太二五14~15　诸天的国又好比一个人要往外国去，就叫了自己的奴仆来，把他的家业交给他们，按照各人的才干，个别地给了一个五他连得银子，一个二他连得，一个一他连得，就往外国去了。

　　关于信徒有两面：儆醒预备的一面，和忠信精明的一面。信徒……有双重的身分。这双重身分的第一面与生命有关，第二面与服事有关。……在生命上，我们是童女；在服事上，我们是奴仆。……在儆醒上，我们是童女；这与我们的所是有关。但在忠信上，我们是奴仆；这与我们的所作有关。

　　我们也许喜欢“童女”一辞，却不喜欢听见我们是奴仆。然而，我们不仅是童女，也是奴仆。对童女而言，主是新郎；但对奴仆而言，祂是主人。因此，不仅我们有双重的身分，主也有双重的身分。一面，祂是使我们喜乐的新郎；另一面，祂是我们严厉的主人。有时候祂非常喜悦我们，但有时候，祂严厉地对付我们（马太福音生命读经，八三五页）。

　　Matt. 25:14-15 For the kingdom of the heavens is just like a man about to go abroad, who called his own slaves and delivered to them his possessions. To one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability. And he went abroad.

　　Concerning the believers, there are two aspects: the aspect of watchfulness and readiness and the aspect of faithfulness and prudence. The believers...have a dual status. The first aspect of this dual status is related to life, and the second aspect is related to service....Regarding life, we are virgins; regarding service, we are slaves....In watchfulness we are virgins. This relates to what we are....In faithfulness we are slaves. This relates to what we do.

　　Although we may like the term “virgins,” we may not like hearing that we are slaves. Nevertheless, we are not only virgins, but also slaves. To the virgins, the Lord is the Bridegroom, but to the slaves, He is the Master. Thus, not only we have a dual status, but the Lord also has a dual status. On the one hand, He is our pleasant Bridegroom and, on the other, our strict Master. Sometimes He is very pleasant with us, but at other times He deals with us in a strict way. (Life-study of Matthew, p. 758)

　　童女需要内在的东西—油在器皿里内在的充满。然而，奴仆需要外在的东西—属灵的才干。圣灵的充满是内在的，但是才干，属灵的恩赐，是外在的。我们是器皿，里面需要油；我们是奴仆，外面需要才干。……充满器皿的油达到器皿的底部。我们这人的更新是从里面进行的，变化也是从里面发生的。今天在基督徒中间非常缺少这种内在的工作。反之，许多基督徒在努力改善他们的外表，好作虚饰。宗教与外在的表现有关，但神在圣灵充满里的恩典进到我们里面，从里面变化我们。内在的油与外在的修饰大不相同。修饰立刻改变我们的脸色，但神的路乃是我们饮于那灵，并让那灵浸透我们这人，那么我们的外表就要从里面改变。例如，我吃得好，喝得好，并且营养的食物浸透我这人，就使我有健康的脸色。

　　我们需要从里面得更新，这不是说，我们不需要外面的活动。那领五他连得银子的，用这些殷勤作买卖，另外赚了五他连得。这指明我们需要里面的更新和外面的服事，里面的长大和外面的行动。我们对这原则需要有深刻的印象。在生命方面，我们需要从里面得更新；在服事方面，我们外面需要十分活跃。有时候我们可能外面很活跃，以致忽略了里面的更新。但有时候我们可能很注意里面的生命，以致没有好好工作。这样就是没有翻过的饼（何七8），一面烧焦成炭，另一面是生的；两面都不适合吃。我们需要是个翻过的饼。我们若过度工作，主会告诉我们要休息。但我们若休息太过，主会告诉我们去工作。

　　马太二十五章十四节说，这人把他的家业交给他的奴仆。……我信交给奴仆的家业包括福音、真理、信徒和召会。……十五节说，“按照各人的才干，个别地给了一个五他连得银子，一个二他连得，一个一他连得。”……童女比喻里的油，象征神的灵；这节比喻里的银子，象征属灵的恩赐（罗十二6，林前十二4，彼前四10，提后一6）。为着生命，我们需要油，神的灵，甚至祂的充满，使我们能过童女的生活，作主的见证；为着服事、工作，我们需要银子，属灵的恩赐，使我们能装备为良善的奴仆，完成主的工作（马太福音生命读经，八三五至八三七页）。

　　参读：马太福音生命读经，第六十五至六十六篇。

　　The virgins need something inward—the inward filling of the oil in the vessel. The slaves, however, need something outward—the spiritual talent. The infilling of the Holy Spirit is inward, but the talent, the spiritual gift, is outward. As vessels we need the oil inwardly, and as slaves we need the talents outwardly.

　　The oil that fills the vessel reaches the very bottom of the vessel. It is from within that the renewing of our being takes place, and it is from within that transformation transpires. There is a great lack of this inward working among Christians today. Rather, many Christians are striving to improve their outward appearance in order to make a show. Religion is concerned with outward show, but God's grace in the infilling of the Holy Spirit gets into us and transforms us from within. The inward oil is very different from outward makeup. Makeup changes our complexion immediately. But God's way is that we drink of the Spirit and let the Spirit saturate our being. Then our appearance will change from within. For example, I eat and drink well, and nourishing food saturates my being. This gives me a healthy complexion.

　　The fact that we need to be renewed from within does not mean that we do not need outward activities. The one who received five talents traded with them diligently and gained another five talents. This indicates that we need both the inward renewing and the outward service, the inward growth and the outward actions. We need to be deeply impressed with this principle. Regarding the aspect of life, we need to be renewed from within, and regarding the aspect of service, we need to be very active outwardly. Sometimes we may be so active outwardly that we neglect the inward renewing. But at other times we may care so much for the inner life that we do not work adequately. To be like this is to be an unturned cake (Hosea 7:8). On one side we are burned to charcoal, and on the other side we are raw. Neither side is good for eating. We need to be a turned cake. If we work too much, the Lord will tell us to rest. But if we rest too much, the Lord will tell us to work.

　　[Matthew 25:14] says that this man delivered his possessions to his slaves....I believe that the possessions delivered to the slaves include the gospel, the truth, the believers, and the church.

　　Verse 15 says, “To one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability.” While oil in the parable of the virgins signifies the Spirit of God, talents in this parable signify spiritual gifts (Eph. 4:8; Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:4; 1 Pet. 4:10; 2 Tim. 1:6). For life we need oil, the Spirit of God, even His fullness, that we may be enabled to live the virgin life for the Lord's testimony; for service, for work, we need the talent, the spiritual gift, that we may be equipped as a good slave for the accomplishment of the Lord's work. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 758-760)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Matthew, msgs. 65-66