第二十六週．週三

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晨興餧養

西三４　　『基督是我們的生命，祂顯現的時候，你們也要與祂一同顯現在榮耀裏。』

加二２０　『我已經與基督同釘十字架；現在活著的，不再是我，乃是基督在我裏面活著；並且我如今在肉身裏所活的生命，是我在神兒子的信裏，與祂聯結所活的，祂是愛我，為我捨了自己。』

〔腓立比二章五至八節〕所陳明的榜樣，如今就是我們裏面的生命，我們稱這生命為釘十字架的生命。基督降卑的七步是釘十字架生命的各方面。雖然基督有神格的彰顯，祂卻把這個彰顯擺在一邊。然而祂沒有丟棄祂神格的實際。祂撇棄了較高的形狀—神的形狀，取了非常低的形狀—奴僕的形狀。祂是這樣倒空自己。這當然是十字架生命的印記。祂成為人且顯為人的樣子之後，就降卑自己，以至於死，且死在十字架上。這就是釘十字架的生命，完滿且絕對的活了出來。（腓立比書生命讀經，一○五頁。）

信息選讀

基督不僅是我們外面的榜樣，祂也是我們裏面的生命。祂是這個內裏的生命，要叫我們經歷祂，因而活出釘十字架的生命。在這個釘十字架的生命裏，私圖好爭、貪圖虛榮或自我高舉都沒有地位。相反的，這裏只有倒空自己，只有降卑自己。每當我們經歷基督並活基督時，我們不知不覺就活出這種釘十字架的生命。這意思是說，當我們活基督時，我們就是活那作釘十字架生命之榜樣的一位。那麼，我們也就會倒空自己並降卑自己了。

惟有釘十字架的生命纔能活出這個榜樣。如果我們的行事仍有私圖好爭、貪圖虛榮，或者還有野心要作頭，我們就不是活釘十字架的生命，我們就沒有倒空自己，也沒有降卑自己。然而，我們裏面的確有能倒空自己並降卑自己的生命；這個生命從來不以甚麼東西為強奪之珍而緊持不放；相反的，它總是樂意捨棄地位、捨棄頭銜。…當腓立比二章的榜樣成為我們裏面的生命時，這榜樣就成了我們的救恩，我們就從私圖好爭與貪圖虛榮中蒙拯救。如果腓立比人不願意照著這榜樣生活，他們就不能使保羅的喜樂滿足。他仍然會為他們的私圖好爭、貪圖虛榮擔心。但是，如果他們願意過釘十字架的生活，就是一再倒空自己、降卑自己、不以任何事物為強奪之珍而緊持不放的生活，他們就會對基督有真實的經歷。他們經歷基督作這樣的榜樣和裏面的生命，就會叫使徒極其喜樂。

我們過釘十字架的生活，就表明我們對使徒們有在基督裏的鼓勵、愛的安慰、靈的交通、以及慈心和憐恤。…保羅在監獄中並不在乎別人怎樣對待他，他所關切的乃是信徒有沒有接受基督作他們的榜樣，並且過釘十字架的生活。（腓立比書生命讀經，一○五至一○七頁。）

保羅在腓立比二章三至四節說，『凡事都不私圖好爭，也不貪圖虛榮，只要心思卑微，各人看別人比自己強；各人不單看重自己的長處，也看重別人的。』保羅在五節繼續說，『你們裏面要思念基督耶穌裏面所思念的。』這節指明，基督耶穌裏面所思念的應當成為我們裏面所思念的。五節所說你們裏面要思念的，是指三節的『看』和四節的『看重』。當基督倒空自己，取了奴僕的形狀，顯為人的樣子，並且降卑自己（7～8）的時候，祂裏面也有這種思念和心思。要有這樣的心思，我們需要在基督的心腸裏（一8）與祂是一。要經歷基督，我們需要到一個地步，就是在祂內在柔細的感覺和思想裏與祂是一。（新約總論第十二冊，一二至一三頁。）

參讀：新約總論，第三百四十七篇。

WEEK 26 — DAY 3

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Morning Nourishment

Col. 3:4 When Christ our life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory.

Gal. 2:20 I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

The pattern presented in [Philippians 2:5-8] is now the life within us. This life is what we call a crucified life. The seven steps of Christ’s humiliation are all aspects of the crucified life. Although Christ had the expression of deity, He laid aside this expression. However, He did not lay aside the reality of His deity. He laid aside the higher form, the form of God, and took on a much lower form, the form of a slave. In this, He emptied Himself. Surely this is a mark of a crucified life. Then, after becoming a man and being found in the appearance of a man, Christ humbled Himself even unto the death of the cross. This was the crucified life lived out in a full and absolute way. (Lifestudy of Philippians, p. 88)

Todays Reading

Christ is not only an outward pattern for us; He is also the life within us. As this inner life, He would have us experience Him and thereby live a crucified life. In this crucified life there is no room for rivalry, vainglory, or self-exaltation. On the contrary, there is self-emptying and self-humbling. Whenever we experience Christ and live Christ, we automatically live such a crucified life. This means that when we live Christ, we live the One who is the pattern of a crucified life. Then we also will empty ourselves and humble ourselves.

Only the crucified life can live such a pattern. If we still do things out of rivalry and vainglory or are still ambitious to be leaders, we are not living a crucified life. We are not emptying ourselves or humbling ourselves. However, we have a life within us that truly is a self-emptying and selfhumbling life. This life never grasps at something as a treasure. Instead, it is always willing to lay aside position and title. When the pattern in Philippians 2 becomes our inward life, the pattern becomes our salvation. Then we are saved from rivalry and vainglory. If the Philippians were not willing to live according to this pattern, they could not make Paul’s joy full. He would still be troubled by their rivalry and vainglory. But if they were willing to live the crucified life, a life that always empties itself and humbles itself, not grasping anything as a treasure, they would have the genuine experience of Christ. Their experience of Christ as such a pattern and inward life would make the apostle extremely happy. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 3492)

Living a crucified life shows that toward the apostles we have encouragement in Christ, consolation of love, fellowship of spirit, and tenderheartedness and compassion…Paul was not concerned with how he was treated by others. His concern was whether or not the believers would take Christ as their pattern and live a crucified life. (Life-study of Philippians, p. 89)

In Philippians 2:3-4 Paul says, “Doing nothing by way of selfish ambition nor by way of vainglory, but in lowliness of mind considering one another more excellent than yourselves; not regarding each his own virtues, but each the virtues of others also.” In verse 5 Paul goes on to say, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” This verse indicates that the mind that was in Christ Jesus should be in us. This in verse 5 refers to considering in verse 3 and regarding in verse 4. This kind of thinking, this kind of mind, was also in Christ when He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, and humbled Himself, being found in fashion as a man (vv. 7-8). To have such a mind requires us to be one with Christ in His inward parts (1:8). To experience Christ, we need to be one with Him to this extent, that is, in His tender, inward feeling and in His thinking. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3489-3490)

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 347