinguish between them. Though all of the Bible was written for you, not all of it was written to you. False teachers, however, pick (out of context) only what they want, and often apply to believers today passages that were given only for ancient
若忽略或忽视圣经的任何一部分,就会出麻烦。必须阅读并研究整本聖經,并能够按著正意分解地真道…(參 提後2:15)。 也就是说,必须你能正确應用聖經的真道(请對照 新美國標準版)。 你必須洞悉在圣经中,有關上帝在不同时间和对不同的人所说的话; 那些段落是专门适用于犹太人,外邦人或教堂(林前10:32)。 你必須要小心区分它们。 尽管所有的圣经都是为你而写的,但并不是所有的圣经都是写给你的。 但是,假教师只会(根据上下文)选择他们想要的,及经常应用于今日的信徒的段落,它們仅适用于古代以色列國的。
John’s second epistle gives further warning about false teachers (2 John 7–11). A Christian who meddles with these deceivers is in danger of losing his full reward (2 John 8). You should not even say goodbye (which literally means “God be with you”). You are not to be rude or unkind, because that would not be Christian, but you are not to let them into your home to explain their views. Why? Because if you let them in, two consequences may follow: First, they will plant the seeds of false teaching in your mind, and Satan can water and nourish these seeds to produce bitter fruit. But even if this does not happen, by entertaining false teachers in your home you are giving them entrance into other homes! The deceiver will say to your neighbor down the street, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith let me into their home, and you know what good Christians they are!”
约翰的第二封书信,进一步警告了教师(约弍7-11节)。与欺骗者混在一起的基督徒有失去全部赏赐的危险(约弍2節)。你甚至都不应该與他说再见(字面意思是 “上帝与你同在”)。你不要對他粗鲁或不友善,因为那不是基督徒的樣式,但是不可让他们进入你的家,来闡释他们的观点。为什么? 因为如果让它们进入,可能会导致两種后果:首先,它们会在你的脑海中种下错误教导的种子,而撒但可以浇灌和滋养这些种子,以产生苦果。但是,即使这没有发生,通过在你的家中招待假教师,你也可以使他们进入別人的家!骗子会在街上对你的邻居说,“密斯夫人让我进了她们的家,你知道她们是多么好的基督徒!”
John has now concluded his message on fellowship and is about to begin his message on sonship. He has pointed out the contrasts between light and darkness (1 John 1:1–2:6), love and hatred (1 John 2:7–17), and truth and error (1 John
约翰现在已经结束了关于团契的信息,他即将开始有关儿子世襲的信息。他指出了光明与黑暗(约壹1:1-2:6),爱与恨(约壹2:7-17)和真理与謬误(约壹2:18-27)之间的对比。他解释说,真正的基督徒过着顺服(走在光明而不是黑暗中),爱和真理的生活。如果不順服,憎恨或不诚实,就不可能与上帝相交。这些罪恶中的任何一樣都会使你脱离实存,并進入偽装。你将以 “假造的” 生活,來代替 “真正的”生活。
First John 2:28 and 29 are a bridge from the fellowship section into the sonship section (“born of God”); in these verses John used three words that ought to encourage us to live in fellowship with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
约翰一书2章28和29兩節,是从講解团契到說明儿子世襲的事(“上帝生的”)的過度章節。在这些经文中,约翰用了三个單词来鼓励我们与天父,圣子和圣灵同住。
• Abide. This is a word we have met twice before. You must recognize the importance of abiding in Christ. In fact, this has been the theme of the first two chapters of this epistle. You abide in Christ by believing the truth, obeying the truth, and loving other Christians—“the brethren.” Obedience—love—truth. If you are a believer and find yourself out of fellowship with God, it is because you have disobeyed His Word, lacked love for a brother, or believed a lie. The solution is to confess your sin instantly and to claim God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
•內住。这是在前面我们見过两次的字。你必须承认住在基督裡的重要性。实际上,这一直是本书前两章的主题。你因相信真理,遵守真理并爱其他基督徒而住在基督裡面 --- “弟兄们” 来住在基督裡。順服,爱,真理。如果是信徒,并且发现自己脱离了与上帝的團契,那就是因为你不遵守上帝的话,对兄弟没有爱,或者相信了谎言。解决的辦法是立即认罪,并寻求上帝的宽恕(约壹1:9)。
• Appear. This is the first mention in this epistle of the promised return of Christ. The book of Revelation deals in detail with future events. The epistle (1 John
•再現。这是本书信中第一次提到基督应许再来。启示录详细介绍了未来的事件。书信(约壹2:28–3:3; 4:17)仅提到基督的再和即将到来的审判日子。
Not all Bible students are agreed as to the details of future events, but evangelical Christians agree that Christ is returning for His church (1 Thess.
并非所有圣经学生都对未来事件的细节表示同意,但福音派基督徒同意基督将再來到祂的教会(帖前4:13-18)。虽然基督徒不会因此而审判他們的罪,但将根据他们是否忠心于服侍基督加以审判(林前3:10-15)。那些信實的人将得到奖赏(林前4:5),而那些不信实的人将失去奖赏。这件事是 “基督的审判寶座”(罗14:10; 林後5:10); 不要与未得救的人在末日的 “白色大寶座前审判” 相混淆(启20:11-15)。
The fact that Jesus Christ may return at any moment ought to be an incentive for us to live in fellowship with Him and be obedient to His Word. For this reason, John used a third word:
耶稣基督随时可能再来的事实,应该激励我们与祂相交,并顺服祂的圣言。因此,约翰使用了第三个單词:
• Ashamed. Some Christians will be “ashamed before him at his coming” (1 John
•羞愧。一些基督徒将 “在祂降临前在祂面前被羞辱”(约壹2:28)。所有信徒都被會 “接納”,但是“已接納” 与 “可接受” 之间是有区别。一个不听话在外面玩得很肮脏的孩子,回到家中时,会被接納,但是,他不会被認為可以接受的來对待。 “因此,我们也有雄心……要讨祂的喜悦”(林後 5:9 新美國標準版)。没有在服从,爱心和真理上与基督相交的基督徒,将會失去他們的奖赏。这会让他感到羞愧。
No matter in which direction a Christian looks, he finds reason to obey God. If he looks back, he sees
无论基督徒朝哪个方向看,他都有理由要顺从上帝。如果他向後看,他会看到骷髅地,基督在那里为他而死。如果他向内心看,他会看到圣灵,祂住在他心心中,并教導他真理。如果环顾四周一看,就会看到他所爱的基督徒弟兄。他还看到世界被罪恶迷失,急需他的虔诚见证。如果他向前看,他会看到基督的再来! “凡向祂有这指望的,就洁净自己,像祂潔淨一樣”(约3:3)。基督再来是對敬虔生活者的偉大啟示。
John has written about light and darkness, love and hatred, and truth and error, and in 1 John 2:29 he summed up the whole matter of Christian living in one phrase—“doing righteousness.”
约翰曾写过关于光明与黑暗,爱与恨,真理与謬误,並且在约翰一书2章29節中,他用“行公义” 短語,总结了基督徒生活的全部。
The life that is real is a life of doing, not simply talking (“If we say,” 1 John 1:8—2:9) or giving mental assent that a doctrine is correct. “Not every one that saith unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). Christians do not simply believe the truth; they do it (1 John 1:6).
实存的生活是行事,而不是單單说(“若我们说,” 约壹1:8—2:9)或只是在思想上同意這教义是正确的。 “不是每个对我说 '主啊,主啊' 的人都能进天國,但是他遵行我在天上天父的旨意的人”(太7:21)。基督徒不只是相信真理。他们要做到(约壹1:6)。
A person who professes to be a Christian, but who does not live in obedience, love, and truth, is either deceived or a deceiver. A child bears the nature of his father, and a person who has been “born of God” will reveal the characteristics of the heavenly Father. “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Eph. 5:1 nasb). “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy” (1 Peter 1:14–15a).
自称是基督徒,但他不活在順服,爱和真理中的人,要么被欺骗,要么他欺骗人。孩子具有父亲的天性,“由上帝生” 的,彰显天父的本性。 “因此,像上帝,如可爱的孩子一樣”(弗5:1 新美國標準版)。 “你們既作顺命的兒女,就不要效法從前蒙昧無知的時候那放縱私慾的樣子。那召你們的既是圣洁,你們在一切所行的事上也要圣洁”(彼前1:14-15上)。
A Sunday school class seemed to be having constant problems. The pastor and the superintendent met with the teacher and officers, but made no apparent progress. Then, one Sunday morning, the teacher of the class came down the aisle during the closing hymn of the service. “I suppose she wants to dedicate her life to the Lord,” the pastor thought.
星期天的学校课程似乎一直存在问题。牧师和長老与教师和執事会面,但教會没有取得明显进展。然后,在某星期天的早晨,全班老师在服务结束的赞美诗中,走下了通道。牧师想道,“我想她想把生命奉献给主。”
“Pastor,” she said, “I want to confess Christ as my Savior. All these years I thought I was saved, but I wasn’t. There was always something lacking in my life. The class problems were my problems, but now they’ve been solved. Now I know I’m saved.” “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (2 Cor. 13:5 nasb). Does your life bear the marks of obedience, love, and truth? Is your Christian life something real—genuine—authentic? Or is it counterfeit?
她说,“牧师,我要认定基督是我的救主。 这些年来,我一直以为自己得救了,但事实并非如此。 我的生活中总是缺少一些东西。 主日學班级问题是我的问题,但现在已经解决了。我知道已经得救了。” “自我测试,看看自己是否有信心; 自己检查一下!” (林後13:5 新美國標準版)。 你的生活是否带有順服,爱与真理的印记? 你的基督徒生活是否是真实的 --- 純正的 --- 真正的呢? 还是伪造的?
It is a question of truth—or consequences! And if you do not face the truth, you must pay the consequences!
这是真理的问题 --- 或是后果! 如果你不面对真理,你必须要承担后果!