第十週■週一

w10d01-ch

晨興餧養

羅三23 ～ 25『因爲眾人都犯了罪，虧缺了神的榮耀，但因神的恩典，藉着在基督耶穌裏的救贖，就白白的得稱義。神擺出基督耶穌作平息處，是憑着祂的血，藉着人的信，…顯示祂的義。』

徒七2『…當日我們的祖宗亞伯拉罕在米所波大米…的時候，榮耀的神向他顯現。』

人是神按着祂的形像造的，使人爲着祂的榮耀彰顯祂。但人犯了罪，牴觸了神的聖與義，不但沒有彰顯神，反倒彰顯罪和有罪的己，因此虧缺了神的榮耀。這樣虧缺神的榮耀與彰顯，就是罪。我們罪人不僅在神聖別和公義的要求之下，也在神榮耀的要求之下。我們都干犯了神聖別的所是，和祂公義的律法，也都虧缺了神的榮耀。因此，我們都在神的定罪之下。（聖經恢復本，羅三23 註1。）

〔平息處〕是出埃及二十五章十七節約櫃上的遮罪蓋所豫表的。約櫃是神與人相會的地方，其中放着十條誡命的律法，藉其聖別和公義的要求，暴露並定罪前來接觸神之人的罪。但藉着約櫃的蓋，連同遮罪日灑在其上遮罪的血，罪人的整個光景就完全得着遮蓋。因此神能在這遮罪蓋上，與干犯祂公義律法的百姓相會，卽使在那載着神的榮耀，並遮掩櫃蓋之基路伯的注視下，在行政上也絲毫不牴觸祂的公義。…這豫表基督作神的羔羊，除去人與神出事的罪，（約一29，）滿足了神一切聖別、公義和榮耀的要求，平息了人與神之間的關係。（羅三25 註2。）

信息選讀
〔那向亞伯拉罕顯現之神的榮耀，〕也許是看得見的榮耀，（參徒七55，）就如雲和火向以色列人顯現，（出十六10，二四16 ～ 17，…）並充滿帳幕和殿。（四十35，王上八11。）乃是這樣榮耀的神，向亞伯拉罕顯現並呼召他。這榮耀對亞伯拉罕乃是極大的吸引，將他從世界裏分別（聖別）出來歸給神；（出二九43；）也是極大的鼓勵和力量，使他能跟從神。（創十二1，4。）同樣的原則，神也用祂看不見的榮耀，呼召新約的信徒。（彼後一3。）（聖經恢復本，徒七2 註2。）

神的…一個奇妙屬性是榮耀。行傳七章五十五節說，『司提反…定睛望天，看見神的榮耀。』榮耀是神的彰顯，就是輝煌的彰顯出來的神。神的榮耀對亞伯拉罕是極大的吸引，將他從世界分別出來歸給神。〔參2。〕神的榮耀也是極大的鼓勵和力量，使亞伯拉罕能以跟從神。（創十二1，4。）

彼後一章三節說，神用祂自己的榮耀和美德呼召我們，或呼召我們到祂自己的榮耀和美德。此外，彼前五章十節說，神召我們進入祂永遠的榮耀。按提後二章十節，神的救恩乃是連同着永遠的榮耀。這指明永遠的榮耀是神救恩的終極目標。（羅八21。）神的救恩領我們進入祂的榮耀。（來二10。）

在約翰福音我們讀到，那是神的話成爲肉體，支搭帳幕在我們中間，我們也見過祂的榮耀。（一1，14。）一章十八節接着說，『從來沒有人看見神，只有在父懷裏的獨生子，將祂表明出來。』神得表明的時候有榮耀。我們看見神，就看見榮耀。…我們已被命定要得神的榮耀，並且蒙召來得這榮耀。（林前二7，帖前二12。）（新約總論第一册，一三一頁。）

參讀：新約總論，第十一篇。

WEEK 10 — DAY 1

Morning Nourishment

Rom. 3:23-25 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God set forth as a propitiation place through faith in His blood, for the demonstrating of His righteousness…

Acts 7:2 …The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia…

Man was made by God in His image that man might express Him for His glory. But man has sinned and has contradicted the holiness and righteousness of God. Instead of expressing God, man expresses sin and his sinful self. Hence, man falls short of God’s glory. This falling short of God’s glory and expression is sin. Sinners are not only under the requirements of God’s holiness and righteousness but also under the demand of God’s glory. All have offended God’s holy being and have broken God’s righteous law, and all are short of God’s glory. Therefore, all are under God’s condemnation. (Rom. 3:23, footnote 1)

The propitiation place is typified in Exodus 25:17 by the sin-covering lid on the Ark. The Ark was the place where God met with people. In the Ark was the law of the Ten Commandments, which by its holy and righteous requirement exposed and condemned the sins of the people who came to contact God. However, by the lid of the Ark, with the expiating blood sprinkled on it on the Day of Expiation, the entire situation on the sinner’s side was fully covered. Therefore, upon this sin-covering lid God could meet with the people who broke His righteous law, and He could do this without, governmentally, any contradiction to His righteousness, even under the observing of the cherubim that bore His glory and overshadowed the lid of the Ark…This is a prefigure of Christ as the Lamb of God taking away the sin that caused man to have a problem with God (John 1:29), thus satisfying all the requirements of God’s holiness, righteousness, and glory and appeasing the relationship between man and God. (Rom. 3:25, footnote 2)

Today’s Reading

[The glory of the God who appeared to Abraham] might have been visible glory (cf. Acts 7:55), as when the cloud and the fire appeared to Israel (Exo. 16:10; 24:16-17…) and filled the tabernacle and the temple (40:35; 1 Kings 8:11). It was the God of such glory who appeared to Abraham and called him. His glory was a great attraction to him. It separated (sanctified) him from the world unto God (Exo. 29:43) and was a great encouragement and strength that enabled him to follow God (Gen. 12:1, 4). In the same principle, God calls the New Testament believers by His invisible glory (2 Pet. 1:3). (Acts 7:2, footnote 2)

[A] marvelous attribute of God is glory…Acts 7:55 says, “Looking intently into heaven, he [Stephen] saw the glory of God.” Glory is the expression of God, God expressed in splendor. God’s glory was a great attraction to Abraham, separating him from the world unto God [cf. v. 2]. God’s glory was also a great encouragement and strength, enabling Abraham to follow God (Gen. 12:1, 4).

Second Peter 1:3 says that God has called us to, or by, His own glory. Furthermore, 1 Peter 5:10 says that God has called us into His eternal glory. According to 2 Timothy 2:10, God’s salvation is with eternal glory. This indicates that eternal glory is the ultimate goal of God’s salvation (Rom. 8:21). God’s salvation leads us into His glory (Heb. 2:10).

In the Gospel of John we read that the Word, who was God, became flesh and tabernacled among us and that we beheld His glory (John 1:1, 14). John 1:18 goes on to say, “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” There is glory in the declaration of God. When we see God, we see glory. We have been ordained for God’s glory and called to it (1 Cor. 2:7; 1 Thes. 2:12). (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 111-112)

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 11