第二十七週．週五

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晨興餧養

西二１２～１４　『在受浸中與祂一同埋葬，也在受浸中，藉著那叫祂從死人中復活之神所運行的信心，與祂一同復活。你們從前…死了，神赦免了你們一切的過犯，叫你們一同與基督活過來；塗抹了規條上所寫，…反對我們的字據，並且把它撤去，釘在十字架上。』

我們在歌羅西二章十一至十五節能看見〔在基督這土壤裏〕更多的元素。十一節說，『你們在祂裏面也受了非人手所行的割禮，乃是在基督的割禮裏，脫去了肉體的身體。』土壤還包含基督的割禮，表明割除和殺死。…十二節說，我們在受浸中與基督一同埋葬，指明土壤也包含埋葬的元素。…我們埋葬以後，又復活。在十二節，保羅說到那叫基督從死人中復活的神。這說法指明在基督這土壤裏，有一個叫我們復活的元素。按照十三節來看，我們也活過來了。在土壤裏有一個元素賜我們生命，點活我們。在林前十五章四十五節，保羅說到賜生命的靈。在歌羅西二章十三節，他用同樣的希臘字說到賜人生命，叫人活過來，但是用過去式。基督作為土壤，已叫我們活過來，祂已賜給我們生命。（歌羅西書生命讀經，五七五頁。）

信息選讀

在歌羅西二章十四至十五節，…我們看見，在基督這土壤裏更多的元素。塗抹了在規條上所寫的字據，是在土壤裏的一種元素；將一切執政的和掌權的脫下，把他們公然示眾，仗著十字架在凱旋中向他們誇勝，也是如此。…讚美主，祂是這樣豐富的土壤！我們在這土壤裏已經生根；一天過一天，我們的根需要更加深入到基督這獨一的土壤裏。

然而，十一至十五節指明，在消極方面有肉體、規條、以及執政掌權者。我們男、女、老、幼、有文化的、沒有文化的，都受這三類反面事物的攪擾。我們都有肉體，都有某種規條，也都服從空中邪惡的掌權者。罪、世界、過犯的根源都在這些反面的事物裏。讚美主，在基督這土壤裏有割禮的元素，將肉體治死！在基督這土壤裏有殺死的能力。…我們在其中所生根的美地，其上的土壤乃是割禮的『鹽』。這種元素不能使任何作物生長，但對於殺菌卻很有果效。它割除肉體，並殺死肉體。

殺死以後，就需要埋葬。在作土壤的基督裏，有一種元素使我們被埋葬。不僅如此，還有另一種元素使我們復活。…在作土壤的基督裏，我們被治死、埋葬、復活、並得著生命。殺死和埋葬將反面的事物從我們身上帶走，而復活將我們帶離反面的事物。然後土壤裏賜人生命的元素，就使我們活著。因此，在作土壤的基督裏面，有殺死我們、埋葬我們、使我們復活、並使我們活著的元素。

根據十四節，在規條上所寫，攻擊我們、反對我們的字據，已經被塗抹，已經被釘在十字架上。在這土壤裏，也有塗抹規條的元素。…我們在日常行事為人的方式上，都有某種的規條。這些規條也許不是成文的，卻是刻在我們的頭腦裏。也許你從來不覺得，但規條卻攔阻你在生命裏長大。你要長得合式，這些規條就必須塗抹掉，釘在十字架上。我能作見證，當我從基督這土壤裏吸收滋養，我的規條就被塗抹了。今天我們不需要規條，我們只需要從土壤裏吸收豐富，使我們長大，並且被建造。（歌羅西書生命讀經，五七五至五七六、五七九至五八○頁。）

參讀：歌羅西書生命讀經，第五十二至五十三篇。

WEEK 27 — DAY 5

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Morning Nourishment

Col. 2:12-14 Buried together with Him in baptism, in which also you were raised together with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, though dead…He made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our offenses; wiping out the handwriting in ordinances, which was against us…; and He has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.

In Colossians 2:11 through 15 we find more elements. Verse 11 says, “In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ.” The soil also includes the circumcision of Christ, which denotes cutting and killing…Verse 12, which says that we were buried together with Christ in baptism, indicates that the soil also contains the element of burial…After burial we are raised up. In verse 12 Paul speaks of God, who raised Christ from the dead. This expression indicates that in Christ as the soil there is an element that causes us to be raised up. According to verse 13, we also are made alive. There is an element in the soil that gives us life, enlivens us. In 1
Corinthians 15:45 Paul speaks of the life-giving Spirit. In Colossians 2:13 he uses the same Greek term for life-giving, only in the past tense. As the soil, Christ has made us alive; He has given us life. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 454-455) 

Todays Reading

In Colossians 2:14 and 15…we have more elements that are found in Christ as the soil. The wiping out of the handwriting in ordinances is an element in the soil. The same is true of the stripping off of the rulers and the authorities, the making of a display of them openly, and the triumphing over them in the cross…Praise Him that He is such a rich soil! We have been rooted in this soil. Day by day our roots need to sink deeper into Christ as the unique soil.

On the negative side, however, as 2:11-15 indicates, we have the flesh, the ordinances, and the rulers and authorities. Young and old, male and female, cultured and uncultured—we all are troubled by these three categories of negative things. We all have the flesh, we all have some type of ordinances, and we all are subject to the evil authorities in the atmosphere. Sin, worldliness, and offenses have their source in these negative things. Praise the Lord that in Christ as the soil we have the element of circumcision, which puts the flesh to death! In Christ as the soil, there is killing power…In the soil of the good land in which we are rooted is the “salt” of circumcision. This element does not cause anything to grow, but it is effective in killing germs. It cuts the flesh and kills it.

After the killing, we have burial. In Christ as the soil, there is an element that causes us to be buried. Furthermore, there is another element that raises us up…In Christ as the soil, we are put to death, buried, raised up, and given life. The killing and the burial take the negative things away from us, whereas being raised takes us away from the negative things. Then the element in the soil that gives life makes us living. Therefore, in Christ as the soil, there are elements that kill us, bury us, raise us up, and make us living.

According to 2:14, the handwriting in ordinances, which was against us and contrary to us, has been wiped out. It has been nailed to the cross. In the soil there is also the element of the wiping out of the ordinances. We all have certain kinds of ordinances concerning the way we conduct our daily life. These ordinances may not be in writing, but they are inscribed in our mentality. Perhaps you have never realized this, but ordinances hinder your growth in life. In order for you to grow properly, they need to be wiped out, nailed to the cross. I can testify that as I absorb nourishment from Christ as the soil, my ordinances are wiped out. Today we do not need ordinances. We simply need to assimilate the riches from the soil that we may grow and be built up. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 455, 457-458)

Further Reading: Life-study of Colossians, msgs. 52—53