罗九15~16 因为祂对摩西说，“我要向谁施怜悯，就向谁施怜悯；要对谁动怜恤，就对谁动怜恤。”这样看来，这不在于那定意的，也不在于那奔跑的，只在于那施怜悯的神。

　　太九13　 你们去研究，“我要的是怜悯，不是祭祀，”是什么意思；我来本不是召义人，乃是召罪人。

　　〔在以弗所二章四节〕我们看见，神因祂向着我们的大爱，富于怜悯。爱的对象应该是在可爱的光景里，但怜悯的对象总是在可怜的光景里。因着神的爱，神的怜悯临到了我们。神爱我们，因为我们是祂拣选的对象；然而我们因着堕落变得极为可怜，甚至死在过犯并罪之中，所以我们需要神的怜悯临到我们。因着祂的大爱，神是富于怜悯的，把我们从可怜的地位，救到适合祂爱的光景。神这够得最远的属性，该使我们的心回应祂的爱（新约总论第一册，一一七页）。

　　Rom. 9:15-16 For to Moses He says, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.

　　Matt. 9:13 But go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice,” for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

　　[In Ephesians 2:4] we see that God is rich in mercy because of His great love toward us. The object of love should be in a lovable condition, but the object of mercy is always in a pitiful situation. God’s mercy reaches us for His love. God loves us because we are the object of His selection. But we became pitiful by our fall, even dead in our offenses and sins. Therefore, we need God’s mercy to reach us. Because of His great love, God is rich in mercy to save us from our wretched position to a condition that is suitable for His love. This most far-reaching attribute of God should cause our heart to react to His love. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 100)

　　保罗在写罗马九章时，他的思想完全被神的怜悯占有〔16〕。……我们是信徒，我们在召会生活中，这全然在于神的怜悯。因为一切都在于神的怜悯，我们在自己里面就一无可夸。……我们是蒙怜悯得尊贵和荣耀的器皿，照着神主宰的怜悯蒙祂拣选（11~16）。“主宰的怜悯”一辞，意指神的怜悯完全是照着祂的主宰。成为蒙怜悯的器皿，不是我们拣选的结果；这乃是起源于神的主宰。神把我们造成蒙怜悯的器皿，盛装祂自己，这是出于神的主宰。祂的主宰是祂拣选的基础（新约总论第五册，一四四至一四五页）。

　　我们若要在神儿子的福音上正确地事奉神，就必须认识，这福音包含了恩典的拣选。福音完全是一件神主宰怜悯的事。多年以前，我对这事稍有领会，但我今天的领会更强得多。多年的经历使我强烈且深刻地相信，每件发生在我们身上的事，都是出于神。一切都在于神的怜悯。我们越看见这个，就越自然地在主面前背负我们的责任。

　　无论如何，就连背负责任也是出于神的怜悯。为什么有些信徒愿意背负他们的责任，有些却不愿意？答案就在于神的怜悯。保罗在九章十五节引用主的话：“我要向谁施怜悯，就向谁施怜悯。”由于神在祂恩典拣选里的怜悯，当别人对福音没有反应的时候，我们有反应；当别人拒绝接受关于基督是我们的生命的话时，我们却接受了；当别人退却，不接受今天主恢复的路时，我们却走在这条路上。

　　说到主的恢复，神要向谁施怜悯，就向谁施怜悯。我们在主的恢复里，并不是因着我们比别人聪明，或是比别人更追求主。我们在这里，完全是由于神的怜悯。你若思想主怎样将你带进主恢复里的召会生活，你就会为着祂的怜悯敬拜祂。我相信我们这些在主恢复里的人，乃是照着祂恩典的拣选所剩下的余数（十一5）。说到福音、生命的职事以及主恢复里的召会生活，神都向我们施了怜悯。为着神主宰的怜悯，我们该何等的赞美祂！

　　我们同主前行，并不在于我们的定意或奔跑，乃在于神的怜悯。……我们是善变的，总是刻变时翻。我们属灵的光景有如不稳定的天气。因此，我们需要看见，恩典的拣选并不在于我们，乃在于神在创立世界以前，就拣选了我们。我们今天所经历的，与神在已过永远里的拣选有关。我们若看见这个，就会转眼不看自己，不看我们的环境，只定睛注视祂（罗马书生命读经，七二二至七二三、七二五页）。

　　参读：罗马书生命读经，第二十二、二十四、五十八篇。

　　When Paul wrote Romans 9, his thought was fully occupied with God’s mercy [cf. v. 16]….It is altogether a matter of God’s mercy that we are believers and that we are in the church life. Because all is of God’s mercy, we have nothing to boast of in ourselves….As vessels of mercy unto honor and glory, we were chosen by God according to His sovereign mercy (Rom. 9:11-16). The expression sovereign mercy means that God’s mercy is absolutely according to His sovereignty. Being a vessel of mercy is not the result of our choice; it originates with God’s sovereignty. It is of God’s sovereignty that He created us vessels of mercy to contain Himself. His sovereignty is the basis of His selection.

　　If we would serve God in His New Testament economy, we need to know that it is wholly a matter of God’s sovereign mercy. Through many years of experience I have become strongly and deeply convinced that everything that happens to us is of God’s mercy. All is a matter of God’s mercy. The more we see this, the more we shall spontaneously bear our responsibility before the Lord. However, even the bearing of responsibility is of God’s mercy. Why is it that some believers are willing to bear their responsibility and that others are not? The answer lies in God’s mercy. In Romans 9:15 Paul quotes the Lord’s words, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy.” Because of God’s mercy we responded to the gospel when others did not respond, we received a word about Christ as life when others refused to receive it, and we took the way of the Lord’s recovery when others drew back from taking this way.

　　Regarding His recovery, God has mercy on whom He will have mercy. We are not in the Lord’s recovery because we are more intelligent than others or because we seek the Lord more than others do. Our being here is altogether due to the mercy of God. If you consider how the Lord brought you into the church life in the Lord’s recovery, you will worship Him for His mercy. Concerning the gospel, the ministry of life, and the church life, God has had mercy on us. How we must praise Him for His sovereign mercy, and worship Him for His mercy! (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 1184-1185, 100)

　　Our going on with the Lord is a matter not of our willing or running, but of God’s mercy….We are changeable, constantly fluctuating. It seems that, as far as we are concerned, our spiritual condition is like weather that is unstable. Hence, we need to see that the selection of grace does not depend on us, but depends on God’s selection of us before the world began. What we are experiencing today is related to God’s selection in eternity past. If we see this, we shall turn our eyes away from ourselves and from our circumstances and gaze steadfastly upon Him. (Life-study of Romans, p. 614)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Romans, msgs. 22, 24, 58