第一週•週六

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晨興餧養

約一12〜13  『凡接受祂的，就是信入祂名的人，祂就賜他們權柄，成爲神的兒女。這等人不是從血生的，不是從肉體的意思生的，也不是從人的意思生的，乃是從神生的。』

在約翰福音裏，神國的啓示是基於三章的兩節聖經。三節說，『我實實在在的告訴你，人若不重生，就不能見神的國。』五節說，『我實實在在的告訴你，人若不是從水和靈生的，就不能進神的國。』…要見神的國，就必須重生。要進神的國，就必須從水和靈生。水表徵我們眾人受浸所歸入之基督的死，靈表徵復活。(李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第四册，五六一至五六二頁。)

信息選讀

〔約翰三章〕說到尼哥底母，他是個真正尋求的人，在夜裏來見主耶穌。(2。)他帶着很多的知識和許多的觀念而來。…他可能以爲他需要更好的教訓，來改良他自己。但主的回答向他揭示，他需要重生。

我們若不重生，就沒有見神的國的性能。重生就是從表徴基督之死的水而生，也是從表徵基督之復活的靈而生。我們必須與基督同死，並復活成爲一個新的人，屬於另一個種類，就是新的種類。

神的國是神的掌權。這神聖的掌權是一個範圍，不僅是神聖管理的範圍，也是神聖種類的範圍，在其中有一切神聖的事物。植物的國是植物種類的範圍，動物的國是動物種類的範圍。照樣，神的國是神聖種類的範圍。

神成爲肉體，進到人的種類裏；而人成爲神，有神的生命和性情，(但無分於祂神聖的神格，) 進到祂神聖的種類裏。在約翰三章，神的國指神的種類，多過於指神的掌權。

我們要進入神聖的範圍，就是神聖種類的範圍，就必須從神而生，有神聖的性情和生命。…人是按着神的形像，照着祂的樣式造的，這指明人是照着神的種、神的類造的。創世記一章說，各樣的活物都是各從其類造的。但神造人，不是照着人的類，乃是按着神的形像，照着祂的樣式造的，使人成了神的類。

信徒藉着重生從神而生，成爲祂的兒女，有祂的生命和性情，但無分於祂的神格，(約一12〜13，)他們比亞當更從神類。亞當只有神外面的樣子，而沒有神裏面的實際，就是神聖的生命。我們裏面有神聖生命的實際，並旦全人正被變化並模成主的形像。神所有的兒女都是在神聖種類的神聖範圍裏，這樣說是合邏輯的。

因此，在重生裏，神生神〔在神的生命和性情上，但不在神的神格上〕。人生人，羊生羊。如果羊不生羊，那麼羊生甚麼？如果神所生的不是神，那又是甚麼？如果神的兒女不是從神的種、神的類，那他們是從甚麼種？如果他們不是神，他們是甚麼？我們這些從神生的，都是神。但是在發表上，爲免引起神學上的誤解，最好說我們是在神聖種類裏(也就是在神國裏)的神人。

這些神人是神所生的兒女，不僅構成神的家，(提前二15，彼前四17，約十四2，)也是基督身體藉以建造起來的構成分子，而基督的身體要終極完成新耶路撒冷，作神與基督永遠的國。(林前六9，弗五5，彼後一11，啓十一15。)(李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第四册，五六二至五六五頁。)

參讀：約翰福音結晶讀經，第十二篇。

WEEK 1 — DAY 6

Morning Nourishment  

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John 1:12-13 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name, who were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The revelation of the kingdom of God in John is based upon two verses in John 3. Verse 3 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Then verse 5 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”…To see the kingdom we need to be born anew. To enter into the kingdom we need to be born of water and the Spirit. Water signifies the death of Christ, into which we all have been baptized, and the Spirit signifies resurrection. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” p. 438)

Today’s Reading

[In John 3] Nicodemus, a real seeker…came to the Lord in the night (v. 2). He came with much knowledge and many concepts…He might have thought that he needed better teachings to improve himself, but the Lord’s answer unveiled to him that he needed to be born anew.

If we are not born anew, we do not have the capacity to see the kingdom of God. To be born anew is to be born of water, signifying the death of Christ, and of the Spirit, signifying Christ’s resurrection. We need to die with Christ and be resurrected to be a new person of another, new species, new kind.

The kingdom of God is the reign of God. This divine reign is a realm, not only of the divine dominion but also of the divine species, in which are all the divine things. The vegetable kingdom is a realm of the vegetable species, and the animal kingdom is a realm of the animal species. In the same way, the kingdom of God is a realm of the divine species.

God became flesh to enter into the human species, and man becomes God in His life and nature, but not in His divine Godhead, to enter into His divine species. In John 3 the kingdom of God refers more to the species of God than to the reign of God.

To enter into the divine realm, the realm of the divine species, we need to be born of God to have the divine nature and life…That man was created in the image of God and according to His likeness indicates that man was created in God’s kind, in God’s species. Genesis 1 says that each of the living things was created according to its kind. But God created man, not according to man’s kind but in God’s image and according to God’s likeness to be God’s kind.

The believers, who are born of God by regeneration to be His children in His life and nature but not in His Godhead (John 1:12-13), are more in God’s kind than Adam was. Adam had only the outward appearance of God without the inward reality, the divine life. We have the reality of the divine life within us, and we are being transformed and conformed to the Lord’s image in our entire being. It is logical to say that all the children of God are in the divine realm of the divine species.

Thus, in regeneration God begets gods [in His life and nature but not in His Godhead]. Man begets man. Goats beget goats. If goats do not beget goats, what do they beget? If God does not beget gods, what does He beget? If the children of God are not in God’s kind, in God’s species, in what kind are they? If they are not gods, what are they? We all who are born of God are gods. But for utterance, due to the theological misunderstanding, it is better to say that we are Godmen in the divine species, that is, in the kingdom of God. 

These God-men, who are children born of God, not only constitute the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Pet. 4:17; John 14:2) but also are the constituents with which the Body of Christ is built up, and the Body of Christ will consummate the New Jerusalem as the eternal kingdom of God and of Christ (1 Cor. 6:9; Eph. 5:5; 2 Pet. 1:11; Rev. 11:15). (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” pp. 438-440)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” ch. 12