第二日 雙 重 的 生 命
“我來了是要叫人得生命並且得的更豐盛。” (約十:10)
任何人都能明瞭輭弱有病和滿有活力和健壯是兩種生命之間的不同點,保羅認為哥林多教會所有基督的生命是屬肉體而不是屬靈的,他們不能吃乾糧,或者說不能領受較深奧的福音真理(參林前三章,來五章),大部份的基督徒也都沒有從基督道理的開端向前走,他們聽覺遲鈍,而且留戀屬肉體的基督徒生活。另外一小部份的基督徒卻渴望得著豐盛的恩典,在整個教會歷史中我們可以發現這兩種不同的基督徒,在這邪惡的世代只有何等少數屬靈的人,想要擁有在基督裏更豐盛的生命,他們見證:“充充滿滿的有恩典有真理”基督的榮耀,“從祂豐滿的恩典我們都領受了,而且恩上加恩。”(約一:16)
傳道人更應以傳遞在基督裏豐富神恩的信息為職志,是基督徒明白“靈命貧窮”為恥,並進一步鼓勵信徒相信可藉被聖靈充滿得到更豐盛的生命。
親愛的讀者:現在請你自問:你的靈命是否好像主耶穌所賜予那樣豐盛?可否因此顯明出來你對救主的愛何歸榮耀與神?如果是否定的答案,你得求神加增你的信心,祂所賜給你豐富的恩典永遠夠我們用於各種善工,讓主耶穌成為你所最寶貴的,天天都與祂彼此分享快樂,祂一定會藉着聖靈教導你用豐盛的生命來尊崇祂。
SECOND DAY. The Twofold Life.
“I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” –JOHN x. 10.
Everyone can understand the difference between life that is weak and sickly, and life that has abundant vitality. Thus St Paul speaks of the Christian life of the Corinthians as not spiritual but carnal, as of young children in Christ incapable of assimilating strong meat, or of understanding the deeper truths of the Gospel (see I Cor. iii, and Heb. v.). There are some, the majority of Christians, who never advance beyond first principles. They are dull of hearing and remain carnal Christians. There are others again, a minority, who indeed show forth the abundant riches of grace. All through the history of the Church we find this difference. In our day too the number is small of those who seek to live wholly for God, and being spiritually minded have large thoughts of the abundant life there is in Christ. They witness to the glory of Christ “Full of grace and truth.” “For of His fullness we all received, and grace for grace” (John i. I 6).
The preacher’s aim should be, so to declare the fullness of God’s grace in Jesus Christ as to make Christians ashamed of the poverty of their spiritual life, and to encourage them to believe that “life abundant” in the fullness of the Spirit is for them.
Dear Reader, ask yourself if you are living such an abundant life as Jesus came to bestow? Is it manifest in your love to the Saviour and in the abundant fruit you bear to the glory of God in soul-winning? If not, pray God to strengthen your faith that He is able to make all grace abound toward you that you always having all sufficiency may abound in every good work. Let Jesus be precious to you, and daily communion with Him indispensable. He will teach you by His Holy Spirit to honour Him by an abundant life.