Manna issue 70 - The Only Church That Is Saved—True Jesus Church (II) 唯一得救的教會 - 真耶穌教會
The true church is always one. 真教會總是合一
H.H. Ko—Heidelberg, Germany 德國海德堡 柯恆雄傳道
In the previous issue, we discussed the definition of “church” and the true
church’s spiritual essence. Historically, we can view the church within time and
space; spiritually, we can look at the church in heaven. The Bible tells us that,
in the spiritual realm, the church has been a reality even before God created the
world; she is the mystery hidden in Christ, through whom all who believe can be
reconciled to God. At Pentecost, the church became a historical reality through
the downpouring of the promised Holy Spirit.
前期，我們討論到"教會"的定義，與真教會屬靈的本質。
以歷史角度來看，我們可在時間和空間上檢視教會；
以屬靈角度來看，我們可以看到在天上的教會。
聖經告訴我們，屬靈國度中，甚至在神創造世界之前，教會已經是實體了；
她是隱藏在基督裡的奧秘，透過她，所有相信的人都可以和神和好。
五旬節的時候，透過應許聖靈的降臨，教會在歷史之中就成為一種真實的存在。
Part II of this series continues to examine the true church from a spiritual angle.
Based on her spiritual essence, we will discuss what makes the church unique. In
addition, we will look at biblical analogies that support the concept of the one
and only church of God.
這系列的第二篇，要從屬靈的角度，來繼續檢視真教會。
依照其屬靈的本質，我們要討論到底是什麼東西讓教會變的如此唯一。
此外，我們會看看聖經裡的比喻，這些比喻都是用以支持神唯一教會的概念。
UNIQUENESS OF THE CHURCH
FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF HER
SPIRITUAL ESSENCE
看教會屬靈本質的觀點，來看教會的唯一性
The One True God Had in Mind the
Only Church Before Time Began
萬古之先獨一真神心中的唯一教會
Our God is the only true God; this
truth is an indisputable axiom. Time
and again, God has proclaimed His
oneness to His people in simple and
unambiguous ways (Deut 6:4; Zech
14:9; Mk 12:29; Jn 5:44, 17:3; Rom
16:27; 1 Tim 1:17, 6:16; Jude 25).
我們神是唯一的真神；
這真理是一個無可爭辯的公理。
一次又一次，神已經向子民，用簡單且不含糊的方式，公佈祂的獨一性。
(申 6：4；亞 14：9；可 12：29；約 5：44，17：3；羅 16：27；提前 1：17，6：16；猶 25)
Because of His omnipotence and
omniscience, God has an immutable
will unfathomable by human beings,
who are limited by time and space.
Hence, He proclaimed through
prophet Malachi: “For I am the LORD,
I do not change” (Mal 3:6); He will
not lie nor relent. The unchanging
will of the only and unchanging God
is the most fundamental source of
the church’s uniqueness.
因為全能且全知，神的旨意是不會改變的，
對人類而言卻是莫測高深，因為人受限於時間和空間。
因此她透過瑪拉基先知宣告說：
6因我─耶和華是不改變的，(瑪 3：6)
祂即不說謊，也不後悔。
唯一不改變神的不變旨意，就是教會唯一性的根本來源。
Apostle Paul, having the
mind of Christ, gained in-depth
understanding of God’s will; in the
following Scriptures, he expounds
how God manifested His will and His
foreknowledge that preceded time
itself through the church in Jesus
Christ:
使徒保羅，有基督的心志，對神的旨意有深入的了解；
在下面的經節中，他解釋神如何顯明祂的旨意及先見之明，
透過基督耶穌裡所建立的教會，在有時間之前就確立了：
“[W]ho has saved us and called us
with a holy calling, not according to
our works, but according to His own
purpose and grace which was given
to us in Christ Jesus before time
began.” (2 Tim 1:9)
9神救了我們，以聖召召我們，不是按我們的行為，乃是按他的旨意和恩典；
這恩典是萬古之先，在基督耶穌裡賜給我們的，
(提後 1：9)
“[I]n hope of eternal life which God,
who cannot lie, promised before
time began.” (Tit 1:2)
2盼望那無謊言的神在萬古之先所應許的永生，
(多 1：2)
“[B]ut has in due time manifested
His word through preaching, which
was committed to me according
to the commandment of God our
Savior.” (Tit 1:3)
3到了日期，藉著傳揚的工夫把他的道顯明了；
這傳揚的責任是按著神我們救主的命令交託了我。
(多 1：3)
Peter too had a clear understanding
of this truth:
”[E]lect according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father,
in sanctification of the Spirit, for
obedience and sprinkling of the
blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you
and peace be multiplied.” (1 Pet
1:2)
彼得也有這真理清楚的認識：
2就是照父神的先見被揀選，藉著聖靈得成聖潔，以致順服耶穌基督，
又蒙他血所灑的人。願恩惠、平安多多的加給你們。
(彼前 1：2)
God’s unchanging will has
predetermined that the elect, “in the
dispensation of the fullness of the
times,” might be gathered together
with “all things in Christ, both which
are in heaven and which are on
earth” (Eph 1:10). The “oneness in
Christ” refers to the realized church
in God’s salvation plan, comprising
redeemed believers gathered as
Christ’s one body.
神不變的旨意，早就預定，
要照所安排的，在日期滿足的時候，
可以一起聚集，
使天上、地上、一切所有的都在基督裡面同歸於一。(弗 1：10)
"基督裡的合一"指的是神救贖計劃中，已經實現的教會，
由被拯救的信徒組合，聚集合一成為基督的身体。
The Only Savior Jesus Redeemed
the Only Church with His Own
Blood
唯一救主耶穌，用祂的寶血，拯救唯一的教會
In the Old Testament, whenever
God’s people met with affliction,
they would call upon God with one
heart, addressing Him as Savior (Ps
18:2, 22:19, 121:2; Isa 43:3, 45:15,
60:16; Jer 14:8). At the same time,
God would declare to them “even I,
am the LORD (the self-existing); [a]
nd besides Me there is no savior” (Isa
43:11; cf. Isa 45:21; Hos 13:4).
舊約的時候，只要神的百姓遇到患難，他們就會同心呼求神，稱祂為救主。
(詩 18：2，22：19，121：2；賽 43：3，45：15，16：16；耶 14：8)
同時神會向他們宣告，
11惟有我是耶和華；除我以外沒有救主。
(賽 43：11；參考，賽 45：21；何 13：4)
Today, the Lord Jesus Christ,
foreordained before the foundation
of the world but manifested in these
end times (cf. 1 Pet 1:20), continues
the salvation work, which was started
in ancient times. The scope of His
work has become deeper and wider.
Not only does He save His people
from physical and mental affliction,
He even uses “His own blood” to
redeem the mankind from their sins
(Mt 1:21; Acts 20:28). Thus, He
paved the way for the realization
of the church among men, for
Revelation 5:9–10 tells us that those
whom Christ has redeemed with His
blood were made a kingdom and
priests to God.
今日，主耶穌基督，在世界的根基建立之前，而且也顯明在這現今的末世中，早就預先註定好，
要繼續拯救的工作，而這工是從古時候就開始一直持續到如今。
祂大工影響的範圍已經變得越來越深入，越來越廣泛。
祂不只是拯救自已的子民，脫離內體和心理的痛苦，
祂甚至用"祂自已的寶血"來救贖人類，脫離罪惡。(太 1：21；徒 20：28)
因此，祂在人類中間，留下了這條路，讓教會得以實現，
因為啟示錄五章9-10節告訴我們，那些基督用祂寶血拯教的人，會組成神的祭司和國度。
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior
(cf. Lk 2:11; Acts 5:31; Rom 11:26;
Phil 3:20; 1 Tim 1:1; Tit 1:4, 2:13).
Moreover, He is the only Lord (Jude
4) and the only God (Jude 25); He is
also the living God, who is the Savior
of all men, especially of those who
believe (1 Tim 4:10). The precious
blood that flowed from His side when
He was hung on the cross became
the fountain of redemption for God’s
people.
我們的主耶穌基督是救主。
(參考 路 2：11；徒 5：31；羅 11：26；腓 3：20；提前 1：1；多 1：4，2：13)
不只這樣，祂是唯一的主；(猶 4)
唯一的神；(猶 25)
祂也是永生的神，所有人類的救主，特別是那些相信祂的人。(提前 4：10)
從祂肋旁流出來的寶血，成為神子民救贖的泉源。
Just as Jesus’ side was pierced,
from which blood flowed for the
church’s redemption, Adam’s side
was opened when God took one of
his ribs to form the first woman. As
Paul writes: “Husbands, love your
wives, just as Christ also loved the
church and gave Himself for her, that
He might sanctify and cleanse her
with the washing of water by the
word” (Eph 5:25–26). Hence, Christ’s
relationship with the church is that of
a husband and wife—an absolutely
monogamous relationship where the
two become one flesh (cf. Jn 19:34–
35; Eph 5:25–26; Gen 2:21–25).
耶穌肋旁被刺的時候，就流出了寶血可以救贖教會，
神打開亞當的肋旁，拿走一跟肋骨造了第一個女人。
就像保羅寫的：
25你們作丈夫的，要愛你們的妻子，正如基督愛教會，為教會捨己。
26要用水藉著道把教會洗淨，成為聖潔，
(弗 5：25-26)
因此，基督和教會的關係，就像夫妻一樣，
是一種絕對一夫一妻的關係，二人聯合成為一體。
(參考 約 19：34-35；弗 5：25-26；創 2：21-25)
From the discussion above, we
understand that there is only one
church that has her origin in the
precious blood that flowed from the
side of the only Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
從上面的討論，我們明白，
只有一間教會，是來自於寶血，
而這寶血是從唯一的救主耶穌基督的肋旁流出來的。
Principles of Apology and Spirit Discernment
辯護及辨別諸靈的原則
Principle of Apology 辯護的原則
a. Paul’s absolute principle: “What we have preached to you”
Principle of discernment: Is it in accordance with the apostles’
teachings? (Gal 1:6–9)
a. 保羅絕對的原則："與我們所傳給你們的"
辨別的原則：這是不是根據使徒的教導？(加 1：6-9)
b. Jude’s principle: “Once for all”
Principle of discernment: Is it in accordance with the faith that was
once for all delivered to the saints? (Jude 3)
b. 猶大書的原則："一次交付"
辨別的原則：這是不是根據，從前一次交付聖徒的信仰？
(猶 3)
c. The Bible’s final absolute standard
Principle of discernment: Is the truth discussed or told, whether
deduced or inspired by the Spirit, based on the Bible as the ultimate
absolute standard?
c. 聖經最終絕對的標準
辨別的原則，這真理是不是因為有聖靈來討論，有聖靈來說明，
是不是因為聖靈而推論或受到感動？並且根據聖經成為最終絕對的標準？
Testing the Spirits 辨別諸靈
a. Peter’s principle: experience/spiritual tradition
Principle of discernment: Have they received the Holy Spirit “just
as we have?” (Acts 10:44–48; 11:15–18)
a. 彼得的原則：體驗/屬靈的慣例
辨別的原則：他們有沒有受聖靈，"正好像我們一樣？"
b. John's principle #1: truth/tradition of the word
Principle of discernment: Does the spirit listen to us? Does it believe
in the same truth as we do? (1 Jn 4:1–6)
b. 約翰的原則#1：真理/神話語的慣例
辨別的原則：這個靈是不是會聽從我們？它是不是相信同樣的真理，正好像我們一樣？
c. John's principle #2: unity/one body/orthodox church organization
Principle of discernment: Did they “go out from us?” (1 Jn 2:18–22)
Do they submit themselves to the church? Do they promote
harmony, unity, and a spirit of being one body among members?
(cf. 1 Cor 3:1–5; Jas 3:13–18)
c. 約翰的原則#2：合
辨別的原則：他們是"從我們分出去的嗎？"(約一 2：18-22)
他們是不是順服教會？他們是不是提倡和諧，合一，信徒間聯合一靈成為一體？
(參考，林前 3：1-5；雅 3：13-18)
The Only Promised Holy Spirit
Guides the Only Church into All
Truth
應許唯一的聖靈，引導唯一教會了解全部的真理
In God’s salvation plan, the descent
of the promised Holy Spirit on the day
of Pentecost marks the beginning of
the church era. Through the church,
God declares His manifold wisdom
to the principalities and powers in
the heavenly places (Eph 3:10).
Moreover, He is to receive glory in the
church by Christ Jesus throughout all
generations, forever and ever (Eph
3:21). Paul was deeply moved by this
revelation and exclaimed “amen.”
神救贖的計劃中，應許的聖靈在五旬節那天降臨，
標記了教會時代的開始。
因為有教會，神向天上執政的、掌權的，大聲宣告祂各式各樣的智慧。(弗 3：10)
不只這樣，
他在教會中，並在基督耶穌裡，得著榮耀，直到世世代代，永永遠遠。(弗 3：21)
保羅深深地被這個啟示所感動，
就大聲說出：阿們！
In the New Testament era, the
church was established under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit and built
on the foundation of the apostles
and prophets. The Holy Spirit
established only one church, for “[t]
here is one body and one Spirit” (Eph
4:4). Since the church has received
the only promised Holy Spirit, she is
able to enter into all truth and uphold
the faith that was once and for all
entrusted to her.
新約的時代，教會因為聖靈的帶領而建立，
建立在使徒和先知的根基之上。
聖靈只建立唯一一間教會，因為，
"身體只有一個，聖靈只有一個" 。(弗 4：4)
因為教會已經得到唯一應許的聖靈，
她可以參透所有的真理，維護那一次交託給她且全備的信仰。
During the apostolic church era,
some heeded the spirit of error and
became false disciples. They became
the servants of Satan and started
to spread heresies in the church (1
Jn 4:6; 2 Cor 11:12–15; 1 Tim 1:3).
Their message spread like cancer,
they strayed concerning the truth,
and they overthrew the faith of some
(2 Tim 2:17–18).
使徒教會時代期間，有一些人聽從了謬誤之靈，變成假門徒。
他們成為撒旦的僕人，在教會裡面開始散播異端。
(約一 4：6；林後 11：12-15；提前 1：3)
他們散播的訊息就如同癌症一樣，
關於真理的部份，他們走偏了，並且讓許多人的信心失落了。
However, the promised Holy
Spirit guided the apostles to specify
principles of apology and spirit
discernment in order to uphold the
truth and preserve the only true
church.
然而，應許的聖靈引導使徒詳細說明辯護真理及分辨諸靈的原則，
為了就是維護真理，保存唯一的真教會。
In summary, the church may be
diversified and multiple when we
look at her from a social perspective.
However, if we look at the church’s
spiritual essence, she is always one.
總之，當我們從社會的角度來看教會，她或許長的各式各樣。
然而，若我們觀察教會屬靈的本質，她們總是合一的。
BIBLICAL EVIDENCE OF “ONE AND
ONLY” CHURCH IN THE FORM OF
ANALOGY
"唯一"教會比喻形式的聖經証據
Based on the above discussion,
there is only one church from the
spiritual perspective. Not only is this
important truth positively proven
in the Bible, God has also given
us many parables/metaphors and
analogies through which this truth
is made more distinctive. We will
only mention four out of the many
evidences: the church is the body
of Christ, the church is the bride
of Christ, Noah’s ark, and the only
promised son of Abraham amongst
his many sons.
如上的討論中，從屬靈的角度來看，只有一間教會。
這不只是很重要的真理，很肯定的被聖靈所証實，
神也給我們很多比喻，隱喻及類比法，
因著這些方式，真理就變得更加清晰。
我們只會從許多証據之中，舉四個來說明：
教會是基督的身體，教會是基督的新娘，諾亞的方舟，
以及亞伯拉罕眾子之中，唯一應許的兒子。
The Church Is the Body of Christ 教會是基督的身體
Apostle Paul once stated that
Christ’s body is the church (Col
1:24). Afterwards, he proceeded to
expound that “the church…is His
body, the fullness of Him who fills all
in all” (Eph 1:23). These two Bible
verses show that Christ is the head of
the church:
使徒保羅曾經說到，基督的身體是教會。(西 1：24)
之後他更進一步解釋，
23教會是他的身體，是那充滿萬有者所充滿的。(弗 1：23)
這二條聖經經節說明了，基督是教會的頭：
“And He is before all things, and in
Him all things consist. And He is the
head of the body, the church, who is
the beginning, the firstborn from the
dead, that in all things He may have
the preeminence.” (Col 1:17–18)
17他在萬有之先；萬有也靠他而立。
18他也是教會全體之首。他是元始，是從死裡首先復生的，使他可以在凡事上居首位。
(加 1：17-18)
Since Christ is the head of the
church (Eph 5:23), the entire body
is led by Him. Believers are members
of this body, and although there are
many members, there is only one
body (1 Cor 12:12–13). Moreover,
there is only one faith within the body
of Christ (Eph 4:5). Today, there are
many different denominations under
the “Christian” umbrella. They are
not of the same faith. For instance,
a church that baptizes in the name
of the Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost does not have the same faith
as the church that practices baptism
in Jesus’ name. Therefore, the
body of Christ, which has only one
faith, can never include all Christian
denominations.
因為基督是教會的頭，(弗 5：23)
整個身體都被他領導。
信徒是這個身體的肢體，只有一個身體。(林前 12：12-13)
還有，在基督身體之內，只有一個信仰。(弗 4：5)
今日，有許多不同的教派，在"基督教"大傘之下。
他們並不是同樣的信仰。
例如，用父、子、聖靈的名洗禮的教會，和以耶穌的名洗禮的教會，並不是同樣的信仰。
所以，基督的身體，只有一個信仰，就不能包含所有的基督教派。
Since Christ is the head of the
church and the church is the body of
Christ, their relationship is always a
one-to-one relationship. For there is
only one head and one body. Christ is
always one and His body, the church,
is always one as well. How would
you react if you saw someone with
one head but two bodies?
因為基督是教會的頭，教會是基督的身體，他們的關係是一對一的。
因為只有一個頭和身體。
基督只有一個，祂的身體-教會，也就只有一個。
若是你看到一個人，有一個頭，卻有二個身體，你會怎麼反應呢？
The Church Is the Bride of Christ 教會的基督的新娘
As far back as the Old Testament
time, God already referred to the
Israelites, His chosen people, as His
bride (Isa 54:5–8, 62:5; Jer 2:2).
In the book of Hosea, God likened
those chosen people who rebelled
against God’s commands to an
unfaithful wife; in fact, the Israelites
brought unparalleled tragedy upon
themselves through their relentless
unfaithfulness (Jer 3; Ezek 16).
追朔到舊約時代，神已經指著以色列人，祂的選民，說就是祂的新娘。(賽 54：5-8；62：5；耶 2：2)
何西阿書中，神比喻那些背叛神命令的選民，好像是不忠的妻子。
事實上，以色列人為了他們無情的不忠，帶給自已史無前例的悲劇。
In the New Testament time, the
Lord Jesus, the Word incarnate,
continued to use the symbolism
that described the relationship
between God and His people in the
Old Testament time, He too likened
Himself to a bridegroom (Mk 2:18–
20). In Ephesians 5:22–33, Paul,
who had a profound understanding
of the mystery of Christ, expounded
the deeper teaching of the husband–
wife relationship between Christ
and His church after describing the
relationship between spouses. He
spelled out the expectations of the
church as the bride, which is her
faithfulness towards Christ, the
husband to whom she is betrothed (2
Cor 11:2–3).
新約時代，主耶穌道成肉身，繼續用象徵的方式，
來描述舊約神和選民的關係，祂比喻自已是新郎。(可 2：18-20)
以弗所書五章22-23節，保羅，他對基督奧秘有深入的了解，
用配偶關係來解釋了基督和教會夫妻關係的深入教導。
他闡明了教會成為新娘的期待，就是要對基督忠心，
就是對她的已經訂婚的丈夫要忠心。
The book of Revelation, in which
God prophesies about the last days,
also draws the analogy that the True
Jesus Church, the ark of the last days,
is the Lord’s “wife” (Rev 19:7, 21:9).
Monogamy is the only principle
when God instituted marriage. The
Lord Jesus Christ is the husband
of the church and the church is His
bride; the Lord Jesus Christ is the one
and only, therefore, there is only one
church—this truth is self-evident.
啟示錄中，神預言了末日，也引用了類比法，說真耶穌教會是末世的方舟，是主的"妻子"。(啟 19：7，21：9)
一夫一妻制是神組建這婚姻的唯一原則。
主耶穌基督是教會的丈夫，教會是祂的新娘；
主耶穌基督是唯一的，所以只有一間教會，這個真理不証自明。
Noah’s Ark 諾亞的方舟
In Noah’s time, “[t]he earth was
corrupt before God, the earth was
filled with violence” and “[t]he end
of all flesh has come before God,”
諾亞的時代，
11世界在神面前敗壞，地上滿了強暴.。
13凡有血氣的人，他的盡頭已經來到我面前。
“[b]ut Noah found grace in the
eyes of God” (Gen 6:11, 13, 8). The
New Testament refers to Noah’s ark
as a prefiguration of the true God’s
salvation:
8惟有挪亞在耶和華眼前蒙恩。(創 6：11，13，8)
“…[W]ho formerly were
disobedient, when once the Divine
long-suffering waited in the days
of Noah, while the ark was being
prepared, in which a few, that is,
eight souls, were saved through
water. There is also an antitype
which now saves us—baptism
(not the removal of the filth of the
flesh, but the answer of a good
conscience toward God), through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ…”
(1 Pet 3:20–21)
20就是那從前在挪亞預備方舟、神容忍等待的時候，不信從的人。
當時進入方舟，藉著水得救的不多，只有八個人。
21這水所表明的洗禮，現在藉著耶穌基督復活也拯救你們；
這洗禮本不在乎除掉肉體的污穢，只求在神面前有無虧的良心。
(彼前 3：20-21)
This prefiguration tells us there was
only one ark that was built according
to the specifications of God, only one
family that was saved by entering
into the ark, and that this one ark
was the only way to salvation during
the great destruction in the ancient
times. Therefore, there is only one
church through which salvation is
guaranteed before the day of God’s
great wrath.
這個預兆告訴我們，只有一個方舟，是根據神的指示建造的，
只會有一家人進入方舟才能得救，而這個方舟在古時大毀滅的時候，是唯一得救的方法。
所以，只有一間教會，只有透過這間教會，才能在神大怒的日子來到之前，得到得救的保証。
The One and Only Promised Son of
Abraham Amongst His Many Sons
亞伯拉罕眾子之中，應許之中唯一的兒子
Based on biblical genealogy, a family
tree always starts with the father, i.e.,
“the son of XX (father’s name),” for
example, “the son of Adam,” “the
son of Noah,” “the son of Shem,”
etc. Family ethics gives eight men the
rightful claim to Abraham as father;
these eight sons were Abraham’s
physical descendants (Gen 25:1–6;
1 Chr 1:28–34). Yet, from a spiritual
perspective, they are categorized
and evaluated differently. If we look
at the sons of Abraham who came
through Keturah, the wife he took in
his old age after Sarah had died, the
message we gather from the Bible is
as follows:
依造聖經的家譜，家譜總是以父親為開始，
例如，"某某人(父親的名字)的兒子"，
例如，"亞當的兒子"，諾亞的兒子"，"閃的兒子"等等。
家庭倫理讓這八個人，可以有權利稱亞伯拉罕為父；
這八個兒子是亞伯拉罕肉體的後裔。(創 25：1-6；代上 1：28-34)
然而從屬靈的角度來看，他們被作為不同的分類，也被以不同的角度來衡量。
若我們來看亞伯拉罕從基土拉所生的眾子，在撒拉死後，他年老所聚的太太，
我們從聖經裡面所能得到的訊息如下：
“Abraham again took a wife, and
her name was Keturah. And she
bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan,
Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. … All
these were the children of Keturah.”
(Gen 25:1–4)
1亞伯拉罕又娶了一妻，名叫基土拉。
2基土拉給他生了心蘭、約珊、米但、米甸、伊施巴，和書亞。
4這都是基土拉的子孫。
(創 25：1-4)
Although these six men originated
from Abraham, they were called “the
children of Keturah” (Gen 25:4; 1
Chr 1:33) instead of “the children of
Abraham”; indicating that they did
not have a part in God’s promised
blessings. They were excluded from
God’s salvation plan that was to be
accomplished through Abraham.
We see that in the end, “Abraham
gave all that he had to Isaac. But
Abraham gave gifts to the sons of
the concubines which Abraham had;
and while he was still living he sent
them eastward, away from Isaac his
son, to the country of the east” (Gen
25:5–6).
雖然這六個人都是從亞伯拉罕而出，他們被稱為"基土拉的子女"，(創 25：4；代上 1：33)
而不是被稱為"亞伯拉罕的子女"；指的就是他們與神應許的祝福無份。
他們被排除在神救贖計劃之外，而這計劃是要經由亞伯拉罕來完成的。
我們看到最後，
5亞伯拉罕將一切所有的都給了以撒。
6亞伯拉罕把財物分給他庶出的眾子，
趁著自己還在世的時候打發他們離開他的兒子以撒，往東方去。
(創 25：5-6)
If we were to examine the sons
of Abraham from the viewpoint of
those under the law, we would see
that “Abraham has two sons,” just as
Paul said: “Tell me, you who desire to
be under the law, do you not hear the
law? For it is written that Abraham
had two sons: one by a bondwoman,
the other by a freewoman” (Gal
4:21–22).
若我們從這些律法之下眾子的角度來看亞伯拉罕的眾子，
我們就會看到，
"亞伯拉罕有二個兒子"，
就如保羅所說：
21你們這願意在律法以下的人，請告訴我，你們豈沒有聽見律法麼？
22因為律法上記著，亞伯拉罕有兩個兒子，一個是使女生的，一個是自主之婦人生的。
(加 4：21-22)
Yet, God told Abraham directly:
“Take now your son, your only son
Isaac, whom you love” (Gen 22:2).
In the eyes of God, Abraham had
only one son—Isaac, whom he had
received through promise.
然而，神直接告訴亞伯拉罕：
你帶著你的兒子，就是你獨生的兒子，你所愛的以撒，(創 22：2)
在神眼中，亞伯拉罕只有一個兒子-以撒，
是他在應許之中所得的兒子。
Isaac was born of Sarah, the
freewoman, symbolizing the
Jerusalem above, the kingdom of
God (Gal 4:23–26). To be part of
God’s kingdom, we must be born
“from above1”—of water and the
Spirit (Jn 3:3,5). Those who are born
of water through baptism in Jesus’
name will receive the promised Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit testifies that we
are children of God and His heirs (cf.
Joel 2:28–29; Acts 1:5, 11:15–16;
Rom 8:15–17; Eph 1:13–14); we
must be baptized in the name of Jesus
to wash away our sins and be reborn
as the sons of God (cf. Acts 2:37–39;
Gal 3:26–29). The True Jesus Church
preaches and practices in accordance
with this, and is thus the “Jerusalem
above” and “mother of us all.”
以撒是撒拉所生，是自由的女子，象徵了天上的耶路撒冷，神的國度。(加 4：23-26)
要成為神國的一份子，我們一定要"從上頭"而生 - 從水和聖靈重生。(約 3：3，5)
那些因耶穌之名而受洗，從水裡重生的人，會得到應許的聖靈。
聖靈作見証，我們是神的子女，祂的繼承人。
(參考，珥 2：28-29；徒 1：5，11：15-16；羅 8：15-17；弗 1：13-14)；
我們一定要用耶穌的名洗去我們的罪，重生成為神的兒子。
(參考，徒 2：37-39；加 3：26-29)
真耶穌教會就是根據這個真理宣傳並實行，
因此是"天上的耶路撒冷"及"我們眾人的母親"。
Other churches with differing
beliefs and practices are symbolized
by Hagar, whose children are not
numbered amongst the children of
promise.
別的教會有不同的信仰和作法，就好像夏甲一樣，
她的子女並沒有被列入應許的子女之中。
[To be continued…] 待續...
Analogies That Illustrate The Unique Nature Of The Church:
‧ the church is the house of Christ (Heb 3:6),
．教會是基督的家(來 3：6)
‧ the church is the house of God (1 Tim 3:15; Heb 10:21),
．教會是神的房子(提前 3：15；來 10：21)
‧ the church is the household of God (Eph 2:19–22; 1 Pet 2:4–5),
．教會是神的家(弗 2：19-22；彼前 2：4-5)
‧ the church is the temple of God (1 Cor 3:16–17),
．教會是神的殿(林前 3：16-17)
‧ the church is the kingdom of God (Rom 14:17; Col 1:13),
．教會是神的國度(羅 14：17；西 1：13)
‧ the church is God’s flock (Ps 80:1; Ezek 14:15; Jn 10:1–30),
．教會是神的羊群(詩 80：1；結 14：14；約 10：1-30)
‧ the church is God’s vineyard (Isa 5:1–2,7; Mk 12:1–12; Jn 15:1–8).
．教會是神的葡萄園(賽 5：1-2，7；可 12：1-12；約 15：1-8)
1 The Greek text of Jn 3:3 uses “γεννηθ? ?νωθεν”
(gennithi an?then) for “born again.” The term “?νωθεν”
(an?then) actually means “from above, from a higher
place.”
1. 約 3：3 希腦文內容用 “γεννηθ? ?νωθεν”(gennithi an?then) 來描寫"重生"。
“γεννηθ? ?νωθεν”(gennithi an?then) 事實上代表了"從上面來，從一個更高的地方而來"。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)