约三3 耶稣回答说，我实实在在地告诉你，人若不重生，就不能见神的国。

　　　　5 ……我实实在在地告诉你，人若不是从水和灵生的，就不能进神的国。

　　新约所传扬的头一项乃是国度。新约头一个传道人是施浸者约翰，他口中所出的头一句话乃是：“你们要悔改，因为诸天的国已经临近了。”（太三1~2）这不仅是犯罪、下地狱或者得着平安喜乐的事；这也不仅是悔改，好使我们得救的事。我们必须为着国度悔改。

　　悔改这辞的意思是改变你的心思，在你的想法上有改变。悔改的意思是，改变你的推理方式，改变你的观念、想法、哲学甚至你的神学。我们都需要悔改。从你老旧的观念悔改，从哲学和系统神学悔改；从老旧的圣经知识，从对圣经老旧的解释、解说悔改。我们需要改变我们的观点。

　　为什么我们必须为着国度悔改？因为不管我们坚持的观念是什么，我们都不是为着国度的。你也许是为着教育或为着宗教；你也许是为着基督教，或为着所谓的召会；你也许是为着传福音，或为着差会工场；你也许是为着作善事；你也许热心于属灵的恩赐，或者寻求神的能力。……你必须悔改。你要悔改脱开你的所是，脱开你所在之处，脱开你所作的、所想的，脱开你一切的观念。……我们都必须为着国度悔改。新约乃是为着国度。……如果你不在国度里，如果你不是为国度而活，你就需要悔改（李文集一九七二年第二册，六至七页）。

　　John 3:3 …Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

　　5 Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

　　The first item in the New Testament preaching was the kingdom. The first preacher in the New Testament was John the Baptist, and the first word out of his mouth was, “Repent, for the kingdom” (Matt. 3:1-2). It is not merely a matter of being sinful, of going to hell, or of having peace and joy. It is not merely a matter of repenting so that we may have salvation. We must repent for the kingdom.

　　The word repent means to change your mind, to have a change in your way of thinking. It means to change your way of reasoning, to change your concepts, ideas, philosophy, and even your theology. We all need to repent. Repent from your old concepts. Repent from philosophy and systematic theology. Repent from the old Bible knowledge, from the old expositions and interpretations of the Scriptures. We need to change our point of view.

　　Why must we repent for the kingdom? Because, regardless of the concepts we cling to, we are not for the kingdom. You may be for education or for religion. You may be for Christianity or for so-called churches. You may be for gospel preaching or for the mission field. You may be for doing good. You may be zealous for the spiritual gifts, or you may be seeking the power of God…You must repent. Repent from what you are. Repent from where you are. Repent from what you are doing and what you are thinking. Repent from all your concepts…We all must repent for the kingdom. The New Testament is for the kingdom…If you are not in the kingdom, if you are not living for the kingdom, you need to repent. (CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” p. 5)

　　让我们思想约翰三章三节、五节。主耶稣是否说，“你若不是从水和灵生，就绝不能见天堂或进入天堂”？不！……〔从前〕人告诉我说，我若要上天堂，就需要另一个生命。我需要重生。……严格地说，重生不是为着上天堂；重生乃是为着使我们进国度。

　　如果我们要进某种国度，就需要某种生命。如果我们没有动物的生命，我们就绝不能进入动物的国度。……照样，我们若没有神圣的生命，就是神的生命，我们就绝不能进神的国。如果我们要进神的国，就必须有神的生命。因此，重生是为使我们进入另一个国度，就是神的国里。这比仅仅一个时代要真实多了；这是神的国，是我们借着重生进入的。

　　我们也许说国度就是主耶稣，但这必须是那是灵的主耶稣，而不是在肉体里的主耶稣。国度乃是那是灵的主耶稣。祂对法利赛人说，“我若靠着神的灵赶鬼，这就是神的国临到你们了。”（太十二28）这节告诉我们，国度就是神的灵的实际。……主耶稣说，因为祂靠着神的灵赶鬼，这就指明神的国在那里。国度乃是主耶稣属灵的实化。当我们在属灵上实化祂，我们就有国度。

　　神的灵乃是主耶稣的实际。那灵就是祂的人位，而祂的人位就是祂的实际。正如一个人的实际乃是他的人位，照样主耶稣的实际就是祂的人位，而祂的人位就是那灵。祂有那灵在祂身上，那灵就是祂的人位。那灵这个人位就是主耶稣的实际。那时，祂的实际完全借着赶鬼运用出来。因此，那就是神的国。现在我们能看见，国度不仅仅是一个时代或范围，国度乃是主耶稣实际的实化（李文集一九七二年第二册，一一至一二、一九至二○页）。

　　参读：国度，第一至三章。

　　Let us consider John 3:3 and 5. Did the Lord Jesus say, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot see heaven or enter into heaven”? No!… I was told that if I wanted to go to heaven, I needed another life. I needed to be born again…Strictly speaking, regeneration is not for entering heaven; regeneration is for us to enter into the kingdom.

　　If we want to enter into a certain kind of kingdom, we need a certain kind of life. If we do not have the animal life, we can never enter the animal kingdom…Likewise, if we do not have the divine life, the life of God, we can never enter into the kingdom of God. If we are to enter into the kingdom of God, we must have the life of God. Therefore, regeneration is for us to enter into another kingdom, the kingdom of God. This is much more real than a mere dispensation. This is the kingdom of God, which we enter by being born again.

　　We may say that the kingdom is the Lord Jesus, but it must be the Lord Jesus as the Spirit, not in the flesh. The kingdom is the Lord Jesus as the Spirit. He said to the Pharisees, “If I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt. 12:28). This verse tells us that the kingdom is simply the reality of the Spirit of God…The Lord Jesus said that because He cast out demons by the power of the Spirit of God, this indicated that the kingdom of God was there. The kingdom is the spiritual realization of the Lord Jesus. When we realize Him spiritually, we have the kingdom.

　　The Spirit of God is the reality of the Lord Jesus. The Spirit is His person, and His person is His reality. Just as the reality of a man is his person, so the reality of the Lord Jesus is His person, and His person is the Spirit. He had the Spirit with Him, and the Spirit was His person. This person, the Spirit, was the reality of the Lord Jesus. At that time, His reality was fully exercised by casting out demons. Thus, that was the kingdom of God. Now we can see that the kingdom is not merely a dispensation or sphere. The kingdom is the realization of the reality of the Lord Jesus. (CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” pp. 8-9, 15-16)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” chs. 1—3