第六週 · 週二

w06d02-ch

📖晨興餧養

約一3 萬物是藉着祂成的；凡已成的，沒有一樣不是藉着祂成的。

羅一20 自從創造世界以來，神那看不見永遠的大能，和神性的特徵，是人所洞見的，乃是藉着受造之物，給人曉得的，叫人無法推諉。

在〔神〕創造的事上，『諸天述說神的榮耀，穹蒼傳揚祂手的作為』（詩十九1）。並且『自從創造世界以來，神那看不見永遠的大能，和神性的特徵，是人所洞見的』（羅一20）（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第四冊，四二六頁）。

人藉着觀察神所造看得見之物，就可以曉得看不見的屬神之事。神永遠的大能，以及彰顯祂內在性情的神性特徵，都顯明在祂的創造裏。就如宇宙中滿了光，表明光是一種神性的特徵，一種神性的神聖屬性（雅一17）。美麗與生命也是這樣（聖經恢復本，羅一20註2）。

📖信息選讀

〔按照羅馬一章二十節，〕天地萬物是有神的證據。…神所造的天地，和祂所造的萬物，為祂作見證。這些叫我們曉得神；這些叫那些不承認神的人，無可推諉。神自己雖是我們眼不能見的，但藉着祂所造的萬物，我們就可以曉得祂。我們眼所能見的萬物，對我們說出我們眼所不能見的神。受造之物的存在，無聲地告訴我們，有一位創造它們的神。…〔詩篇十九篇一至三節指明，〕天地萬物晝夜不息地對我們說出神的存在。這些無聲的言語，所說的是真實可靠的事實，…是我們所能看見的。…它們告訴我們，有一位創造它們的神。

你所住的房子，告訴你有蓋造它的工匠；你所用的桌椅，告訴你有造作它們的木匠；照樣，你所頂的天，和你所踏的地，也告訴你有創造它們的神。就是你所看見的一株花草，一粒沙石，也都告訴你有創造它們的神。…若有人看見受造之物，而不相信有造物的神，這人是何等的反理性，也是何等的愚頑。『愚頑人心裏說，沒有神。』（十四1）

〔按照行傳十四章十五和十七節，〕神為自己所顯出的證據，…『就如常施恩惠，從天降雨，賞賜豐年。』〔17中〕天所降的雨，地所長的谷，都告訴我們有施恩降雨，賞賜豐年的神。我們所喝的，和我們所喫的，都告訴我們有賜給這一切的神。

稼穡、寒暑、冬夏、晝夜，都證明神的存在。…宇宙的定律會這樣準確，萬物的秩序會這樣不亂，都證明給我們看，有一位超然的神在那裏存在着，掌管這一切。一艘輪船所以能按水道而行，是因為有掌舵的人；一部機器所以能按時工作，是因為有管理的人。照樣，宇宙這部大機器，所以能按定律而行，按定時而轉，是因為有掌管它的神。

『祂從一本造出萬族的人，住在全地面上，並且豫先定準他們的時期，和居住的疆界，要叫他們尋求神，或者可以揣摩而得。』（十七26~27）不只天地萬物和它們的存在，證明有神；就是我們人，就是我們自己，也是有神的證據。因為我們人是神所創造的。『祂從一本造出萬族的人。』（李常受文集一九三二至一九四九年第一冊，八六至八八頁）

參讀：約翰福音結晶讀經，第一篇。

WEEK 6 — DAY 2

Morning Nourishment

John 1:3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not one thing came into being which has come into being.

Rom. 1:20 For the invisible things of Him, both His eternal power and divine characteristics, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being perceived by the things made, so that they would be without excuse.

In [God’s] creation “the heavens declare the glory of God, /And the expanse [firmament] proclaims the work of His hands…” (Psa. 19:1), and the invisible things of God, “both His eternal power and divine characteristics, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world” (Rom. 1:20). (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John, p. 338)

Man can perceive the invisible things of God by observing the visible things created by Him. Both the eternal power of God and the divine characteristics that express God’s intrinsic nature are manifested in God’s creation. For example, the abundance of light in the universe shows that light is a divine characteristic, a divine attribute of the divine nature (James 1:17). The same is true of beauty and life. (Rom. 1:20, footnote 2)

Today’s Reading

According to Romans 1:20, all things in heaven and on earth are proof of God’s existence…The heavens and the earth that God created, as well as all the things that He made, testify concerning Him. All these things cause people to know God and give no excuse to those who do not acknowledge God’s existence. Although God is invisible, we can know Him through the things He created. In other words, the visible creation speaks concerning the invisible God. The fact that the created things exist silently speaks that there is a God who created them. Psalm 19:1-3 [indicates that]…the things in heaven and on earth speak unceasingly concerning the existence of God; their speaking, while silent, conveys true and reliable facts that can be seen.
They tell us that there is a creating God.

The house that we live in speaks of a bricklayer who built it; the table and chair that we use speak of a carpenter who made them. Likewise, the heavens above and the earth beneath our feet speak of a God who created them. Even a grain of sand, a flower, or a plant speaks of a creating God… It is irrational and foolish for anyone who sees the things of creation to not believe that there is a Creator. Thus, Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool has said in his heart, / There is no God.”

According to Acts 14:15 and 17, the witness that God left for Himself is “that He did good by giving…rain from heaven and fruitful seasons.” In other words, the rain from heaven and the grain from the earth both speak of the existence of a God who does good by giving us rain and fruitful seasons. What we eat and drink speak of a God who gives us these things.

Sowing and reaping, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night all prove that God exists…The fact that the laws in the universe are precise and that all things are well organized and in proper order proves the existence of a transcendent God who rules over everything. A steamship can travel along a waterway because it has a captain steering it; a machine can operate on schedule because it has an operator running it. In the same way, a “machine” as large as the universe can operate according to laws and run on schedule only because there is a God who rules over it.

Acts 17:26-27 says that God “made from one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, determining beforehand their appointed seasons and the boundaries of their dwelling, that they might seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him.” Not only the things in heaven and on earth but also we humans are proof of God’s existence, because human beings are created by God; that is, God “made from one every nation of men.” (CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 1, pp. 71-73)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” ch. 1