弗三2　谅必你们曾听见那为着你们所赐给我，神恩典的管家职分。

　　9　　　并将那历世历代隐藏在创造万有之神里的奥秘有何等的经纶，向众人照明。

　　以弗所一章十节中译作‘经纶’的希腊字 oikonomia，奥依克诺米亚，很难翻译。它也可以翻作‘管家职分’或‘家庭管理’。这字演变为英文就是 economy。我不太喜欢用‘行政’这个辞，虽然十节中可以用行政这个辞，但我更喜欢用‘经纶’、‘管家职分’和‘家庭管理’，因为经纶、管家职分、家庭管理，最终都要成为永远的行政。

　　按照古代的习俗，王家里该有一个管家，他的职分就叫作管家职分。因此，管家职分就是管家的职务。管家不仅仅是一个奴隶，更是与那个家有密切关系的人，是照料家庭管理的人。这一种管家职分，这一种家庭管理，就是最好的行政。…神的行政像家庭管理一样，是甜美的，也像管家职分一样，是亲密的。（以弗所书生命读经，一○三页。）

　　Eph. 3:2 If indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you.

　　9 And to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things.

　　The Greek word which can be rendered “administration” in Ephesians 1:10, oikonomia, is difficult to translate. It can also be rendered “stewardship” or “household arrangement.” The anglicized form of this word is economy. I like dispensation, stewardship, and household arrangement better than administration, although administration can be used in 1:10 because eventually the dispensation, the stewardship, the household arrangement will become an eternal administration.

　　According to ancient custom, there was a steward in the royal family, and his ministry was called a stewardship. Hence, the stewardship is simply the service of a steward. A steward was not a mere slave, but a person intimately related to the family, one who took care of the household arrangement. Such a stewardship, such a household arrangement, was the best administration….God’s administration as a household arrangement is sweet and as a stewardship is intimate. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 85-86)

　　再者，管家的职分含有分赐的意思。譬如，母亲每天在早餐时把食物分给孩子们。当孩子们坐在餐桌旁，母亲便将营养的食物分给他们吃。在这样的分配中，总是施行一种适当的管制。…食物的分配就是最好的管制。我在自己的孙子身上观察到这件事，他们顺从祖母…，因为祖母是将好吃的东西分给他们的人。因为祖母执行分配，她就能非常容易并令人愉快的管制他们。她管制他们是借着甜美的分赐，这种分赐也是一种行政或亲密的服事。万有在基督里归一于一个元首之下，不是借着政府的行政而有的，乃是来自甜美的管家职分，亲密的家庭管理，以及令人愉快的分赐。这乃是借着将三一神丰盛生命的供应，分赐到我们里面而发生的。对使徒保罗而言，这个‘神恩典的经纶’乃是‘神恩典的管家职分’。（弗三2。）

　　撒但的注射没有行政或管家职分，因他狡猾的将自己注入我们里面。但神借着甜美、亲密的管家职分，将祂自己作到祂所拣选的人里面。保罗的职事就是这一种管家职分。这职分乃是恩典之经纶的模型，将神当作恩典分赐到祂所拣选的人里面。借着这恩典的经纶，就是借着将神自己分赐进来作我们的享受，生命的因素就供应到蒙拣选的人里面。当生命的因素进到他们里面时，他们就能站起来，并在身体里面联于基督。这就是将万有在基督里归一于一个元首之下的经纶。

　　主耶稣…有何等甜美、亲密的管家职分！在祂的整个职事中，祂将神当作生命的供应，分赐给祂所拣选的人。使徒们，特别是使徒保罗，接续这亲密的管家职分；保罗得了神恩典的管家职分，在他的职事里，不断以基督作生命分赐到信徒里面。保罗的职事是一种甜美而亲密的管家职分，一种令人舒畅的家庭安排。保罗甚至教导提摩太，在神的家中当怎样行。（提前三15。）在神的家中，应当有家庭管理，有亲密的管家职分，并把基督分赐给神家中所有的肢体。这不是借着辖制，甚至不是借着行政的管理，乃是借着一种甜美的分赐，借着亲密的管家职分，借着非常亲切的家庭安排。（以弗所书生命读经，一○三至一○五页。）

　　参读：以弗所书生命读经，第九篇。

　　The stewardship, moreover, involves a dispensation. Dispensation here refers not to an age, but to a dispensing. For example, a mother dispenses food to her children every morning at breakfast. As the children sit down at the table, the mother dispenses nourishing food for them to eat. In such a dispensation a proper control is always exercised….The dispensation of food is the best control. I have observed this with my own grandchildren, who obey their grandmother…because she is the one who dispenses treats to them. Because she does the dispensing, she can very easily and pleasantly control them. She controls them by means of a sweet dispensation, a dispensation that is also a kind of administration and intimate service. The heading up of all things in Christ does not take place by a governmental administration. On the contrary, it comes about by a sweet stewardship, by an intimate household arrangement, by a pleasant dispensation. It takes place through the dispensing of the abundant life supply of the Triune God into us. The apostle Paul calls this a “stewardship of the grace of God” (Eph. 3:2), a dispensation of the grace of God.

　　Satan’s injection has no administration or stewardship because he subtly injects himself into us. But God is working Himself into His chosen ones by a sweet, intimate stewardship. Paul’s ministry was such a stewardship. It was a model of the dispensation of grace, of the dispensing of God as grace into His chosen ones. By this dispensation of grace, the dispensing of God Himself as our enjoyment, the factor of life is ministered into the chosen ones. As the life factor gets into them, they are raised up and attached to Christ in the Body. This is the dispensation that heads up all things in Christ.

　　What a sweet, intimate stewardship there was with [the Lord Jesus] ! Throughout His ministry, He was dispensing God as the life supply to His chosen ones. This intimate stewardship is continued with the apostles, especially with the apostle Paul, who had the stewardship of the grace of God. In his ministry Paul was constantly dispensing Christ as life into the believers. Paul’s ministry was a sweet and intimate stewardship, a pleasant household arrangement. Paul even taught Timothy how to behave in the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15). The way to behave in God’s house is to have the household arrangement, an intimate stewardship, and to dispense Christ to all the members of God’s household. It is not by controlling or even by a governmental administration; it is by a sweet dispensation, an intimate stewardship, a very dear household arrangement. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 86-87)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msg. 9