第三週   守住信仰

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詩歌：補 452

讀經：提後四 7下，提前一19，三9，四1，六12，帖前三2，猶3

【週一】

壹 在新約裏，信是客觀的，也是主觀的：

一 客觀的信仰是指我們所相信的對象，也就是我們所相信的事物；這客觀的信仰包含神新約經綸的內容—弗四 13，提後四 7 下：

1 以弗所四章十三節的『信仰』不是相信的行動，乃是客觀的信仰。

2 客觀的信仰只包括與我們救恩有關的項目—換句話說，只包括那些與基督身位和工作有關的項
目—約三 16，一 18，約壹四 9。

二 主觀的信與我們相信的行動有關—約三15～16：

1 按照這意義，有在主裏的信就是相信主。

2 所有在基督裏的真信徒，因着有關於基督的信而是一。

三 在帖前三章二節裏的信（該處中文譯爲『信心』）不僅是主觀的，指聖徒的相信，如在五節、六節、十節者（中文譯爲『信心』），也是客觀的，指我們所相信的事物，如在提前三章九節，四章一節，和提後四章七節者（中文譯爲『信仰』）：

1 信的這兩方面彼此相關聯。

2 我們的相信（主觀的信心），是出於我們所相信的事物，也是在於我們所相信的事物（客觀的信仰）。

【週二】

貳 『當守的信仰我已經守住了』—7 節下：

一 這裏的『信仰』乃是客觀的。

二 這節裏的『信仰』這辭，含示我們相信基督，是以祂的身位和祂救贖的工作，作爲我們信仰的對象—提前一 19，加一 23。

三 守住信仰，就是守住整個神新約的經綸，就是關於基督是神的具體化身也是神的奧祕，以及召會是基督的身體也是基督的奧祕之信仰—提前一 4。

叁 提前六章十二節上半說，『你要爲信仰打那美好的仗』：

一 爲信仰打仗，意思是爲神新約的經綸打仗。

二 爲信仰打那美好的仗，就是爲那照着神新約經綸之完全福音的內容打仗—弗一 9 ～ 10，提前一 4。

三 因着不同的教訓，召會墮落了，偏離了信仰—3 節。

四 保羅囑咐提摩太，要與這偏離信仰的事打仗，就是要爲信仰打那美好的仗—六 12 上。

【週三】

肆 在提前六章十二節下半，保羅繼續說，『持定永遠的生命；你已蒙召進入這永遠的生命』：

一 我們在基督徒的生活中，要爲信仰打那美好的仗，就需要持定這生命—永遠的生命，神聖的生命—而不信靠人的生命—12 節下。

二 我們爲信仰打那美好的仗，不但是客觀的，更是主觀的，就是藉着持定永遠的生命來打這仗—12 節下。

三 我們需要持定永遠的生命；這樣，我們纔能爲信仰打那美好的仗—12 節。

【週四】

伍 正確的基督徒生活包括爲着在神的經綸裏有分於神聖的豐富，守住信仰—一 19，三 9，四 1，六 12，多一 4，猶 3：

一 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—提前一 4。

二 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—林後五 17，加三 23 ～ 26。

三 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—約一 12 ～ 13：

1 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—羅十二 4 ～ 5。

2 這就是神照着祂新約的經綸，在信仰裏所完成的計畫。

陸我們需要用清潔的良心持守信仰的奧祕—提前三 9：

一 信仰是指我們所相信的事物，就是那些構成福音的事物—羅一 1，3 ～ 4。

二 信仰的奧祕，主要的是基督是神的奧祕，並召會是基督的奧祕—西二 2，弗三 4。

三 我們要持守信仰的奧祕，就必須有清潔的良心，就是得了潔淨、沒有攙雜的良心—提前三 9，一 19。

【週五】

柒 猶大在他的書信中說，『我…不得不寫信勸你們，要爲那一次永遠交付聖徒的信仰竭力爭辯』—3 節：

一 這節裏的『信仰』不是主觀的，乃是客觀的。

二 這裏的『信仰』這辭不是指我們的相信，乃是指我們所相信的。

三 猶大書三節的信仰乃指新約的內容作爲我們的信仰，我們相信，就能得着我們共享的救恩—徒六 7，提前一 19，三 9，四 1，五 8，六 10，21，提後三 8，四 7，多一 13。

四 這信仰（不是任何道理）已經一次永遠的交付聖徒。

五 我們應當爲這信仰爭辯—提前六 12。

【週六】

捌 我們都需要『達到…信仰上…的一』—弗四 13 上：

一 這辭句裏所題的信仰乃是客觀的信仰。

二 信仰上的一有賴於我們對神兒子完全的認識—13 節。

三 我們惟有以基督爲中心，專注在祂身上，纔能達到信仰上的一。

Week Three

Keeping the Faith

Hymns: 1285

Scripture Reading: 2 Tim. 4:7c; 1 Tim. 1:19; 3:9; 4:1; 6:12; 1 Thes. 3:2; Jude 3

§ Day 1

I. In the New Testament, faith is both objective and subjective:

A. The objective faith refers to the subject of our believing, that is, to the things in which we believe; this objective faith includes the contents of Gods New Testament economy—Eph. 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:7c:

1. The faith in Ephesians 4:13 is not faith as a believing action but the objective faith.

2. The items of the objective faith are only those items that are related to our salvation—in other words, only those items that relate to Christs person and work—John 3:16; 1:18; 1 John 4:9.

B. Subjective faith has to do with our action of believing—John 3:15-16:

1. According to this meaning, to have faith in the Lord is to believe in Him.

2. All genuine believers in Christ are one in having faith related to Christ.

C. In 1 Thessalonians 3:2 faith is not only subjective, referring to the saints believing, as in verses 5, 6, and 10, but also objective, referring to what we believe in, as in 1 Timothy 3:9; 4:1; and 2 Timothy 4:7:

1. These two aspects of faith involve one another.

2. Our believing (subjective faith) is out of the things we believe and in the things we believe (objective faith).

§ Day 2

II. “I have kept the faith”—v. 7c:

A. The faith here is objective.

B. The word faith in this verse implies our believing in Christ, taking His person and His redemptive work as the object of our faith—1 Tim. 1:19; Gal. 1:23.

C. To keep the faith is to keep the entire New Testament economy of God— the faith concerning Christ as the embodiment of God and the mystery of God and the church as the Body of Christ and the mystery of Christ—1 Tim. 1:4.

III. First Timothy 6:12a says, “Fight the good fight of the faith”:

A. To fight for the faith means to fight for Gods New Testament economy.

B. To fight the good fight of the faith is to fight for the contents of the complete gospel according to Gods New Testament economy—Eph. 1:9- 10; 1 Tim. 1:4.

C. Because of the different teachings, the church had already become degraded and had deviated from the faith—v. 3.

D. Paul charged Timothy to fight against the deviation from the faith, which is to fight the good fight of the faith—6:12a.

§ Day 3

IV. In 1 Timothy 6:12b Paul goes on to say, “Lay hold on the eternal life, to which you were called”:

A. To fight the good fight of the faith in the Christian life, we need to lay hold on this life—the eternal life, the divine life—and not trust in human life—v. 12b.

B. We fight the good fight of the faith not only objectively but also subjectively by laying hold on the eternal life—v. 12b.

C. We need to lay hold on the eternal life; then we will be able to fight the good fight of the faith—v. 12.

§ Day 4

V. A proper Christian life involves keeping the faith for participation in the divine riches in Gods economy—1:19; 3:9; 4:1; 6:12; Titus 1:4; Jude 3:

A. The economy of God is a matter in faith, that is, a matter that is initiated and developed in the sphere and element of faith—1 Tim. 1:4.

B. Gods economy, which is to dispense Himself into His chosen people, is not a matter in the natural realm nor in the work of the law but in the spiritual sphere of the new creation through regeneration by faith in Christ—2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 3:23-26.

C. By faith we are born of God to be His sons, partaking of His life and nature
to express Him—John 1:12-13:

1. By faith we are put into Christ to become members of the Body, sharing all that He is for His expression—Rom. 12:4-5.

2. This is Gods plan, which is carried out in faith, according to Gods New Testament economy.

VI. We need to hold the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience—1 Tim. 3:9:

A. The faith refers to the things we believe in, the things that constitute the gospel—Rom. 1:1, 3-4.

B. The mystery of the faith is mainly Christ as the mystery of God and the church as the mystery of Christ—Col. 2:2; Eph. 3:4.

C. In order to hold the mystery of the faith, we must have a pure conscience, a conscience purified from any mixture—1 Tim. 3:9; 1:19.

§ Day 5

VII.Jude says in his Epistle, “I found it necessary to write to you and exhort you to earnestly contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints”—v. 3b:

A. The faith in this verse is not subjective; it is objective.

B. The word faith here does not refer to our believing but refers to our belief, to what we believe.

C. The faith in Jude 3 denotes the contents of the New Testament as our faith, in which we believe for our common salvation—Acts 6:7; 1 Tim. 1:19; 3:9; 4:1; 5:8; 6:10, 21; 2 Tim. 3:8; 4:7; Titus 1:13.

D. This faith, not any doctrine, has been delivered once for all to the saints.

E. For this faith we should contend—1 Tim. 6:12.

§ Day 6

VIII. We all need to “arrive at the oneness of the faith”—Eph. 4:13a:

A. The faith mentioned in this phrase is objective faith.

B. The oneness of the faith depends on our full knowledge of the Son of God—v. 13.

C. Only when we take Christ as the center and we focus on Him can we arrive at the oneness of the faith.