晨興聖言-經歷、享受並彰顯基督(W23-5)
第二十三週.週五
晨興餧養
弗一4 『就如祂在創立世界以前,在基督裏揀選了我們,使我們在愛裏,在祂面前,成為聖別、沒有瑕疵。』
六24 『願恩典與一切在不朽壞之中,愛我們主耶穌基督的人同在。』
那合乎神心願的召會生活,必須在愛裏並在光中,這二者乃是神自己的元素。在神內在的本質裏,我們有愛和光。在此我們有拔尖的召會生活,就是召會作新婦。以弗所書的目標,乃是帶我們進入神內在的本質裏,好認識祂是愛和光。在此我們享受照耀的光和甜美的愛,而活在親密的交通中。(以弗所書生命讀經,六二二頁。)
信息選讀
我們要在愛裏,在祂面前成為聖別、沒有瑕疵。〔以弗所一章四節〕的愛,是指神愛祂所揀選之人的愛,以及神所揀選之人愛祂的愛。神所揀選的人乃是在這愛裏,在這樣的愛裏,在祂面前成為聖別、沒有瑕疵。神先愛我們,然後這神聖的愛激起我們用愛回報祂。在這樣愛的情形與氣氛中,我們被神浸透,成為聖別、沒有瑕疵,像祂一樣。在這愛裏,就是在一種相互的愛裏,神愛我們,我們用這愛回報祂。就在這種情形中,我們變化了;就在這種情形下,我們被神浸透了。
保羅特別說到我們是在愛裏生根立基。〔三17。〕我們要經歷基督,需要信和愛。(提前一14。)信使我們能接受並領略基督,愛使我們能享受基督。信和愛都不是我們的,乃是祂的。祂的信成了我們的信,使我們信祂;祂的愛成了我們的愛,使我們愛祂。我們憑以生根立基的愛,乃是我們實際認識並經歷之神聖的愛。我們是以這樣的愛來愛我們的主,也以同樣的愛彼此相愛。在這樣的愛裏,我們在生命中長大,並在生命中被建造。保羅在這裏對經歷基督與生命和建造之關係的思想是十分深奧的。(以弗所書生命讀經,四○至四一、三五○頁。)
基督的身體在愛裏把自己建造起來。(弗四16。)以弗所書一再的使用『在愛裏』這辭。(一4,三17,四2,15~16,五2。)神在創立世界以前,在愛裏豫定我們得兒子的名分;基督的身體在愛裏把自己建造起來。生命的長大是在愛裏。在已過這幾年裏,我們寶貴主給我們看見神聖啟示的高峰。我所擔心的是,我們可能談論高峰的真理,但在我們中間卻缺少愛。如果這是我們的情形,我們就是自高自大,而沒有建造。基督的身體乃是在愛裏把自己建造起來。…保羅說,『向軟弱的人,我就成為軟弱的,為要得軟弱的人。』(林前九22。)這就是愛。我們不該以為別人是軟弱的,而我們不是軟弱的。這不是愛。愛遮蓋人並建造人,所以為著建造基督的身體,在我們的所是所作上,愛乃是極超越的路。(李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第五冊,一六八至一六九、一七三頁。)
在保羅寫給以弗所人那封書信的末了,保羅說了一句話,是關於我們對主耶穌的愛:『願恩典與一切在不朽壞之中,愛我們主耶穌基督的人同在。』(弗六24。)提前一章十七節說,神是不能朽壞的;提後一章十節說,主『已經把死廢掉,藉著福音將生命和不朽壞照耀出來』。林前十五章告訴我們,在復活裏,必朽壞的要成為不朽壞的。(50~53。)在不朽壞之中愛主,意思就是在新造裏愛主。所有舊造裏的事物都是必朽壞的,這由羅馬八章得到證明,我們在該章看見,一切受造之物在敗壞的奴役下歎息。(21~22。)舊造裏的每件事物都正在朽壞,只有新造是不朽壞的。(新約總論第七冊,五一五頁。)
參讀:約翰一書生命讀經,第十五至十六、三十五篇。
WEEK 23 — DAY 5
Morning Nourishment
Eph. 1:4 Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love.
6:24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruptibility.
The
church life according to God’s desire must be in love and in light,
both of which are the very elements of God Himself. In the inner
substance of God, we have love and light. Here we have the top church
life, the church as the bride. The goal of the book of Ephesians is to
bring us into God’s inner substance to know Him as love and light. Here
we are to live in intimate fellowship as we enjoy the shining light and
love in its sweetness. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 503-504)
Todays Reading
We
will be holy and without blemish before Him in love. Love in Ephesians
1:4 refers to the love with which God loves His chosen ones and with
which His chosen ones love Him. It is in this love, in such a love, that
God’s chosen ones become holy and without blemish before Him. First,
God loved us. Then this divine love inspires us to love Him in return.
In such a condition and atmosphere of love, we are saturated with God to
be holy and without blemish, just as He is. In this love, a mutual
love, God loves us, and we return this love to Him. It is in this kind
of condition that we are being transformed. Under such a condition we
are being saturated with God.
Paul
says specifically that we are rooted and grounded in love [3:17]. In
order to experience Christ, we need faith and love (1 Tim. 1:14). Faith
enables us to receive and apprehend Christ, and love enables us to enjoy
Him. Neither faith nor love are ours; they are His. His faith becomes
our faith, by which we believe in Him, and His love becomes our love, by
which we love Him. The love in which we are rooted and grounded is the
divine love realized and experienced by us in a practical way. With such
a love we love the Lord, and with that same love we love one another.
In such a love we grow in life and are built up in life. Paul’s thought
here regarding the relationship between the experience of Christ and the
matters of life and building is surely deep and profound. (Life-study
of Ephesians, pp. 32, 277)
The
Body of Christ builds itself up in love (Eph. 4:16). The phrase in love
is used repeatedly in the book of Ephesians (1:4; 3:17; 4:2, 15-16;
5:2). God predestinated us unto sonship before the foundation of the
world in love, and the Body of Christ builds itself up in love. The
growth in life is in love. In the last few years we have appreciated the
Lord’s showing us the high peak of the divine revelation. My concern is
that although we may talk about the truths of the high peak, love is
absent among us. If this is the case, we are puffed up, not built up.
The Body of Christ builds itself up in love. Paul said, “To the weak I
became weak that I might gain the weak” (1 Cor. 9:22). That is love. We
should not consider that others are weak but we are not. That is not
love. Love covers and builds up, so love is the most excellent way for
us to be anything and to do anything for the building up of the Body of
Christ. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” pp. 124, 127)
At
the end of his Epistle to the Ephesians Paul said a word concerning our
love for the Lord Jesus. “Grace be with all those who love our Lord
Jesus Christ in incorruptibility” (Eph. 6:24). First Timothy 1:17 says
that God is incorruptible, and 2 Timothy 1:10 says that the Lord
“nullified death and brought life and incorruption to light through the
gospel.” First Corinthians 15 tells us that in resurrection the
corruptible things will become incorruptible (vv. 50-53). To love the
Lord in incorruptibility means to love Him in the new creation. All the
things of the old creation are corruptible. This is proved by Romans 8
where we see that the whole creation is groaning under the slavery of
corruption (vv. 21-22). Everything of the old creation is corrupting.
Only the new creation is not corrupting. (The Conclusion of the New
Testament, p. 2499)
Further Reading: Life-study of 1 John, msgs. 15—16, 35
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