第六週 • 週五

w06d05-ch 

晨興餧養

弗五8~9  你們從前是黑暗，但如今在主裏面乃是光，行事為人就要像光的兒女（光的果子是在於一切的善、義和真實）。

約壹一5  神就是光，在祂裏面毫無黑暗；這是我們從祂所聽見，現在又報給你們的信息。

我們從前不僅是黑暗的，並且就是黑暗本身。如今我們不僅是光的兒女，並且就是光本身（太五14）。光就是神，照樣，黑暗就是撒但。我們從前是黑暗，因為那時我們與撒但是一；現今我們是光，因為我們在主裏與神是一（聖經恢復本，弗五8註1）。

善是光之果子的性質；義是產生光之果子的途徑或手續；真實就是實際，乃是光之果子真實的彰顯（神自己）。光的果子，性質上必須是善的，手續上必須是義的，彰顯上必須是真實的，使神得以彰顯，成為我們日常行事為人的實際。

在善、義和真實中之光的果子，與三一神有關。善，指着父神，因為只有一位是善的，就是神（太十九17）。義，指着子神，因為基督照着神義的手續，成就祂的定旨（羅五17~18、21）。真實，指着靈神，因為祂是實際的靈（約十四17），也指着果子在光中的彰顯（弗五9註1）。

信息選讀

光是神在祂彰顯裏的性質，照樣黑暗是撒但在他邪惡作為裏的性質（約壹三8）。感謝神，祂已經拯救我們脫離撒但的黑暗，進入神聖的光裏（徒二六18，彼前二9）。神聖的光就是那在子裏的神聖生命，在我們裏面運行。這光照在我們裏面的黑暗裏，黑暗未曾勝過這光（約一4~5）。我們跟從這光，就絕不在黑暗裏行（八12）。照上下文看，這黑暗乃是罪的黑暗（約壹一7~10）（聖經恢復本，約壹一5註3）。

召會作新婦，需要比實際與恩典更柔細、更深刻的東西，就是需要愛與光。…召會作新婦需要在愛裏並在光中的生活，這事實可由我們在婚姻生活裏的經歷來證明。…夫妻若考慮怎樣彼此對待纔對，那是何等的可憐。為着夫妻之間的親密關係，只有實際（真理）是不彀的，還必須有光。因此，正確的婚姻不僅是按着實際（真理）並憑着恩典，更是在愛裏並在光中。…在婚姻生活裏，妻子與丈夫之間的關係，應該是柔細、光明並親密的。

要明白愛與恩典之間的差異並不難，但要瞭解光與實際的分別卻不容易。我以婚姻生活的親身經歷為例來說明，也許會有幫助。我的妻子與我結婚多年了。在這段時間裏，我想不起我曾以我所認為對的方式對待她；相反的，靠着主的加力，我一直在光中對待她。當我們在光中時，我們就在對錯的範圍之外。我們不需要分辨甚麼是對的，甚麼是錯的，甚麼是該作的，甚麼是不該作的。我們若在光中，我們的生活為人就自然而然照着一種方式。然而，當我們在黑暗中，我們就需要辨別、猜想並摸索出作事的方法。但是當我們在光中時，我們就不需要摸索、猜想或辨別。

假設我快要對妻子發脾氣了。在這時候，我不必問這是否是按着實際（真理）。…我們若留…在光的範圍裏，就不需要這種考慮。我們這些在光中的人，不需要分辨在那個時刻發脾氣到底對不對（以弗所書生命讀經，六一五至六一七頁）。

參讀：以弗所書生命讀經，第六十一篇。

WEEK 6—DAY 5

Morning Nourishment

Eph. 5:8-9 For you were once darkness but are now light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth).

1 John 1:5 And this is the message which we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

We were once not only dark but darkness itself. Now we are not only the children of light but light itself (Matt. 5:14). As light is God, so darkness is Satan. We were darkness because we were one with Satan. Now we are light because we are one with God in the Lord. (Eph. 5:8, footnote 1)

Goodness is the nature of the fruit of the light; righteousness is the way or the procedure by which the fruit of the light is produced; and truth is the reality, the real expression (God Himself), of the fruit of the light. The fruit of the light must be good in nature, righteous in procedure, and real in expression, that God may be expressed as the reality of our daily walk.

The fruit of the light in goodness, righteousness, and truth is related to the Triune God. Goodness denotes God the Father, for the only one who is good is God (Matt. 19:17). Righteousness denotes God the Son, for Christ came to accomplish God’s purpose according to God’s righteous procedure (Rom. 5:17- 18, 21). Truth denotes God the Spirit, for He is the Spirit of reality (John 14:17). Truth also denotes the expression of the fruit in the light. (Eph. 5:9, footnote 1)

Today’s Reading

As light is the nature of God in His expression, so darkness is the nature of Satan in his evil works (1 John 3:8). Thank God that He has delivered us out of the satanic darkness into the divine light (Acts 26:18; 1 Pet. 2:9). The divine light is the divine life in the Son operating in us. This light shines in the darkness within us, and the darkness cannot overcome it (John 1:4-5). When we follow this light, we shall by no means walk in darkness (8:12), which, according to the context, is the darkness of sin (1 John 1:7-10). (1 John 1:5, footnote 4)

As the bride, the church needs something finer and deeper than reality and grace. There is the need for love and light. The fact that the church as the bride requires a living in love and in light can be proved by our own experience in married life…How pitiful it would be if a husband and wife were always considering the right way to behave toward each other. For the intimate relationship between husband and wife, mere reality is not adequate. There must be light. Therefore, a proper marriage is not merely according to reality and by grace but is in love and in light…In married life the relationship between wife and husband should be fine, bright, and intimate.

Although it is rather easy to understand the difference between love and grace, it is more difficult to understand the distinction between light and reality. Perhaps it will help if I illustrate from my own experience in married life. My wife and I have been married for a good many years. During this time, I cannot recall ever dealing with her according to what I thought was right. On the contrary, by the Lord’s enabling, I have behaved toward her always in light. When we are in the light, we are outside the realm of right and wrong. There is no need to discern what is right and what is wrong, what we should do and what we should not do. If we are in the light, we simply act and behave
spontaneously in a certain way. However, when we are in darkness, we need to discern, to guess, and to grope for a way to do things. But when we are in the light, there is no need for groping, guessing, or discerning.

Suppose I am about to lose my temper with my wife. There is no need for me at such a time to ask if this is according to reality…If we remain…in the realm of light, there will be no need for such considerations. As those in the light, we will not try to discern whether or not it is right to lose our temper at that particular time. (Life-study of Ephesians, 2nd ed., pp. 498-500)

Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msg. 61