第二十二週．週一

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晨興餧養

創一２６　『神說，我們要按著我們的形像，照著我們的樣式造人，使他們管理…全地、並地上所爬的一切爬物。』

弗二１５　『在祂的肉體裏，廢掉了那規條中誡命的律法，好把兩下在祂自己裏面，創造成一個新人，成就了和平。』

人的生命是最高的受造生命。…亞當，頭一個人，豫表基督…是神創造的中心，…是一切受造之物和眾人的元首，…在神的形像和樣式上是神的彰顯，…也是神的代表，管理神一切的造物。（聖經恢復本，創一26註3。）

神給人管治權，目的是：（一）征服神的仇敵，那背叛神的撒但；（二）恢復被撒但所篡竊的地；以及（三）運用神管理地的權柄，使神的國得以臨到地上，神的旨意得以行在地上，神的榮耀得以顯在地上。（太六10，13下。）…神的目的是要人有祂的形像彰顯祂，有祂的管治權代表祂，這不是在亞當這頭一個人（林前十五45上）—舊人（羅六6）—身上得著完成，乃是在基督這第二個人…—新人…—身上得著完成。這新人是由基督自己作頭，以及召會作祂的身體…所組成的。這要完全在得勝的信徒身上得著完成，他們活基督，作祂團體的彰顯，（腓一19～26，）並要得著權柄制伏列國，在千年國裏與基督一同作王。…這要終極完成於新耶路撒冷，彰顯神的形像，有祂的榮耀和祂顯出的樣子，…並且運用神的神聖權柄，維持神對全宇宙的管治權，直到永遠。（創一26註5。）

信息選讀

在人受造且墮落之後，這位成為肉體，是神在人性中在地上生活、釘十字架、復活、升天且登寶座的奇妙者，從天降下；祂的降下乃是奇中之奇。這樣一位奇妙者從天降下，產生了召會。

召會的產生不是只有一個民族，乃是有許多民族。在行傳二章九至十一節，至少有不少於十五種方言的十五個國籍作代表。雖然這些人都是猶太人，（5，）但在神主宰的權柄下，這些猶太人不是都說一種語言。…他們是猶太人，但他們是分裂且分散的。然而到了召會產生的時候，他們都聚集在一起；在那聚集裏，召會產生了。這指明在舊人裏分裂並分散的，在新人裏完全恢復了。在舊人裏，人是分裂且分散的；但在新人裏，人聚集成為一。

若沒有保羅的書信，我們無法看見關乎一個新人的光。以弗所二章十三節說，『但如今在基督耶穌裏，你們這從前遠離的人，靠著基督的血，已經得親近了。』『得親近』不僅指親近神，也指親近信徒。十四節說，『因祂自己是我們的和平，將兩下作成一個，拆毀了中間隔斷的牆，就是仇恨。』中間隔斷的牆，乃是不同民族之間的分裂和分裂的因素。基督在十字架上拆毀了這因素。藉此，基督已經從猶太和外邦這兩班人創造成一個新人。四章二十二節說，『在從前的生活樣式上，脫去了舊人，這舊人是照著那迷惑的情慾敗壞的。』脫去舊人就是脫去分裂且分散的人。穿上新人就是穿上聚集的一個新人，『這新人是照著神，在那實際的義和聖中所創造的。』（24。）（李常受文集一九七七年第三冊，六○五至六○六頁。）

參讀：以弗所書生命讀經，第二十三篇。

WEEK 22 — DAY 1

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Morning Nourishment

Gen. 1:26 And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion…over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.

Eph. 2:15 Abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace.

The human life is the highest created life…Adam, the first man, typifies Christ…as the center of God’s creation…, as the Head of all creation… and of all men…, as God’s expression in God’s image and likeness…, and as God’s representative to rule over all things created by God. (Gen. 1:26, footnote 2)

God’s intention in giving man dominion is (1) to subdue God’s enemy, Satan, who rebelled against God; (2) to recover the earth, which was usurped by Satan; and (3) to exercise God’s authority over the earth in order that the kingdom of God may come to the earth, the will of God may be done on the earth, and the glory of God may be manifested on the earth (Matt. 6:10, 13b). God’s intention that man would express God in His image and represent God with His dominion is fulfilled not in Adam as the first
man (1 Cor. 15:45a), the old man (Rom. 6:6), but in Christ as the second man…, the new man…, comprising Christ Himself as the Head and the church as His Body…It is fully fulfilled in the overcoming believers, who live Christ for His corporate expression (Phil. 1:19-26) and will have authority over the nations and reign as co-kings with Christ in the millennium…It will ultimately be fulfilled in the New Jerusalem, which will express God’s image, having His glory and bearing His appearance…, and also exercise God’s divine authority to maintain God’s dominion over the entire universe for eternity. (Gen. 1:26, footnote 5)

Todays Reading

After creation and the fall of man this wonderful One—who was incarnated, who was God living a life in humanity on this earth, and who was crucified, resurrected, ascended, and enthroned—came down. His coming down was a wonder among all wonders. This coming down of such a wonderful One brought forth the church.

The church was brought forth not just with one people but with many peoples. In Acts 2:9-11 at least fifteen nationalities speaking at least fifteen dialects were represented. Although all these were Jews (v. 5), under God’s sovereignty all these Jews were not of one language…They were Jews, but they were divided and scattered. However, when the time came for the church to be brought forth, they were all gathered together, and in that gathering, the church was produced. This indicates that what was divided and scattered in the old man was fully recovered in the new man. In the old man, man was
divided and scattered, but in the new man, man is gathered and made one.

Without Paul’s Epistles we could not see the light concerning the one new man. Ephesians 2:13 says, “Now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have become near in the blood of Christ.” To become near is to become near not only to God but near to the believers. Verse 14 says, “For He Himself is our peace, He who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of partition, the enmity.” The middle wall of partition is the division, the dividing factor, between different peoples. This factor was torn down by Christ on the cross. By this, Christ has created one new man of two peoples, the Jews and the Gentiles. Ephesians 4:22 says, “That you put off, as regards
your former manner of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit.” To put off the old man is to put off the divided and scattered man. To put on the new man (v. 24) is to put on the gathered and one new man, “which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality” (v. 24). (CWWL, 1977, vol. 3, “The One New Man,” pp. 476-477)

Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msg. 23