晨興聖言-經歷、享受並彰顯基督(W17-1)
第十七週.週一
晨興餧養
林後四3~4 『如果我們的福音真的受蒙蔽,也是蒙蔽在滅亡的人身上;在他們裏面,這世代的神弄瞎了他們這不信者的心思,叫基督榮耀之福音的光照,不照亮他們;基督本是神的像。』
約一18 『從來沒有人看見神,只有在父懷裏的獨生子,將祂表明出來。』
林後四章四至七節表明,我們可以經歷並享受基督作為神的像並作為寶貝。神的像是指基督作我們外面的彰顯,而寶貝是指基督作我們裏面的內容。外在一面,我們應該有基督作神的像;內在一面,我們應該有基督作寶貝。我們需要進入對這位基督豐富且完滿的享受裏。(新約總論第十冊,二三○頁。)
信息選讀
要了解或說明神的像非常困難。新約有兩次告訴我們,基督是神的像。〔林後四4,西一15。〕…那不能看見的神有一個可見的像,這像就是基督。約翰一章十八節說,『從來沒有人看見神,只有在父懷裏的獨生子,將祂表明出來。』這意思是說,基督這位神的獨生子到人這裏來彰顯神的所是。…儘管神是看不見的,祂卻藉著一個活的人位—神的兒子耶穌基督—得著彰顯。這活的人位作為神的彰顯,乃是神的像。
林後四章四節…指明,『神』、『像』、『基督』、『榮耀』、『福音』和『光照』都與彼此同義;因此,這些辭都是指同一個美妙的人位。神是像,像是基督,基督是榮耀,榮耀是福音,而福音就是光照。首先,『神的像』這辭表明像與神同義。作源頭的神有一個像,這像就是神自己。我們若看見神的像,就是看見神;倘若神消失了,祂的像也就消失了。…因此,神的像一點不差就是神自己。
第二,正如我們所已經指出的,神的像是基督。基督作為神的像,乃是那不能看見之神的彰顯。第三,基督是榮耀。這在希伯來一章三節得著證實,那裏說,基督是神榮耀的光輝。第四,基督這榮耀乃是福音。使徒行傳告訴我們,信徒傳基督耶穌為福音。(五42,八35,十一20,十七18。)這表明福音並非與基督分開的東西;反之,基督就是福音。今天有些基督徒在傳福音時,將福音與基督分開。但按著聖經中神聖的啟示,福音乃是一個活的人位—基督。基督這福音是神的像,神的像就是神。因此,福音乃是神自己具體化並彰顯於基督。
第五,福音是照明,光照。福音乃是基督榮耀的福音,照明、照射、照耀在人心裏。當這福音臨及我們時,它乃是藉著光照耀我們,這照耀將基督帶到我們裏面;基督本是經過過程之三一神的像。結果,基督這活的人位就照進我們裏面。許多信徒能見證,當他們聽見基督這福音時,一種基督的印象就進入他們裏面。儘管他們試圖拒絕這種基督的印象,或試圖將這印象從他們裏面塗抹掉,但他們無法作到。基督的印象一旦照到我們裏面,就永遠留在我們裏面。這照明是福音,這福音是榮耀,這榮耀是基督,基督是神的像,而基督本是神。因此,所照進我們裏面的,乃是活的人位,就是具體化在基督裏的三一神;基督是神的像,神的彰顯。(新約總論第十冊,二三○至二三二頁。)
參讀:新約總論,第三百一十七篇。
WEEK 17 — DAY 1
Morning Nourishment
2 Cor. 4:3-4 …If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in those who are perishing, in whom the god of this age has blinded the thoughts of the unbelievers that the illumination of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine on them.
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
Second Corinthians 4:4-7 shows that we may experience and enjoy Christ as the image of God and the treasure. The image of God refers to Christ as our outward expression, whereas the treasure refers to Christ as our inward content. We should bear Christ as the image of God without, and we should have Christ as the treasure within. We need to enter into the rich and full enjoyment of this Christ. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 3205)
Today's Reading
It is exceedingly difficult to understand and to define the image of God. Twice the New Testament tells us that Christ is the image of God [2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15]…The invisible God has a visible image, and this image is Christ. John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” This means that Christ, the only begotten Son of God, came to man to express what God is… Although God is invisible, He is expressed by a living person, that is, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This living person as the expression of God is the image of God.
Second Corinthians 4:4 indicates that the terms God, image, Christ, glory, gospel, and illumination are all in apposition to one another; thus, they all refer to the same wonderful person. God is the image, the image is Christ, Christ is the glory, the glory is the gospel, and the gospel is the illumination. First, the expression the image of God shows that the image is in apposition to God. God, who is the source, has an image, and this image is simply God Himself. If we see the image of God, we see God; if God disappears, His image disappears as well…Therefore, the image of God is nothing less than God Himself.
Second, as we have pointed out, the image of God is Christ. As the image of God, Christ is the expression of the invisible God. Third, Christ is the glory. This is confirmed by Hebrews 1:3, which says that Christ is the effulgence of God’s glory. Fourth, Christ, the glory, is the gospel. Acts tells us that the believers preached Christ Jesus as the gospel (5:42; 8:35; 11:20; 17:18). This shows that the gospel is not something separate from Christ; rather, Christ is the gospel. Today some Christians in their preaching separate the gospel from Christ. But according to the divine revelation in the Bible, the gospel is a living person, Christ. Christ who is the gospel is the image of God, and the image of God is God. Therefore, the gospel is God Himself embodied and expressed in Christ.
Fifth, the gospel is the illumination, the enlightenment. The gospel is the gospel of the glory of Christ, which illuminates, radiates, and shines in the heart of man. When the gospel came to us, it came to us by shining, and this shining brought into us Christ, who is the image of the processed Triune God. As a result, Christ, the living person, was illuminated into our being. Many believers can testify that when they heard Christ as the gospel, a certain impression of Christ entered into them. Although they may try to reject this impression of Christ or erase it from their being, they cannot do it. Once the impression of Christ is illuminated into us, it remains within us forever. This illumination is the gospel, this gospel is the glory, this glory is Christ, Christ is the image of God, and as such, Christ is God. Therefore, what has been illuminated into our being is a living person, the Triune God embodied in Christ, who is the image, the expression, of God. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3205-3207)
Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 317
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