第六週■週二

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晨興餧養

西二13 ～ 15『…神赦免了你們一切的過犯，叫你們一同與基督活過來；塗抹了規條上所寫，攻擊我們，反對我們的字據，並且把它撤去，釘在十字架上。旣將執政的和掌權的脫下，神就把他們公然示眾，仗着十字架在凱旋中向他們誇勝。』

按照歌羅西二章十五節，神將執政的和掌權的脫下。…我們…必須看見，當基督在十字架上時，神一直在作事。那時十字架乃是宇宙的中心。救主、罪、撒但、我們和神都在那裏。神在那裏審判罪，並將律法釘在十字架上。當祂這樣作的時候，執政的和掌權的全都圍着神和基督。…十三至十五節的主詞乃是神。神叫我們一同與基督活過來，將規條釘在十字架上，將執政的和掌權的脫下，把他們公然示眾，並在凱旋中向他們誇勝。毫無疑問，當基督被釘十字架時，執政的和掌權的都羣聚在祂周圍。神和基督都一直在作事。基督的工作是被釘死，神的工作則是審判罪和一切消極的事物，並將律法和律法的規條釘在十字架上。圍着神和基督的那些執政者和掌權者也在作事。他們若沒有緊緊圍逼，神怎能將他們脫下？『脫下』這辭指明，他們靠得很近，就像我們的衣服與我們的身體那樣接近。神藉着將執政的和掌權的脫下，就把他們公然示眾。祂公開的羞辱他們，並且在凱旋中向他們誇勝。這是何等大的一件事！（歌羅西書生命讀經，二三四至二三五頁。）

信息選讀

歌羅西二章十五節描繪發生在基督被釘十字架時的爭戰。惡人把基督釘在十字架上，但基督藉着釘十字架，勞苦的成功了救贖。父神也在那裏工作，審判罪，並將律法釘在十字架上。同時，執政的和掌權的也忙着要阻撓神和基督的工作。十五節的誇勝含示爭戰，指明有一場爭戰正在進行。當基督正在成功救贖，神正在對付律法和消極的事物時，執政的和掌權的都來打岔。他們圍逼神和基督。但就在這關頭，神將他們脫下，勝過了他們，並把他們公然示眾，公開的羞辱他們。

二章十五節是一扇小窗，透過這扇窗子，我們看到一幅奇妙的景觀。當基督釘十字架時，神與執政者和掌權者之間，有一場爭戰在進行。但神將他們脫下，並且在凱旋中向他們誇勝。

保羅在這幾節中的觀念乃是：律法與天使都藉着十字架被擺在一旁了。律法已經釘在十字架上，邪惡的天使也藉着十字架被脫下了。因此，在神救恩的經綸裏，律法和天使的執政者都沒有地位。歌羅西人遵行規條並敬拜天使，這是何等的錯謬！…容許這些事物侵入召會中，是完全錯誤的。

在神救恩的經綸中，神先點活我們，將律法釘在十字架上，並將邪惡的執政者和掌權者脫下。…因着神已除去了律法和天使，我們這些神所揀選的人就得以脫開這些而同祂在一起。我們不再受名目、條件和要求的困擾。神在此要點活我們，我們在此要被祂點活。我們應當忘掉律法和天使，只讓神把祂自己放到我們裏面作生命。

我們該題醒執政的和掌權的說，在加畧山那裏，神已經將他們脫下，並在凱旋中向他們誇勝。我們可以基於神的得勝，吩咐他們退去。我們今天所需要的，不是律法或天使，乃是點活人的那一位，就是賜人生命的那一位。這就是神救恩的經綸。（歌羅西書生命讀經，二三五至二三六、二三八至二三九頁。）

參讀：歌羅西書生命讀經，第二十三篇。

WEEK 6 — DAY 2

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Morning Nourishment

Col. 2:13-15 And you…He made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our offenses; wiping out the handwriting in ordinances, which was against us, which was contrary to us; and He has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. Stripping off the rulers and the authorities, He made a display of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

According to Colossians 2:15, God stripped off the rulers and authorities… We must see that while Christ was on the cross, God was working. At that time the cross was the center of the universe. The Savior, sin, Satan, we, and God all were there. God was there judging sin and nailing the law to the cross. As He was doing this, the rulers and authorities gathered around God and Christ…The subject of verses 13 through 15 is God…God made us alive together with Christ, nailed the ordinances to the cross, stripped off the rulers and authorities, made a display of them openly, and triumphed over them. No doubt, the rulers and authorities had swarmed around Christ as He was being crucified. Both God and Christ were working. Christ’s work was His crucifixion, whereas God’s work was to judge sin and all the negative things and to nail the law with its ordinances to the cross. The rulers and authorities who had gathered around God and Christ were also working. If they had not pressed in closely, how could God have stripped them off? The words stripping off indicate that they were very close, as close as our garments are to our body. By stripping off the rulers and authorities, God made a display of them openly. He openly put them to shame and triumphed over them. What a great matter this is! (Life-study of Colossians, second edition, pp. 190-191)

Today’s Reading

Colossians 2:15 portrays the fighting that took place at the time of Christ’s crucifixion. Evil men had put Christ on the cross. By His crucifixion Christ labored to accomplish redemption. God the Father was also working to judge sin and to nail the law to the cross. At the same time, the rulers and authorities were busy in the attempt to frustrate the work of God and Christ. The reference to triumph in verse 15 implies fighting. It indicates that a war was raging. While Christ was accomplishing redemption and God was dealing with the law and with the negative things, the rulers and authorities came to interfere. They pressed in close to God and Christ. But at that very juncture, God stripped them off, triumphed over them, and made a display of them openly, putting them to an open shame.

Colossians 2:15 is a small window through which we behold a marvelous sight. At the time of Christ’s crucifixion, a battle was raging between God and the rulers and authorities. But God stripped them off and triumphed over them.

Paul’s concept in these verses is that the law and the angels have been set aside through the cross. The law was nailed to the cross, and the evil angels have been stripped off by means of the cross. Therefore, in God’s economy in His salvation there is room neither for the law nor for the angelic rulers. How wrong the Colossians were in following ordinances and in worshipping angels…[and] in allowing these things to pervade the church.

In the economy of His salvation God enlivens us, nails the law to the cross, and strips off the evil rulers and authorities…Because God has removed the law and the angels, we, His chosen people, are alone with Him. We are no longer bothered by terms, conditions, or requirements. God is here to enliven us, and we are here to be enlivened by Him. We should forget the law and the angels and allow God to put Himself into us as life.

We should remind the rulers and authorities that at Calvary God stripped them off and triumphed over them. Based upon God’s victory we can order them to flee. What we need today is not the law or the angels but the enlivening One, the life-giving One. This is the economy of God’s salvation. (Life-study of Colossians, second edition, pp. 191-194)

Further Reading: Life-study of Colossians, msg. 23