太十六23~25 祂却转过来，对彼得说，撒但，退我后面去吧！你是绊跌我的，因为你不思念神的事，只思念人的事。于是耶稣对门徒说，若有人要跟从我，就当否认己，背起他的十字架，并跟从我。因为凡要救自己魂生命的，必丧失魂生命；凡为我丧失自己魂生命的，必得着魂生命。

　　在我的职事中，我用了个性与性格这些辞来说到属灵的生命，因为我不得不找些用辞，来帮助圣徒明白魂生命、己、“我”和旧人。“天然的生命”和“天然的”这些辞，也用来说到对付我们己的属灵经历。己乃是我们的魂生命，而我们的魂生命乃是天然的。除了这些辞以外，保罗在罗马六章六节还提到旧人。这些辞各指明某一属灵的实际。……魂生命也叫作旧人。己、魂生命和旧人，全都是天然的，属于天然的生命。

　　我们乃是按着属灵的意义给（个性和性格）这些辞下定义。……我们里面有个性，外面有性格。个性是我们里面的所是，性格是我们外面的表现。里面的个性和外面的性格，乃是我们这人的精粹、素质。如果拿走了我们的性格和个性，我们这人就一无所有了（生命的经历与长大，一六九至一七○页）。

　　Matt. 16:23-25 …He turned and said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men…. If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his soul-life shall lose it; but whoever loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it.

　　I have used the words disposition and character in my ministry concerning the spiritual life because I was forced to find terms that would help the saints to understand the soul-life, the self, the “I,” and the old man. The terms natural life and natural have also been used related to the spiritual experiences of dealing with our self. The self is our soulish life, and the soulish life is something natural. In addition to these terms Paul mentions the old man in Romans 6:6. Each of these terms denotes a certain spiritual reality…. The soul-life is also called the old man. The self, the soul-life, and the old man are all something natural, something of the natural life.

　　We define these terms [disposition and character] according to their spiritual significance…. Within we have our disposition, and without we have our character. Disposition is what we are within, and character is what we express without. The inward disposition and the outward character are the extract, the essence, of our being. If our character and disposition were taken away, there would be nothing left to our being. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 3, “The Experience and Growth in Life,” pp. 129-130)

　　新约里找不到性格和个性这些辞，但在一些经节中，就如马太十六章二十六节和路加九章二十五节，却含示了这些事实。马太十六章二十六节和路加九章二十五节这两节是平行的，将己和魂生命用作同义辞。马太十六章二十六节说，“人若赚得全世界， 却赔上自己的魂生命，有什么益处？”路加九章二十五节说，“人若赚得全世界，却丧失自己，赔上自己，有什么益处？”马太十六章二十六节的魂生命，就是路加九章二十五节的自己。魂是己的生命；而个性和性格，与己和魂都非常有关。

　　我们可以用不同的动物为例，说明个性上的不同。就如龟与兔：龟走得慢，兔跑得快。每种动物的活动乃是与这动物性情里的某个特点有关。……龟和兔各有自己的个性，自己的组成。

　　你的个性是指你与生俱来之组成里的所是。……你若是慢的，你乃是天生被组成是慢的；慢就是你的个性。同样，你若是快的，快就是你的个性。一个人可能是安静的，或是爱讲话的；二者都是里面个性的事。我们的个性虽然是神所造的，却仍需要被神对付。这似乎很矛盾—神所赐的必须被神对付。然而，这非常合乎神圣的启示，也是我们的经历所印证的。

　　性格指我们（里面的人）外面的表现。……个性总是外显于我们的性格中。……性格的组成，约百分之三十是你的天性，百分之七十是你的习性。比方说，一个小孩若放在中国家庭里，他就会被摆进中国的模子里。同一个小孩被放在别种国籍的家庭里，长大了就会像那种国籍的人。

　　我们无法改变我们里面的性情，但我们能改变或改正我们外面的性格。……许多弟兄服兵役时受过训练。他们刚开始服兵役时不是很守时，但受过一些训练和严厉地惩治以后，他们就被调整成为守时的。……这种训练改变了他们外面的性格（生命的经历与长大，一七○至一七二页）。

　　参读：为着召会的建造正常结果子和牧养的路，第一至三、五、七至八章。

　　The terms character and disposition cannot be found in the New Testament, but the facts are implied in verses such as Matthew 16:26 and Luke 9:25. Matthew 16:26 and Luke 9:25 are parallel portions that use self and soul-life as synonyms. Matthew 16:26 says, “What shall a man be profited if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul-life?” Luke 9:25 says, “What is a man profited if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?” The soul-life in Matthew 16:26 is the self in Luke 9:25. The soul is the life of the self, and the matters of disposition and character are very much related to both the self and the soul.

　　To illustrate the differences in disposition, we may use different animals, such as a turtle and a rabbit. A turtle walks slowly, and a rabbit runs quickly. Each activity is related to a particular thing within the nature of each animal…. The turtle and the rabbit each has its own disposition, its own makeup.

　　Your disposition denotes what you are in your makeup by birth…. If you are slow, you were made slow by birth; being slow is your disposition. Likewise, if you are quick, quickness is your disposition. One may be silent or talkative; both are matters of inward disposition. Although our disposition is something made by God, it still needs to be dealt with by God. This seems to be contradictory—something given by God must be dealt with by God. However, this is very much according to the divine revelation, and it is also confirmed by our experience.

　　Character refers to our outward expression… [of] our inner being. The disposition is always explicitly expressed in our character…. Character is composed of about thirty percent nature and of about seventy percent habits. For example, if a child is placed in a Chinese home, he will be cast into a Chinese mold. The same child placed in a family of another nationality will resemble a person of that nationality when he grows up.

　　We cannot change our inward nature, but we can change or correct our outward character…. Many brothers have been trained in the military service. When they first entered the military service, they were not very punctual, but after some training and severe discipline, they were adjusted to be punctual…. This kind of training changed their outward character. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 3, “The Experience and Growth in Life,” pp. 130-131)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1973-1974, vol. 2, “The Normal Way of Fruit-bearing and Shepherding for the Building Up of the Church,” chs. 1-3, 5, 7-8