肆 神的儿女要达到二十岁的属灵年龄，就需要经过生命经历的头三层，并进入第四层： |
Ⅳ In order for the children of God to reach the spiritual age of twenty, they need to pass through the first three stages of the experience of life and enter into the fourth stage: |
一 生命经历的第一层是在基督里，第二层是住在基督里，第三层是基督住在我们里面，也就是十字架层—加二20，三1，五24，太十六24。 |
Ａ The first stage of the experience of life is being in Christ, the second stage is abiding in Christ, and the third stage is Christ living in us, which is also the stage of the cross—Gal. 2:20; 3:1; 5:24; Matt. 16:24. |
二 在第三层，寻求的信徒对付肉体、己和天然的构成连同天然的力量和才干： |
Ｂ In the third stage the seeking believers deal with the flesh, the self, and the natural constitution with the natural strength and ability: |
１ 肉体是指堕落之旧人的总和，也就是我们整个堕落的人—创六3，罗七18上，加二16： |
１ The flesh denotes the totality of the fallen old man, our entire fallen being—Gen. 6:3; Rom. 7:18a; Gal. 2:16: |
ａ 肉体是旧人的活出与彰显—罗六6。 |
ａ The flesh is the living out and the expression of the old man—Rom. 6:6. |
ｂ 肉体是无法改变或改进的；因此，我们必须记得这个事实：肉体是一直与我们在一起的—十三14，加五16。 |
ｂ The flesh cannot be changed or improved; thus, we need to be mindful of the fact that the flesh is always with us—13:14; Gal. 5:16. |
ｃ 肉体是神仇敌的营盘，是仇敌工作最大的基地—19~21节： |
ｃ The flesh is the camp of God's enemy and the largest base for his work—vv. 19-21: |
㈠ 肉体是我们仇敌中的头一个，在罪、世界和撒但前面，领先与我们争战—罗八3。 |
⑴ The flesh is the first among our enemies, taking the lead over sin, the world, and Satan to fight against us—Rom. 8:3. |
㈡ 神恨恶肉体，就如祂恨恶撒但一样；祂要毁坏肉体，就如祂要毁坏撒但—出十七16，申二五17~19，撒上十五2~3。 |
⑵ God hates the flesh in the same manner that He hates Satan, and He wants to destroy the flesh in the same manner that He wants to destroy Satan—Exo. 17:16; Deut. 25:17-19; 1 Sam. 15:2-3. |
２ 己就是魂生命，重在人的意思，人的主张—太十六23~25： |
２ The self is the soul-life with the emphasis on human thoughts and opinions—Matt. 16:23-25: |
ａ 在马太十六章二十三至二十五节，有三个辞彼此相关，就是“心思”、“己”和“魂生命”： |
ａ In Matthew 16:23-25 three terms are related to one another: mind, himself, and soul-life: |
㈠ 心思是己的发表，己是魂生命的具体表现—23~25节。 |
⑴ Our mind is the expression of our self, and our self is the embodiment of our soul-life—vv. 23-25. |
㈡ 魂生命具体表现在己里面，并借着己活出来，而己又借着心思、想法、思想、观念和意见发表出来—22~23节。 |
⑵ Our soul-life is embodied in and lived out by our self, and our self is expressed through our mind, idea, thought, concept, and opinion—vv. 22-23. |
ｂ 己是撒但的具体化身；己是魂里撒但的素质，使魂向神独立，发表魂自己的意见和自己的意志—23节，创三1~6，林后十一3。 |
ｂ The self is the embodiment of Satan; the self is the essence of Satan in the soul, making the soul independent from God to express its self-opinion and self-will—v. 23; Gen. 3:1-6; 2 Cor. 11:3. |
ｃ 己就是那向神宣告独立的魂—太十六23，路十四26，伯四二5~6。 |
ｃ The self is the soul declaring its independence from God—Matt. 16:23; Luke 14:26; Job 42:5-6. |
３ 天然的构成是我们肉身和精神能力的集大成—林前二14~15，腓三3、10~11： |
３ The natural constitution is the aggregate of our physical and mental abilities—1 Cor. 2:14-15; Phil. 3:3, 10-11: |
ａ 天然的力量和才干没有神圣的元素。 |
ａ The natural strength and ability do not have the divine element. |
ｂ 天然的力量和才干凭自己行事，不照着神的意愿而行。 |
ｂ The natural strength and ability act on their own, not according to God's will. |
ｃ 当我们凭天然的才干作工，我们寻求自己的荣耀，满足自己的愿望。 |
ｃ When we work with our natural ability, we seek our own glory and satisfy our own desire. |
ｄ 当我们天然的力量和才干受了十字架的对付，这些力量和才干就在复活里成为有用的—11节。 |
ｄ When our natural strength and ability are dealt with by the cross, they become useful in resurrection—v. 11. |
晨兴喂养
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。 10 使我认识基督、并祂复活的大能、以及同祂受苦的交通，模成祂的死。 任何天然的东西里面都没有神圣的元素，天然的力量和才干更是如此。使用我们天然的力量和才干，完全违反召会作基督身体的基本原则，因为召会作为基督的身体，全然是人性与神性调和的组成。召会作为新人必须充满神圣的元素。主定罪基督教，因为基督教已经变成由人天然的力量和才干所作出的宗教，在其中神圣的元素没有发展的余地。然而，真正的召会乃是神圣元素与人性调和的组成。我们必须学习这点，当作基本的功课，也必须使每一位有分于召会事奉的圣徒，对这点有深刻的印象（CWWL一九七九年第二册，一七九页）。 |
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. 10 To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death. Anything natural does not have the divine element in it, especially the natural strength and natural ability. To use our natural strength and ability is altogether against the basic principle of the church as the Body of Christ, because the church as the Body of Christ is altogether a composition of humanity mingled with divinity. The church as the new man must be full of the divine element. The Lord condemns Christianity because it has become a religion carried out by man's natural strength and man's natural ability. There is no development of the divine element there. But the genuine church is a composition of the divine element mingled with humanity. We must learn this as a basic lesson, and we also must impress every saint who partakes of the church service with this point. (CWWL, 1979, vol. 2,”Basic Lessons on Service,” p. 140) |
信息选读
在事奉中，我们必须在成为肉体的原则里作每件事。成为肉体的原则就是神圣的性情作到人性里。当主耶稣在地上时，祂是在满了神圣元素的人性里作每件事，而不凭着天然的力量和才干作任何事。祂说，离了父祂就不能作什么（约五19）。在祂一切的行事、说话并工作上，父都在祂里面并与祂是一（十四10，十30）。凡祂所行、所说并所作的，完全是凭着父这神圣的元素。我们需要省察我们所用以事奉主的力量和才干，是天然的还是神圣的。我们必须学习弃绝天然的力量和才干，也要帮助众圣徒有这样的学习。 今天我们行事为人，或为主服事，也可能凭着自己、照着我们天然的力量和才干，而不照着神的意愿。因着我们有力量和才干，我们就觉得不需要祷告，不需要等候主，不需要寻求主的旨意，或寻求主的引导。这正是发生在摩西身上的事。他为了保护他的希伯来同胞而杀了一个埃及人，乃是凭自己行事，而没有照着神的意愿（出二11~12）。今天基督教里有一种可悲的光景，就是为主作工的人大多是凭着自己，靠着他们天然的力量和才干。他们的祷告不是寻求主的带领，只是要主在他们所作的事上赐下祝福。他们很少为主的意愿祷告，因为他们信靠自己天然的力量和才干。 我们凭天然的力量和才干作工，目标乃是寻求自己的荣耀，动机乃是满足自己的愿望。我们若看见这个异象，就会杀死我们自私和不纯净的动机。事实上，在主的工作中，我们不该有自己的愿望，也不该有自己的目标，为着个人的荣耀，叫自己有可夸的。我们该单单因着主的带领，而不是为着达到自己的目标而行事。要达到自己的目标是不对的。我们的目标必须是主的目标。 杀死我们的愿望和目标，意思就是杀死我们的力量和才干。为着我们自己荣耀的愿望和目标，与我们天然的力量和才干是一。世上的人，甚至许多基督徒，是为着他们的愿望和荣耀，凭着他们的力量和才干行事；但我们必须定罪并弃绝这个。 天然的力量和才干若经过十字架的对付，就会非常有用。它们经过十字架的对付之后，就是在复活里。……在复活里，有一些神圣的东西已经作到我们的力量和才干里。……我们的力量和才干受过对付之后，在复活里对于我们事奉主就成为有用的（CWWL一九七九年第二册，一七九至一八三页）。 参读：事奉的基本功课，第十六至二十课；出埃及记生命读经，第一百三十三至一百三十五篇。 |
In our service we must do everything in the principle of incarnation. The principle of incarnation is that the divine nature is wrought into humanity. When the Lord Jesus was on this earth, He did everything in His humanity full of the divine element. He did not do anything by the natural strength or the natural ability. He said that He could not do anything apart from the Father (John 5:19). The Father was within Him and one with Him in all His deeds, in all His words, and in all His works (14:10; 10:30). Whatever He did, whatever He said, and whatever He worked was altogether with the Father as the divine element. We need to consider whether the strength and ability we use for the Lord's service are natural or divine. We have to learn the lesson of rejecting our natural strength and ability, and we have to help all the saints to learn this lesson. Today it is possible that we may act and do some service for the Lord on our own according to our natural strength and ability but not according to God's will. Because we have the strength and the ability, we feel that we do not need to pray, to wait on the Lord, to seek the Lord's will, or to look for the Lord's leading. This was exactly what happened to Moses. When he slew an Egyptian to protect his fellow Hebrew, he did this on his own and not according to the Lord's will (Exo. 2:11-12). The sad situation in today's Christianity is that people work for the Lord mostly on their own by their natural strength and ability. They do not pray for the Lord's leading. They may pray only for the Lord to bestow His blessing upon what they do. They do not pray that much for the Lord's will, because they trust in their natural strength and ability. When we work in our natural strength and ability, the goal is to seek our own glory, and the motive is to satisfy our own desire. If we see this vision, it will kill our self-seeking and impure motive. Actually, in the Lord's work we should not have our own desire, and we should not have our own goal for our glory, for our boast. We should do things simply because the Lord leads us to do them. We should not do them because we have something to achieve for our goal. That is wrong. The goal must be the Lord's. To kill our desire and our goal means to kill our strength and ability. Our own desire and our own goal for our glory are one with our natural strength and natural ability. The people of the world and even many Christians do things by their strength and ability for their desire and glory, but we have to condemn and reject this. The natural strength and ability are useful if they are dealt with by the cross. After being dealt with by the cross, they are in resurrection…. In resurrection something divine has been wrought into our strength and ability…. After being dealt with, our strength and ability become useful in resurrection for our service to the Lord. (CWWL, 1979, vol. 2,”Basic Lessons on Service,” pp. 140-143) Further Reading: CWWL, 1979, vol. 2,”Basic Lessons on Service,” chs. 16-20; Life-study of Exodus, msgs. 133-135 |