恩典社區教會 - 中文團契: 2018

身為一名基督徒意味著什麼

What It Means to Be a Christian

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為一名基督徒, 不僅僅是認同一個宗教或者是接受一種價值體系. 身為一名基督徒意味著你認同聖經對神, 人, 與救恩的敘述. 讓我們來思考以下聖經中的真理.
Being a Christian is more than identifying yourself with a particular religion or affirming a certain value system. Being a Christian means you have embraced what the Bible says about God, mankind, and salvation. Consider the following truths found in the Bible.

神是有主權的創造者. 現今思想認為人類乃是由進化而生. 但是聖經說我們是神所造, 為的是愛祂, 服侍祂, 並且在永恆裡享受與祂的關係. 聖經新約說耶穌基督創造了所有的一切 (約翰福音 1:3; 歌羅西書 1:16). 因此, 祂擁有並掌管一切 (詩篇 103:19). 這就意味著祂有權柄掌管我們的生命. 我們必須對祂完全的忠誠, 服從祂並且敬拜祂.

God Is Sovereign Creator. Contemporary thinking says man is the product of evolution. But the Bible says we were created by a personal God to love, serve, and enjoy endless fellowship with Him. The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Therefore, He also owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). That means He has authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.

神是聖潔的. 神是絕對的, 完全的聖潔 (以賽亞書 6:3); 因此祂不會犯罪, 也不會贊同罪 (雅各書 1:13). 神要求我們也要聖潔. 彼得前書 1:16 說, "你們當成為聖潔的, 因為我是聖潔的".

God Is Holy. God is absolutely and perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3); therefore He cannot commit or approve of evil (James 1:13). God requires holiness of us as well. First Peter 1:16 says, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

人類是有罪的. 根據聖經所說, 每個人都犯了罪: "世上沒有不犯罪的人" (列王紀上 8:46). 這不是說我們沒有任何做善事的能力. 但是我們卻無法靠自己去認識神, 愛神, 或是討祂的喜悅 (羅馬書 3:19-12).

Mankind Is Sinful. According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin: “There is no man who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46). That doesn’t mean we’re incapable of performing acts of human kindness. But we’re utterly incapable of understanding, loving, or pleasing God on our own (Romans 3:10–12).

罪必須受懲罰. 神的聖潔與公義要求所有的罪都要受死的刑罰 (以西結書 18:4). 這就是為什麼我們不能只是靠簡單的改變行為來解決罪的問題, 或者消除罪的後果.

Sin Demands a Penalty. God’s holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished by death (Ezekiel 18:4). That’s why simply changing our patterns of behavior can’t solve our sin problem or eliminate its consequences.

耶穌既是主,也是救贖者. 羅馬書 10:9 說: "你如果口裡承認耶穌是主, 心裡相信神使祂從死人中復活, 就必得救." 雖然神的公義要求罪的代價 - 就是死亡, 但是因為神的愛, 祂預備了一位救主付了罪的代價, 為了罪人而死 (彼得前書 3:18). 耶穌的死, 滿足了神在公義上的要求. 耶穌完美的生命也滿足了神在聖潔上的要求 (哥林多後書 5:21). 所以祂可以赦免與拯救一切信靠祂的人 (羅馬書 3:26).

Jesus Is Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Even though God’s justice demands death for sin, His love has provided a Savior who paid the penalty and died for sinners (1 Peter 3:18). Christ’s death satisfied the demands of God’s justice, and Christ’s perfect life satisfied the demands of God’s holiness (2 Corinthians 5:21), thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him (Romans 3:26).

真信心的特徵. 真正的信心總是伴隨著對罪的悔改. 悔改是認同神說你是有罪的人, 向祂認罪, 並且做出選擇, 從罪中迴轉 (路加福音 13:3,5; 帖撒羅尼迦前書 1:9) 同時渴慕認識基督 (馬太福音 11:28-30; 約翰福音 17:3), 順服祂 (約翰一書 2:3). 只相信一些關於基督的真理並不足夠. 即使是撒旦和跟隨他的魔鬼也相信神 (雅各書 2:19), 但是他們不愛神也不順服神. 真正得救的信心總是以順服作為回應的 (以弗所書 2:10).
The Character of Saving Faith. True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. Repentance is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin (Luke 13:3,5; 1 Thessalonians 1:9) and pursue Christ (Matthew 11:28-30; John 17:3) and obedience to Him (1 John 2:3). It isn't enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don't love and obey Him. True saving faith always responds in obedience (Ephesians 2:10).

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