约壹三4　　凡犯罪的，也行不法；罪就是不法。

　　多二14　　祂为我们舍了自己，要赎我们脱离一切的不法，并洁净我们，归祂自己成为独特的子民，作祂特有的产业，热心行善。

　　人照着己意而行，人不顺服在神的权柄之下，就是犯罪。…人凭着自己的血气行善，乃是不蒙神悦纳的。人的行为即使是良善的，只要是凭血气作的，都是被定罪的。…人行善仍然被定罪，原因乃是人的善行并不是行在神的权柄之下。罪就是人任性而行。人不服在权柄底下，即使所行的是好的、良善的，仍是犯罪。神看人这样凭着己意所行的善，乃是不法的。神不是看人所献的羊、牛、脂油有多少，…听命与顺服的对面就是权柄（倪柝声文集第三辑第十三册，一二二页）。

　　1 John 3:4 Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness also, and sin is lawlessness.

　　Titus 2:14 Who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness and purify to Himself a particular people as His unique possession, zealous of good works.

　　A man sins when he walks according to his self-will and rebels against God’s authority….Those who do good according to their own flesh do not please God. Even if a man’s conduct is approved, his very person is condemned as long as he acts according to the flesh….Man is condemned for doing good because this good is not performed under God’s authority. Sin means to act presumptuously. If a man does not come under authority, he sins even when his conduct is good. In God’s eyes all goodness performed by self-will is lawlessness. God is not concerned with the number of sheep and cattle and the amount of fat that man offers to Him….Obedience and submission are man’s responses to authority. (CWWN, vol. 59, p. 110)

　　马太七章二十一至二十三节，主责备那些奉祂名预言、赶鬼、行异能的人。…这乃是因为他们是出于自己而作，不是因顺服神的旨意而作。所以主接着就说，“唯独实行我诸天之上父旨意的人，才能进去”（21）。现今的时代，乃是充满不法，充满背叛。…罪就是不法，罪也就是悖逆。…（根据约壹三章四节，）不法的意思就是没有律法；没有律法就是罪。撒但是干犯权柄而犯罪；人是有律法就犯律法，没有律法就随意。…干犯律法是行为问题，固然是罪；不法，乃是存心问题，也是罪。不只不服在权柄之下，乃是没有权柄。在这末后的时代，因着不法者在这里，堕落的人要把一切的权柄都推翻，随己意作事，不法要掌权。…从撒但犯罪的起头，从人类犯罪的起头，一直到世代的末了，撒但一直与神的权柄作对，人也一直与神的权柄作对。…背叛乃是这世界的原则。我们如果要事奉神，就要碰着权柄。我们必须脱离这世界的这两个原则：不法与背叛。

　　我们要看见，宇宙中有两个原则：一是神权柄的原则，一是撒但背叛的原则。我们不能一面事奉神，一面又走背叛的路。…背叛的人虽能讲道，但撒但要在那里笑，因为这人里头有撒但的原则。事奉的对面就是权柄。这个问题若没有好好解决，就在事奉、生活上，各种样的问题、难处都会发生。我们要问：我们是不是服神的权柄？我们要事奉神的人，必须得着一个基本的启示，就是认识神的权柄。…我们要知道，任何的悖逆都是顺着撒但而来的。没有遇见权柄的人，就自己拆毁自己的工作。你反对撒但的工作，但是你还顺着撒但的原则，你就一点路都没有。我们没有碰着权柄，没有碰着里头的根，就神在各地没有工作，在中国没有工作，在世界也没有工作。背叛的根不除掉，我们就没有前途，没有工作。求神怜悯我们，叫我们实在碰见权柄，脱离背叛的原则，不走背叛的路。求神使我们的事奉，乃是在顺服权柄的原则里（倪柝声文集第三辑第十三册，一一九至一二○页）。

　　参读：新约圣经中奇妙的基督，第二、六章；国度与召会，第一至三章。

　　In Matthew 7:21-23 the Lord rebuked those who prophesied, cast out demons, and did works of power in His name…. They were rebuked because they were doing these things out of themselves, not out of obedience to God’s will. This is the reason the Lord said that only “he who does the will of My Father who is in the heavens” [v. 21] can enter the kingdom of the heavens. The present age is full of lawlessness and rebellion….Sin is lawlessness and rebellion according to 1 John 3:4. Being lawless is being without the law, and being without the law is sin. Satan sinned by trespassing against authority. Man breaks the law when the law is present and acts irresponsibly when no law is present…. Breaking the law is a matter of conduct, and it is sin. Being lawless is a matter of motive, and it is sin as well. In lawlessness one not only rebels against authority but acts as if there is no law. In the end times the presence of the lawless one will result in fallen man overturning all forms of authority. He will act according to his self-will and lawlessness will reign…. From the time of Satan’s fall, throughout man’s history of transgression to the end of this age, Satan is continually fighting against God’s authority. Man is also standing against God’s authority…. Rebellion constitutes the underlying principle of this world. In order to serve God, we have to experience authority. We have to free ourselves from these two worldly principles—lawlessness and rebellion.

　　We must realize that there are two principles in this universe. One is the principle of God’s authority, and the other is the principle of Satan’s rebellion. We cannot serve God on the one hand and take the way of rebellion on the other hand…. A rebellious man can give a message, but Satan will laugh at such a man because he is operating under Satan’s principle. Service is directly linked to authority. If we do not settle the matter of authority, we will have problems in all areas of our service and living. We have to ask ourselves if we are under God’s authority. As servants of God we have to have a fundamental revelation, a revelation of His authority….We have to know that any kind of rebellion is from Satan. Those who have not seen authority are destroying their own work. We may say that we are destroying Satan’s work, but actually we are working according to Satan’s principle. This will lead us nowhere. Unless we touch authority and its underlying root, God will not be able to have any work in China, in other places, and in the entire world. If we do not remove the root of rebellion, we will have no future and no work. May the Lord be merciful to us and grant us a real touch with authority. May we turn away from the principle of rebellion and reject the way of rebellion. May the Lord preserve our service in the principle of submission. (CWWN, vol. 59, pp. 106-108)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1973-1974, vol. 2, “The Wonderful Christ in the Canon of the New Testament,” chs. 2,6; CWWL, 1957, vol. 3, “The Kingdom and the Church,” chs. 4, 6-7