启十二11 弟兄们胜过他，是因……他们虽至于死，也不爱自己的魂生命。

　　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。

　　因着亚当堕落，撒但就和人的魂生命，就是人的己联合（太十六23~24）。因此，我们要胜过撒但，就当不爱自己的魂生命，倒要恨恶并否认（路十四26，九23）。那些构成男孩子的得胜信徒，“虽至于死，也不爱自己的魂生命。”只有那些不爱自己魂生命的人，才甘心殉道。我们必须恨恶我们的己。只要我们爱自己的魂生命，就成为土，好作撒但的食物。但我们若不爱自己的魂生命，不爱我们的己，就不会成为土，这就叫撒但被杀死。当我们的魂生命被杀死，撒但也就被杀死。这是我们作为妇人的较刚强部分，胜过撒但的路（启示录生命读经，五○三至五○四页）。

　　Rev. 12:11 And they overcame him because…they loved not their soul-life even unto death.

　　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.

　　Because of Adam's fall, Satan has joined himself to man's soul-life, man's self (Matt. 16:23-24). Hence, to overcome him we must not love our soul-life but rather hate it and deny it (Luke 14:26; 9:23). The overcoming believers who constitute the man-child do not love their soul-life even unto death. Those who do not love their soul-life are willing to be martyred. We must hate our self. As long as we love our soul-life, we are dust, good to be food for Satan. But if we do not love our soul-life, our self, there will be no dust, and Satan will be killed. When our soul-life is killed, Satan is killed also. This is the way for us, as the stronger part of the woman, to overcome Satan. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 411-412)

　　撒但对付我们最好的办法，就是使我们用自己的力量来作事。撒但……要我们用自己天然的才能，血气的能力来为神工作。

　　天然的才能就是我们原有的才能，从未受过十字架运行的对付，也就是在我们的人格里所带来的东西。有的人，他天然的能力是他的聪明……；有的人，他天然的能力是他的口才，他不必特别得着圣灵的能力，就很会说话。但是，人不能借着没有经过十字架对付的天然的能力来事奉神。……我们总得被神带到一个地步，变成一个战兢恐惧的人，变成一个离了主不能

　　作什么的人（不是口里说说，乃是的确如此的人），才能在神的手里有用处。

　　我们要学习认识十字架。十字架就是对付我们，使我们不敢凭着自己动。我们光是讲十字架的道理没有用，光是听十字架的道理也没有用。神所需要的，是经过十字架，受过十字架对付的人。你所传的信息对了还不够，还要问你这个人是谁。保罗说，“我……在你们中间不知道别的，只知道耶稣基督，并这位钉十字架的。我在你们那里，又软弱，又惧怕，又甚战兢。我说的话，讲的道，不是用智慧动听的言语……。”（林前二2~4）前面是说出他的信息，后面是说出他是怎样的人。我们想，像保罗这样的人，上讲台是绰绰有余了。但是保罗……传的信息是十字架，他自己是又软弱，又惧怕，又甚战兢。……如果我们受过了十字架的对付，我们就没有把握，就不敢夸口。

　　从我们这一方面来看，十字架就是除去一切不是出于神的，十字架就是只留下从神出来的。……有的弟兄说，我从前这样救人，那样救人，现在学习受十字架的对付，这样对付，那样对付，被它对付完了，好像没有事情可作了。这就是证明他从前的一切都是出于他自己的。因为凡出于神的，都是十字架所杀不死的。……经过十字架还爬得起来的，就是出于神的；经过十字架爬不起来的，就是出于人的。主耶稣是出于神的，祂经过了十字架能起来。所有魂的生命，血气的生命，我们要不爱惜它，一直到死的地步。……我们的态度是：我们不凭着自己作人，我们不能作一个自以为有本领，自以为有把握的人，我们要战战兢兢地作人，我们知道自己是一个软弱的人（倪柝声文集第二辑第十四册，一一二至一一四页）。

　　参读：圣洁没有瑕疵，第四章。

　　The best way for Satan to deal with us is to cause us to act in our own strength…He wants us to exercise our own natural ability and fleshly energy in our work for God.

　　Natural ability is the ability which we originally had and which has never been dealt with by the cross. It accompanies our character. The natural ability of one person may be his cleverness…The natural ability of another may be his eloquence. He can speak well independent of any special power from the Holy Spirit. Man, however, cannot serve God with the natural ability that has never been dealt with by the cross…Oh, we all must be brought by God to the place where we are trembling and fearful lest we do anything without the

　　Lord. We must become such persons—not merely speaking such things, but actually being such persons. Then we will become useful in the hand of God.

　　We must learn to experience the cross. The purpose of the cross is to deal with us, so that we will not dare to move by our selves. It is useless merely to talk about the message of the cross or to listen to the message of the cross. God needs those who have gone through the cross and have been dealt with by the cross. It is not enough that our message is correct. We have to ask, “How about ourselves? What kind of persons are we?” The apostle Paul said, “For I did not determine to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and this One crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling; and my speech and my proclamation were not in persuasive words of wisdom” (1 Cor. 2:2-4). The first part of these verses refers to Paul's message, and the last part refers to Paul's person. We often think that when a person like Paul gets up to speak, he must feel rich and full of his own resources. But Paul's message was the cross, and he himself was in weakness, fear, and much trembling…If we have been dealt with by the cross, we will not have any self-confidence, and we will not dare to boast.

　　The subjective work of the cross in us is to take away the things which do not originate with God. The cross leaves only the things which are of God… Some brothers have said that in the past they had many ways to help people be saved, but after they began to experience the dealing of the cross, the cross has dealt with their various ways, and it seems as if they are not able to do anything. This proves that what they did previously came out from themselves, because whatever is of God cannot be slain by the cross…That which passes through the cross and rises up again is of God; anything which is not able to rise is of man. The Lord Jesus is of God, for after He passed through the cross, He was able to rise again. We should not love anything of the soulish life or of the life of the flesh, but let it all go into death…Our attitude is that we will not live by ourselves in any way; we will not value our own ability or have any self-confidence. We must live as men full of fear and trembling. We must realize what feeble creatures we are. (CWWN, vol. 34, “The Glorious Church,” pp. 91-93)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 34, “The Glorious Church,” ch. 4