生命的事奉(四): 祈求生命給犯了不至於死的罪的弟兄

約壹五14~16 我們若照他的旨意求甚麼，他就聽我們；這是我們向著他所存坦然無
懼的心。我們若知道他聽我們一切所求的，就知道我們所求於他的無不得著。

人若看見他的弟兄犯了不至於死的罪，就當為他祈求，將生命賜給他，就是給那些
犯了不至於死之罪的…。

約壹五章十五節的這個知道乃是基於我們得著神聖的生命以後，我們住在主裡面，
以及在他名里向神禱告中與他是一的事實。基於我們已藉著神聖的出生得著神聖的
生命這事實，我們可以住在主裡面，並在禱告中與他是一。

因為我們在禱告中與主是一，所以我們是在他的名里禱告。藉此我們知道他聽我們
一切所求的。我們不是在自己裡面，照著自己的心思求，乃是在主裡面，照著神的
旨意求。所以，我們知道我們所求於他的無不得著。

約翰在約壹五章十六節來到這一段話的要點：『人若看見他的弟兄犯了不至於死的
罪，就當為他祈求，將生命賜給他，就是給那些犯了不至於死之罪的。有至於死的
罪，我不說當為那罪祈求。』這節的『至於死』，直譯是『向著死』。

約翰在這裡是說，人若看見他的弟兄，就是在主里和他親近的人，犯了不至於死的
罪，就當為那人祈求。這裡的『祈求』，必是指我們住在與神交通里而有的禱告。

『當…祈求』的主詞，無疑地是指那看見弟兄犯了不至於死之罪的人。但『將生命
賜給他』，這裡的主詞是指誰？有些英文譯本在這裡用了大寫的代名詞，因而把這
句的主詞說成是主。實際上，二句的主詞都是指同一個人，就是那看見弟兄犯罪並
為弟兄祈求的人。

『將生命賜給他』這句話的主詞還是上文的『人』，這人也是『祈求』的主詞。這
指明祈求的人將生命賜給他所代求的人。這不是說，祈求的人本身有生命，能憑自
己將生命賜給別人。

這是說，這樣一個住在主裡面，與主是一，並在與主是一的靈里（林前六17）祈求
的祈求者，成了神賜生命之靈能將生命賜給他所代求之人的憑藉。這是一件在神聖
生命的交通里，分賜生命的事。

我們要成為能將生命分賜給別人的人，就必須住在神聖的生命里，並在神聖的生命
里行事、生活、為人。雅各書五章十四至十六節的禱告是為著醫治，約壹五章十六
節的禱告是為著分賜生命。

這裡要緊的點是，我們若要照著十六節所描述的為弟兄禱告，就需要與主是一。我
們必須住在主裡面，與他在一靈里來祈求。因為我們這樣與主是一，我們就能成為
神賜生命之靈能將生命分賜給我們所代求之人的憑藉、管道。

這生命的分賜是在神聖生命的交通里進行的。

我們裡面永遠的生命是真實而實際的。我們能成為管道，讓永遠的生命從我們或藉
我們流到別人裡面。然而，成為管道讓永遠的生命流出給人的經歷是很深的。

我們若要成為永遠的生命流出給人的管道，就必須在主里是深的，也必須因著在主
的心裡而認識主的心。我們若進到主裡面到這樣的程度，自然就會明白主對這位與
我們親近、犯了罪的弟兄的旨意如何。

因為我們知道主對這位弟兄的光景旨意如何，我們就知道怎樣為他禱告。
參讀：約翰一書生命讀經，第三十六至三十八篇。

English Version
1 John 5:14-16 "And this is the boldness which we have toward Him, that 
if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that 
He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which 
we have asked from Him. If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not unto 
death, he shall ask and he will give life to him, to those sinning not unto 
death..."

    [In 1 John 5:15] knowing is based upon the fact that after having received 
the divine life, we abide in the Lord and are one with Him in our prayer 
to God in His name (John 15:7, 16; 16:23-24). Based upon the fact that we 
have received the divine life through the divine birth, we may abide in 
the Lord and be one with Him in our prayer. Because we are one with the 
Lord in prayer, we pray in His name. By this we know that He hears us in 
whatever we ask. Our asking is not in ourselves according to our mind, but 
in the Lord according to God’s will. Therefore, we know that we have the 
requests which we have asked from Him. (Life-study of 1 John, p. 330)

In 1 John 5:16 John comes to his point in this section: “If anyone sees 
his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask and he will give 
life to him, to those sinning not unto death. There is sin unto death; I 
do not say that he should make request concerning that.” Literally, the 
Greek word rendered “unto” in this verse means toward. Here John is saying 
that if anyone sees his brother, someone close to him in the Lord, sinning 
a sin not unto death, he should ask concerning that one. The word “ask” 
here must refer to a prayer made when we are abiding in fellowship with God.

    No doubt, “he shall ask” refers to the one who sees his brother sinning 
a sin not unto death. But to whom does “he will give life” refer? There 
is a problem with the second “he” in this verse. Some translations capitalize 
the second “he” and thereby make it refer to the Lord. Actually, in both 
cases “he” refers to the same person, that is, to the one who sees his brother 
sinning and who asks concerning him.

    The subject of “will give life” is still he, the subject of the first 
predicate “shall ask.” This indicates that the asker will give life to the 
one asked for. This does not mean that the asker has life of himself and 
can give life by himself to others. It means such an asker, who is abiding 
in the Lord, who is one with the Lord, and who is asking in one spirit with 
the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17), becomes the means through which God’s life-giving 
Spirit can give life to the one he asks for. This is a matter of life-imparting 
in the fellowship of the divine life. To be one who can give life to others, 
we must abide in the divine life and walk, live, and have our being in the 
divine life. In James 5:14-16 the prayer is for healing; here the prayer 
is for life-imparting.

    The vital point here is that if we would pray for a brother according 
to what is described in 1 John 5:16, we need to be one with the Lord. We 
must abide in the Lord and ask in one spirit with Him. Because we are so 
one with the Lord, we can become the means, the channel, through which God’s 
life-giving Spirit can impart life to the one for whom we ask. This imparting 
of life takes place in the fellowship of the divine life.

    The eternal life within us is real and practical....We can be a channel 
for eternal life to flow out from us, or through us, to others. However, 
the experience of being a channel for eternal life to flow out to others 
is a deep matter....If we would be a channel for eternal life to flow out 
to others, we must be deep in the Lord, and we must know the Lord’s heart 
by being in His heart. If we have entered into the Lord to such a degree, 
spontaneously we shall know the Lord’s will concerning a brother close to 
us who has sinned. Because we know the Lord’s will concerning the brother’s 
situation, we shall know how to pray for him. (Life-study of 1 John, pp. 
330-331, 338)

Further Reading: Life-study of 1 John, msgs. 36-38


- 未完待續

生命的事奉(五):神的百姓作了兩件惡事

生命的事奉(三): 供應生命