晨興聖言-信徒(一)-(W05-1)

第五週 • 週一

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晨興餧養

彼前二4~5 你們來到祂這為人所棄絕，卻為神所揀選所寶貴的活石跟前，也就像活石，被建造成為屬靈的殿，成為聖別的祭司體系，藉着耶穌基督獻上神所悅納的屬靈祭物。

 

在新約裏，信徒…由石頭所象徵，並被稱為活石（彼前二5）。這些活石實際上就是被變化的罪人。

主耶穌首次看見彼得時說，『你是約翰的兒子西門，你要稱為磯法（磯法繙出來，就是彼得）。』〔約一42〕彼得意即石頭，石頭的意義乃指一種變化的工作，為着神的建造產生材料（林前三12）。約翰一章四十二節的石頭，象徵在基督裏的信徒，由神而生以後，因着接受祂而重生（12~13），被變化成為活的寶石。這是為着召會，神家的建造（太十六18）。

我們這些在基督裏的信徒，藉着重生和變化，成了活石，像基督一樣（彼前二4~5上）。我們原是用泥土造的（羅九21），但在重生時，得着了神聖生命的種子，這種子在我們裏面長大，就把我們變化為活石。彼得悔改信主時，主給他取了一個新名，就是彼得—石頭（約一42）；當他得着關於基督的啟示之後，主進一步啟示祂也是磐石—石頭（太十六16~18）。這兩件事給彼得深刻的印象，就是基督和祂的信徒都是為着神的建造的石頭（新約總論第五冊，一二七至一二八頁）。

信息選讀

神在信徒身上的目標，是要得着用活石所建造的殿〔彼前二5〕。祂不要分開、離散的石頭，甚至不要一堆僅僅放在一起的石頭。祂要的是彼此建造的石頭。

我們被建造成的屬靈的殿，乃是神的建築。至終，這建築要完成於新耶路撒冷。…我們現今正變化成寶石，這些寶石將要被建造到新耶路撒冷裏（新約總論第五冊，一二八至一二九頁）。

憑着我們天然的出生，我們是泥土，不是石頭。…人是用地上的塵土造的〔創二7〕。羅馬九章啟示，我們是土造的器皿。那麼，我們如何能成為石頭？我們乃是藉着變化的過程而成為石頭。

主稱彼得為石頭，那就是說，他必會成為石頭。無論主對我們說甚麼，都必成就。祂若說，『你是金子，』你就會成為金子。主知道祂將西門的名字改為彼得（即石頭），他就會成為石頭。

在約翰一章四十二節，主告訴彼得他是石頭。後來在該撒利亞腓立比，主問：『你們說我是誰？』彼得從父得着啟示，回答說，『你是基督，是活神的兒子。』對此主耶穌回答說，『我還告訴你，你是彼得，我要把我的召會建造在這磐石上。』（太十六18）這裏主指明祂是召會在其上建造的磐石，而彼得是石頭。

我們都是泥土。我們如何能被建造？要被建造成為屬靈的殿，我們需要成為石頭。但我們如何能真正成為活石？我們乃是藉着來到基督這活石跟前（彼前二4），而成為活石。

我們可用木化石作變化的例證。…木化石是已變成石頭的木頭。水長期流過並流經木頭。藉着這水流，木頭的本質就變成石頭。一面，木頭的元素被帶走；另一面，石頭的元素被帶進來頂替木頭的元素。這樣，木頭就成為石頭（彼得前書生命讀經，一八○至一八一頁）。

參讀：新約總論，第一百零八篇；創世記生命讀經，第六十九篇；使徒行傳生命讀經，第十五至十六篇；彼得前書生命讀經，第十六至十八篇。

WEEK 5 — DAY 1

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Morning Nourishment

1 Pet. 2:4-5 Coming to Him, a living stone, rejected by men but with God chosen and precious, you yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

In the New Testament the believers are…symbolized by stones and are called living stones (1 Pet. 2:5). These living stones are actually transformed sinners.

When the Lord Jesus first looked at Peter, He said, “You are Simon, the son of John; you shall be called Cephas (which is interpreted, Peter [meaning ‘a stone’])” [John 1:42]. The significance of a stone is that it denotes a work of transformation to bring forth material for God’s building (1 Cor. 3:12). The stone in John 1:42 signifies the believers in Christ, after being born of God, regenerated by receiving Him (vv. 12-13) to be transformed into living precious stones. This is for the building of the church, the house of God (Matt. 16:18).

We, the believers in Christ, are living stones, like Christ (1 Pet. 2:4), through regeneration and transformation. We were created of clay (Rom. 9:21). But at regeneration we received the seed of the divine life, which by its growth in us transforms us into living stones. At Peter’s conversion the Lord gave him a new name, Peter—a stone. When Peter received the revelation concerning Christ, the Lord revealed further that He also was the rock—a stone (Matt. 16:16-18). Peter was impressed by these two incidents that both Christ and His believers are stones for God’s building. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 1170-1171)

Todays Reading

God’s goal in the believers is to have a house built up with living stones [1 Pet. 2:5]. He does not want separated and scattered stones, nor even a pile of stones merely gathered together. He wants stones built up with one another. 

The spiritual house into which we are being built is God’s building. Eventually, this building will consummate in the New Jerusalem…We are now becoming the precious stones that will be built up into the New  Jerusalem. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 1171)

By our natural birth we are clay, not stones…Man was made from the dust of the ground [Gen. 2:7] . Romans 9 reveals that we are vessels of clay. How, then, can we become stones? We become stones through the process of transformation.

When the Lord called…Peter a stone, that meant that he would certainly become a stone. Whatever the Lord says to us will be fulfilled. If He says, “You are gold,” then you will be golden. The Lord knew that when He changed Simon’s name to Peter, a stone, he would become a stone.

In John 1:42 Peter was told that he was a stone. Then sometime later, in Caesarea Philippi, in answer to the Lord’s question, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter, receiving the revelation from the Father, said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” To this the Lord Jesus replied, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18). Here the Lord indicated that He is the rock upon which the church is built and that Peter is a stone.

We all are clay. How can we be built up? In order to be built up as a spiritual house, we need to become stones. But how can we actually become living stones? We become living stones by coming to Christ as the living stone (1 Pet. 2:4).

We may use petrified wood as an illustration of transformation…Petrified wood is wood that has been changed into stone. Over a long period of time, water has been flowing over wood and through it. By means of this flow of water, the substance of the wood is changed into stone. On the one hand, the element of wood is carried away; on the other hand, the element of stone is brought in to replace the element of wood. In this way the wood becomes stone. (Life-study of 1 Peter, pp. 151-152)

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 108; Life- study of Genesis, msg. 69; Life-study of Acts, msgs. 15—16; Life-study of 1 Peter, msgs. 16—18