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 | 保羅的完成職事(24):真理的柱石和根基 |
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教會是活神的家_3: 真理的柱石和根基
提前三 15~16『倘若我耽延，你也可以知道在神的家中當怎樣行；這家就是活神的
教會，真理的柱石和根基。並且，大哉！敬虔的奧秘！這是眾所公認的，就是：他
顯現於肉體，被稱義於靈里，被天使看見，被傳於萬邦，被信仰於世人中，被接去
於榮耀里。』
教會是支持真理的柱石，也是托住真理的根基。〔提前三章十五節〕的『真理』，
是指照著神新約的經綸，在新約里所啟示，關乎基督與教會的真實事物。教會是支
持這一切實際的柱石，也是托住這一切實際的根基。地方教會該是這樣的建築，托
住、擔負並見證基督與教會的真理─實際。
神新約的經綸由兩個奧秘所組成：基督是神的奧秘（西二 2），教會是基督的
奧秘（弗三 4）。基督與教會，頭與身體，乃是神新約經綸之實際的內容。教會既
是支持真理的柱石，和托住柱石的根基，就為『基督是神的奧秘，教會是基督的奧
秘』這個實際（真理）作見證。
按照上下文，我們可以說提前三章十五節的真理，是指十六節敬虔的奧秘，就
是神在肉體的顯現。宇宙間獨一的真理，獨一的實際，乃是三一神顯現於肉體。…
神這個顯現不僅在基督身上，也是在教會中（新約總論第七冊，二一七頁）。
神顯現於教會，教會乃是基督的身體，也是活神的家，成為神在肉體擴大、團
體的彰顯。…〔提前三章十六節〕的『他』就是基督，是神顯現於肉體，作為敬虔
的奧秘。從『敬虔的奧秘』轉到『他』，含示神在肉體的顯現，基督，就是敬虔的
奧秘（西一 27，加二 20）。這敬虔的奧秘就是正當教會的生活，這樣的生活也就
是神顯現於肉體。
提前三章十五至十六節含示：不僅作為頭的基督是神顯現於肉體，作為身體的
教會也是神顯現於肉體。當教會在基督里以神的增長而長大時（西二 19），她就會
盡功用，為著神在地上的行動作活神的家，並作支持真理的柱石和托住真理的根基，
帶著基督和他身體神聖的實際，向世界作見證。然後教會要成為基督作神顯現於肉
體的延續。這是敬虔的極大奧秘：基督作為神在肉體的顯現，從教會活出來。…教
會乃是神顯現於肉體的擴增和擴大。這是神按照新約成為肉體的原則，以一種更廣
泛的方式顯現於肉體。
提前三章十六節開頭的連接詞『並且』，指明保羅在十五節說到關於教會的話，
還沒有結束。這個連接詞指出，教會不僅是活神的家，真理的柱石和根基，也是敬
虔的奧秘。照上下文看，敬虔是指神活在教會中，就是那是生命的神在教會中活出
來而得著彰顯。…基督和教會，二者都是敬虔的奧秘，在肉體裡彰顯神。因此，敬
虔的奧秘就是正當教會的生活，這樣的生活乃是神在肉體的顯現。這個顯現開始於
基督在地上的時候，如今在教會中延續。願我們都看見教會是神的家這個異象。
參讀：新約總論，第十三、十六、二十六、二百三十一篇；神的經營，第二十
三章；提摩太前書生命讀經，第六篇。
1 Tim. 3:15-16 "But if I delay, I write that you may know how one ought
to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living
God, the pillar and base of the truth. And confessedly, great is the mystery
of godliness: He who was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit,
seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken
up in glory."
The church is the supporting pillar and holding base of the truth. [In
1 Timothy 3:15] truth refers to the real things revealed in the New Testament
concerning Christ and the church according to God's New Testament
economy. The church is the supporting pillar and holding base of these realities.
A local church should be such a building that holds, bears, and testifies
the truth, the reality, of Christ and the church.
God's New Testament economy is composed of two mysteries: Christ as
the mystery of God (Col. 2:2) and the church as the mystery of Christ (Eph.
3:4). Christ and the church, the Head and the Body, are the contents of
the reality of God's New Testament economy. As the pillar which bears the
truth and the base which upholds the pillar, the church testifies the reality,
the truth, of Christ as the mystery of God and the church as the mystery
of Christ.
According to the context, we may say that the truth in 1 Timothy 3:15
denotes the mystery of godliness, the manifestation of God in the flesh,
in verse 16. The unique truth, the unique reality, in the universe is the
manifestation of the Triune God in the flesh....This manifestation is not
only in Christ but also in the church. (The Conclusion of the New Testament,
pp. 2232-2233)
God is manifested in the church, the Body of Christ and the house of
the living God, as the enlarged, corporate expression in the flesh....In
Greek, the antecedent of"who" [in 1 Timothy 3:16] is omitted but easily
recognized. The antecedent is Christ, who was God manifested in the flesh
as the mystery of godliness. The transition from"the mystery..." to"who"
implies that Christ as the manifestation of God in the flesh is the mystery
of godliness (Col. 1:27; Gal. 2:20). This mystery of godliness is the living
of a proper church. Such a living is also the manifestation of God in the
flesh.
First Timothy 3:15 and 16 imply that not only Christ Himself as the
Head is the manifestation of God in the flesh but also that the church as
the Body is the manifestation of God in the flesh. When the church grows
in Christ with the growth of God (Col. 2:19), it will function as the house
of the living God for His move on earth and as the supporting pillar and
holding base of the truth, bearing the divine reality of Christ and His
Body as a testimony to the world.
Then the church will become the continuation of Christ's manifestation of
God in the flesh. This is the great mystery of godliness: Christ lived out
of the church as the manifestation of God in the flesh....The church, then,
is the increase, the enlargement, of the manifestation of God in the flesh.
This is God manifested in the flesh in a wider way according to the New
Testament principle of incarnation.
The conjunction and at the beginning of 1 Timothy 3:16 indicates that
Paul's speaking about the church in verse 15 is not finished. This conjunction
indicates that, as the house of the living God, the pillar and base of the
truth, the church is also the mystery of godliness. According to the context,
godliness denotes the living of God in the church, that is, God as life
lived out in the church to be expressed....Both Christ and the church are the mystery
of godliness, expressing God in the flesh. Therefore, the mystery of godliness
is the living of a proper church, and such a living is the manifestation
of God in the flesh. This manifestation began with Christ when He was on
earth, and now it continues in the church. May we all see this vision of
the church as the house of God. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp.
2233-2234)
Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 13, 16,
26, 231; The Economy of God, ch. 23; Life-study of 1 Timothy, msg. 6
- 未完待續
教會是活神的家_2
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