生命的建造(六): 金银宝石材料与十字架雕凿
金象徵父神圣的性情, 银满了基督耶稣的人性顾惜,而珍珠宝石是新耶路撒冷的建造材料.
启二一12~13 有高大的墙；有十二个门，门上有十二位天使；门上又写著以色列十二个支派的名字；东边有三门，北边有三门，南边有三门，西边有三门。
新耶路撒冷是有门的。人要进入这一座城，有分於这一个神的建造，就必须经过门。这一座城共有十二个门; 四方都有。这包含一个意思就是说，人要进到这座城里是非常的方便，一点不觉得为难。
要注意，在新耶路撒冷这里，有很多的数字都是十二。并且这里的十二，是东西南北的四方，和每一方的三个门，两者相乘而得的。三这个数字，是指三而一的神，也是指在复活里来作人生命的神。
这三而一的神，来和人发生关系，而作人的生命，乃是借着成为肉体，死而复活。…这三而一的神，是经过这三个步骤来作人的生命。三这个数字，就包括这么多的意义。而四在圣经中乃是指著受造之物。
所以三乘四的意思，就是神与人调和。神与人完全调和，就成为十二。十二乃是一个永远完全的数目，也就是神建造完全的数目。凡经过神建造的东西，都应该是神与人调和过的；如果以数字来表徵，就是十二。
这一座城的门是珍珠，意思就是告诉我们，凡和这珍珠的性质不合的，都不能有分於这一座城，都不能进到这一座城里面。凡能经过珍珠的门，而进到这一座城里面的，都必须是三乘四的东西，都必须是人调在神里头的东西，都必须是在基督里经过死而复活的新造。
你不能把天然的东西，把沙土的东西，带到这所建筑的里面来。每一粒沙土，都必须先进到蚌的伤处起过作用。每一个属土的人，都必须在基督的十字架里头，经过死而复活。所有天然的人，所有天然的成分，都必须在十字架那里受过对付，变作新造，变作珍珠，才能入门。
天然的，人工的，技巧的，带著人的手腕和办法的，没有经过十字架的，…凡这些没有经过死的东西，都是沙土，都不是珍珠。这些永远不能带到神的建造里面来。你若将这些带来，你就破坏神的建造…。
在教会这里，在神的建造这里，不能有沙，不能有土，只能有珍珠。那就是说，在教会的建造里面，都该是经过十字架的，都该是在基督里的，都该是神人调和的。…只有合於这门的性质的，才能带到神的这个建筑里面来。
新耶路撒冷城也有街道。圣经说，城是纯金的，街道也是纯金的。
金象徵神圣的性情。生命水的河在街道当中流著，表徵神圣的生命在神圣的性情里涌流，作神赎民日常生活的惟一道路。…神圣的生命和作圣别道路之神圣的性情，总是同行的。所以神生命水的河，是顺著神圣的道路便於应用的。我们是借着行在这生命的道路中，享受这生命水的河。
这一所建筑就是这一条道路。你我所作的工就是这一条路，你我所建造的教会就是这一条路。我们甚么时候能完全否认自己，活在神的性情中，我们的事奉就不但能叫教会得著建造，并且人到我们中间，也定规能碰著神的道路。
参读：神的建造，第八篇。
English Version
Rev. 21:12-13 "It had a great and
high wall and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names
inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel: on
the east three gates, and on the north three gates, and on the south three
gates, and on the west three gates."
The New Jerusalem has gates (Rev.
21:12-13), and anyone who wants to enter the city and participate in the
building of God has to pass through these gates....This city has a total of
twelve gates. There are gates on all four sides....This implies that it is very
convenient for people to enter into the city; there is no difficulty at
all....Notice that in the New Jerusalem the number twelve appears
frequently....In this case the number twelve is derived from multiplying four
(four sides─east,
north, south, and west) by three (three gates on each side). The number three
denotes the Triune God, the God who came in resurrection to be man’s life. The
Triune God came to have a relationship with man and to be man’s life through
incarnation, death, and resurrection....By passing through these three steps
the Triune God came to be man’s life. All these things are implied in the
number three. In the Scriptures the number four denotes the creatures [cf.
4:6]....Therefore, three times four implies the mingling of God with man. The
complete mingling of God and man becomes twelve. Twelve is the number of
eternal completion, the number of the completion of God's building. Anything
built up by God should be the issue of the mingling of God with man. The number
that we use to signify this is twelve. (The Building Work of God, pp. 98-99)
That the gates of the city are pearls
indicates that whoever does not correspond with the nature of the pearl cannot
enter into the city to participate in it. Anyone who enters into the city
through the gate has to be the product of three times four─the issue of the
mingling of God with man, and a new creation in Christ through death and
resurrection. You cannot bring anything natural, anything of the earth, into
this building. Every grain of sand must be changed by entering into the
oyster's wound. Every earthy person must pass through death and resurrection
through the cross of Christ. All natural beings and all natural elements must
become a new creation─pearl─through the dealing
of the cross. Only then can they enter through the gates.
Something natural, something of human
effort, something “ingenious,” something resulting from human schemes and
methods, or something which has not passed through the cross,...[is] sand and
not pearls since [it has] not passed through death. Hence, you should never
bring [something natural] into the building of God. If you do, you will damage
God’s building....In the church, in God's building, there cannot be sand or dust;
there can only be pearls. In the building up of the church everything must pass
through the cross, must be in Christ, and must be the mingling of God and
man....Only that which corresponds with the nature of this entrance can be
brought into the building of God.
The New Jerusalem also has a street
(Rev. 21:21b)....The Bible tells us that the city is pure gold (v. 18), and
that the street is pure gold (v. 21b). (The Building Work of God, pp. 100,
103-104)
Gold symbolizes the divine nature.
That the river of water of life proceeds “in the middle of its street”
signifies that the divine life flows in the divine nature as the unique way for
the daily life of God's redeemed people....The divine life and the divine
nature as the holy way always go together. Thus, God’s river of water of life
is available along this divine way, and we enjoy the river by walking in this
way of life. (Rev. 22:1, footnote 6)
The building is the street. The work
you and I are doing is this street. The church you and I are building is this
street. Whenever we completely deny ourselves and live in the nature of God,
our service will not only issue in the building of the church but also lead
people to the way of God when they come into our midst. (The Building Work of
God, p. 108)
Further Reading: The Building Work of
God, ch. 8
- 未完待续
生命系列所有链接:
生命的建造(七): 金银宝石材料与十字架雕凿(续)
生命的建造(五):建造的教会有四种光景(续)
