弗五27 “祂好献给自己，作荣耀的召会，没有斑点、皱纹、或任何这类的病，好使她成为圣别、没有瑕疵。”

　　三17 “使基督借着信，安家在你们心里，叫你们在爱里生根立基。”

　　每一位新妇都要在她结婚那天有健康、焕发的面容。她若担心有瑕疵，就该及早为她的婚礼有所预备，借着吃营养的食物，使她有健康的面容。同样的原则，我们今天必须借着接受基督丰富的元素作我们的滋养，来预备自己成为新妇。基督是召会的食物。因此当召会预备自己献给基督时，必须吃基督。…借着吃祂，我们就成为美丽的、甚至荣耀的新妇。（以弗所书生命读经，九六三页。）

　　Eph. 5:27 That He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish.

　　3:17 That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love.

　　Any bride would want to have a healthy, radiant complexion on her wedding day. If she is concerned about blemishes, she should begin long beforehand to prepare herself for her wedding by eating nutritious foods that will give her a healthy complexion. In the same principle, today we must prepare ourselves to be the bride by taking in the element of Christ’s riches as our nourishment. Christ is the food for the church. Therefore, as she prepares herself to be presented to Christ, the church must eat Christ…. By eating Him we become a beautiful and even glorious bride. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 799-800)

　　〔基督〕把新妇献给自己的时候快到了。新妇献给基督时，必定没有任何斑点或皱纹。在新妇身上，基督不注视别的，只注视她的美丽。这美丽乃是基督所是的返照。你知道新妇的美丽是从那里来的么？这美丽乃是来自那位作到召会里面，然后借着召会彰显出来的基督。我们的美丽不是我们的行为；我们所有的美丽乃是基督的返照，就是基督从我们里面照耀出来。基督在我们身上所珍赏的，乃是祂自己在我们身上的彰显。

　　首先，基督必须进到我们里面，并被我们吸收。然后，祂就能从我们里面照耀出去。这个照耀乃是新妇的荣耀，是神性借着人性的彰显。真实的美丽乃是神圣属性借着人性的彰显。宇宙中没有什么像这个彰显如此美丽的。所以，新妇的美丽乃是基督从我们照耀出来。…借着我们的人性，神圣的色泽、外表、味道、性情和特质，就得着彰显。为着这样的美丽，阿利路亚！

　　在婚配那日，新郎在意他新妇的美丽，远过于她的才干。照样，在召会生活中，对主来说，我们的美丽最终比我们的功用重要得多。召会生活刚开始的时候，我们也许强调能力和功用。但最终我们要更多强调美丽。…不要太注意在功用上成为能干、够资格、有恩赐的人。起先，这也许在召会生活中算得了数，但至终主要给我们看见，祂所在意的不是我们的能力；祂所在意的乃是从我们的人性所彰显出祂自己的美丽。基督的心意不是要把一个能干的召会献给祂自己；所要献给祂的召会，乃是荣耀的、美丽的，没有斑点和皱纹、或任何这类的病。我们若要除去瑕疵和缺陷，就必须更多将基督接受进来。祂不仅为着我们的功用加强我们，祂更使我们美丽，好作祂的新妇。

　　在召会是新人这一面，有力量和能力；但在召会是新妇这一面，却有美丽和荣耀。我们应当学习轻看我们的能力和力量，因为作为新妇的一部分，我们不是男的，乃是女的。在婚配的时候，召会所需要的是美丽，不是力量。哦，召会借着有分于基督、消化基督、并吸收基督而渐渐变为美丽的！我们越这样经历内住的基督，祂就越要以祂自己的元素顶替我们的斑点和皱纹，并且祂的丰富同祂神圣的属性，也越要成为我们的美丽。这样，我们就预备好献给基督，作祂心爱的新妇。（以弗所书生命读经，九六三至九六五页。）

　　参读：以弗所书生命读经，第九十五、九十七篇。

　　The time is coming when He will present the bride to Himself. Surely at the time of her presentation to Christ, the bride will not have any wrinkles or spots. In His bride Christ will behold nothing but beauty. This beauty will be the reflection of what He is. Do you know where the beauty of the bride comes from? It comes from the very Christ who is wrought into the church and who is then expressed through the church. Our beauty is not our behavior. Our only beauty is the reflection of Christ, the shining out of Christ from within us. What Christ appreciates in us is the expression of Himself in us.

　　First, Christ must come into us and then be assimilated by us. Then He will be able to shine out of us. This shining is the glory of the bride, the manifestation of divinity through humanity. Real beauty is the expression of the divine attributes through humanity. Nothing in the universe is as beautiful as this expression. Therefore, the beauty of the bride is Christ shining out of us….Through our humanity there is an expression of the divine color, the divine appearance, the divine flavor, the divine nature, and the divine character. Hallelujah for such a beauty!

　　On the day of his wedding, a bridegroom cares much more for the beauty of his bride than for her ability. In like manner, in the church life our beauty will eventually be much more important to the Lord than our function. At the beginning of the church life, we may emphasize ability and function. But eventually we shall place more emphasis on beauty…. Do not pay that much attention to becoming capable, qualified, and gifted in function. At first, this may count for something in the church life. But eventually the Lord will show us that what He cares for is not our ability; He cares for the beauty of Himself expressed through our humanity. Christ does not intend to present a capable church to Himself. The church that will be presented to Him will be glorious and beautiful, a church without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing. If our blemishes and imperfections are to be removed, we need to take in more and more of Christ. He should not simply energize us for our function but also beautify us that we may be His bride.

　　In the church as the one new man there is strength and ability, but with the church as the bride there is beauty and glory. We should learn somewhat to depreciate our ability and strength, for as part of the bride, we shall be not male, but female. At the time of the wedding, what the church will need is beauty, not strength. Oh, the church is being beautified by partaking of Christ, by digesting Christ, and by assimilating Christ! The more we experience the indwelling Christ in this way, the more He will replace our spots and wrinkles with His element, and the more His riches with the divine attributes will become our beauty. Then we shall be prepared to be presented to Christ as His lovely bride. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 800-801)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msgs. 95, 97