叁 约伯的基本难处是他缺少神；在神向约伯一切的对付中，神的目的是要将约伯削减至一无所有，但维持他的生存（伯二6），使神可以有时间，将祂自己分赐到约伯里面；神只在意一件事，就是祂自己被作到我们里面（弗三16~19）： |
Ⅲ Job’s basic problem was that he was short of God; in all of God’s dealings with Job, God’s intention was to reduce Job to nothing, yet to maintain his existence (2:6) so that He might have time to impart Himself into Job; God cares for only one thing—for being worked into us (Eph. 3:16-19): |
一 约伯是自义的（伯六30，九20，二七5~6，三二1），并且满意于自己所成为的人（十三3，二三3~4，三一6），却不知道自己在神面前可怜的光景（参启三16~18）。 |
Ａ Job was self-righteous (Job 6:30; 9:20; 27:5-6; 32:1), and he was contented with what he had become (13:3; 23:3-4; 31:6), yet he was unaware of his miserable situation before God (cf. Rev. 3:16-18). |
二 约伯的荣耀就是他的完全、正直，他的冠冕就是他的纯全；神剥去他的荣耀，摘去他头上的冠冕（伯十九9）；约伯原先的指望是要建立他纯全的“树”，但神不容许这样一棵树在约伯里面生长；反之，神将这棵树，这指望拔出来（10），好使约伯被带进得着神的范围里。 |
Ｂ Job’s glory was his perfection and uprightness, and his crown was his integrity; God had stripped his glory from him and had taken away the crown from his head (Job 19:9); Job’s hope had been to build up the “tree” of his integrity, but God would not allow such a tree to grow within Job; rather, God had plucked up this tree, this hope (v. 10), so that Job would be brought into the sphere of gaining God. |
三 神要约伯认识他是在错误的范围里，这范围就是在他的完全、正直和纯全上建立自己作为旧造里的人；约伯以这些事为荣，但神认为这些事乃是拦阻，需要被剥夺，使约伯能接受神的性情、生命、元素和素质，因而新陈代谢地变化成为神人，就是在新造里彰显神并将神分赐给别人的人—林后三18，彼前四10，弗三2。 |
Ｃ God wanted Job to know that he was in the wrong realm of building up himself as a man in the old creation in his perfection, uprightness, and integrity; Job glorified himself in these things, but God considered them as frustrations to be stripped away so that Job might receive God in His nature, life, element, and essence and thus be metabolically transformed to be a God-man, a man in the new creation who expresses God and dispenses Him into others—2 Cor. 3:18; 1 Pet. 4:10; Eph. 3:2. |
四 神在约伯身上的目的，是要拆毁那在自己的完全和正直里天然的约伯，使神能建立一个有神的性情和属性，得更新的约伯；圣灵的管治是拆毁我们天然的人，构成更新的人—林后四16~18，罗八28~29。 |
Ｄ God’s intention with Job was to tear down the natural Job in his perfection and uprightness so that He might build up a renewed Job in God’s nature and attributes; the discipline of the Holy Spirit tears down our natural being to constitute a renewed being—2 Cor. 4:16-18; Rom. 8:28-29. |
五 那灵在我们里面的工作，是要为我们构成一个新人；而那灵在外面的工作，是要借着环境拆毁我们天然所是的每一方面；我们该与运行的灵合作，接受神为我们所安排的环境—腓四12，弗三1，四1，六20，林前七24。 |
Ｅ The work of the Spirit within us is to constitute a new being for us, whereas the work of the Spirit without is to tear down every aspect of our natural being through our environment; we should cooperate with the operating Spirit and accept the environment that God has arranged for us—Phil. 4:12; Eph. 3:1; 4:1; 6:20; 1 Cor. 7:24. |
六 在这宇宙中，苦难的主要目的，特别对神的儿女来说，乃是要借此使神的性情得以作到人的性情里，好使人能得着神到最完满的地步—林后一8~9，四16： |
Ｆ The primary purpose of suffering in this universe, particularly as it relates to the children of God, is that through it the very nature of God may be wrought into the nature of man so that man may gain God to the fullest extent—2 Cor. 1:8-9; 4:16: |
１ 活神虽然可以为人作许多事，活神的性情却没有作到人里面；当复活的神作工时，祂的生命和性情就作到人里面—16节。 |
１ While the living God can perform many acts on man’s behalf, the life and nature of the living God are not wrought into man; when the God of resurrection works, His life and nature are wrought into man—v. 16. |
２ 神不是以外面的作为叫人认识神的权能，乃是作工将祂自己分授并作到人里面；神使用环境好将祂的生命和性情作到我们里面—加四19，林后四7~12，帖前三3，约十六33。 |
２ God is not working to make His might known in external acts but is working to impart and work Himself into man; God uses the environment in order to work His life and nature into us—Gal. 4:19; 2 Cor. 4:7-12; 1 Thes. 3:3; John 16:33. |
３ 为了要在复活里生活并被复活的神构成，我们必须借着“万有”被模成神长子基督的形像—罗八28~29，来十二10，参耶四八11。 |
３ In order to live in resurrection and be constituted with the God of resurrection, we must be conformed to the image of Christ as the firstborn Son of God through “all things”—Rom. 8:28-29; Heb. 12:10; cf. Jer. 48:11. |
４ 当我们在受苦中，我们也许向神抱怨，但我们的抱怨也许是向神最好的祷告，最蒙悦纳的祷告；当我们抱怨时，神就欢乐，因为祂使万有互相效力，叫我们得益处，使我们模成祂长子的形像—参诗一○二标题。 |
４ When we are in the midst of sufferings, we may complain to God, but our complaining may be the best prayer, the most pleasant prayer to God; while we are complaining, God is rejoicing because He is causing all things to work together for good that we may be conformed to the image of His firstborn Son—cf. Psa. 102, title. |
晨兴喂养
腓三8 不但如此，我也将万事看作亏损，因我以认识我主基督耶稣为至宝；我因祂已经亏损万事，看作粪土，为要赢得基督。 林后四16 ……我们外面的人虽然在毁坏，我们里面的人却日日在更新。 苦难是所有住在地上之人的分。……有人以为，人若信靠主，过敬畏主的生活，就可免去一切祸患。然而，许多基督徒遭遇极重的患难，也有人与神联结有加，却一直受苦（活神与复活的神，二四至二五页）。 〔腓立比三章八节〕的受苦是为着要赢得基督（约伯记生命读经，一三七页）。 |
Phil. 3:8 But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ. 2 Cor. 4:16 …Though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. Suffering is the lot of all the inhabitants of the earth…. Some people imagine that if you believe on the Lord and live in His fear, you will be immune from all ills, yet numbers of Christians are grievously afflicted, and some who live in vital touch with God are in constant suffering. (CWWL, 1957, vol. 3, “The Living God and the God of Resurrection,” p. 17) The suffering [in Philippians 3:8] is for the gaining of Christ. (Life-study of Job, p. 119) |
信息选读
早年我……研究苦难这个问题，……只能从研究中得到以下结论：（一）人倾向于犯错，所以必须借苦难予以改正。（二）我们需要经过苦难，才能安慰别人，因为只有亲身受过苦的人，才能真正帮助别人。（三）我们若要有忍耐，借苦难受管教是必须的。……（罗五3）。（四）我们若要模成神合用的器皿，苦难是无法避免的。 我承认幼年所得的这四项结论都是正确的，但未能究其全义。所有苦难的终极目标，乃是要完成神永远的定旨。这定旨已由圣经向我们揭示，但只能借由苦难实化在我们身上。这包括在经历上认识神—不仅认识神是活神，也认识神是复活的神。 每位得救之人的经历，多少都证明神是活神。然而相对来说，少有得救的人领悟，住在他们里面的神乃是复活的神。我们若不清楚活神与复活的神的分别，在我们寻求往前时，经历上会产生许多难处。让我简单地说明这分别。 成为肉体开始了一个时代，其中神与人，人与神相调为一。……然而，成为肉体仅仅是这奥秘的一半，另一半是复活。……成为肉体将神圣的内容带进属人的生命；复活将属人的内容带进神圣的生命。神成为肉体以后，我们就可以说，地上有一人，祂的生命里有神圣的元素。然而，乃是在复活发生以后，我们才能说，天上的神里面有属人的元素。这是复活的意义！ 我们为什么强调活神与复活的神之间的区别？原因乃是，活神虽然可以为人作许多事，活神的性情却无法与人的性情调和。另一面，当复活的神作工时，祂的性情就作到人的性情里。……即使活神为你作了一些事，在这之后，和先前一样，祂还是祂，你还是你。祂为你作事，一点不叫祂将自己的性情分授给你。活神可以为人作事，但活神的性情无法与人的性情联结。另一面，当复活的神作工时，祂就借着为人所作的事，把自己传输给人。 在这宇宙中，苦难的主要目的，特别对神的儿女来说，乃是要借此使神的性情得以作到人的性情里。……（林后四16）。借着外面毁坏的过程，里面的过程得以发生，将新的构成成分加到我们的生命里（活神与复活的神，二五至二七、三三页）。 参读：活神与复活的神，第三篇。 |
[Looking into this problem of suffering], in my early days … I was only able to draw these conclusions from my studies: (1) Man is prone to error; therefore, suffering is necessary for his correction. (2) Suffering is needful if we are to comfort others, for only they who themselves have suffered can truly help other people. (3) The discipline of suffering is essential if we are to acquire endurance [cf. Rom. 5:3]…. (4) Suffering is inevitable if we are to be molded into vessels that will be of use to God. These four conclusions that I came to in my youth are all correct, but they come short of the mark. The ultimate object of all suffering is the accomplishment of God’s eternal purpose. That purpose has been revealed to us through the Scriptures, but it can be realized in us only through suffering. And its realization involves an experiential knowledge of God not only as the living God but also as the God of resurrection. Every saved person [has] some evidence that God is the living God, but comparatively few of the saved realize that the God who dwells within them is the God of resurrection. If the distinction between the living God and the God of resurrection is not clear to us, many problems will arise in our experience as we seek to press on. Let me explain this distinction quite simply. With the incarnation a dispensation began in which God and man, man and God, were blended into one…. But the incarnation is only one-half of the mystery. The other half is the resurrection….The incarnation brought divine content into human life; the resurrection brought human content into divine life. After the incarnation it was possible to say, “There is a man on earth in whose life there is a divine element.” But not until after the resurrection was it possible to say, “There is a God in heaven in whom there is a human element.” That is the meaning of the resurrection. But why do we stress the distinction between the living God and the God of resurrection? It is because while the living God can perform many acts on man’s behalf, the nature of the living God cannot blend with the nature of man. When, on the other hand, the God of resurrection works, His very nature is wrought into the nature of man…. Even when the living God has performed some act on your behalf, after that act as before it, He is still He, and you are still you. His working on your behalf does not impart anything of His nature into you. The living God can work on behalf of man, but the nature of the living God cannot unite with the nature of man. On the other hand, when the God of resurrection works, He communicates Himself to man by that which He does for him. The primary purpose of suffering in this universe, particularly as it relates to the children of God, is that through it the very nature of God may be wrought into the nature of man [cf. 2 Cor. 4:16]….Through a process of outward decay, an inward process is taking place that is adding a new constituent to our lives. (CWWL, 1957, vol. 3, “The Living God and the God of Resurrection,” pp. 18-20, 24) Further Reading: CWWL, 1957, vol. 3, “The Living God and the God of Resurrection,” ch. 3 |