晨興聖言-...主的恢復之中心負擔...(W1-5)
第一週■週五
晨興餧養
弗五26『好聖化召會,藉着話中之水的洗滌潔淨召會。』
約六63『賜人生命的乃是靈,肉是無益的;我對你們所說的話,就是靈,就是生命。』
基督聖化召會,是藉着話中之水的洗滌潔淨召會。〔弗五26。〕照着神聖的觀念,〔以弗所五章二十六節〕的水是指神湧流的生命,由湧流的水所豫表。(出十七6,林前十4,約七38 ~ 39,啓二一6,二二1,17。)這水的洗滌與基督救贖之血的洗淨不同。救贖的血,洗去我們的罪;(約壹一7,啓七14;)而生命的水,乃洗去我們舊人天然生命的瑕疵,就如『斑點、皺紋、或任何這類的病』。(弗五27。)主聖別並聖化召會,首先用祂的血洗去我們的罪,(來十三12,)然後用祂的生命洗去我們天然的瑕疵。我們現今正在這洗滌的過程中,使召會能『成爲聖別、沒有瑕疵』。(弗五27。)(以弗所書生命讀經,五五一至五五二頁。)
信息選讀
因爲我們墮落、被污染、且被玷污了,所以今天我們需要潔淨。我們裏面的許多東西—肉體、己、舊人、和天然的生命,必須清除掉。不僅如此,我們還有許多斑點和皺紋,需要得着潔淨。
潔淨就是聖化。生命水洗滌的潔淨乃是在話裏。這指明話裏有生命的水,這是由祭壇和帳幕之間的洗濯盆所豫表的。(出三八8,四十7。)以弗所五章二十六節的『洗滌』,原文的意思是,洗濯盆。(七十士譯本用這個希臘字,繙譯希伯來文的『洗濯盆』。)…舊約那洗濯盆洗去祭司屬地的污穢。(出三十18 ~21。)現今這洗濯盆,就是洗滌的水,也洗去我們的污穢。因此我們乃是藉着話中之水的洗濯盆而得潔淨。
神的話就是洗濯盆。按照舊約,在帳幕裏事奉神的祭司,必須藉着祭壇上的血對付他們的罪,也必須藉着洗濯盆的洗滌對付他們的污穢。我信保羅這裏的觀念乃是,召會是藉着話中之水的洗濯盆而得潔淨。阿利路亞,我們有真正的洗濯盆!祭司只有豫表,就是銅作的洗濯盆。但我們有真正的洗濯盆,就是在神話語中的洗濯盆。
舊約裏的祭司如何先來到祭壇,然後再到洗濯盆,我們也是先來到十字架得拯救、蒙救贖、並得稱義,然後來就近主的話而得潔淨。一天過一天,在早晨在晚間,我們都需要來就近聖經,藉着話中之水的洗濯盆而得潔淨。藉着這樣來就近主的話,我們就得潔淨,脫離那從接觸世界所累積的污穢。…在話的洗濯盆裏有水。…保羅在這裏所關心的不是乾渴,乃是要除去消極的事物。這些事物是藉着話中之水洗去的。
有一天倪弟兄說到讀聖經。一位姊妹告訴倪弟兄,她記性不好,所讀的聖經都忘了。她問倪弟兄,她這樣一直讀聖經有甚麼用。倪弟兄回答時,說到中國婦女用竹籃子洗米的方式。她們把籃子浸到水裏,再提上來,上上下下許多次。…雖然籃子沒有盛住水,但籃子和米都洗乾淨了。然後他把這個例子應用到讀主的話上。我們所讀的也許一點也沒有留下,但我們被洗滌了,得潔淨了。願我們都受激勵,一再到主的話這裏來得洗淨。讓我們把我們的籃子放在話的水裏,再把它提上來。水可能流過籃子,但我們要得着潔淨。(以弗所書生命讀經,五五二至五五四頁。)
參讀:經歷神生機的救恩等於在基督的生命中作王,第三篇。
WEEK 1 — DAY 5
Morning Nourishment
Eph. 5:26 That He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word.
John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
Christ sanctifies the church by cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word [Eph. 5:26]. According to the divine concept, water here refers to the flowing life of God typified by flowing water (Exo. 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4; John 7:38-39; Rev. 21:6; 22:1, 17). The washing of such water is different from the washing of the redeeming blood of Christ. The redeeming blood washes away our sins (1 John 1:7; Rev. 7:14), whereas the water of life washes away the blemishes of the natural life of our old man, such as “spot or wrinkle or any such things” (Eph. 5:27). In sanctifying the church, the Lord first washes away our sins with His blood (Heb. 13:12) and then washes away our natural blemishes with His life. We are now in such a washing process in order that the church may be holy and without blemish. (Life-study of Ephesians, p. 457)
Today's Reading
Because we are fallen, contaminated, and defiled, we today need to be cleansed. Many things in us must be purged away: the flesh, the self, the old man, the natural life. Furthermore, we have many spots and wrinkles from which we need to be cleansed.
The cleansing is the sanctifying. The cleansing by the washing of the water of life is in the word. This indicates that in the word there is the water of life, which is typified by the laver between the altar and the tabernacle (Exo. 38:8; 40:7). In Greek the word rendered “washing” in Ephesians 5:26 means “laver.” This Greek
word is used in the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew word for laver.
In the Old Testament, the priests wash themselves from earthly
defilement in the laver (Exo. 30:18-21). Now the washing of the water washes us from defilement. Therefore, we are cleansed by the laver of the water in the word.
The word of God is a laver. According to the Old Testament, the priests who served God in the tabernacle had to have their sins dealt with by the blood on the altar, and they had to have their defilement dealt with by washing in the laver. I believe that Paul’s concept here is that the church is cleansed by the laver of the water in the word. Hallelujah, we have the real laver! The priests had only a type, a material laver made of brass. But we have the real laver, the laver in the word of God.
As the priests in the Old Testament came first to the altar and then to the laver, so we come first to the cross to be saved, redeemed, and justified, and then we come to the word to be cleansed. Day by day, morning and evening,we need to come to the Bible and be cleansed by the laver of the water in the word. By coming to the word in this way, we are cleansed from the defilement we have accumulated in our contact with the world. In the laver of the word there is water…Here Paul is concerned not about thirst but about the removal of negative things. These things are washed away by the water in the word.
One day Brother Nee was speaking about Bible reading. A certain sister told him that she had a poor memory and forgot everything she read in the Word. She asked Brother Nee what was the purpose for her to go on reading the Bible. In his answer, [he] spoke of the way women in China wash rice in a willow basket. They dip the basket in and out of the water a number of times…Although the basket retains no water, both the basket and the rice are washed. He then applied this illustration to the reading of the Word. Although we may not retain anything of what we read, we are washed by it nonetheless, and we are cleansed. Let us be encouraged to come to the Word again and again to be washed. Let us place our basket in the water of the word and draw it out. The water may flow through the basket, but we shall be cleansed. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 457-459)
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