纲目
壹 在基督里的信徒，乃是蒙怜悯得尊贵和荣耀的器皿；我们是容器，盛装基督作怜悯、尊贵和荣耀—罗九21、23： |
Ⅰ The believers in Christ are vessels of mercy unto honor and glory; we are containers of Christ as mercy, honor, and glory—Rom. 9:21, 23: |
一 神创造人的目的是要使人作祂的器皿，祂的瓦器，以盛装基督作生命并被祂充满，为着建造基督的身体，终极完成于新耶路撒冷，作神的团体大器，使祂得彰显—创二7，徒九15，罗九21、23，林后四7，提后二20~21，太二五2~4、8~9，亚四11~14，参启三18。 |
A God's purpose in creating man was to make man His vessel, His earthenware container, to contain and be filled with Christ as life for the building up of the Body of Christ consummating in the New Jerusalem as God's great corporate vessel for His expression—Gen. 2:7; Acts 9:15; Rom. 9:21, 23; 2 Cor. 4:7; 2 Tim. 2:20-21; Matt. 25:2-4, 8-9; Zech. 4:11-14; cf. Rev. 3:18. |
二 保罗的全部十四封书信可以总括为“敞开的器皿”这辞： |
B All of Paul's fourteen Epistles can be summed up in two words—open vessel: |
１ 神能将祂自己分赐到我们里面的程度，在于我们敞开的程度；神要我们只爱祂并使自己一直向祂敞开—王下四1~7，太五3，约一16，赛五七15，六六1~2。 |
１ The degree to which God can dispense Himself into us depends on the degree of our openness; God wants us only to love Him and keep ourselves open to Him—2 Kings 4:1-7; Matt. 5:3; John 1:16; Isa. 57:15; 66:1-2. |
２ 退步的起点是由于自满，进步的起点是由于饥渴—申四25，路一53，腓一25，启三16~18。 |
２ Decadence starts from self-complacency; progress starts from hunger and thirst—Deut. 4:25; Luke 1:53; Phil. 1:25; Rev. 3:16-18. |
三 我们受造作为蒙怜悯的器皿，以盛装基督作怜悯的神—罗九11~13、16、20~21、23，哀三21~23，路一78~79： |
C We were created to be vessels of mercy to contain Christ as the God of mercy—Rom. 9:11-13, 16, 20-21, 23; Lam. 3:21-23; Luke 1:78-79: |
１ 神的怜悯是神够得最远的属性，把我们从可怜的地位，救到适合祂爱和恩典的光景—弗二1~4，来四16。 |
１ God's mercy is the most far-reaching of God's attributes, saving us out of our wretched position into a condition that is suitable for His love and grace—Eph. 2:1-4; Heb. 4:16. |
２ 因着神的怜悯，别人对福音没有反应，我们却有反应；别人拒绝接受关于基督是生命的话，我们却接受；别人退去不走主恢复的路，我们却走这条路—诗歌二三四首第三节。 |
２ Because of God's mercy, we responded to the gospel when others did not respond, we received a word about Christ as life when others refused to receive it, and we took the way of the Lord's recovery when others drew back from taking this way—Hymns, #296, stanza 3. |
３ “怜悯”指神由我们可怜光景所激发的外在作为；“怜恤”指起源于祂爱的素质之内在情爱—罗九15，太九36。 |
３ Mercy refers to God's outward doing motivated by our wretched state; compassion refers to His inward affection originating in His loving essence—Rom. 9:15; Matt. 9:36. |
４ 我们必须每早晨都接触神这怜恤者，使我们活在国度的实际里，而怜悯人，不审判人—哀三21~23，太五7，七1。 |
４ We must contact God as the compassionate One every morning so that we may live in the reality of the kingdom in being merciful to others and not judging others—Lam. 3:21-23; Matt. 5:7; 7:1. |
晨兴喂养
罗九21 窑匠难道没有权柄，从同一团泥里，拿一块作成贵重的器皿，又拿一块作成卑贱的器皿么？ 23 且要在那些蒙怜悯、早预备得荣耀的器皿上，彰显祂荣耀的丰富。 〔保罗的〕十四封书信总归可用一个辞来表达：“敞开的器皿”。神要一个敞开的器皿。保罗在罗马九章二十三节告诉我们，神把我们造成“蒙怜悯、早预备得荣耀的器皿”。然后在林后四章七节说，“我们有这宝贝在瓦器里。”这两处经文可视为我们经历基督与召会的基本秘诀。你也许听过许多篇论到基督与召会的信息，但如果你不晓得你必须是一个敞开的器皿，基督与召会还是没有路。……敞开的器皿就是不作什么，只是一直敞开，好得着充满。经过种种过程的神—三一神、包罗万有的灵、复合的灵—在这里等候得着一个入口，好进到你里面去。祂进到你里面有多少，在于你向祂敞开有多少（李文集一九八○年第一册，三二六页）。 |
Rom. 9:21 Or does not the potter have authority over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor? 23 In order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared unto glory. The summary of [Paul’s] fourteen Epistles may be expressed in just two words: open vessel. God wants an open vessel. In Romans 9:23 Paul tells us that God created us as vessels of mercy unto glory. Then in 2 Corinthians 4:7 he says that “we have this treasure in earthen vessels.” These two verses may be considered as a basic secret to our experience of Christ and the church. You may hear a lot of messages on Christ and the church, yet if you do not realize that you have to be an open vessel, Christ and the church still have no way…An open vessel is doing nothing but keeping itself open to the filling up. The processed God—the Triune God, the all-inclusive Spirit, the compound Spirit—is here waiting for an opening to get into you. How much He would enter into you depends upon how much opening you would give Him. (CWWL, 1980, vol. 1, “Perfecting Training,” p. 241) |
信息选读
我们是器皿，不是工具或武器—我们乃是容器。按照罗马九章，我们盛装怜悯、尊贵和荣耀〔21、23〕。这怜悯、尊贵和荣耀，实际上就是三一神。在我们的经历起初的阶段，三一神是我们的怜悯；在长进的阶段，祂是我们的尊贵；在完成的阶段，祂是我们的荣耀。现今我们享受我们的神作怜悯，多少也享受祂作尊贵。当主耶稣回来时，我们要完全被带进尊贵，也要被带进荣耀里。那时我们要被三一神充满，不仅作我们的怜悯，也作我们的尊贵和荣耀。怜悯是神够得最远的属性。怜悯比恩典够得更远，因为怜悯达到可怜且不配得恩典的景况。……何等美妙！神的怜悯不在于我们的光景是否美好。反之，神的怜悯显示在人可怜的光景里。临及我们的是神的怜悯。……我们需要看见神怜悯的宝贵，为此赞美祂，并为此作见证。从前我们是远离神的罪人；现今我们与包罗万有的基督是一。何等的怜悯！我们是盛装三一神作怜悯的器皿！ 保罗在写罗马九章时，他的思想完全被神的怜悯占有。他说，“这不在于那定意的，也不在于那奔跑的，只在于那施怜悯的神。”（16）我们是信徒，我们在召会生活中，这全然在于神的怜悯。因为一切都在于神的怜悯，我们在自己里面就一无可夸。我们能同主往前，不在于我们的定意或奔跑，乃在于神的怜悯。……我们容易改变，总是刻变时翻。所以，我们不该信靠自己，乃该信靠神的怜悯。我们赞美主，我们是蒙怜悯得尊贵和荣耀的器皿。我们现今盛装祂作怜悯，将来我们也要盛装祂作尊贵和荣耀。 我们是蒙怜悯得尊贵和荣耀的器皿，照着神主宰的怜悯蒙祂拣选（11~16）。……作蒙怜悯的器皿，不是我们拣选的结果；这起源于神的主宰。……祂的主宰是祂拣选的基础。 在十五节，保罗引用主的话：“我要向谁施怜悯，就向谁施怜悯。”因着神的怜悯，别人对福音没有反应，我们却有反应；别人拒绝接受关于基督是生命的话，我们却接受；别人退去不走主恢复的路，我们却走这条路。关于福音、生命的职事和召会生活，神在祂的主宰里，都已怜悯了我们。所以，我们必须为着祂主宰的怜悯赞美祂（新约总论第五册，一四三至一四五页）。 参读：罗马书生命读经，第二十二、五十八、六十三篇；创世记生命读经，第十、八十三至八十四篇。 |
As vessels, we are not instruments or weapons—we are containers. According to Romans 9, we contain mercy, honor, and glory [vv. 21, 23]. This mercy, honor, and glory are actually the Triune God. In the initial stage of our experience the Triune God is our mercy, in the progressing stage He is our honor, and in the completing stage He is our glory. At present we are enjoying our God as mercy and somewhat as honor. When the Lord Jesus comes back, we shall be fully brought into honor and also into glory. Then we shall be filled with the Triune God not only as our mercy but also as our honor and glory. Mercy is the most far-reaching of God’s attributes. Mercy goes further than grace, for mercy reaches into a situation that is pitiful and unworthy of grace…How wonderful that God’s mercy does not depend on our being in a good condition! Rather, God’s mercy is shown in man’s pitiful condition. It is God’s mercy that has reached us…We need to see the preciousness of God’s mercy and praise Him for it and testify concerning it. Once we were sinners far from God; now we are one with the all-inclusive Christ. What a mercy! We are vessels containing the Triune God as mercy. When Paul wrote chapter 9 of Romans, his thought was fully occupied with God’s mercy. He says, “It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy” (v. 16). It is altogether a matter of God’s mercy that we are believers and that we are in the church life. Because all is of God’s mercy, we have nothing to boast of in ourselves. Our going on with the Lord is a matter not of our willing or running but of God’s mercy… We are changeable, constantly fluctuating. Therefore, we should not trust in ourselves but in God’s mercy. We praise the Lord that we are vessels of mercy unto honor and glory. We now contain Him as mercy, and we shall contain Him as honor and glory. As vessels of mercy unto honor and glory, we were chosen by God according to His sovereign mercy (vv. 11-16)…Being a vessel of mercy is not the result of our choice; it originates with God’s sovereignty…His sovereignty is the basis of His selection. In Romans 9:15 Paul quotes the Lord’s words, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy.” Because of God’s mercy we responded to the gospel when others did not respond, we received a word about Christ as life when others refused to receive it, and we took the way of the Lord’s recovery when others drew back from taking this way. Concerning the gospel, the ministry of life, and the church life, God, in His sovereignty, has had mercy on us. Therefore, we must praise Him for His sovereign mercy. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 1183-1185) Further Reading: Life-study of Romans, msgs. 22, 58, 63; Life-study of Genesis, msgs. 10, 83—84 |