生命的经历(六): 天然的厉害

林前二14      然而属魂的人不领受神的灵的事，…并且他不能明白，因为这些事
是凭灵看透的。


林后三5~6     并不是我们凭自己够资格将甚么估计作像是出於我们自己的；我们
之所以够资格，乃是出於神；他使我们够资格作新约的执事，这些执事不是属於字
句，乃是属於灵，因为那字句杀死人，那灵却叫人活。


对付己和对付天然，这两个经历在属灵的事上，都占极重要的地位。这不仅和生命
有关系，更是和事奉有关系。己和天然的对付，是我们在神面前事奉的准备。我们
要有合神心意的事奉，己和天然的对付，是绝不可少的（生命的经历下册，三○八
页）。


我们要来看在神的事上，我们天然人的无能、〔不够资格，〕…我们可能在别的事
上很充裕，但在神的事上却是缺乏、无能。…堕落人类的灵已经死了（弗二1、5上），
所以在神的事上毫无用处。


今天在基督教里，大多数的事奉不是在魂里就是在肉体里。这就是为甚么我们必须
看见，我们天然的人在事奉的事上是无能的。我们要使圣徒们有深刻的印象：我们
的肉体不能服神，也不能得神的喜悦。


然后圣徒们可能会问：『怎样才是在肉体里？』我们该告诉他们：『只要你不在灵
里，就是在肉体里。』


我们应该领悟：在神的事上我们不能信靠我们天然的人。腓立比三章三节保罗说，
『真受割礼的，乃是我们这凭神的灵事奉，在基督耶稣里夸口，不信靠肉体的。』
不信靠肉体就是不信靠我们天然的人。


我们必须学习在一切事上，拒绝我们天然的人，并操练我们的灵。神的救恩使我们
的灵成为我们里面的人（弗三16）。这含示我们的灵乃是我们的新人位，作我们的
一切。事实上，我们不该活另一个人；我们只该活里面的人。


我们的灵敬拜、祷告，这灵该在我们基督徒的生活和事奉中，领头作每一件事（事
奉的基本功课，一四一、一四三、一四五页）。


新约没有给我们老旧所是的任何一部分留下余地。主耶稣的话和使徒保罗的著作说
出在神的经纶里，我们老旧的所是没有一点该存留。我们需要领悟，神的经纶完全
是一件新造的事。我们老旧的所是必须撇在一旁。


在主的恢复里，虽然我们老旧的所是没有地位，但以新造的意义而言，我们在教会
中有一席之地。我们这蒙了重生，正在得圣别、被变化、被模成，并得荣耀的人有
其地位，但我们需要看见，我们天然的人没有地位。


我们没有一人能说自己已经完全变化了；我们多少仍有些天然。我们需要看见，在
教会生活中，任何天然的事物都没有地位，但因著我们还在变化的过程中，所以我
们仍不知不觉、不经意的有点天然。


主恢复中的众教会是基督活的身体的一部分，会自动拒绝任何天然的事（关于长老
职分的基本原则，一四二至一四三、一四九至一五○页）。


要叫教会得建造，就不能不提起…破碎的问题。你我若是要被建造在一起，你我大
家就都得被破碎。没有破碎，就没有建造。你破碎了一点，我也破碎了一点，你我
才能建造在一起。


在教会的建造里，我们天然的每一点也都得经过破碎，才能和别人联在一起。无论
是我们的干才，我们的眼光，还是我们的热心，凡是天然的都是不合用的，都得经
过破碎，然后才能被建造（神的建造，八二页）。


参读：事奉的基本功课，第十六、二十课。



English versiom


1 Cor. 2:14 "But a soulish man does not receive the things of the Spirit 
of God,...and he is not able to know them because they are discerned spiritually.
"


2 Cor. 3:5-6 "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to account anything 
as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God, who has also made us 
sufficient as ministers of a new covenant, ministers not of the letter but 
of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."


    Dealing with self and dealing with the natural constitution are of extreme 
importance in spiritual experience. They are related not only to life but 
also to service. Dealing with self and dealing with the natural constitution 
are preparations for our service to God. If we wish to have the kind of 
service
according to God’s heart desire, dealing with self and the natural constitution 
is a must. (The Experience of Life, p. 253)


    We want to see the impotence, [the insufficiency], of our natural being 
in the things of God....We may be very sufficient in other things, but we 
do not have any sufficiency, competence, or power in the things of God....The 
spirit of fallen mankind has been deadened (Eph. 2:1, 5a), so it is useless 
in the things of God.


    In today’s religion of Christianity, most of the service is either in 
the soul or in the flesh. This is why we have to see the impotence of our 
natural being for our service. We need to impress the saints that our flesh 
cannot be subject to God and cannot please God. Then the saints may ask, 
“What is it to be in the flesh?” We should tell them, “As long as you are 
not in the spirit,you are in the flesh.”


    We should realize that we cannot have any trust in our natural being 
in the things of God. In Philippians 3:3 Paul said, “For we are the circumcision,
 the ones who serve by the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have 
no confidence in the flesh.” To have no trust in our flesh is to have no 
trust in our natural being.


    We have to learn to reject our natural being and exercise our spirit 
in everything. God’s salvation makes our spirit the inner man (Eph. 3:16). 
This implies that our spirit is our new person as everything to us. Actually,
 we should not live another man; we should live only the inner man. Our 
spirit
worships, prays, and should take the lead to do everything in our Christian 
life and service. (Basic Lessons on Service, pp. 126-128)


    The New Testament leaves no place for any part of our old being. The 
speaking of the Lord Jesus and the writings of the apostle Paul show that 
in God’s economy nothing of our old being should remain. We need to realize 
that God’s economy is altogether a matter of the new creation. Our old being 
must be put aside. Although there is no place for our old being in the Lord’s 
recovery, in the sense of the new creation there is a place for us in the 
church.There is a place for us as regenerated persons who are being sanctified,
transformed, conformed, and glorified, but we need to see that there is 
no place for our natural man.


    None of us can say that we are fully transformed; we are all still somewhat 
natural. We need to see that in the church life there is no place for anything 
natural, yet because we are in the process of being transformed, we are 
still unconsciously and unwillingly somewhat natural. The churches in the 
Lord’s
recovery, as parts of the living Body of Christ, will spontaneously reject 
anything that is natural. (Basic   Principles concerning the Eldership, 
pp. 120-121, 127)


In order for the church to be built up, we have to touch the matter of being 
broken. If we want to be built together, we all have to be broken. If there 
is no breaking, there is no building. You and I can be built together only 
after you and I both have been broken a little....In the building of the 
church, every natural thing in us must be broken before we can be joined 
with others. Everything natural in us, whether it is our ability, our discernment,
 or our zeal, is unsuitable to be used for the building. We can be built 
only after we have been broken in our natural being. (The Building Work 
of God, pp. 62-63)


Further Reading: Basic Lessons on Service, lsns. 16, 20


- 未完待续

生命的经历(七): 对付我们的天然

對付我們的天然而活在復活裏