林后五18~20 一切都是出于神，祂借着基督使我们与祂自己和好，又将这和好的职事赐给我们；

　　……且将这和好的话语托付了我们。所以我们为基督作了大使，就好像神借我们劝你们一样；我们替基督求你们：要与神和好。

　　保罗在林后五章二十节所写的话很不寻常。他说“我们……作了大使”，接着就说，“就好像神借我们劝你们一样。”保罗的意思是说，“我们是基督的大使，正在执行和好的工作。这就好像是神借我们劝你们一样。我们与基督是一，也与神是一。基督与我们是一，神也与我们是一。……”在新约的职事里，神、基督以及众执事都是一。……神、基督、使徒们，在执行和好的职事上乃是一（哥林多后书生命读经，三七七页）。

　　2 Cor. 5:18-20 But all things are out from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation… and has put in us the word of reconciliation. On behalf of Christ then we are ambassadors, as God entreats you through us; we beseech you on behalf of Christ, Be reconciled to God.

　　Paul’s composition in 2 Corinthians 5:20 is unusual. After saying, “We are ambassadors,” he says, “As God entreats you through us.” Paul seems to be saying, “We are ambassadors of Christ, and we are doing a reconciling work. This is like God entreating you through us. We are one with Christ and one with God…” The ministry of the new covenant is a ministry in which God, Christ, and the ministers are one…God, Christ, and the apostles were one in carrying out the ministry of reconciliation. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, p. 318)

　　〔哥林多〕信徒已经局部与神和好了，但是他们还没有完全与神和好。……保罗在林前一章提到他们是圣徒，是蒙神呼召进入祂儿子交通里的一班人〔2〕；因此，他们必定多多少少与神和好了。

　　哥林多前后书给我们看见，哥林多信徒与神局部和好之后，仍旧活在肉体里、活在外面的人里。他们与神之间，有肉体、天然的人这层分隔的幔子。这层幔子并不等于圣所入口处的帘子，而是相当于会幕里面的幔子，就是隔开圣所与至圣所的幔子。哥林多信徒也许是在圣所里面，但他们不是在至圣所里面。这意思是说，他们与神所在的地方仍是隔离的。因此，他们并没有完全与神和好。林后五章十九节是叫世人与神和好，二十节是叫已经与神和好的信徒，进一步与神和好。这清楚指明，人与神完全的和好有两步。第一步是罪人脱离罪与神和好；为这目的，基督为我们的罪死了（林前十五3），使我们的罪蒙神赦免。这是基督的死客观的一面。在这一面，祂在十字架上担当我们的罪，替我们受了神的审判。第二步是活在天然生命中的信徒脱离肉体与神和好。为这目的，基督替我们这个“人”死了，使我们能在复活的生命里向祂活着（林后五14~15）。这是基督的死主观的一面。在这一面，祂替我们成为罪，受神审判，被神剪除，使我们能在祂里面成为神的义。借着祂死的这两面，祂就使神所拣选的人，完全与神和好了。

　　哥林多人虽然已经得救，局部地与神和好，但是他们仍活在肉体里，也就是活在魂里，活在外面的人、天然的人里。肉体、天然人的幔子仍然使他们与神隔开。这意思是说，他们天然的人是阻隔的幔子。因此，他们需要第二步的和好。……使徒保罗在哥林多前后书所作的，乃是要裂开肉体这一层阻隔的幔子，使哥林多信徒能进入至圣所。

　　圣所里虽有神的祝福，但神自己乃是在至圣所里。在圣所里有那灵的祝福、灯台与香坛。但在圣所里没有神直接的同在。我们若要得着神自己，就必须进一步地和好，进到至圣所里。我们必须接受和好的第二步，而被带进神的面光中。这是完全的和好。这和好不仅带我们从罪里出来，也带我们从肉体、天然的人、天然的所是里出来。这样我们就被带来归向神，与神成为一（哥林多后书生命读经，三七八至三八一页）。

　　参读：哥林多后书生命读经，第三十七篇。

　　The believers in Corinth…had already been reconciled to God partially. However, they had not been fully reconciled to Him…In 1 Corinthians 1 Paul refers to them as saints, as those who had been called by God into the fellowship of His Son. Therefore, they surely had been reconciled to God to some degree.

　　The books of 1 and 2 Corinthians show that the believers at Corinth, after being reconciled to God partially, still lived in the flesh, in the outer man. Between them and God there was the separating veil of the flesh, of the natural man. This veil corresponds to the veil inside the tabernacle, the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, not to the veil at the entrance to the Holy Place. The Corinthian believers may have been in the Holy Place, but they were not in the Holy of Holies. This means they were still separated from the place where God is. Therefore, they had not been reconciled to God in full.

　　In 2 Corinthians 5:19 it is the world that is to be reconciled to God. In verse 20 it is the believers, those who have already been reconciled to God, who are to be reconciled to Him further. This clearly indicates that two steps are required for people to be fully reconciled to God. The first step is to reconcile sinners to God from sin. For this purpose Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3) that they might be forgiven by God. This is the objective aspect of Christ’s death. In this aspect He bore our sins on the cross that they might be judged by God upon Him for us. The second step is to reconcile believers living in the natural life to God from the flesh. For this purpose Christ died for us—the persons—that we might live to Him in the resurrection life (2 Cor. 5:14-15). This is the subjective aspect of Christ’s death. In this aspect He was made sin for us to be judged and done away with by God that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. By the two aspects of His death He has fully reconciled God’s chosen people to God.

　　Although the Corinthians had been saved and reconciled to God halfway, they still lived in the flesh; that is, they lived in the soul, the outer man, the natural being. The veil of the flesh, of the natural man, still separated them from God. This means that their natural being was a separating veil. Therefore, they needed the second step of reconciliation…What the apostle Paul was doing in 1 and 2 Corinthians was to cleave the separating veil of the flesh so that the believers at Corinth could enter into the Holy of Holies.

　　The blessings of God can be found in the Holy Place, but God Himself is in the Holy of Holies. In the Holy Place are the blessings of the Spirit, the lampstand, and the incense altar. But in the Holy Place there is not the direct presence of God. In order to have God Himself, we must be reconciled further and come into the Holy of Holies. We must take the second step of reconciliation to be brought into the presence of God. This is full reconciliation. This reconciliation brings us not only out of sin but also out of the flesh, the natural man, the natural being. Then we are brought to God and become one with Him. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 318-321)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 37