第九週 • 週二

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晨興餧養

林後五18~20  一切都是出於神，祂藉着基督使我們與祂自己和好，又將這和好的職事賜給我們；…且將這和好的話語託付了我們。所以我們為基督作了大使，就好像神藉我們勸你們一樣；我們替基督求你們：要與神和好。

保羅在林後五章二十節所寫的話很不尋常。他說『我們…作了大使』，接着就說，『就好像神藉我們勸你們一樣。』保羅的意思是說，『我們是基督的大使，正在執行和好的工作。這就好像是神藉我們勸你們一樣。我們與基督是一，也與神是一。基督與我們是一，神也與我們是一。…』在新約的職事裏，神、基督以及眾執事都是一。…神、基督、使徒們，在執行和好的職事上乃是一（哥林多後書生命讀經，三七七頁）。

信息選讀

〔哥林多〕信徒已經局部與神和好了，但是他們還沒有完全與神和好。…保羅在林前一章提到他們是聖徒，是蒙神呼召進入祂兒子交通裏的一班人〔2〕；因此，他們必定多多少少與神和好了。

哥林多前後書給我們看見，哥林多信徒與神局部和好之後，仍舊活在肉體裏、活在外面的人裏。他們與神之間，有肉體、天然的人這層分隔的幔子。這層幔子並不等於聖所入口處的簾子，而是相當於會幕裏面的幔子，就是隔開聖所與至聖所的幔子。哥林多信徒也許是在聖所裏面，但他們不是在至聖所裏面。這意思是說，他們與神所在的地方仍是隔離的。因此，他們並沒有完全與神和好。

林後五章十九節是叫世人與神和好，二十節是叫已經與神和好的信徒，進一步與神和好。這清楚指明，人與神完全的和好有兩步。第一步是罪人脫離罪與神和好；為這目的，基督為我們的罪死了（林前十五3），使我們的罪蒙神赦免。這是基督的死客觀的一面。在這一面，祂在十字架上擔當我們的罪，替我們受了神的審判。第二步是活在天然生命中的信徒脫離肉體與神和好。為這目的，基督替我們這個『人』死了，使我們能在復活的生命裏向祂活着（林後五14~15）。這是基督的死主觀的一面。在這一面，祂替我們成為罪，受神審判，被神剪除，使我們能在祂裏面成為神的義。藉着祂死的這兩面，祂就使神所揀選的人，完全與神和好了。

哥林多人雖然已經得救，局部地與神和好，但是他們仍活在肉體裏，也就是活在魂裏，活在外面的人、天然的人裏。肉體、天然人的幔子仍然使他們與神隔開。這意思是說，他們天然的人是阻隔的幔子。因此，他們需要第二步的和好。…使徒保羅在哥林多前後書所作的，乃是要裂開肉體這一層阻隔的幔子，使哥林多信徒能進入至聖所。

聖所裏雖有神的祝福，但神自己乃是在至聖所裏。在聖所裏有那靈的祝福、燈檯與香壇。但在聖所裏沒有神直接的同在。我們若要得着神自己，就必須進一步的和好，進到至聖所裏。我們必須接受和好的第二步，而被帶進神的面光中。這是完全的和好。這和好不僅帶我們從罪裏出來，也帶我們從肉體、天然的人、天然的所是裏出來。這樣我們就被帶來歸向神，與神成為一（哥林多後書生命讀經，三七八至三八一頁）。

參讀：哥林多後書生命讀經，第三十七篇。

WEEK 9 — DAY 2

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Morning Nourishment

2 Cor. 5:18-20 But all things are out from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation… and has put in us the word of reconciliation. On behalf of Christ then we are ambassadors, as God entreats you through us; we beseech you on behalf of Christ, Be reconciled to God.

Paul’s composition in 2 Corinthians 5:20 is unusual. After saying, “We are ambassadors,” he says, “As God entreats you through us.” Paul seems to be saying, “We are ambassadors of Christ, and we are doing a reconciling work. This is like God entreating you through us. We are one with Christ and one with God…” The ministry of the new covenant is a ministry in which God, Christ, and the ministers are one…God, Christ, and the apostles were one in carrying out the ministry of  reconciliation. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, p. 318)

Todays Reading

The believers in Corinth…had already been reconciled to God partially. However, they had not been fully reconciled to Him…In 1 Corinthians 1 Paul refers to them as saints, as those who had been called by God into the fellowship of His Son. Therefore, they surely had been reconciled to God to some degree.

The books of 1 and 2 Corinthians show that the believers at Corinth, after being reconciled to God partially, still lived in the flesh, in the outer man. Between them and God there was the separating veil of the flesh, of the natural man. This veil corresponds to the veil inside the tabernacle, the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, not to the veil at the entrance to the Holy Place. The Corinthian believers may have been in the Holy Place, but they were not in the Holy of Holies. This means they were still separated from the place where God is. Therefore, they had not been reconciled to God in full.

In 2 Corinthians 5:19 it is the world that is to be reconciled to God. In verse 20 it is the believers, those who have already been reconciled to God, who are to be reconciled to Him further. This clearly indicates that two steps are required for people to be fully reconciled to God. The first step is to reconcile sinners to God from sin. For this purpose Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3) that they might be forgiven by God. This is the objective aspect of Christ’s death. In this aspect He bore our sins on the cross that they might be judged by God upon Him for us. The second step is to reconcile believers living in the natural life to God from the flesh. For this purpose Christ died for us—the persons—that we might live to Him in the resurrection life (2 Cor. 5:14-15). This is the subjective aspect of Christ’s death. In this aspect He was made sin for us to be judged and done away with by God that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. By the two aspects of His death He has fully reconciled God’s chosen people to God.

Although the Corinthians had been saved and reconciled to God halfway, they still lived in the flesh; that is, they lived in the soul, the outer man, the natural being. The veil of the flesh, of the natural man, still separated them from God. This means that their natural being was a separating veil. Therefore, they needed the second step of reconciliation…What the apostle Paul was doing in 1 and 2 Corinthians was to cleave the separating veil of the flesh so that the believers at Corinth could enter into the Holy of Holies.

The blessings of God can be found in the Holy Place, but God Himself is in the Holy of Holies. In the Holy Place are the blessings of the Spirit, the lampstand, and the incense altar. But in the Holy Place there is not the direct presence of God. In order to have God Himself, we must be reconciled further and come into the Holy of Holies. We must take the second step of reconciliation to be brought into the presence of God. This is full reconciliation. This reconciliation brings us not only out of sin but also out of the flesh, the natural man, the natural being. Then we are brought to God and become one with Him. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 318-321)

Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 37