第二週 • 週二

W02D02-CH

晨興餧養

羅十一17~18  若有幾根枝子被折下來，你這野橄欖得在其中接上去，一同有分於橄欖根的肥汁，你就不可向那些枝子誇口；…不是你托着根，乃是根托着你。

一種生命若要接枝到另一種生命上，這兩種生命就必須非常相似。例如，香蕉樹的枝子不能接枝到桃樹上。但劣級桃樹上的枝子就可以接枝到健康、多產的桃樹上，因為這兩棵樹的生命非常相近。我們也可將這原則應用在神聖的生命分賜到人裏面的事上。…因着我們人的生命是按着神的形像，照着神的樣式造的，所以人的生命能與神聖的生命聯合。雖然我們人的生命不是神聖的生命，卻與神聖的生命相似。因此，這兩種生命能彀很容易的接在一起，然後生機的長在一起。

賤木的生命並沒有消失，而是與又大又甜之珍樹的生命聯合生長，成為一個單位。…這不是替換的生命，乃是接枝的生命（羅馬書生命讀經，七八二頁）。

信息選讀

在接枝的事上，有兩個主要的方面：切割與聯合、聯結。沒有切割，就不可能有接枝。如果一棵樹的枝子要接在另一棵樹上，首先必須把枝子割下。割下之後，聯合或聯結纔發生。這種聯結是生機的。因此，在接枝的事上，有切割、聯合以及生機的聯結。切割相當於基督的死，而聯合相當於基督的復活。在基督的死裏，我們老舊的生命被割除；而在基督的復活裏，我們聯於祂，為着進一步的生長。對基督之死的經歷，使我們向律法死了，而復活卻使我們能彀向神活着。…我們惟有藉着接枝到基督裏，纔能在祂的死與復活裏與祂合一。

我們在自己裏面，不可能向律法死了，或向神活着。然而，當主耶穌的寶貴注入到我們裏面，我們開始珍賞祂的時候，我們就接枝到祂裏面了。一方面，我們被切割；另一方面，我們在基督復活的生命裏聯於祂。這個聯結發生以後，我們就與基督有生機的聯結了。現今我們只該活在這生機的聯結裏。在消極一面，我們已在基督的死裏被切割了；在積極一面，我們已在基督的復活裏聯於祂了。在這個切割裏，我們不只向律法死了，也向神以外的一切死了。按照加拉太六章，藉着基督的十字架，我們向世界死了，特別是向宗教的世界死了（13~14）。藉着基督在十字架上包羅萬有的死，那包羅萬有的切割，我們向神以外的一切都死了。因為我們已經接枝到基督裏，祂的經歷就成了我們的歷史。當祂在十字架上死了，我們就在祂裏面死了。當祂被釘在十字架上，我們就從野橄欖樹上被割下來。這就是說，我們從自己、肉體、世界、宗教、律法及其規條中，被割下來了。再者，因着我們已經接枝到基督裏，祂的復活也就成了我們的歷史。所以，我們能剛強地宣告說，我們已經與基督同釘十字架、同埋葬、同復活了。我們有何等美妙的歷史！

我們既從神以外的一切事物中被割下來，就向着宗教死了，向着猶太教、天主教和更正教死了。我們的歷史一方面包含釘十字架，藉此我們已從神以外的一切事物中被割下來。但這歷史的另一方面包含復活，我們在復活裏已經聯於三一神。在這聯結裏，我們與三一神完全是一。

要緊的是，我們都要看見這個異象。…我們若看見這生機聯結的異象，我們的生活就要改變。我們會曉得，我們已從老舊的源頭被割下來，而聯於那永活者（加拉太書生命讀經，九五至九七頁）。

參讀：加拉太書生命讀經，第九篇。

WEEK 2—DAY 2

Morning Nourishment

Rom. 11:17-18 …You, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them and became a fellow partaker of the root of fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches;…remember that it is not you who bear the root, but the root you.

In order for one kind of life to be grafted to another, the two lives must be very similar. For example, it is not possible to graft a branch from a banana tree to a peach tree. However, it is possible to graft some branches from a poorer peach tree to a healthy, productive peach tree, for the lives of these two trees are very close to each other. We may apply this principle to the dispensing of the divine life into man…Because our human life was made in the image of God and according to the likeness of God, it can be joined to the divine life. Although our human life is not the divine life, it resembles the divine life. Therefore, these lives can easily be grafted together and then grow
together organically.

The life of the poor tree does not disappear. Rather, it grows together as one unit along with the life of the rich, sweet tree…This is not an exchanged life but a grafted life. (Life-study of Romans, 2nd ed., p. 639)

Today’s Reading

In the matter of grafting, there are two main aspects: cutting and joining, or uniting. Without the cutting, there cannot be any grafting. If the branch from one tree is to be grafted into another tree, the branch must first be cut. After the cutting occurs, the joining, or union, takes place. This union is organic. Therefore, in grafting we have the cutting, the joining, and the organic union. The cutting corresponds to the death of Christ, and the uniting, to the resurrection of Christ. In the death of Christ our old life was cut off, and in Christ’s resurrection we were united to Him for further growth. The experience of the death of Christ causes us to die to the law, whereas resurrection enables us to live to God…Only by being grafted into Christ can we be one with Him in
His death and resurrection.

In ourselves it is not possible for us to die to law or live to God. However, when the preciousness of the Lord Jesus was infused into us and we began to appreciate Him, we were grafted into Him. On the one hand, we were cut; on the other hand, we were joined to Christ in His resurrection life. After this union took place, we were organically united with Christ. Now we should simply live in this organic union. On the negative side, we have been cut in Christ’s death; on the positive side, we have been united to Christ in His resurrection. In this cutting we died not only to the law but to everything other than God. According to Galatians 6, we are dead to the world, particularly to the religious world, through the crucifixion of Christ (vv. 13-14). By the all-inclusive cutting of Christ’s allinclusive death on the cross, we are dead to everything other than God.
Because we have been grafted into Christ, His experience has become our history. When He died on the cross, we died in Him. When He was crucified, we were cut off from the wild olive tree. This means that we were cut off from the self, the flesh, the world, religion, and the law with its ordinances. Furthermore, because we have been grafted into Christ, His resurrection has also become our history. Therefore, we can strongly declare that with Christ we have been crucified, buried, and resurrected. What a wonderful history we have!

Having been cut off from everything other than God, we are dead to religion, including Judaism, Catholicism, and Protestantism. One aspect of our history includes the crucifixion by which we have been cut off from everything other than God. But the other aspect of this history includes the resurrection in which we have been united to the Triune God. In this union we are absolutely one with the Triune God.

It is crucial that we all see this vision…If we see the vision of this organic union, our living will be changed. We will realize that we have been cut off from the old source and united to the living One. (Life-study of Galatians, 2nd ed., pp. 74-76)

Further Reading: Life-study of Galatians, msg. 9