林前二11　因为除了在人里面人的灵，在人中间有谁知道人的事？照样，除了神的灵，也没有人知道神的事。

　　可二8　耶稣灵里即刻知道他们心里这样议论，就对他们说，你们心里为什么议论这些事？

　　有的圣经学者，将圣经中记载的事，分作七个时代，就是无罪时代、良心时代、人治时代、应许时代、律法时代、恩典时代和国度时代。其中头三个时代，都是照着管治的原则来分的。无罪时代，是神治的原则；良心时代，是自治的原则；人治时代，是人管治的原则。……在人堕落以前，人与神之间还没有罪的间隔，这就是所谓的无罪时代。那时，人直接受神的管治，而活在神面前，向神负责（生命的经历，一一二页）。

　　1 Cor. 2:11 For who among men knows the things of man, except the spirit of man which is in him? In the same way, the things of God also no one has known except the Spirit of God.

　　Mark 2:8 And immediately Jesus, knowing fully in His spirit that they were reasoning this way within themselves, said to them, Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?

　　Some students of Scripture have divided the Bible into seven dispensations: the dispensations of innocence, conscience, human government, promise, law, grace, and the kingdom. The first three dispensations are categorized according to the principle of government. In the dispensation of innocence we see the principle of God's rule; in the dispensation of conscience, the principle of self-rule; and in the dispensation of human government, the principle of man's rule....Before the fall no sin barrier existed between God and man. This was the so-called dispensation of innocence, when man was ruled directly by God. He lived before God and was responsible to God. (CWWL, 1953, vol. 3, “The Experience of Life,” p. 283)

　　人在神治之下，堕落失败了，人的里外都有了罪，圣别、公义的神，就不能不离开人。

　　因此，从亚当被赶出伊甸园，直到挪亚出方舟的时候，神就在人里面设立良心，代表祂来管治人。……在这时代中，人受自己良心的管治，向自己的良心负责，所以就是自治。可惜人在自治之下，又失败了。人丢弃良心一切的责备和约束，而有了凶杀、邪淫，以至败坏至极，满了强暴。因此，神就用洪水审判那个时代。

　　到洪水以后，神就吩咐挪亚说，“凡流人血的，他的血也必被人所流。”（创九6）这就是因为人不服神治，又丢弃自治，所以神只好给人权柄代表神来管治人。因此，不久就有国家的开始，人类中就有了政权的管治，社会的制裁，以及家庭中的规约。……这些都是神所设立的权柄，代表神来管治人。所以罗马十三章一节才说，“在上有权柄的，人人都当服从。”这就是人治时代。因为人是这样受人的管治，向人负责。

　　就着管治这一面来说，人类的堕落乃是从神治堕落到自治，又从自治堕落到人治。人越是受神治，就越高尚，越是受人治，就越低下。今天人的光景是完全不受神的管治了。可能还有少数人是在自治之下，受自己良心的管治，但那个力量也是极其微弱的。大部分的人都是落在人的管治之下，必须有别人的管治，才肯就范。但就在这人治时代中，人还是失败了。人不服人的管治，人逃避人的管治，人更推翻人的管治。今天摆在我们眼前的，正是这种背叛翻腾的光景。所以我们看见无论在神治之下，在自治之下，在人治之下，人都完全失败了。

　　人既是从神治堕落到人治，所以神拯救人的时候，就要把人从人治恢复到神治，叫人再单纯地活在神面前，直接地受神管治。但这恢复并不是一下就完成的。人的堕落怎样是从神治，经过自治，而落到人治。神恢复人的计划，也照样要人从人治，经过自治，而达到神治。可说自治乃是神治与人治之间的一层台阶。所以人蒙恩得救了，就该先脱离人治，而恢复到自治里去（生命的经历，一一二至一一四页）。

　　参读：生命的经历，第六篇。

　　Man failed under God's rule and became sinful within and without, so the holy and righteous God had to leave man.

　　Consequently, from the time of Adam's expulsion from the garden of Eden to the time of Noah's departure from the ark, God established the conscience within man to represent Him in ruling over man....In this period man was ruled by his own conscience and was responsible to his own conscience. Unfortunately, under this self-rule, man again failed. He ignored the rebuke and control of the conscience, the issue of which was murder and fornication, which proceeded unto utter corruption and fullness of wickedness. God judged this dispensation by the flood.

　　After the flood God told Noah, “Whoever sheds man's blood, / By man shall his blood be shed” (Gen. 9:6...). Because man was neither subject to God's rule nor obedient to self-rule, God authorized man to represent Him in ruling over man. Therefore, not long afterward, there was the beginning of nations; there came into being among the human races the rule of political authorities, the power of the society, and the control in the family....These are the authorities set up by God to represent Him in ruling man. This is why Romans 13:1 says, “Let every person be subject to the authorities over him.” This is the dispensation of human government, in which man is ruled by man and is responsible to man.

　　From the point of view of government, man's fall was a fall from God's rule to self-rule and then from self-rule to man's rule. The more one is ruled by God, the nobler he becomes, but the more one is ruled by man, the more base he becomes. Today man's condition is a complete rejection of God's rule. There may be a few people who are under self-rule, being controlled by their conscience; however, the impact of their conscience is very weak. The majority are living under human rule and never conform unless they are being ruled by someone. Yet many still fail in this dispensation of human government. They not only disobey but also endeavor to escape and even overthrow man's rule. Today what is set before our eyes is a rebellious and disorderly condition. Thus, man is a total failure whether under the ruling of God, self, or man.

　　Since man has been degraded from God's rule to human rule, God, in saving man, must recover him from human rule to divine rule, that man may once more live before God in simplicity and under His direct authority. However, this kind of recovery cannot be realized in a moment. As man became degraded by falling from divine rule to human rule, passing through the stage of self-rule in between, so in God's plan of recovery he must retrace his steps from human rule to God's rule, passing through self-rule in between. Since self-rule is the step between human rule and God's rule, when a man is saved, he must first be delivered from human rule and return to self-rule. (CWWL, 1953, vol. 3, “The Experience of Life,” pp. 283-284)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1953, vol. 3, “The Experience of Life,” ch. 6