来十一6　　人非有信，就不能得神的喜悦；因为到神面前来的人，必须信有神〔直译，神是〕，且信祂赏赐那寻求祂的人。

　　路九23　　耶稣又对众人说，若有人要跟从我，就当否认己，天天背起他的十字架，并跟从我。

　　神要你只信祂是〔来十一6〕。“是”这个动词，事实上乃是我们三一神的神圣名称。在出埃及三章，摩西问神，祂的名是什么。神回答说，祂的名是我是那我是（13~14）。…祂是那独一的一位。…在整个宇宙中，别的一切都不是；唯有祂是。祂是，因为祂是真实的。祂所造的一切，都不是真实的。这就是为什么智慧的王所罗门说，“凡事都是虚空。”（传一2）你以为你是，但你是虚空。…太阳、月亮、活物、诸天和地，全都是虚空。唯有一位才是。这个“是”，这个动词“是”，含示存在。祂是那从前存在、现在存在、将来还要存在的一位（李文集一九九四至一九九七年第一册，三三九至三四○页）。

　　Heb. 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to Him, for he who comes forward to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

　　Luke 9:23 And He said to them all, If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

　　God requires you only to believe that He is [Heb. 11:6]. The verb to be is actually the divine title of our Triune God. In Exodus 3 Moses asked God what His name was. God answered that His name is I Am Who I Am (vv. 13-14)… He is the only One. In the whole universe, nothing else is. Only One is. He is, because He is real. All other things created by Him are not real. This is why Solomon, the wise king, said that all things are vanity (Eccl. 1:2). You think you are, but you are vanity… The sun, the moon, the living creatures, the heavens, and the earth are all vanities. Only One is. This is, the verb to be, implies existing. He is the One who was existing, who is existing, and who is to be existing. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” pp. 276-277)

　　耶稣是那“伟大”的我是。祂告诉我们说，“我就是…生命。”（约十四6上）“我是复活。”（十一25）“我就是门。”（十9，参7）“我是好牧人。”（11）“我就是生命的粮。”（六35）祂是真粮食。…这粮食就是耶稣，那伟大的我是。祂是气（二十22）、活水（四10、14）和生命树（十五1，十四6上，启二7）。祂是神（约一1，…罗九5）、父（赛九6，约十四9~10）、子（可一1，约二十31）、灵（林后三17，林前十五45下）。祂对我们乃是一切。

　　我们今天是，但至终明天就不是了。所以在整个宇宙中，我们什么也不是。…作丈夫的如果看见唯有神是，他自己不是，他就不会凭自己，并在自己里面来爱他的妻子。…你们…如果看见在整个宇宙中唯有神是，你们会任意买想要买的东西么？你们会看见：“我不是，我什么也不是。我不去买东西，但祂是，所以是祂去。”…弟兄们必须问自己：“是我，还是基督，作我妻子的丈夫？”如果一个姊妹的丈夫不以基督为那是的一位，她会很痛苦。但如果她的丈夫是基督，她就只有一个丈夫，就是那位独一的丈夫。唯独基督是丈夫，没有一个丈夫是真正的丈夫。…你要到神面前来么？你若回答是，你就必须信神是，这含示说，你什么也不是。

　　主婚人可以向…一对新人说，“你是亲爱的新妇，你是亲爱的新郎么？”新郎应当说，“不，我不是。基督才是。”新妇应当说，“…我又丑陋又可怜，我不美丽。基督才是荣美的一位。我不是新妇，祂才是。”这就是信徒。…当你像保罗一样说，“不再是我，乃是基督，”你就是信神是。信神是，是很深的。这含示你看见你不是，祂才是。“你不是”的意思是说，你不存在。这就是圣经所说否认己的意思。当一个姊妹要结婚的时候，…她不该觉得自己是最美最好的一位。如果她这样觉得，她的婚姻就完了。那不是一个信徒的婚姻。一个将要结婚的信徒应当说，“主啊，我将要嫁给这个人。主，你知道我什么也不是。我不能作好妻子。主，我什么也不是。”…这是在凡事上否认己的福。

　　否认己等于信神是，信神是等于否认己。这是因为你信唯独祂才是。在整个宇宙中祂是，我们众人什么也不是。…唯独祂应当是一切，唯独祂应当存在。所以保罗说，“我已经…钉十字架；…不再是我，乃是基督。”〔加二20〕（李文集一九九四至一九九七年第一册，三四一至三四四页）

　　参读：罗马书的结晶，第七篇；倪柝声文集第二辑第二十二册，第四十八篇。

　　Jesus is the great I Am. He told us, “I am… the life” (John 14:6a). “I am the resurrection” (11:25). “I am the door” (10:7,9). “I am the good Shepherd” (v. 11). “I am the bread of life” (6:35). He is the real food… This food is Jesus, the great I Am. He is the breath (20:22), the living water (4:10, 14), and the tree of life (15:1; 14:6a; Rev. 2:7). He is God (John 1:1;… Rom. 9:5), the Father (Isa. 9:6; John 14:9-10), the Son (Mark 1:1; John 20:31), and the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17; 1 Cor. 15:45b). He is everything to us.

　　We are today, but eventually, we will not be tomorrow. So in the whole universe we are nothing. If a husband realized that only God is and he is not, then he would not love his wife by himself and in himself… If you realized that in the whole universe only God is, would you buy anything you want? You would realize, “I am not. I am nothing. I don’t go shopping, but He is, so He goes.” The brothers need to ask themselves, “Is it me or Christ who is the husband to my wife?” If a sister has a husband who does not take Christ as the One who is, she will be miserable. But if her husband is Christ, she has the only Husband, the unique Husband. Only Christ is the Husband. No husbands are real husbands… Do you come forward to God? If you say yes, then you have to believe that God is, implying that you are nothing.

　　The person marrying a couple could say to them, “Are you the dear bride, and are you the dear bridegroom?” The bridegroom should say, “No. I am not. But Christ is.” The bride should say, “… I am so ugly and poor. I am not pretty. Christ is the beautiful One. I am not the bride, but He is.” This is a believer. When you say what Paul said, “It’s no longer I, but Christ,” you believe that God is. To believe that God is, is so deep. It implies that you realize that you are not, but He is. You are not means that you do not exist. This is what the Bible means when it says to deny yourself. When a sister is about to be married, she… should not feel that she is the most beautiful and wonderful one. If she does, her marriage will be finished. That is not a believer’s marriage. A believer who is about to be married should say, “Lord, I am going to marry this man. Lord, You know I am nothing. I cannot be the proper wife. I am nothing, Lord.”… This is the blessing of denying yourself in everything.

　　To deny yourself equals to believe that God is, and to believe that God is equals to deny yourself. This is because you believe that only He is. In the whole universe He is, and all of us are nothing… Only He should be everything. Only He should exist. So Paul says, “I have been crucified. It is no longer I, but Christ.” (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” pp. 277-279)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” ch. 7; CWWN, vol. 42, ch. 48