林前四1~2 这样，人应当把我们看作基督的执事，和神的奥秘的管家。还有，在此所求于管家的，是要他显为忠信。

　　神的分赐完全是祂经纶中的一件事：是在祂的经纶中，是在祂的计划、打算、安排之下，把这个分赐实行出来。为着实行这个分赐，祂这位三一神就选召祂所喜欢的人，能用的人，安排他们作祂的分赐者，把祂的恩典丰厚地给他们；这班人里头因着神丰厚的恩典，就有神的大能在他们里头运作。这些使徒和申言者就照着神的运作来尽他们的职事。在这种情形之下，他们的职事就称作管家的职事。他们是管家，因为他们要实行神的分赐。

　　保罗蒙了特别的恩典，受了特别的托付，也从神得到了特别的运作，就把基督追测不尽的丰富，传给神所拣选的外邦人，这个就是他的管家职分。所以管家的职分就是神的经纶，神的经纶要实行就非有管家职分不可。没有管家职分，神就无法执行祂的经纶。召会乃是建造在使徒和申言者的根基上，就是在他们所看见的启示，所看见的异象上（关于神圣分赐更深的研读，一五○至一五一页）。

　　1 Cor. 4:1-2 A man should account us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Here, furthermore, it is sought in stewards that one be found faithful.

　　God's dispensing is fully something that is in His economy, something in His plan, something in His purpose and arrangement. In order to carry out this dispensing and for the execution of this dispensing, the Triune God selected some with whom He was pleased and whom He could use and made them His dispensers, richly bestowing upon them His grace. Through God's rich grace there was an operation of God's power within these people. These apostles and prophets then fulfilled their ministry according to the operation of God. Under such circumstances the ministry of these ones is called the stewardship. They are the stewards because they are there to execute God's dispensing.

　　Paul says that he received a special commission, a special grace, and a special operation to transmit the unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentiles chosen by God. This was his stewardship. Hence, the stewardship is God's economy. The execution of God's economy depends on the stewardship. Without the stewardship God has no way to execute His economy. The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. This means that it is built on the revelation and the vision that they saw. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “A Deeper Study of the Divine Dispensing,” pp. 499-500)

　　林前四章的主题是神的奥秘的管家（1~21）。……本节的管家一辞，原文与提前一章四节和以弗所一章十节的经纶同字根，意即分配的管家，家庭的管理人，将家中的供应分配给家里的人。使徒受主选派，作了这样的管家。……这分赐的事奉，管家的职分，就是使徒的职事。

　　在新约所启示之神的经纶中，主要有两个奥秘。第一个奥秘启示于歌罗西书，就是基督是神的奥秘。保罗在二章二节说到“能以完全认识神的奥秘，就是基督”。基督是神的奥秘。神本身是一个奥秘，祂又真又活，且满了权能，但祂却是看不见的。因为从来没有人看见神，所以祂是一个奥秘。这位奥秘的神具体化身在基督里，所以基督是神的奥秘。基督不仅是神，祂更是具体化身的神，说明、解释并彰显出来的神。因此，基督是看得见的神。主耶稣说，“人看见了我，就是看见了父。”（约十四9）

　　第二个奥秘乃是基督的奥秘，是在以弗所书，特别是在第三章有所启示并解释。基督也是一个奥秘。保罗在四节用了“基督的奥秘”一辞。不但如此，歌罗西一章二十七节也说，“神愿意叫他们知道，这奥秘的荣耀在外邦人中是何等的丰富，就是基督在你们里面成了荣耀的盼望。”我们信徒有基督住在我们里面，但我们所有的这位基督乃是一个奥秘。虽然基督活在我们里面，但属世的人不晓得祂在我们里面。对他们而言，这是一个奥秘。……召会是基督的身体，乃是基督的显出。我们看见召会，就是看见基督；我们来到召会里，就是来到基督里；我们接触召会，就是接触基督。召会实在是基督的奥秘。

　　保罗在林前四章一节说到神的奥秘，他的意思是指基督是神的奥秘，以及召会是基督的奥秘。保罗与其他使徒都是这两个奥秘的管家。……保罗……指明他自己是神家中的管家。神极其丰富，祂有极大的仓库，愿意把所有的丰富分配到祂的儿女里面。但这种分配需要一个管家，因此，管家就是分赐者，将神圣生命的供应分赐给神的儿女（哥林多前书生命读经，三五六至三五八页）。

　　参读：哥林多前书生命读经，第三十四篇。

　　The subject of 1 Corinthians 4 is stewards of the mysteries of God (4:1-21)….The Greek word rendered “stewards” in verse 1 is of the same root as the word economy or dispensation in 1 Timothy 1:4 and Ephesians 1:10. It means a dispensing steward, a household administrator, one who dispenses the household supply to its members. The apostles were appointed by the Lord to be such stewards….The dispensing service, the stewardship, is the ministry of the apostles.

　　In God's economy revealed in the New Testament there are mainly two mysteries. The first mystery, revealed in the book of Colossians, is Christ as the mystery of God. In Colossians 2:2 Paul speaks of the “full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ.” Christ is God's mystery. In Himself God is a mystery. He is real, living, and almighty; however, He is invisible. Because no one has ever seen God, He is a mystery. This mysterious God is embodied in Christ. Hence, Christ is the mystery of God. Christ is not only God, but He is God embodied, God defined, God explained, and God expressed. Therefore, Christ is God made visible. The Lord Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

　　The second mystery, revealed in the book of Ephesians and explained in it, especially in chapter 3, is the mystery of Christ. Christ also is a mystery. In Ephesians 3:4 Paul uses the expression “the mystery of Christ.” Furthermore, Colossians 1:27 says, “To whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” As believers, we have Christ dwelling in us. But this Christ whom we have is a mystery. Although Christ lives in us, worldly people do not realize that He is in us. To them, this is a mystery…. As the Body of Christ, the church is the expression of Christ. When we see the church, we see Christ. When we come into the church, we come into Christ. When we contact the church, we contact Christ. The church is truly the mystery of Christ.

　　When in 1 Corinthians 4:1 Paul refers to the mysteries of God, he means Christ as the mystery of God and the church as the mystery of Christ. Paul and the other apostles were stewards of these mysteries. Paul refers to himself as a steward in God's family. God is exceedingly rich; He has a vast storehouse of goods which He intends to dispense into His children. But this dispensation requires a steward. Thus, a steward is a dispenser, one who dispenses the divine life supply to God's children. (Life-study of 1 Corinthians, pp. 297-299)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Corinthians, msg. 34