晨興聖言-信徒(一)-(W04-3)

第四週 • 週三

W04-d3-ch

晨興餧養

加四7    這樣,你不再是奴僕,乃是兒子了;既是兒子,也就藉着神為後嗣。

 三29   你們既屬於基督,就是亞伯拉罕的後裔,是照着應許為後嗣了。

 

加拉太三章二十九節啟示,信徒是照着神賜給亞伯拉罕的應許為後嗣。…亞伯拉罕的後裔只有一位,就是基督(16)。因此,要成為亞伯拉罕的後裔,我們就必須屬於基督,成為基督的一部分。因我們與基督是一,我們就也是亞伯拉罕的後裔,是照着應許為後嗣,承受神所應許的福,就是那包羅萬有的靈,祂是經過過程之三一神終極的完成,作了我們的分。在神新約的經綸裏,作神選民的信徒,是神的兒子,乃是這樣的後嗣,不在律法之下,乃在基督裏(新約總論第五冊,二五至二六頁)。

信息選讀

加拉太三章啟示神要照着祂永遠的定旨,賜給亞伯拉罕應許。在這應許成就以前,神賜下律法作為祂選民的監護人。然後,在豫定的時候,基督這應許的後裔,來成就神對亞伯拉罕的應許。…如今我們在那已成就應許的基督裏面,承受所成就的應許,並享受應許給亞伯拉罕的福。這福就是經過過程的三一神這包羅萬有賜生命的靈。

信徒藉着在基督的復活裏重生〔彼前一3〕,成為神的後嗣。…重生,就如救贖和稱義,乃是神完全救恩的一面。救贖和稱義解決了我們與神之間的難處,使我們與神和好;重生是用神的生命點活我們,把我們帶進與神生命的關係,生機的聯結裏,因此帶來並產生活的盼望。這樣的重生是藉着基督從死人中復活所成全的。基督復活時,我們這些信徒都包括在祂裏面。因此,我們與祂一同復活(弗二6)。在祂的復活裏,祂將神聖的生命分賜到我們裏面,使我們在生命和性情上與祂一樣。這是我們重生成為神的後嗣基本的因素。

重生就是在人的生命以外得着另一個生命,就是神聖的生命。…因着神的揀選、那靈的聖別並基督的救贖(彼前一2),神生了我們,重生了我們。結果,我們就有第二次的出生。藉着重生,父神將神聖的生命分賜到我們裏面。因此,第一次出生是我們人生命的出生,第二次出生是神聖生命的出生。…人一生下來,就有權利享受屬地的產業。同樣的原則,人一蒙神用祂的靈重生,他一出生就有活的盼望,這活的盼望就是一切與永遠生命有關,屬靈、屬天之福的基業(4)。每天我們都需要得着這基業,享受這基業。

藉着在基督的復活裏重生,我們成了後嗣,承受三一神作我們的基業,以聖靈作憑質。『所應許的聖靈』就是『我們得基業的憑質,為使神所買的產業得贖』(弗一13下~14)。神是我們的基業。我們要承受神的一切所是和所有。…以弗所一章十四節的『憑質』,原文的意思也是豫嘗,擔保,先付的部分款。神將聖靈賜給我們,不僅作我們基業的保證,擔保我們所承受的,也作我們從神所要承受的豫嘗。…在古時,『憑質』的原文是用於土地的買賣,賣主給買主那片土地的一些泥土作樣品;因此,根據古代希臘文的用法,憑質也是樣品。聖靈作憑質,乃是我們從三一神所要完滿承受之產業的樣品(新約總論第五冊,二六、二九至三○頁)。

參讀:新約總論,第一百零一篇。

WEEK 4 — DAY 3

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Morning Nourishment

Gal. 4:7 So then you are no longer a slave but a son; and if a son, an heir also through God.

    3:29 And if you are of Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise.

Galatians 3:29 reveals that the believers are heirs according to the promise given by God to Abraham…Abraham’s seed is only one, Christ (v. 16). Hence, to be Abraham’s seed we must be Christ’s, a part of Christ. Because we are one with Christ, we are also Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise, inheriting God’s promised blessing, which is the all-inclusive Spirit as the ultimate consummation of the processed Triune God to be our portion. In God’s New Testament economy, the believers as God’s chosen people, being sons of God, are such heirs, not under law but in Christ. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 1082)

Todays Reading

Galatians 3 reveals that God intended to give the promise to Abraham according to His eternal purpose. Before this promise was accomplished, the law was given to serve as the custodian of God’s chosen people. Then, at the appointed time, Christ, the promised seed, came to fulfill God’s promise to Abraham…Now we are in Christ, the One who has fulfilled the promise, to inherit the fulfilled promise and to enjoy the blessing of the promise to Abraham. This blessing is the processed Triune God as the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit.

The believers have become heirs of God through regeneration in the resurrection of Christ [1 Pet. 1:3]…Regeneration, like redemption and justification, is an aspect of God’s full salvation. Redemption and justification solve our problem with God and reconcile us to God. Regeneration enlivens us with God’s life and brings us into a relationship of life, an organic union, with God. Hence, regeneration issues and results in a living hope. Such regeneration takes place through the resurrection of Christ from among the dead. When Christ was resurrected, we, His believers, were all included in Him. Thus, we were resurrected with Him (Eph. 2:6). In His resurrection He imparted the divine life into us and made us the same as He is in life and nature. This is the basic factor of our regeneration to become heirs of God.

To be regenerated is to receive another life, the divine life, in addition to the human life…Because of God’s choosing, the Spirit’s sanctifying, and Christ’s redeeming (1 Pet. 1:2), God begets us, regenerates us. As a result, we have a second birth. Through regeneration God the Father imparts the divine life into us. Therefore, the first birth was the birth of our human life, and the second birth, the birth of the divine life. Once a person has been born on earth, he has the right to enjoy an earthly inheritance. In the same principle, once a person has been born again by God with His Spirit, that one is born unto a living hope, and this living hope is the inheritance (v. 4) of all the spiritual and heavenly blessings related to eternal life. Daily we need to take possession of this inheritance and enjoy it.

Through regeneration in the resurrection of Christ we have become heirs to inherit the Triune God as our inheritance with the Holy Spirit as the pledge. The “Holy Spirit of the promise” is the “pledge of our inheritance, unto the redemption of the acquired possession” (Eph. 1:13b-14). God is our inheritance. We shall inherit all that God is and has…The Greek word for pledge in verse 14 also means foretaste, guarantee, a partial payment in advance. God gives His Holy Spirit to us not only as a guarantee of our inheritance, securing our heritage, but also as a foretaste of what we shall inherit of God. In ancient times the Greek word for pledge was used in the purchase of land. The seller gave the buyer a sample of the soil from the land being purchased. Hence, according to ancient Greek usage, a pledge was also a sample. As a pledge, the Holy Spirit is the sample of what we shall inherit of the Triune God. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 1083, 1085-1086)

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

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