彼前二9　唯有你们是蒙拣选的族类，是君尊的祭司体系，是圣别的国度，是买来作产业的子民，要叫你们宣扬那召你们出黑暗、入祂奇妙之光者的美德。

　　约一4　生命在祂里面，这生命就是人的光。

　　按照新约，神的儿子乃是神圣生命的彰显和具体化身。这意思是说，子的国乃是生命的范围。我们所迁入的国是神爱子的国，这事实指明，这生命的范围是在爱里，不是在惧怕里。今天我们所在其中的国，乃是充满生命、光和爱的范围（歌罗西书生命读经，四四页）。

　　1 Pet. 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired for a possession, so that you may tell out the virtues of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

　　John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

　　According to the New Testament, the Son of God is the expression of the divine life and its embodiment. This means that the kingdom of the Son is a realm of life. The fact that the kingdom into which we have been transferred is the kingdom of the Son of God's love indicates that this realm of life is in love, not in fear. The kingdom in which we find ourselves today is a realm full of life, light, and love. (Life-study of Colossians, p. 38)

　　父的爱子乃是父这生命源头的彰显（约一18、4，约壹一2）。父这生命的源头，乃是在子里得以彰显。……父的爱子乃是父爱的对象，在神圣的爱里带着在复活里的权柄，对我们作生命的具体化身。作神圣生命具体化身的子，乃是父爱的对象。具体化身在子里的神圣生命，在神圣的爱里赐给我们。因此，神圣之爱的对象，在神圣的爱里带着在复活里的权柄，对我们成为生命的具体化身。这就是神爱子的国。

　　举例说明神爱子的国，比充分解释爱子的国要容易些。想想看你的经历。当我们认识主耶稣是这样的可爱可亲，我们就开始爱祂。我们一爱主耶稣，就感觉到爱的甜美。这个爱的感觉不仅包括了主耶稣，也包括了我们。我们晓得，我们也是神圣之爱的对象。我们既是这神圣之爱的对象，自然而然地就在一种支配或管理之下。我们开始爱主耶稣以前，可以为所欲为。但我们越说，“主耶稣，我爱你！”我们就越没有自由。我们开始爱主耶稣以前，还不觉得有这样的管理和约束。我们待别人不好，或是享受属世的娱乐，一点也不觉得里头的约束。但我们成了爱主耶稣的人之后，就进到祂的管理之下。这个管理并不严酷；相反的，乃是甜美而愉快的。哦，我们是在这甜美的方式中，受约束和管理！因着主在我们里头的管制是甜美的，我们就用不着操心会说闲话，或有不讨祂喜悦的思想。我们在爱的甜美中，受最大的管理和约束。这就是神爱子的国。

　　我们越因着爱主耶稣，而乐意受祂的约束与管理时，就越在生命中长大，甚至在丰盛的生命中长大。这指明神爱子的国，乃是为了叫我们享受基督作生命。在此我们得着释放，脱离基督以外的一切事物，不仅脱离邪恶的事，也脱离哲学、规条、仪文和禁欲主义等类的事。当我们持守我们的哲学、伦理、禁欲主义或规条，我们就在黑暗的权势之下。但神已拯救我们脱离了这权势，把我们迁入爱的国里，就是满了生命和亮光的国里。在这里我们没有仪文、形式、规条、作法、哲学、神秘主义、智慧派或禁欲主义，我们只有神的爱子基督。在这里我们有爱、光和生命。这就是凭基督而活。

　　凭基督而活，就是我们不凭基督以外的任何事物而活。我们若看见什么是凭基督而活，就会领悟，我们许多人仍旧在某种形式的辖制之下；这种辖制是由己所建立，由己所设立并执行的。这种辖制就是黑暗的权势。我们若在这种权势之下，我们读经就得不着光，祷告也没有话语。虽然父拯救了我们脱离黑暗的权势，脱离我们天然的思想、情感、喜好和行为，我们仍旧可能停留在天然人的一些光景里。这使我们被扣留在黑暗的权势之下（歌罗西书生命读经，三八至四○页）。

　　参读：歌罗西书生命读经，第五篇。

　　The Son of the Father is the expression of the Father as the source of life (John 1:18, 4; 1 John 1:2). The Father as the source of life is expressed in the Son.

　　The Son of the Father's love is the object of the Father's love to be the embodiment of life to us in the divine love with the authority in resurrection. The Son, as the embodiment of the divine life, is the object of the Father's love. The divine life embodied in the Son is given to us in the divine love. Therefore, the object of the divine love becomes to us the embodiment of life in the divine love with the authority in resurrection. This is the kingdom of the Son of His love.

　　It is easier to give an illustration of the kingdom of the Son of His love than it is to give an adequate definition of it. Consider your experience. Coming to realize that the Lord Jesus is so loving and lovable, we began to love Him. As we love the Lord Jesus, we are conscious of a sweet sense of love. Not only does this sense of love include the Lord Jesus, but it also includes us. We realize that we also are the objects of the divine love. As objects of this divine love, we spontaneously come under a certain control or ruling. Before we began to love the Lord Jesus, we were free to do whatever we wanted. But the more we say, “Lord Jesus, I love You,” the less freedom we have. Before we began to love the Lord Jesus, we did not sense this ruling or restriction. We could mistreat people or engage in worldly entertainments without any sense of inward restriction. But as those who love the Lord Jesus, we have come under His rule. This rule is not harsh; on the contrary, it is sweet and pleasant. Oh, we are restricted and ruled in such a sweet way! Because of the pleasantness of the Lord's rule in us, we do not care even to speak a vain word or to have a thought that is displeasing to Him. We are ruled and restricted to the uttermost in the sweetness of love. This is the kingdom of the Son of His love.

　　The more we are willing to be restricted and ruled by the Lord Jesus out of our love for Him, the more we shall grow in life, even in the abundance of life. This indicates that the kingdom of the Son of His love is for our enjoyment of Christ as life. Here we are freed from everything other than Christ, not only from evil things, but also from things such as philosophy, ordinances, observances, and asceticism. When we were holding to our philosophy, ethics, asceticism, and ordinances, we were under the authority of darkness. But God has delivered us out of this authority and has transferred us into a kingdom of love that is full of life and light. Here we have no observances, rituals, ordinances, practices, philosophies, mysticism, Gnosticism, or asceticism. We just have Christ, the Son of His love. Here we have love, light, and life. This is to live by Christ.

　　To live by Christ means that we do not live by anything other than Christ. If we see what it is to live by Christ, we shall realize that many of us are still under some form of control established by the self, a control set up and carried out by the self. This kind of control is the authority of darkness. If we are under this authority, we receive no light in reading the Bible, and we have no utterance in prayer. Although the Father has delivered us out of the authority of darkness, out of our natural thought, emotion, preference, and behavior, we may still remain in some aspect of our natural being. This causes us to be held under the authority of darkness. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 32-33)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Colossians, msg. 5