第五週■週一

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晨興餧養

彼前一2『就是照着父神的先見被揀選，藉着那靈得聖別，以致順從耶穌基督，並蒙祂血所灑的人：願恩典與平安，繁增的歸與你們。』

彼後一2『願恩典與平安，因你們充分認識神和我們的主耶穌，繁增的歸與你們。』

彼得說到在信徒的日常生活裏，在他們對神和主耶穌的充分認識裏，繁增的恩典。（彼前一2，彼後一2。）在對神和主的充分認識裏，一倍的恩典一再的繁增。當一個信徒在神聖的生命裏成熟時，他就要享受多倍的繁增。恩典是無限的，正如神是無限的一樣。當我們重生時，我們接受神進到我們裏面，但我們只有少量的神。逐漸的，經過多年後，當神在我們裏面擴增時，我們就要因神的度量而有分量。這乃是因爲神作恩典在我們裏面擴增了。（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第一册，五○八頁。）

信息選讀

神在祂經綸中的恩典是豐富的、是繁增的、又是洋溢的。…神恩典的豐富，超越各樣的限制；這是神自己的豐富，作我們的享受。並且神的恩典，與耶穌基督恩典中的恩賜，乃是洋溢的臨到多人。（羅五15 下，20 下。）…信徒對神經綸中之恩典的經歷，也是得神將各樣的恩典洋溢的加給。林後九章八節說，『神能使各樣的恩典向你們洋溢，使你們在凡事上常常十分充足，能洋溢出各樣的善工。』今天我們在這裏，神將祂各樣的恩典洋溢的加給我們。

我們時常享受神繁增的恩典。（彼前一2 下，彼後一2，啓二二21。）彼得前後書都說到這個繁增的恩典。這恩典不是死的，是活的，是繁增的，天天繁增加給我們的。（李常受文集一九九一至一九九二年第二册，四○三至四○四、四○九頁。）

保羅常常使用『願恩典與平安歸與你們』這樣的發表。然而，彼得兩次說到恩典與平安的繁增。〔彼前一2，彼後一2。〕…彼得不但渴望恩典與聖徒們同在，也渴望恩典繁增的歸與他們。你曾想過恩典繁增是甚麼意思麼？…我們大多數人會覺得這辭令人困惑。彼得使用『繁增』這辭，又一次說出他的特別。在這事上，甚至保羅也不像彼得這樣特別，因爲保羅在他的書信裏從未說到恩典與平安得以繁增。…繁增這辭指明已經有了某樣東西，我們不需要另外加上同樣的東西，卻需要使我們所有的繁增。這就是說，我們已經有的恩典需要繁增。我們不需要另外的恩典。我們所需要的是使我們已經有的恩典繁增。

以繁增的恩典這思想爲基礎，彼得接着在彼前四章十節說到諸般的恩典：『各人要照所得的恩賜，將這恩賜彼此供應，作神諸般恩典的好管家。』我們都該作彼得所說諸般恩典的好管家，諸般的恩典就是在不同方面、不同種類的恩典。彼得在五章十節又題起恩典，他在那裏說到全般恩典的神。所以，彼得前書有四個關於恩典獨特的辭：生命的恩典（生命之恩）、繁增的恩典、諸般的恩典、和全般的恩典。生命的恩典在我們裏面繁增，然後成爲諸般的恩典，至終成爲全般的恩典。結果，我們不只有來自一方的恩典，更有來自多方的恩典，例如，來自諸天，來自地，來自我們丈夫或妻子，以及來自我們兒女的恩典。…你若有四個兒女，就會享受四方面的恩典。但你若有更多的兒女，就會享受恩典更多的方面。（彼得前書生命讀經，六至七頁。）

參讀：李常受文集一九七三至一九七四年第一册，新約中的恩典，第一、三章；羅馬書的結晶，第十九至二十篇。

WEEK 5 — DAY 1

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Morning Nourishment

1 Pet. 1:2 Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

2 Pet. 1:2 Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Peter speaks of the grace that multiplies in the believers’ daily life in the full knowledge of God and of Jesus their Lord (1 Pet. 1:2; 2 Pet. 1:2). In the full knowledge of God and the Lord, the onefold grace multiplies…When a believer becomes mature in the divine life, he will enjoy a multiplication manyfold. Grace is unlimited just as God is unlimited. When we were regenerated, we received God into us, but we had only a small amount of God. Gradually, as God increases within us through the years, we will be weighty with the measure of God. This is because God as grace will be increased in us. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” p. 404)

Today’s Reading

The grace of God in His economy is rich, multiplying, and abounding… The riches of God’s grace surpass every limitation. These are the riches of God Himself for our enjoyment. Furthermore, the grace of God and the gift in grace of Jesus Christ have abounded to the many (Rom. 5:15b, 20b). In their experience of the grace in God’s economy, the believers also receive God’s abounding supply of all grace. Second Corinthians 9:8 says, “God is able to make all grace abound unto you, that, in everything always having all sufficiency, you may abound unto every good work.” Today we have God abundantly supplying us with all grace.

We are constantly enjoying God’s multiplying grace (1 Pet. 1:2b; 2 Pet. 1:2; Rev. 22:21). Peter speaks of this multiplying grace in his first and second Epistles. This grace is not dead but living and multiplying; it is being multiplied to us day by day. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 2, “The Law and Grace of God in His Economy,” pp. 309, 312)

Paul often uses the expression grace to you and peace. Peter, however, twice speaks of grace and peace being multiplied [1 Pet. 1:2; 2 Pet. 1:2]…Peter desires not only that grace be with the saints but that grace be multiplied to them. Have you ever thought about what it means for grace to be multiplied?…Most of us may find this expression puzzling. Peter’s use of the word multiplied is another illustration of his particularity. In this matter, not even Paul was as particular as Peter, for he never spoke in his Epistles of grace and peace being multiplied. The word multiplied indicates that a certain thing is present and that instead of having another of the same thing added, we need what we have to be multiplied. This means that we need the multiplication of the grace we already have. We do not need another grace. What we need is to have multiplied thegrace we have already.

With the thought of multiplied grace as the base, Peter goes on to speak in 1 Peter 4:10 of varied grace: “Each one, as he has received a gift, ministering it among yourselves as good stewards of the varied grace of God.” We all should be good stewards of what Peter calls varied grace, grace in different aspects and of different categories. Peter mentions grace again in 5:10, where he speaks of the God of all grace. Therefore, in 1 Peter we have four unique expressions concerning grace: grace of life, multiplied grace, varied grace, and all grace. The grace of life is being multiplied in us. Then it becomes the varied grace and eventually, the all grace. As a result, we do not have grace just from one direction but from many directions, for example, from the heavens and from the earth, from our husband or wife, and from our children…If you have four children, you will enjoy grace in four aspects. But if you have more children, you will enjoy more aspects of grace. (Life-study of 1 Peter, pp. 4-5)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1973-1974, vol. 1, pp. 367-375, 389-397; CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” chs. 19—20