生命的建造(六): 金銀寶石材料與十字架雕鑿
金象徵父神聖的性情, 銀滿了基督耶穌的人性顧惜,而珍珠寶石是新耶路撒冷的建造材料.
啟二一12~13 有高大的牆；有十二個門，門上有十二位天使；門上又寫著以色列十二個支派的名字；東邊有三門，北邊有三門，南邊有三門，西邊有三門。
新耶路撒冷是有門的。人要進入這一座城，有分於這一個神的建造，就必須經過門。這一座城共有十二個門; 四方都有。這包含一個意思就是說，人要進到這座城裡是非常的方便，一點不覺得為難。
要注意，在新耶路撒冷這裡，有很多的數字都是十二。並且這裡的十二，是東西南北的四方，和每一方的三個門，兩者相乘而得的。三這個數字，是指三而一的神，也是指在復活里來作人生命的神。
這三而一的神，來和人發生關係，而作人的生命，乃是借着成為肉體，死而復活。…這三而一的神，是經過這三個步驟來作人的生命。三這個數字，就包括這麼多的意義。而四在聖經中乃是指著受造之物。
所以三乘四的意思，就是神與人調和。神與人完全調和，就成為十二。十二乃是一個永遠完全的數目，也就是神建造完全的數目。凡經過神建造的東西，都應該是神與人調和過的；如果以數字來表徵，就是十二。
這一座城的門是珍珠，意思就是告訴我們，凡和這珍珠的性質不合的，都不能有分於這一座城，都不能進到這一座城裡面。凡能經過珍珠的門，而進到這一座城裡面的，都必須是三乘四的東西，都必須是人調在神裡頭的東西，都必須是在基督里經過死而復活的新造。
你不能把天然的東西，把沙土的東西，帶到這所建築的裡面來。每一粒沙土，都必須先進到蚌的傷處起過作用。每一個屬土的人，都必須在基督的十字架裡頭，經過死而復活。所有天然的人，所有天然的成分，都必須在十字架那裡受過對付，變作新造，變作珍珠，才能入門。
天然的，人工的，技巧的，帶著人的手腕和辦法的，沒有經過十字架的，…凡這些沒有經過死的東西，都是沙土，都不是珍珠。這些永遠不能帶到神的建造裡面來。你若將這些帶來，你就破壞神的建造…。
在教會這裡，在神的建造這裡，不能有沙，不能有土，只能有珍珠。那就是說，在教會的建造裡面，都該是經過十字架的，都該是在基督里的，都該是神人調和的。…只有合於這門的性質的，才能帶到神的這個建築裡面來。
新耶路撒冷城也有街道。聖經說，城是純金的，街道也是純金的。
金象徵神聖的性情。生命水的河在街道當中流著，表徵神聖的生命在神聖的性情里涌流，作神贖民日常生活的惟一道路。…神聖的生命和作聖別道路之神聖的性情，總是同行的。所以神生命水的河，是順著神聖的道路便於應用的。我們是借着行在這生命的道路中，享受這生命水的河。
這一所建築就是這一條道路。你我所作的工就是這一條路，你我所建造的教會就是這一條路。我們甚麼時候能完全否認自己，活在神的性情中，我們的事奉就不但能叫教會得著建造，並且人到我們中間，也定規能碰著神的道路。
參讀：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
- 未完待續
生命系列所有鏈接:
生命的建造(七): 金銀寶石材料與十字架雕鑿(續)
生命的建造(五):建造的教會有四種光景(續)
