腓三3　真受割礼的，乃是我们这凭神的灵事奉，在基督耶稣里夸口，不信靠肉体的。

　　罗八8　而且在肉体里的人，不能得神的喜悦。

　　许多基督徒以为信靠肉体，意思是信靠堕落的人性，但这不是腓立比三章三节肉体的意思。……保罗说，他有理由可以信靠肉体。他接着说，他在第八天受割礼，他是出于以色列族，属于便雅悯支派，是希伯来人所生的希伯来人；按律法说，是法利赛人；按热心说，是逼迫召会的；按律法上的义说，是无可指摘的。这些就是保罗肉体的各方面。然而，你可能从来不认为这些事是肉体。我们以为肉体仅仅包括邪恶的事，并不包括好的事物。然而，我们天然人里面可敬的、可爱的、优越的各方面，仍然是肉体。保罗按律法并按热心所作的一切，都是肉体，也都是出于肉体。他那按律法而有的义也是肉体。保罗在这几节中所列的七种特征，乃是肉体的各方面，因为这些都是天然的，既不属于基督，也不属于神的灵。任何天然的事物，无论是善的或恶的，都是肉体。犹太人信靠他们的肉体，信靠他们凭天然出生的所是。但我们基督徒不该信靠我们天生就有的任何东西，因为任何出于我们天生的，就是肉体的一部分（李文集一九七八年第一册，五三一至五三二页）。

　　Phil. 3:3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.

　　Rom. 8:8 And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

　　Many Christians think that having confidence in the flesh means having confidence in the sinful elements of our human nature, but this is not the meaning of flesh in Philippians 3:3.... After Paul says that he had no confidence in the flesh, he goes on to say that he was circumcised the eighth day, that he was of the race of Israel, that he was of the tribe of Benjamin, that he was a Hebrew born of the Hebrews, that as to the law he was a Pharisee, that as to zeal he persecuted the church, and that as to the righteousness which is in the law he had become blameless. All these things were aspects of Paul's flesh. However, probably you have never regarded such things as the flesh. We think that the flesh includes only evil things but not good things. Nevertheless, the honorable, lovable, and superior aspects of our natural being are still the flesh. All that Paul did as to the law and as to zeal was flesh and of the flesh. His righteousness as to the law was also flesh. All the seven characteristics listed by Paul in these verses are aspects of the flesh because they all are natural and are neither of Christ nor of the Spirit of God. Anything natural, whether it is good or evil, is the flesh. The Jews had confidence in their flesh, having confidence in what they were by their natural birth. But we Christians should not have confidence in anything we have by our natural birth, for anything of our natural birth is part of the flesh. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Experience of Christ,” p. 412)

　　我们要经历基督，就需要看见我们作一切事必须凭着神的灵，在基督里，并且不信靠肉体。……不要以为愚昧是出于肉体，而智慧必定出于那灵。只要是天然的，智慧与愚昧同样是属肉体的。……我们不该信靠我们天然的所是。只要我们信靠我们天然的所是，我们在经历基督的事上就了了（李文集一九七八年第一册，五三二页）。

　　神的儿女们最大的难处就是不知道什么叫作肉体！许多基督徒所知道的肉体，以为不过是犯罪而已。不错，肉体的确会叫人犯罪，但是，肉体不仅是叫人犯罪而已。罗马八章八节说，“在肉体里的人，不能得神的喜悦。”这里说肉体不能得神的喜悦，意思就是说肉体曾打算要得神的喜悦。许多时候，肉体的目的不一定是要得罪神，肉体的目的也可能是要讨神的喜悦。……但是结果不能。经历告诉我们，犯罪的肉体还容易对付，唯有要得神喜悦的肉体是最难对付的。

　　肉体没有受对付的最显著的现象，就是觉得自己“有把握”。肉体的特点就是自己“有把握”。腓立比三章三节说，“真受割礼的，乃是……不信靠肉体的。”不信靠肉体，也就是对肉体没有把握。凡被十字架击打过的人，他那个人虽然还存在着，可是他已经破碎了，他已变成战战兢兢的人了，他已变成不敢相信自己的人了，他已变成没有把握的人了。在你没有受神对付以先，每逢一件事情临到你身上，你很容易下断案，一开口就有断案；可是，在你受了神对付之后，你就不敢轻易下断案了，你会觉得自己没有把握了。所以，没有一个快出主张、相信自己有力量的人是认识十字架的。这样的人，十字架从来没有在他身上作过工。你的肉体一受割礼，你就不能相信自己，你就不会那么有把握，你就不敢轻易发表意见。我们必须看见，我们在神面前所有的，是软弱，不是刚强，是无依无靠，不是有把握（亚伯拉罕以撒雅各的神，八七至八九页）。

　　参读：经历基督，第六至八章；亚伯拉罕以撒雅各的神，第五章。

　　In order to experience Christ, we need to see that everything we do must be by the Spirit of God, in Christ, and with no confidence in the flesh....Do not think that foolishness is of the flesh and that wisdom is necessarily of the Spirit. As long as it is natural, wisdom is just as fleshly as foolishness....To Paul, whatever he was by his natural birth was the flesh. We should not have any confidence in our natural being. As long as we have confidence in our natural being, we are through with the experience of Christ. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Experience of Christ,” pp. 412-413)

　　The greatest problem among God's children is that they do not know what the flesh is! The flesh that many Christians know is merely related to the matter of sin. It is true that the flesh causes us to sin. But the flesh does not cause man to just sin. Romans 8:8 says that “those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” This means that the flesh has tried to please God. Many times, the goal of the flesh may not be to try to offend God; its goal may be to try to please God.... However, it cannot make it. Our experience tells us that it is comparatively easy to deal with the sinning flesh, but it is very difficult to deal with the flesh that tries to please God.

　　The most obvious sign of unchecked flesh is self-confidence. Self-confidence is the characteristic of the flesh. Philippians 3:3 says, ‘We are the circumcision, the ones who...have no confidence in the flesh.” To put no trust in the flesh is to have no confidence in the flesh. All those who have been smitten by the cross are broken. Although their person may remain, they have learned to fear God and no longer put their trust and confidence in themselves. Before a person is dealt with by the Lord, he quickly judges anything that comes his way. He opens his mouth and makes judgments quickly. But after a person has been dealt with by the Lord, he does not judge lightly; he no longer has any confidence. No one who makes quick proposals and believes in his own strength knows the cross. Such a person has never experienced the work of the cross. Once our flesh is circumcised, we will not believe in ourselves any longer. We will not be that full of confidence, and we will not express our opinions easily. Before the Lord, we must see that we are weak, powerless, helpless, and faltering. (CWWN, vol. 35, “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” pp. 66-67)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Experience of Christ,” chs. 6 -8; CWWN, vol. 35, “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” ch. 5