晨興聖言-信徒(一)-(W04-1)

第四週 • 週一

W04-d1-ch

晨興餧養

多三7    好叫我們既因祂的恩典得稱義,就可以照着永遠生命的盼望成為後嗣。

約一12~13 凡接受祂的,就是信入祂名的人,祂就賜他們權柄,成為神的兒女。這等人…乃是從神生的。

 

加拉太四章七節說,『你不再是奴僕,乃是兒子了;既是兒子,也就藉着神為後嗣。』這裏後嗣是指法定的成年人(保羅以羅馬法律為例),有資格承受父親產業的人。新約的信徒成為神的後嗣,不是藉着律法,也不是藉着肉身的父親,乃是藉着神,就是三一神—父,差出子和靈(4、6);子,為兒子的名分成功救贖(5);靈,在我們裏面完成兒子的名分(6)(新約總論第五冊,二四頁)。

信息選讀

在〔提多書三章七節〕我們看見,信徒不僅是兒子,更是有資格承受父產業的後嗣(羅四14,八17,加三29,四7)。我們由神永遠的生命(約三16)所生(一12~13),這永遠的生命使我們不僅在今世活神並享受神,更要在來世和永世裏,承受神之於我們的一切豐富。此外,永遠的生命含示盼望。…因為永遠的生命是永遠的,不能被了結,它就給我們盼望。因此,我們有永遠生命的盼望。神永遠的生命是我們今日的享受,也是我們明日的盼望。

永遠的生命,就是神的生命,神非受造的生命,不僅在時間上是永久的,持續到永遠,在性質上也是永遠、神聖的。神永遠的生命是賜給所有在基督裏的信徒(提前一16),也是所賜給我們神聖恩典的主要成分(羅五17、21)。這生命已經征服死(徒二24),還要吞滅死(林後五4)。這生命以及隨之而有的不朽壞,藉着福音的傳揚,已經照耀出來,使眾人都得看見(提後一10)。不僅如此,永遠的生命不但今天給我們有分並享受,將來也要給我們完全承受(太十九29),直到永遠。…今天對這生命的享受是豫嘗,來世和永遠對這生命的承受是全享,這承受就是永遠生命的盼望。這就是提多書二章十三節所啟示那有福的盼望,包括完滿兒子名分之榮耀的自由,我們身體的得贖(羅八21~25),在末後的時期要顯現的救恩(彼前一5),以及對那存留在諸天之上,不能朽壞、不能玷污、不能衰殘之基業活的盼望(3~4)。這就是提前四章八節所提,在千年國和新天新地裏,永遠生命之完滿、屬靈、神聖、屬天的福分和享受(彼後一11,三13,啟二一6~7)。我們照着這盼望成為神的後嗣,承受祂一切的豐富,直到永遠。這是神在基督裏藉着恩典所賜給我們,祂永遠救恩連同永遠生命的頂點,也就是這救恩的永遠目標。

信徒藉着因基督的恩典得稱義,作神的後嗣(多三7上)。稱義(羅三24,加二16)是神照着祂義的標準稱許人。神能這樣稱許我們,是基於基督的救贖。…當基督的救贖應用到我們身上,我們就得稱義。

提多書三章七節上半告訴我們,我們因基督的恩典得稱義。基督的恩典不僅僅是不配得的好處;實際上,基督的恩典就是基督自己作生命和一切,分賜到我們裏面,作我們的享受。這恩典是成為肉體、釘十字架、復活並升天的基督傳輸到我們裏面。這恩典在神救恩的經綸裏擔任最重要的角色。我們接受基督的恩典,就得稱義,成為神的後嗣(新約總論第五冊,二六至二八頁)。

參讀:新約總論,第一百零一篇。

WEEK 4 — DAY 1

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Morning Nourishment

Titus 3:7 In order that having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

John 1:12-13 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name, who were begotten…of God.

Galatians 4:7 says, “You are no longer a slave but a son; and if a son, an heir also through God.” Here an heir is one who is of full age according to the law (the Roman law is used by Paul for illustration) and who is qualified to inherit the father’s estate. The New Testament believers become heirs of God not through the law or through their fleshly father but through God, even the Triune God—the Father who sent forth the Son and the Spirit (vv. 4, 6), the Son who accomplished redemption for sonship (v. 5), and the Spirit who carries out the sonship within us (v. 6). (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 1081)

Todays Reading

In Titus 3:7b we see that the believers are not only sons but also heirs who are qualified to inherit the Father’s estate (Rom. 4:14; 8:17; Gal. 3:29; 4:7). We were born of God (John 1:12-13) with His eternal life (3:16). This eternal life is for us not only to live and enjoy God in this age, but also to inherit all the riches of what He is to us in the coming age and in eternity. Moreover, eternal life implies hope…Because eternal life is forever and cannot be terminated, it gives us hope. Hence, there is the hope of eternal life. God’s eternal life is our enjoyment today and our hope tomorrow.

Eternal life is the divine life, the uncreated life of God. It is not only everlasting, lasting forever, with respect to time, but in its nature it is also eternal and divine. The eternal life of God is given to all believers in Christ (1 Tim. 1:16) and is the main element of the divine grace given to us (Rom. 5:17, 21). This life has conquered death (Acts 2:24) and will swallow up death (2 Cor. 5:4). Eternal life and its consequent incorruption have been brought to light and made visible to men through the preaching of the gospel (2 Tim. 1:10). Furthermore, eternal life is not only for us to partake of and enjoy today, but also for us to inherit (Matt. 19:29) in its full extent for eternity…Its enjoyment today is a foretaste; the full taste will be the inheritance of it in the coming age and in eternity, which is the hope of eternal life. This is the blessed hope revealed in Titus 2:13, which is composed of the freedom of the glory of full sonship, the redemption of our body (Rom. 8:21-25), the salvation to be revealed in the last time (1 Pet. 1:5), and the living hope of the incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading inheritance reserved in heaven (vv. 3-4). This is the full, spiritual, divine, and heavenly blessing and enjoyment of eternal life, both in the millennium and in the new heaven and new earth (2 Pet. 1:11; 3:13; Rev. 21:6-7), referred to in 1 Timothy 4:8. According to this hope, we become heirs of God to inherit all His riches for eternity. This is the climax as the eternal goal of God’s eternal salvation with His eternal life given to us by grace in Christ.

The believers are heirs of God through justification by the grace of Christ (Titus 3:7a). To be justified (Rom. 3:24; Gal. 2:16) is to be approved by God according to His standard of righteousness. God can approve us in this way because our justification is based on the redemption of Christ…When the redemption of Christ is applied to us, we are justified.

Titus 3:7a tells us that we are justified by the grace of Christ. The grace of Christ is not merely His unmerited favor. The grace of Christ is actually Christ Himself as life and everything dispensed into us for our enjoyment. This grace is the transmission of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ into us. This grace plays the most important role in the economy of God’s salvation. When we received the grace of Christ, we were justified to become heirs of God. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 1083-1084)

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 101

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