First of all, we see that we, who are finite, can stumble, and although we should act according to whether or not we edify people, we should be careful not to make this mistake. If we see that we are weak and make mistakes, how can we not forgive people, just as our heavenly Father forgave us, and if people repent, they will be forgiven indefinitely. Secondly, we see that our faith is really small because we cannot do what a mustard seed’s worth of faith can do. If we can truly realize our position, our faith will increase. Finally, we can learn from Jesus’ healing of ten lepers. The only one who returned to glorify God was the Gentile and we can see that not all of us will be grateful and come back to praise God after being healed. And when we look at Jesus’ statement that your faith has saved you, we can see that this sickness is sin related. 

1. Stumbling over others and forgiveness 

“He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.””(Luke 17:1-4)

Human beings are finite and inevitably make mistakes. The mistake of stumbling over others is inevitable, but how serious it is! Be careful not to make such mistakes. Since they are inevitable, how can they be minimized? We can do as Paul said, “All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.”(1 Corinthians 10:23) With edification as the starting point, there is much less chance of stumbling over others. Think of yourself as a person who can make mistakes, and thus forgive others who can make mistakes and offend you. If a person dies without remorse, you can’t really forgive him, but forgiveness is always good for you, and it will bring you out of your bitterness. When we look at the scripture that says to rebuke him, it means that at least this person is willing to talk to you, and if you meet a person who doesn’t talk to you, you don’t even have the opportunity to do so. Even in this case, you still have to forgive this person, and it’s always good for you, just as I said before. Forgive in all circumstances.

How many times do we have to forgive? “Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”(Matthew 18:21-22) By linking these two verses together, we are basically saying that people should always be given the opportunity to repent. The New Testament is very clear, isn’t it? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(1 John 1:9) After the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), it says, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (Matthew 6:14-15) The Heavenly Father does not say how many times He will forgive us, but from a human point of view, it is almost impossible to forgive a human being seventy-seven times. Therefore, we are not talking about the law, which is impossible to do, but rather, we need to have such a life, and we will naturally do it. How can we be conformed to the image of Jesus if we do not forgive people their trespasses? (cf. Romans 8:29)

2. Confidence-boosting

“The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. “Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’? But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’””(Luke 17:5-10)

Another time a similar relationship between faith and the mustard seed is mentioned is in this verse, “And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”(Matthew 17:20) I remember the first time I encountered the talk about the mustard seed, I was really unconvinced. Is my faith so small that I am not even as good as the smallest seed, the mustard seed? Now I realize that it is true, and apparently I can’t move a mulberry tree or a mountain.

Let’s look at how Jesus answered the apostles’ question regarding how to increase our faith. First of all, He pointed out that they were men of little faith, that they did not even have the faith of a mustard seed at that time, i.e., He wanted them to realize the reality of the situation. They were men of little faith, and although they had been with Jesus for a long time. This was evidenced by the fact that before He was crucified, “And they all left Him and fled.”(Mark 14:50) As the result, “…standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. …and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, …”(John 19:25-26) It was not until they actually saw Jesus rise from the dead and were filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost that the apostles were “…with great power …were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, …”(Acts 4:33) It is also clear from the subsequent development that they did not care about their own lives for the sake of the gospel.

Then He used the parable of the Master’s servant, where it says, “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’””(Luke 17:10) Nowadays some people may think of servants differently, but that is exactly what the role of a servant is at that time. It is only when one realizes his actual situation as the servant that one can increase his faith!

So what is our actual situation? It is to realize that God is infinite and man is finite, and that life can only come from Him, as the Scripture says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.”(1 Corinthians 3:6-7) If He does not open our eyes, how can we really see? As an example in Numbers 22:31, “Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; …” Balaam couldn’t see the truth without his eyes opened by God. As another example, “Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”(2 Kings 6:17) Without God opening the servant’s eyes, there was no way for him to see the horses and chariots.

There are quite a few verses that talk about His absolute sovereignty, so let’s look at what Isaiah, who I couldn’t understand the description before, said, “Who is blind but My servant, Or so deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is so blind as he that is at peace with Me, Or so blind as the servant of the Lord?”(Isaiah 42:19) That is to say, if God does not take the initiative to open the ears of His servant, he will be deaf! We must recognize and truly know that without the Lord opening our eyes, we would be blind. This is why Jesus said to the Pharisees, “…If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”(John 9:40-41) Like the Pharisees, we all have physical eyes that can see, and it is not easy to admit to ourselves that we truly know that our spiritual eyes must be opened by God!

3. Leprosy cure

“While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine⁠—where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.””(Luke 17:11-19) 

This was not the first time that Jesus healed lepers, but this time there were ten of them, and we know from the scriptures where they were approximately. We also see that only one Gentile out of the ten returned to glorify God and bowed down at Jesus’ feet to thank Him. We see that not all people who are healed return to praise God with gratitude. Jesus specifically said that this man was a Gentile, so logically, even though the Bible doesn’t say that there were Jews in the midst of the healing, there should have been Jews. Just as the Bible does not say that these ten men had faith, we can see it in their behavior. Jesus asked them to show their bodies to the priests, and when they spoke with Jesus, they were not cleansed because it is said, “…as they were going, they were cleansed.”(Luke 17:14) If you look at the fact that Jesus’ request was for them to go to see the priests, and we know in general that the Jews were involved with priests, and on the other hand, the Gentile had basically no part in priests. Thus, this can be used as another hint that there were Jews among the ten. And we see that this Gentile had faith and a good conscience, and only he came back to thank Jesus.

If we look at what Jesus said, “…your faith has made you well.”(Luke 17:19), we can see that the sickness was sin related. Although the New Testament records that the disciples were able to perform many miracles, it does not record that anyone other than Jesus was able to cure leprosy. Referring to the Old Testament, such as Leviticus 13, we can see that leprosy is quite special. As we know today, some leprosy is contagious, but some is not, and there are quite a number of scriptures that talk about leprosy, so I won’t go into that. Here we see that in the healing of the lepers, “…you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…”(Matthew 9:6) Only He had the authority to forgive sins at that time. It is impossible for us today to have Jesus to forgive our sins, but His name represents Him, and so it is,”…repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”(Luke 24:47)

(Verses refer to those in NASB unless otherwise specified.)

(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)

    我们在这篇短文中讨论了、两个关于休妻和拉撒路的经文所带来可能有的争议性话题。前者和一般的观点相当不同，后者会用这经文带出了在信心中四维空间不存在的问题。首先我们看到了经文说我们不能事奉两个主及其原因，说到为什么贪财是不好的，也看到天国是要努力进入的，不要做小信的人，看到了祷告的优先秩序，也提到了一个会被接纳的心志和祷告，和简短的讨论了大卫在诗篇 51 篇的祷告，不只在神面前悔改，也是在众人面前悔改。第二我们从休妻和另娶的中看到，神作事的一个原则，就是分别一般的情况和特例，对于这点，我们也举了其他的例子说明，并看耶稣自己怎么说。最后我们来看乞丐拉撒路和财主之间的事情，也看到了不能用亚伯拉罕和财主之间有深渊相隔，来说有四维空间(不包括时间)的存在。如果四维空间存在，除了和信心有冲突外，也会造成矛盾的。

1. 不能事奉两个主       

    『「一个仆人不能事奉两个主，不是恶这个爱那个，就是重这个轻那个。你们不能又事奉神，又事奉玛门。」法利赛人是贪爱钱财的，他们听见这一切话，就嗤笑耶稣。耶稣对他们说：「你们是在人面前自称为义的，你们的心，神却知道；因为人所尊贵的，是神看为可憎恶的。「律法和先知到(施洗)约翰为止，从此神国的福音传开了，人人努力(G971)要进去。天地废去较比律法的一点一画落空还容易。」』(路加福音 16:13-17)      

    玛门基本上是指财富，我们看到了耶稣知道法利赛的心，知道他们贪爱钱财，『但那些想要发财的人，就陷在迷惑、落在网罗和许多无知有害的私欲里，叫人沉在败坏和灭亡中。贪财是万恶之根！有人贪恋钱财，就被引诱离了真道，用许多愁苦把自己刺透了。』(提摩太前书 6:9-10) 贪恋钱财是真的很不好的，这不是说钱财本身有问题，而是说不要贪财，且要看钱财是从那里来，怎么使用？有人做见证说，有一位姊妹承继了许多遗产，她本想捐出所有的遗产，她做见证说神没有这样告诉她该如此做，反该把遗产留下，她就用这些钱及利息支持了许多宣教的机构。再看看亚伯亚罕，以撒，雅各不都是因为神的祝福很有钱吗？    

    很清楚的，神憎恶人所尊贵的如钱财、沽名钓誉的好行为等。要真正如保罗所做的要从心里发出，『只是愿意我们记念穷人，这也是我本来热心去行的。』(加拉太书 2:10) 我们也看到律法(的真谛)是不能废去的，耶稣在世所行是如此，不消灭圣灵的感动，也是如此。律法本是好的如经文所说，『这样看来，律法是圣洁的，诫命也是圣洁、公义、良善的。』(罗马书 7:12) 只是『…凡有血气的，没有一个因行律法能在神面前称义，因为律法本是叫人知罪。』(罗马书 3:20) 所以保罗会说，『这样，我们因信废了律法吗？断乎不是！更是坚固律法。』(罗马书 3:31) 不消灭圣灵的感动，就自然而然的成全了律法。    

    我们也看到天国是要努力进入的，努力(G971) 在圣经只出现两次，另一次是一致的这样说，『从施洗约翰的时候到如今，天国是努力(G971)进入的，努力的人就得著了。』(马太福音 11:12) 这努力不是说努力做一般的好行为，如果我们看原文或英文就很清楚了，天国会遭受暴力的(G971) ，而以强力(G726)成为暴力的人(G973)才可以进入。这是指属灵的争战，『你们死在过犯罪恶之中，他叫你们活过来。那时，你们在其中行事为人，随从今世的风俗，顺服空中掌权者的首领，就是现今在悖逆之子心中运行的邪灵。』(以弗所书 2:1-2) 我们在没有信而受洗前本是这样，因为从亚当和夏娃开始都是『…世人都犯了罪，亏缺了神的荣耀。』(罗马书 3:23) 到信而受洗时，『他救了我们脱离黑暗的权势，把我们迁到他爱子的国里；我们在爱子里得蒙救赎，罪过得以赦免。』(歌罗西书 1:13-14) 从那时起，『因我们并不是与属血气的争战，乃是与那些执政的、掌权的、管辖这幽暗世界的，以及天空属灵气的恶魔争战。所以，要拿起神所赐的全副军装，好在磨难的日子抵挡仇敌，并且成就了一切，还能站立得住。』(以弗所书 6:12-13) 我们以前提过，那全副军装中除了圣灵的宝剑外都是防御性的武器，所以神的意思是要我们首先要站立的住，当圣灵带领我们攻击时才是最好的时机，不要自作主张，以为凭自己的力量就可战胜撒但。这样的争战要以强力，怎么可能会是和平的呢？       

    在马太福音也说，『「一个人不能事奉两个主。不是恶这个爱那个，就是重这个轻那个。你们不能又事奉神，又事奉玛门。「所以我告诉你们：不要为生命忧虑吃甚么，喝甚么；为身体忧虑穿甚么。生命不胜于饮食吗？身体不胜于衣裳吗？你们看那天上的飞鸟，也不种，也不收，也不积蓄在仓里，你们的天父尚且养活牠。你们不比飞鸟贵重得多吗？你们哪一个能用思虑使寿数多加一刻呢？「何必为衣裳忧虑呢？你想，野地里的百合花怎么长起来。它也不劳苦，也不纺线。然而我告诉你们：就是所罗门极荣华的时候，他所穿戴的还不如这花一朵呢！你们这小信的人哪！野地里的草今天还在，明天就丢在炉里，神还给它这样的妆饰，何况你们呢！「所以，不要忧虑说：『吃甚么？喝甚么？穿甚么？』这都是外邦人所求的。你们需用的这一切东西，你们的天父是知道的。你们要先求他的国和他的义，这些东西都要加给你们了。所以，不要为明天忧虑，因为明天自有明天的忧虑；一天的难处一天当就够了。」』(马太福音 6:24-34)      

     很显然的，这经文主要是讲属世的事情，事奉神而知道祂会照顾所有的事情，我们还忧虑什么呢？有许多的见证都说到这，我们就不多讲了。这些经文也告诉我们祷告的优先秩序，不要做小信的人，要先求祂的国和祂的义，如主祷文般，所以我们注意到在这节经文，『我们日用的饮食，今日赐给我们。』(马太福音 6:11) 在这之前都是讲属灵的事，在这之后都是讲属世的事，而圣经讲得很清楚，『耶稣回答说：「经上记著说：『人活著不是单靠食物，乃是靠神口里所出的一切话。』」』(路加福音 4:4) 我们实在该每天感谢那属灵的供应和属世的粮食。    

    这经文也明说了不要为明天而忧虑及其原因。最后我们要提到，这样的心志和祷告是会被接纳的，『我求你两件事，在我未死之先，不要不赐给我：求你使虚假和谎言远离我，使我也不贫穷也不富足，赐给我需用的饮食。恐怕我饱足不认你，说：『耶和华是谁呢？』又恐怕我贫穷就偷窃，以致亵渎我神的名。』(箴言 30:7-9) 再看看大卫的一个祷告，诗篇五十一篇是大卫在和拔示巴同室后作的一首诗，我们从诗中可看到大卫在神面前彻底悔改，有人告诉我比较没有人注意到这是交与伶长的，是许多人会去唱的，所以犯了大罪的大卫不祗是在神面前悔改，也是在众人面前悔改，没有隐藏自己的罪过。

2. 休妻和另娶的       

    『凡休妻另娶的就是犯奸淫，娶被休之妻的，也是犯奸淫。』(路加福音 16:18)       

    马太褔音也这样说，『又有话说：『人若休妻，就当给她休书。』只是我告诉你们：凡休妻的，若不是为淫乱的缘故，就是叫她作淫妇了；人若娶这被休的妇人，也是犯奸淫了。』(马太福音 5:31-32) 旧约更明说，『耶和华以色列的神说：「休妻的事和以强暴待妻的人，都是我所恨恶的。…』(玛拉基书 2:16)       

    这样看来，好像基督徒是绝对不可离婚的教导是绝对正确的。回答这个问题，我们要看圣经怎么说。首先我们看到，『他(耶和华)使摩西知道他的法则，…』(诗篇 103:7) 我们要像摩西一样知道祂作事的法则，从圣经的一致性来看这经文意谓著什么？简单来说，这问题和该不该受洗的问题本质上是一样的。说到受洗，我们以前分享过，是一般该受洗的，简单的说，因大使命这样要求(参马太福音 28:18-20)，而耶稣又做了我们的榜像(参马太福音 3:13-17) 但在特殊情况的情况下是可以不受洗的，圣经只说了和耶稣同钉十字架的两犯人之一的作例子(参路加福音 23:39-43) 我们看圣经要很清楚的分辩，一般情况和特殊情况，在特殊情况时我们该问的是不是在同样的情况之下。       

    我们再看妓女喇合的例子(参约书亚记 2:1-22)，她又做妓女又说谎，但圣经怎么说她呢！『妓女喇合因著信，曾和和平平地接待探子，就不与那些不顺从的人一同灭亡。』(希伯来书 11:31) 所以神所看重是和人相当不同，喇合被称赞的是她的信，不是因她做过妓女，也不是因她放下自己的生命而为神说谎，我们也看到她甚至于在耶稣的家谱中(参马太福音 1:5) 。其实我们也从这中看出她不愿做妓女的，圣经没有明说她为什么非得做妓女不可，猜也无益，不能真正猜出来的。难道神要每一个人说谎和要每一个女人做妓女吗？这是特殊的情况，神有绝对的主权，祂看人的内心，和世人所看到的不同。关于这点，我们有更多的例子，就不多说了！       

    最后我们看耶稣怎么说，『…耶稣回答说：「那起初造人的，是造男造女，并且说：『因此，人要离开父母，与妻子连合，二人成为一体。』这经你们没有念过吗？既然如此，夫妻不再是两个人，乃是一体的了。所以，神配合的，人不可分开。』(马太福音 19:3-6) 前面是讲一般结婚情况，不可离婚，我们可看到这点，因祂接著又说基本上同样的话，『法利赛人说：「这样，摩西为甚么吩咐给妻子休书，就可以休她呢？」耶稣说：「摩西因为你们的心硬，所以许你们休妻，但起初并不是这样。我告诉你们：凡休妻另娶的，若不是为淫乱的缘故，就是犯奸淫了；有人娶那被休的妇人，也是犯奸淫了。」』(马太福音 19:7-9)    

    其实后面也提到了关于神配合的人不可分开的特殊的情况，这不是开了一个可离婚而再结婚的门和借口，在这特殊的情况下，我们要问的是，这婚姻真的是神所配合的吗？譬如说，如果夫妻本都是非基督徒的话，我不敢说这婚姻一定是神所配合的而不是人自己选的。所以基督徒是绝对不可离婚的教导不是绝对正确的，要看是一般的情况或是特殊的情况。这就像有人说，我不必去教会，只要我信就好，可是圣经不是这样说。只是要非常注意，仇敌撒但是乐于见要到一个婚婚的破裂的，我们必须要非常小心去分辩，不要中了仇敌的诡计。

3. 乞丐拉撒路的事情       

    『「有一个财主，穿著紫色袍和细麻布衣服，天天奢华宴乐。又有一个讨饭的，名叫拉撒路，浑身生疮，被人放在财主门口，要得财主桌子上掉下来的零碎充饥，并且狗来舔他的疮。「后来那讨饭的死了，被天使带去放在亚伯拉罕的怀里。财主也死了，并且埋葬了。他在阴间受痛苦，举目远远地望见亚伯拉罕，又望见拉撒路在他怀里，就喊著说：『我祖亚伯拉罕哪，可怜我吧！打发拉撒路来，用指头尖蘸点水，凉凉我的舌头，因为我在这火焰里，极其痛苦。』「亚伯拉罕说：『儿啊，你该回想你生前享过福，拉撒路也受过苦；如今他在这里得安慰，你倒受痛苦。不但这样，并且在你我之间，有深渊限定，以致人要从这边过到你们那边是不能的；要从那边过到我们这边也是不能的。』「财主说：『我祖啊！既是这样，求你打发拉撒路到我父家去，因为我还有五个弟兄，他可以对他们作见证，免得他们也来到这痛苦的地方。』「亚伯拉罕说：『他们有摩西和先知的话可以听从。』「他说：『我祖亚伯拉罕哪，不是的，若有一个从死里复活的，到他们那里去的，他们必要悔改。』「亚伯拉罕说：『若不听从摩西和先知的话，就是有一个从死里复活的，他们也是不听劝。』」』(路加福音 16:19-31)       

    圣经是神所默示的，我们不要把圣经的话打折扣，要在信心中看结果，因为我们知道，『凭著他们的果子，就可以认出他们来。荆棘上岂能摘葡萄呢？蒺藜里岂能摘无花果呢？』(马太福音 7:16) 这里只描述了拉撒路的生活，拉撒路的果子是他在亚伯拉罕的怀中，圣经没有明讲是为什么，乱猜是猜不出来的。财主的生活是他已在世上享过福，他的果子使他下到阴间受痛苦，不是如中国人俗话所说的、人死如灯灭。这不是说每一个人因富有就会下到阴间，如亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各因神的祝福而在人间富有，他们绝对没有下阴间。我们也看到了这财主至少想到了他的弟兄，但以为有死里复活的见证，他的弟兄就会相信？是这样子吗？耶稣从死里复活，不是每个人因为有这样的记载都相信的。      

    我们也看到了亚伯拉罕的反应，关于有深渊限定这一件事，有人认为阴间和亚伯拉罕的灵体不在一个维度上，因此至少有四维空间(不算时间)。但这需要假设灵体是可以在同一维空间自由移动，我们不能因复活后的耶稣曾在人间不受限制，并下到阴间和上到天上就做如此的假设(公理)，这是不合逻辑的。另外，如果四维空间存在，有些圣经的话语就很容易解释，不需要有圣经是如是说的信心了！且其存在和三维空间的逻辑相违背，而我们是活在三维空间中。      

    要看到这一点，我们知道要神在三维空间中创造一个祂举不起来的石头是不可能的，现在我们就用这做例子。对数学的空间概念不熟习的人，我们可以用一维空间和二维空间的类比看到这一件事情。如果二维空间的一个长方块和一维空间相交，在一维空间所看到的就是这长方块和一维空间相交的线段如图一所示。但也可从图一中看见，二维空间的长方块的方向不同，可以产生同样的一维空间线段，也就是在二维空间我们举起了这长方块，而在一维空间的这线段不动，没被举起来。如果且四维空间存在的话，而且三维空间和四维空间的关系和这相同，我们就可看见存在一个四维空间的石头，神实在已经举起来，而在三维空间纹风不动，没有被举起来。

图一: 同样线段，但长方形不是唯一的

    最后我做一个相关四维空间的简短见证作为结束。我现在正准备一本小册子，「 从创世记一到三章看神的旨意」，我以为它的前身逻辑上没有问题，因此也就寄出请人看了。一段时间后，实在是没想到圣灵在意念中告诉我说我错了，我实在想不出逻辑错在那里，然后就突然意识到最开始我就错了。在最开始说，『起初神创造天(heaven, H8064, 复数)地。』(创世记 1:1) 天用的是复数，所以应该是诸天，我那时以为诸天是从地球上看，在灵体是可以在同一维空间自由移动的假设下，我就能用四维空间的存在很容易的解释那样的诸天。但这是错的，因为从创世记 1:3 才开始讲现今世界的创造，而诸天在第一节就说到，是指起初神创造时间和空间时的诸天，应是指每一个星球在起初时都有自己的天，也就是第一节说的诸天，也因此看到了为什么圣经说四维空间的不存在，这里只是简单的提到一些，详细的论述会在这本小册子的附录中。的确，圣灵知道圣经非常清楚。如果祂愿意，祂能透过启示更正我们，就像保罗所祷告的，『求我们主耶稣基督的神，荣耀的父，将那赐人智慧和启示的灵赏给你们，使你们真知道他。』(以弗所书 1:17)

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到这网站后要按『对属灵生命的了解』。) 

        我們在這篇短文中討論了、兩個關於休妻和拉撒路的經文所帶來可能有的爭議性話題。前者和一般的觀點相當不同，後者會用這經文帶出了在信心中四維空間不存在的問題。首先我們看到了經文說我們不能事奉兩個主及其原因，說到為什麼貪財是不好的，也看到天國是要努力進入的，不要做小信的人，看到了禱告的優先秩序，也提到了一個會被接納的心志和禱告，和簡短的討論了大衞在詩篇 51 篇的禱告，不只在神面前悔改，也是在眾人面前悔改。第二我們從休妻和另娶的中看到，神作事的一個原則，就是分別一般的情況和特例，對於這點，我們也舉了其他的例子說明，並看耶穌自己怎麼說。最後我們來看乞丐拉撒路和財主之間的事情，也看到了不能用亞伯拉罕和財主之間有深淵相隔，來說有四維空間(不包括時間)的存在。如果四維空間存在，除了和信心有衝突外，也會造成矛盾的。

1. 不能事奉兩個主

       『「一個僕人不能事奉兩個主，不是惡這個愛那個，就是重這個輕那個。你們不能又事奉神，又事奉瑪門。」法利賽人是貪愛錢財的，他們聽見這一切話，就嗤笑耶穌。耶穌對他們說：「你們是在人面前自稱為義的，你們的心，神卻知道；因為人所尊貴的，是神看為可憎惡的。「律法和先知到(施洗)約翰為止，從此神國的福音傳開了，人人努力(G971)要進去。天地廢去較比律法的一點一畫落空還容易。」』(路加福音 16:13-17)

      瑪門基本上是指財富，我們看到了耶穌知道法利賽的心，知道他們貪愛錢財，『但那些想要發財的人，就陷在迷惑、落在網羅和許多無知有害的私慾裏，叫人沉在敗壞和滅亡中。貪財是萬惡之根！有人貪戀錢財，就被引誘離了真道，用許多愁苦把自己刺透了。』(提摩太前書 6:9-10) 貪戀錢財是真的很不好的，這不是說錢財本身有問題，而是說不要貪財，且要看錢財是從那裡來，怎麼使用？有人做見証說，有一位姊妹承繼了許多遺產，她本想捐出所有的遺產，她做見証說神沒有這樣告訴她該如此做，反該把遺產留下，她就用這些錢及利息支持了許多宣教的機構。再看看亞伯亞罕，以撒，雅各不都是因為神的祝福很有錢嗎？

    很清楚的，神憎惡人所尊貴的如錢財、沽名釣譽的好行為等。要真正如保羅所做的要從心裏發出，『只是願意我們記念窮人，這也是我本來熱心去行的。』(加拉太書 2:10) 我們也看到律法(的真諦)是不能廢去的，耶穌在世所行是如此，不消滅聖靈的感動，也是如此。律法本是好的如經文所說，『這樣看來，律法是聖潔的，誡命也是聖潔、公義、良善的。』(羅馬書 7:12) 只是『…凡有血氣的，沒有一個因行律法能在神面前稱義，因為律法本是叫人知罪。』(羅馬書 3:20) 所以保羅會說，『這樣，我們因信廢了律法嗎？斷乎不是！更是堅固律法。』(羅馬書 3:31) 不消滅聖靈的感動，就自然而然的成全了律法。

    我們也看到天國是要努力進入的，努力(G971) 在聖經只出現兩次，另一次是一致的這樣說，『從施洗約翰的時候到如今，天國是努力(G971)進入的，努力的人就得着了。』(馬太福音 11:12) 這努力不是說努力做一般的好行為，如果我們看原文或英文就很清楚了，天國會遭受暴力的(G971) ，而以強力(G726)成為暴力的人(G973)才可以進入。這是指屬靈的爭戰，『你們死在過犯罪惡之中，他叫你們活過來。那時，你們在其中行事為人，隨從今世的風俗，順服空中掌權者的首領，就是現今在悖逆之子心中運行的邪靈。』(以弗所書 2:1-2) 我們在沒有信而受洗前本是這樣，因為從亞當和夏娃開始都是『…世人都犯了罪，虧缺了神的榮耀。』(羅馬書 3:23) 到信而受洗時，『他救了我們脫離黑暗的權勢，把我們遷到他愛子的國裏；我們在愛子裏得蒙救贖，罪過得以赦免。』(歌羅西書 1:13-14) 從那時起，『因我們並不是與屬血氣的爭戰，乃是與那些執政的、掌權的、管轄這幽暗世界的，以及天空屬靈氣的惡魔爭戰。所以，要拿起神所賜的全副軍裝，好在磨難的日子抵擋仇敵，並且成就了一切，還能站立得住。』(以弗所書 6:12-13) 我們以前提過，那全副軍裝中除了聖靈的寶劍外都是防禦性的武器，所以神的意思是要我們首先要站立的住，當聖靈帶領我們攻擊時才是最好的時機，不要自作主張，以為憑自己的力量就可戰勝撒但。這樣的爭戰要以強力，怎麼可能會是和平的呢？

       在馬太福音也說，『「一個人不能事奉兩個主。不是惡這個愛那個，就是重這個輕那個。你們不能又事奉神，又事奉瑪門。「所以我告訴你們：不要為生命憂慮吃甚麼，喝甚麼；為身體憂慮穿甚麼。生命不勝於飲食嗎？身體不勝於衣裳嗎？你們看那天上的飛鳥，也不種，也不收，也不積蓄在倉裏，你們的天父尚且養活牠。你們不比飛鳥貴重得多嗎？你們哪一個能用思慮使壽數多加一刻呢？「何必為衣裳憂慮呢？你想，野地裏的百合花怎麼長起來。它也不勞苦，也不紡線。然而我告訴你們：就是所羅門極榮華的時候，他所穿戴的還不如這花一朵呢！你們這小信的人哪！野地裏的草今天還在，明天就丟在爐裏，神還給它這樣的妝飾，何況你們呢！「所以，不要憂慮說：『吃甚麼？喝甚麼？穿甚麼？』這都是外邦人所求的。你們需用的這一切東西，你們的天父是知道的。你們要先求他的國和他的義，這些東西都要加給你們了。所以，不要為明天憂慮，因為明天自有明天的憂慮；一天的難處一天當就夠了。」』(馬太福音 6:24-34)

       很顯然的，這經文主要是講屬世的事情，事奉神而知道祂會照顧所有的事情，我們還憂慮什麼呢？有許多的見証都說到這，我們就不多講了。這些經文也告訴我們禱告的優先秩序，不要做小信的人，要先求祂的國和祂的義，如主禱文般，所以我們注意到在這節經文，『我們日用的飲食，今日賜給我們。』(馬太福音 6:11) 在這之前都是講屬靈的事，在這之後都是講屬世的事，而聖經講得很清楚，『耶穌回答說：「經上記着說：『人活着不是單靠食物，乃是靠神口裏所出的一切話。』」』(路加福音 4:4) 我們實在該每天感謝那屬靈的供應和屬世的糧食。

    這經文也明說了不要為明天而憂慮及其原因。最後我們要提到，這樣的心志和禱告是會被接納的，『我求你兩件事，在我未死之先，不要不賜給我：求你使虛假和謊言遠離我，使我也不貧窮也不富足，賜給我需用的飲食。恐怕我飽足不認你，說：『耶和華是誰呢？』又恐怕我貧窮就偷竊，以致褻瀆我神的名。』(箴言 30:7-9) 再看看大衞的一個禱告，詩篇五十一篇是大衞在和拔示巴同室後作的一首詩，我們從詩中可看到大衞在神面前徹底悔改，有人告訴我比較沒有人注意到這是交與伶長的，是許多人會去唱的，所以犯了大罪的大衞不祗是在神面前悔改，也是在眾人面前悔改，沒有隱藏自己的罪過。

2. 休妻和另娶的

       『凡休妻另娶的就是犯姦淫，娶被休之妻的，也是犯姦淫。』(路加福音 16:18)

       馬太褔音也這樣說，『又有話說：『人若休妻，就當給她休書。』只是我告訴你們：凡休妻的，若不是為淫亂的緣故，就是叫她作淫婦了；人若娶這被休的婦人，也是犯姦淫了。』(馬太福音 5:31-32) 舊約更明說，『耶和華以色列的神說：「休妻的事和以強暴待妻的人，都是我所恨惡的。…』(瑪拉基書 2:16) 

       這樣看來，好像基督徒是絕對不可離婚的教導是絕對正確的。回答這個問題，我們要看聖經怎麼說。首先我們看到，『他(耶和華)使摩西知道他的法則，…』(詩篇 103:7) 我們要像摩西一樣知道祂作事的法則，從聖經的一致性來看這經文意謂著什麼？簡單來說，這問題和該不該受洗的問題本質上是一樣的。說到受洗，我們以前分享過，是一般該受洗的，簡單的說，因大使命這樣要求(參馬太福音 28:18-20)，而耶穌又做了我們的榜像(參馬太福音 3:13-17) 但在特殊情況的情況下是可以不受洗的，聖經只說了和耶穌同釘十字架的兩犯人之一的作例子(參路加福音 23:39-43) 我們看聖經要很清楚的分辨，一般情況和特殊情況，在特殊情況時我們該問的是不是在同樣的情況之下。

       我們再看妓女喇合的例子(參約書亞記 2:1-22)，她又做妓女又說謊，但聖經怎麼說她呢！『妓女喇合因着信，曾和和平平地接待探子，就不與那些不順從的人一同滅亡。』(希伯來書 11:31) 所以神所看重是和人相當不同，喇合被稱讚的是她的信，不是因她做過妓女，也不是因她放下自己的生命而為神說謊，我們也看到她甚至於在耶穌的家譜中(參馬太福音 1:5) 。其實我們也從這中看出她不願做妓女的，聖經沒有明說她為什麼非得做妓女不可，猜也無益，不能真正猜出來的。難道神要每一個人說謊和要每一個女人做妓女嗎？這是特殊的情況，神有絕對的主權，祂看人的內心，和世人所看到的不同。關於這點，我們有更多的例子，就不多說了！

       最後我們看耶穌怎麼說，『…耶穌回答說：「那起初造人的，是造男造女，並且說：『因此，人要離開父母，與妻子連合，二人成為一體。』這經你們沒有念過嗎？既然如此，夫妻不再是兩個人，乃是一體的了。所以，神配合的，人不可分開。』(馬太福音 19:3-6) 前面是講一般結婚情況，不可離婚，我們可看到這點，因祂接著又說基本上同樣的話，『法利賽人說：「這樣，摩西為甚麼吩咐給妻子休書，就可以休她呢？」耶穌說：「摩西因為你們的心硬，所以許你們休妻，但起初並不是這樣。我告訴你們：凡休妻另娶的，若不是為淫亂的緣故，就是犯姦淫了；有人娶那被休的婦人，也是犯姦淫了。」』(馬太福音 19:7-9)

    其實後面也提到了關於神配合的人不可分開的特殊的情況，這不是開了一個可離婚而再結婚的門和藉口，在這特殊的情況下，我們要問的是，這婚姻真的是神所配合的嗎？譬如說，如果夫妻本都是非基督徒的話，我不敢說這婚姻一定是神所配合的而不是人自己選的。所以基督徒是絕對不可離婚的教導不是絕對正確的，要看是一般的情況或是特殊的情況。這就像有人說，我不必去教會，只要我信就好，可是聖經不是這樣說。只是要非常注意，仇敵撒但是樂於見要到一個婚婚的破裂的，我們必須要非常小心去分辨，不要中了仇敵的詭計。

3. 乞丐拉撒路的事情

       『「有一個財主，穿着紫色袍和細麻布衣服，天天奢華宴樂。又有一個討飯的，名叫拉撒路，渾身生瘡，被人放在財主門口，要得財主桌子上掉下來的零碎充飢，並且狗來舔他的瘡。「後來那討飯的死了，被天使帶去放在亞伯拉罕的懷裏。財主也死了，並且埋葬了。他在陰間受痛苦，舉目遠遠地望見亞伯拉罕，又望見拉撒路在他懷裏，就喊着說：『我祖亞伯拉罕哪，可憐我吧！打發拉撒路來，用指頭尖蘸點水，涼涼我的舌頭，因為我在這火焰裏，極其痛苦。』「亞伯拉罕說：『兒啊，你該回想你生前享過福，拉撒路也受過苦；如今他在這裏得安慰，你倒受痛苦。不但這樣，並且在你我之間，有深淵限定，以致人要從這邊過到你們那邊是不能的；要從那邊過到我們這邊也是不能的。』「財主說：『我祖啊！既是這樣，求你打發拉撒路到我父家去，因為我還有五個弟兄，他可以對他們作見證，免得他們也來到這痛苦的地方。』「亞伯拉罕說：『他們有摩西和先知的話可以聽從。』「他說：『我祖亞伯拉罕哪，不是的，若有一個從死裏復活的，到他們那裏去的，他們必要悔改。』「亞伯拉罕說：『若不聽從摩西和先知的話，就是有一個從死裏復活的，他們也是不聽勸。』」』(路加福音 16:19-31)

       聖經是神所默示的，我們不要把聖經的話打折扣，要在信心中看結果，因為我們知道，『憑着他們的果子，就可以認出他們來。荊棘上豈能摘葡萄呢？蒺藜裏豈能摘無花果呢？』(馬太福音 7:16) 這裏只描述了拉撒路的生活，拉撒路的果子是他在亞伯拉罕的懷中，聖經沒有明講是為什麼，亂猜是猜不出來的。財主的生活是他已在世上享過福，他的果子使他下到陰間受痛苦，不是如中國人俗話所說的、人死如燈滅。這不是說每一個人因富有就會下到陰間，如亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各因神的祝福而在人間富有，他們絕對沒有下陰間。我們也看到了這財主至少想到了他的弟兄，但以為有死裏復活的見証，他的弟兄就會相信？是這樣子嗎？耶穌從死裏復活，不是每個人因為有這樣的記載都相信的。

      我們也看到了亞伯拉罕的反應，關於有深淵限定這一件事，有人認為陰間和亞伯拉罕的靈體不在一個維度上，因此至少有四維空間(不算時間)。但這需要假設靈體是可以在同一維空間自由移動，我們不能因復活後的耶穌曾在人間不受限制，並下到陰間和上到天上就做如此的假設(公理)，這是不合邏輯的。另外，如果四維空間存在，有些聖經的話語就很容易解釋，不需要有聖經是如是說的信心了！且其存在和三維空間的邏輯相違背，而我們是活在三維空間中。

      要看到這一點，我們知道要神在三維空間中創造一個祂舉不起來的石頭是不可能的，現在我們就用這做例子。對數學的空間概念不熟習的人，我們可以用一維空間和二維空間的類比看到這一件事情。如果二維空間的一個長方塊和一維空間相交，在一維空間所看到的就是這長方塊和一維空間相交的線段如圖一所示。但也可從圖一中看見，二維空間的長方塊的方向不同，可以產生同樣的一維空間線段，也就是在二維空間我們舉起了這長方塊，而在一維空間的這線段不動，沒被舉起來。如果且四維空間存在的話，而且三維空間和四維空間的關係和這相同，我們就可看見存在一個四維空間的石頭，神實在已經舉起來，而在三維空間紋風不動，沒有被舉起來。

圖一: 同樣線段，但長方形不是唯一的

    最後我做一個相關四維空間的簡短見証作為結束。我現在正準備一本小册子，「 從創世記一到三章看神的旨意」，我以為它的前身邏輯上沒有問題，因此也就寄出請人看了。一段時間後，實在是沒想到聖靈在意念中告訴我說我錯了，我實在想不出邏輯錯在那裏，然後就突然意識到最開始我就錯了。在最開始說，『起初神創造天(heaven, H8064, 複數)地。』(創世記 1:1) 天用的是複數，所以應該是諸天，我那時以為諸天是從地球上看，在靈體是可以在同一維空間自由移動的假設下，我就能用四維空間的存在很容易的解釋那樣的諸天。但這是錯的，因為從創世記 1:3 才開始講現今世界的創造，而諸天在第一節就說到，是指起初神創造時間和空間時的諸天，應是指每一個星球在起初時都有自己的天，也就是第一節說的諸天，也因此看到了為什麼聖經說四維空間的不存在，這裏只是簡單的提到一些，詳細的論述會在這本小册子的附錄中。的確，聖靈知道聖經非常清楚。如果祂願意，祂能透過啓示更正我們，就像保羅所禱告的，『求我們主耶穌基督的神，榮耀的父，將那賜人智慧和啓示的靈賞給你們，使你們真知道他。』(以弗所書 1:17)

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到這網站後要按『對屬靈生命的瞭解』。)

In this short article we discuss two potentially controversial topics that arise from the passages on divorce and Lazarus the beggar. The former is quite different from the common view, and the latter brings up the issue of the non-existence of four dimensional space in faith using this scripture. First, we see the scripture that says we cannot serve two masters and why it is not good to be greedy for money. And the kingdom of heaven is to be entered with forcedly effort. We shouldn’t be of little faith. We also see that prayer has priority, and that there is a reference to a mind and prayer that will be accepted. We also discuss briefly one of David’s prayer in Psalm 51 why we say that he is not only repent before God but also before men. Secondly, we see from the divorce and remarriage that one of the principles of God’s work is to distinguish between the general situation and the special case. And we have given other examples to illustrate this point, and see what Jesus Himself said. Finally, when we look at the incident between Lazarus the beggar and the rich man, we can see that we cannot use the fact that there is a great chasm fixed between Abraham and the rich man to say that there is a four-dimensional space (not including time). If four-dimensional space exists, it will create a contradiction in addition to a conflict with faith. 

1. Cannot serve two masters

““No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God. “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.”(Luke 16:13-17)

We see that Jesus knew the hearts of the Pharisees, and knew that they coveted money, “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”(1 Timothy 6:9-10) Covetousness of money is really bad. This is not to say that there is something wrong with money per se, but rather that we should not be greedy for money, and we should look at where it comes from and how it is used. Someone testified that there was a sister who inherited a lot of money, and she wanted to give it all away, but she testified that God didn’t tell her to do that, but to leave it behind, and she used the money and the interest to support a lot of missionary organizations. Look at Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, weren’t they all rich because of God’s blessings?

It is clear that God hates what considered as the honorable things of men, such as money, fame, and good works on surface. It must come from the heart as Paul did, “They only asked us to remember the poor⁠—the very thing I also was eager to do.”(Galatians 2:10) We also see that the Law (the true meaning of the Law) cannot be abrogated, as Jesus did in His earthly life. The law is good as the scripture says, “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”(Romans 7:12) But “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”(Romans 3:20) So Paul would say, “Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.”(Romans 3:31) The law is naturally fulfilled by “Do not quench the Spirit.”(1 Thessalonians 5:19)

We also see that the kingdom of heaven requires effort (G971) to enter as translated in the Chinese Union Bible. The word (G971) appears only twice in the Bible, and the other time it is unanimously stated, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence (G971), and violent men take it by force.”(Matthew 11:12) Thus this effort does not mean effort to do good deeds in general. If we look at the original text or the English text, it is very clear that the kingdom of heaven will be entered by those who suffer violence (G971), and those who become violent (G973) by force (G726). This refers to the spiritual warfare, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.”(Ephesians 2:1-2) This was the case before we were baptized without faith, for from Adam and Eve onwards, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”(Romans 3:23) When we were baptized by faith, “…He (God) rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”(Colossians 1:13-14)

From that time on, “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”(Ephesians 6:12-13) As we mentioned before, the armor, except for the sword of the Holy Spirit, are all defensive weapons. Therefore, God wants us to stand firm first, and the best time to attack is when the Holy Spirit leads us to attack, and not to think that we can defeat Satan by our own strength. How can such a battle be peaceful if it is fought with strength?

In the Gospel of Matthew, it says, ““No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”(Matthew 6:24-34)

Obviously, this scripture is mainly about worldly things. If we serve God and know that He will take care of everything, why should we worry? There are many testimonies that speak to this, so we will not go into that. These verses also tell us to prioritize our prayers, not to be men of little faith, but to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, as in the Lord’s Prayer. We notice in this verse, “Give us this day our daily bread.”(Matthew 6:11) Before this verse it is all about spiritual things, after this verse it is all about worldly things, and the Bible is very clear, “And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’””(Luke 4:4) We should indeed be thankful every day for the spiritual provision and the worldly food. This verse also explains the reason for not worrying about tomorrow. 

Finally, we should mention that such a heart and prayer will be accepted, “Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God.”(Proverbs 30:7-9) Let’s take a look at one of David’s prayers. Psalm 51 is a psalm that David wrote after he had gone in to Bathsheba. We can see from this psalm that David repented completely before God. Someone told me that no one noticed that this was a song that was delivered to the director of the opera, and it was sung by a lot of people. He did not hide his sin and repented in front of people. 

2. Divorce and remarry 

“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.”(Luke 16:18)

The Gospel according to Matthew also says, “It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”(Matthew 5:31-32) The Old Testament further states boldly, “For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the Lord of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.””(Malachi 2:16) Described in this way, it seems that the teaching that Christians should never divorce is absolutely correct.

To answer this question, we need to look at what the Bible says. First of all, we see that “He (the Lord) made known His ways to Moses, …”(Psalm 103:7) We are to be like Moses in knowing His ways, so what does this passage mean from a Biblical perspective? Simply put, the issue is essentially the same as whether or not we should be baptized. When it comes to baptism, as we have shared before, we should be baptized in general. This is required by the Great Commission (cf. Matthew 28:18-20), and Jesus is our example (cf. Matthew 3:13-17). However, we can be without baptism under special circumstances as the criminal case indicates（cf. Luke 23:39-43) We need to look at the Bible to clearly distinguish between general and special cases, and in special cases we should ask if we are in the same situation.

Let’s look at the example of Rahab the prostitute (Joshua 2:1-22). She was a prostitute and a liar, but what does the Bible say about her! “By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.”(Hebrews 11:31) So God values her quite differently from man. Rahab was praised for her faith, not for being a prostitute, not for laying down her life to lie for God, and we see that she is even in Jesus’ family tree (Matthew 1:5). In fact, we can see from this that she did not want to be a prostitute. The Bible does not say why she had to be a prostitute, so it is useless to guess. Does God want every man to lie and every woman to be a prostitute? Definitely not! This is a special case. God has absolute sovereignty, and He sees people’s hearts differently from what the world sees. There are many more examples of this, so I won’t go into them!

Lastly, let’s look at what Jesus said about this issue, “Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.””(Matthew 19:3-6) The first part of this passage is about the general situation of marriage, which cannot be divorced, and we can see this because He then says basically the same thing, “They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.””(Matthew 19:7-9)

In fact, the latter part of this passage mentions the special circumstances that “…What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”(Matthew 19:6) The special case does not mean to open the door or an excuse for divorce and remarriage. Under these special circumstances, we have to ask, “Is this marriage really a marriage that God has joined together?” For example, if both the husband and wife are non-Christians to start with, I dare not say that the marriage is definitely a marriage of that God has joined rather than man’s own choice. Therefore, the teaching that Christians should never get divorced is not absolutely correct, but it depends on the general situation or the special case. It is like someone saying, “I don’t have to go to church, as long as I believe,” but that is not what the Bible says. Just be very aware that the enemy, Satan, would love to see a marriage broken up, and we must be very careful to discern that, so that we don’t fall for the enemy’s schemes.

3. The matter of the beggar Lazarus

“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house⁠— for I have five brothers⁠—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”(Luke 16:19-31)

The Bible is inspired by God. Let us not discount the words of the Bible, but look at the fruits in faith, for we know that “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?”(Matthew 7:16) This paragraph describes the life of Lazarus. The fruit of Lazarus was that he was in Abraham’s bosom, the Bible does not say why, so it is impossible to guess. The life of the rich man was that he had already enjoyed the blessings of the world, and the fruit of his life was that he went down to the Hades to suffer, not to die like a lamp going out, as the Chinese saying goes. This does not mean that everyone who is rich will go down to Hades. For example, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were rich in the world because of God’s blessings, and they definitely did not go down to Hades. We can also see that the rich man at least thought of his brothers, but thought that with the testimony of the resurrection from the dead, his brothers would believe? Is that so? Not everyone believes in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead because of this account.

We have also seen Abraham’s reaction to the idea that there is a chasm between him and the rich man. Some people think that the Hades and Abraham’s spirit body were not in the same dimension, so there are at least four dimensions of space (not counting time). However, this requires the assumption that the spirit body can move freely in the same dimension. We cannot make such an assumption (axiom) just because the resurrected Jesus was unrestricted in the human world and went down to the Hades and up to the Heavens, which is illogical. Also, if four dimensions existed, some of the words of the Bible would be easy to explain and there would be no need to have faith that the Bible says so! And its existence is contrary to the logic of three dimensional space, in which we live. 

To see this, we know that it would be impossible for God to create a rock in three dimensions that He could not lift, and we will use this as an example to illustrate one point. For those of you who are not familiar with the mathematical concept of space, we can see this with the analogy between one-dimensional space and two-dimensional space. If a rectangle in two-dimensional space intersects with one-dimensional space, what you see in one-dimensional space is the line segment that intersects this rectangle and one-dimensional space as shown in Fig. 1. However, it can also be seen from Fig. 1 that the orientation of the rectangles in two-dimensional space is different, which can produce the same line segment in one-dimensional space. That is, in two-dimensional space we lift the rectangle, while in one-dimensional space the line segment does not move and is not lifted up. If and when four-dimensional space exists, and the relationship between three-dimensional space and four-dimensional space is the same as this, we can see that there is a four-dimensional stone, which God has actually lifted, while in three-dimensional space the rock does not move and is not lifted. This is in contradiction to three dimensional logic.

Fig. 1: Same line segments, but the rectangle is not unique

I’ll conclude with a short testimony about four-dimensional space. I am now preparing a booklet, “God’s Will in Genesis 1-3”, and I thought its predecessor was logically sound, so I sent it out to be read. After a while, I didn’t expect the Holy Spirit to tell me in my mind that I was wrong, and I couldn’t figure out where the logic was wrong, and then I suddenly realized that I was wrong from the very beginning. In the beginning it says, “In the beginning God created the heavens (heaven, H8064, plural) and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) Since heaven is plural, it should be the heavens as translated. Before I thought that the heavens were viewed from the earth, and I could easily explain the heavens in terms of the existence of the four dimensions under the assumption that the spirit body is free to move in the same dimension. But this is wrong, because from Genesis 1:3 we begin to talk about the creation of the present world, and the heavens are mentioned in the first verse, which refers to the heavens in the beginning when God created time and space, which means that each planet had its own heaven in the beginning. That is, the fact that the heavens mentioned in the first verse makes us to see why the Bible says that the four dimensional space doesn’t exist in faith, which is only briefly mentioned here, and will be discussed in detail in the Appendix of this booklet. Indeed, Holy Spirit knows the Bible best. If He wants, He can initialize the correction through revelation as Paul prayed, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”(Ephesians 1:17)

(Verses refer to those in NASB unless otherwise specified.)

(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)

    我们先看浪子的比喻，首先看小儿子，他在父亲生前就要求分财产，带著他那一份出走挥霍，遭受苦难而最终悔改回到父亲身旁。看父亲的反应就知道父亲已随时准备好为小儿子的悔改而欢欣。这不是天父和我们的关系吗？世人都犯了罪，亏缺了神的荣耀，我们不会比那小儿子好，但天父随时准备好我们的悔改，信而受洗，同时忍痛看我们受苦难，让我们面对自己的决定。第二，我们再看大儿子，他看见小儿子的遭遇而不平，只因自己守律法而没有违背父亲的命令而自夸，却忘记父亲的慈心，论断自己的弟兄。最后我们看看那不义的管家的教训，所求于管家的是要有忠心，显然这人不配做管家，可见主人不同意他做的，但夸讲他的确在地上的事聪明，我们应该注目在天上的事，善用那不义的钱财，小事上忠心的结果，是别人才敢把真实的钱财托付给你。

1. 浪子的比喻       

    『耶稣又说：「一个人有两个儿子。小儿子对父亲说：『父亲，请你把我应得的家业分给我。』他父亲就把产业分给他们。「过了不多几日，小儿子就把他一切所有的都收拾起来，往远方去了。在那里任意放荡，浪费资财。既耗尽了一切所有的，又遇著那地方大遭饥荒，就穷苦起来。于是去投靠那地方的一个人，那人打发他到田里去放猪。他恨不得拿猪所吃的豆荚充饥，也没有人给他。「他醒悟过来，就说：『我父亲有多少的雇工，口粮有余，我倒在这里饿死吗？我要起来，到我父亲那里去，向他说：父亲！我得罪了天，又得罪了你。从今以后，我不配称为你的儿子，把我当作一个雇工吧！』于是起来，往他父亲那里去。 「相离还远，他父亲看见，就动了慈心，跑去抱著他的颈项，连连与他亲嘴。儿子说：『父亲！我得罪了天，又得罪了你。从今以后，我不配称为你的儿子。』「父亲却吩咐仆人说：『把那上好的袍子快拿出来给他穿，把戒指戴在他指头上，把鞋穿在他脚上，把那肥牛犊牵来宰了，我们可以吃喝快乐。因为我这个儿子是死而复活、失而又得的。』他们就快乐起来。』(路加福音 15:11-24)       

    这是耶稣说的，依照圣经的一致性，祂是在说救恩的事情。我们先看这浪子小儿子，他分了家产后带走了一切而浪费资财，且因此穷苦，受了许多的苦，最后悔改回到父亲身边。这不是指我们吗？『因为世人都犯了罪，亏缺了神的荣耀。』(罗马书 3:23) 所以我们不要以为自己比那浪子好多了！没有神的恩典，耶稣的救恩，被罪沾污的我们只有一死，付罪的工价。这在经文说得很清楚，『因为罪的工价乃是死，惟有神的恩赐，在我们的主基督耶稣里，乃是永生。』(罗马书 6:23) 而『天国近了，你们应当悔改！』(马太福音 3:2) 所以悔改是非常重要重要的。我所知道的复兴，都是以悔改开始。    

    『如今却蒙神的恩典，因基督耶稣的救赎，就白白地称义。』(罗马书 3:24) 是白白的称义，我们看父亲对他悔改的反应就知道这点，相离还远，父亲就迫不及待的跑去欢迎他。这里是说父亲常常等待他，如果看不到这点，那么这上好的袍子是为他准备的，要不怎能合身？那时的戒指的大小是固定的，怎能戴在他手上？鞋又怎能合脚？这父亲为这失去的小儿子仍然准备了这一切，期望有这么一天。父亲的快乐是因为这个小儿子是死而复活、失而又得的。我们信主不是这样吗？『你们在天上的父也是这样，不愿意这小子里失丧一个。』(马太福音 18:14) 『他愿意万人得救，明白真道。』(提摩太前书 2:4) 不愿一人沈沦。而且『…一个罪人悔改，在天上也要这样为他欢喜，…』(路加福音 15:7)       

    我们再来看看这父亲，父亲没有死时小儿子就要求分财产，真是完全不尊重这父亲，因此可能有人会质疑这父亲是不是太溺爱这小儿子了？如果是说地上的父亲，可能真是如此，因为他可以不答应的，但他答应了！如果这父亲是代表天父，情况就会完全不一样，祂知道祂的儿女会受苦难，但忍痛著要儿女们面对真实的自己。人常常会加强符合自己心意而认为是好的事情，而忘了一些真正的好的事情，如果不背起自己的十字架，遭过苦难，常常会如浪子般以为符合自己的心意的才是好的，而忘了因自己心意而引起的潜在的危机。天父的确是随时准备好去等待著祂的儿女们悔改转向祂，不是每一个罪人都会悔改的，但会因一个罪人的悔改而大为欢喜！

2. 浪子的哥哥       

    『那时，大儿子正在田里。他回来，离家不远，听见作乐跳舞的声音，便叫过一个仆人来，问是甚么事。仆人说：『你兄弟来了。你父亲因为得他无灾无病的回来，把肥牛犊宰了。』「大儿子却生气，不肯进去。他父亲就出来劝他。他对父亲说：『我服事你这多年，从来没有违背过你的命令，你并没有给我一只山羊羔，叫我和朋友一同快乐。但你这个儿子和娼妓吞尽了你的产业，他一来了，你倒为他宰了肥牛犊！』「父亲对他说：『儿啊！你常和我同在，我一切所有的都是你的；只是你这个兄弟是死而复活、失而又得的，所以我们理当欢喜快乐。』』(路加福音 15:25-32)       

    这大儿子的情况也是非常不好，很不服，他生气而不肯进去，显然是说他守了律法而没有违背过父亲的命令，而忘了父亲是慈爱的，因小儿子死而复活、失而又得而欢喜快乐。他显然是不能由心发出他所行的，不能和父亲一同欢喜快乐，而『…一生的果效，是由心发出。』(箴言 4:23) 按著律法，他父亲一切所有都是他的，但『没有一个人靠著律法在神面前称义，这是明显的，因为经上说：「义人必因信得生。」律法原不本乎信，只说：「行这些事的，就必因此活著。」』(加拉太书 3:11-12) 『因为凡遵守全律法的，只在一条上跌倒，他就是犯了众条。』(雅各书 2:10) 『这样，律法是我们训蒙的师傅，引我们到基督那里，使我们因信称义。』(加拉太书 3:24) 大儿子是论断了小儿子，小儿子的确是不好，但这小儿子不仅仅是后「悔」他所做，并真正的「改」了，回到父亲的身边，他对父亲而言是死而复得的。 我们实在不要论断别人，『你是谁，竟论断别人的仆人呢？他或站住，或跌倒，自有他的主人在；而且他也必要站住，因为主能使他站住。』(罗马书 14:4)    

    我们再从父亲角度看，从这些经文中他是有心要儿子们承受产业的。先看大儿子，『父亲对他说：『儿啊！你常和我同在，我一切所有的都是你的。』』路加福音 15:31) 所以这是明讲了！再看那死而复活、失而又得的小儿子，有人说父亲为他准备了代表权威的戒指等，很显然的，父亲认他为接受产业的儿子了，这不是和我们一样吗？我们信而受洗成为神的养子，继承了那『因为神本性一切的丰盛，都有形有体地居住在基督里』的产业。(歌罗西书 2:9)

3 不义的管家的教训       

    『耶稣又对门徒说：「有一个财主的管家，别人向他主人告他浪费主人的财物。主人叫他来，对他说：『我听见你这事怎么样呢？把你所经管的交代明白，因你不能再作我的管家。』「那管家心里说：『主人辞我，不用我再作管家，我将来做甚么？锄地呢？无力；讨饭呢？怕羞。我知道怎么行，好叫人在我不作管家之后，接我到他们家里去。』「于是把欠他主人债的，一个一个地叫了来，问头一个说：『你欠我主人多少？』「他说：『一百篓油。』 「管家说：『拿你的账，快坐下，写五十。』「又问一个说：『你欠多少？』 「他说：『一百石麦子。』 「管家说：『拿你的账，写八十。』「主人就夸奖这不义的管家做事聪明，因为今世之子，在世事之上，较比光明之子更加聪明。我又告诉你们：要借著那不义的钱财结交朋友，到了钱财无用的时候，他们可以接你们到永存的帐幕里去。「人在最小的事上忠心，在大事上也忠心；在最小的事上不义，在大事上也不义。倘若你们在不义的钱财上不忠心，谁还把那真实的钱财托付你们呢？倘若你们在别人的东西上不忠心，谁还把你们自己的东西给你们呢？」』(路加福音 16:1-12)     

    那管家显然做了人家告他的事，因这么在世上的事聪明的人，并没有辩白，最后因他做了不义的事而被辞退，这是非常合理的，因『所求于管家的，是要他有忠心。』(哥林多前书 4:2) 看这管家被辞退后离开前做的事，也可以看到他真正的一不做二不休，反正不是自己的财物，就浪费了主人的财物。主人夸奖这不义的管家做事聪明，的确在世事之上，他是比较比光明之子更加聪明，主人并没说他是对的，只是说他聪明，讲了一个事实而已。

    其后带出了要适当的使用钱财，因为生不带来，死不带去，要考虑那可永存的。你必须在小事上忠心，在别人的东西上忠心，有人看见你这样做，才敢把自己的东西托付给你！我们本就是神的养子，要承受产业的，难怪会说，『倘若你们在别人的东西上不忠心，谁还把你们自己的东西给你们呢？」』(路加福音 16:12) 在新约时代，『人应当以我们为基督的执事，为神奥秘事的管家。』(哥林多前书 4:1) 所以 『各人要照所得的恩赐彼此服事，作神百般恩赐的好管家。』(彼得前书 4:10)

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到这网站后要按『对属灵生命的了解』。) 

    我們先看浪子的比喻，首先看小兒子，他在父親生前就要求分財產，帶著他那一份出走揮霍，遭受苦難而最終悔改回到父親身旁。看父親的反應就知道父親已隨時準備好為小兒子的悔改而歡欣。這不是天父和我們的關係嗎？世人都犯了罪，虧缺了神的榮耀，我們不會比那小兒子好，但天父隨時準備好我們的悔改，信而受洗，同時忍痛看我們受苦難，讓我們面對自己的決定。第二，我們再看大兒子，他看見小兒子的遭遇而不平，只因自己守律法而沒有違背父親的命令而自誇，卻忘記父親的慈心，論斷自己的弟兄。最後我們看看那不義的管家的教訓，所求於管家的是要有忠心，顯然這人不配做管家，可見主人不同意他做的，但誇講他的確在地上的事聰明，我們應該注目在天上的事，善用那不義的錢財，小事上忠心的結果，是別人才敢把真實的錢財託付給你。

1. 浪子的比喻

       『耶穌又說：「一個人有兩個兒子。小兒子對父親說：『父親，請你把我應得的家業分給我。』他父親就把產業分給他們。「過了不多幾日，小兒子就把他一切所有的都收拾起來，往遠方去了。在那裏任意放蕩，浪費資財。既耗盡了一切所有的，又遇着那地方大遭饑荒，就窮苦起來。於是去投靠那地方的一個人，那人打發他到田裏去放豬。他恨不得拿豬所吃的豆莢充飢，也沒有人給他。「他醒悟過來，就說：『我父親有多少的雇工，口糧有餘，我倒在這裏餓死嗎？我要起來，到我父親那裏去，向他說：父親！我得罪了天，又得罪了你。從今以後，我不配稱為你的兒子，把我當作一個雇工吧！』於是起來，往他父親那裏去。 「相離還遠，他父親看見，就動了慈心，跑去抱着他的頸項，連連與他親嘴。兒子說：『父親！我得罪了天，又得罪了你。從今以後，我不配稱為你的兒子。』「父親卻吩咐僕人說：『把那上好的袍子快拿出來給他穿，把戒指戴在他指頭上，把鞋穿在他腳上，把那肥牛犢牽來宰了，我們可以吃喝快樂。因為我這個兒子是死而復活、失而又得的。』他們就快樂起來。』(路加福音 15:11-24)

       這是耶穌說的，依照聖經的一致性，祂是在說救恩的事情。我們先看這浪子小兒子，他分了家產後帶走了一切而浪費資財，且因此窮苦，受了許多的苦，最後悔改回到父親身邊。這不是指我們嗎？『因為世人都犯了罪，虧缺了神的榮耀。』(羅馬書 3:23) 所以我們不要以為自己比那浪子好多了！沒有神的恩典，耶穌的救恩，被罪沾污的我們只有一死，付罪的工價。這在經文說得很清楚，『因為罪的工價乃是死，惟有神的恩賜，在我們的主基督耶穌裏，乃是永生。』(羅馬書 6:23) 而『天國近了，你們應當悔改！』(馬太福音 3:2) 所以悔改是非常重要重要的。我所知道的復興，都是以悔改開始。

    『如今卻蒙神的恩典，因基督耶穌的救贖，就白白地稱義。』(羅馬書 3:24) 是白白的稱義，我們看父親對他悔改的反應就知道這點，相離還遠，父親就迫不及待的跑去歡迎他。這裏是說父親常常等待他，如果看不到這點，那麼這上好的袍子是為他準備的，要不怎能合身？那時的戒指的大小是固定的，怎能戴在他手上？鞋又怎能合腳？這父親為這失去的小兒子仍然準備了這一切，期望有這麼一天。父親的快樂是因為這個小兒子是死而復活、失而又得的。我們信主不是這樣嗎？『你們在天上的父也是這樣，不願意這小子裏失喪一個。』(馬太福音 18:14) 『他願意萬人得救，明白真道。』(提摩太前書 2:4) 不願一人沈淪。而且『…一個罪人悔改，在天上也要這樣為他歡喜，…』(路加福音 15:7) 

       我們再來看看這父親，父親沒有死時小兒子就要求分財產，真是完全不尊重這父親，因此可能有人會質疑這父親是不是太溺愛這小兒子了？如果是說地上的父親，可能真是如此，因為他可以不答應的，但他答應了！如果這父親是代表天父，情況就會完全不一樣，祂知道祂的兒女會受苦難，但忍痛著要兒女們面對真實的自己。人常常會加強符合自己心意而認為是好的事情，而忘了一些真正的好的事情，如果不背起自己的十字架，遭過苦難，常常會如浪子般以為符合自己的心意的才是好的，而忘了因自己心意而引起的潛在的危機。天父的確是隨時準備好去等待著祂的兒女們悔改轉向祂，不是每一個罪人都會悔改的，但會因一個罪人的悔改而大為歡喜！

2. 浪子的哥哥

       『那時，大兒子正在田裏。他回來，離家不遠，聽見作樂跳舞的聲音，便叫過一個僕人來，問是甚麼事。僕人說：『你兄弟來了。你父親因為得他無災無病的回來，把肥牛犢宰了。』「大兒子卻生氣，不肯進去。他父親就出來勸他。他對父親說：『我服事你這多年，從來沒有違背過你的命令，你並沒有給我一隻山羊羔，叫我和朋友一同快樂。但你這個兒子和娼妓吞盡了你的產業，他一來了，你倒為他宰了肥牛犢！』「父親對他說：『兒啊！你常和我同在，我一切所有的都是你的；只是你這個兄弟是死而復活、失而又得的，所以我們理當歡喜快樂。』』(路加福音 15:25-32)

       這大兒子的情況也是非常不好，很不服，他生氣而不肯進去，顯然是說他守了律法而沒有違背過父親的命令，而忘了父親是慈愛的，因小兒子死而復活、失而又得而歡喜快樂。他顯然是不能由心發出他所行的，不能和父親一同歡喜快樂，而『…一生的果效，是由心發出。』(箴言 4:23) 按著律法，他父親一切所有都是他的，但『沒有一個人靠着律法在神面前稱義，這是明顯的，因為經上說：「義人必因信得生。」律法原不本乎信，只說：「行這些事的，就必因此活着。」』(加拉太書 3:11-12) 『因為凡遵守全律法的，只在一條上跌倒，他就是犯了眾條。』(雅各書 2:10) 『這樣，律法是我們訓蒙的師傅，引我們到基督那裏，使我們因信稱義。』(加拉太書 3:24) 大兒子是論斷了小兒子，小兒子的確是不好，但這小兒子不僅僅是後「悔」他所做，並真正的「改」了，回到父親的身邊，他對父親而言是死而復得的。 我們實在不要論斷別人，『你是誰，竟論斷別人的僕人呢？他或站住，或跌倒，自有他的主人在；而且他也必要站住，因為主能使他站住。』(羅馬書 14:4)

    我們再從父親角度看，從這些經文中他是有心要兒子們承受產業的。先看大兒子，『父親對他說：『兒啊！你常和我同在，我一切所有的都是你的。』』路加福音 15:31) 所以這是明講了！再看那死而復活、失而又得的小兒子，有人說父親為他準備了代表權威的戒指等，很顯然的，父親認他為接受產業的兒子了，這不是和我們一樣嗎？我們信而受洗成為神的養子，繼承了那『因為神本性一切的豐盛，都有形有體地居住在基督裏』的產業。(歌羅西書 2:9)

3 不義的管家的教訓

       『耶穌又對門徒說：「有一個財主的管家，別人向他主人告他浪費主人的財物。主人叫他來，對他說：『我聽見你這事怎麼樣呢？把你所經管的交代明白，因你不能再作我的管家。』「那管家心裏說：『主人辭我，不用我再作管家，我將來做甚麼？鋤地呢？無力；討飯呢？怕羞。我知道怎麼行，好叫人在我不作管家之後，接我到他們家裏去。』「於是把欠他主人債的，一個一個地叫了來，問頭一個說：『你欠我主人多少？』「他說：『一百簍油。』 「管家說：『拿你的賬，快坐下，寫五十。』「又問一個說：『你欠多少？』 「他說：『一百石麥子。』 「管家說：『拿你的賬，寫八十。』「主人就誇獎這不義的管家做事聰明，因為今世之子，在世事之上，較比光明之子更加聰明。我又告訴你們：要藉着那不義的錢財結交朋友，到了錢財無用的時候，他們可以接你們到永存的帳幕裏去。「人在最小的事上忠心，在大事上也忠心；在最小的事上不義，在大事上也不義。倘若你們在不義的錢財上不忠心，誰還把那真實的錢財託付你們呢？倘若你們在別人的東西上不忠心，誰還把你們自己的東西給你們呢？」』(路加福音 16:1-12)

     那管家顯然做了人家告他的事，因這麼在世上的事聰明的人，並沒有辯白，最後因他做了不義的事而被辭退，這是非常合理的，因『所求於管家的，是要他有忠心。』(哥林多前書 4:2) 看這管家被辭退後離開前做的事，也可以看到他真正的一不做二不休，反正不是自己的財物，就浪費了主人的財物。主人誇獎這不義的管家做事聰明，的確在世事之上，他是比較比光明之子更加聰明，主人並沒說他是對的，只是說他聰明，講了一個事實而已。

    其後帶出了要適當的使用錢財，因為生不帶來，死不帶去，要考慮那可永存的。你必須在小事上忠心，在別人的東西上忠心，有人看見你這樣做，才敢把自己的東西託付給你！我們本就是神的養子，要承受產業的，難怪會說，『倘若你們在別人的東西上不忠心，誰還把你們自己的東西給你們呢？」』(路加福音 16:12) 在新約時代，『人應當以我們為基督的執事，為神奧秘事的管家。』(哥林多前書 4:1) 所以 『各人要照所得的恩賜彼此服事，作神百般恩賜的好管家。』(彼得前書 4:10)

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Let us first look at the parable of the prodigal son. First, let us look at the younger son. Before his father was alive, he asked for a share of the property, took his share and went away to squander, suffered hardships, and finally repented and returned to his father.  Just look at the father’s reaction and you will know that the father is ready to rejoice at the younger son’s conversion.  Isn’t this the relationship between Heavenly Father and us?  Everyone in the world has sinned and fell short of the glory of God. We will not be better than the younger son, but the Father is always ready for us to repent, believe and be baptized, and at the same time see us suffering and let us face our own decisions .  Second, let’s look at the elder son. He felt unfair when he saw what happened to the younger son. From the verses, we can only see that he boasted because he obeyed the law and did not disobey his father’s orders. But he forgot his father’s compassion and judged his brothers.  Finally, let’s look at the lesson of the unjust steward. What is required of the steward is loyalty. Obviously, this person is not worthy of being a steward. It can be seen that the master disagrees with what he did, but he said that he was indeed wise in doing things on earth. We should focus on the things in heaven, and make good use of the money on earth. The result of being faithful in small things is that others dare to entrust you with real money.

1. The Parable of the Prodigal Son

“And He said, “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’ So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.”(Luke 15:11-24)

This is what Jesus so said, and according to the consistency in the Bible, He was speaking about salvation.  Let us first look at the younger son who is the prodigal son. After dividing the family property, he took away everything and wasted money, and because of this, he was poor and suffered a lot, and finally repented and we went back to his father.  Doesn’t this refer to us? In  Romans 3:23, it is said clearly, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So let us not think that we are much better than the prodigal son!  Without the grace of God, the salvation of Jesus, we who are stained by sin can only be worthy to die and pay the wages of sin.  This is clearly stated in the scriptures, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”(Romans 6:23) As said, ““Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”(Matthew 3:2) So repentance is very important.  All revivals I know begin with repentance.

It is said in Romans 3:24, “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” It is a free justification. We can see this from the father’s reaction to his repentance. Even if he was far away, the father couldn’t wait to run to welcome him.  This means that the father always waits for him. If you don’t see this, then this fine robe is for him, otherwise how could it fit?  The size of the ring at that time was fixed, how could it be worn on his hand?  How can shoes fit?  The father still prepared all this for the lost little son, and hoped for such a day.  The joy of the father is that the younger son is dead and resurrected, lost and found.  Isn’t that how we believe in the Lord? “So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.”(Matthew 18:14) He “…desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”(1 Timothy 2:4) Not wanting any to perish.  And “…there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents …”(Luke 15:7)

Let’s take a look at this father again. Before the father died, the youngest son asked for a share of the property. It really disrespects the father at all, so some people may question whether the father spoils the younger son too much?  If it is about the father on earth, it may be true, because he could not agree, but he agreed!  The situation would be completely different if the father represented the Heavenly Father. He knew that His children would suffer, but endured the pain for them to face their true selves.  People often strengthen what is in line with their own wishes and think it is good, and forget some really good things. If they do not take up their own cross and suffer, they will often think that what is in line with their own mind is good like a prodigal son. , and forget the potential crisis caused by one’s own mind.  Heavenly Father is indeed ready to wait for His children to repent and turn to Him. Not every sinner will repent, but one sinner will repent and He’ll rejoice!

2. The Brother of the Prodigal Son

“Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”(Luke 15:25-32) 

The condition of the elder son was very bad. He was very disobedient in this event, since he was angry and refused to go in, apparently saying that he kept the law and never disobeyed his father’s command. But he really forgot that the father who is with love is also gracious and mercy. He rejoiced due to resurrection of the thought death son. For him, the younger is lost and regained. The elder son cannot issue from his heart what he does, who cannot rejoice with his father, and we know “…from it flow the springs of life.”(Proverbs 4:23) According to the law, everything his father owned was his, but “Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.””(Galatians 3:11-12) “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.”(James 2:10) “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”(Galatians 3:24) The elder son judged the younger son, and the younger son was indeed bad, but the younger son not only “regretted” what he had done, but actually “reformed” and returned to the his father’s side, he was resurrected for his father.  Let us not judge others. We know “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”(Romans 14:4)

Let us look at it from the perspective of the father again. From these scriptures, he intends for his sons to inherit the inheritance.  Look at the elder son first, “And he (the father) said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours.”(Luke 15:31) So this is clear!  Looking at the younger son who was lost and found again, some people say that his father prepared a ring representing authority for him. Obviously, his father recognized him as the son who could receive the inheritance. Isn’t this the same as us?  We believed and were baptized to be adopted sons of God, inheriting the inheritance that “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”(Colossians 2:9)

3. Lessons from the Unrighteous Steward

“Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager (steward), and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’ And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?”(Luke 16:1-12)

The steward obviously did what he was accused of, because such a wise man in the world did not defend himself, and in the end he was dismissed because he did something unrighteous. This is very reasonable, because “In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”(1 Corinthians 4:2) Looking at what the steward did after he was dismissed and before he left, we can also see that he was really incessant. Anyway, it was not his own property, so he wasted the owner’s property.  The master praised the unrighteous steward for his cleverness. Indeed, he was more clever than the Son of Light. The master did not say that he was right, but only said that he was smart. So the master just tells a fact.  Later, it brought out the need to use money properly, because if you don’t bring it with you when you are born, you don’t take it with you when dead. You must consider what can last forever.  You must be faithful in small things, faithful in other people’s things, or no one will dare to entrust you things. The verse says, “And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?”(Luke 16:12) We are adopted sons of God and supposed to inherent our own things. If we aren’t faithful, there is no reason to give our inheritance. In the New Testament era, “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.”(1 Corinthians 4:1) Therefore, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”(1 Peter 4:10)

(Verses refer to those in NASB unless otherwise specified.)

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    首先我们看看摆设筵席是在比喻什么，趁著我们还有机会进天国的时候，要做正确的抉择，因信称义只是基督徒生命的开始，要走上成圣的路，在教会中要准备好去赴羔羊的婚筵。第二我们谈到了如何做门徒，要知道自己能付出的，准备好背十字架，要相信主的安排是为著我们的好处。最后我们看到天国在主动的寻找那失落的，看到了悔改是第一步，而神会因罪人的悔改如何的欢喜。虽是主是主动的寻找，我们仍然必须在大使命中，以身作则和神同工。信而受洗时，神已经把我们迁到他爱子的国里。所以我们已经在基督里，在成圣的路上，我们要不犯罪，留在基督里。即使不免犯罪，我们也知道，『我们若认自己的罪，神是信实的，是公义的，必要赦免我们的罪，洗净我们一切的不义。』(约翰一书 1:9)

1. 摆设筵席       

    『耶稣又对请他的人说：「你摆设午饭或晚饭，不要请你的朋友、弟兄、亲属和富足的邻舍，恐怕他们也请你，你就得了报答。你摆设筵席，倒要请那贫穷的、残废的、瘸腿的、瞎眼的，你就有福了！因为他们没有甚么可报答你。到义人复活的时候，你要得著报答。」同席的有一人听见这话，就对耶稣说：「在神国里吃饭的有福了！」』(路加福音 14:12-15)       

    这人了解得没错，耶稣的确用比喻在说天国的筵席，我们等会看耶稣的回应就知道这一点了。在人间的请客，的确通常都是有来有往，这一段话不是说不要请认识的，因为这样讲实在是不合情理，而是说要投资在天国，不要只想到求人间的回报，就像施舍一样，『所以，你施舍的时候，不可在你前面吹号，像那假冒为善的人在会堂里和街道上所行的，故意要得人的荣耀。我实在告诉你们：他们已经得了他们的赏赐。你施舍的时候，不要叫左手知道右手所做的；要叫你施舍的事行在暗中，你父在暗中察看，必然报答你。』(马太福音 6:2-4)      

    耶稣继续的用筵席的比喻，『耶稣对他说：「有一人摆设大筵席，请了许多客。到了坐席的时候，打发仆人去对所请的人说：『请来吧！样样都齐备了。』「众人一口同音地推辞。头一个说：『我买了一块地，必须去看看。请你准我辞了。』「又有一个说：『我买了五对牛，要去试一试。请你准我辞了。』「又有一个说：『我才娶了妻，所以不能去。』「那仆人回来，把这事都告诉了主人。家主就动怒，对仆人说：『快出去，到城里大街小巷，领那贫穷的、残废的、瞎眼的、瘸腿的来。』「仆人说：『主啊，你所吩咐的已经办了，还有空座。』「主人对仆人说：『你出去到路上和篱笆那里，勉强人进来，坐满我的屋子。我告诉你们：先前所请的人没有一个得尝我的筵席。』」』(路加福音 14:16-24)      

     圣经常用筵席说到天国，譬如这里很清楚的这样说，『耶稣又用比喻对他们说：「天国好比一个王为他儿子摆设娶亲的筵席，就打发仆人去，请那些被召的人来赴席；他们却不肯来。「王又打发别的仆人，说：『你们告诉那被召的人，我的筵席已经预备好了，牛和肥畜已经宰了，各样都齐备，请你们来赴席。』「那些人不理就走了：一个到自己田里去，一个做买卖去，其余的拿住仆人，凌辱他们，把他们杀了。王就大怒，发兵除灭那些凶手，烧毁他们的城。「于是对仆人说：『喜筵已经齐备，只是所召的人不配。所以你们要往岔路口上去，凡遇见的，都召来赴席。』那些仆人就出去到大路上，凡遇见的，不论善恶都召聚了来，筵席上就坐满了客。』(马太福音 22:1-10)       

    这章节和前面的经文基本上在说一件事，我们看见因以前所预备请的宾客只顾做自己的事，最后反而与筵席没有份，也看见了能被邀请的资格是相当的低。如果以这些经文来和新约做类比，就是说救恩原是为每一个人所预备的，只要信就能称义。更可以看见，原来被邀请的就是以色列人，而『…以色列人所求的，他们没有得著，惟有蒙拣选的人得著了，其余的就成了顽梗不化的。』(罗马书 11:7) 如保罗般的少数犹太人就得著了。也因为如此，『…反倒因他们的过失，救恩便临到外邦人，…』(罗马书 11:11) 所以救恩的计划是有一个次序，从选民犹太人到外邦人，也就如『保罗和巴拿巴放胆说：「…因为主曾这样吩咐我们说：『我已经立你作外邦人的光，叫你施行救恩，直到地极。』」』(使徒行传 13:46-47) 对救恩来说，得救的门槛是定得相当的低，只要能信就可以了，经文说得很清楚，『因为人心里相信，就可以称义；口里承认，就可以得救。』(罗马书 10:10)     

    但我们又看到马太福音接著说，『王进来观看宾客，见那里有一个没有穿礼服的，就对他说：『朋友，你到这里来，怎么不穿礼服呢？』那人无言可答。「于是王对使唤的人说：『捆起他的手脚来，把他丢在外边的黑暗里，在那里必要哀哭切齿了。』「因为被召的人多，选上的人少。」』(马太福音 22:11-14) 那时候的筵席是要穿礼服的，很显然的，那些人是路上来的，不太可能穿著礼服在路上，因那人无言可答，所以那人是可以穿礼服，唯一的可能是王为他们预备了筵席的礼服，只是那人不当的没穿而已。所以信而称义只是做一个基督徒的开始，要过一个每个人都可过的「分别成圣」的生活，在新约中说得很清楚，『因为经上记著说：「你们要圣洁，因为我是圣洁的。」』(彼得前书 1:16) 虽然圣洁不能一蹴可及，但我们要进窄门，走上成圣的道路，不要变成那选上人少的人。请注意，经文中并没有说只有一个人没穿礼服，以新约做类比，那礼服就是指信而称义而每个人都有内住的圣灵，我们要适当的穿上礼服，圣灵会在我们成圣的路上引导我们。       

    在圣经最后的启示录中，我们也看到了终极的羔羊娶妻的婚筵，『拿著七个金碗、盛满末后七灾的七位天使中，有一位来对我说：「你到这里来，我要将新妇(教会)，就是羔羊(主耶稣基督)的妻，指给你看。」我被圣灵感动，天使就带我到一座高大的山，将那由神那里从天而降的圣城耶路撒冷指示我。』(启示录 21:9-10) 我们要强调的是，那新耶路撒冷就是神眼中那唯一的教会，就是因奉祂的名聚会的一群人，和那群人的物理位置是没关系的，『因为无论在哪里，有两三个人奉我的名聚会，那里就有我在他们中间。』(马太福音 18:20) 保罗对这点知道得很清楚，『所以，你们因信基督耶稣，都是神的儿子。你们受洗归入基督的，都是披戴基督了。』(加拉太书 3:26-27) 我们知道耶稣是父的独生子，那我们都是神的儿子，是指合法的养子了！『因为他预先所知道的人，就预先定下效法(模成, be conformed to)他儿子的模样(形像, image)，使他儿子在许多弟兄中作长子。 』(罗马书 8:29)

2. 如何做门徒       

    『有极多的人和耶稣同行。他转过来对他们说：「人到我这里来，若不爱我胜过爱自己的父母、妻子、儿女、弟兄、姐妹，和自己的性命，就不能作我的门徒。凡不背著自己十字架跟从我的，也不能作我的门徒。「你们哪一个要盖一座楼，不先坐下算计花费，能盖成不能呢？恐怕安了地基，不能成功，看见的人都笑话他，说：『这个人开了工，却不能完工。』或是一个王出去和别的王打仗，岂不先坐下酌量，能用一万兵去敌那领二万兵来攻打他的吗？若是不能，就趁敌人还远的时候，派使者去求和息的条款。这样，你们无论甚么人，若不撇下一切所有的，就不能作我的门徒。「盐本是好的，盐若失了味，可用甚么叫它再咸呢？或用在田里，或堆在粪里，都不合式，只好丢在外面。「有耳可听的，就应当听！」』(路加福音 14:25-35)      

    这里并没说不要爱自己的父母等等，而是说爱主要胜过爱这一切。做门徒是不容易的，要知道自己能够付出的，但有的时候，即使我们愿意和息别人也不见得会愿意，而估计不一定会完全正确。十字架不是指自讨苦吃，而通常是和苦难有关的，生命的成长经常伴随著神安排或允许的苦难(如约伯般)，基本上没有人愿意主动的背十字架，但这经文明说做门徒要准备好背十字架。这经文不是说信主前就要估量自己可以完全背负自己的十字架，如果是这样，不信主就算了，而是要有一个心志，就是当主要时，要准备好撇下一切所有的，如同当时的雅各和约翰般，『(耶稣)从那里往前走，又看见弟兄二人，就是西庇太的儿子雅各和他兄弟约翰，同他们的父亲西庇太在船上补网，耶稣就招呼他们。他们立刻舍了船，别了父亲，跟从了耶稣。』(马太福音 4:21-22) 这实在是很不容易的，我知道自己是很难做到这点。     

    要相信主的安排是为著我们的好处，因『我们晓得万事都互相效力，叫爱神的人得益处，…』(罗马书 8:28) 至于谈到盐会失了味因而丢在外面，大概只有直接使用的石盐会如此，失了味的石盐是不可能再咸的。最后说到，我们实在是要有一个能听的耳，不只是在这里说，在启示录提到的七个教会都说，『圣灵向众教会所说的话，凡有耳的，就应当听！』(如在启示录 3:22)

3. 天国在主动的寻找失羊和失钱     

    『众税吏和罪人都挨近耶稣，要听他讲道。法利赛人和文士私下议论说：「这个人接待罪人，又同他们吃饭。」』(路加福音 15:1-2) 的确，法利赛人和文士论断别人是罪人，却没想到每一个人包括自己都需要救恩，『因为世人都犯了罪，亏缺了神的荣耀。』(罗马书 3:23)    

    圣经所说的罪是指不顺服神，证明这点，我们首先从经文看， 『这就如罪是从一人(亚当)入了世界，…』，这是因为亚当的不顺服，所以不顺服意味著罪。反过来要说，罪意味著不顺服神，我们可以看其逻辑上相等的叙述，就是顺服神意味著没有罪。神有绝对的主权，顺服神绝对不是犯罪，所以结论就是罪等于不顺服神。『亚当活到一百三十岁，生了一个儿子，形像样式和自己相似…』(创世记 5:3) 是带著罪的。我们都是亚当的子孙，这就像遗传类似，我们也是从出生就带著罪的，我们是罪人因我们带著罪，不是因我们犯了罪行而成为罪人，不要本末倒置。说到罪行，我们知道小孩子不必教就会说谎，怎么会不是性本恶而世人都犯了罪呢？    

    这里有两个比喻，第一个是：『耶稣就用比喻说：「你们中间谁有一百只羊失去一只，不把这九十九只撇在旷野，去找那失去的羊，直到找著呢？找著了，就欢欢喜喜地扛在肩上，回到家里，就请朋友邻舍来，对他们说：『我失去的羊已经找著了，你们和我一同欢喜吧！』我告诉你们：一个罪人悔改，在天上也要这样为他欢喜，较比为九十九个不用悔改的义人欢喜更大。」』(路加福音 15:3-7) 请注意，这人是主动的去寻找，犹如不论我们知不知道，一个人会成为真正的基督徒，是圣灵主动寻找的工作，我们也听过这样的见证。       

    接著就谈到第二个失钱的比喻，『或是一个妇人有十块钱，若失落一块，岂不点上灯，打扫屋子，细细地找，直到找著吗？找著了，就请朋友邻舍来，对他们说：『我失落的那块钱已经找著了，你们和我一同欢喜吧！』我告诉你们：一个罪人悔改，在神的使者面前也是这样为他欢喜。』(路加福音 15:8-10)       

    这两个比喻是在讲同一件事情，就是天国是主动在寻找失丧的人，希望罪人悔改，也看到了因罪人悔改神的欢喜。虽是主是主动的寻找，我们仍然必须在大使命中和神同工 (参马太福音 28:18-20)，要以身作则，使别人看见我们的好行为，甘心情愿的要做基督徒，我们也因此能在大使命中，使万民作主的门徒了。    

    悔改是非常的重要，是第一步，就像『彼得说：「你们各人要悔改，奉耶稣基督的名受洗，叫你们的罪得赦，就必领受所赐的圣灵。」』（使徒行传 2:38) 所以真正的悔改一定会有随著而来的行动的。耶稣也说得很清楚，『…天国近了，你们应当悔改！(马太福音 4:17) 信而受洗时，神已经『…救了我们脱离黑暗的权势，把我们迁到他爱子的国里；我们在爱子里得蒙救赎，罪过得以赦免。』(歌罗西书 1:13-14) 所以我们已经在基督里，在成圣的路上，我们要不犯罪，留在基督里。即使不免犯罪，我们也知道，『我们若认自己的罪，神是信实的，是公义的，必要赦免我们的罪，洗净我们一切的不义。』(约翰一书 1:9)

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到这网站后要按『对属灵生命的了解』。) 

       首先我們看看擺設筵席是在比喻什麼，趁著我們還有機會進天國的時候，要做正確的抉擇，因信稱義只是基督徒生命的開始，要走上成聖的路，在教會中要準備好去赴羔羊的婚筵。第二我們談到了如何做門徒，要知道自己能付出的，準備好背十字架，要相信主的安排是為著我們的好處。最後我們看到天國在主動的尋找那失落的，看到了悔改是第一步，而神會因罪人的悔改如何的歡喜。雖是主是主動的尋找，我們仍然必須在大使命中，以身作則和神同工。信而受洗時，神已經把我們遷到他愛子的國裏。所以我們已經在基督裏，在成聖的路上，我們要不犯罪，留在基督裡。即使不免犯罪，我們也知道，『我們若認自己的罪，神是信實的，是公義的，必要赦免我們的罪，洗淨我們一切的不義。』(約翰一書 1:9)

1. 擺設筵席

       『耶穌又對請他的人說：「你擺設午飯或晚飯，不要請你的朋友、弟兄、親屬和富足的鄰舍，恐怕他們也請你，你就得了報答。你擺設筵席，倒要請那貧窮的、殘廢的、瘸腿的、瞎眼的，你就有福了！因為他們沒有甚麼可報答你。到義人復活的時候，你要得着報答。」同席的有一人聽見這話，就對耶穌說：「在神國裏吃飯的有福了！」』(路加福音 14:12-15)

       這人瞭解得沒錯，耶穌的確用比喻在說天國的筵席，我們等會看耶穌的回應就知道這一點了。在人間的請客，的確通常都是有來有往，這一段話不是說不要請認識的，因為這樣講實在是不合情理，而是說要投資在天國，不要只想到求人間的回報，就像施捨一樣，『所以，你施捨的時候，不可在你前面吹號，像那假冒為善的人在會堂裏和街道上所行的，故意要得人的榮耀。我實在告訴你們：他們已經得了他們的賞賜。你施捨的時候，不要叫左手知道右手所做的；要叫你施捨的事行在暗中，你父在暗中察看，必然報答你。』(馬太福音 6:2-4)

      耶穌繼續的用筵席的比喻，『耶穌對他說：「有一人擺設大筵席，請了許多客。到了坐席的時候，打發僕人去對所請的人說：『請來吧！樣樣都齊備了。』「眾人一口同音地推辭。頭一個說：『我買了一塊地，必須去看看。請你准我辭了。』「又有一個說：『我買了五對牛，要去試一試。請你准我辭了。』「又有一個說：『我才娶了妻，所以不能去。』「那僕人回來，把這事都告訴了主人。家主就動怒，對僕人說：『快出去，到城裏大街小巷，領那貧窮的、殘廢的、瞎眼的、瘸腿的來。』「僕人說：『主啊，你所吩咐的已經辦了，還有空座。』「主人對僕人說：『你出去到路上和籬笆那裏，勉強人進來，坐滿我的屋子。我告訴你們：先前所請的人沒有一個得嘗我的筵席。』」』(路加福音 14:16-24)

       聖經常用筵席說到天國，譬如這裡很清楚的這樣說，『耶穌又用比喻對他們說：「天國好比一個王為他兒子擺設娶親的筵席，就打發僕人去，請那些被召的人來赴席；他們卻不肯來。「王又打發別的僕人，說：『你們告訴那被召的人，我的筵席已經預備好了，牛和肥畜已經宰了，各樣都齊備，請你們來赴席。』「那些人不理就走了：一個到自己田裏去，一個做買賣去，其餘的拿住僕人，凌辱他們，把他們殺了。王就大怒，發兵除滅那些兇手，燒燬他們的城。「於是對僕人說：『喜筵已經齊備，只是所召的人不配。所以你們要往岔路口上去，凡遇見的，都召來赴席。』那些僕人就出去到大路上，凡遇見的，不論善惡都召聚了來，筵席上就坐滿了客。』(馬太福音 22:1-10)

       這章節和前面的經文基本上在說一件事，我們看見因以前所預備請的賓客只顧做自己的事，最後反而與筵席沒有份，也看見了能被邀請的資格是相當的低。如果以這些經文來和新約做類比，就是說救恩原是為每一個人所預備的，只要信就能稱義。更可以看見，原來被邀請的就是以色列人，而『…以色列人所求的，他們沒有得着，惟有蒙揀選的人得着了，其餘的就成了頑梗不化的。』(羅馬書 11:7) 如保羅般的少數猶太人就得著了。也因為如此，『…反倒因他們的過失，救恩便臨到外邦人，…』(羅馬書 11:11) 所以救恩的計劃是有一個次序，從選民猶太人到外邦人，也就如『保羅和巴拿巴放膽說：「…因為主曾這樣吩咐我們說：『我已經立你作外邦人的光，叫你施行救恩，直到地極。』」』(使徒行傳 13:46-47) 對救恩來說，得救的門檻是定得相當的低，只要能信就可以了，經文說得很清楚，『因為人心裏相信，就可以稱義；口裏承認，就可以得救。』(羅馬書 10:10) 

     但我們又看到馬太福音接著說，『王進來觀看賓客，見那裏有一個沒有穿禮服的，就對他說：『朋友，你到這裏來，怎麼不穿禮服呢？』那人無言可答。「於是王對使喚的人說：『捆起他的手腳來，把他丟在外邊的黑暗裏，在那裏必要哀哭切齒了。』「因為被召的人多，選上的人少。」』(馬太福音 22:11-14) 那時候的筵席是要穿禮服的，很顯然的，那些人是路上來的，不太可能穿著禮服在路上，因那人無言可答，所以那人是可以穿禮服，唯一的可能是王為他們預備了筵席的禮服，只是那人不當的沒穿而已。所以信而稱義只是做一個基督徒的開始，要過一個每個人都可過的「分別成聖」的生活，在新約中說得很清楚，『因為經上記着說：「你們要聖潔，因為我是聖潔的。」』(彼得前書 1:16) 雖然聖潔不能一蹴可及，但我們要進窄門，走上成聖的道路，不要變成那選上人少的人。請注意，經文中並沒有說只有一個人沒穿禮服，以新約做類比，那禮服就是指信而稱義而每個人都有內住的聖靈，我們要適當的穿上禮服，聖靈會在我們成聖的路上引導我們。

       在聖經最後的啓示錄中，我們也看到了終極的羔羊娶妻的婚筵，『拿着七個金碗、盛滿末後七災的七位天使中，有一位來對我說：「你到這裏來，我要將新婦(教會)，就是羔羊(主耶穌基督)的妻，指給你看。」我被聖靈感動，天使就帶我到一座高大的山，將那由神那裏從天而降的聖城耶路撒冷指示我。』(啓示錄 21:9-10) 我們要強調的是，那新耶路撒冷就是神眼中那唯一的教會，就是因奉祂的名聚會的一群人，和那群人的物理位置是沒關係的，『因為無論在哪裏，有兩三個人奉我的名聚會，那裏就有我在他們中間。』(馬太福音 18:20) 保羅對這點知道得很清楚，『所以，你們因信基督耶穌，都是神的兒子。你們受洗歸入基督的，都是披戴基督了。』(加拉太書 3:26-27) 我們知道耶穌是父的獨生子，那我們都是神的兒子，是指合法的養子了！『因為他預先所知道的人，就預先定下效法(模成, be conformed to)他兒子的模樣(形像, image)，使他兒子在許多弟兄中作長子。 』(羅馬書 8:29)

2. 如何做門徒

       『有極多的人和耶穌同行。他轉過來對他們說：「人到我這裏來，若不愛我勝過愛自己的父母、妻子、兒女、弟兄、姐妹，和自己的性命，就不能作我的門徒。凡不背着自己十字架跟從我的，也不能作我的門徒。「你們哪一個要蓋一座樓，不先坐下算計花費，能蓋成不能呢？恐怕安了地基，不能成功，看見的人都笑話他，說：『這個人開了工，卻不能完工。』或是一個王出去和別的王打仗，豈不先坐下酌量，能用一萬兵去敵那領二萬兵來攻打他的嗎？若是不能，就趁敵人還遠的時候，派使者去求和息的條款。這樣，你們無論甚麼人，若不撇下一切所有的，就不能作我的門徒。「鹽本是好的，鹽若失了味，可用甚麼叫它再鹹呢？或用在田裏，或堆在糞裏，都不合式，只好丟在外面。「有耳可聽的，就應當聽！」』(路加福音 14:25-35)

      這裡並沒說不要愛自己的父母等等，而是說愛主要勝過愛這一切。做門徒是不容易的，要知道自己能夠付出的，但有的時候，即使我們願意和息別人也不見得會願意，而估計不一定會完全正確。十字架不是指自討苦吃，而通常是和苦難有關的，生命的成長經常伴隨著神安排或允許的苦難(如約伯般)，基本上沒有人願意主動的背十字架，但這經文明說做門徒要準備好背十字架。這經文不是說信主前就要估量自己可以完全背負自己的十字架，如果是這樣，不信主就算了，而是要有一個心志，就是當主要時，要準備好撇下一切所有的，如同當時的雅各和約翰般，『(耶穌)從那裏往前走，又看見弟兄二人，就是西庇太的兒子雅各和他兄弟約翰，同他們的父親西庇太在船上補網，耶穌就招呼他們。他們立刻捨了船，別了父親，跟從了耶穌。』(馬太福音 4:21-22) 這實在是很不容易的，我知道自己是很難做到這點。

     要相信主的安排是為著我們的好處，因『我們曉得萬事都互相效力，叫愛神的人得益處，…』(羅馬書 8:28) 至於談到鹽會失了味因而丟在外面，大概只有直接使用的石鹽會如此，失了味的石鹽是不可能再鹹的。最後說到，我們實在是要有一個能聽的耳，不只是在這裡說，在啓示錄提到的七個教會都說，『聖靈向眾教會所說的話，凡有耳的，就應當聽！』(如在啓示錄 3:22)

3. 天國在主動的尋找失羊和失錢

       『眾稅吏和罪人都挨近耶穌，要聽他講道。法利賽人和文士私下議論說：「這個人接待罪人，又同他們吃飯。」』(路加福音 15:1-2) 的確，法利賽人和文士論斷別人是罪人，卻沒想到每一個人包括自己都需要救恩，『因為世人都犯了罪，虧缺了神的榮耀。』(羅馬書 3:23) 

    聖經所說的罪是指不順服神，証明這點，我們首先從經文看， 『這就如罪是從一人(亞當)入了世界，…』，這是因為亞當的不順服，所以不順服意味著罪。反過來要說，罪意味著不順服神，我們可以看其邏輯上相等的敘述，就是順服神意味著沒有罪。神有絕對的主權，順服神絕對不是犯罪，所以結論就是罪等於不順服神。『亞當活到一百三十歲，生了一個兒子，形像樣式和自己相似…』(創世記 5:3) 是帶著罪的。我們都是亞當的子孫，這就像遺傳類似，我們也是從出生就帶著罪的，我們是罪人因我們帶著罪，不是因我們犯了罪行而成為罪人，不要本末倒置。說到罪行，我們知道小孩子不必教就會說謊，怎麼會不是性本惡而世人都犯了罪呢？

    這裏有兩個比喻，第一個是：『耶穌就用比喻說：「你們中間誰有一百隻羊失去一隻，不把這九十九隻撇在曠野，去找那失去的羊，直到找着呢？找着了，就歡歡喜喜地扛在肩上，回到家裏，就請朋友鄰舍來，對他們說：『我失去的羊已經找着了，你們和我一同歡喜吧！』我告訴你們：一個罪人悔改，在天上也要這樣為他歡喜，較比為九十九個不用悔改的義人歡喜更大。」』(路加福音 15:3-7) 請注意，這人是主動的去尋找，猶如不論我們知不知道，一個人會成為真正的基督徒，是聖靈主動尋找的工作，我們也聽過這樣的見証。

       接著就談到第二個失錢的比喻，『或是一個婦人有十塊錢，若失落一塊，豈不點上燈，打掃屋子，細細地找，直到找着嗎？找着了，就請朋友鄰舍來，對他們說：『我失落的那塊錢已經找着了，你們和我一同歡喜吧！』我告訴你們：一個罪人悔改，在神的使者面前也是這樣為他歡喜。』(路加福音 15:8-10) 

       這兩個比喻是在講同一件事情，就是天國是主動在尋找失喪的人，希望罪人悔改，也看到了因罪人悔改神的歡喜。雖是主是主動的尋找，我們仍然必須在大使命中和神同工 (參馬太福音 28:18-20)，要以身作則，使別人看見我們的好行為，甘心情願的要做基督徒，我們也因此能在大使命中，使萬民作主的門徒了。

    悔改是非常的重要，是第一步，就像『彼得說：「你們各人要悔改，奉耶穌基督的名受洗，叫你們的罪得赦，就必領受所賜的聖靈。」』（使徒行傳 2:38) 所以真正的悔改一定會有隨著而來的行動的。耶穌也說得很清楚，『…天國近了，你們應當悔改！(馬太福音 4:17) 信而受洗時，神已經『…救了我們脫離黑暗的權勢，把我們遷到他愛子的國裏；我們在愛子裏得蒙救贖，罪過得以赦免。』(歌羅西書 1:13-14) 所以我們已經在基督裏，在成聖的路上，我們要不犯罪，留在基督裡。即使不免犯罪，我們也知道，『我們若認自己的罪，神是信實的，是公義的，必要赦免我們的罪，洗淨我們一切的不義。』(約翰一書 1:9)

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到這網站後要按『對屬靈生命的瞭解』。)

First of all, let’s look at what the banquet is a metaphor for. While we still have the opportunity to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must make the right choice. Justification by faith is only the beginning of a Christian’s life, and we must embark on the road to sanctification.  Be ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb.  Second, we talk about how to be a disciple. We must know what we can give, be ready to bear the cross, and believe that the Lord’s arrangement is for our benefit.  Finally, we see that the kingdom of heaven is actively seeking the lost, and that repentance is the first step, and how God rejoices when sinners repent.  Although the Lord is actively seeking, we still have to lead by example and work together with God in the Great Commission.  When we believed and were baptized, God had already transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son.  Therefore, we are already in Christ and on the way to sanctification. We must not sin and remain in Christ.  Even if we cannot avoid sin, we know, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(1 John 1:9)

1. To prepare a banquet

“And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” When one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!””(Luke 14:12-15)

This man understood correctly, Jesus did use parables to talk about the feast of the kingdom of heaven, we will know this when we look at Jesus’ response in later verses.  Treating guests in the human world is indeed usually in both ways. This passage does not mean not to invite acquaintances. It is unreasonable to say so, but to invest in the kingdom of heaven, and don’t just think of asking for returns in the world, sort of like giving alms, ““So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”(Matthew 6:2-4)

Jesus continued to use the parable of a banquet, “But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’””(Luke 14:16-24)

The Bible often speaks of the kingdom of heaven with banquets. For example, it is clearly stated here, “Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.”(Matthew 22:1-10)

These verses and the previous scriptures are basically talking about the same thing. We see that the guests who were prepared before only focus on their own affairs. In the end they have no part in the banquet, and we also see that the qualifications to be invited are quite low.  If we use these scriptures as an analogy to the requirements in the New Testament, it means that salvation is originally prepared for everyone, and as long as you believe, you can be justified.  Furthermore, it can be seen that it was the Israelites who were originally invited, and “…What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened.”(Romans 11:7) A small number of Jews like Paul got it.  Also because of this, “…But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, …”(Romans 11:11) Therefore, the plan of salvation has a sequence, from the elect Jews to the Gentiles, just like “Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, That You may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’””(Acts 13:46-47) For salvation, the threshold for salvation is set quite low, as long as one can believe. The scriptures clearly say, “for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”(Romans 10:10)

But we also see the Gospel of Matthew going on to say, ““But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.””(Matthew 22:11-14) At that time, people had to wear dresses at the banquet. Obviously, those people came on the road, and it was unlikely that they would wear dresses on the road. Because the man had nothing to say, so it indicated that the man could wear his dress. The only possibility is that the king prepared them for the banquet, but the man chose not to wear it, which is improper.  Therefore, believing and being justified is only the beginning of being a Christian. To live a life of “separation and sanctification”, which everyone can live, it is clearly stated in the New Testament, “because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.””(1 Peter 1:16) Although holiness cannot be achieved overnight, we must enter the narrow gate and walk on the road to holiness, and don’t become the one not be chosen. Please note that the scriptures do not say that there is only one person without a garment. Using the New Testament as an analogy, the garment refers to justification by faith and everyone has the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us on the way to the sanctification.

In the last book of Revelation of the Bible, we also see the ultimate wedding feast of the Lamb, “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride (the Church), the wife of the Lamb (the Lord Jesus Christ).” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.”(Revelation 21:9-10) What we want to emphasize is that the New Jerusalem is the only church in God’s eyes, that is, a group of people gathered in His name, and the physical location of that group has nothing to do with it, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”(Matthew 18:20) Paul knew this very clearly, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”(Galatians 3:26-27) We know that Jesus is the only begotten son of the Father, so we are all sons of God, which means legal adopted sons!  The scripture says, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.”(Romans 8:29) He is indeed the firstborn among many brethren.

2. How to be a disciple?

“Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. “Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.””(Luke 14:25-35)

Here it doesn’t say not to love your parents, etc., but to say that loving the Lord is more important than loving all these.  It is not easy to be a disciple. We must know what we can give, but sometimes, even if we are willing to make peace with others, they may not be willing, and our estimates may not be completely correct.  The cross doesn’t refer to asking for trouble, but is usually related to suffering. The growth of life is often accompanied by the suffering arranged or allowed by God (like Job). Basically no one is willing to take the initiative to bear the cross, but the verse says clearly that to be a disciple must be ready to bear the cross.  This scripture does not mean that before believing in the Lord, one should estimate to the extent that one can fully bear one’s own cross. If so, why bothers believing because no one can reach the full extent beforehand. But we should have the mind that when the Lord calls, we are ready to give up everything like James and John did at that time, “Going on from there He (Jesus) saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.”(Matthew 4:21-22) This is really not easy. I know it is very difficult for me to do so.

We must believe that the Lord’s arrangement is for our good, because “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, …”(Romans 8:28) As for the salt that loses its flavor and is thrown out, probably only the rock salt that is used directly will be like this, and it is impossible to make salty rock salty again that has lost its taste.  Finally, we really need to have ears that can hear. Not only here, but to the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation, all said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”(as in Revelation 3:22)

3. The kingdom of heaven is actively looking for lost sheep and lost money

“Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.””(Luke 15:1-2) Indeed, the Pharisees and scribes judged others as sinners, but they did not expect all persons, including themselves, needs salvation, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”(Romans 3:23)

The sin mentioned in the Bible refers to disobedience to God. To prove this, we first look at the scriptures, “…through one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, …”(Romans 5:12) This is because of Adam’s disobedience.  So disobedience means sin.  Conversely, to prove that sin means disobedience to God, we can look at its logical equivalent, that obedience to God means no sin.  God has absolute sovereignty, and obedience to God is absolutely not sin, so the conclusion is that sin equals disobedience to God. The verse says, “When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.”(Genesis 5:3) Thus, Seth was born with sin since Adam was contaminated by sin at that time. We are all descendants of Adam. Similar to heredity, we also carry sin from birth. We are sinners because we carry sin, not because we commit sins. Don’t put the cart before the horse.  Speaking of sin, we know that children can tell lies without being taught. With the born sin, how cannot people be not inherently evil and do people fall short of the glory of God?

There are two parables in the following verses. The first one is: “So He told them this parable, saying, “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”(Luke 15:3-7) Note that this man is actively seeking.  It seems that whether we know it or not, that a person will become a true Christian is the work of the Holy Spirit Who actively seeks. We have also heard such testimonies.

Then it talks about the second parable of losing money, “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”(Luke 15:8-10)

These two parables are talking about the same thing, that is, the kingdom of heaven is actively looking for the lost, hoping that sinners will repent, and seeing God’s joy because of sinners’ repentance.  Although the Lord is actively seeking, we still have to work together with God in the Great Commission (cf. Matthew 28:18-20). We must set an example, let others see our good deeds, and be willing to be Christians.  Therefore, in the Great Commission, all nations can be made disciples of the Lord.

Repentance is very important, it is the first step, just like “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.””(Acts 2:38) So true repentance must be followed by action.  Jesus also made it very clear, “…Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”(Matthew 4:17) When believing and being baptized, God has “…rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”(Colossians 1:13-14) So we are already in Christ and on the way to sanctification, we must not sin and stay in Christ.  Even if we cannot avoid sin, we also know, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(1 John 1:9)

(Verses refer to those in NASB unless otherwise specified.)

(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)

    首先，路加福音说人子来像贼一样，在道成肉身时，除了天父外没有人知道。这也使我们想到童女的故事，我们实在要做那聪明的童女，随时预备好准备迎接那不知道的日子！第二，要做忠心有见识的管家，『各人要照所得的恩赐彼此服事，作神百般恩赐的好管家。』(彼得前书 4:10) 我们也看到了神是很公平的。第三，我们看到了要跟随耶稣会要背起自己的十字架，要得著那属灵的生命，是不很容易的，因老我(肉体)只配一死。第四，我们实在是要分辩，不只是天气，且不要效法(模成)这世界。注意到圣经说，坏的意念不要有，和饶恕别人的重要性。

1. 人子来像贼一样        

    这段经文很清楚，『你们腰里要束上带，灯也要点著，自己好像仆人等候主人从婚姻的筵席上回来。他来到叩门，就立刻给他开门。主人来了，看见仆人警醒，那仆人就有福了。我实在告诉你们：主人必叫他们坐席，自己束上带，进前伺候他们。或是二更天来，或是三更天来，看见仆人这样，那仆人就有福了。家主若知道贼甚么时候来，就必警醒，不容贼挖透房屋，这是你们所知道的。你们也要预备，因为你们想不到的时候，人子就来了。』(路加福音 12:35-40)    

    所以到现在为止，所有从人的角度看的所有预言耶稣何时会来都是错的，未来也会是如此，因为圣经说得很清楚，没有人会知道祂何时再来，随时都要预备好。的确，在马太福音也同样的说，『所以，你们要警醒，因为不知道你们的主是哪一天来到。家主若知道几更天有贼来，就必警醒，不容人挖透房屋，这是你们所知道的。所以，你们也要预备，因为你们想不到的时候，人子就来了。』(马太福音 24:42-44)    

    在道成肉身的这段时间是很特别的，因『但那日子、那时辰，没有人知道，连天上的使者也不知道，子也不知道，惟独父知道。挪亚的日子怎样，人子降临也要怎样。当洪水以前的日子，人照常吃喝嫁娶，直到挪亚进方舟的那日，不知不觉洪水来了，把他们全都冲去。人子降临也要这样。』(马太福音 24:36-39) 很显然的，这里也是说我们要随时准备好那在不知不觉再到来的人子。除了这段特别的时间外，三位一体的神是同尊同荣的，因为只是一体。所以我们虽然可以去试著了解三位一体的一部份，譬如说「水」在大气压下因温度不同会有三个不同的状态，就是水蒸气、冰、和普通说的水。但这并不能完全解释三位一体，因其有三个位格而不是三个状态，三位一体对人来说，的确是奥秘，要在信心中接受。有些事我们必须在信心中接受，又如我们不可能经历过处女怀孕，必须在信心中相信耶稣是因圣灵感孕而生。        

    这也使我们想起十个童女的故事，『那时，天国好比十个童女拿著灯出去迎接新郎。其中有五个是愚拙的，五个是聪明的。愚拙的拿著灯，却不预备油；聪明的拿著灯，又预备油在器皿里。新郎迟延的时候，她们都打盹睡著了。半夜有人喊著说：『新郎来了，你们出来迎接他！』那些童女就都起来收拾灯。愚拙的对聪明的说：『请分点油给我们，因为我们的灯要灭了。』聪明的回答说：『恐怕不够你我用的，不如你们自己到卖油的那里去买吧！』她们去买的时候，新郎到了，那预备好了的，同他进去坐席，门就关了。其余的童女随后也来了，说：『主啊，主啊，给我们开门！』他却回答说：『我实在告诉你们：我不认识你们。』所以，你们要警醒，因为那日子、那时辰，你们不知道。」』(马太福音 25:1-13) 我们实在要做那聪明的童女，随时预备好准备迎接那不知道的日子！不要到时听耶稣说，『我实在告诉你们：我不认识你们。』

2. 忠心有见识的管家        

    『彼得说：「主啊，这比喻是为我们说的呢，还是为众人呢？」主说：「谁是那忠心有见识的管家，主人派他管理家里的人，按时分粮给他们呢？主人来到，看见仆人这样行，那仆人就有福了。我实在告诉你们：主人要派他管理一切所有的。那仆人若心里说『我的主人必来得迟』，就动手打仆人和使女，并且吃喝醉酒。在他想不到的日子，不知道的时辰，那仆人的主人要来，重重地处治他，定他和不忠心的人同罪。「仆人知道主人的意思，却不预备，又不顺他的意思行，那仆人必多受责打；惟有那不知道的，做了当受责打的事，必少受责打。因为多给谁，就向谁多取；多托谁，就向谁多要。」』 (路加福音 12:41-48)        

    显然每一个人都要做忠心的管家，我们只是会有个人恩赐的不同而有不同的服事，所以这比喻应该是给众人的。就像经文所说，『人应当以我们为基督的执事，为神奥秘事的管家。所求于管家的，是要他有忠心。』(哥林多前书 4:1-2) 且『各人要照所得的恩赐彼此服事，作神百般恩赐的好管家。』(彼得前书 4:10) 我们也看到神是很公平的，『…因为多给谁，就向谁多取；多托谁，就向谁多要。』(路加福音 12:48)

3. 信和不信的相争        

    『我来要把火丢在地上，倘若已经著起来，不也是我所愿意的吗？我有当受的洗还没有成就，我是何等地迫切呢！你们以为我来，是叫地上太平吗？我告诉你们：不是，乃是叫人纷争。从今以后，一家五个人将要纷争：三个人和两个人相争，两个人和三个人相争；父亲和儿子相争，儿子和父亲相争；母亲和女儿相争，女儿和母亲相争；婆婆和媳妇相争，媳妇和婆婆相争。』(路加福音 12:49-53)        

    马太福音也有类似的话，『你们不要想，我来是叫地上太平；我来并不是叫地上太平，乃是叫地上动刀兵。因为我来是叫『人与父亲生疏，女儿与母亲生疏，媳妇与婆婆生疏。人的仇敌就是自己家里的人。』(马太福音 10:34-35)        

    难道祂来的目的真是要地上没有太平吗？不是，耶稣『…如今在这末世显现一次，把自己献为祭，好除掉罪。』(希伯来书 9:26) 这是在讲信和不信的是针锋相对的。看看马太福音这之前的那些经文：『凡在人面前认我的，我在我天上的父面前也必认他；凡在人面前不认我的，我在我天上的父面前也必不认他。』(马太福音 10:32-33) 圣经也很清楚的说，『信他(耶稣)的人，不被定罪；不信的人，罪已经定了，因为他不信神独生子的名。』(约翰福音 3:18) 如果在亲属之间有不信的，这时是会有十字架的，尤其是被迫害的时候。这时要知道，『爱父母过于爱我的，不配作我的门徒；爱儿女过于爱我的，不配作我的门徒。不背著他的十字架跟从我的，也不配作我的门徒。得著生命的，将要失丧生命；为我失丧生命的，将要得著生命。』(马太福音 10:37-39)        

    绝对不像成功哲学所说的，信主后就一切顺利成功，基督徒会有十字架的，他们和常人一样会遭遇苦难的，但基督徒有神作为依靠，相信一切事情包括苦难都是安排好的，是为了他们的益处，如经文所说，『两个麻雀不是卖一分银子吗？若是你们的父不许，一个也不能掉在地上。就是你们的头发也都被数过了。』(马太福音 10:29-30) 且知道『他(神)愿意万人得救，明白真道。因为只有一位神，在神和人中间，只有一位中保，乃是降世为人的基督耶稣。他(耶稣)舍自己作万人的赎价，…』(提摩太前书 2:4-6) 我们要得著那属灵的生命，不是很容易的，因老我(肉体)只配一死。『我也知道在我里头，就是我肉体之中，没有良善。因为立志为善由得我，只是行出来由不得我。』(罗马书 7:18) 譬如没有一个正常人喜欢发怒，只是就算我们立志不要发怒，还是会发怒的。只是要记得圣经不是说不能生气，但『生气却不要犯罪，不可含怒到日落；也不可给魔鬼留地步。』(以弗所书 4:26-27)        

    最后，我们看祂说的，『我有当受的洗还没有成就，我是何等地迫切呢！』(路加福音 12:50) 这到底是指什么呢？是指祂要在十字架上为我们受死，代替我们受罪(死)的刑罚。在变化山上祂已知道会这样了(参路加福音 9:28-31)，但祂没有逃避如经文所说，『耶稣被接上升的日子将到，他就定意向耶路撒冷去。』(路加福音 9:51) 『…他因那摆在前面的喜乐，就轻看羞辱，忍受了十字架的苦难，便坐在神宝座的右边。』(希伯来书 12:2) 祂是何等的迫切要完成救恩的计划呢！

4. 要分辩        

    『耶稣又对众人说：「你们看见西边起了云彩，就说：『要下一阵雨』，果然就有。起了南风，就说：『将要燥热』，也就有了。假冒为善的人哪，你们知道分辩(G1381)天地的气色，怎么不知道分辩这时候呢？「你们又为何不自己审量甚么是合理的呢？你同告你的对头去见官，还在路上，务要尽力地和他了结；恐怕他拉你到官面前，官交付差役，差役把你下在监里。我告诉你，若有半文钱没有还清，你断不能从那里出来。」』(路加福音 12:54-59) 我们实在是要分辩: 『不要效法(模成, conformed to)这个世界，只要心意更新而变化，叫你们察验(分辩, G1381)何为神的善良、纯全、可喜悦的旨意。』(罗马书 12:2)        

    马太福音也有类似的话，『你同告你的对头还在路上，就赶紧与他和息，恐怕他把你送给审判官，审判官交付衙役，你就下在监里了。我实在告诉你：若有一文钱没有还清，你断不能从那里出来。』(马太福音 5:25-26) 所以照这人的分辩看来，他是真做错事了，真的要想办法和他的对头和好。        

    要注意到在这之前是说，『你们听见有吩咐古人的话，说：『不可杀人』，又说：『凡杀人的，难免受审判。』只是我告诉你们：凡向弟兄动怒的，难免受审判。凡骂弟兄是拉加的，难免公会的审断；凡骂弟兄是魔利的，难免地狱的火。「所以，你在祭坛上献礼物的时候，若想起弟兄向你怀怨，就把礼物留在坛前，先去同弟兄和好，然后来献礼物。』(马太福音 5:21-24) 特别强调的是，不必像旧约的时代要真正做出来是犯罪，而在新约的时代，连坏的意念都不要有和要知道饶恕别人的重要性，就如经文所说，『你们饶恕人的过犯，你们的天父也必饶恕你们的过犯；你们不饶恕人的过犯，你们的天父也必不饶恕你们的过犯。』(马太福音 6:14-15) 不要把对弟兄的抱怨放在心上，要尽量和弟兄和好。

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到这网站后要按『对属灵生命的了解』。 

        首先，路加福音說人子來像賊一樣，在道成肉身時，除了天父外沒有人知道。這也使我們想到童女的故事，我們實在要做那聰明的童女，隨時預備好準備迎接那不知道的日子！第二，要做忠心有見識的管家，『各人要照所得的恩賜彼此服事，作神百般恩賜的好管家。』(彼得前書 4:10) 我們也看到了神是很公平的。第三，我們看到了要跟隨耶穌會要背起自己的十字架，要得著那屬靈的生命，是不很容易的，因老我(肉體)只配一死。第四，我們實在是要分辨，不只是天氣，且不要效法(模成)這世界。注意到聖經說，壞的意念不要有，和饒恕別人的重要性。

1. 人子來像賊一樣

        這段經文很清楚，『你們腰裏要束上帶，燈也要點着，自己好像僕人等候主人從婚姻的筵席上回來。他來到叩門，就立刻給他開門。主人來了，看見僕人警醒，那僕人就有福了。我實在告訴你們：主人必叫他們坐席，自己束上帶，進前伺候他們。或是二更天來，或是三更天來，看見僕人這樣，那僕人就有福了。家主若知道賊甚麼時候來，就必警醒，不容賊挖透房屋，這是你們所知道的。你們也要預備，因為你們想不到的時候，人子就來了。』(路加福音 12:35-40)

    所以到現在為止，所有從人的角度看的所有預言耶穌何時會來都是錯的，未來也會是如此，因為聖經說得很清楚，沒有人會知道祂何時再來，隨時都要預備好。的確，在馬太福音也同樣的說，『所以，你們要警醒，因為不知道你們的主是哪一天來到。家主若知道幾更天有賊來，就必警醒，不容人挖透房屋，這是你們所知道的。所以，你們也要預備，因為你們想不到的時候，人子就來了。』(馬太福音 24:42-44)

        在道成肉身的這段時間是很特別的，因『但那日子、那時辰，沒有人知道，連天上的使者也不知道，子也不知道，惟獨父知道。挪亞的日子怎樣，人子降臨也要怎樣。當洪水以前的日子，人照常吃喝嫁娶，直到挪亞進方舟的那日，不知不覺洪水來了，把他們全都沖去。人子降臨也要這樣。』(馬太福音 24:36-39) 很顯然的，這裏也是說我們要隨時準備好那在不知不覺再到來的人子。除了這段特別的時間外，三位一體的神是同尊同榮的，因為只是一體。所以我們雖然可以去試著瞭解三位一體的一部份，譬如說「水」在大氣壓下因溫度不同會有三個不同的狀態，就是水蒸氣、冰、和普通說的水。但這並不能完全解釋三位一體，因其有三個位格而不是三個狀態，三位一體對人來說，的確是奧秘，要在信心中接受。有些事我們必須在信心中接受，又如我們不可能經歷過處女懷孕，必須在信心中相信耶穌是因聖靈感孕而生。

        這也使我們想起十個童女的故事，『那時，天國好比十個童女拿着燈出去迎接新郎。其中有五個是愚拙的，五個是聰明的。愚拙的拿着燈，卻不預備油；聰明的拿着燈，又預備油在器皿裏。新郎遲延的時候，她們都打盹睡着了。半夜有人喊着說：『新郎來了，你們出來迎接他！』那些童女就都起來收拾燈。愚拙的對聰明的說：『請分點油給我們，因為我們的燈要滅了。』聰明的回答說：『恐怕不夠你我用的，不如你們自己到賣油的那裏去買吧！』她們去買的時候，新郎到了，那預備好了的，同他進去坐席，門就關了。其餘的童女隨後也來了，說：『主啊，主啊，給我們開門！』他卻回答說：『我實在告訴你們：我不認識你們。』所以，你們要警醒，因為那日子、那時辰，你們不知道。」』(馬太福音 25:1-13) 我們實在要做那聰明的童女，隨時預備好準備迎接那不知道的日子！不要到時聽耶穌說，『我實在告訴你們：我不認識你們。』

2. 忠心有見識的管家

        『彼得說：「主啊，這比喻是為我們說的呢，還是為眾人呢？」主說：「誰是那忠心有見識的管家，主人派他管理家裏的人，按時分糧給他們呢？主人來到，看見僕人這樣行，那僕人就有福了。我實在告訴你們：主人要派他管理一切所有的。那僕人若心裏說『我的主人必來得遲』，就動手打僕人和使女，並且吃喝醉酒。在他想不到的日子，不知道的時辰，那僕人的主人要來，重重地處治他，定他和不忠心的人同罪。「僕人知道主人的意思，卻不預備，又不順他的意思行，那僕人必多受責打；惟有那不知道的，做了當受責打的事，必少受責打。因為多給誰，就向誰多取；多託誰，就向誰多要。」』

(路加福音 12:41-48)

        顯然每一個人都要做忠心的管家，我們只是會有個人恩賜的不同而有不同的服事，所以這比喻應該是給衆人的。就像經文所說，『人應當以我們為基督的執事，為神奧秘事的管家。所求於管家的，是要他有忠心。』(哥林多前書 4:1-2) 且『各人要照所得的恩賜彼此服事，作神百般恩賜的好管家。』(彼得前書 4:10) 我們也看到神是很公平的，『…因為多給誰，就向誰多取；多託誰，就向誰多要。』(路加福音 12:48) 

3. 信和不信的相爭

        『我來要把火丟在地上，倘若已經着起來，不也是我所願意的嗎？我有當受的洗還沒有成就，我是何等地迫切呢！你們以為我來，是叫地上太平嗎？我告訴你們：不是，乃是叫人紛爭。從今以後，一家五個人將要紛爭：三個人和兩個人相爭，兩個人和三個人相爭；父親和兒子相爭，兒子和父親相爭；母親和女兒相爭，女兒和母親相爭；婆婆和媳婦相爭，媳婦和婆婆相爭。』(路加福音 12:49-53)

        馬太福音也有類似的話，『你們不要想，我來是叫地上太平；我來並不是叫地上太平，乃是叫地上動刀兵。因為我來是叫『人與父親生疏，女兒與母親生疏，媳婦與婆婆生疏。人的仇敵就是自己家裏的人。』(馬太福音 10:34-35)

        難道祂來的目的真是要地上沒有太平嗎？不是，耶穌『…如今在這末世顯現一次，把自己獻為祭，好除掉罪。』(希伯來書 9:26) 這是在講信和不信的是針鋒相對的。看看馬太福音這之前的那些經文：『凡在人面前認我的，我在我天上的父面前也必認他；凡在人面前不認我的，我在我天上的父面前也必不認他。』(馬太福音 10:32-33) 聖經也很清楚的說，『信他(耶穌)的人，不被定罪；不信的人，罪已經定了，因為他不信神獨生子的名。』(約翰福音 3:18) 如果在親屬之間有不信的，這時是會有十字架的，尤其是被迫害的時候。這時要知道，『愛父母過於愛我的，不配作我的門徒；愛兒女過於愛我的，不配作我的門徒。不背着他的十字架跟從我的，也不配作我的門徒。得着生命的，將要失喪生命；為我失喪生命的，將要得着生命。』(馬太福音 10:37-39)

        絕對不像成功哲學所說的，信主後就一切順利成功，基督徒會有十字架的，他們和常人一樣會遭遇苦難的，但基督徒有神作為依靠，相信一切事情包括苦難都是安排好的，是為了他們的益處，如經文所說，『兩個麻雀不是賣一分銀子嗎？若是你們的父不許，一個也不能掉在地上。就是你們的頭髮也都被數過了。』(馬太福音 10:29-30) 且知道『他(神)願意萬人得救，明白真道。因為只有一位神，在神和人中間，只有一位中保，乃是降世為人的基督耶穌。他(耶穌)捨自己作萬人的贖價，…』(提摩太前書 2:4-6) 我們要得著那屬靈的生命，不是很容易的，因老我(肉體)只配一死。『我也知道在我裏頭，就是我肉體之中，沒有良善。因為立志為善由得我，只是行出來由不得我。』(羅馬書 7:18) 譬如沒有一個正常人喜歡發怒，只是就算我們立志不要發怒，還是會發怒的。只是要記得聖經不是說不能生氣，但『生氣卻不要犯罪，不可含怒到日落；也不可給魔鬼留地步。』(以弗所書 4:26-27)

        最後，我們看祂說的，『我有當受的洗還沒有成就，我是何等地迫切呢！』(路加福音 12:50) 這到底是指什麼呢？是指祂要在十字架上為我們受死，代替我們受罪(死)的刑罰。在變化山上祂已知道會這樣了(參路加福音 9:28-31)，但祂沒有逃避如經文所說，『耶穌被接上升的日子將到，他就定意向耶路撒冷去。』(路加福音 9:51) 『…他因那擺在前面的喜樂，就輕看羞辱，忍受了十字架的苦難，便坐在神寶座的右邊。』(希伯來書 12:2) 祂是何等的迫切要完成救恩的計劃呢！

4. 要分辨

        『耶穌又對眾人說：「你們看見西邊起了雲彩，就說：『要下一陣雨』，果然就有。起了南風，就說：『將要燥熱』，也就有了。假冒為善的人哪，你們知道分辨(G1381)天地的氣色，怎麼不知道分辨這時候呢？「你們又為何不自己審量甚麼是合理的呢？你同告你的對頭去見官，還在路上，務要盡力地和他了結；恐怕他拉你到官面前，官交付差役，差役把你下在監裏。我告訴你，若有半文錢沒有還清，你斷不能從那裏出來。」』(路加福音 12:54-59) 我們實在是要分辨: 『不要效法(模成, conformed to)這個世界，只要心意更新而變化，叫你們察驗(分辨, G1381)何為神的善良、純全、可喜悅的旨意。』(羅馬書 12:2)

        馬太福音也有類似的話，『你同告你的對頭還在路上，就趕緊與他和息，恐怕他把你送給審判官，審判官交付衙役，你就下在監裏了。我實在告訴你：若有一文錢沒有還清，你斷不能從那裏出來。』(馬太福音 5:25-26) 所以照這人的分辨看來，他是真做錯事了，真的要想辦法和他的對頭和好。 

        要注意到在這之前是說，『你們聽見有吩咐古人的話，說：『不可殺人』，又說：『凡殺人的，難免受審判。』只是我告訴你們：凡向弟兄動怒的，難免受審判。凡罵弟兄是拉加的，難免公會的審斷；凡罵弟兄是魔利的，難免地獄的火。「所以，你在祭壇上獻禮物的時候，若想起弟兄向你懷怨，就把禮物留在壇前，先去同弟兄和好，然後來獻禮物。』(馬太福音 5:21-24) 特別強調的是，不必像舊約的時代要真正做出來是犯罪，而在新約的時代，連壞的意念都不要有和要知道饒恕別人的重要性，就如經文所說，『你們饒恕人的過犯，你們的天父也必饒恕你們的過犯；你們不饒恕人的過犯，你們的天父也必不饒恕你們的過犯。』(馬太福音 6:14-15) 不要把對弟兄的抱怨放在心上，要儘量和弟兄和好。

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到這網站後要按『對屬靈生命的瞭解』。)

First, the Gospel of Luke says that the Son of Man came like a thief, and that no one knew it except the Father when He was incarnated.  This also reminds us of the story of the ten virgins, we really want to be the wise five virgins, always ready to meet the unknown day!  Second, be faithful and good stewards as the verse says, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”(1 Peter 4:10) We have also seen that God is fair.  Thirdly, we have seen that it is not easy to follow Jesus to take up one’s own cross and gain that spiritual life, because the old self (flesh) is only worthy of death.  Fourth, we really have to discern, not just the weather, and be not conformed to the world.  Notice what the Bible says about not having bad thoughts and the importance of forgiving others.

1. The Son of Man Comes Like a Thief

This passage is very clear, “Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.””(Luke 12:35-40)

So until now, all the predictions from the human point of view of when Jesus will come are wrong, and it will be the same in the future, because the Bible makes it very clear that no one will know when He will come again, and be ready at any time.  Indeed, the same thing is said in Matthew’s Gospel, “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason, you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”(Matthew 24:42-44)

The time of the incarnation is very special, because “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”(Matthew 24:36-39) Obviously, this also means that we must be ready at any time for the Son of Man who will come again without us knowing it.  Except for this special time, the God of the Trinity are equally honored and honored because there is only one.  We can try to understand a part of the Trinity. For example, “water” has three different states under atmospheric pressure due to different temperatures, namely water vapor, ice, and common water.  They are the one “water.” This does not fully explain the Trinity, because it has three persons rather than three states. The Trinity is indeed a mystery to man, and it must be accepted with faith.  There are some things we have to accept in faith, like we cannot experience a virgin pregnancy, we must believe in faith that Jesus was conceived and born by the Holy Spirit.

This also reminds us of the story of the ten virgins, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”(Matthew 25:1-13) We really want to be the wise five virgins, always ready to meet the unknown day!  By this way, we don’t have to meet that day when Jesus is saying, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.”  

2. A faithful and good steward

“Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”(Luke 12:41-48)

Apparently, everyone has to be a faithful steward, we just have different personal gifts and serve differently, so this parable should be for everyone.  As the scriptures say, “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”(1 Corinthians 4:1-2) and “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”(1 Peter 4:10) We have also seen that God is very fair, “…From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”(Luke 12:48)

3. The Conflict between Believers and Unbelievers

“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”(Luke 12:49-53)

The Gospel of Matthew also has similar words, “For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.”(Matthew 10:35-36) Could it be that the purpose of His coming is to ensure that there will be no peace on earth?  No, the Bible says clearly, Jesus appeared “…now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”(Hebrews 9:26) To put away sin is the purpose of His appearance. These verses are to say that believers and unbelievers are tit for tat.  We can confirm it by looking at the verses before this in the book of Matthew: “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”(Matthew 10:32-33) The Bible also clearly says, “He who believes in Him (Jesus) is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”(John 3:18) If there is unbelief among relatives, there will be crosses at this time, especially when they are persecuted.  At this time, you must know, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”(Matthew 10:37-39)

Absolutely not like what the philosophy of success says, everything will be smooth and successful after believing in the Lord. Christians will have a cross, and they will encounter suffering just like ordinary people, but Christians have God as their reliance, and believe that everything, including suffering, is arranged for their benefit, as the scriptures say, “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”(Matthew 10:29-30) and know that “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.”(1 Timothy 2:4-6) It is not easy for us to gain that spiritual life, because the old man (flesh) is only worthy to die. “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.”(Romans 7:18) For example, no normal person likes to be angry, but even if we are determined not to be angry, we will still get angry.  Just remember that the Bible doesn’t say never to be angry, but “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.”(Ephesians 4:26-27)

Finally, we look at what He said “But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!”(Luke 12:50) What exactly does this mean?  It means that He will die for us on the cross and take the penalty of sin (death) instead of us.  On the Mount of Transformation, He already knew that this would happen (see Luke 9:28-31), but He did not escape, as the scriptures say, “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem.”(Luke 9:51)  “…Jesus …who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”(Hebrews 12:2) How eager He is to complete the plan of salvation!

4. Need to discern

“And He was also saying to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time? “And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent.””(Luke 12:54-59)

We really need to discern: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”(Romans 12:2) There are similar words in Matthew’s Gospel, “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.”(Matthew 5:25-26) So according to this man’s judgment, he really did something wrong, and he really wanted to find a way to reconcile with his enemy. 

It should be noted that before this, it said, “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”(Matthew 5:21-24) It is particularly emphasized that it is not necessary to truly commit a sin like in the Old Testament era, but in the New Testament era, it is important not to have even bad thoughts and to know the importance of forgiving others, as the scriptures say, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”(Matthew 6:14-15) Do not take complaints against your brother to heart, but try to be reconciled with your brother. 

(Verses refer to those in NASB unless otherwise specified.)

(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)

    首先，我们知道我们要进窄门，然后在经文中看到窄门是指什么，也用例子说明，神不是一个命令一个动作的神，祂给我们相当多的自由做抉择。第二，经文说到耶路撒冷和其圣殿的预言，我们也看到这预言在历史中是如何成就的。第三，我们看到了耶稣在安息日医治患水臌的人，就像我们以前分享的，耶稣是守安息日的真谛，而不是其律法上的时间，这里只是加上了另一件如此做的事情。最后我们看到了一个天国做事的原则，「凡自高的，必降为卑；自卑的，必升为高。」要模成耶稣的形像，我们必须有真实的谦卑，祂应许我们的担子是轻省的。

1. 进窄门       

    『耶稣往耶路撒冷去，在所经过的各城各乡教训人。有一个人问他说：「主啊，得救的人少吗？」耶稣对众人说：「你们要努力进窄门。我告诉你们：将来有许多人想要进去，却是不能。及至家主起来关了门，你们站在外面叩门，说：『主啊，给我们开门！』 「他就回答说：『我不认识你们，不晓得你们是哪里来的！』「那时，你们要说：『我们在你面前吃过、喝过，你也在我们的街上教训过人。』「他要说：『我告诉你们，我不晓得你们是哪里来的。你们这一切作恶的人，离开我去吧！』「你们要看见亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各，和众先知都在神的国里，你们却被赶到外面，在那里必要哀哭切齿了。从东、从西、从南、从北将有人来，在神的国里坐席。只是有在后的，将要在前；有在前的，将要在后。」』(路加福音 13:22-30)    

    我们看到了我们是要努力进窄门，不只是要知道窄门是什么，进窄门是要努力的，而且这门是会关的。基至于凭自己而奉基督耶稣之名做一些事情也是没用的，要做主要我们做的事。这样得救的人会从各方各地，各民各族而来，和亚伯拉罕等人一同坐席。不是所有的人都是在前的都要在后，但有些在后的将要在前，是鼓励也是很真实的话，不要看到自己是在后的就不努力！圣经是很一致的，马太福音也有一部份类似的经文，『凡称呼我『主啊，主啊』的人，不能都进天国；惟独遵行我天父旨意的人，才能进去。当那日，必有许多人对我说：『主啊，主啊，我们不是奉你的名传道，奉你的名赶鬼，奉你的名行许多异能吗？』我就明明地告诉他们说：『我从来不认识你们，你们这些作恶的人，离开我去吧！』』(马太福音 7:21-23) 要遵行天父的旨意，所以雅各会说，『只是你们要行道，不要单单听道，自己欺哄自己。因为听道而不行道的，就像人对著镜子看自己本来的面目，看见，走后，随即忘了他的相貌如何。』(雅各书 1:22-24)      

    在这里很清楚的告诉基督徒，在信而受洗(开始)后要进窄门，那么窄门是什么呢？就是成圣之路，『亲爱的弟兄啊，我们既有这等应许，就当洁净自己，除去身体、灵魂一切的污秽，敬畏神，得以成圣。』(哥林多后书 7:1) 就是走上治死老我之路，如这些经文所说，『你们若顺从肉体活著，必要死；若靠著圣灵治死身体的恶行，必要活著。』(罗马书 8:13) 『所以要治死你们在地上的肢体，就如淫乱、污秽、邪情、恶欲和贪婪，贪婪就与拜偶像一样。』(歌罗西书 3:5) 要走上模成耶稣的形像之路，像经文所说，『因为他预先所知道的人，就预先定下效法(模成, be conformed to) 他儿子的模样(形像)，使他儿子在许多弟兄中作长子。』(罗马书 8:29) 虚己如耶稣般，如经文所说，『反倒虚己，取了奴仆的形像，成为人的样式。』(腓立比书 2:7) 这些都是从不同的方向讲同一件事情，进窄门是要努力的，不是一般努力的行为，而是自然有的信心行为，所以保罗会说，『我靠著那加给我力量的(圣灵)，凡事都能做。』(腓立比书 4:13) 耶稣又『说：「我实在告诉你们：你们若不回转，变成小孩子的样式，断不得进天国。』(马太福音 18:3) 小孩子小时候是完全依赖父亲的，不是说要和小孩子的心志，所以会说，『所以，凡自己谦卑像这小孩子的，他在天国里就是最大的。』(马太福音 18:3-4) 这不就是如基督徒要完全仰赖神，顺服圣灵的带领吗？如耶稣在世时般，『…父怎样吩咐我，我就怎样行。…』(约翰福音 14:31)       

    请注意，神不是一个命令一个动作的神，祂给我们相当多的自由做抉择。有错误的看见和抉择时，祂会引导我们走向正路。如旧约许多的人物像亚伯拉罕伯般、信心的道路会起起伏伏。在新约中，耶稣在被捕要钉十字架时，『…门徒都离开他逃走了。』(马太福音 26:56) 男的门徒在十字架前只有约翰，彼得甚至三次不认主。而在祂复活后，仍然『…用许多的凭据将自己活活地显给使徒看，四十天之久向他们显现，讲说神国的事。』(使徒行传 1:3) 其实真有神的命令，我们的老我也会如亚当般做不来的，『我也知道在我里头，就是我肉体之中，没有良善。因为立志为善由得我，只是行出来由不得我。』(罗马书 7:18) 所以我们非要治死老我，活在新人里面不可，『…这新人是照著神的形像造的，有真理的仁义和圣洁。』(以弗所书 4:24) 『…这新人在知识上渐渐更新，正如造他主的形像。』(歌罗西书 3:10) 会让主居首位，因『惟有基督是包括一切，又住在各人之内。(Christ is all, and in all.)』(歌罗西书 3:11)

2. 耶路撒冷的结局       

    『正当那时，有几个法利赛人来对耶稣说：「离开这里去吧，因为希律想要杀你。」耶稣说：「你们去告诉那个狐狸说：『今天、明天我赶鬼治病，第三天我的事就成全了。』虽然这样，今天、明天、后天，我必须前行，因为先知在耶路撒冷之外丧命是不能的。」「耶路撒冷啊，耶路撒冷啊！你常杀害先知，又用石头打死那奉差遣到你这里来的人。我多次愿意聚集你的儿女，好像母鸡把小鸡聚集在翅膀底下，只是你们不愿意。看哪，你们的家成为荒场留给你们。我告诉你们：从今以后你们不得再见我，直等到你们说：『奉主名来的是应当称颂的！』」』(路加福音 13:31-35)    

    请注意，今天、明天、后天就是指每一天，因明天、后天就是下一日的今天、明天。所以只要祂不上十字架，祂不会因希律想要杀祂就不前。如果稍为留心一下，就知道钉十字架前，祂只是白天在耶路撤冷，晚上是出耶路撒冷的。我们看马太福音也一致这样说，『耶路撒冷啊，耶路撒冷啊！你常杀害先知，又用石头打死那奉差遣到你这里来的人。我多次愿意聚集你的儿女，好像母鸡把小鸡聚集在翅膀底下，只是你们不愿意。看哪，你们的家成为荒场留给你们。我告诉你们：从今以后，你们不得再见我，直等到你们说：『奉主名来的，是应当称颂的！』』(马太福音 23:37-39) 那时的犹太人不愿意，今日也并没有太多的以色列人信奉主耶稣基督，一直要『…等到外邦人的数目添满了，于是以色列全家都要得救。如经上所记：「必有一位救主从锡安出来，要消除雅各家的一切罪恶。」』(罗马书 11:25-26)       

    后来的路加福音更清楚的提到这时间，『你们看见耶路撒冷被兵围困，就可知道它成荒场的日子近了。那时，在犹太的应当逃到山上，在城里的应当出来，在乡下的不要进城，因为这是报应的日子，使经上所写的都得应验。当那些日子，怀孕的和奶孩子的有祸了！因为将有大灾难降在这地方，也有震怒临到这百姓。他们要倒在刀下，又被掳到各国去。耶路撒冷要被外邦人践踏，直到外邦人的日期满了。』(路加福音 21:20-24)       

    至于圣殿的毁灭，『耶稣出了圣殿，正走的时候，门徒进前来，把殿宇指给他看。耶稣对他们说：「你们不是看见这殿宇吗？我实在告诉你们：将来在这里，没有一块石头留在石头上不被拆毁了。」』(马太福音 24:1-2) 在马可福音 13:1-2 和路加福音 21:5-6 基本上也说到同样的事情。再一次强调，我们要相信神借著圣经告诉我们是一致的，当我们朝这方向想时，会比较容易了解许多问题。      

    以上的都是预言，历史告诉我们耶路撒冷和其圣殿在主后约七十年被罗马人摧毁了，至于关于圣殿最后是没有一块石头留在石头上不被拆毁了这点，有人在网上说其原因是为了取得被烧毁圣殿所熔流的金箔，但圣经并没有这样说，不管原因如何，只要我们知道、圣经这样说的预言成就了就够了。

3. 安息日医治患水臌的人       

    『安息日，耶稣到一个法利赛人的首领家里去吃饭，他们就窥探他。在他面前有一个患水臌的人。耶稣对律法师和法利赛人说：「安息日治病可以不可以？」他们却不言语。耶稣就治好那人，叫他走了，便对他们说：「你们中间谁有驴或有牛，在安息日掉在井里，不立时拉牠上来呢？」他们不能对答这话。』(路加福音 14:1-6)       

    在经文中只有这地方提到了耶稣在安息日医治患水臌的人，就像我们以前分享的，耶稣是守安息日的真谛，而不是其律法上的时间，在安息行善是可以的(参马太福音 12:9-13) 不要像看到医治枯干了一只手的人的众人，心是这样的刚硬(参马可福音 3:1-6) 其实我们也常常心里刚硬自己都不知道，因为『人心比万物都诡诈，坏到极处，谁能识透呢？』(耶利米书 17:9) 这里只是又加上了另一件如此做的事情。

4. 凡自高的，必降为卑；自卑的，必升为高       

    『耶稣见所请的客拣择首位，就用比喻对他们说：「你被人请去赴婚姻的筵席，不要坐在首位上，恐怕有比你尊贵的客被他请来，那请你们的人前来对你说：『让座给这一位吧！』你就羞羞惭惭地退到末位上去了。你被请的时候，就去坐在末位上，好叫那请你的人来对你说：『朋友，请上座。』那时，你在同席的人面前就有光彩了。因为，凡自高的，必降为卑；自卑的，必升为高。」』(路加福音 14:7-11)     

    自高的人以为自己什么都有了，但如果一个人能真正了解并接受神是无限，人是有限，怎么可能骄傲得起来？所以保罗会谦卑的说，『若有人以为自己知道甚么，按他所当知道的，他仍是不知道。』(哥林多前书 8:2) 况且『…「神阻挡骄傲的人，赐恩给谦卑的人。」所以你们要自卑，服在神大能的手下，到了时候，他必叫你们升高。』(彼得前书 5:5-6) 现在正式的场合通常已用名牌排好位置了，所以不用担心这样的情况会发生，但有的时候没有这样的安排，这时候我们就可用到这原则了。很清楚的，马太福音也在说同一原则，『凡自高的，必降为卑；自卑的，必升为高。』经文说，『那时，耶稣对众人和门徒讲论，说：「文士和法利赛人坐在摩西的位上，凡他们所吩咐你们的，你们都要谨守遵行；但不要效法他们的行为，因为他们能说不能行。…喜爱筵席上的首座，会堂里的高位；又喜爱人在街市上问他安，称呼他拉比。「…也不要受师尊的称呼，因为只有一位是你们的师尊，就是基督。你们中间谁为大，谁就要作你们的用人。凡自高的，必降为卑；自卑的，必升为高。」』(马太福音 23:1-12)      

    我们知道通常文士和法利赛人在皈依前是人不对，没有生命的。即使如此，他们在对的位置说对的话仍然要谨守遵行，这里说得很清楚，不是要听人说什么而是要看人怎么做，是不是能以身作则？请记住，我们只有一位师尊，就是基督，不要因别人所有的，如学识或会讲道或恩赐等等，而认为这人什么都是对的，不小心的崇拜了人。同样的原则，在不同的书中也提到，如『务要在主面前自卑，主就必叫你们升高。』(雅各书 4:10) 又如在先前所提到的经节中，『…就是你们众人也都要以谦卑束腰，彼此顺服，因为「神阻挡骄傲的人，赐恩给谦卑的人。」…』(彼得前书 5:5-6) 神绝对可以这样做，只是祂有定时，我们不知道祂要如何做而已，因耶和华清楚的说：『…我的意念非同你们的意念，我的道路非同你们的道路。天怎样高过地，照样，我的道路高过你们的道路，我的意念高过你们的意念。』(以赛亚书 55:8-9)     

    我们以前也谈到过，『你们中间谁为大，谁就要作你们的用人。』(马太福音 23:11) 就不多讲了，只是在这提到的属灵原则和一般的属世原则是完全不一样。我们要如先前罗马书 8:29 所说的要模成耶稣的形像，我们就应该真实的谦卑，因为耶稣自己说，『我心里柔和谦卑，…』(马太福音 11:29) 而我们『…当负我(耶稣)的轭，学我的样式，这样，你们心里就必得享安息。因为我的轭是容易的，我的担子是轻省的。』(马太福音 11:29-30) 因在谦卑中和祂同负一轭，我们如果能把自己的负担在基督里完全的交给祂，是祂承担了我们的轭的部份，我们的担子怎能不轻省呢？我们常常说，在我们做完一件事后圣灵才告诉我们去更正，小事如常听人见证说，我忘了我的钥匙，在最后一分才被提醒。即使是『人心比万物都诡诈，坏到极处，谁能识透呢？』(耶利米书 17:9) 所以人会欺骗自己。不是祂不知道，而是我们常常不知道，借著这样的方法，我们非得面对我们真实的自己不可，所以我们会强调，不要只听一个人怎么讲，而是要看一个人怎么做，是不是能以身作则。

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到这网站后要按『对属灵生命的了解』。)