晨興聖言-經歷、享受並彰顯基督(W23-6)

第二十三週.週六

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晨興餧養

約壹一7 『但我們若在光中行,如同神在光中,就彼此有交通,祂兒子耶穌的血也洗淨我們一切的罪。』

弗五9  『光的果子是在於一切的善、義和真實。』

要指出真理與光的不同相當不容易。在我們的經歷中,常常可以領會神對我們是真理,是我們的實際。但有時我們來到神面前,我們感覺我們是在光中。這時,我們不僅經歷實際,我們也在光的本身裏。因此,經歷光比經歷真理更深。…我們不該僅僅照著真理並憑著恩典,還要在愛裏並在光中。在愛裏並在光中行事為人,比照著真理並憑著恩典行事為人更深、更柔細。

保羅在吩咐我們行事為人要像光的兒女之後,在以弗所五章九節插進一句括弧的話,論到光的果子。…善是光之果子的性質;義是產生光之果子的途徑或手續;真實就是實際,乃是光之果子真實的彰顯(神自己)。光的果子,性質上必須是善的,手續上必須是義的,彰顯上必須是真實的,使神得以彰顯,成為我們日常行事為人的實際。(以弗所書生命讀經,五一五至五一六頁。)

信息選讀

保羅在說到光的果子時,只題到三件事物:善、義和真實,這是很有意義的。…原因…是因為在善、義和真實中之光的果子,與三一神有關。善,指光之果子的性質。主耶穌曾指出,只有一位是善的,就是神自己。(太十九17。)因此,這裏的善是指父神。那是善的父神,乃是光之果子的性質。…請注意,保羅在這裏不是說到光的工作,或是光的行為,乃是說到光的果子。果子是生命同其性質的事,光之果子的性質就是父神。

義是產生光之果子的手續。在神格中,子基督是我們的義。祂來到地上,照著神的手續(這手續總是義的),產生一些東西。義是神的途徑,神的手續。基督照著神義的手續,成就神的定旨。(羅五171821。)所以,光之果子的第二面是指子神。

真實是光之果子的彰顯。這果子必須是真實的,也就是說,必須是神的彰顯,就是隱藏之光的照耀。無疑的,這真實是指實際的靈,就是三一神的第三者。所以,父是善,子是義,那靈是真理、實際,這三者都與光的果子有關。

以弗所五章九節是行事為人像光之兒女〔8〕的定義。如果我們行事為人像光的兒女,我們就會結出九節所描述的果子。我們藉著行事為人像光之兒女所結的果子,必定是在善、義和真實裏。我們行事為人像光的兒女,證據乃是看有沒有結出這種果子。(以弗所書生命讀經,五一六至五一七頁。)

神聖的光是神彰顯的性質。因此,光是神彰顯的屬性。啟示錄二十一章二十三節說,『那城內不需要日月光照,因有神的榮耀光照,又有羔羊為城的燈。』在千年國裏,日光、月光都要加強;(賽三十26;)但在新天新地的新耶路撒冷裏,卻不需要日月光照。在新天新地裏有日月,但在新耶路撒冷不需要日月光照,因為神這神聖的光,要照耀得更為明亮。(新約總論第一冊,九○至九一頁。)

參讀:約翰一書生命讀經,第七、九篇。

WEEK 23 — DAY 6

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Morning Nourishment

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin.

Eph. 5:9 (For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth).

It is rather difficult to point out the difference between truth and light. In our experience we may often realize God as truth to us, as our reality. But sometimes when we get into God’s presence, we sense that we are in the light. At such times, we are not only experiencing reality, but we are in the very light itself. Thus, the experience of light is deeper than the experience of truth. We should not simply be according to reality and by grace but in love and under light. Walking in love and in light is deeper and more tender than living according to reality and by grace.

After commanding us to walk as children of light, Paul inserts…a parenthetical statement [in Ephesians 5:9] regarding the fruit of the light… Goodness is the nature of the fruit of the light; righteousness is the way or the procedure by which the fruit of the light is produced; and the truth is the reality, the real expression of the fruit of the light. This expression is God Himself. The fruit of the light must be good in nature, righteous in procedure, and real in expression, that God may be expressed as the reality of our daily walk. (Life-study of Ephesians, p. 414)

Todays Reading

It is significant that in speaking of the fruit of the light, Paul mentions only three things: goodness, righteousness, and truth…The reason…is that the fruit of the light in goodness, righteousness, and truth is related to the Triune God. Goodness refers to the nature of the fruit of light. The Lord Jesus once indicated that the only One who is good is God Himself (Matt. 19:17). Hence, goodness here denotes God the Father. God the Father as goodness is the nature of the fruit of the light. Notice that here Paul speaks not of the work of the light or of the conduct of the light but of the fruit of the light. Fruit is a matter of life with its nature. The nature of the fruit of the light is God the Father.

Righteousness is the procedure by which the fruit of the light is produced. In the Godhead, the Son, Christ, is our righteousness. He came to earth to produce certain things according to God’s procedure, which is always righteous. Righteousness is God’s way, God’s procedure. Christ came to accomplish God’s purpose according to His righteous procedure. Therefore, the second aspect of the fruit of the light refers to God the Son.

The truth is the expression of the fruit of the light. This fruit must be real; that is, it must be the expression of God, the shining of the hidden light. No doubt, this truth refers to the Spirit of reality, the third of the Triune God. Therefore, the Father as the goodness, the Son as the righteousness, and the Spirit as the truth, the reality, are all related to the fruit of the light.

Ephesians 5:9 is the definition of walking as children of light [v. 8]. If we walk as the children of light, we will bear the fruit described in verse 9. The fruit we bear by walking as the children of the light must be in goodness, in righteousness, and in truth. The proof that we are walking as children of light is seen in the bearing of such fruit. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 414-415)

The divine light…is the nature of God’s expression. Thus, it is an expressive attribute of God. Revelation 21:23 says, “The city has no need of the sun or of the moon that they should shine in it, for the glory of God illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” In the millennium the light of the sun and the moon will be intensified (Isa. 30:26). But in the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth there will be no need of the sun nor of the moon. The sun and the moon will be in the new heaven and new earth, but they will not be needed in the New Jerusalem, for God, the divine light, will shine much more brightly. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 76)

Further Reading: Life-study of 1 John, msgs. 7, 9

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