第十週■週四

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晨興餧養

林後三18『但我們眾人旣然以沒有帕子遮蔽的臉，好像鏡子觀看並返照主的榮光，就漸漸變化成爲與祂同樣的形像，從榮耀到榮耀，乃是從主靈變化成的。』

羅八29 ～ 30『…神所豫知的人，祂也豫定他們模成神兒子的形像，…又稱他們爲義；所稱爲義的人，又叫他們得榮耀。』

我們作爲神人也有神聖的權利有分於神的形像。…〔林後三章十八節『同樣的形像』〕就是復活並得榮之基督的形像。在神的創造裏，人是在外面按着神的形像被造；但我們所要變化成爲的形像，乃是內在的。變化成爲與祂同樣的形像，就是模成神長子這復活得榮之基督的形像，成爲與祂一式一樣。（羅八29。）

變化乃是一種新陳代謝。變化所包含的新陳代謝，可比作我們肉身在喫、消化、並吸收食物之後所發生的事。…我們基督徒乃是神人，我們裏面都有主靈，而主靈正在我們裏面進行一種新陳代謝改變的過程，將我們變化成爲基督的形像。新陳代謝的變化爲復活得榮之基督的形像，就是有分於神的形像。（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第四册，二七三頁。）

信息選讀

至終，我們要被帶進神的榮耀，有分於神的榮耀。希伯來二章十節說，神要領許多的兒子進榮耀裏去。保羅在羅馬八章三十節說到這事：『祂所豫定的人，又召他們來；所召來的人，又稱他們爲義；所稱爲義的人，又叫他們得榮耀。』得榮耀乃是神完整救恩的一步，在此神用祂生命和性情的榮耀完全浸透我們的身體。這樣，祂就將我們的身體改變形狀，使之同形於祂兒子復活、榮耀的身體。（腓三21。）這是神生機救恩終極的一步，在此神就得着完滿的彰顯，至終要顯明於新耶路撒冷。（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第四册，二七三至二七四頁。）

神的…一個奇妙屬性是榮耀。行傳七章二節說，『我們的祖宗亞伯拉罕…，榮耀的神向他顯現。』五十五節說，『司提反…定睛望天，看見神的榮耀。』榮耀是神的彰顯，是神在輝煌中彰顯出來。神的榮耀對亞伯拉罕是極大的吸引，將他從世界分別出來歸給神。神的榮耀也是極大的鼓勵和力量，使亞伯拉罕能以跟從神。（創十二1，4。）

彼後一章三節說，神用祂自己的榮耀和美德呼召我們，或呼召我們到祂自己的榮耀和美德。此外，彼前五章十節說，神召我們進入祂永遠的榮耀。按提後二章十節，神的救恩乃是連同着永遠的榮耀。這指明永遠的榮耀是神救恩的終極目標。（羅八21。）神的救恩領我們進入祂的榮耀。（來二10。）

我們已被命定要得神的榮耀，並且蒙召來得這榮耀。（林前二7，帖前二12。）現今我們信徒正被變化到這榮耀裏，（林後三18，）並且要被帶進這榮耀裏。（來二10。）至終我們要與基督同得這榮耀，（羅八17，30，）在新耶路撒冷裏帶着神的榮耀作神的彰顯。…神創造我們作祂的器皿，以盛裝祂並彰顯祂。〔九23。〕神在我們這些豫備得榮耀的器皿上，彰顯祂榮耀的豐富。我們被祂的主宰豫定來作祂的容器，祂貴重的器皿，以彰顯祂在榮耀裏的所是。這要在新耶路撒冷裏完全得顯明。…新耶路撒冷一個顯著的特色是有神的榮耀，（啓二一11，）有神的彰顯。新耶路撒冷全城要帶着神的榮耀，這榮耀就是神自己經過那城照耀出來。（新約總論第一册，一三一至一三二頁。）

參讀：新約總論，第十一篇。

WEEK 10 — DAY 4

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Morning Nourishment

2 Cor. 3:18 But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.

Rom. 8:29-30 …Those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son…those whom He justified, these He also glorified.

As God-men, we also have the divine right to participate in God’s image… [“The same image” in 2 Corinthians 3:18] is the image of the resurrected and glorified Christ. In God’s creation man was made in God’s image in an outward way, but the image into which we are being transformed is something inward. To be transformed into the same image is to be conformed to the resurrected and glorified Christ, as the firstborn Son of God, to be made the same as He is (Rom. 8:29).

The metabolism involved in transformation is comparable to that which takes place in our physical body after we eat, digest, and assimilate food… We Christians, who are God-men, all have the Lord Spirit within us, and the Lord Spirit is in the process of carrying out a metabolic change in our being, transforming us into the image of Christ. To be metabolically transformed into the image of the resurrected and glorified Christ is to participate in God’s image. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Incarnation, Inclusion, and Intensification,” p. 216)

Todays Reading

Eventually, we will be brought into God’s glory to participate in His glory. Hebrews 2:10 says that God is leading many sons into glory. Paul refers to this in Romans 8:30: “Those whom He predestinated, these He also called; and those whom He called, these He also justified; and those whom He justified, these He also glorified.” Glorification is the step in God’s complete salvation in which God will completely saturate our body with the glory of His life and nature. In this way He will transfigure our body, conforming it to the resurrected, glorious body of His Son (Phil. 3:21). This is the ultimate step in God’s organic salvation, wherein God obtains a full expression, which will be manifested ultimately in the New Jerusalem. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Incarnation, Inclusion, and Intensification,” pp. 216-217)

[A] marvelous attribute of God is glory. Acts 7:2 says, “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham.” Acts 7:55 says, “He [Stephen] looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God.” Glory is the expression of God, God expressed in splendor. God’s glory was a great attraction to Abraham, separating him from the world unto God. God’s glory was also a great encouragement and strength, enabling Abraham to follow God (Gen. 12:1, 4).

Second Peter 1:3 says that God has called us to, or by, His own glory. Furthermore, 1 Peter 5:10 says that God has called us into His eternal glory. According to 2 Timothy 2:10, God’s salvation is with eternal glory. This indicates that eternal glory is the ultimate goal of God’s salvation (Rom. 8:21).
God’s salvation leads us into His glory (Heb. 2:10).

We have been ordained for God’s glory and called to it (1 Cor. 2:7; 1 Thes. 2:12). As believers, we are being transformed into this glory (2 Cor. 3:18) and shall be brought into it (Heb. 2:10). Eventually, we shall be glorified with Christ (Rom. 8:17, 30) to bear the glory of God for God’s expression in the New Jerusalem. God created us as His vessels to contain Him and express Him [Rom. 9:23]. God makes known the riches of His glory upon us, His vessels, which He has prepared unto glory. We were predestinated by His sovereignty to be His containers, vessels of honor, to express what He is in glory. This will be fully revealed in the New Jerusalem. An outstanding feature of the New Jerusalem is that it has the glory of God (Rev. 21:11), His expression. The entire city of New Jerusalem will bear the glory of God, which is God Himself shining out through the city. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 111-112)

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 11