第九週■週五

w09d05-ch

晨興餧養

弗五32『這是極大的奧祕，但我是指着基督與召會說的。』

林前六17『但與主聯合的，便是與主成爲一靈。』

不僅作頭的基督自己是神顯現於肉體，連作基督身體和神的家的召會也是神顯現於肉體—敬虔的奧祕。根據上下文，提前三章十六節的『敬虔』，不是僅指虔誠，乃是指神活在召會中，就是那是生命的神在召會中活了出來。基督和召會，二者都是敬虔的奧祕，在肉體裏彰顯神。…敬虔的奧祕就是正當召會的生活。（林前十四24 ～ 25。）神顯現於召會—神的家和基督的身體—就是祂在肉體裏擴大的團體彰顯。（弗二19，一22 ～ 23。）（新約總論第十二册，二二○頁。）

信息選讀

神顯現於肉體，開始於基督在地上的時候。（約十四9。）神顯現於肉體，延續於召會；召會是神顯現於肉體的擴增、擴大和繁增。（提前三15 ～16。）…這乃是神照着新約成爲肉體的原則，以更廣泛的方式顯現於肉體。（林前七40，加二20。）成爲肉體的原則是：神自己進到人裏面，將祂自己與人調和，使人與祂自己成爲一。（約十五4 ～ 5。）成爲肉體的原則，意思是神性被帶到人性裏，而在人性裏作工。（林前六17，七40，提前四1。）敬虔的極大奧祕乃是神成爲人，好使人在生命和性情上（但不在神格上）成爲神，以產生一個團體的神人，使神顯現於肉體。（羅八3，一3 ～ 4，弗四24。）

雖然我們是罪人，但我們已經從我們罪惡的地位和情形裏被救贖出來。…神已將祂自己分賜到我們裏面，使我們與祂成爲一，並使祂與我們成爲一。林前六章十七節說，『與主聯合的，便是與主成爲一靈。』這是敬虔的極大奧祕—神顯現於肉體。我們在神聖的生命、神聖的性情、神聖的元素、和神聖的素質上，與神一樣，但無分於神格。…神要顯現於肉體，但我們需要領悟，神絕不能藉着肉體顯現。肉體只是瓦器。…神顯現於我們身上的關鍵，乃是我們的靈。

保羅在提前四章七節…說，我們應該操練自己以至於敬虔。操練自己以至於敬虔，就是操練我們的靈，使我們能彰顯敬虔的奧祕—神顯現於肉體。保羅在提後一章六至七節的話也指明這事，說，『…神賜給我們的，…乃是能力、愛、並清明自守的靈。』四章二十二節告訴我們，主與我們的靈同在。主耶穌這敬虔的奧祕旣在我們靈裏，我們要彰顯並實行這奧祕，就需要藉着操練我們的靈，操練自己以至於敬虔。

我們作任何事之前，應該操練我們的靈。這樣，我們的靈就會引導我們，凡我們所作的都是敬虔，就是神顯現於肉體。這就是操練自己以至於敬虔。我們在一切事上，都需要操練自己以至於敬虔。我們說話之前，應該操練靈以至於敬虔。因此，我們必須照着我們的靈生活、行事、過日常生活並爲人。（羅八4。）保羅勸勉提摩太，要爲有權位的禱告，『使我們可以十分敬虔莊重的過平靜安寧的生活。』（提前二2。）我們若是敬虔的，這就會影響我們對於掛在臥室裏圖畫的選擇，影響我們的衣着，影響我們的髮型，並影響我們的言談。裏面敬虔的生命有一種外在的表現。這種敬虔的彰顯就是一個見證，對於那些遇見我們的人，有一種衝擊力。無論我們說甚麼，無論我們作甚麼，無論我們穿甚麼，都該給人一種印象，有神在我們身上顯現。（新約總論第十二册，二二一至二二三頁。）

參讀：聖經中的主觀真理，第八篇。

WEEK 9 — DAY 5

Morning Nourishment

Eph. 5:32 This mystery is great, but I speak with regard to Christ and the church.

1 Cor. 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.

Not only Christ Himself as the Head is the manifestation of God in the flesh but also...the church as the Body of Christ and the house of God is the manifestation of God in the flesh— the mystery of godliness. According to the context, godliness in 1 Timothy 3:16 refers not only to piety but also to the living of God in the church, that is, to God as life lived out in the church. Both Christ and the church are the mystery of godliness, expressing God in the flesh...The mystery of godliness is the living of a proper church (1 Cor. 14:24-25). God is manifested in the church—the house of God and the Body of Christ—as His enlarged corporate expression in the flesh (Eph. 2:19; 1:22-23). (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 3664)

Today’s Reading

The manifestation of God in the flesh began with Christ when He was on earth (John 14:9). The manifestation of God in the flesh continues with the church, which is the increase, enlargement, and multiplication of the manifestation of God in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:15-16)...This is God manifested in the flesh in a wider way according to the New Testament principle of incarnation (1 Cor. 7:40; Gal. 2:20). The principle of incarnation is that God enters into man and mingles Himself with man to make man one with Himself (John 15:4-5). The principle of incarnation means that divinity is brought into humanity and works within humanity (1 Cor. 6:17; 7:40; 1 Tim. 4:1). The great mystery of godliness is that God has become man so that man may become God in life and nature but not in the Godhead to produce a corporate God-man for the manifestation of God in the flesh (Rom. 8:3; 1:3-4; Eph. 4:24).

Although we were sinners, we have been redeemed out of our sinful position and sinful situation...God has imparted Himself into us, making us one with Him and also making Him one with us. First Corinthians 6:17 says, “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” This is the great mystery of godliness—God manifested in the flesh. We are the same as God in the divine life, the divine nature, the divine element, and the divine essence but not in the Godhead...God is manifested in the flesh, but we need to realize that God can never be manifested by the flesh. The flesh is merely the earthen vessel...The key to God’s manifestation in us is our spirit.

In 1 Timothy 4:7 Paul goes on to tell us that we should exercise ourselves unto godliness. To exercise ourselves unto godliness is to exercise our spirit so that we may express the mystery of godliness—God manifested in the flesh. This is indicated by Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 1:6-7, which says, “...God has...given us a spirit...of power and of love and of sobermindedness.” Second Timothy 4:22 tells us that the Lord is with our spirit. Since the Lord Jesus as the mystery of godliness is in our spirit, in order to express and practice this mystery, we need to exercise ourselves unto godliness by exercising our spirit.

Before we do anything, we should exercise our spirit. Then our spirit will lead us, and whatever we do will be godliness, God manifested in the flesh. This is the exercise unto godliness...Therefore, we must live, walk, have our daily life, and have our whole being according to our spirit (Rom. 8:4). Paul exhorted Timothy to pray for those “who are in high position, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and gravity” (1 Tim. 2:2). If we are godly, it will affect the choice of pictures we hang in our bedroom, the kind of clothes that we wear, our hair style, and our conversation. The inward life of godliness has an outward expression. Such a manifestation of godliness is a testimony and has an impact on those who meet us. In whatever we say, whatever we do, whatever we wear, there should be an impression that God is manifested in us. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3664-3666)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1977, vol. 3, “The Subjective Truths in the Holy Scriptures,” ch. 8