太十六18　　…我要把我的召会建造在这磐石上，阴间的门不能胜过她。

　　腓二12~13　　…就当恐惧战兢，作成你们自己的救恩，因为乃是神…在你们里面运行…。

　　15　　使你们无可指摘、纯洁无杂，在弯曲悖谬的世代中，作神无瑕疵的儿女…。

　　只有八个人在方舟里借水得救，脱离那弯曲的世代。许多人也许已经得救免于永远的沉沦，但没有太多人进入方舟。我们要得救免于永远的沉沦，不需要作什么；但我们要得救脱离邪恶的世代，就需要建造方舟。腓立比二章十二节说，“作成你们自己的救恩。”…这不是得救免于永远的沉沦，乃是得救脱离十五节所提弯曲悖谬的世代。…我们许多人只能说，我们已经得救免于永远的沉沦；…免于沉沦只是我们救恩的一半。我们也需要得救脱离另一半，就是脱离这弯曲悖谬的世代。（李文集一九七五至一九七六年第一册，四三九至四四○页。）

　　Matt. 16:18 …I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

　　Phil. 2:12-13 …Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who operates in you…

　　15 That you may be blameless and guileless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation…

　　Only eight persons were saved in the ark, through water, from that crooked generation. Many may have been saved from eternal perdition, but not many entered into the ark. In order to be saved from eternal perdition, there is no need for us to do anything, but in order to be saved from the evil generation, we need to build up the ark. Philippians 2:12 says, “Work out your own salvation.”…This is not salvation from eternal perdition. It is salvation from the crooked and perverted generation mentioned in verse 15…. Many of us can only say that we have been saved from eternal perdition….This is only half of our salvation. We also need to be saved from the other half, from this crooked and perverted generation. (CWWL, 1975-1976, vol. 1, “The Testimony of Jesus,” pp. 323-324)

　　得救免于永远的沉沦，只需要我们说，“哦，主耶稣，我是罪人。我感谢你为我死。你是神的儿子，你是我的救主。主耶稣，赦免我，我悔改，并且相信你。”这就够使我们靠恩得救。然而，我们救恩的余下部分就需要我们与神合作。腓立比二章十三节说，“乃是神为着祂的美意，在你们里面运行，使你们立志并行事。”对此我们要说，“神啊，我对你的运行说阿们。”我们若与神的运行合作，在消极一面，我们自然而然蒙拯救脱离这弯曲的世代；在积极一面，我们要进入表征正当召会生活的方舟。

　　我们需要进入正当的召会生活，就是我们的“监牢”。…有些圣徒的父母说，“可怜你自己吧。不要这么频繁地去你们的召会。你已经每周六和主日都去召会，这就够了。不要忘了这是假日。为什么你不度假，使自己有所享受？”然而，这样说的人不晓得我们有更好、更高的事；他们不知道我们在享受属天、属灵、美妙的“娱乐”。我们被监禁在召会生活里，我们喜爱这样。召会是监牢，但召会也是最好的“娱乐”。（李文集一九七五至一九七六年第一册，四四○至四四一页。）

　　使徒们在传福音的时候，也在建造方舟，在其中享受完满的救恩。方舟是什吗？方舟就是团体的基督。使徒一面传讲个人的基督，一面建造团体的基督。借着这团体的基督，千万人不仅蒙拯救脱离神的审判，也蒙拯救脱离那弯曲悖谬的世代。

　　我们在建造召会。召会就是团体的基督，（林前十二12，）这基督可以说就是今天的方舟。千万的人因着进到召会生活里蒙了拯救。许多人能作见证，他们如何因着来到召会蒙了拯救。你可能已经得救多年，但直至你来到召会，你才脱离了这弯曲的世界。那团体的方舟分别了你。我们一来到召会里，就不需别人告诉我们从世界出来；我们就是这样过召会生活，常常来聚会；…借着过召会生活，一切属这弯曲世代的东西都不见了。什么能救我们脱离这悖谬的世代？过召会生活能救我们。我们在建造方舟，那方舟能救我们，也能救别人脱离神所定罪的世代。（创世记生命读经，五○○至五○一页。）

　　参读：创世记生命读经，第七、二十九至三十一篇；现今邪恶世代中基督的恢复，第一至二、五章。

　　To be saved from eternal perdition requires us simply to say, “O Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I thank You that You died for me. You are the Son of God, and You are my Savior. Lord Jesus, forgive me. I repent and believe in You.” This is sufficient for our salvation by grace. However, the remainder of our salvation requires our cooperation with God. Philippians 2:13 says, “It is God who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure.” To this we need to say, “Amen to Your work.” If we cooperate with God’s operation, on the negative side, we will spontaneously be rescued out of this crooked generation. On the positive side, we will enter into the ark, which signifies the proper church life.

　　We need to enter into the proper church life, which is a “prison” to us….The parents of some of the saints say, “Pity yourself. Do not go to your church so often. You have been going to your church every Saturday and Sunday. That is enough. Do not forget that this is a holiday. Why would you not take a vacation and enjoy yourself?” However, those who speak in this way do not realize that we have something better and higher. They do not know the heavenly, spiritual, and wonderful “entertainment” that we enjoy. We are imprisoned in the church life, and we love it. The church is a prison, but it is also the best “entertainment.” (CWWL, 1975-1976, vol. 1, “The Testimony of Jesus,” p. 324)

　　While the apostles were preaching the gospel, they were also building the ark in which they would enjoy full salvation. What was that ark? It was the corporate Christ. While the apostles were preaching the individual Christ, they were building up the corporate Christ. Through that corporate Christ, thousands of people were not only saved from God’s judgment but also from that crooked and perverse generation.

　　We are building the church. The church is the corporate Christ (1 Cor. 12:12) which, in a sense, is today’s ark. Thousands of people have been saved by entering into the church life. Many can testify how they have been saved by coming into the church. Although you might have been saved for many years, you were not separated from this crooked world until you came into the church. That corporate ark separated you. Once we came into the church, no one had to tell us to come out of the world. We simply began a life of “churching,” coming to the meetings again and again….By churching, everything of this crooked age will disappear. What is able to save us from this perverse age? Churching can save us. We are building the ark that can save us as well as others from the age condemned by God. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 409-410)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msgs. 7, 29-31; CWWL, 1977, vol. 1, “The Recovery of Christ in the Present Evil Age,” chs. 1-2, 5