創世記結晶讀經（一）:按着神的形像樣式造人
創一 26『神說，我們要按着我們的形像，照着我們的樣式造人，使他們管理…全地…。』. 二 9 『耶和華神使各樣的樹從地里長出來，可以悅人的眼目，也好作食物；園子當中有生命樹，還有善惡 知識樹。』
神的願望和定旨是要得着一個團體人，有他的形像彰顯他，並有他的權柄代表他。現在我們必須問：人怎能有他的形像彰顯他，並有他的權柄代表他？
人被造以後，一面，神安息了；但另一面，神的工作尚未完成，因為人還沒有得着神聖的生命。那時，人有神的形狀和外表，卻沒有神的生命和性情（本質）。
創世記一章有不同程度的受造生命，但在二章有獨一、最高的生命，神聖的生命，非受造的生命，由生命樹所表徵。亞當被造，在受造生命當中是最高的生命，但他在被造的時候沒有神聖的生命。神的心意是要亞當接受神作他的生命。
神聖的生命沒有被人接受、得着、實化並經歷，人就絕不能成為神的彰顯和代表。
創世記一章關於創造的記載，雖然啟示神創造人的目的，卻沒有告訴我們達成這目的的路。所以需要〔創世記二章里關於創造〕第二次的記載，以啟示神所採取來達成他目的之路與手續。
神是要借着他自己的生命來達成他的目的. 我們若要彰顯神，就需要神的生命。我們若有神的生命，就會自自然然、不知不覺的彰顯他。
我們有了神的生命，就會彰顯他的形像。生命乃是達成神目的的路。這生命不是我們天然的生命，是神那神聖、永遠的生命(永生)。
權柄也與生命有關。…你越有生命，就越有權柄。…你的年齡給你這權柄。為了有神的權柄代表神，我們需要他的生命。
人雖然是按着神的形像創造的，但只像一張照片稍稍表明神，並沒有神的生命。人雖然有神的形像，卻沒有神的生命。神要人有分於生命樹所指明的生命。
創世記一章啟示神永遠的目的，就是借着人彰顯他自己，並與人一同管治。人被造是為著彰顯神並代表神。…神有了目的，但他必須有路達成他的目的。神的路是甚麼？我們已經看過，他的路乃是生命。神要進到人裡面作生命。
為了達成他的目的，神要進到人裡面作人的生命和生命的供應。此外，二章啟示神的手續包含三個步驟。第一步是神造人為器皿，好盛裝神作生命。人既被造為器皿盛裝神，就能憑神而活，彰顯他並代表他。
第二步是神將人擺在生命樹跟前。…神將人擺在生命樹跟前，就是指明神要人將他接受到裡面，使人為著召會的建造，變化成為寶貴的材料。…第一步是造器皿，第二步是將這器皿擺在生命樹跟前，第三步是將神作到人裡面作生命。
參讀：神建造的異象，第一章；創世記生命讀經，第六至八、十篇；神中心的思想，第三章；神聖啟示的中心路線，第五至六篇。
Gen. 1:26 "And God said, Let Us
make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion...over all the
earth..."
2:9
"And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that
is pleasant to the sight and good for
food, as well as the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
God's desire and purpose are to have a corporate man to express Him in
His image and to represent Him with His authority. Now we must ask a question:
how can man express God in His image and represent Him with His authority?
(Life-study of Genesis, p. 117)
After man was created, on the one hand, God rested, but on the other
hand, God's work was not completed because man did not yet have the divine
life. Up to that point, man had the form and the appearance of God but not the
life and nature, the substance, of God. In Genesis 1 there are the created
lives in different degrees, but in Genesis 2 there is the unique and highest
life, the divine life, the uncreated life, signified by the tree of life. Adam
was made as the highest life among the created lives, but he did not have the
divine life at the time of creation. God's intention was that Adam would take
God as his life. Without the divine life being accepted, received, realized,
and experienced by man, man can never be the expression and representative of
God. (The Central Thought of God, p. 26)
Although the record of creation in Genesis 1 reveals God's purpose in
creating man, it does not show us the way to fulfill this purpose. Therefore,
we need the second record [of creation in Genesis 2] to reveal the way, the procedure,
God takes to fulfill His purpose.
God is going to accomplish His purpose by means of His own life....If we
are going to express God, we need the life of God. If we have the life of God,
we will express Him spontaneously and unconsciously. Once we have His life, we
will express His image. Life is the way to fulfill God's purpose. This life is
not our natural life, but the divine and eternal life of God.
Authority is also related to life....The more life you have, the more
authority you have....Your age assigns you the authority. In order to represent
God with His authority, we need His life.
Man was created in the image of God, but he was like a photograph
showing something of God
without having the life of God.
Although man was in the image of God, he did not have the life of God. God
intended that man should partake of the life indicated by the tree of life.
Genesis 1 reveals God's eternal purpose, which is to express Himself
through man and to exercise His dominion with man. Man was created to express
God and to represent God....Although God has a purpose, He must have a means of
fulfilling it. What is God's divine way of accomplishing His purpose? As we
have seen, His way is life. God desires to come into us as life. In order to
accomplish His purpose, God wants to come into man to be man's life and life
supply. Furthermore, Genesis 2 reveals that God's procedure involves three
steps. The first step was for God to create man as a vessel to contain Him as
life. Since man was made as a vessel to contain God, man can live by Him,
express Him, and represent Him. As the second step, God placed man in front of
the tree of life....In placing man before the tree of life, God was indicating
that He wanted man to take Him into his being that he might be transformed into
the precious materials for the building up of the church.
The first step was to make the vessel, the second was to put this vessel
in front of the tree of life, and the third is to work God into man as life.
(Life-study of Genesis, pp. 117-120, 215-216)
Further Reading: The Vision of God's Building, ch. 1; Life-study of
Genesis, msgs. 6-8, 10; The Central Thought of God, ch. 3; The Central Line of
the Divine Revelation, msgs. 5-6
- 未完待續
