第五週■週三

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晨興餧養

彼前一13『…全然寄望於耶穌基督顯現的時候，所帶給你們的恩。』

提後一9 ～ 10『神救了我們，以聖召召了我們，…乃是按祂自己的定旨和恩典；這恩典是歷世之前，在基督耶穌裏賜給我們的，但如今藉着我們救主基督耶穌的顯現，纔顯明出來。祂已經把死廢掉，…將生命…照耀出來。』

彼前一章十三節說到信徒所全然寄望於的恩典。幾乎每一天我都禱告，盼望我的魂在主回來時能得救。…這是在來世魂的得救，使那些進去享受主快樂的人，與祂一同坐席。〔太二五20 ～ 23。〕這恩典要在主耶穌第二次來臨顯現時來到。這是舊約眾申言者所考察過，以及我們新約信徒所寄望於的。爲着這恩典感謝主。（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第一册，五八○至五八一頁。）

恩典乃是神在祂生命裏所給我們的供應，使我們活出祂的定旨。〔提後一9 ～ 10。〕…神的恩典是在永遠裏賜給我們的，但藉着我們的主第一次來，把死廢掉，將生命帶給我們，（來九26，）這恩典就顯明出來，並應用到我們身上。…所命定要賜給我們的恩典，隨着主耶穌的顯現而來。這恩典不僅僅是一個福分，更是一個人位，就是三一神自己賜給我們，作我們的享受。主耶穌顯現時，這恩典就來了，現今與我們同在。（新約總論第十二册，二三三至二三四頁。）

信息選讀

在彼前一章十三節彼得也囑咐我們要全然寄望於恩典。這盼望指由重生所得活的盼望。（3。）我們需要將我們活的盼望全然置於耶穌基督顯現的時候，所帶給我們的恩。這恩必定不僅僅是指不當得的好處；乃是指魂的救恩，（5，9 ～ 10，）是神完全救恩的完成。恩典在主第一次來臨時已經帶給我們，（約一17，）這恩典要完成於主的再來。我們當寄望於這樣的恩典。

比較說來，今天我們所享受的主是一小部分。在聖經裏這稱爲豫嘗，還不是全享。今世是豫嘗的世代；但主耶穌回來時，我們就要全享。我們享受豫嘗的時候，就寄望於要來的全享。…要來的全享將是這獨一恩典的完成。

在彼前一章十三節末了，彼得說到耶穌基督的顯現。…現今，我們乃是在幔子之下享受主耶穌作豫嘗。但時候將到，幔子要被除去。

因爲我們同主在幔子之下，別人也許不能領會我們在作甚麼。我們也許想要告訴他們，我們在享受基督。然而，他們也許說，這是無稽之談。我們的享受是隱藏的，沒有同樣經歷的人無法知道這事。但有一天主耶穌要顯現。那時別人就能領會我們一直在享受主耶穌。這顯現將是要來的恩典，作三一神完全救恩的完成。

我們若沒有享受主耶穌作豫嘗，就不會盼望祂顯現作我們的全享。…我們享受豫嘗，就有這樣的盼望。我們需要全然寄望於耶穌基督顯現的時候，所帶給我們的恩。（彼得前書生命讀經，一○六至一○八頁。）

參讀：彼得前書生命讀經，第十一篇；羅馬書的結晶，第二十二至二十四篇。

WEEK 5 — DAY 3

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Morning Nourishment

1 Pet. 1:13 …Set your hope perfectly on the grace being brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

2 Tim. 1:9-10 Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling… according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the times of the ages but now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who nullified death and brought life…

First Peter 1:13 speaks of the grace on which the believers set their hope perfectly. Nearly every day, I pray that my soul will be saved at the Lord’s coming back…This is the saving of the soul in the next age for those who enter into the enjoyment of the Lord to feast with Him [Matt. 25:20-23]. This grace will come by the revelation of the Lord Jesus at His second coming. It was studied by the prophets in the Old Testament and is hoped for by us, the New Testament believers. Thank the Lord for such a grace. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” pp. 458-459)

Grace is God’s provision in life given to us so that we may live out His purpose [2 Tim. 1:9-10]…God’s grace was given to us in eternity, but it was manifested and applied to us through our Lord’s first coming, in which He nullified death and brought life to us (Heb. 9:26)…The grace destined to be given to us came with the appearing of the Lord Jesus. This grace is not merely a blessing; it is a person, the Triune God Himself given to us to be our enjoyment. This grace came when the Lord Jesus appeared, and now it is with us today. (Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3675-3676)

Today’s Reading

In 1 Peter 1:13 Peter…charges us to set our hope perfectly on the grace. This hope is the living hope obtained through regeneration (v. 3). We need to set our living hope perfectly on the grace that is being brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Surely this grace is not merely unmerited favor. It refers to the salvation of the soul (vv. 5, 9-10), which will be the consummation of God’s full salvation. Grace was brought to us by the Lord’s first coming (John 1:17). It will be consummated by His second coming. On such grace we should set our hope.

Whatever we enjoy of the Lord today is, comparatively speaking, a small portion. In the Bible this is called the foretaste; it is not yet the full taste. This age is an age of foretaste. But when the Lord Jesus comes back, we will enjoy the full taste. While we are enjoying the foretaste, we set our hope on the coming full taste…The coming full taste will be the consummation of this unique grace.

Toward the end of 1 Peter 1:13 Peter speaks of the revelation, [the unveiling] of Jesus Christ…At present, we are enjoying the Lord Jesus as a foretaste under the veil. But the time is coming when the veil will be taken away.

Because we are under a veil with the Lord, others may not be able to understand what we are doing. We may try to tell them that we are enjoying Christ. However, they may say that this is nonsense. Our enjoyment is concealed, and others who do not share the same experience cannot know anything about it. But one day the Lord Jesus will be revealed. Then others will be able to understand that we have been enjoying the Lord Jesus. This revelation will be the coming grace as the consummation of the full salvation of the Triune God.

If we are not enjoying the Lord Jesus as the foretaste, we will not have the hope that He will be revealed as our full taste…When we enjoy the foretaste, we have such a hope. We need to set our hope perfectly on the grace being brought to us at the revelation, the unveiling, of Jesus Christ. (Life-study of 1 Peter, pp. 89-90)

Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Peter, msg. 11; CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” chs. 22—24