第一週•週一

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晨興餧養

提前一 3 ～ 4『我往馬其頓去的時候，曾勸你仍住在以弗所，好囑咐那幾個人，不可教導與神的經綸不同的事，也不可注意虛構無稽之事，和無窮的家譜；這等事只引起辯論，對於神在信仰裏的經綸並無助益。』

提後四 7『那美好的仗我已經打過了，當跑的賽程我已經跑盡了，當守的信仰我已經守住了。』

我們要藉着接受使徒的囑咐，憑豫言打那美好的仗〔提前六 12〕。提前一章十八節說，『孩子提摩太，我照從前指着你所說的豫言，將這囑咐交託你，叫你憑這些豫言，可以打那美好的仗。』…保羅照着豫言囑咐提摩太打那美好的仗，這在積極一面與神的經綸有關，消極一面與不同的教訓有關。因着不同的教訓，召會墮落了，發生偏離信仰的事。保羅囑咐提摩太，要與這偏離信仰的事打仗，就是爲信仰打那美好的仗〔六 12〕。

憑豫言〔一 18〕的意思，是在豫言的範圍、扶持和印證裏。故此，提摩太要在指着他所說之豫言的範圍、扶持和印證裏，與偏離信仰的事打仗（真理課程四級卷三，四三至四四頁）。

信息選讀

提前一章四節裏神的『經綸』，原文，家庭律法；含分配意（字尾與約翰十章九節的草場同源，含分配草場給羊羣意），指家庭管理，家庭行政，家政，引伸爲行政（分配）的安排（dispensation），計畫（plan）或經綸（economy），所以也是家庭經營。神在信仰裏的經綸，乃是神的家庭經營，神的家庭行政（參弗一 10 註 2，三 9），要在基督裏將祂自己分賜到祂所揀選的人裏面，使祂得着一個家彰顯祂自己，這家就是召會（提前三 15），基督的身體。使徒的職事乃是以神這經綸爲中心（西一 25，林前九 17）；然而那些異議者不同的教訓，被神的仇敵利用，使神的子民從這經綸岔出去。在地方召會的行政和牧養中，我們必須使眾聖徒完全清楚這神聖的經綸。

使徒保羅在提前一章所擺出來的，乃是神的經綸對抗不同的教訓。神的經綸是在信仰裏（4），不同的教訓是以律法爲本、爲中心（7 ～ 10）。所以這就是信仰對律法，如加拉太三章所對付的（2、5、23 ～ 25）。…惟有神在信仰裏的經綸，對抗以律法爲本、爲中心的教訓，纔是健康的，能叫人因信靠基督而得永遠的生命（提前一 16），有分於神永遠的計畫，就是神在信仰裏的經綸。這就是可稱頌之神所託付與使徒保羅那榮耀的福音（11）。人若丟棄這信心和無虧的良心，就在信仰上猶如船破於深海中（19）。

保羅在提前一章四節告訴我們，神的經綸是在信仰裏。神分賜到我們裏面完全是藉着信。神的經綸是在信仰裏的，就是在信仰的範圍和元素裏得以開始而發展的。神的經綸是要將祂自己分賜到祂所揀選的人裏面，不是在天然的範圍裏，也不是在律法的行爲裏，乃是因着相信基督，藉着重生，在新造屬靈的範圍裏（加三 23 ～ 26）。因着信，我們由神而生，成爲祂的兒子，有分於祂的生命和性情以彰顯祂。因着信，我們被放在基督裏，成爲祂身體的肢體，分享祂一切的所是，叫祂得着彰顯。這就是神照着祂新約的經綸，在信仰裏所完成的計畫（安排）（提摩太前書生命讀經，一四至一六頁）。

參讀：提摩太前書生命讀經，第一篇。

WEEK 1 — DAY 1

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Morning Nourishment

1 Tim. 1:3-4 Even as I exhorted you…to remain in Ephesus in order that you might charge certain ones not to teach different things nor to give heed to myths and unending genealogies, which produce questionings rather than God’s economy, which is in faith.

2 Tim. 4:7 I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith.

As believers, we need to fight the good fight by receiving the apostle’s charge. First Timothy 1:18 says, “This charge I commit to you, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you might war the good warfare.”…On the positive side, this charge concerns the economy of God, and on the negative side, it concerns the different teachings. Because of different teachings, the church had already become degraded and had deviated from the faith. Paul charged Timothy to fight against this deviation from the faith, which is to fight the good fight of the faith [6:12].

According to the prophecies [v. 18] means to be in the sphere, support, and confirmation of the prophecies. Hence, Timothy was to fight against the deviations of the faith in the sphere, support, and confirmation of the prophecies that were made concerning him. (Truth Lessons—Level Four, vol. 3, pp. 38-39)

Today’s Reading

In Greek the words God’s economy in 1 Timothy 1:4 also mean God’s “household law,” implying distribution. (The base of this word is of the same origin as that for pasture in John 10:9, implying a distribution of the pasture of the flock.) It denotes a household management, a household administration, a household government, and, derivatively, a dispensation, a plan, or an economy for administration (distribution); hence, it is also a household economy. God’s economy in faith is His household economy, His household administration, which is to dispense Himself in Christ into His chosen people that He may have a house to express Himself, which house is the church (1 Tim. 3:15), the Body of Christ. The apostle’s ministry was centered on this
economy of God (Col. 1:25; 1 Cor. 9:17), whereas the different teachings of the
dissenting ones were used by God’s enemy to distract His people from this economy. In the administration and shepherding of a local church, this divine economy must be made fully clear to the saints.

In 1 Timothy 1, the apostle Paul presented God’s economy in opposition to different teachings. God’s economy is in faith (v. 4), whereas the different teachings are based on the principle of the law and centered on the law (vv. 7-10). Hence, faith is versus the law, as dealt with in Galatians 3…Only God’s economy, which is in faith, in opposition to the teachings that are based on the principle of the law and centered on the law, is healthy and can make it possible for people to believe on Christ unto eternal life (1 Tim. 1:16) and to thus participate in God’s eternal plan, God’s economy, which is in faith. This is the gospel of glory with which the blessed God entrusted the apostle Paul (v. 11). If anyone thrusts away such faith and a good conscience, regarding the faith, he becomes shipwrecked on a deep sea (v. 19).

In 1 Timothy 1:4 Paul tells us that God’s economy is in faith. The dispensing of God into us is altogether by faith. The economy of God is a matter in faith, that is, a matter that is initiated and developed in the sphere and element of the faith. God’s economy, which is to dispense Himself into His chosen people, is not in the natural realm or in the work of law but in the spiritual sphere of the new creation through regeneration by faith in Christ (Gal. 3:23-26). By faith we are born of God to be His sons, partaking of His life and nature to express Him. By faith we are put into Christ to become the members of His Body, sharing all that He is for His expression. This is God’s plan, God’s dispensation, which is carried out in faith, according to His New Testament economy. (Life-study of 1 Timothy, 2nd ed., pp. 10-12)

Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Timothy, msg. 1