Manna issue 69 - Editorial 編輯的話
One True Church 獨一真教會
by T. Chen
“Which church do you go to?” “True Jesus Church.” Puzzled
look. “Why true? Are there any false churches out there?” Silence.
"你去那個教會呢？"
"真耶穌教會。"
這時，提出問題的人面有難色。
"為什麼你們會是真的？"
"難道外面有許多假的教會？"
This is a scenario that many of us in the True Jesus Church
(TJC) may have experienced before. It may cause uneasiness in
some of us, even to utter the word “True Jesus Church” because
it seems as if we were boasting about ourselves. But do we truly
understand what makes a church “true” and why there is only one
true church? The theme writers in this issue provide comprehensive
answers to these questions.
這是我們真耶穌教會許多人，以前曾經經歷過的情形。
甚至說出"真耶穌教會"的時候，或許有一些人會感到不安，
因為看起來好像我們自已好像在吹牛。
但我們真的明白，怎麼樣才會讓一個教會成為"真正的教會"嗎？
為什麼會只有一個真的教會呢？
本期的諸位筆者，拿出了讓人容易明白這些問題的答案。
Looking at the etymology of the Greek word “ekklesia” for
church, we find that the term refers to an “assembly called out
from the multitudes.” Moreover, the Bible defines the church
as an assembly of people redeemed by the blood of Christ for
the forgiveness of sins—a fact that makes the church unique.
Therefore, she is not a secular but a sacred organization, precious
in the eyes of God.
若是考察希臘字教會“ekklesia”的字源時，
會發現這個名詞指的是，"從眾人之間被呼召出來的一群人。"
不僅這樣，聖經對教會的定義是，被耶穌寶血拯救出來，罪得到赦免的一群人 - 這個事實就是因為教會獨特的原因。
所以，她不是一個世俗的機構，而是一個屬神聖潔的團體，在神眼中是非常寶貴的。
Since the church is a sacred institution, we need to look at her
from a spiritual perspective to determine whether she is true.
Spiritually seen, what makes a church true is not the size of her
congregation, material wealth, power, or international standing
but the biblical truth she upholds. If the church does not obey
the complete word of God as given in the Scriptures, how can she
claim to be a true church? Where will she lead the believers?
因為教會是一個世俗的機構，所以我們才要從屬靈的角度來看，
看看她是不是真的教會。
由靈裡來看，能讓成為真的教會，並不是取決於，
她內部人數、物質財富，世上的權力，國際的地位有多寡，
而是要看支撐其信仰的真理是不是正確的。
若這間教會並沒有完全遵造聖經裡面神所說的話，
她怎能自稱自已是一間真正會得救的教會呢？
她會把裡面的信徒帶往何處去呢？
Moreover, in God’s eternal spiritual realm, the church already
existed before the foundation of the world and will remain forever.
She is the dispensation of the mystery hidden in God from the
beginning of the ages until the apostolic time, when this mystery
was revealed to the apostles and prophets and the spiritual true
church was manifested through the downpour of the Holy Spirit.
When the created world perishes, the New Jerusalem, which is the
spiritual church, will descend from heaven. She will be ready as a
bride adorned for her husband and will be received into eternal
glory. This spiritual true church includes both ancient saints and
new covenant believers, and she transcends time and space.
還有，在神的屬靈永恆國度中，教會在世界根基建立之前，
就已經存在了，並且還會永存。
從創世之初到使徒時代，教會就是隱藏在神之中的奧秘的啟示，
當使徒和先知知道了這個秘密之後，而屬靈的真教會就藉著聖靈的降臨顯明出來。
直到這個被創造出來的世界毀滅時，新耶路撒冷，也就是屬靈的教會，才會由天而降。
她會好像新娘，為了自已的丈夫裝飾整齊，並且被接進入永遠的榮耀之中。
這個屬靈的真教會，包含了古聖徒，新約的信徒，
她跨越了時間和空間的限制。
Paul tells us: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you
were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one
baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through
all, and in you all” (Eph 4:4-6). The true church, the only body of
Christ, has only one faith. If we believe that observing the Sabbath
day is part of the truth of salvation, while another Christian group
does not, the latter does not share one faith with us. The true
church has only one baptism. If we believe that water baptism can
only be administered in the name of the Lord Jesus, while another
Christian group baptizes in the name of the Father, the Son and
the Holy Ghost, we do not have the same baptism. Therefore,
the Bible distinguishes the one true church from other Christian
denominations.
保羅告訴我們：
4身體只有一個，聖靈只有一個，正如你們蒙召同有一個指望。
5一主，一信，一洗，
6一神，就是眾人的父，超乎眾人之上，貫乎眾人之中，也住在眾人之內。
(弗 4：4-6)
真教會是基督唯一的身體，只有一種信仰。
若我們相信，遵守安息日是得救真理的一部份，而其他的基督徒團體並不這麼作，
那麼，其他人就和我們有不相同的信仰。
真教會只有一種洗禮。
若我們相信，浸禮只能夠奉主耶穌的聖名來施行洗禮，
而其他的基督徒團體卻以天父，子和聖靈之名而為之，那麼我們的洗禮是不一樣的。
所以，聖經已經從其他的基督教派中，把唯一真教會區別出來。
The Lord promised us eternal life—our ultimate hope. So, just
as a patient has to follow the doctor’s instructions faithfully in
order to recover, we too must be faithful to His word to be saved.
We cannot pick and choose what we want to or do not want to
believe in. The path to salvation has been laid out in the Bible, and
in the end-time, this path is found in the True Jesus Church. If we
want to obtain salvation, we have to follow this path tailored by
God.
主應許我們永生，也就是我們最終的盼望。
就好像病人要好好聽從醫生的吩咐，這樣才會康復，
為了得救，我們也一定要完全遵守祂的話。
不能任何選擇，自選自已要的部份，不想要的部份就放棄。
得救的道路很清楚的寫在聖經中，
在末世之時，這條路已經顯明在真耶穌教會。
若我們要得救，就一定要沿著這條由神辛苦鋪好的路行走。
Members of the true church, which the Lord has called out and
redeemed with His own blood, need to truly understand and be
rooted in the doctrine of one true church. Only then, can we be
firm in our faith and have courage and confidence to carry out
the great commission that the Lord has entrusted to us. Let us
therefore live up to Jesus’ expectation; let us witness for Him by
preaching the gospel of salvation and glorify Him by living a life
worthy of His calling, so that many more will be drawn to the
“mountain of the LORD” and enter the one true church.
真教會的信徒，主已經用自已的寶血拯救，並選召出來，
一定要很清楚的明白，並且好好札根在唯一真教會的教義中。
只有這麼作，我們才會堅定自已的信仰，有勇氣和信心來執行這個主託負我們的偉大任務。
所以，讓我們活出耶穌對我們的期望；
藉著宣揚得救的福音來為祂作見証，活出配得祂呼召的行為和生活來榮耀祂，
這樣，才會有許多人被吸引到"主的聖山"，進入唯一真教會。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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