第十週■週五

w10d05-ch

晨興餧養

弗一5『按着祂意願所喜悅的，豫定了我們，藉着耶穌基督得兒子的名分，歸於祂自己。』

羅八23『…我們這有那靈作初熟果子的，也是自己裏面歎息，熱切等待兒子的名分，就是我們的身體得贖。』

     19『受造之物正在專切期望着，熱切等待神的眾子顯示出來。』

神人有分於神的神性，這神聖權利的另一面乃是有分於神兒子的名分。（弗一5，羅八23。）我們能有神的生命、神的性情、神的心思、神的所是、神的形像、和神的榮耀，因爲我們是神的兒子。…正如人的兒子分享他屬人父親的榮耀或威榮；照樣，神的兒子也分享他們神聖之父的榮耀。

在創立世界以前，就是在已過的永遠，神豫定我們，豫先標出我們得兒子的名分。在時間開始以前，神就有意並定意，要我們有分於祂兒子的名分。（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第四册，二七四至二七五頁。）

信息選讀

我們乃是神的兒子，享受兒子名分的一切福分。我們可以把這些福分列舉出來：兒子名分的靈、那靈的見證、那靈的引導、那靈的初熟果子、那靈的幫助、和那靈的代求。至終我們要有神兒子完滿的兒子名分顯示在榮耀的自由裏。（羅八19，21。）

〔羅馬八章〕用了三個重要的辭—兒女、兒子、後嗣。…神的生命在三個階段裏作工，使我們成爲神的兒子。神的生命在我們靈裏重生我們，在我們魂裏變化我們，並且將我們的身體改變形狀。因此，我們有重生、變化、和改變形狀。這些加在一起，就給我們完滿的兒子名分。這三個階段的結果，就使眾子完全得成熟。

羅馬〔八章〕…告訴我們，那靈同我們的靈見證我們是神的兒女。（16。）十六節不是說兒子或後嗣，因爲在兒子名分的第一階段，我們只是藉着神的生命得重生的小孩子。此後我們會長大。然後十四節說，『凡被神的靈引導的，都是神的兒子。』在十四節裏，我們不再是嬰孩或兒女，乃是兒子。…我們已從兒女長到能接受那靈引導的兒子。這就是說，我們在第二階段，變化的階段。最終，我們要成爲後嗣。照着古代的法律，後嗣必須成年，並且被宣佈爲法定的後嗣，纔能承受產業。所以，羅馬書這段有重生的兒女、變化的兒子、以及改變形狀或得榮的後嗣。我們生爲神的兒女，現在正長成神的兒子，且在等候我們完全成熟並依法被宣佈爲神法定後嗣的時候。使我們成爲法定後嗣的手續，是我們的身體改變形狀，就是我們的身體得贖，也就是完滿的救贖。（23。）我們的身體改變形狀，會使我們有資格作神聖產業的後嗣。這改變形狀要藉着得榮而完成。（羅馬書生命讀經，二七七至二七九頁。）

我們作爲神人，也要有分於神的顯出。（19。）當我們的生命—基督—顯現的時候，我們也要與祂一同顯現在榮耀裏。（西三4。）今天神是隱藏的，但有一天祂要向全宇宙顯示出來。羅馬八章十九節指明，當神顯示、揭露出來的時候，我們這些神的眾子也要有分於那個顯示、揭露。神要與祂的眾子一同顯示出來，他們在生命、性情、心思、所是、形像和榮耀上，將要與祂一式一樣。（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第四册，二七五頁。）

參讀： 羅馬書生命讀經， 第十九、五十三、六十二篇；新約總論，第十二至十四篇。

WEEK 10 — DAY 5

w10d05-en

Morning Nourishment

Eph. 1:5 Predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.

Rom. 8:23 …We ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,… groan in ourselves, eagerly awaiting sonship, the redemption of our body.

           19 For the anxious watching of the creation eagerly awaits the revelation of the sons of God.

Another aspect of the God-men’s divine right to participate in God’s divinity is the right to participate in God’s sonship (Eph. 1:5; Rom. 8:23). We can have God’s life, God’s nature, God’s mind, God’s being, God’s image, and God’s glory because we are God’s sons…As a human son shares the glory or prestige of his human father, the sons of God share in the glory of their divine Father.

Before the foundation of the world, that is, in eternity past, God predestinated us, marked us out, unto sonship. Before time began, God intended and determined that we would participate in His sonship. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Incarnation, Inclusion, and Intensification,” p. 217)

Todays Reading

We are the sons of God enjoying all the blessings of sonship. We may itemize the blessings: the spirit of sonship, the witnessing of the Spirit, the leading of the Spirit, the firstfruits of the Spirit, the helping of the Spirit, and the interceding of the Spirit. Eventually, we will have the full sonship of the sons of God revealed in the freedom of glory (Rom. 8:19, 21).

In this portion of the Word three significant terms are used—children, sons, and heirs…The life of God works in three stages to make us sons of God. The life of God regenerates us in our spirit, transforms us in our soul, and transfigures our body. Hence, we have regeneration, transformation, and transfiguration. These together give us full sonship. As the result of these three steps, the sons are fully matured.

In…Romans 8 we are told that the Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we are the children of God (v. 16). In verse 16 it does not say “sons” or “heirs,” for in the first stage of sonship we are simply little children who have been regenerated by the life of God. After this we will grow. Then verse 14 says that “as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” In verse 14 we are no longer babes or children but sons…We have grown from children into sons who are able to take the leading of the Spirit. This means that we are in the second stage, the stage of transformation. Ultimately, we will become heirs. According to ancient law, heirs had to be of age and declared the legal heirs that they might claim the inheritance. Therefore, in this portion of Romans we have children by regeneration, sons by transformation, and heirs by transfiguration or glorification. We were born the children of God, we are growing up as the sons of God, and we are waiting for the time when we will be fully matured and legally declared to be the rightful heirs of God. The procedure which makes us legal heirs is the transfiguration of our body, that is, the redemption of our body, the full redemption (v. 23). The transfiguration of our body will qualify us to be the heirs of the divine inheritance. This transfiguration will be accomplished by glorification. (Life-study of Romans, pp. 233-234)

As God-men, we will participate also in God’s manifestation (Rom. 8:19). When Christ our life is manifested, we will be manifested with Him in glory (Col. 3:4). Today God is hiding, but one day He will be manifested to the whole universe. Romans 8:19 indicates that when God is manifested, revealed, we, the sons of God, will participate in that revelation, in that manifestation. God will be manifested with His sons, who will be the same as He in life, in nature, in mind, in being, in image, and in glory. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Incarnation, Inclusion, and Intensification,” p. 217)

Further Reading: Life-study of Romans, msgs. 19, 53, 62; The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 12-14