第二週■週五

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晨興餧養

林後四4『…基督榮耀之福音的光照，…基督本是神的像。』

        6『因爲那說光要從黑暗裏照出來的神，已經照在我們心裏，爲着光照人，使人認識那顯在耶穌基督面上之神的榮耀。』

林後四章四節指明，『神』、『像』、『基督』、『榮耀』、『福音』和『光照』都與彼此同義；因此，這些辭都是指同一個美妙的人位。神是像，像是基督，基督是榮耀，榮耀是福音，而福音就是光照。首先，『神的像』這辭表明像與神同義。作源頭的神有一個像，這像就是神自己。我們若看見神的像，就是看見神；倘若神消失了，祂的像也就消失了。…因此，神的像一點不差就是神自己。

第二，…神的像是基督。基督作爲神的像，乃是那不能看見之神的彰顯。第三，基督是榮耀。這在希伯來一章三節得着證實，那裏說，基督是神榮耀的光輝。第四，基督這榮耀乃是福音。使徒行傳告訴我們，信徒傳基督耶穌爲福音。（五42，八35，十一20，十七18。）這表明福音並非與基督分開的東西；反之，基督就是福音。今天有些基督徒在傳福音時，將福音與基督分開。但按着聖經中神聖的啓示，福音乃是一個活的人位—基督。基督這福音是神的像，神的像就是神。因此，福音乃是神自己具體化並彰顯於基督。（新約總論第十册，二三一至二三二頁。）

信息選讀

第五，福音是照明，光照。福音乃是基督榮耀的福音，照明、照射、照耀在人心裏。當這福音臨及我們時，它乃是藉着光照耀我們，這照耀將基督帶到我們裏面；基督本是經過過程之三一神的像。結果，基督這活的人位就照進我們裏面。許多信徒能見證，當他們聽見基督這福音時，一種基督的印象就進入他們裏面。儘管他們試圖拒絕這種基督的印象，或試圖將這印象從他們裏面塗抹掉，但他們無法作到。基督的印象一旦照到我們裏面，就永遠留在我們裏面。這照明是福音，這福音是榮耀，這榮耀是基督，基督是神的像，而基督本是神。因此，所照進我們裏面的，乃是活的人位，就是具體化在基督裏的三一神；基督是神的像，神的彰顯。

榮耀的基督這超越的寶貝，是信徒藉着基督榮耀之福音的光照所接受的。我們需要記住，我們裏面有寶貝，就是一位活的、超越世界的人位。基督是全宇宙中最超越的一位；沒有甚麼比祂更超越。我們旣有基督這寶貝—最超越、最可愛的一位，我們就不愛世界。並非我們不該愛世界，乃是因爲世界遠遜於這寶貝，就是超越又可愛的基督。我們寶貝主遠過於世界。

基督榮耀之福音的光照已經照亮我們；基督本是神的像。林後四章四節中基督榮耀的福音，與六節中認識神的榮耀相合。…那使人認識神榮耀的光照，是顯在耶穌基督的面上。這指明使徒所傳的福音不是道理、神學或教訓，乃是一位可愛的人位；我們可以從祂的面上看見神的榮耀，神的像。我們經歷那照在耶穌基督面上之神的榮耀時，這照耀就將基督這神的像帶到我們裏面。我們乃是受這樣一位基督所吸引。（新約總論第十册，二三二、二三六至二三七頁。）

參讀：新約總論，第三百一十七篇。

WEEK 2 — DAY 5

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Morning Nourishment

2 Cor. 4:4 ...The illumination of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God...

            6 Because the God who said, Out of darkness light shall shine, is the One
who shined in our hearts to illuminate the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Second Corinthians 4:4 indicates that the terms God, image, Christ, glory, gospel, and illumination are all in apposition to one another; thus, they all refer to the same wonderful person. God is the image, the image is Christ, Christ is the glory, the glory is the gospel, and the gospel is the illumination. First, the expression the image of God shows that the image is in apposition to God. God, who is the source, has an image, and this image is simply God Himself. If we see the image of God, we see God; if God disappears, His image disappears as well...Therefore, the image of God is nothing less than God Himself.

Second...the image of God is Christ. As the image of God, Christ is the expression of the invisible God. Third, Christ is the glory. This is confirmed by Hebrews 1:3, which says that Christ is the effulgence of God’s glory. Fourth, Christ, the glory, is the gospel. Acts tells us that the believers preached Christ Jesus as the gospel (5:42; 8:35; 11:20; 17:18). This shows that the gospel is not something separate from Christ; rather, Christ is the gospel. Today some Christians in their preaching separate the gospel from Christ. But according to the divine revelation in the Bible, the gospel is a living person, Christ. Christ who is the gospel is the image of God, and the image of God is God. Therefore, the gospel is God Himself embodied and expressed in Christ. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 3206)

Today’s Reading

Fifth, the gospel is the illumination, the enlightenment. The gospel is the gospel of the glory of Christ, which illuminates, radiates, and shines in the heart of man. When the gospel came to us, it came to us by shining, and this shining brought into us Christ, who is the image of the processed Triune God. As a result, Christ, the living person, was illuminated into our being. Many believers can testify that when they heard Christ as the gospel, a certain impression of Christ entered into them. Although they may try to reject this impression of Christ or erase it from their being, they cannot do it. Once the impression of Christ is illuminated into us, it remains within us forever. This illumination is the gospel, this gospel is the glory, this glory is Christ, Christ is the image of God, and as such, Christ is God. Therefore, what has been illuminated into our being is a living person, the Triune God embodied in Christ, who is the image, the expression, of God.

The Christ of glory as the excellent treasure is received by the believers through the illumination of the gospel of the glory of Christ. We need to remember that we have within us the treasure, a living person who is more excellent than the world. Christ is the most excellent One in the whole universe; there is nothing that is more excellent than He. Since we have Christ as the treasure, the most excellent One and the most lovely One, we do not love the world. It is not that we should not love the world but that the world is inferior to the treasure, the excellent and lovely Christ. We treasure the Lord more than the world.

The illumination of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the imageof God, has shined on us. The gospel of the glory of Christ in 2 Corinthians 4:4 corresponds with the knowledge of the glory of God in verse 6...The illumination of the knowledge of the glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ. This indicates that the gospel preached by the apostle was not a doctrine, theology, or teaching; rather, it was a lovely person on whose face we can see the glory of God, the image of God. When we experience the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ, this shining brings into us Christ as the image of God. We are attracted to such a Christ. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3206-3207, 3210)

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 317