晨興聖言-經歷、享受並彰顯基督(W14-5)

第十四週.週五

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晨興餧養

羅八31~32 『…神若幫助我們,誰能抵擋我們?神既不吝惜自己的兒子,為我們眾人捨了,豈不也把萬有和祂一同白白的賜給我們麼?』

4  『誰能定我們的罪?有基督耶穌已經死了,而且已經復活了,現今在神的右邊,還為我們代求。』 

在耶利米三十二章四十至四十四節,耶和華說,祂要與他們立永遠的約,祂必不轉身離開他們。祂必善待他們。祂要將他們栽植在聖地,在這地必有人置買田地。

這永遠的約就是新約。(三一31~34。)憑著這約,神必不轉身離開我們,反要將我們栽植在我們的美地基督裏,並且我們得以買回基督的各方面。買基督就是付代價,忘記背後,竭力追求基督,(腓三13~14,)而贏得基督。(耶利米書生命讀經,二三○頁。)

信息選讀

林後五章十四節中基督困迫的愛,是藉著祂在十字架上為我們受死,所顯明出來的愛。『困迫』這辭,原文的意思是,從各面壓逼…到一邊,強加限制,在某種界限內限於一個目標,限於一條線和一個目的(如同在有牆的窄路上)。…使徒乃是這樣的為基督的愛所困迫,而向祂活著。

今天我們也為基督對我們的愛所困迫。這愛的確限制我們,將我們侷限於窄路上,朝向那獨一的目標—基督自己。…我們這樣受困迫,就受限制,如同走在有牆的窄路上,並且被迫往特定的方向去。雖然我們愛主,但我們未必一直願意走祂的路。祂若不以牆圍住我們,我們也許會逃離祂。但基督的愛困迫我們,從各面壓逼我們,把我們逼向一個目標。

我們必須是一個被基督的愛沖激的人。保羅在林後五章十四至十五節告訴我們,基督受死的愛,像大水澎湃沖向我們,迫使我們情不自禁的向祂活著。被困迫就像被浪潮沖走。基督的愛像浪潮一樣強烈,將你征服,將你沖走。我們必須被基督的愛沖沒。我們需要被祂的愛困迫,以致別無選擇。我們應當能說,『我沒有別的路可走,我必須愛主,因為祂的愛困迫我。』

羅馬八章三十二至三十九節,陳明基督是使我們得勝有餘的那一位。…三十二節說,『神既不吝惜自己的兒子,為我們眾人捨了,豈不也把萬有和祂一同白白的賜給我們麼?』這節經文表明,神把萬有和基督一同白白的賜給我們。

三十四節接著說,『誰能定我們的罪?有基督耶穌已經死了,而且已經復活了,現今在神的右邊,還為我們代求。』…基督為我們死了,並在復活之後,在神的右邊為我們代求。本節說基督現今在神的右邊,就是在天上。但十節說祂現今在我們裏面,就是在我們的靈裏。(提後四22。)祂是那靈,(林後三17,)無所不在;祂在神的右邊,同時也在我們的靈裏;在天上,同時也在地上。

在羅馬八章三十四節,基督為我們代求;但在二十六節,那靈為我們代求。為我們代求者,不是兩位,乃是一位,就是主靈。(林後三18。)祂在兩端為我們代求,一端是那靈在我們裏面,可能是為我們發起代求;一端是主基督在神的右邊,可能是為我們完成代求;主要的必是為著將我們模成祂的形像,並帶進祂的榮耀。(新約總論第十冊,二四○至二四一、八四至八五頁。)

參讀:羅馬書生命讀經,第二十一、六十七篇。

WEEK 14 — DAY 5

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Morning Nourishment

Rom. 8:31-32 …If God is for us, who can be against us? Indeed, He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?

34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ Jesus who died and, rather, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

In Jeremiah 32:40-44 Jehovah said that He would make an eternal covenant with them that He will not turn away from them. He will do them good. He will plant them in the holy land, and fields will be bought there.

This eternal covenant is the new covenant (31:31-34). It is by this covenant that God will not turn away from us and will plant us in Christ, our good land, and Christ in all His aspects will be bought by us. To buy Christ is to pay a price to gain Christ by forgetting the things that are behind and pursuing Christ (Phil. 3:13-14). (Life-study of Jeremiah, p. 190)

Today's Reading

The constraining love of Christ in 2 Corinthians 5:14 is the love which was manifested on the cross through His death for us. The Greek word rendered “constrains” means “to press on…from all sides, to hold…to one end, to forcibly limit, to confine to one object within certain bounds, to shut up to one line and purpose” (as in a narrow, walled road)…In such a way the apostles were constrained by the love of Christ to live to Him.

Today we also are constrained by Christ’s love toward us. This love surely limits us, confines us to a narrow way, toward the unique goal—Christ Himself…When we are thus constrained, we are limited, as if walking on a narrow, walled road, and we are forced to go in a certain direction. Although we love the Lord, we are not always willing to take His way. Had we not been walled in by Him, we probably would have escaped from Him. But the love of Christ constrains us; it presses us from every side and holds us to one goal.

We must be persons carried away by the love of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 Paul indicates that Christ’s loving death is like the rushing of great waters toward us, impelling us to live to Him beyond our own control. To be constrained is similar to being carried away by a tide of water. The love of Christ is as strong as a tide of water which overcomes us and carries us away. We need to be flooded by the love of Christ. We need to be constrained by His love so that we have no choice. We should be able to say, “I have no other way to go. I must love the Lord because His love has constrained me.”

Romans 8:32-39 presents Christ as the One who makes us more than conquerors. Verse 32 says, “Indeed, He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?” This verse shows that God freely gives us all things with Christ.

Verse 34 goes on to say, “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ Jesus who died and, rather, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”…Christ died for us and…after being raised, He is interceding for us at the right hand of God. This verse states that Christ today is at the right hand of God in the heavens; verse 10, however, states that He is now in us, in our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22). As the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17), He is omnipresent, being both at the right hand of God and in our spirit, both in heaven and on earth.

In Romans 8:34 it is Christ who intercedes for us, yet in verse 26 it is the Spirit who intercedes for us. These are not two Intercessors but one, the Lord Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18). He is interceding for us at two ends. At one end it is the Spirit in us, probably initiating the intercession for us; at the other end it is the Lord Christ at the right hand of God, probably completing the intercession for us, which must be mainly that we will be conformed to His image and brought into His glory. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3214-3215, 3082-3083)

Further Reading: Life-study of Romans, msgs. 21, 67

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