晨興聖言-經歷、享受並彰顯基督(W13-2)

第十三週.週二


晨興餧養

詩二7~8 『…你是我的兒子,我今日生了你。你求我,我就將列國賜你為基業,將地極賜你為產業。』

來一6   『再者,神再帶長子到世上來的時候,就說,「神的眾使者都要拜祂。」』 

詩篇二篇七至九節乃是基督的宣告。使徒保羅在行傳十三章三十三節引用這話,指明本節是指基督的復活。神的受膏者基督被剪除,被釘十字架(但九26)之後,在祂的人性裏復活,生為神的長子。(羅一3~4,八29,來一5~6。)祂所有的信徒藉著同一個復活,與祂一同出生,成為祂許多的弟兄,就是神的眾子。(約二十17,彼前一3,羅八29,來二10。)(聖經恢復本,詩二7註1。)

如果不是因著保羅,我想我們不會看見詩篇第二篇是說到基督的復活。保羅能在『你是我的兒子,我今日生了你』這話中看見主的復活,他把『今日』一辭引用到主復活的日子。〔參徒十三33。〕這就是說,基督的復活就是祂出生為神的長子。人子耶穌藉著神使祂從死人中復活,生為神的兒子。所以,神使耶穌從死人中復活,乃是將祂生為神的長子。我們需要看見,主的復活乃是祂的出生。這是很重要的事。(使徒行傳生命讀經,三六四頁。)

信息選讀

基督成為肉體的時候,按肉體說,是從大衛後裔生的。(羅一3。)在聖經裏,『肉體』並不是一個正面的辭。然而,約翰福音卻宣告說,話成了肉體。(一14。)神的福音論到神的兒子成了肉體;按肉體說,祂成了人的後裔。羅馬書給我們看見,這個肉體已經標出為神的兒子!

藉著這個標出,那位在成為肉體之前已經是神兒子的基督,以一種新的方式成為神的兒子。基督成為肉體之前是神的兒子,只有神性。但是現在,祂藉著復活,已經標出為神的兒子,不只有神性,同時也在人性裏面。基督若從未穿上屬人的性情,祂就不需要標出為神的兒子,因為在祂的神性裏,祂從永遠起就已經是神的兒子。

羅馬八章三節說,神在罪之肉體的樣式裏,差來了祂的兒子。這指明基督沒有肉體的罪惡;祂只有罪之肉體的樣式。就這一面說,祂就像那在曠野裏被掛在杆子上的銅蛇。(民二一8~9。)銅蛇有蛇的形狀,卻沒有蛇的毒性。同樣的原則,基督有罪之肉體的形狀、外表、樣式,卻沒有罪之肉體的罪性。

因著神的兒子基督已經穿上肉體,祂的人性就需要藉著復活,以大能標出為神的兒子。在亞當裏的死是可怕的,然而,基督的死卻是奇妙的。這是因為祂的死了結了一切消極的事物,並且為復活開路。基督藉著復活改變了形狀,並且標出為神的兒子。

基督既然已是神的兒子,那祂為何還需要生為神的兒子?行傳十三章三十三節(引自詩篇二篇七節)指明,基督在祂復活的那日生為神的兒子。難道祂在那日以前不是神的兒子麼?祂當然是神的兒子。然而,祂還需要藉著復活生為神的兒子,因為祂曾穿上人性。就著祂的神性而言,祂不需要出生;但就著祂的人性而言,是有這個需要。在基督復活的那日,祂的肉體被拔高,並改變形狀,成為榮耀的實質。這乃是藉著復活,以大能生為神的兒子。這個出生也就是標出。這樣,耶穌這位在肉體裏的人,就出生並標出為神的兒子。(羅馬書生命讀經,六五九至六六○頁。)

參讀:羅馬書生命讀經,第五十二至五十三篇。

WEEK 13 — DAY 2


Morning Nourishment

Psa. 2:7-8 …You are My Son; today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give the nations as Your inheritance and the limits of the earth as Your possession.

Heb. 1:6 And when He brings again the Firstborn into the inhabited earth, He says, “And let all the angels of God worship Him.”

Psalm 2:7-9 is the declaration of Christ. This word was quoted by the apostle Paul in Acts 13:33, indicating that Psalm 2:7 refers to Christ’s resurrection. After being cut off, crucified (Dan. 9:26), Christ, God’s anointed One, was resurrected to be begotten in His humanity as the firstborn Son of God (Rom. 1:3-4; 8:29; Heb. 1:5-6). Through the same resurrection all His believers were born with Him to be His many brothers, the many sons of God (John 20:17; 1 Pet. 1:3; Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:10). (Psa. 2:7, footnote 1)

If it were not for Paul, I do not think that we would be able to see that Psalm 2 speaks of the resurrection of Christ. Paul was able to see the Lord’s resurrection in the word, “You are My Son; today I have begotten You.” Paul applied the word today to the day of the Lord’s resurrection (cf. Acts 13:33). This means that Christ’s resurrection was His birth as the firstborn Son of God. Jesus, the Son of Man, was born to be the Son of God through being raised up from the dead. Therefore, God’s raising up of Jesus from the dead was His begetting of Him to be His firstborn Son. We need to realize that the Lord’s resurrection was His birth. This is a crucial matter. (Life-study of Acts, p. 312)

Today's Reading

In His incarnation Christ came as the seed of David according to the flesh (Rom. 1:3). In the Bible the word flesh is not a positive word. Nevertheless, the Gospel of John declares that the Word became flesh (1:14). The gospel of God concerns the Son of God who became flesh, who became the seed of a man according to the flesh. In Romans we see that this flesh has been designated the Son of God!

Through this designation the Christ who was already the Son of God before His incarnation became the Son of God in a new way. Before His incarnation He was the Son of God only with divinity. But now, through His resurrection, He has been designated the Son of God both with divinity and in humanity. If Christ had never put on human nature, there would have been no need for Him to be designated the Son of God, for in His divinity He was already the Son of God, even from eternity.

God sent His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin [8:3]. This indicates that Christ did not have the sinfulness of the flesh; He had only the likeness of the flesh of sin. In this respect He was like the bronze serpent lifted up on a pole in the wilderness (Num. 21:8-9). The bronze serpent had the form of a serpent, but it did not have the poisonous nature of a serpent.

Because Christ, the Son of God, had clothed Himself with the flesh, He needed His human nature to be designated the Son of God in power by resurrection. Death in Adam is terrible. The death of Christ, however, is wonderful. This is because His death terminated all the negative things and opened the way for resurrection. Through resurrection Christ was transfigured and designated the Son of God.

Since Christ was already the Son of God, how could there have been the need for Him to be begotten as the Son of God? Acts 13:33, which quotes from Psalm 2:7, indicates that Christ was begotten as the Son of God on the day of His resurrection. But was He not the Son of God before that day? Certainly He was. Nevertheless, He still needed to be begotten by resurrection because He had put on humanity. As to His divinity, there was no need for Him to be begotten. But as to His humanity, there was the need for this. On the day of His resurrection, Christ’s flesh was uplifted and transfigured into a glorious substance. This was the begetting in power by resurrection. This begetting was also the designation. In this way Jesus, the man in the flesh, was begotten and designated the Son of God. (Life-study of Romans, pp. 542-543)

Further Reading: Life-study of Romans, msgs. 52—53

 

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