第二週■週六

w02d06-ch

晨興餧養

彼前四19『所以那照神旨意受苦的人，也要在善行上，將他們的魂交與那信實的創造主。』

      二24『祂在木頭上，在祂的身體裏，親自擔當了我們的罪，使我們旣然向罪死了，就得以向義活着…。』

彼前四章十九節…這裏神的旨意，乃是要我們，且已經派定我們，爲基督的緣故受苦。

這裏的交與，原文意交託；像存款一樣託人看管。…信徒在身體上遭受逼迫，特別在殉道時，該將他們的魂像存款一樣交與神，就是那信實的創造主，正如主將祂的靈交與父一樣。（路二三46。）逼迫只能傷害受苦信徒的身體，不能傷害他們的魂。（太十28。）…他們該憑着他們信心的交託與主合作。（彼得前書生命讀經，三一八頁。）

信息選讀

逼迫是在舊造裏的苦難。神是我們的創造主，能保全祂爲我們所造的魂。連我們的頭髮祂都數過了。（太十30。）祂旣慈愛又信實。祂慈愛信實的照顧，（彼前五7，）隨同着祂在行政管理中的公平。當祂在行政上審判我們這些家人時，祂的愛仍然信實的照顧我們。我們在身體上遭受祂公平管教的審判時，該把自己的魂交與祂信實的照顧。

向罪死了，〔彼前二24，〕直譯，脫開了罪。基督在十字架上，擔當了我們的罪而死了，那死…了結我們，這了結能使我們遠離罪。人要遠離罪行或罪性，最好的路就是被治死。…彼得說到遠離罪；保羅說到死了的人是已經從罪開釋了。藉着基督的死，我們就能遠離罪，使我們得以向義活着。

十字架主觀的方面，今天藉着那靈就得以在我們的經歷中持續進行。賜生命的靈在我們裏面不斷作工，在我們這人裏面完成基督十字架主觀的方面。我們天天經歷基督的十字架內裏的工作，我們天天得以活過來，使我們可以向義活着。所以，要勝過罪並不困難，因爲藉着基督的死，我們就遠離了罪。祂的死在我們與罪之間畫了分界線。我們遠離了罪，現今乃是活的。…我們只要活，這生活總是傾向義的。這就是經歷我們的救主天天拯救我們。

我們呼求主的名，並與祂有交通，賜生命的靈就在我們裏面運行。我們自然而然就經歷十字架主觀的工作，使我們與罪分開，叫我們自動向義活着。

現在我們需要問，爲甚麼彼得用『向義活着』〔24〕這辭。這與滿足神行政的要求有關。事實上，神的行政只要求一件事—義。…在彼前二章二十三節我們看見，主耶穌一直將一切交給那按公義審判的一位。然後在二十四節彼得指明我們該向義活着。這裏彼得的觀念是行政的；義是神行政的事。我們已蒙我們的救主拯救，使我們過一種與神行政公義要求相配的生活。

神是公義的， 祂的行政建立在公義上。詩篇八十九篇十四節說，公義是神寶座的根基。所以，我們這些神的子民活在祂的行政之下，必須有公義的生活。我們必須向義活着。但因着我們在自己裏面無法過這樣的生活，救主就拯救我們，好叫我們過義的生活，就是滿足神行政公義要求的生活。（彼得前書生命讀經，三一八至三一九、二二三至二二六頁。）

參讀：彼得前書生命讀經，第二十一、二十九篇。

WEEK 2 — DAY 6

Morning Nourishment

1 Pet. 4:19 So then let those also who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls in well-doing to a faithful Creator.

         2:24 Who Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree, in order that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness…

The will of God here in 1 Peter 4:19 is that He wants us to suffer for Christ’s sake and has appointed us to this.

Literally commit here means “to give in charge as a deposit.”…When the believers suffer persecution in their body, especially as in martyrdom, they should commit their souls as a deposit to God, the faithful Creator, as the Lord committed His spirit to the Father (Luke 23:46). Persecution can damage only the bodies of the suffering believers, not their souls (Matt. 10:28)…They should cooperate with the Lord by their commitment in faith. (Life-study of 1 Peter, pp. 263-264)

Today’s Reading

Persecution is a suffering in the old creation. God as our Creator can preserve our soul, which He created for us. He has even numbered our hairs (Matt. 10:30). He is loving and faithful. His loving and faithful care (1 Pet. 5:7) accompanies His justice in His governmental administration. While He is judging us, His household, in His government, His love cares for us faithfully. In suffering His just disciplinary judgment in our bodies, we should commit our souls to His faithful care.

Having died to sins [2:24] literally means “being away from sins.” When Christ bore up our sins on the cross and died, that death…terminated us, and this termination can keep us away from sin. The best way for people to be kept from sins or from sin is for them to be put to death…Peter speaks of being away from sins; Paul speaks of the one who has died being free from sin. Through Christ’s death we can be kept away from sins so that we may live to righteousness.

The subjective aspect of the cross continues in our experience today by the Spirit. The life-giving Spirit is working within us continually to carry out the subjective aspect of Christ’s cross in our being. Daily we are undergoing the inward working of the cross of Christ, and daily we are being made alive so that we may live to righteousness. Therefore, it is not difficult to overcome sins, because through Christ’s death we are being kept away from sins. His death has drawn a separating line between us and sins. Being kept away from sins, now we are alive…We simply live, and this living always has an inclination toward righteousness. This is the experience of our Savior saving us daily.

When we call on the name of the Lord and have fellowship with Him, the life-giving Spirit operates within us. Spontaneously, we experience the subjective working of the cross to make a separation between us and sins so that we automatically live to righteousness.

Now we need to ask why Peter uses the expression live to righteousness [v. 24]. This is related to the fulfilling of God’s governmental requirements. Actually, God’s government requires just one thing—righteousness…In 1 Peter 2:23 we see that the Lord Jesus continually committed all to the One who judges righteously. Then in verse 24 Peter indicates that we should live to righteousness. Peter’s concept here is governmental; righteousness is a matter of God’s government. We have been saved by our Savior to live a life that matches the righteous requirements of God’s government.

God is righteous, and His government is established upon righteousness. Psalm 89:14 says that righteousness is the foundation of God’s throne. Therefore, as God’s people living under His government, we must have a righteous life…But because in ourselves we are not able to live this kind of life, the Savior saves us to live a life of righteousness, a life that fulfills the righteous requirements of God’s government. (Life-study of 1 Peter, pp. 264, 188-190)

Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Peter, msgs. 21, 29