第一日 神 救 贖 的 計 劃
“基督是我們的生命,祂顯現的時候,你們也要與祂一同顯現在榮耀裏。”(西三:4)
亞當的墮落為自己以及子子孫孫帶來了死亡,但是神卻應許“女人的後裔”要除掉撒但魔鬼和罪惡的權能(勢),這人就是神的兒子,也就是“末後的亞當”—“亞當乃是那以後要來之人的預表。”(羅五:14)末後的亞當在各方面都與首先的亞當相似。
亞當不僅把罪惡和死亡的咒詛帶給他的子孫,而且使他們的生命完全為罪惡所控制,就這樣那個有犯罪天性亞當的生命,就在他的子孫生命裏綿延不斷,並且也支配他們的生活,照樣基督不單藉著自己的犧牲除去罪惡和死亡的權勢,而且祂也親自活在一切蒙救贖之人的心靈裏。
我們很容易想像基督在天上為我們活著,但當基督自己在世上最後一夜,祂深知天上與祂一同在一起生活和工作,祂也如此在我們心靈中內住,並且發動了奇妙的善工,全備的福音是包含這一項真理:“基督是我們的生命。”“基督活在我裏面。”“難道你不知道基督在你裏面活着?”
很多基督徒忽略這點。他們深信耶穌為他們死在十字架上,為他們在天上活着,但卻難以接受基督活在他們裏面的事實,所以教會顯得毫無生氣,奄奄一息,乃是由於我們不知道大有能力的基督住在我們心靈裏。如果這是主對教會真實而且一再的啟示,我們必須明白,經歷並見證這個偉大的真理,然後我們才明白完全獻身基督的意義,永遠與祂交通,祂能自由地在我們心靈中動工,“基督活在我裏面,我也因此為主而活。”
FIRST DAY. God’s Plan of Salvation.
“When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with Him be manifested in glory.” –COL. iii. 4.
After Adam had sinned, and brought death upon himself and his descendants, God gave the promise that a man born of woman should conquer the power of Satan and Sin. This Man, who was the Son of God, the Bible calls the Second Adam –“Adam, who is the figure of Him that was to come” (Rom. v. I4). The second Adam was in every respect to be like the first.
Adam not only brought the curse of sin and death upon his descendants, but actually bequeathed to them a life which was the cause of their being wholly dominated by evil. In this way, the old sinful nature of Adam survived in His descendants. The old nature lived in them and held sway. Likewise Christ by His death not only delivered us from the power of sin and death, but He Himself lives in each of His redeemed ones and is their life.
We are too apt to think of Christ as in Heaven, and from there living for and through us; but the last night He was on earth He taught that as His Father lived and worked in Him here on earth, even so would He dwell in us and work in us. The full Gospel is contained in these words: “Christ is our life.” “Christ lives in me.” “Know ye not that Jesus Christ is in you?”
Many Christians forget this. They believe Christ died on the Cross for them, and lives in Heaven for them, but hardly that Christ is in them. The powerlessness of the Church is mainly due to this. We do not realize that the Almighty Christ dwells in us. We must know and experience and testify to this great truth if there is to be a real and lasting Revival in the Church of Christ. Then we shall know what it means to give ourselves wholly to Christ, always to abide in fellowship with Him, that His work may be accomplished through us. “Christ liveth in me, To me to live is Christ.”