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 | 保罗的完成职事(九):人是被神造来盛装神的一个器皿 |
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保罗的完成职事(九):人是被神造来盛装神的一个器皿
罗九23~24『且要在那些蒙怜悯、早豫备得荣耀的器皿上，彰显他荣耀的丰富；这器
皿就是我们这蒙他所召的，不但从犹太人中，也从外邦人中，这有甚么不可？』
弗四6『一位众人的神与父，就是那超越众人，贯彻众人，也在众人之内的。』
保罗说到神的时候，他当然说神是创造者，但这不是他的中心点；旧约已经这样指示
我们了。称我们作器皿；神已拣选我们作他的器皿─蒙怜悯得荣耀的器皿。这含示
且指明神要人盛装他，他渴望为自己得著一个容器。
人是一个器皿。首先，我们的身体是一个器皿。我们每天用食物、水和空气来充满
我们的身体。我们多半一天吃三次。我们一天喝好多次。此外，我们不停的呼吸。
我们无论作甚么，都一直呼吸。不呼吸我们就活不了！
藉著吃、喝并呼吸，我们就得著充满。所以我们外面的人是一个器皿。
我们里面的人也是一个器皿。神已造了我们作器皿来盛装他。『我们有这宝贝在瓦
器里，要显明这超越的能力，是属於神，不是出於我们。』这
是保罗在林后四章七节所告诉我们的。从五至六节我们知道，宝贝是神自己在基督里，
他已经把他自己放到我们这瓦器里面。这些经节我们都很熟，但我们却活得不像有神作内容的人。
少有人会有我们是盛装神的器皿这种想法。然而，我们大多数人常常有一种想法：
我们必须行事端正、殷勤、谦卑、不得罪人。我们天天懊悔自己没有更顺从父母，
更取悦同学，或是更亲爱兄弟姊妹。我们也许会想更属灵，怎样早起晨兴，或花更
多时间读圣经。
我们很容易有这种想法，但对於我们是盛装神的器皿这种想法又如何？我们有这种
想法么？我们也许顺从我们的父母，爱我们的姊妹，但可能没有让神盛装到我们里
面。果真如此，我们就像一个空壳子，想去讨好别人，却远离了神。
不只不信的人走错了路，不只别的基督徒偏离了，我们这些在主恢复里的人也常常
偏离正道。每当我们想要爱别人或是待人仁慈，而不领悟我们是命定盛装神时，就
连我们也偏离了目标。我们必须学习从所有我们行为的想法上转离，只关心被神充满。
圣经把神描绘成食物、水、空气。我们必须吸取他，被他充满，就好像我们接受所
吃的食物，所饮的水，以及所吸入的空气。在已过二十年里，我们中间编了许多的
诗歌，说到吃喝主并吸入神。…对一些人来说，吃神的思想太粗野，无法接受。我
们不能责备他们这么想，因为他们缺少启示。
我们不只为神所造，更是被他拣选成为蒙怜悯的器皿；并且不只是蒙怜悯的器皿，
更是早豫备得荣耀的器皿。在新约二十七卷书中，只有保罗的著作把我们是盛装神
的器皿这思想传输给我们。…我们从罗马八章看见神如何必须是灵，而这灵必须是
基督的灵。然后神才能在我们里面作我们的内容。
以弗所四章六节说，『一位众人的神与父，就是那超越众人，贯彻众人，也在众人
之内的。』父不只超越我们，贯彻我们，他也在我们里面；『在…之内』这个介系
词原文不仅有『同在』之意，更指神在我们里面。
神自己安家在我们里面，正如保罗在别处所写的。
（保罗的完成职事，一○四至一○六页）参读：保罗的完成职事，第十一章。
English Version
Rom. 9:23-24 "In order that He might make known the riches of His glory
upon vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared unto glory, even us,
whom He has also called, not only from among the Jews but also from among
the Gentiles."
Eph. 4:6 "One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and
in all."
When Paul refers to God, he of course says that God is the Creator
(Rom.1:25), but this is not his central point. The Old Testament has already
told us this....[In Romans 9:23-24 we are] called vessels. God has chosen
us to be His vessels, vessels of mercy unto glory. This implies and indicates
that God wants to be contained; He wants a container for Himself.
Man is a vessel. Firstly, our body is a vessel. Every day we fill it
with food,water, and air....We eat probably three times a day, besides snacks.
We drink more times a day. In addition, we are continuously breathing.
Whatever else we are doing, we keep breathing. Without it, we graduate from
living! By eating, drinking, and breathing we fill ourselves. Our outer man, then,
is a vessel. (The Completing Ministry of Paul, pp. 75-76)
Our inner man is also a vessel. God has created us as vessels to contain
Him."We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the
power may be of God and not out of us," Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:7.From
verses 5 and 6 we know that the treasure is God Himself in Christ, who has
sown Himself into us, the earthen vessels. These verses are familiar to
us, yet we do not live as those who have God as their contents.
Seldom does the thought cross our mind that we are a vessel to contain
God. All too often, however, we entertain the thought that we must behave
rightly, courteously, humbly, and inoffensively. Day after day we are sorry
not to be more obedient to our parents, more pleasant to our classmates,
and kinder to our sister or brother. We may think along even more spiritual
lines, about getting up early for morning watch or spending more time to
read the Bible. Such thoughts are commonplace to us. But how about the thought
that we are vessels to contain God? Does this thought occur to us? We may
obey our parents and love our sister but not have God contained in us. If
so, we are li e think in terms of loving others or being kind, without realizing
that we were ordained to contain God, we too are missing the mark. We must
learn to turn away from all such considerations of behavior and care only
to be filled with God.
God is illustrated in the Bible as food, water, and air. We must take
Him in and be filled with Him just as we take in the food we eat, the water
we drink, and the air we breathe. Over these past twenty years a number
of hymns have been composed among us that speak of eating and drinking Christ
and of breathing God in....To some people the thought of eating God is rough and unacceptable.
We cannot blame them for thinking this way; they are short of revelation.
We have been not only created by God, then, but also chosen by Him
to be vessels of His mercy. And not only are we vessels of mercy; we are
also vessels prepared unto glory. It is only Paul's writings, of all the
twenty-seven books of the New Testament, which convey the thought that we
are vessels to contain God....From Romans 8 we [can] see how God must be the Spirit and that this Spirit must be the Spirit of Christ. Then God can be in us as our contents.
[According to Ephesians 4:6] the Father is not only over us; He is
not only through us; He is also in us. This preposition in does not mean
merely"with";it means that God is within us. God is housing Himself in us,
as Paul writes elsewhere. (The Completing Ministry of Paul, pp. 76-77)
Further Reading: The Completing Ministry of Paul, ch. 11
- 未完待续
保罗的完成职事(十): 神一直在我们里面运行
保罗的完成职事(八):中心异象60条及经文
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