第五週■週六

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晨興餧養

彼後三18『你們卻要在我們的主和救主耶穌基督的恩典和知識上長大。願榮耀歸與祂，從現今直到永遠之日。阿們。』

弗二7『好在要來的諸世代中，顯示祂在基督耶穌裏，向我們所施恩慈中恩典超越的豐富。』

彼後三章十八節說，我們需要在恩典上長大。恩典乃是神自己帶着神性經過成肉體、死、復活和升天的過程。這一切恩典的元素都在我們裏面，與我們成爲一。恩典乃是神自己作我們的生命，與我們成爲一，拯救我們，安家在我們裏面，並成形在我們裏面。我們需要在這樣的恩典裏長大，使祂得榮耀，從現今直到永遠之日。彼後三章十八節是使徒彼得著作的結語，指明他所寫的一切，乃是屬於神的恩典、在神的恩典裏、憑着神的恩典、並藉着神的恩典。（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第一册，五八二至五八三頁。）

信息選讀

信徒在神經綸中經歷神恩典的終極完成，就是召會作基督的身體。（弗一6 ～ 8，22 ～ 23。）基督的身體是怎樣出來的？我們原來是墮落的罪人；基督來流血，把我們贖回到基督裏。基督是我們得救的範圍和成分（元素）。基督的寶血把我們贖回到祂自己這範圍和成分裏。我們在基督裏，就享受祂的成分。祂的成分就把我們製作爲神寶貴的產業。以弗所一章二十二、二十三節給我們看見，神在基督身上所運行的大能，使祂從死人中復活，超過世界，升到天上，坐在神的右邊，並且踐踏仇敵，將一切都服在祂的腳下，而作萬有的頭。這個大能乃是向着召會的，也就是傳輸到召會裏的。召會是祂的身體，得着這個大能的傳輸。頭有這個大能，身體也得着這個大能的傳輸。基督的身體就是這樣產生出來的。

神…經綸中之恩典的產品，乃是一首詩章。（弗二10 上。）神創造的諸天、地和人，不是神的詩章；但召會，基督的身體，乃是神的詩章。…神…經綸中之恩典的產品，乃是一首詩章，展示神這經綸中之恩典超越的豐富。（7。）…這恩典是豐富、洋溢、繁殖而增多的。…我們…一面展示神豐富的恩典，另一面完成神所豫定的。這些善良事工〔10〕必是指實行神的旨意，過召會生活，並作耶穌基督的活見證。

在使徒保羅，萬事如糞土，恩典之於他，只是神基督；他乃是藉着這恩典，就是他所經歷的主，爲主勞苦，超過眾使徒。我們今天的生活，我們今天的工作，也該像保羅一樣，以這一位經過過程、終極完成的三一神作恩典。我們整體的生活該是這樣，而不是僅僅作一點該作的事，或是僅僅作一些好的事。在這樣整體的生活裏，完全不在於是非、善惡和對錯，乃是在經過過程之三一神的範圍裏。在這樣的生活裏，只以生命爲原則。凡是出於生命的，神就要；不是生命的，神就不要。這生命就是這豐富的恩典，是以父神作本質，以子神作元素，以靈神作素質的；這生命也就是神來作我們的恩典。我們所該活的就是這樣的生活。願主憐憫我們，祝福我們，叫我們都過這樣的生活，使我們在神的經綸中，至終能經歷神恩典的終極完成。（李常受文集一九九一至一九九二年第二册，四三八至四三九、四四八至四五○頁。）

參讀：神在祂經綸中的律法與恩典，第二、四篇。

WEEK 5 — DAY 6

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Morning Nourishment

2 Pet. 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and unto the day of eternity. Amen.

Eph. 2:7 That He might display in the ages to come the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Second Peter 3:18 says that we need to grow in grace. Grace is God Himself with divinity processed through incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension. All these elements of grace are within us to be one with us. Grace is God Himself as our life to be one with us, to save us, to make His home in us, and to be formed in us. We need to grow in such a grace for His glory today and unto the day of eternity. Second Peter 3:18 is the concluding word of the apostle Peter’s writings, indicating that whatever he has written is of, in, by, and through the grace of God. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” p. 460)

Today’s Reading

The consummation of the believers’ experience of the grace of God in His economy is the church as the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:6-8, 22-23). How is the Body of Christ produced? We were fallen sinners, but Christ came and shed His blood to redeem us back into Himself. Christ is the sphere and element of our salvation. The precious blood of Christ redeemed us back into Himself as the sphere and element. In Christ we enjoy His element, and with His element we have been made God’s precious possession. Ephesians 1:22-23 shows us that the power that God caused to operate in Christ raised Him from the dead so that He might transcend the world and ascend to the heavenlies, being seated at the right hand of God, crushing the enemy, having all things subjected under His feet, and thus being given to be the Head over all things. Such power is “to the church,” that is, transmitted to the church. The church as His Body receives the transmission of this power. Since the Head has this power, the Body also receives the transmission of this power. It is in this way that the Body of Christ is produced.

The product of the grace in God’s economy is a poem (2:10a). The heavens, the earth, and man, which were created by God, are not God’s poem. Rather, the church, the Body of Christ, is God’s poem. The product of the grace in God’s economy is a poem to exhibit the surpassing riches of the grace in God’s economy (v. 7)…Grace is rich, abounding, multiplying, and increasing. On the one hand, we are to exhibit the rich grace of God, and on the other hand, we are to carry out what God foreordained. These good works [v. 10] must be the doing of His will that we may live the church life and bear the testimony of Jesus Christ.

To the apostle Paul, all things were like refuse, and grace was God in Christ. It was by grace, the Lord whom he experienced, that he labored for the Lord more abundantly than all the apostles. Like Paul, we should take the processed and consummated Triune God as grace in our living and work today. Our total living should be like this, not just doing some proper things or good things. In such a total living, it is altogether not a matter of being right or wrong or of doing good or evil; it is altogether in the sphere of the processed Triune God. In such a living we take only life as the principle. Whatever is of life, that is what God wants; whatever is not of life, that is what God rejects. This life is the rich grace with God the Father as the substance, God the Son as the element, and God the Spirit as the essence; this life is God coming to be our grace. This is the living that we should have. May the Lord be merciful to us and bless us that we may live such a life so that eventually we can experience the consummation of the grace of God in His economy. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 2, “The Law and Grace of God in His Economy,” pp. 335-336, 342-343)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 2, “The Law and Grace of God in His Economy,” chs. 2, 4