约三16　神爱世人，甚至将祂的独生子赐给他们，叫一切信入祂的，不至灭亡，反得永远的生命。

　　　29~30　娶新妇的，就是新郎；新郎的朋友站着听祂，因着新郎的声音就欢喜快乐；所以我这喜乐满足了。祂必扩增，我必衰减。

　　今天基督徒非常宝贝约翰三章十六节，但很少人懂得十四节。然而，十六节是十四节的结果；也就是说，得着永远的生命乃是铜蛇被举起来的结果。主告诉尼哥底母，如果他领悟自己是蛇性的，并相信主耶稣这条被举起来的铜蛇作他的代替，他就会得着永远的生命。这就是重生，就是得着另一个生命，神圣的生命。……得着这个新生命，就是重生的意义。

　　十六节原文开始于“因为”这个辞，指明十六节是十四和十五节的解释。十六节说明，在神看来，主耶稣作了我们的代替被举起来，为我们担当神的审判，叫我们一望祂就得着永远的生命。因着在亚当里，我们被古蛇所咬，我们就死了。但如今借着基督这铜蛇在十字架上被举起来，我们就能得着永远的生命，就是神的生命。……这是神爱世人真正的显明（CWWL一九八二年第二册，一六○至一六一、一六四至一六五、一六八页）。

　　John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life.

　　29-30 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices with joy because of the bridegroom's voice. This joy of mine therefore is made full. He must increase, but I must decrease.

　　Christians today appreciate John 3:16 very much, but not many of them understand 3:14. However, 3:16 is the issue of 3:14; that is, the receiving of eternal life is the issue of the uplifting of the bronze serpent. The Lord was telling Nicodemus that if he realized that he was serpentine and believed in the Lord Jesus as the bronze serpent lifted up as his Substitute, he would have eternal life. This is to be regenerated, to receive another life, the divine life….To have this new life is what it means to be born again.

　　Verse 16 begins with the word for. This indicates that 3:16 is an explanation of verses 14 and 15. It explains the fact that, in the sight of God, the Lord Jesus was lifted up as our Substitute to bear God's judgment for us so that we may look at Him and receive eternal life. Because in Adam we were bitten by the old serpent, we were dead. But now through Christ as the bronze serpent lifted up on the cross, we may receive eternal life, the life of God. This is the real manifestation of God's love to the world. (CWWL, 1982, vol. 2,”The Fulfillment of the Tabernacle and the Offerings in the Writings of John,” pp. 124, 128, 131)

　　约翰三章不但有蛇，也有新妇。施浸者约翰在二十九节说，“娶新妇的，就是新郎。”新妇是谁？新妇就是所有重生之人的组合、集大成。所有蒙了重生之人的总和，就是基督的新妇。我们都是基督新妇的一部分，这新妇就是祂的扩增（30）。……许多跟随约翰的人往主耶稣那里去了，这件事实令约翰的门徒嫉妒。施浸者约翰回答门徒的话，有一部分论到基督说，“祂必扩增，我必衰减。”（30）本节的扩增就是前一节的新妇，而新妇乃是所有重生之人活的组成。这意思是说，在这一章里面，重生不仅是把神圣的生命带进信徒里面，更是为着基督的扩增，使他们成为团体的新妇。亚当怎样在夏娃里面得以扩增，基督也照样在祂的新妇里面得以扩增。

　　三章的用意是要给我们看见，这位无限的基督必须有一个宇宙性的扩增，今天祂就在得着这个扩增的过程中。无论我们往哪里去，基督借着祂所赐下无限无量的那灵，总与我们同在。三十四节明确地说，“祂赐那灵是没有限量的。”这就是祂赐给身体、召会的那灵。基督赐给祂身体的那灵是没有限量的。千千万万相信主耶稣的人，个个都领受了那灵，就是没有限量的灵。这没有限量的灵，为着无限的基督产生了宇宙性的扩增。我要请你们留意前一句话所用的三个形容词：没有限量的、宇宙性的、无限的。我用“没有限量”这个辞来描述那灵，用“宇宙性”来描述扩增，用“无限”来描述基督。无限的基督赐下没有限量的灵，为要产生宇宙性的扩增。

　　基督和祂的新妇、祂的扩增，形成了一对宇宙的夫妻。在圣经末了两章，就是启示录二十一和二十二章，我们看见这一对夫妻。羔羊基督是丈夫，而新耶路撒冷是新妇。约翰三章有蛇与新妇。最终，在启示录我们看见撒但那条古蛇完全受了对付（二十2、10），并且作为新耶路撒冷之基督的新妇要完满地产生出来（二一2、10~27）（CWWL一九八二年第二册，一六九至一七一页）。

　　参读：约翰著作中帐幕和祭物的应验，第九篇。

　　In chapter 3 of John we not only have the serpent; we also have the bride. In verse 29 John the Baptist said,”He who has the bride is the bridegroom.”…The totality of all those who have been regenerated is the bride of Christ. We all are part of Christ's bride, and this bride is His increase (v. 30). John's disciples were made jealous by the fact that so many of his followers were coming to the Lord Jesus. As part of his answer to his disciples, John the Baptist said concerning Christ,”He must increase, but I must decrease” (v. 30). The increase in this verse is the bride in the previous verse, and the bride is a living composition of all the regenerated ones. This means that in this chapter regeneration is not only to bring the divine life into the believers but is also to make them the corporate bride for Christ's increase. As Adam was increased in Eve, so Christ is increased in His bride.

　　The intention of this chapter in the Gospel of John is to show us that this unlimited Christ must have a universal increase, and He is in the process of gaining this increase today. Wherever we go, Christ is present by the Spirit He gives without measure. Verse 34 says definitely,”He gives the Spirit not by measure.” This is the Spirit He gives to His Body, the church. The Spirit given by Christ to His Body is immeasurable. Every one of the millions of persons who believes in the Lord Jesus has received the Spirit, the immeasurable Spirit. This immeasurable Spirit produces a universal increase for the unlimited Christ. I would call your attention to the three adjectives used in the previous sentence: immeasurable, universal, unlimited. I use the word immeasurable to describe the Spirit, the word universal to describe the increase, and the word unlimited to describe Christ. The unlimited Christ gives the immeasurable Spirit in order to produce a universal increase.

　　Christ and His bride, His increase, form a universal couple. In the last two chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21 and 22, we see this couple. The Lamb, Christ, is the Husband, and the New Jerusalem is the bride. In John 3 we have the serpent and the bride. Ultimately, in the book of Revelation we see that Satan as the old serpent will be entirely dealt with (20:2, 10) and that the bride of Christ as the New Jerusalem will be brought forth in full (21:2, 10-27). (CWWL, 1982, vol. 2,”The Fulfillment of the Tabernacle and the Offerings in the Writings of John,” pp. 131-133)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1982, vol. 2,”The Fulfillment of the Tabernacle and the Offerings in the Writings of John,” ch. 9