晨興聖言-經歷、享受並彰顯基督(W19-4)

第十九週.週四

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晨興餧養

加四19 『我的孩子們,我為你們再受生產之苦,直等到基督成形在你們裏面。』

腓二5  『你們裏面要思念基督耶穌裏面所思念的。』

生產之苦是指生產時疼痛的劬勞。在這隱喻裏,保羅把自己比作生孩子的母親。他初次傳福音給加拉太人時,曾這樣勞苦的重生他們。因著他們偏離他所傳的福音,他就再受生產之苦,直等到基督成形在他們裏面。(加拉太書生命讀經,二五○頁。)

信息選讀

保羅受生產之苦,好叫基督成形在加拉太人裏面。基督這活的人位,乃是保羅福音的中心。他的傳揚是把基督,活神的兒子,生在信徒裏面,這與憑字句教導律法極為不同。因此,加拉太書是著重的以基督為中心。祂釘十字架,(三1,)贖出我們脫離律法的咒詛,(13,)並把我們從世界這邪惡的宗教系救出來;(一4;)祂且從死人中復活,(1,)使祂能活在我們裏面。(二20。)我們是浸入祂,與祂聯合為一,也穿上了祂,披戴了祂。(三27。)因此,我們是在祂裏面,(28,)成了屬於祂的。(三29,五24。)另一面,祂已經啟示在我們裏面,(一16,)現今活在我們裏面,(二20,)還要成形在我們裏面。(四19。)律法已經帶我們歸於祂,(三24,)在祂裏面我們都是神的兒子。(26。)乃是在祂裏面,我們承受神所應許的福,享受包羅萬有的那靈;(14;)也是在祂裏面,我們眾人都是一了。(28。)…我們需要祂在我們的靈裏,用恩典供應我們,(六18,)使我們能活祂。

當保羅初次向加拉太人傳福音,使他們得著重生時,基督已經生在他們裏面,但還沒有成形在他們裏面。…讓基督成形在我們裏面,就是讓基督在我們裏面完全長大。基督先是在我們悔改信主時,生在我們裏面;然後是在我們基督徒的生活中,活在我們裏面;(二20;)至終還要在我們成熟時,成形在我們裏面。

四章十九節說出保羅的負擔不是要推行某種基督教的工作,乃是要使基督成形在信徒裏面。藉著保羅的傳講,基督已經進到加拉太人裏面。但由於他們受欺騙,基督還沒有在他們裏面長大,沒有在他們裏面成形。因此保羅再度勞苦,像一個母親受生產之苦,好使基督成形在信徒裏面。保羅滿帶負擔寫這封信,為要將基督供應到聖徒裏面。他有負擔讓基督在他們裏面得著建立、建造。加拉太書告訴我們,基督已經啟示在我們裏面,並且在我們裏面活著。現在我們看見,基督還必須成形在我們裏面。

供應基督給人不是一件容易完成的事,通常都需要受苦和掙扎。供應基督比推行一般基督教工作難多了。你若願意接受負擔,誠心誠意要將基督供應給人,你就會發現,這需要許多的勞苦和受苦。你需要像一個生產孩子的母親,勞苦努力。

我們在召會中或在職事裏服事的目標,必須是將基督供應到人裏面。光說傳福音是不彀的,因為我們很可能傳了福音,卻沒有將基督供應給人。我們的負擔必須是供應基督。我再說,這需要勞苦和受苦。這要求我們禱告、忍耐並愛人。按照我們的經歷,這樣的服事是一種爭戰、摔跤。那狡猾者,神的仇敵,很活躍的攔阻我們,或打岔我們。…因此,我們必須向保羅學習,有負擔來供應基督,並訴諸聖徒的情愛,叫他們的心被摸著。(加拉太書生命讀經,二五○至二五三頁。)

參讀:加拉太書生命讀經,第二十二篇。

WEEK 19 — DAY 4

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Morning Nourishment

Gal. 4:19 My children, with whom I travail again in birth until Christ is formed in you.

Phil. 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

Travail refers to painful labor in childbirth. In this metaphor Paul likens himself to a mother who gives birth to a child. He labored in this way to regenerate the Galatians when he first preached the gospel to them. Because they deviated from the gospel that he had preached to them, he was toiling again in travail until Christ would be formed in them. (Life-study of Galatians, p. 200)

Today's Reading

Paul was in travail that Christ might be formed in the Galatians. Christ, a living person, is the focus of Paul’s gospel. His preaching, which differed greatly from the teaching of the law in letters, was to bring forth Christ, the Son of the living God, in the believers. Hence, the book of Galatians is emphatically Christ-centered. Christ was crucified (3:1) to redeem us out of the curse of the law (v. 13) and rescue us out of the evil religious course of the world (1:4); and He was resurrected from the dead (v. 1) that He might live in us (2:20). We were baptized into Him, being identified with Him, and have put Him on, clothing ourselves with Him (3:27). Thus, we are in Him (v. 28) and have become Him (v. 29; 5:24). On the other hand, He has been revealed in us (1:16), He is now living in us (2:20), and He will be formed in us (4:19). To Him the law has conducted us (3:24), and in Him we are all sons of God (v. 26). It is in Him that we inherit God’s promised blessing and enjoy the all-inclusive Spirit (v. 14). Furthermore, it is in Him that we are all one (v. 28)…We need Him to supply us with His grace in our spirit (6:18) that we may live Him.

When the Galatian believers were regenerated through Paul’s preaching of the gospel to them the first time, Christ was born into them but not formed in them…To have Christ formed in us is to have Christ fully grown in us. First, Christ was born into us at the time we repented and believed in Him, then He lives in us in our Christian life (2:20), and, finally, He will be formed in us at our maturity.

[Galatians] 4:19 points out that Paul’s burden was not to carry on a Christian work but was to have Christ formed in the believers. Through Paul’s preaching, Christ had entered into the Galatians. But because they had been deceived, Christ had not yet grown in them and had not been formed in them. Therefore, Paul labored again, like a mother laboring in giving birth, that Christ would be formed in the believers. Paul wrote out of the burden to minister Christ into the saints. He was burdened that Christ would be established, built up, in them. Galatians tells us that Christ is revealed in us and that He lives in us. Now we see that Christ must also be formed in us.

Ministering Christ to others is not accomplished easily. It often requires suffering and struggle. Ministering Christ is much more difficult than carrying on an ordinary Christian work. If you would bear the burden, with a sincere heart, to minister Christ to others, you will discover what labor and suffering it requires. You will need to labor like a mother giving birth to a child.

The goal of our service in the church or in the ministry must be to minister Christ into others. It is not adequate simply to say that we preach the gospel, for it is possible to preach the gospel without ministering Christ to others. Our burden must be the ministering of Christ. Once again I say that this requires labor and suffering. It demands prayer, patience, and love. According to our experience, such a ministry is a battle, a wrestling. The subtle one, the enemy of God, is active to bring in frustration or distraction… Hence, we must learn from Paul to be burdened to minister Christ and also to appeal to the saints’ affection that their hearts may be touched. (Life-study of Galatians, pp. 200-202)

Further Reading: Life-study of Galatians, msg. 22

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