晨興聖言-亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的神-(W3-4)

第三週■週四

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晨興餧養

西二 11『你們在祂裏面也受了非人手所行的割禮,乃是在基督的割禮裏,脫去了肉體的身體。』

腓三 3『真受割禮的,乃是我們這憑神的靈事奉,在基督耶穌裏誇口,不信靠肉體的。』

神向亞伯拉罕啓示祂的名是伊勒沙代,就是全豐全足的大能者,要作恩典豐富供應的源頭,以信守祂的約,完成祂的旨意,並再次與〔亞伯拉罕〕立約。(創十七 1 ~ 2,4。)在這次的約中,神用割禮來作立約的證據,以堅定祂給亞伯拉罕應許的約。這給我們看見,神賜給祂選民美地的應許,雖然已經立爲祂賜給祂選民的約,但還需要割禮的約來堅定神應許的約。割禮是神的選民承受神的應許所必須經過的手續,豫表神新約中的選民必須經過十字架的對付,纔能承受並得享神所應許在基督裏的一切豐富。(真理課程三級卷一,六八頁。)

信息選讀

在新約裏,我們可以看到割禮的意義。割禮的屬靈意義就是脫去肉體,脫去己和舊人。〔參西二11 ~ 12。〕…嚴格說來,割禮與對付罪無關;割禮乃是與基督一同釘十字架,並一同埋葬。割禮的意思就是了結你的己,了結你的肉體。在創世記十六章亞伯拉罕用他的肉體,但在十七章這裏,神要他割去肉體。在十六章他用天然的力量,但在十七章他的力量必須被了結。這就是受割禮。

只要我們天然的力量還在,神就很難進來作我們的一切,來完成祂的定旨。神要進到我們裏面作我們的一切,但我們的肉體、我們天然的人和力量、我們的舊人、我們老舊的己,阻撓神來作我們的一切。這個己,這個舊人,必須被了結,必須受割禮,也就是必須釘十字架。我要告訴你們好消息,我們的舊人已經釘了十字架。(羅六 6。)…我們都必須看見這事實,算定這事實,並且憑信接受這事實。我們能憑信宣告,我們的肉體,我們天然的人及其力量,已經釘了十字架。『我已經與基督同釘十字架;現在活着的,不再是我,乃是基督在我裏面活着。』(加二 20。)舊人,己,已經釘了十字架;我們都需要憑這認識活着。我們若宣告這事實,並照着這事實生活,復活的神就立刻有路進到我們裏面,作我們的一切,以完成祂的經綸。

藉割禮堅立約,與完成神定旨的後裔和地有關。(創十七 2 ~ 8。)…爲了得着基督作我們的後裔和地,以完成神的定旨,我們需要受割禮,並過釘十字架的生活。…當肉體、己和舊人被了結,門就開了,讓神進來而生出以撒。

所有不受割禮的人都與這約隔絕。在創世記十七章十四節神對亞伯拉罕說,『但不受割禮的男子必從民中剪除,因他背了我的約。』今天這也是真實的。我們若不過釘十字架的生活,我們便與基督,與召會生活,並與神聖乳房的供應隔絕。甚麼時候我們不願受割禮,在完成神永遠的定旨上,我們就了了。今天我們享受神,憑基督活着,實行召會生活,全在於一件事,就是受割禮,過釘十字架的生活。(創世記生命讀經,七七二至七七五頁。)

參讀:創世記生命讀經,第四十七篇;亞伯拉罕以撒雅各的神,第五章。

WEEK 3 — DAY 4

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Morning Nourishment

Col. 2:11 In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ.

Phil. 3:3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.

God revealed to Abraham that His name is El Shaddai, the all-sufficient Mighty One, implying that He would be the source of the rich supply of grace to keep His covenant for the fulfillment of His purpose. Moreover, He again made a covenant with him (Gen. 17:1-2, 4). In making this covenant, God used circumcision as evidence of the covenant to confirm the covenant of promise which He gave to Abraham. This shows us that although the promise of the good land given by God to His chosen people had been made a covenant by God to His elect, there was still the need to confirm the covenant of God’s promise with the covenant of circumcision. Circumcision was the procedure which God’s chosen people had to pass through to inherit God’s promise. It signifies that God’s elect in the New Testament must pass through the dealing of the cross so that they may inherit and enjoy all the riches in Christ promised by God. (Truth Lessons—Level Three, vol. 1, pp. 63-64)

Todays Reading

In the New Testament we can find out the significance of circumcision. The spiritual meaning of circumcision is to put off the flesh, to put off the self and the old man [cf. Col. 2:11-12]…In a strict sense, circumcision has nothing to do with the dealing with sin; it is a matter of being crucified and buried with Christ. Circumcision means to terminate your self, to terminate your flesh. Abraham exercised his flesh in Genesis 16, but here, in Genesis 17, God wanted his flesh to be cut off. In Genesis 16 he had exercised his natural strength, but in Genesis 17 his strength had to be terminated. This is circumcision.

As long as our natural strength remains, it is difficult for God to come in to be our everything for the fulfillment of His purpose. God wants to come into us to be everything to us, but our flesh, our natural being and strength, our old man and our old self, are a frustration to God’s being everything to us. This self, this old man, must be terminated. It must be circumcised, that is, crucified. I want to tell you the good news that our old man has been crucified already (Rom. 6:6)…We all must see this, reckon on it, and take it by faith. By faith we can declare that our flesh, our natural man with its strength, has been crucified. “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). We all need to live with the realization that the old man, the self, has been crucified. If we declare this and live according to it, then the God of resurrection immediately has the way to come into us and to be everything to us for the carrying out of His economy.

The confirmation of the covenant by circumcision concerned the seed and the land for the fulfillment of God’s purpose (Gen. 17:2-8)…In order to have Christ as the seed and the land for the fulfillment of God’s purpose, we need to be circumcised and to live a crucified life…When the flesh, the self, and the old man have been terminated, the door is open for God to come in and bring forth Isaac.

All the uncircumcised people were cut off from this covenant. In 17:14 God said to Abraham, “As for the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.” This is true today. If we do not live a crucified life, we are cut off from Christ, from the church life, and from the supply of the divine udder. Whenever we are unwilling to be circumcised, we are finished with the fulfilling of God’s eternal purpose. Today our enjoying God, our living by Christ, and our practicing the church life all depend upon one thing—upon circumcision, upon living a crucified life. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 634-636)

Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 47; CWWN, vol. 35, “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” ch. 5

 

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