多三7 好叫我们既因祂的恩典得称义，就可以照着永远生命的盼望成为后嗣。

　　约一12~13 凡接受祂的，就是信入祂名的人，祂就赐他们权柄，成为神的儿女。这等人……乃是从神生的。

　　加拉太四章七节说，“你不再是奴仆，乃是儿子了；既是儿子，也就借着神为后嗣。”这里后嗣是指法定的成年人（保罗以罗马法律为例），有资格承受父亲产业的人。新约的信徒成为神的后嗣，不是借着律法，也不是借着肉身的父亲，乃是借着神，就是三一神—父，差出子和灵（4、6）；子，为儿子的名分成功救赎（5）；灵，在我们里面完成儿子的名分（6）（新约总论第五册，二四页）。

　　Titus 3:7 In order that having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

　　John 1:12-13 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name, who were begotten…of God.

　　Galatians 4:7 says, “You are no longer a slave but a son; and if a son, an heir also through God.” Here an heir is one who is of full age according to the law (the Roman law is used by Paul for illustration) and who is qualified to inherit the father’s estate. The New Testament believers become heirs of God not through the law or through their fleshly father but through God, even the Triune God—the Father who sent forth the Son and the Spirit (vv. 4, 6), the Son who accomplished redemption for sonship (v. 5), and the Spirit who carries out the sonship within us (v. 6). (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 1081)

　　在〔提多书三章七节〕我们看见，信徒不仅是儿子，更是有资格承受父产业的后嗣（罗四14，八17，加三29，四7）。我们由神永远的生命（约三16）所生（一12~13），这永远的生命使我们不仅在今世活神并享受神，更要在来世和永世里，承受神之于我们的一切丰富。此外，永远的生命含示盼望。……因为永远的生命是永远的，不能被了结，它就给我们盼望。因此，我们有永远生命的盼望。神永远的生命是我们今日的享受，也是我们明日的盼望。

　　永远的生命，就是神的生命，神非受造的生命，不仅在时间上是永久的，持续到永远，在性质上也是永远、神圣的。神永远的生命是赐给所有在基督里的信徒（提前一16），也是所赐给我们神圣恩典的主要成分（罗五17、21）。这生命已经征服死（徒二24），还要吞灭死（林后五4）。这生命以及随之而有的不朽坏，借着福音的传扬，已经照耀出来，使众人都得看见（提后一10）。不仅如此，永远的生命不但今天给我们有分并享受，将来也要给我们完全承受（太十九29），直到永远。……今天对这生命的享受是预尝，来世和永远对这生命的承受是全享，这承受就是永远生命的盼望。这就是提多书二章十三节所启示那有福的盼望，包括完满儿子名分之荣耀的自由，我们身体的得赎（罗八21~25），在末后的时期要显现的救恩（彼前一5），以及对那存留在诸天之上，不能朽坏、不能玷污、不能衰残之基业活的盼望（3~4）。这就是提前四章八节所提，在千年国和新天新地里，永远生命之完满、属灵、神圣、属天的福分和享受（彼后一11，三13，启二一6~7）。我们照着这盼望成为神的后嗣，承受祂一切的丰富，直到永远。这是神在基督里借着恩典所赐给我们，祂永远救恩连同永远生命的顶点，也就是这救恩的永远目标。

　　信徒借着因基督的恩典得称义，作神的后嗣（多三7上）。称义（罗三24，加二16）是神照着祂义的标准称许人。神能这样称许我们，是基于基督的救赎。……当基督的救赎应用到我们身上，我们就得称义。

　　提多书三章七节上半告诉我们，我们因基督的恩典得称义。基督的恩典不仅仅是不配得的好处；实际上，基督的恩典就是基督自己作生命和一切，分赐到我们里面，作我们的享受。这恩典是成为肉体、钉十字架、复活并升天的基督传输到我们里面。这恩典在神救恩的经纶里担任最重要的角色。我们接受基督的恩典，就得称义，成为神的后嗣（新约总论第五册，二六至二八页）。

　　参读：新约总论，第一百零一篇。

　　In Titus 3:7b we see that the believers are not only sons but also heirs who are qualified to inherit the Father’s estate (Rom. 4:14; 8:17; Gal. 3:29; 4:7). We were born of God (John 1:12-13) with His eternal life (3:16). This eternal life is for us not only to live and enjoy God in this age, but also to inherit all the riches of what He is to us in the coming age and in eternity. Moreover, eternal life implies hope…Because eternal life is forever and cannot be terminated, it gives us hope. Hence, there is the hope of eternal life. God’s eternal life is our enjoyment today and our hope tomorrow.

　　Eternal life is the divine life, the uncreated life of God. It is not only everlasting, lasting forever, with respect to time, but in its nature it is also eternal and divine. The eternal life of God is given to all believers in Christ (1 Tim. 1:16) and is the main element of the divine grace given to us (Rom. 5:17, 21). This life has conquered death (Acts 2:24) and will swallow up death (2 Cor. 5:4). Eternal life and its consequent incorruption have been brought to light and made visible to men through the preaching of the gospel (2 Tim. 1:10). Furthermore, eternal life is not only for us to partake of and enjoy today, but also for us to inherit (Matt. 19:29) in its full extent for eternity…Its enjoyment today is a foretaste; the full taste will be the inheritance of it in the coming age and in eternity, which is the hope of eternal life. This is the blessed hope revealed in Titus 2:13, which is composed of the freedom of the glory of full sonship, the redemption of our body (Rom. 8:21-25), the salvation to be revealed in the last time (1 Pet. 1:5), and the living hope of the incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading inheritance reserved in heaven (vv. 3-4). This is the full, spiritual, divine, and heavenly blessing and enjoyment of eternal life, both in the millennium and in the new heaven and new earth (2 Pet. 1:11; 3:13; Rev. 21:6-7), referred to in 1 Timothy 4:8. According to this hope, we become heirs of God to inherit all His riches for eternity. This is the climax as the eternal goal of God’s eternal salvation with His eternal life given to us by grace in Christ.

　　The believers are heirs of God through justification by the grace of Christ (Titus 3:7a). To be justified (Rom. 3:24; Gal. 2:16) is to be approved by God according to His standard of righteousness. God can approve us in this way because our justification is based on the redemption of Christ…When the redemption of Christ is applied to us, we are justified.

　　Titus 3:7a tells us that we are justified by the grace of Christ. The grace of Christ is not merely His unmerited favor. The grace of Christ is actually Christ Himself as life and everything dispensed into us for our enjoyment. This grace is the transmission of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ into us. This grace plays the most important role in the economy of God’s salvation. When we received the grace of Christ, we were justified to become heirs of God. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 1083-1084)

　　Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 101