芥菜種子

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The Intruders (Part Two) 誰在入侵（下）

作者：芥菜種子於 2018-4-30 23:55 發表於最熱鬧的華人社交網路--貝殼村

通用分類:信仰見證|已有1評論

There are a lot of these rumblings in Corinthians 10:1-11. Listen underneath Paul』s words and see if you can hear the accusations of the intruders. You may ask how were the intruders undermining Paul?

《哥林多后書》10章1-11節里有很多滾滾的雷聲。看看我們能不能從保羅言語間聽出入侵者們的指控。你或許會問，他們是怎麼挖保羅的牆角呢？

Let me just point out some of the ways they perceived Paul. For instance, they were saying that Paul was a bad leader. Oh, he was forceful in writing; but when you met him face-to-face, he was weak and ineffective. You can see this clearly in verse 1 where Paul introduces himself using the intruders』 perception of him. He is 「timid」 when in person, but bold when far away.

讓看看他們是從哪些方面認識保羅的。例如，他們說，保羅是個糟糕的領袖。他寫信很有力量，一旦見面，他竟是軟弱而無果效的人。這一點，第一節里很明顯，保羅用那些人看待他的角度介紹自己。他見面時「謙和」，遠離時「嚴厲」。

And while Paul was big on threats, in their minds he was poor on follow through. He talks about 「waging war」 in his letters; but when he squares off against you, he is all bark and no bite. He also portrays that he is some kind of authority, some kind of spiritual leader, some kind of apostle; but he offers little tangible proof.

儘管保羅大話恐嚇，但在他們腦海里他是一事無成的人。在信中他講到「爭戰」，可他只擺出陣勢，卻只叫不咬。他還把自己描畫成有權柄的人，屬靈的領袖和使徒，但是他拿不出一點實際的證明。

To make matters worse, when he does try to prove his authority, he has to rely on his own testimony and those of his close friends. Where are his letters of commendation from Jerusalem? The intruders have them! Where is his apostolic power? The intruders have it!

更糟糕的是，他試圖證明自己的權柄，卻只能依靠自己的見證，還有他那些好朋友。耶路撒冷的推薦信在哪裡？而那些入侵者卻有！他的使徒大能在哪裡？而那些入侵者卻有！

Plus, Paul is rather worldly. Instead of fighting with the power of the triumphant king, he wages war with words and ineffectual arguments that lack punch and pizzazz. And frankly, when all is said and done, Paul just doesn』t measure up. He doesn』t measure up spiritually.

而且，保羅此人相當世俗。他不是用得勝君王的大能去戰鬥，反到用言語和徒勞的爭辯去爭戰，毫無效力和戰鬥力。坦率地說，這一切的一切都說明，保羅根本就不夠格。屬靈上他不夠格。

Where are his miracles and supernatural acts? He doesn』t measure up as a teacher. He lacks style and eloquence and wisdom and, frankly, excitement. Compared to these intruders, Paul was rather dull.

他的神跡和超然舉動哪裡去了？他作導師不夠格，他缺少文風和口才，沒有智慧。坦率講，也沒有鼓舞。和那些入侵者相比，保羅顯得相當無聊。

And he doesn』t measure up as a pastor. Instead of leading and empowering, he only seeks to control and keep people in their place. And he doesn』t measure up in terms of personality.

他作牧者不夠格，沒有帶領，也沒有賜予大能。他只是一味地控制，不讓人們亂動。在個性上講他也不夠格。

Basically, Paul was rather unimpressive; and everyone knows that good pastors are full of charismatic fire, vim and vigor. Bottom line: in the eyes of the intruders, Paul was weak; and we all know, weakness is not something with which we want to be associated.

基本上，人們對保羅沒什麼印象。誰都知道，好的牧者充滿靈恩的火焰與活力。底線是：在那些入侵者的眼睛里，保羅是軟弱的。我們都知道，軟弱可不是我們樂於有份的東西。

Now, those of us who know Paul even a little bit, find these accusations ludicrous. But the church in Corinth was quickly aligning themselves with the intruders in their understanding of Paul.

如果我們多少了解一點保羅，認為這些指控是無稽之談。但是，哥林多教會很快就認同了那些入侵者對保羅的看法。

But why? It is simple, really. What Paul taught was so countercultural to Roman society that it made following Jesus hard and required an awkward distance between the disciple of Jesus and the world, while what the intruders taught fit in with their culture perfectly.

為什麼會這樣？其實很簡單。保羅的教導有悖於當時的羅馬文化。他把跟隨耶穌弄得很艱難，在作耶穌門徒與世界之間拉出一個窘迫的距離。

What the intruders were teaching made following Jesus attractive. It made it cool. It made it easy. Who wouldn』t want a Christianity where you can do whatever you want without any fear of judgment or criticism? Who wouldn』t want a Christianity that wasn』t so costly? Who wouldn』t want a Christianity that promised the good life, the victorious life and the self-fulfilling life?

而那些入侵者的教導完美地適宜當時的文化，讓跟隨耶穌變得很迷人，很時尚，很容易。人們可以隨自己的意願行事，不用擔心審判和批評，這樣的基督教誰能不要呢？這樣的沒有代價的基督教誰能不要呢？一個應許了美好的生活、得勝的生活、自我滿足的生活的基督教誰能不要呢？

And wouldn』t following Jesus be much more attractive if it wasn』t so hard? And wouldn』t it be easier to do what God said, if God didn』t say so much? And wouldn』t far more people want to be a disciple of Jesus if it didn』t take so much effort, especially if it didn』t require so much self-denial?

如果跟隨耶穌不那麼艱難，那不是很迷人嗎？如果上帝沒那麼多話，遵行上帝旨意行不是很容易嗎？如果沒有這麼多的努力，尤其是這麼多的自我剋制，那不是會有更多的人要作耶穌的門徒嗎？

See, these intruders gave the Corinthian church a theological way to have their cake and eat it, too. All they did is twist a few verses out of context, misapply a few promises, misread a few sayings, and presto!

看到了嗎？那些入侵者給哥林多教會帶來了「即能保存蛋糕，又能品嘗蛋糕」的神學觀。他們所做的就是跳出語境，曲解幾節經文，誤用在幾個應許上，誤讀幾個句子，像變戲法一樣！

They had a Christianity without the cross, without suffering, without sacrifice and without weakness; but sadly, they were also close to having a Christianity without Christ.

他們的基督教沒有十字架，沒有苦難，沒有犧牲，沒有軟弱。但悲哀的是，他們的基督教幾乎沒有基督了。

Dietrich Bonhoeffer knew something of such cheap grace. He wrote in his The Cost of Discipleship: 「Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.

潘霍華對這種廉價恩典看得很透。他寫到，「廉價恩典宣講沒有悔改的寬恕、沒有教會紀律的受洗、沒有懺悔的聖餐，沒有切身悔改的赦免。

「Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, and grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. But costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has.

「廉價恩典沒有門徒職分的恩典、沒有十字架的恩典、沒有耶穌基督及其永活和道成肉身。但是，有代價的恩典是藏在地里的財寶；一個人要為它變賣一切所有的。

「It is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.

「它是必須不斷尋求的福音，是必須求要的寶貝，必須叩響的門。這樣的恩典有代價，因為它呼喚我們跟隨。它是恩典，因為它呼召我們跟隨耶穌基督。

「It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner.

「它有代價，因為它要你付出生命。它是恩典，因為它只給出真正的生命。它有代價，因為它咒詛罪。它是恩典，因為它讓罪人成聖。

「Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 『ye were bought at a price,』 and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us.」

「總而言之，它有代價，因為這代價是上帝兒子的生命:『你們是重價買來的,』讓上帝付出重價的，在我們不可能是廉價的。」

So how did Paul respond to these accusations and lies? Paul will not use the methods, principles, or arguments of his opponents. He will not 「wage war as the world does.」

那麼，保羅是怎麼回應這些指控和謊言的呢？保羅不會使用他敵對者的方法、教義和爭論。他不會「憑血氣爭戰」。

Instead, he will fight with spiritual weapons that 「have divine power to demolish strongholds」 so that he may take 「every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.」 In other words, he will use weapons like weakness, grace, humility and even death.

正相反，他要拿起屬靈的武器，「以神的大能，攻破堅固的營壘」，要「將人所有的心意奪回，使它都順服基督。」換句話說，他要用軟弱、恩典、謙卑、甚至死亡這樣的武器。

Paul is going to sacrifice his image so that Christ may live in him and so that Christ alone may once again, be worshipped in Corinth. And in so doing, he will show us the way of Jesus. He will show us the way of the cross and he will show us the way of weakness. To be continued.

保羅要犧牲他的形象，讓基督活在他裡面。這樣，唯有基督在哥林多再次得到崇拜。這樣，他要把耶穌的道路展示給我們，要把十字架的道路展示給我們，要把軟弱的道路展示給我們。待續。