生命的事奉(二): 职事Vs执事

林后三6    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。

四1　 因此，我们既照所蒙的怜悯，受了这职事，就不丧胆。
12  这样，死是在我们身上发动，生命却在你们身上发动。

论到职事，倪弟兄说，基督必须编织到我们里面。这意思是说，基督必须构成到我
们里面。职事是在於构成。我们必须以基督所是、所完成、所达到并所得着的为构
成。基督已经得着了宝座、荣耀以及至高的权能。

基督也有所达到的，他所达到的乃是他所完成、所成就之事的结果。

新约只有一个职事。保罗和彼得都有分於这职事，所有的使徒也都有分於新约中的
这职事。这独一的职事就是新约的职事。这样的职事不是由祷告和禁食得来的；那
样得来的是恩赐，不是职事。

职事是由包罗万有、赐生命之灵的构成所产生出来的结果。基督连同他所是、所有，
以及所得着、所达到的一切，必须构成到神所拣选、所救赎之人的每一部分里面。
这是得着职事惟一的路。

我们不仅是要传福音或教导人圣经。更是要实行这新约的职事，帮助那些诚心寻求
主并顾念他心头愿望的人，能有分於这职事。这就是保罗在哥林多后书所论到的职
事，特别是在三章，他多次用到职事这辞。

保罗将这职事和旧约的职事相比较，新约的职事远胜於旧约的职事。新约的职事不
仅是生命的事，更是在生命里并出於生命的构成。因此，这职事需要时间来长大成
熟。

使徒那为着新约的职事，不是属於死的字句，如摩西那为着旧约的职事，乃是属於
赐人生命的活灵。…保罗在三章六节告诉我们，那字句杀死人，那灵却叫人活。杀
死人的字句，就是律法的字句，只向人要求，却不供应人生命（加三21）；因着人
不能满足它的要求，它就杀死人（罗七9~11）。

那灵，就是经过过程，成了赐生命之灵的三一神终极的表现，将神的生命，就是神
自己，分赐到信徒和使徒里面，使他们成为新约（生命之约）的执事。因此，他们
的职事乃是凭着赐生命的灵，用那是生命的三一神构成的。

保罗在这里说那灵的职事，而不说生命的职事，其原因乃是那灵就是生命的源头、
元素和范围。没有那灵，就没有生命的源头，也没有生命的元素和范围。因此，在
这里说生命的职事远不如说那灵的职事。保罗选择了最好的说法，不是拿死与生命
作比较，而是拿死与那灵作比较。

保罗在林后三章九节继续说，『若定罪的职事有荣光，那称义的职事，就越发充盈
着荣光了。』旧约的职事成了属死的职事，因为旧约带进定罪，叫人死（罗五13、
18、20~21）。死又导致定罪。

因此，旧约的职事也是定罪的职事。新约的职事乃是赐人生命之灵的职事（林后三
8、6），因为新约带进神的义，叫人得生命（罗五17、21），并且这生命又带进义。
因此，新约的职事也是义的职事，就是称义的职事。

参读：哥林多后书生命读经，第五至七篇。

English Version

2 Cor. 3:6 "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."

4:1 "Therefore having this ministry as we have been shown mercy, we do not 
lose heart."
12 "So then death operates in us, but life in you."

    In speaking concerning the ministry, Brother Nee said that Christ must 
be woven into our being. This means that Christ must be constituted into 
us. The ministry is a matter of constitution. We need to be constituted 
with what Christ is, with what He has done, with what He has attained, and 
with what He has obtained. Christ has obtained the throne, the glory, and 
the highest power. Christ also has certain attainments. His attainments 
are the result of what He has accomplished and achieved. 

    The New Testament has just one ministry. Both Paul and Peter had a part 
of this ministry. All the apostles shared in the one ministry in the New 
Testament. This unique ministry is the ministry of the new covenant. Such 
a ministry is not gained by prayer and fasting. Anything received in that 
way would be a gift, not a ministry. The ministry is brought forth as a 
result of being constituted of the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit. Christ, 
with all that He is, has, and has obtained and attained, must be constituted 
into the fiber, into the very being, of God’s chosen and redeemed people. 
This is the only way to have a ministry.

My burden is not simply to preach the gospel or teach the Bible. [It] is 
to carry out this New Testament ministry and to help those who sincerely 
seek the Lord and care for the desire of His heart to have a share in this 
ministry. This is the ministry Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians, especially 
in 2 Corinthians 3, where the word ministry is used a number of times. Paul 
compared this ministry to that of the old covenant. The ministry of the 
new covenant is far superior to that of the old covenant. The new covenant 
ministry is not only a matter of life; it is a constitution in life and 
of life. Therefore, this ministry takes time to grow and mature.

    The apostolic ministry for the New Testament is not of dead letters 
like the Mosaic ministry for the Old Testament, but of the living Spirit, 
who gives life. In 2 Corinthians 3:6 Paul tells us that the letter kills, 
but the Spirit gives life. The letter which kills is the letter of the law, 
which only requires of man but is unable to supply man with life (Gal. 3:21).
 Due to man's inability to fulfill its requirements, it kills man (Rom. 7:9-11)
. The Spirit, who is the ultimate expression of the processed Triune God, 
imparts the divine life, even God Himself, into the apostles and all other 
believers, making them ministers of a new covenant, the covenant of life. 
Hence, their ministry is one constituted of the Triune God of life by His 
life-giving Spirit.

    The reason Paul speaks of the ministry of the Spirit here and not of 
the ministry of life is that the Spirit is the source, the element, and 
the sphere of life. Without the Spirit, there is no source of life. Neither 
is there the element or sphere of life. Therefore, to speak here of the 
ministry of life would be to say much less than to speak of the ministry 
of the Spirit. Paul chose the best expression and instead of comparing death 
with life, he compared death with the Spirit.

    In 2 Corinthians 3:9 Paul goes on to say, "For if there is glory with 
the ministry of condemnation, much more the ministry of righteousness abounds 
with glory." The ministry of the old covenant became one of death because 
the old covenant brought in condemnation unto death (Rom. 5:13, 18, 20-21) 
and death unto condemnation. Hence, it was also the ministry of condemnation.
 The ministry of the new covenant is one of the Spirit that gives life (2 
Cor. 3:8, 6) because the new covenant brings in God's righteousness unto 
life (Rom. 5:17, 21) and life that brings forth righteousness. Hence, it 
is also the ministry of righteousness.

Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msgs. 5-7

- 未完待续

生命的事奉(三): 供应生命

生命的事奉(一):三十四要点及经文