第六週•週五

w06d05-ch

晨興餧養

來四12『因爲神的話是活的，是有功效的，比一切兩刃的劍更鋒利，能以刺入、甚至剖開魂
與靈，骨節與骨髓，連心中的思念和主意都能辨明。』

提後四22『願主與你的靈同在。願恩典與你們同在。』

照聖經看，人有三部分：靈、魂、體。（帖前五23。）希伯來四章十二節說到骨節與骨髓，是體的部分；也說到魂與靈。

就〔以色列人〕而言，有三個地方：㈠埃及，是他們被救出之地；㈡曠野，是他們飄流之地；㈢迦南，是他們進入之地。他們在這三地的歷史，表徵他們有分於神完全救恩的三個階段。這豫表我們新約信徒有分於神完全的救恩。（聖經恢復本，來四12 註2。）

信息選讀

第一階段，我們接受基督，得救贖並蒙拯救脫離世界。第二階段，我們在跟隨主時，成了飄流的人，這種飄流總是發生在我們的魂裏。第三階段，我們完滿的有分於並享受基督，這是我們在靈裏所經歷的。我們追求物質的享受和罪中之樂，就是在埃及所豫表的世界中。我們在魂裏飄流，就是在曠野。我們在靈裏享受基督，就是在迦南。…接受希伯來書的希伯來信徒，當時正不知如何對待他們老舊的希伯來宗教，這種在心思裏的猶疑，就是在魂裏遊蕩，並不是在靈裏經歷基督。…要使骨髓與骨節分開，〔四12，〕主要的是骨節必須破碎。同樣的原則，要使靈與魂分開，魂也必須破碎。希伯來信徒的魂及其猶疑的心思，懷疑神救恩的法則，考慮到自己的利益，必須被神活的、有功效、能刺入的話破碎，好使他們的靈與魂分開。

我們的魂就是我們的己。（太十六26，比路九25。）我們跟從主，必須否認我們的魂，就是我們的己。（太十六24，路九23。）我們的靈是我們全人最深的部分，是我們接觸神的屬靈器官。（約四24，羅一9。）在我們的靈裏，我們蒙了重生；（約三6；）在我們的靈裏，聖靈居住並作工；（羅八16；）在我們的靈裏，我們享受基督和祂的恩典。（提後四22，加六18。）因此，希伯來書的作者勸勉希伯來的信徒，不要留在魂裏遊蕩，這魂是他們必須否認的。他們該竭力進入靈裏，有分於並享受屬天的基督，使他們能在千年國裏，在祂作王時有分於國度的安息。

我們的靈是我們接觸神的器官，（約四24，）我們的心是我們愛神的器官。（可十二30。）我們的靈接觸、接受、盛裝並經歷神，但需要我們的心先愛神。我們的魂有三部分—心思、意志和情感；我們的靈也有三部分—良心、交通和直覺。我們的心不是與魂和靈分開的，乃是由魂的各部分，加上靈的良心所組成的。因此，我們的心裏有帶着思念的心思，以及帶着主意的意志。思念影響主意，而主意實現思念。神的活話能辨明我們心思裏的思念，和意志裏的主意。當希伯來的信徒在救恩的過程中徘徊時，作者在前面的經文中所引用神的話，能把他們的思念和主意顯露出來。（聖經恢復本，來四12 註2，註3。）

參讀：神人的生活，第十二至十三篇。

WEEK 6 — DAY 5

Morning Nourishment

Heb. 4:12 For the word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

2 Tim. 4:22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

According to the Bible, man is a tripartite being—spirit, soul, and body (1 Thes. 5:23). [In Hebrews 4:12] are the joints and marrow—which are parts of the body—and the soul and spirit.

With [the children of Israel] there were three places: (1) Egypt, from which they were delivered; (2) the wilderness, in which they wandered; and (3) Canaan, into which they entered. Their history in these three places signifies the three stages of their participation in God’s full salvation. This is a type of us, the New Testament believers, in our participation in the full salvation of God. (Heb. 4:12, footnote 2)

Today’s Reading

In the first stage we receive Christ and are redeemed and delivered from the world. In the second stage we become wanderers in following the Lord; our wandering always takes place in our soul. In the third stage we partake of and enjoy Christ in a full way; this is experienced in our spirit. When we pursue the pleasures of material and sinful things, we are in the world, typified by Egypt. When we wander in our soul, we are in the wilderness. When we enjoy Christ in our spirit, we are in Canaan…The receivers of [the book of Hebrews], the Hebrew believers, were wondering what they
should do with their old Hebrew religion. This wondering in their mind was a wandering in their soul, not an experience of Christ in their spirit… The dividing of the marrow from the joints (4:12) requires mainly the breaking of the joints. In the same principle, the dividing of the spirit from the soul requires the breaking of the soul. The Hebrew believers’ soul, with its wondering mind, its doubting concerning God’s way of salvation, and its considering of its own interests, had to be broken by the living, operative, and piercing word of God that their spirit might be divided from their soul.

Our soul is our very self (Matt. 16:25; cf. Luke 9:25). In following the Lord we must deny our soul, our very self (Matt. 16:24; Luke 9:23). Our spirit is the deepest part of our being, a spiritual organ with which we contact God (John 4:24; Rom. 1:9). It is in our spirit that we are regenerated (John 3:6). It is in our spirit that the Holy Spirit dwells and works (Rom. 8:16). It is in our spirit that we enjoy Christ and His grace (2 Tim. 4:22; Gal. 6:18). Hence, the writer of this book advised the Hebrew believers not to stagger in the wandering of their soul, which soul they had to deny, but to press on into their spirit to partake of and enjoy the heavenly Christ that they might participate in the kingdom rest of His reign in the millennium.

Our spirit is the organ with which we contact God (John 4:24), while our heart is the organ with which we love God (Mark 12:30). Our spirit contacts, receives, contains, and experiences God. However, this requires that our heart love God first. Our soul is of three parts—mind, will, and emotion; and our spirit too is of three parts—conscience, fellowship, and intuition. Our heart is not separate from our soul and spirit but is a composition of all the parts of our soul, plus the conscience, a part of our spirit. Hence, in our heart is the mind, with the thoughts, and the will, with the intentions. The thoughts affect the intentions, and the intentions carry out the thoughts. The living word of God is able to discern the thoughts in our mind and the intentions in our will. What was quoted from the word of God by the writer in the foregoing verses was able to expose what and where the thoughts and intentions of the Hebrew believers were while they were staggering in the process of their salvation. (Heb. 4:12, footnotes 2 and 3)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 3, “The God-man Living,” chs. 12-13