第四週■週三

w04d03-ch

晨興餧養

提後一 10『…我們救主基督耶穌…已經把死廢掉，藉着福音將生命和不朽壞照耀出來。』

徒二 24『神卻將死的痛苦解除，叫祂復活了，因爲祂不能被死拘禁。』

林後五 4『…我們在這帳幕裏的人…歎息，…好叫這必死的被生命吞滅了。』

藉着〔基督〕的復活，祂成了賜生命的靈（林前十五 45 下），將神的生命分授給我們（約三 15），並叫我們得重生（彼前一 3）。如此，祂旣已藉着祂的死把死廢掉，就在祂的復活裏，藉着福音將生命和不朽壞照耀出來。

福音啓示我們，基督已經把死廢掉，將永遠、不能毀壞的生命帶給我們。提後一章十節的『生命』指神永遠的生命；這生命是賜給所有在基督裏的信徒（提前一 16），也是所賜給我們神聖恩典的主要成分（羅五 17、21）。這生命已經征服死（徒二24），還要吞滅死（林後五 4）。

生命是神聖的元素，甚至就是神自己，分賜到我們的靈裏；不朽壞是生命浸透我們身體的結果（羅八 11）。這生命和不朽壞能抵擋死與朽壞（新約總論第十二册，二三五至二三六頁）。

信息選讀

基督將生命和不朽壞照耀出來，乃是藉着福音（提後一 10）。我們認識生命和不朽壞，但不信者只認識死亡和朽壞，因他們尚未聽見或接受福音。他們若聽見並接受福音，這福音就要將生命和不朽壞照耀出來，使他們像我們一樣，得以認識生命和不朽壞。我們越傳福音，生命和不朽壞就越照耀出來。一面，基督帶着恩典顯現；就是說，祂帶着恩典而來。另一面，基督藉着祂的死與復活，已經把死廢掉，並藉着福音將生命和不朽壞照耀出來，以完成生命的應許，使信徒能成爲使徒。

保羅在提後一章九至十節告訴我們，神的恩典是歷世之前，在基督耶穌裏賜給我們的，如今藉着我們救主基督耶穌的顯現，纔顯明出來。恩典乃是神在祂生命裏所給我們的供應，使我們活出祂的定旨。在基督裏賜給我們的恩典，是在世界起始之前就賜給我們的。神的恩典是在永遠裏賜給我們的，但藉着我們的主第一次來，把死廢掉，將生命帶給我們（來九 26），這恩典就顯明出來，並應用到我們身上。因爲這恩典是藉着基督的顯現，纔顯明出來，舊約的聖徒，像亞伯拉罕和大衞等，就沒有經歷到。所命定要賜給我們的恩典，隨着主耶穌的顯現而來。這恩典不僅僅是一個福分，更是一個人位，就是三一神自己賜給我們，作我們的享受。主耶穌顯現時，這恩典就來了，現今與我們同在（新約總論第十二册，二三三至二三四頁）。

保羅在他寫給提摩太的第一封書信裏說，『基督耶穌降世，爲要拯救罪人』（提前一 15），但在寫給提摩太的第二封書信裏，其腔調從拯救罪人改爲把死廢掉並將生命照耀出來。保羅強調，爲着把死廢掉並將生命照耀出來，他被派作傳揚者宣報並宣告福音，作使徒設立並建立眾召會，作教師教導眾召會同眾聖徒（提後一 11）。保羅強調這事，因爲那時眾召會受了打岔，從生命的正路岔到知識和宗教的路上。…在這末了的書信裏，他強調主恢復基本的事—生命（李常受文集一九七五至一九七六年第二册，五四四至五四五頁）。

參讀：新約總論，第三百六十四篇；李常受文集一九七五至一九七六年第二册，五四四至五四六頁。

WEEK 4 — DAY 3

Morning Nourishment

2 Tim. 1:10 …Our Savior Christ Jesus, who nullified death and brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel.

Acts 2:24 Whom God has raised up, having loosed the pangs of death, since it was not possible for Him to be held by it.

2 Cor. 5:4 …We who are in this tabernacle groan,…that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

Through His resurrection [Christ] became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b) to impart God’s life to us (John 3:15) and regenerate us (1 Pet. 1:3). Thus, having nullified death through His death, He brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel in His resurrection.

In the gospel the revelation is brought to us that Christ has nullified death and has brought us eternal, indestructible life. Life in 2 Timothy 1:10 refers to the eternal life of God, which is given to all believers in Christ (1 Tim. 1:16) and which is the main element of the divine grace given to us (Rom. 5:17, 21). This life has conquered death (Acts 2:24) and will swallow up death (2 Cor. 5:4).

Life is the divine element, even God Himself, imparted into our spirit; incorruption is the consequence of life’s saturating our body (Rom. 8:11). This life and incorruption are able to counter death and corruption. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 3677)

Todays Reading

It is through the gospel that Christ brought life and incorruption to light (2 Tim. 1:10). While we may know life and incorruption, the unbelievers know only death and corruption because they have not yet heard or received the gospel. If they hear and receive the gospel, it will bring eternal life and eternal incorruption to light so that they may know life and incorruption as we do. The more we preach the gospel, the more life and incorruption will be brought to light. On the one hand, Christ appeared with grace; that is, He came with grace. On the other hand, by His death and resurrection, Christ nullified death and brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel in order to fulfill the promise of life for a believer to be an apostle.

In verses 9 and 10 Paul tells us that the grace of God, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the times of the ages, now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. Grace is God’s provision in life given to us so that we may live out His purpose. This grace given to us in Christ was bestowed on us before the world began. God’s grace was given to us in eternity, but it was manifested and applied to us through our Lord’s first coming, in which He nullified death and brought life to us (Heb. 9:26). Because this grace was manifested through the appearing of Christ, Old Testament saints such as Abraham and David did not experience it. The grace destined to be given to us came with the appearing of the Lord Jesus. This grace is not merely a blessing; it is a person, the Triune God Himself, given to us to be our enjoyment. This grace came when the Lord Jesus appeared, and now it is with us today. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3675-3676)

In Paul’s first Epistle to Timothy he says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1:15), but in his second Epistle to Timothy the tone changes from saving sinners to nullifying death and bringing life to light. Paul emphasizes that it was for the nullifying of death and the bringing in of life that he was appointed a herald to announce and proclaim the gospel, an apostle to set up and establish churches, and a teacher to give instruction to the churches with all the saints (1:11). Paul emphasizes this because by that time the churches were distracted from the right track of life to the track of knowledge and religion…In this last letter he emphasizes the basic item of the Lord’s recovery—life. (CWWL, 1975-1976, vol. 2, p. 408)

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 364; CWWL, 1975-1976, vol. 2, p. 408