晨興聖言-經歷、享受並彰顯基督(四)(W38-3)
第三十八週.週三
晨興餧養
彼前三18~20 『…在肉體裏祂〔基督〕被治死,在靈裏祂卻活著;在這靈裏,祂也曾去向那些在監獄裏的靈,就是向從前在挪亞豫備方舟的日子,神恆忍熱切等待的時候,那些悖逆者宣揚…。』
彼前三章十九至二十節告訴我們,基督的肉體死了以後,立刻在靈裏剛強活躍,去向那些在挪亞時代的悖逆者宣揚祂的得勝。『在靈裏』(18)不是指聖靈,乃是指那作基督神性素質的靈。(羅一4,參約四24上。)(李常受文集一九八四年第三冊,二一六至二一七頁。)
基督被埋葬以後,在祂活的靈裏,去向那些在監獄裏的靈(背叛的天使),宣揚神的得勝,就是神藉著祂在基督裏的成為肉體,以及基督在肉體裏的死,勝過了撒但阻撓神聖計畫的詭計。
釘十字架不是在基督的靈裏把祂治死,只是在祂的肉體裏把祂治死,這肉體是祂成為肉體時所得著的。在十字架上,基督的肉體死了,祂的靈卻沒有死,反倒因著生命的新能力得以活潑的活著,以致在基督的肉體死後,在祂復活以前,祂在這得了加力的靈裏向墮落的天使宣揚。(新約總論第三冊,二九三至二九四頁。)
信息選讀
我們不該將〔彼前三章十八節的〕『在靈裏祂卻活著』,解釋為基督的復活。…這節乃是指明,基督埋葬在墳墓裏的時候,在祂復活以前,祂在得了加力的靈裏,到無底坑去,向背叛的天使宣揚神的得勝。〔十九節的〕『在這靈裏』一辭指十八節的靈,指明並證實基督在肉體裏受死以後,在這靈裏仍是活動的。在祂被點活的靈裏,祂特別是去向那些在監獄裏的靈宣揚。歷代以來,各派教師對於在監獄裏的靈,有種種不同的解釋。照聖經看,最可接受的解釋如下:這裏的『靈』不是指留在陰間裏死人的脫體之靈,乃是指挪亞時代因悖逆而墮落,(彼前三20,…)並且被拘留在幽暗坑中,等候大日審判(彼後二4~5,猶6)的天使(天使是靈—來一14)。基督在肉體裏受死以後,在祂活的靈裏到這些背叛的天使那裏,(可能是到無底坑—羅十7,)也許是去宣揚神的得勝,就是神藉著祂在基督裏的成為肉體,以及基督在肉體裏的死,勝過了撒但阻撓神聖計畫的詭計。
彼前三章十九節的『監獄』指他他拉,幽暗的深坑,(彼後二4,猶6,)拘留墮落天使的地方。〔彼前三章十九節的〕『宣揚』一辭不是傳揚福音,乃是宣揚神所成功的得勝,…這宣揚是向『從前…那些悖逆者』。(20。)…在監獄裏的靈不是指留在陰間裏死人的脫體之靈,乃是指挪亞時代因悖逆而墮落的天使。那些天使離開自己的地方,降到地上,並且利用人的身體與人的女兒犯淫亂,玷污人類,而產生了巨人。(創六4。)
基督為著救贖我們死在十字架上。祂雖然在身體裏被治死,在靈裏卻被點活且得加力,甚至在復活以前就如此。在這被點活且得加力的靈裏,祂去向背叛的天使宣揚神勝過了撒但,就是他們的首領。因此,基督的死不僅為我們完成救贖,也贏得對撒但及其跟從者的勝利。基督在祂受死以後,復活以前,向撒但的跟從者宣揚神藉著基督的釘十字架勝過了魔鬼。這是基督在祂的埋葬裏的工作。(新約總論第三冊,二九四至二九五頁。)
參讀:彼得前書生命讀經,第二十四篇;新約總論,第七十二篇。
WEEK 38 — DAY 3
Morning Nourishment
1 Pet. 3:18-20 For Christ…on the one hand being put to death in the flesh, but on the other, made alive in the Spirit; in which also He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, who had formerly disobeyed when the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah…
First Peter 3:19-20 tells us that immediately after the death of His body, Christ was strong and active in His Spirit and went to proclaim His victory to those disobedient ones at Noah’s time. In the Spirit (v. 18) does not refer to the Holy Spirit but to the Spirit that is Christ’s spiritual nature (Mark 2:8; Luke 23:46). (CWWL, 1984, vol. 3, “God’s New Testament Economy,” p. 158)
After He was buried, Christ went in His living Spirit to the spirits in prison (the rebellious angels) to proclaim God’s victory, through His incarnation in Christ and Christ’s death in the flesh, over Satan’s scheme to derange the divine plan.
The crucifixion put Christ to death only in His flesh which He received through incarnation, not in His Spirit. Instead of dying at the cross when His flesh did, Christ’s Spirit was made alive, enlivened with new power of life, so that in this empowered Spirit Christ made a proclamation to the fallen angels after His death in the flesh and before His resurrection. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 782-783)
Today’s Reading
We should not interpret “made alive in the Spirit” [in 1 Peter 3:18] as referring to Christ’s resurrection…Rather, this verse indicates that when Christ was buried in the tomb, in His empowered Spirit, He went before His resurrection to the abyss to proclaim God’s victory to the rebellious angels.
The
phrase in which [in verse 19] refers to the Spirit in verse 18,
indicating and proving that in this Spirit Christ, after dying in His
flesh, was still active. In particular, in His enlivened Spirit He made a
proclamation to the spirits in prison. Throughout the centuries great
teachers of different schools have had varying interpretations
concerning the spirits in prison. The most acceptable according to the
Scriptures is as follows. The spirits here do not refer to the
disembodied spirits of dead human beings held in Hades but to the angels
(angels are spirits—Heb. 1:14) who fell through disobedience at Noah’s
time (1 Pet. 3:20…) and are imprisoned in pits of gloom for the judgment
of the great day (2 Pet. 2:4-5; Jude 6). After His death in the flesh,
Christ in His living Spirit went (probably to the abyss—Rom. 10:7) to
these rebellious angels to proclaim, perhaps, God’s victory, through His
incarnation in Christ and Christ’s death in the flesh, over Satan’s
scheme to derange the divine plan.
The
prison in 1 Peter 3:19 refers to Tartarus, the deep and gloomy pits (2
Pet. 2:4; Jude 6) where the fallen angels are kept. The word proclaimed
[in 1 Peter 3:19] does not indicate the preaching of the good news but
the proclaiming of the triumphant victory. This proclamation was made to
those “who had formerly disobeyed” (v. 20)…The spirits in prison do not
refer to the disembodied spirits of dead human beings held in Hades but
to angels who fell through their disobedience at the time of Noah.
Those angels left their own place, came down to earth, and used human
bodies to commit fornication with the daughters of men, polluting the
human race and producing giants (Gen. 6:4).
Christ
died on the cross for our redemption. But although He was put to death
in His body, He was enlivened and empowered in His Spirit, even before
the resurrection. In this enlivened and empowered Spirit He went to
proclaim to the rebellious angels God’s victory over Satan, their
leader. Hence, Christ’s death not only accomplished redemption for us
but also gained the victory over Satan and his followers. After His
death and before His resurrection, Christ proclaimed to Satan’s
followers God’s victory over the devil through the crucifixion of
Christ. This was Christ’s work in His burial. (The Conclusion of the New
Testament, pp. 783-784)
Further Reading: Life-stud
留言
張貼留言