林后四16　　所以我们不丧胆，反而我们外面的人虽然在毁坏，我们里面的人却日日在更新。

　　太十六24　　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。

　　外面的人是我们的身体和我们的魂，以我们的身体为其器官，以我们的魂为其生命和人位。里面的人是我们重生的灵同着我们更新的魂，以我们重生的灵为其生命和人位，以我们更新的魂为其器官。魂的生命必须被否认，（太十六24~25，）但魂的功用—心思、意志、情感，必须借着被征服，（林后十4~5，）得着更新并提高，而为灵所用；灵乃是里面之人的人位。

　　“毁坏”（四16）原意或作，销毁，消耗，磨损。借着不断地杀死—死的工作，我们外面的人，就是我们物质的身体，以及使其有生命的魂，（林前十五44，）就渐渐销毁磨损。（哥林多后书生命读经，一一二至一一三页。）

　　2 Cor. 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart; but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

　　Matt. 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

　　The outer man is our body and our soul, with the body as its organ and the soul as its life and person. The inner man is our regenerated spirit with our renewed soul. The regenerated spirit is its life and person, and the renewed soul is its organ. The life of the soul must be denied (Matt. 16:24-25), but the functions of the soul, the mind, will, and emotion, must be renewed and uplifted by being subdued (2 Cor. 10:4-5) to be used by the spirit, the person of the inner man.

　　The Greek word rendered “decaying” also means “being consumed, being wasted away, being worn out.” By the continued killing, the working of death, our outer man, that is, our material body with its animating soul (1 Cor. 15:44), is being consumed and worn out. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, p. 98)

　　我们在召会生活中，不断经历心思的更新和心思的提高。当我们的心思被主征服，我们的心思就得着更新。这样，心思就能为我们的灵使用；我们的灵乃是里面之人的人位。外面的人渐渐被销毁、磨损、并被治死；但是里面的人却日日在更新。销毁含示减少，更新含示扩增。因此，我们外面的人渐渐减少，里面的人渐渐扩增。外面看来，我的身体渐渐衰老，但我里面的人却越发年轻、更新。

　　里面的人因复活生命新鲜的供应得着滋养，而得以更新。我们外面的人，我们必死的身体，因着死的杀死工作逐渐销毁；我们里面的人，就是我们重生的灵，连同我们里面的各部分，（耶三一33，来八10，罗七22、25，）却因复活生命的供应，得以日日新陈代谢地更新。

　　更新与构成相似，…我们若要得着更新，就必须有一些元素加到我们里面。这更新我们的元素，就是隐藏在我们里面的宝贝。（林后四7。）然而，…光有宝贝在我们里面是不够的。我们还需要被杀死、毁坏、销毁、磨碾。为这缘故，我们里面有宝贝，外面有环境。

　　我们逃避不了神的手。…你可能还用自己的聪明来逃避破碎和磨碾。没有人对付得了你。然而，最想要逃避破碎的人，末了受的苦也最多。我们的定命就是被销毁。

　　主凭着祂主宰的权柄，利用我们的环境来销毁我们。不要以为是因为你不对，所以需要被销毁。实际上，乃是因为你对，所以需要被销毁。…保罗非常地对，所以他很需要被销毁。这不是说，你应当故意犯错。你如果错了，你可能受惩罚。…你也许不知道该怎么办，因为你对了，会被销毁；你不对，又会受惩罚。答案是你什么也不该作。

　　我们越经历外面的人被销毁、被治死，我们里面的人就越得更新。我们重生的灵连同我们更新的心思、情感、意志，都需要复活、发展、扩大并复苏。因此，当外面的人渐渐销毁时，里面的人就渐渐复活、更新并发展。（哥林多后书生命读经，一一五至一一六、三六○页。）

　　参读：哥林多后书生命读经，第十一、三十四至三十七篇；信徒对变化的经历，第四章。

　　In the church life we are experiencing the renewing of the mind and the uplifting of the mind. As our mind is subdued by the Lord, it is renewed. Then it can be used by our spirit, which is the person of the inner man. The outer man is being consumed. It is being worn out and put to death. But the inner man is being renewed day by day. Being consumed implies decreasing, and being renewed implies increasing. Thus, our outer man is decreasing, and our inner man is increasing. Outwardly my body is getting older, but my inner man is getting younger and newer.

　　The inner man is renewed by being nourished with the fresh supply of resurrection life. As our mortal body, our outer man, is being consumed by the killing work of death, our inner man, that is, our regenerated spirit with the inward parts of our being (Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10; Rom. 7:22, 25), is being metabolically renewed day by day with the supply of resurrection life.

　　Being renewed is similar to being constituted…. In order for us to be renewed, some element must be added to us. This renewing element is the treasure hidden within us (2 Cor. 4:7). However,… it is not adequate simply to have the treasure within. There is also the need for the killing, the destroying, the consuming, the grinding. For this reason, inwardly we have the treasure, and outwardly we have the environment.

　　It is impossible for us to escape God’s hand….You may still use your cleverness to escape the breaking and the grinding. No one is able to deal with you. However, those who try the hardest to escape the breaking eventually suffer the most. It is our destiny to be consumed.

　　The Lord sovereignly uses our environment to consume us. Do not think that it is because you are wrong that you need to be consumed. Actually, it is because you are right that you need to be consumed…. Paul was very right. This was the reason he needed a great deal of consuming. This does not mean, however, that you should purposely try to do something wrong. If you are wrong, you may be punished. You may wonder what you should do, since you will be consumed if you are right and punished if you are wrong. The answer is that you should not do anything.

　　The more we experience the consuming, the putting to death, of the outer man, the more our inner man is renewed. Our regenerated spirit with our renewed mind, emotion, and will needs to be resurrected, developed, enlarged, and refreshed. Therefore, as the outer man is being consumed, the inner man is being resurrected, renewed, and developed. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 99-101, 307-308)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msgs. 11, 34-37; CWWL, 1963, vol. 1, “The Believer’s Experience of Transformation,” ch. 4