晨興聖言-羅馬書五至八章...(W4-5)

第四週．週五

w4d5-ch

晨興餧養

羅七６～７　『但我們既然在捆我們的律法上死了，現今就脫離了律法，叫我們在靈的新樣裏服事，不在字句的舊樣裏。這樣，我們可說甚麼？律法是罪麼？絕對不是！只是非藉律法，我就不知何為罪；非律法說，「不可起貪心，」我就不知何為貪心。』

〔羅馬七章六節指明〕舊人既已釘十字架，現今重生的新人就脫離了舊人的律法。（2～3，加二19。）律法是賜給舊丈夫，舊人，（不是賜給妻子，）而舊丈夫，舊人，已經死在十字架上，所以新人（妻子）就脫離了他的律法。因此，我們作為妻子和新人，就不再在律法之下了。（新約總論第十冊，六三頁。）

信息選讀

神所頒佈的律法，至少有三方面的功用。首先，律法描繪神並闡明神。律法作為神的見證，實際上乃是神的描繪，給我們看見神是怎樣的一位神。…利未記十九章二節頒賜這條誡命：『你們要聖別，因為我耶和華你們的神是聖別的。』主耶穌頒佈了一條更高的誡命：『所以你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。』（太五48。）兩處的原則是相同的：律法呈現出一幅神的圖畫。按照神所頒賜的律法，神是完全、聖別並公義的；祂是愛的神，也是光的神。

律法的第二種功用是暴露我們。這個功用在羅馬七章說得很完全。在七節保羅〔指明〕…在律法來到之前，罪是潛伏的。在八節保羅說，『沒有律法，罪是死的。』然後在下一節他繼續說，『誡命來到，罪又活了，我就死了。』罪把律法當作一把刀，置保羅於死。在十一節保羅告訴我們，罪藉著誡命得著機會殺了他。因此，保羅在他的經歷中，發現誡命叫他死。神用律法暴露他。

律法的第三種功用乃是征服我們。我們被暴露以後，就需要被征服。律法一旦征服我們，就能引我們到神那裏。…在馬太十九章，那位富有的青年人接觸主的時候被擊敗了；然而，他沒有被征服。這就是他憂憂鬱鬱走了的原因。他若被征服，並說，『主耶穌，我無法履行你的要求，變賣我所有的，分給窮人。』主就會對他說，『既然你作不到，就讓我來為你履行這項要求罷！』主要進到我們裏面，作我們的生命，並且為我們履行一切的要求。

在腓立比二章十二節保羅說，『這樣，我親愛的，你們既是常順從的，不但我與你們同在的時候，就是我如今不在的時候，更是順從的，就當恐懼戰兢，作成你們自己的救恩。』我們需要被保羅的話征服，並承認我們無法作成我們自己的救恩。然後我們就會寶貴保羅在下一節所說的話：『因為乃是神為著祂的美意，在你們裏面運行，使你們立志並行事。』雖然我們無法作成我們自己的救恩，但神在我們裏面運行，使我們立志並行事。這就使我們能按著神在我們裏面的運行，作成我們的救恩。

我們被律法征服，並且告訴主說，我們無法履行祂的要求，我們絕不能像神一樣聖別，也不能像父一樣完全。然後主就會說，『只要敞開並接受我。讓我到你裏面來，並為你履行這些要求。我要成為你的聖別和完全。』我們不可能聖別，但我們能被聖別。照樣，我們不可能完全，但我們卻能被成全。神的渴望是要到我們裏面來，作我們的生命和人位。這樣，祂就與我們成為一，我們也與祂成為一。然後，因祂活在我們裏面，我們就活祂。這是聖經中神聖啟示的基本原則。（出埃及記生命讀經，八七七至八七九頁。）

參讀：出埃及記生命讀經，第六十四篇。

WEEK 4 — DAY 5

Morning Nourishment

Rom. 7:6-7 But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held, so that we serve in newness of spirit and not in oldness of letter. What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But I did not know sin except through the law; for neither did I know coveting, except the law had said, “You shall not covet.”

[Romans 7:6 indicates that] since the old man has been crucified, the regenerated new man is now free from the law of the old man (vv. 2-3; Gal. 2:19). Since the law was given to the old husband, the old man, not to the wife, and since the old husband, the old man, died on the cross, the new man, the wife, has been discharged from his law. Hence, we as the wife and the new man are no longer under the law. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 3065)

Todays Reading

The law decreed by God functions in at least three ways. First, the law portrays God and defines Him. As God’s testimony, the law is actually a portrait of God; it shows us what He is like…Leviticus 19:2 gives this commandment: “You shall be holy, for I, Jehovah your God, am holy.” The Lord Jesus issued an even higher commandment: “You therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). In both cases the principle is the same: the law presents a picture of God. According to the law He has given, God is perfect, holy, and righteous; He is a God of love and of light.

The second function of the law is that of exposing us. This function is presented in a full way in Romans 7. In verse 7 Paul [indicates that]…until the law came, sin was dormant. In Romans 7:8 Paul says that “without the law sin is dead.” Then in the next verse he goes on to say that “when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.” Using the law as a knife, sin put Paul to death. In verse 11 Paul tells us that sin killed him by  taking occasion through the commandment. Thus, in his experience Paul found that the commandment was death unto him. God used the law to expose him.

A third function of the law is the function of subduing us. After we are exposed, we need to be subdued. Once the law has subdued us, it can then bring us to God. The rich young man in Matthew 19 was defeated in his contact with the Lord; however, he was not subdued. This was the reason he went away sorrowful. If he had been subdued and had said, “Lord Jesus, I cannot fulfill Your requirement to sell all I have and give to the poor,” the Lord would have told him, “Since you cannot do it, simply let Me fulfill this requirement for you.” The Lord wants to come into us, be our life, and fulfill every requirement for us.

In Philippians 2:12 Paul says, “So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much rather in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” We need to be subdued by Paul’s word and admit that we simply cannot work out our own salvation. Then we shall appreciate Paul’s word in the following verse: “For it is God who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure.” Although we cannot work out our own salvation, God is operating in us both the willing and the working. This enables us to work out our salvation according to God’s operating within us.

After we have been subdued by the law and tell the Lord that we cannot fulfill His requirements, that we simply cannot be holy as God is or perfect as the Father is, the Lord will say, “Simply open and receive Me. Let Me come into you and fulfill these requirements for you. I want to be your holiness and your perfection.” We cannot be holy, but we can be sanctified. Likewise, we cannot be perfect, but we can be perfected. God’s desire is to come into us to be our life and our person. In this way, He becomes one with us, and we become one with Him. Then as He lives in us, we live Him. This is the basic principle of the divine revelation in the Bible. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 754-
756)

Further Reading: Life-study of Exodus, msg. 64