第二週■週三

w02d03-ch

晨興餧養

彼前四12 ～ 13『親愛的，有火煉的試驗臨到你們，爲要試煉你們，不要以爲奇怪，似乎是遭遇非常的事，倒要照着你們有分於基督苦難的多少而歡樂，使你們在祂榮耀顯現的時候，也可以喜樂歡騰。』

彼得前書是論到在神行政下基督徒生活的書。我們很容易留意基督徒的生活，而忽畧神的行政。事實上，基督徒的生活與神的行政並行。三一神經過了漫長的過程，成了賜生命的靈，住在我們裏面。這是爲着我們的基督徒生活。同時，三一神仍是宇宙的創造主及其管理者。一面，我們重生得着屬靈的生命，神聖的生命。另一面，我們仍在舊造裏。爲這緣故，我們需要神行政的對付。我們基督徒的生命要長大，就需要神行政的管教。（彼得前書生命讀經，三三六頁。）

信息選讀

彼得著作的寶貴，在於他將基督徒生活與神的行政結合。…我們若仔細讀彼得的兩封書信，就會看見彼得在生命的事上相當深。…但彼得在他的著作中，同時嚴厲的說到神對祂重生子民行政的對付。所以，在彼得的書信裏，我們需要看見基督徒的生活與神的行政，也需要看見二者如何並行。

在彼前四章十二節…火煉的試驗，原文意焚燒，表徵煉淨金銀之熔爐的焚燒。（箴二七21，詩六六10。）…彼得認爲信徒所遭受的逼迫，乃是這樣一個神用以煉淨他們生命的熔爐。這是神在行政管理的審判中對付信徒的方式，這審判要從神自己的家起首。（彼前四17 ～ 19。）彼前四章十二節的奇怪，原文與四節所用的字相同。火煉的逼迫對信徒是平常的，他們不該以爲奇怪或特異，而感到希奇、驚訝。這逼迫乃是一種試煉、考驗。

彼得在十二節用焚燒的爐這隱喻指明，今天主用逼迫和試煉作焚燒的爐，乃是爲着積極的目的。逼迫和試煉的積極目的，是要煉淨我們的生命。我們可比作金銀。然而，我們仍有一些渣滓。所以，我們需要煉淨。…身爲基督徒，我們該領悟，火煉的試驗是平常的。…這樣的事對我們不是奇怪、特異、外來的。…在今世受苦是我們的定命。當然，這不是我們永遠的定命。神沒有命定我們在永世裏受苦，但祂的確命定我們在今世受苦。

在十三節彼得繼續說，『倒要照着你們有分於基督苦難的多少而歡樂，使你們在祂榮耀顯現的時候，也可以喜樂歡騰。』雖然逼迫是一種試煉，藉着焚燒而煉淨我們，但至終彼得說，藉着經歷這樣火煉的試驗，我們就有分於基督的苦難。…因爲我們相信基督，愛基督，活基督，背負基督的見證，在這個世代中見證祂，世界就起來反對我們。這個世代是在那惡者手下，爲這緣故，不信者逼迫相信基督並見證基督的人。在神看來，這樣的苦難被視爲基督的苦難。例如，某位弟兄也許有機會致富；但因爲他相信基督，愛基督，並跟隨基督，他的事業也許虧損，他也許失去致富的機會。事實上，他甚至可能貧窮。這樣的貧窮是基督的苦難。那些爲基督所受的苦難，被神算爲基督的苦難。（彼得前書生命讀經，三三六至三三七、二九七至二九九頁。）

參讀：彼得前書生命讀經，第二十八、三十一篇。

WEEK 2 — DAY 3

Morning Nourishment

1 Pet. 4:12-13 Beloved, do not think that the fiery ordeal among you, coming to you for a trial, is strange, as if it were a strange thing happening to you; but inasmuch as you share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice exultingly.

First Peter is a book on the Christian life under the government of God. It is easy for us to pay attention to the Christian life and to neglect God’s government. Actually, the Christian life and the government of God go together. The Triune God has passed through a long process and has become the lifegiving Spirit to indwell us. This is for our Christian life. At the same time, the Triune God is still the Creator of the universe and its ruler. On the one hand, we have been reborn to have a spiritual life, the divine life. On the other hand, we are still in the old creation. For this reason we need God’s governmental dealings. In order for the Christian life to grow, we need the discipline of God’s government. (Life-study of 1 Peter, p. 278)

Today’s Reading

The preciousness of Peter’s writings is that he combines the Christian life and God’s government…If we would carefully read the two Epistles of Peter, we would see that Peter is quite deep in the matter of life…But at the same time, in his writings Peter gives a serious word regarding God’s governmental dealings with His regenerated people. Therefore, in the Epistles of Peter we need to see the Christian life and God’s government and also see how the two go together.

In 1 Peter 4:12…the Greek word for fiery ordeal, purosei, means “burning,” signifying the burning of a smelting furnace for the purifying of gold and silver (Prov. 27:21; Psa. 66:10)…Peter considered the persecution that the believers suffered as such a burning furnace used by God to purify their life. This is God’s way to deal with the believers in the judgment of His governmental administration, which begins from His own house (1 Pet. 4:17-19). The Greek word for strange in verse 12 is xenizo, the same as the word used in verse 4. Fiery persecution is common to the believers. They should not think it is strange or alien to them, and they should not be surprised and astonished by it. This persecution is a trial, a testing.

Peter’s use of the metaphor of a burning furnace in verse 12 indicates that today the Lord is using persecutions and trials as a furnace to serve a positive purpose. The positive purpose served by persecution and trial is the purification of our life. We can be compared to gold and silver. However, we still have some amount of dross. Therefore, we need purification…As Christians, we should realize that fiery ordeals are common…Such things are not strange, alien, foreign, to us…It is our destiny to suffer in this age. Of course, this is not our eternal destiny. God has not destined us to suffer in eternity, but He surely has destined us to suffer in this age.

In verse 13 Peter continues, “But inasmuch as you share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice exultingly.” Although persecution is a trial that purifies us through burning, eventually Peter says that by experiencing such a fiery ordeal, we share, participate, in the sufferings of Christ…Because we believe in Christ, love Christ, live Christ, bear testimony to Christ, witnessing of Him in this age, the world rises up against us. This age is under the hand of the evil one, and for this reason unbelieving ones persecute those who believe in Christ and witness of Him. In the sight of God this kind of suffering is regarded as the sufferings of Christ. For example, a certain brother may have had the opportunity to become rich. But because he believes in Christ, loves Christ, and follows Christ, his business may suffer, and he may lose the opportunity to become wealthy. Actually, he may even be in poverty. This kind of poverty is the suffering of
Christ. Those sufferings that are for Christ are counted by God as the sufferings of Christ. (Life-study of 1 Peter, pp. 278-279, 247-248)

Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Peter, msgs. 28, 31