Manna issue 77 - Safeguarding the Sheep 保護羊群
Upholding the beliefs of the church.
FF Chong—London, U.K.
維護教會的信仰
英國倫敦 張福華 傳道
THE IMPERATIVE 命令
One theme that runs through
the entire Bible is “to safeguard
ourselves.” One reason behind
the need for safeguarding is man’s
inclination to sin. When the first
progenitors were created, they were
commanded not to eat of the fruit of
the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil. God warned that failing to obey
would result in death (Gen 2:17). The
divine command was absolute and
immutable. The first couple enjoyed
abundant blessings when they
faithfully obeyed. But when Adam
and Eve violated this command, not
only did they suffer the consequence
of being separated from God, they
also doomed their descendants—
generation after generation—to
death. God, being full of mercy,
could not bear to see the struggle of
His people caused by their severance
from His grace and abidance. Time
and again, He raised up deliverers,
such as prophets, judges and kings,
to rescue humanity from their plight.
Although God’s salvation has been
unceasingly provided in the history of
humanity, the fight to stay in the Lord
poses a real challenge to believers in
every generation.
整本聖經裡面有一個主題，就是要我們好好"保護或保守自已"。
為什麼有需要來保護自已的其中一個原因，就是因為人們天生就容易犯罪。
當第一代的先祖們被創造之後，他們就被命令，不可以吃善惡知識樹上的果子。
神有事先警告他們，若是沒有好好遵守，就會導致死亡。(創 2：17)
神的命令是絕對，以及不可變更的。
當這第一對夫妻有信心的遵守神的話，他們就享受神豐富的祝福。
但是當亞當和夏娃違被了這個命令，他們不只因為要與神分開，後果就是因此而受苦，而且也讓厄運降在他們的後代子孫身上 -
世世代代 - 都要死去。
神，滿有慈愛，不忍看見人們痛苦的掙扎，因為他們與祂的恩典分離，不能與神同在。
一次又一次，再一次神興起祂的拯救，例如有許多先知，士師(審判官)，君王，從痛苦的情況之中，拯救了人類。
雖然在人類的歷史中，神的拯救重來沒有停止過，
但是對於每個世代的許多信徒而言，要努力保守在主裡面，就真的成為一個挑戰。
The second reason necessitating
safeguarding is the rise of false
teachers. We have seen this recur
through the history of the elect. Not
only had the people of God strayed,
more frighteningly, those who were
supposed to render help to God’s
people had themselves veered
horribly off the path of the Lord. In
the Old Testament, they hailed from
the ranks of the prophets, priests,
and kings (Zeph 3:3–4). Likewise, in
the New Testament, false teachers
and prophets alarmingly emerged
from within the community of faith
(Acts 20:28; 2 Pet 2:1–2). As these
misguided guides are already in the
midst of the sheep, they cause even
more severe harm to the sheep.
Unchecked, these false brethren can
cause catastrophic damage to the
church, crippling her and stifling her
growth.
需要保守自已的第二個原因就是假先知，假教師的出現。
在選民的歷史中，我們已經看到這種情況不斷重新發生。
不只是神的子民走偏差了，更另人害怕的是，
那些本來是要來幫助神子民的人，反而轉變成另一種人讓人害怕的人，他們把神選民帶離神的道路。
舊約的時候，他們會因為先知，祭司和君王的階級的關係，而表達敬意。(番 3：3-4)
同樣的情況，新約的時候，許多假教師和假先知從信仰的團契中，讓人心驚膽跳的逐一浮現。(徒 20：28；彼後 2：1-2)
因為這些會誤導人的帶領，已經存在羊群之中，他們甚至對羊群產生很嚴重的傷害。
雖然從來沒有去查証過，但這些假弟兄，可以對教會引起災難式的損害，削弱教會，抑制了教會的成長。
Christ has already warned His
followers of the inevitable rise of false
teachers. There will be clear signs of
the relentless increase of falsehood
(Mt 24:5,11,24). This is the great
tribulation and the severest test facing
the true believers of God. Satan’s
deception will emerge from within
the church of God. So persuasive will
the prince of darkness’ deception be,
there is a danger that no flesh would
be saved. So for the sake of the elect,
Christ will shorten those days (Mt
24:23–24).
基督已經警告祂的門徒，無可避免地會有假教師的出現。
將會有很多明顯的徵兆，不斷增加許多虛假的情況。(太 24：5，11，24)
這是神真信徒所要面對的大苦難和最嚴格的考驗。
撒旦的欺騙會從神的教會裡面來浮現。
黑暗王子的欺騙能力將會是那麼的有說服力，所以就會有一種可怕的危機，有可能就是沒有人可以得救。
為了選民的原故，基督會縮短這些苦難的日子。(太 24：23-24)
A TEST FROM GOD— SAFEGUARDING OURSELVES 神所賜的試驗 - 保守自已
Some may wonder why God would
allow this to happen to His elect.
The struggle with falsehood in the
church is a test from God to disclose
who we really are (Deut 13:3). The
battle for truth will also be a moment
of truth that reveals how much we
love God. Genuine love for God is
always reflected in the will to walk in
His way wholeheartedly, regardless
of cost (Deut 13:4). Holding on to
the doctrines for salvation imparted
to us by God through the church,
and shunning the suppositions and
deductions of man are essential
manifestations of our love for and
faith in Him.
有些人或許會想，為什麼神會允許這些事情發生在祂的選民身上。
在教會裡面與虛假爭戰，就是來自於神的考試，為的就是顯明我們真實的自已。(申 13：3)
真理的爭戰，也將會真理最關鍵一刻，會顯明我們有多愛神。
對神真正的愛，總會反應在想要全心去遵行祂的道路，無論任何代價。(申 13：4)
要好好持守那些神已經透過教會交付我們的得救教義，回避人類自已無謂的猜測和推論，是我們愛祂，對祂有信心的基本表現。
When falsehood appears in the
church, inevitably, some believers
would be affected. This occurs
because in their capacity as shepherds,
false teachers are well-placed to
develop strong bonds with believers.
Inspired by their eloquence and
charismatic preaching, and touched
by their affability and personal charm,
some believers start to root their
faith in these human pastors, rather
than solely in God. Unlike the Berean
believers, they do not search the
Scriptures to find out for themselves
whether what they have received
from the church is accurate (cf. Acts
17:11). Such trusting sheep put
themselves in a precarious position
because they are unable to discern
the truth. Hence, to safeguard the
church, believers must be properly
and comprehensively taught the word
of God. On their parts, believers must
make every effort to root themselves
in the basic beliefs of the church.
當教會裡面出現虛假的時候，無可避免地有一些信徒會受到影響。
會發生這種事情，是因為他們身為牧者可以這麼作，假教師剛好是這個職位，可以和信徒發展出緊密的連繫。
因為他們的口才很好，並且佈道的方式很有魅力，並且有個人的親和力和個人魅力，有一些信徒因而受到了激動和感動，
開始把他們信仰的根基建立在這些人類的傳道者身上，反而不是把自已的信仰主要建立在神。
他們不會像庇哩亞教會的信徒，自已會考察聖經，並且了解自已從教會所領受的教導是不是正確的。(cf. 徒 17：11)
這類容易輕信的信徒，把自已放在一個危險的情況之中，因為他們不能分辨真理。
因此要守護教會，信徒應該要被正確且全面性的教導神的話。
他們的本份和責任，就是要盡一切努力，把他們的根基建立在教會的基本信條之上。
As humans, we are wont to be
influenced by the things we see, read,
and hear every day. Thus, we must
shun away from reading their writings
and listening to their words. Such
false teachers are experts in twisting
facts to champion their cause. Paul
once taught Timothy to reject profane
and old fables (2 Tim 4:7) so as not to
be corroded. Likewise, we risk losing
godliness when we tolerate profane
words and lend our ears to falsehood.
More damagingly, false teachings will
cause division amongst brethren and
drive a wedge in the church (1 Tim
1:3–4), giving ground to the wicked
one to instill unbelief in the hearts of
the unstable.
身為人，我們很容易受到每天眼前所見，文字所讀，話語所聽，因而受到影響。
因此，我們一定要迴避閱讀他們的文章，不去聽從他們所說的話語。
這些假教師，他們都是扭曲事實的專家，為的就是支持他們的論調。
。羅曾經教導提摩太，要拒絕世俗和古老的寓言(提後 4：7)，這麼一來才不會受到其他想法的侵蝕。
同樣的道理，當我們容忍世俗的道理，讓我們的耳朵去聽一些虛假的道理，我們就是冒著損害神放在我們身上良善本質的風險。
而傷害更大的是，假教師會在弟兄姐妹之中引起分裂，並且導致教會內部產生分裂，(提前 1：3-4)
並且給魔鬼留地步，讓那些信心不堅定的信徒在心逐漸受到侵蝕，變得信心不堅固。
SAFEGUARDING THE CHURCH 守護教會
Clearly, false teachers have been
able to reach their level of insidious
influence because they were able to
hide their true intentions and employed
deceitful plots to achieve their selfish
ends (cf. Eph 4:14). Therefore, besides
equipping believers with God’s word,
the church has the duty to employ
precautionary measures to deal with
these false prophets.
很明顯地，假教師一直以來，他們都可以達到一定程們潛伏的危險和影響，
因為他們可以隱藏自已真正的意圖，運用他們欺騙的詭計，來達到他們自私的目的。(cf. 弗 4：14)
所以，除了裝備神的話在信徒心上，教會也有責任，運用事前預防的機置，來處理這些假教師。
Expose the False Prophet 揭發假教師
A lengthy section of the Mosaic Law
is devoted to safeguarding against
falsehood (Deut 13). A prominent
message is about exposing the false
prophet, who is termed the evil
amongst the people (Deut 13:5).
The reason is straightforward—he is
able to influence the community of
faith to turn away from the LORD, to
walk on a path other than that God
has instructed. His influence can be
contagious for he comes with signs
and wonders, which lend credence to
his false claims.
摩西律法之中，有一段很長的篇幅討論到如何對抗虛假。(申 13章)
是一段有關揭發假先知非常有名的經節，他們被稱為民中的惡者。(申 13：5)
理由是很直接的 - 他可以影響教會團契的信心，轉偏離神的話，走到不是神所指示的道路之上。
他的影響力是會傳染別人的，因為他來也有神蹟和奇事跟隨他們，這也讓他們假道理，看起來有幾分可信之處。
Some people may consider
exposure of these false teachers
“draconian.” Citing the need to show
consideration for these false teachers
and their families, they advocate not
exposing the matter. However, the
Law of Moses starkly clarifies: ‘You
shall not consent to him or listen to
him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor
shall you spare him or even conceal
him; but you shall surely kill him; your
hand shall be the first against him to
put him to death, and afterward the
hand of all the people’ (Deut 13:8–9).
有一些人或許會認為，揭發這些假教師可能過於"苛刻"。
他們會這麼說，我們也應該要體諒到這些假教師和他們家庭的處境和需求，他們反而為這些事作辯護，認為不需要去揭發這些事。
然而，摩西律法嚴格清楚的規定：
"8你不可依從他，也不可聽從他，眼不可顧惜他。你不可憐恤他，也不可遮庇他，"
"9總要殺他；你先下手，然後眾民也下手，將他治死。"
(申 13：8-9)
Those who are spiritually alert
must be prepared to take the drastic
measure of exposing false teachers
and their ploys (Deut 13:8). This is
to allow the community of faith to
steer clear of them. The longer false
teachers are tolerated, the greater
the damage they shall inflict on the
church. If timely action is not taken
with faith in God, the word of God
will be confused and desecrated
beyond recognition (cf. Rev 2:20).
The pattern of the word of salvation
will be clouded and blatantly twisted
in denial of what God has done for
the church. The spiritually alert must
thus also consistently knock down the
pillars of false teachings propagated
by these teachers.
那些靈性上有警覺性的人，一定要準備用最激烈的方式，來揭發假許多教師和他們的計謀。(申 13：8)
這樣可以讓信徒來避開他們這些假教師。
我們容忍教師越久，教會就會更大的傷害。
若是對神沒有信心，並且及時採取行動，神的話語就會被混亂，並且為變更到認不出來，因而受到褻瀆。(啟 2：20)
神救贖話語原本的模式，就會受到遮敝，並且被公然的扭曲，到最後變成否認神曾經為教會所作的一切。
在靈性上要有警覺性，也因此一定要不斷拆除這些柱子，就是假教師所傳播的錯誤教導。
The moral lesson we can gather
from Moses’ instruction is that when
we hear of people spreading words
contrary to the beliefs of the church,
we should diligently investigate
this (Deut 13:14) and identify the
recalcitrant perpetrators of falsehood.
To some, this may appear to be
a witch-hunt. But the Bible itself
provides a precedent for naming false
teachers. Tracing and removing all
possible sources of and contributors
to heresy is an act of love for the
household of God. False teachings
can cause division amongst brethren
and drive a wedge into the church
(1 Tim 1:3–4), giving ground to the
wicked one to further instill unbelief
in the hearts of the unstable.
我們能從摩西的指示中得到的思想道德修養，就是當我們聽到人們在傳播和教會信條不一樣的話語時，
我們應該要努力去查明(申 13：14)，辨別出那些虛假反抗的作惡者。
對某些人來說，這或許看起來像是政治迫害。
但是聖經本身已經有先例了，並且提出假教師的問題。
追捕並除去所有可能是異端的來源和起始者，就是一種愛護神家的行為。
錯誤的教導會引起弟兄姐妹的分裂，讓教會產生不和而分裂(提前 1：3-4)，
給魔鬼留地步，讓他更進一步以不信的心侵蝕那些不堅固弟兄姐妹的心。
Stand Against the False Teacher 挺身對抗假教師
To sway more people to their cause,
false teachers may appeal to the
believers’ emotions and/or use
examples of human relationship
issues. They use conflicts as the
smokescreen to cover the trail of their
false teachings. They always present
themselves as the victims, suffering
for Christ. Once believers show pity
on them, their sense of discernment
will be clouded. If the church is to
maintain the unity of faith, she must
help believers clearly distinguish
between false doctrine and human
relationship problems. Also, the one
body of Christ must use the word of
God to repair broken relationships
while continuing to battle false
teachings. The false teachers always
strive to split up the church when
given a chance, creating conflicts to
support their twisted beliefs.
為了讓更多的人了解他們的事，假教師或許訴諸信徒的情感面，並且，或者使用人際關係的問題當作例子。
他們用衝突作為煙幕彈，來遮掩他們錯誤教導的任何蹤跡。
他們總是把自已弄得很像是受害老，為了基督在受苦。
一旦信徒開始可憐他們，信徒的分辨力就會被遮住。
若是教會要維持信仰的一致性，她必需要幫助信徒清楚的辨別假教條和人際關係的問題。
不只如此，當我們繼續與錯誤教導爭戰的時候，我們一定要用神的話語，來修捕受傷的關係，維持基督合一的身體。
當有機會的時候，假教師總是努力要分裂教會，製造分裂來支持他們扭曲的信仰。
The importance of unity in faith
bears reiterating. In fact, the Bible
teaches us to strive for unity of the
church in the bond of peace (Eph
4:3). This means giving priority to
the interest of the church above our
own, and doing all things for her
good. In contrast, false prophets seek
to further their own interests and are
even prepared to destroy the church
by saying the True Jesus Church (TJC)
is no longer the only true church that
is saved. However, Prophet Ezekiel
declared that anyone who says that
Judah—a reference to Mount Zion
and the church (cf. Ps 78:68)—is just
like other nations, would have to face
the full force of His judgment (Ezek
25:8, 11). While the church is not
perfect yet, those who truly love her
will seek to build her up, not destroy
her.
信仰上合一的重要性必需要重申。
事實上，聖經教我們要努力讓教會在和平的連繫上合而為一。(弗 4：3)
這代表了，為了讓教會得到好處，優先於我們個人的任何事，作一切的事實就是為了她好。
相反地，許多假先知尋求機會，更進一步來滿足自已的好處，甚至準備好要摧毀教會，
會說真耶穌教會(TJC)不再是唯一可以得到的真教會。
然而，以西結先知說，任何人說猶大 - 也意指鍚安山和教會(cf. 詩 78：68) -
只不過像是其他國家一樣，他們將要面對祂審判的全部後果。(結 25：8，11)
雖然教會還沒有全部都完美，真正愛祂的人，會尋求方法把她建立起來，而不是去摧毀她。
Re-educating Religious Educators 重新再訓練宗教教育老師
To safeguard the church, we must
check on one another’s spiritual
well-being. One area the church
needs to pay particular attention is
Religious Education (RE). Children
are not mature enough to discern
doctrinal truth for themselves. They
are particularly vulnerable and their
minds can be easily polluted by
inaccurate teachings. Secular history
is replete with examples of politically
indoctrinated children who turned
on their parents or who were even
trained to carry out terrorist acts.
As RE teachers are a key channel by
which our lambs receive the word of
God, the former’s grasp of doctrine
must also be sound lest they end
up drawing children away from the
truth. If there are RE teachers who
are known to have been influenced
by false teachings, they should be retaught
the word of God.
為了保護教會，我們一定要檢視相互之間的屬靈狀態。
教會一定要特別注意的地方，就是宗教教育。
因為小孩子還不夠成熟來為自已分辨教義上的真理。
他們特別容易受到傷害，他們的思想，很容易受到不正確教道的污染。
世俗的歷史充滿了各種例子，他們在政治上灌輸兒童來攻擊父母，或是甚至被訓練來執行恐怖行動。
因為宗教教育老師，就是一個主要的管道，因為有他們，我們的小羊才會領受神的話，
老師對教義的了解，一定也要健全，才不會到最後，他們把兒童帶離真理。
若是知道有一些宗教教育老師，他們已經受到錯誤教導的影響，他們應該重新學習神的話。
Excommunication 除名
Finally, false prophets who remain
intransigent are no longer in the truth.
An indication of their intransigence
can be gleaned from their unceasing
attempts to attack the core doctrines
of the church. One example is the
doctrine of the Holy Spirit.1 This is
very dangerous because confusion
and any dilution of the teaching on
the Holy Spirit will lead to the lifeline
of the church being cut off. Scripture
clearly commands that recalcitrant
rebels must be excommunicated (cf.
Deut 13:9—put to death).
最後，仍然不妥協的假先知，不在站在真理上。
我們很容易就可以得到他們不妥協的指標，就是他們不停止企圖來攻擊教會的核心教義。
其中的例子就是聖靈的教義。1
這是非常危險的，因為這種教導企圖混亂，並且淡化聖靈的教義，
最後會導致教會的生命線被切斷。
聖經很清楚的命令我們，凡是不服從的背叛者，一定要被除名。(cf. 申 13：9 - 也就是要被治死)
According to Paul, no truth shall
ever come out from those who are
reprobate concerning the faith; they
will only grow worse and worse,
deceiving and being deceived (2 Tim
3:8, 13). Paul’s approach with such
false brethren was decisive—he did not
yield submission to the false brethren
for an hour (Gal 2:4–5). Similarly,
false prophets whose only response
to the church’s efforts to restore
them is retaliation pose a danger to
the church. In such situations, the
only recourse left to the church is
excommunication. This is done with
sorrow, not hatred; out of necessity,
not vengeance. Excommunication
safeguards the sheep by drawing a
line between the apostates and the
church, their deviant teachings and
the teachings of the church, and their
works and the divine works of the
church. Such a distinction will reveal
those who set out to cause division in
the church—for such do not have the
Holy Spirit (Jude 19).
依照保羅的說法，那些在信仰上的惡者，從來不會有真理出自於他們；
他們只會變的更糟更糟，不論是欺騙別人，或是受到別人的欺騙。(提後 3：8，13)
保羅面對這些假弟兄的方法，是果斷的，他一刻也不會屈服於這些假弟兄。(加 2：4-5)
同樣的情況，假先知他們唯一對教會工作的回報，就是努力報復教會，他們讓教會暴露在很危險的情況。
在這樣的情況之下，教會唯一可用的方法，就只有除名而已。
雖然要這麼作讓人很傷心，但絕對不是因為仇恨的原故；而是出於有這樣的必要性，而不是出於報復的心態。
除名是藉著在叛教者和教會之間，偏差的教導和教會的教義之間，他們自已的工作和教會的聖工之間，劃出一條線，來保護羊群。
這種分別的情形，會顯露出那些想要開始在教會製造分裂的人- 因為這些人並沒有聖靈的帶領。(猶 19)
Biblical Precedents of Excommunication 聖經除名的例子
In Galatia, there were people who
preached a gospel other than what
the apostles taught. What they
were saying amounted to denying
the efficacy of the work of Christ on
the cross. They were thus confusing
believers regarding the right way of
salvation. Paul told the Galatians that
such false teachers must be accursed
(Gal 1:8, 9). The original word for
“accurse” is “anathema,” which
literally means to be “cut off.” The
cutting off here is to be severed from
Christ. This is excommunication. Paul,
in fact, did not just mete out this
judgment once. He had done it before
(Gal 1:9), signaling the seriousness
of the case. In fact, Paul repeatedly
accursed those who troubled the
church with falsehood (Gal 5:10,
12). They were to bear their own
judgment.
加拉太，有一些人傳福音，但並不是使徒所傳的福音。
他們所教導的，整個組合起來，就是全部在否認基督在十字架上，所成就善工的效力。
因此，他們就混亂了信徒的認知，讓他們不知道什麼才是得救的正確道路。
保羅因此告訴加拉太的信徒，這些假教師一定會被詛咒。(加 1：8，9)
"詛咒"的原文是"anathema"，就字面的意思來說，就是要被"剪除"。
而這裡的剪除，就是要與基督分離。
這就是除名。
事實上保羅，不只一次給過這樣的審判。
以前他也這樣作過，(加 1：9)，強調這種例子的嚴重性。
事實上是，保羅重覆地詛咒這些人，他們用虛假的教導來讓教會產生問題。(加 5：10)
他們會要承擔自已的最後審判。
In our context, claiming that the
True Jesus Church is not the only
true church is tantamount to saying
God has established His church
inconsequentially. The false prophet
is guilty of making the blood of Jesus
common (Heb 10:29–30). He has
tasted the goodness of God and yet
has willfully gone against what he
has been brought up with. This is not
just a case of going against man. But
rather, it is a case against the very
work of salvation, which Jesus has
achieved on the cross. It is against
God himself. This is intransigence at
its worst state. Thus the church has
to exercise her authority from God to
excommunicate. This is in line with
the apostolic practice.
在本文中，若是宣傳真耶穌教會不是唯一得救的教會，等同於是說，神毫無道理，不合邏輯，不依時序的建立祂的教會。
假先知因為認為耶穌的寶血是很普通的事，所以為定為有罪。(希 10：29-30)
他已經嘗過主恩奇妙的好處，然而卻立意想要背離曾經他受過教導的真理。
這不只是一個違背人的案子。
而甚至這是違背得救的事工，因為這個情況是違背耶穌已經在十字架上成全的事。
而這種情形是違背了神自已的事。
這是一種不妥協之中，最差的情況。
因此教會要運用他從神而來的權力，來行使除名。
這也和使徒的作法相符合。
Another example is Hymenaeus
and Alexander (1 Tim 1:19–20).
The two had rejected the faith
(belief) they once treasured. They
were blasphemers. The concept of
“blasphemy” at times is used together
with the concepts of contradiction and
opposition (Acts 13:45). The apostolic
account brings out the full extent of
the work of the blasphemers (cf. 2
Pet 2:2). They ridiculed, belittled, and
sought to destroy the apostolic faith.
According to Paul, such perpetrators
have judged themselves to be
unworthy of everlasting life (Acts
13:46). In another account, Paul’s
response to blasphemers was even
harsher—declaring that the latter’s
own blood was upon their own heads
(Acts 18:6). Effectively, this was a
pronouncement of death. Remember!
Both the apostolic accounts are
concerned with non-believers of
Jesus. How much more severe it is
for a preacher to blaspheme his own
beliefs?
另一個例子是許米乃和亞歷山大。(提前 1：19-20)
他們兩個人拒絕他們曾經非常重視的信仰。
他們是褻瀆神的人。
當時褻瀆神的概念，是和否認及反對的概念一起使用的。(徒 13：45)
使徒的記載，很詳細的記錄了褻瀆神之人，他們行動很完整的情況。(cf. 彼後 2：2)
他們嘲笑教會，輕視教會，並且尋找機會要來摧毀使徒所傳的信仰。
依照保羅的說法，這此作惡的人，已經給自已作了審判，斷定他們不能承受永生。(徒 13：46)
另一個記載中，保羅對褻瀆神之人的回答是更加的嚴厲 - 宣告說，他們自已血的罪，將會歸在他們自已頭上。(徒 18：6)
非常有效地，這是死亡的宣告。
記住！
兩個使徒的記錄，都和沒有信耶穌的人有關。
若是一個傳道者，褻瀆了自已的信仰，他所要受到的刑罰將會有多麼的嚴重呢！
To stop them from further
blaspheming against the church and
the word, Paul handed Hymenaeus
and Alexander to Satan. This in effect
is to excommunicate them since
“belonging to Satan” indisputably
signifies severance from the body
of Christ. Excommunication was
necessary so that their heresies would
not spread like cancer (cf. 2 Tim
2:17–18). Again, excommunication
draws a clear line between the beliefs
of the church and heresies. It is an
unequivocal reiteration that the church
does not have two sets of contradictory
beliefs. Excommunication maintains
the purity of the church’s faith (cf. 2
Cor 11:2).
為了阻止他們更進一步的褻瀆教會和神的話，保羅把許米乃和亞歷山大交給了撒旦。
這是為了有效地對他們除名，因為"屬於撒旦"不可爭議地強調從基督的身體中分離。
除名是有需要的，這麼一來，他們的異端才不會像癌症一樣擴散。(cf. 提後 2：17-18)
再一次強調，除名在教會的信仰和異端的信仰之間，劃下了一條清楚的界線。
這也明確的重申，教會沒有兩套互相矛盾的信仰。
除名會維持教會信仰的純潔性。(cf. 林後 11：2)
CONCLUSION 結論
To safeguard the church and
ourselves, the beliefs of the church
must be upheld. This is the pattern
of sound words that God has given
to the church to save (Rom 6:17–18).
Warnings must be issued against
those who preach another gospel.
The church is duty-bound to rebut
and root out every false teaching that
arise in church, and to ensure that
these false teachings have no place
in believers’ hearts. Such a practice
was common in the early church.
The followers of deviant beliefs were
identified and made known to the
community of faith (cf. 2 Thess 3:14)
that they may be ashamed.
為了保護教會和我們自已，我們一定要持守教會的信仰。
這是神給教會用來拯救人的健全話語的規模和模式。(羅 6：17-18)
對於那些宣揚另一種福音的人，一定要給予警告。
教會有責任來反駁，拔出每一種在教會中出現錯誤的教導，
並且確保這些錯誤的教會不會存在每一個信徒的心中。
這樣的作法在早期的教會中是很平常的。
偏差的信徒會被指出來，在信仰的團契之中被公布出來，(帖後 3：14)
他們才會因而感到羞愧。
Scoffers will abound in the end-times
(2 Pet 3:3). Their threat is insidious
because they are not outsiders baying
for the church’s destruction. Instead,
they are part of the church who
slowly introduce destructive heresies
to lure the believers to themselves.
Their teachings confuse the minds and
trouble the spirits of their listeners.
These false prophets are puffed up
and walk in their own lusts, refusing
admonition and advice. Not only do
they turn a deaf ear to the warning of
the church, they embark on an all-out
assault on the church, going so far as
to slander her. In these situations and
as a last resort, the church must bring
excommunication to bear so that the
true and precious sheep of the Lord
are safe.
在未後的日子，嘲笑的人會逐漸增多。(彼後 3：3)
他們的危害是潛伏型的，因為他們不是教會以外的人，會大聲叫嚷希望教會關門。
相反地，他們屬於教會的一部份，會慢慢地引入毀滅性的異端，來引誘信徒到他們自身的利益上。
他們的教導會混亂接收者的心智，引起他們靈性上的困擾。
這些假先知會過份誇大自已，一切行為都只為了他們自已的利益，拒絕接受一切的警告和勸告。
他們不只閉耳不聽來自教會的警告，並且竭盡全力著手攻擊教會，作那麼多的事，就是為了說教會的壞話。
在這些情況之下，並且也是最後的一種手段，教會一定要執行除名的工作，這麼一來主真正寶貴的羊群才會安全。
FALSE TEACHINGS: WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN DECEIVED? 錯誤教導：你是不是已經受到了欺騙呢？
False Claim 1: Satan is self-existent.
錯誤1：撒旦是自已存在的
The Bible clearly teaches that “I am the LORD (self-existent God), and there is no other” (Isa 45:5–6, 18). This
is the self-declaration of the LORD, which completely rules out the possibility of Satan’s self-existence. To claim
that Satan is self-existent is tantamount to calling God a liar. This is blasphemy.
聖經清楚教導我們，"5我是耶和華，在我以外並沒有別神；"(賽 45：5-6，18)
這是主的自我宣告，也完全排除了撒旦自我存在的可能性。
宣稱撒旦的自我存在，等同於把神看作是一個會說謊的神。
這是褻瀆神。
False Claim 2: History is in the past. Even the all-powerful God is not able to change the history of the TJC.
錯誤2：歷史已經過去了。甚至是全能的真神，也不能改變真耶穌教會的歷史。
This claim is designed to support the idea that God does not know the way of the wicked. Such a claim not only
denigrates the power of God, but even subtly redefines the infinity of God. This claim fails to recognize that God
does not change history, not because He is incapable, but because He is a principled God. For example, God did
not reverse the fate of Adam after he sinned. God always has a purpose for allowing things to happen. He does
not relent as human being do (Num 23:19; 1 Sam 15:29; Jer 4:23).
這種說法的發明，是為了支持神並不會知道惡人道路的想法。
這樣的說法，是一種詆毀神能力的論調，而且甚至是巧妙地再度重新定義神的無限性。
這個說法無法用來判別，神到底有沒有改變過歷史，祂不作並不是因為祂作不到，而是因為祂是一個有原則的神。
例如，神並沒有在亞當犯罪之後，再去改變他得命運。
神總是會有一個讓事情發生的目的。
祂並不會因為是人類犯了罪，就因此變得寬宏大量。
False Claim 3: The Holy Spirit comes upon the believer at baptism and not when he speaks in tongues.
錯誤3：在洗禮的時候，聖靈會降在信徒身上，而不是說靈言的時候，才受聖靈
In the New Testament, the receiving of the Spirit is always accompanied by the speaking in tongues. This is
evident when Peter ascertained that the Spirit had come upon Cornelius and his household upon hearing them
speak in tongues, like the apostles did on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 10:44–48; 11:15; 15:8). Speaking in tongues
is the sole evidence used to determine the receiving of the Spirit in Acts.
新約裡，得到聖靈的時候，總是會伴隨著說靈言。
當彼得確認聖靈已經降在哥尼流和他的一家人的時候，就是因為聽到他們說靈言，才成為一種証據，
就是在五旬節的時候，發生在使徒身上一樣。(徒 10：44-48；11：15；15：8)
在使徒行傳裡面，最主要被用來當成是一種証據的，就是用說靈言來決定有沒有領受聖靈。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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