markvmax 的部落格

Manna issue 69 - The Only Church That Is Saved—True Jesus Church (I) 唯一得救的教會 - 真耶穌教會 (I)

The one true church’s spiritual nature and uniqueness.

唯一真教會的屬靈本質及獨特性

H.H. Ko—Heidelberg, Germany

德國海德堡 柯恒雄傳道

In the end-time, God has established
the True Jesus Church as the Ark of the
Last Days. Thus begins the great work
of the dragnet before the close of this
age (cf. Mt 13:47–50). God’s chosen
people within the ark are convinced
of the one true church—True Jesus
Church, but by-standers together with
the “mixed multitude” (cf. Ex 12:38;
Num 11:4) who benefit from their
shallow acquaintance with the True
Jesus Church, would often cast doubts
or put forth grilling questions. Those
“beside the walls and in the doors”
who only seem to be God’s people (cf.
Ezek 33:30–33) behave likewise. Worse
still are the modern Pharaohs who do
not know the True Jesus Church; they
slander, attack, persecute and oppress
her, simply because she is the only
saved church.

在末日的時候，神已經建立真耶穌教會，成為末世的方舟。
因此，就開始結束今世之前，把網子收回的大工程。(太 13：47-50)
方舟內神的選民都深信唯一真教會 - 真耶穌教會，
但是旁觀者和一些"閒雜人"一起(參考 出 12：38；民 11：4)，
想用他們對真耶穌教會膚淺的認識來加以得利，
所以就會常常有疑問，發表一些問題像拷問犯人一樣。
而那些"在牆垣旁邊、在房屋門口談論"的人，
看起來好像就是神的子民(參考，結 33：30-33)，卻也有同樣的行為。
更糟的是，現代的法老們，不了解真耶穌教會；
他們說教會的壞話，不斷攻擊，迫害及壓迫教會，
只因為她是唯一得救的教會。

The notion that the True Jesus
Church is the only church that is
saved elicits diametrically dichotomous
responses—from firm-believers with a
deep understanding of the church to
persecutors resolved to wipe her off
from the face of the earth (Acts 22:22–
24; 23:12–24). We shall pursue this
subject by first defining “church” based
on its etymological and categorical
meanings, followed by a Bible-based
examination of the spiritual essence
and characteristics of the church, and
hence discern the church’s uniqueness.
This then forms the yardstick for
scrutinizing the essential nature of the
True Jesus Church, giving us an insight
into her exclusiveness and her place in
the history of salvation.

真耶穌教會是唯一得救教會的想法，會引導出兩種相對的反應，
一種是非常的堅定相信教會信心穩固的信徒，
另一種是迫害者，一心一意要把教會從地上消滅。
(徒 22：22-24；23：12-24)
若要討論這個主題的話，首先就從根據語源及它所涵蓋的意思，
並且以聖經為基礎來考察教會的屬靈本質及特性，
因而分辨出教會的唯一性。
這才是能夠用來檢驗真耶穌教會本質特性的標準，
讓我們能夠明白她為何這麼獨特，以及她身在救贖歷史上的地位。

DEFINITION OF “CHURCH” 教會的定義

Modern understanding of the word
“church” embraces a multiplicity of
use. Sometimes it alternatively refers
to the body of believers or the physical
building used for worship; sometimes
it refers to a local organized assembly,
e.g., “Singapore Church,” “Malaysia
Church,” “Taiwan Church” etc. There
are times when it is appropriated
for denominational bodies, such as
“Presbyterian Church,” “Lutheran
Church,” and “Anglican Church.”
The word “church” is sometimes
even associated with certain systems
of beliefs within Christendom, e.g.,
“Roman Catholic Church,” “Protestant
Christian Church,” “Eastern Orthodox
Church.” But how should “church” be
defined? We shall approach it in two
ways: firstly we take a peek into the
etymological meaning, and secondly
we scan the Bible for every instance of
use to arrive at its categorical meanings.

現今對"教會"這個字的了解，包含了使用的多樣性。
有時候，她可以代表由眾信徒組成基督的身體，
或是用來敬拜神的物質建築物；
有時候，她又代表一個在地的組織性團體，
例如，"新加坡教會"，"馬來西亞教會"，"台灣教會"，等等。
有些時候，也用來代表各教派的團體，例如，
"長老會"，"路德會"，"英國國教"。
"教會"這個字有時候甚至會是代表基督教裡面，某種信仰的觀念，例如，
"羅馬天主教"，"新教"，"東正教"。
但是到底要怎麼樣定義教會才對呢？
我們可以從兩個方面來看：
第一，我們從詞語來源的意思來粗略看一下，
第二，我們瀏覽整本聖經，看看每一個用法的例子，
這樣最後，我們就可以收集到所有其使用上的意思。

Etymological Meaning 語源中原來的意思

It is common knowledge that the word
“church” used in the New Testament
for the gathering of Christians
originates from the Greek εκκλησια
(ekklesia)。 This compound word
concatenates the preposition εκ (ek),
which means “from” or “out of,” and
the verb καλ?ω (kaleo), which means
“to call.” Hence the etymology of
εκκλησια (church, ekklesia) shows that
“church” means “an assembly called
out from the multitudes.” On this
basis, the meaning is extended to “a
convened assembly,” “a gathering.”

大家都知道，新約聖經使用"教會"這個字，
代表了許多基督徒一起聚集，字的來源是希臘文 εκκλησια(ekklesia)。 
這個組合字連結了兩個詞，前置詞是 εκ (ek)，意思是 "from 來自" 或是 " out of 從其中"，
而動詞 καλ?ω (kaleo)，意思是 "to call 呼叫"。
因此，εκκλησια (church 教會, ekklesia)詞源所表現的是，
"church 教會"代表了 "一群從眾人之中，呼召出來，並聚集在一起的人。"
在這個基礎上，這個意思又被延伸為 "被呼召聚集的人"，"聚會"。

Categorical Meanings 在各種不同用法中，所代表的各種意思

Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures 舊約希伯來聖經抄本

Two different words are used in
the Hebrew Old Testament (OT)
Scriptures to refer to the assembly of
God’s people. The first is ????? (qahal),
translated as εκκλησια (ekklesia) in the
Septuagint (LXX). Qahal means “to let
out a sound” and gradually evolved
to mean “to call out,” “to summon.”
In the OT, it first appeared in Isaac’s
blessing of Jacob: “…that you may be
an assembly of peoples” (Gen 28:3).
This was a prophetic blessing, as the
“assembly of peoples” would only
be realized through Jesus’ blood (Gal
3:26–29).

在希伯來文舊約聖經中，用了許多不同的字來代表神選
在七十士譯本中，第一個字 ????? (qahal) 被譯成 t εκκλησια (ekklesia)。
Qahal 代表了 "發出聲音"，而漸漸地演變為 "呼召出來"或是"召喚"。
舊約裡，第一次出現是雅各對以撒的祝福：
"成為多族"(創 28：3和合本)[譯者：你將成為多族的聚會或集合體]
這是一種預言式的祝福，因為要成為"多族的聚會"，
只能夠透過耶穌的寶血才得以實現。(加 3：26-29)

Subsequent use of ????? (qahal) refers
to the assembly of Israel, God’s chosen
people. Examples include:

????? (qahal) 後來的用法，指的是以色列會眾，神的選民。
例子如下：

‧ “assembly of the LORD”(Deut 23:1–3)

‧ "耶和華的會"(申 23：1-3)

‧ “assembly of God” (Neh 13:1)

‧ "神的會"(尼 13：1)

‧ “assembly/great company”
(Ezek 16:40, 17:17), which is also
the assembly of those who
responded to God’s calling
(Ex 35:1; Num 16:26; Deut 4:10,
9:10, 31:30; 1 Kgs 8:14).

‧ "多人/大群眾" (結 16：40，17：17)，
而回應神呼召的那些人，所用的 assembly 也同樣是這個字。
(出 35：1；民 16：26；申 4：10，9：10，31：30；王上 8：14)

Sometimes the term is also used to
describe a specific gathering (Jer
44:15; Ezra 10:1).

有時候這個詞也用來描寫特定的聚會。
(耶 44：15；拉 10：1)

However, ????? (qahal) is not used
exclusively for the assembly of Israel.
In Ezekiel, it almost always refers to
Gentile nations and armies (cf. Ezek
16:40, 17:17, 23:24,46–47, 26:7,
27:27,34, 32:3,22–23, 38:4,7,13,15).
The other term used in the Hebrew
Bible is ????? (edah)1. This word appears
later than ????? (qahal) and is first
used in the context of the Passover
(Ex 12:3). It specifically refers to the
Israelites when they were assembled—
“the congregation of Israel” (Ex
12:3,6,19,47, 16:1,2,9,22). People who
were not ethnic Israelites would not be
referred to as ????? (edah) (Num 31:12).
Hence the Septuagint translates the
term as συναγωγ? (synagogue), the
same as in “synagogue of the Jews”
in the New Testament (Mt 10:17; Lk
12:11; Acts 6:9; Jas 2:2).

然而 ????? (qahal) 特別不會用來指以色列會眾。
在以西結書，這個字總是用來指外邦的國家和軍隊。
(參考 結 16：40，17：17，23：24，46-47，27：7，27：27，34，32：3，22-23，38：4，7，13，15)
而希伯來聖經卻用另一個詞 ????? (edah)。
這個字出現的比 ? ???? (qahal) 晚，第一次出現在聖經裡面的經文中，是指逾越節。(出 12：3)
這個字才特別指著以色列人，由其當他們一起聚集 - "以色列會眾"。
(出 12：3，6，19，47，16：1，2，9，22)

1 In NKJV ????? (qahal) is translated as “assembly” (Num
16:3, 20:4; Deut 23:1–3,8; 1 Chr 28:8; Mic 2:5), while ?????
(edah) is translated as “congregation” (Num 27:17, 31:16;
Josh 22:17)

1.聖經欽訂本，????? (qahal)被譯為 "assembly 聚集"；
(民 16：3，20：4；申 23：1-3，8；代上 28：8；彌 2：5) 
而 ?????(edah) 被譯為 "congregation 聖會；聚會"
(民 27：17，31：16；書 22：17)

New Testament Era 新約時代

God wants to “save His people from
their sins” (Mt 1:21) and since “the
children have partaken of flesh and
blood, He … likewise shared in the
same” (Heb 2:14). God “became
flesh” (Jn 1:14), “manifested in the
flesh” (1 Tim 3:16), and “according
to the flesh” was born a Jew “of
the seed of David” (Rom 1:3).
So He started off calling only Israelites
as in ancient times, going only to “the
lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt
10:6, 15:24). Hence He went into
the midst of the “congregation [ ?????
(edah)] of Israel,” synonymous with
“synagogue (συναγωγ?) of the Jews.”
“Synagogue” is a compound word
comprising the preposition σ?ν (syn—
with, together) and the verb ?γω
(ag’o—to lead, to bring, to induce).
Hence the word specifically refers to the
place where Jews gather for worship as
an assembly of people drawn together
by God.

神要"將自己的百姓從罪惡裡救出來"(太 1：21)
14兒女既同有血肉之體，他也照樣親自成了血肉之體。(來 2：14)
神"道成肉身"(約 1：14)，"在肉身顯現"(提前 3：16)，
並且"按肉體說"，"是從"大衛後裔"生的。(羅 1：3)
所以一開始，他只呼召以色列人，就如古時候一樣，
只"往以色列家迷失的羊"那裡去。(太 10：6，15：24)
因此，祂走到"以色列會眾 congregation [ ????? (edah)]"之中，
而這裡用的是"猶太會堂 synagogue (συναγωγ?)"的同義字。
"Synagogue猶太會堂"是一個組合字，
由前置詞 σ?ν (syn— with, together 一起)，
和 ?γω(ag’o—to lead 引導, to bring 帶來, to induce 包含)，合成在一起的一個字。
所以這個字，特別用來表示，猶太人聚集來崇拜的地方，
就如同是百姓被神聚集在一起一樣。

In the New Testament Bible,
συναγωγ? (synagogue) was:

新約中，συναγωγ? (synagogue 會堂) 的意思是：

1) a place where Jesus worshipped,
ministered, preached, taught,
performed signs and drove out demons
(Mt 4:23, 9:35; Mk 1:21,23,29,39,
3:1, 6:2; Lk 4:15–16, 43–44; Jn 6:59,
18:20). It was also a place where the
Jews opposed Jesus and plotted to kill
Him (Lk 4:20–28, 6:6–11, 13:10–17).

1) 在這個地方，耶穌進行了崇拜，事奉神，宣揚福音，教導別人，施行神蹟奇事，趕出魔鬼，
(太 4：23，9：35；可 1：21，23，29，39，3：1，6：2；路 4：15-16，43-44；約 6：59，18：20)。
這裡也是猶太人反對耶穌，設計要殺害祂的地方。(路 4：20-28，6：6-11，13：10-17)

2) a place where chosen people
under the OT gathered (Acts 15:21; Jas
2:2). It was also a place where scribes
and Pharisees showed their hypocrisy
(Mt 6:2,5, 23:6; Mk 12:39; Lk 11:43).

2) 舊約選民聚集的地方。(徒 15：21；雅 2：2)
也是文士和法利賽人展現出虛偽行為的地方。(太6：2，5，23：6；可 12：39；路 11：43)

3) a place where Jesus’ disciples were
beaten, accused and judged by the
unbelieving Jews (Mt 10:17, 23:34;
Mk 13:9; Lk 12:11, 21:12; Acts 22:19,
26:11).

3)這是耶穌門徒被那些不信的猶太人，鞭打，控告，及審判的地方。
(太 10：17，23：34；可 13：9；路 12：11，21：12；徒 22：19，26：11)

4) the base camp of those who
opposed salvation through Jesus during
the apostolic era (Acts 6:9, 9:2).

4)使徒時代，那些反對透過耶穌得到拯救之人的大本營。
(徒 6：9，9：2)

5) the prime evangelism ground
where Paul and later missionaries
preached during their outreach (Acts
9:20, 13:5,14,43, 14:1, 17:1,10,17,
18:4,7,19,26, 19:8, 24:12).

5)主要傳福音的據點(猶太會堂)，保羅和其他傳福音的工人向外傳的時候，都在這裡傳講。
(徒 9：20，13：5，14，43，14：1，17：1，10，17，18：4，7，19，26，19：8，24：12)

6) what Jesus described as the
“synagogue of Satan” (Rev 2:9, 3:9) at
the end of the apostolic era.

6)使徒時代末期，耶穌指著他們說是"撒旦一會"的人。
(啟 2：9，3：9)

When Jesus had completed His earthly
ministry, He was “lifted up from the
earth” and drew all peoples to Himself
(Jn 3:14, 8:28, 12:32; Acts 2:33, 5:31).
After the downpour of the promised
Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, He
began to extend His “call” to everyone
in the world who belongs to Him (Mk
1:14–20; Mt 11:28–30; Jn 4:42, 7:37).
Before His ascension, Jesus entrusted
this commission to His disciples (Acts
1:8; 2:39; 1 Thess 2:4), and so the NT
church emerged after Pentecost.

當耶穌完成祂世上的事工，祂就被"從世上抬起"
並且吸引萬民來就近祂。
(約 3：14，8：28，12：32；徒 2：33，5：31)
五旬節的時候，應許聖靈降靈之後，
祂開始擴大祂的"呼召"，向世上每個屬於祂的人呼叫。
(可 1：14-20；太 11：28-30；約 4：42，7：37)
在祂升天之前，耶穌把這個任務交託給祂的門徒；
(徒 1：8；2：39；帖前 2：4)
所以在五旬節之後，開始出現新約的眾教會。

Categorical meanings of “church”
based on the NT Greek Scriptures are
as follows:

而新約希臘文聖經，"教會"所涵蓋的意思如下：

1) Usual political gathering (Acts
19:39) and also common gathering of
people (Acts 19:32,41).

1)一般政治性的集會，(徒 19：39)
也是普通百姓的集會。(徒 19：32，41)

2) Assembly of Israelites, particularly
a gathering for religious purposes (Acts
7:38; Heb 2:12).

2) 以色列民集會，特別是有宗教性目的的集會。
(徒 7：38；來 2：12)

3) Mostly referring to Christian
churches in the NT time.

3) 大部份指的是新約時代的基督教會

a. Gathering of Christians in various
regions, e.g., “the church that
is in their house” (Rom 16:5;
1 Cor 16:19; Col 4:15; Phm 2);
churches in diaspora, e.g., the
church in Jerusalem (Acts 5:11,
8:1), Antioch (Acts 13:1, 15:22),
Caesarea (Acts 18:22),
Thessalonica (1 Thess 1:1),
Corinth (1 Cor 1:2; 2 Cor 1:1),
Cenchrea (Rom 16:1), churches of
the Gentiles (Rom 16:4), churches
in Galatia (1 Cor 16:1), churches in
Asia and Macedonia (2 Cor 8:1),
churches of God (1 Cor 11:16).

a. 在各別地區基督徒的聚會，例如，"他們家中的教會"；
(羅 16：5；林前 16：19；歌 4：15；門 2)
散居猶太人的教會，例如，耶路撒冷教會，(徒 5：11，8：1)
安提阿(徒12：1，15：22)
該撒利亞(徒 18：22)
帖撒羅尼迦(帖前 1：1)
哥林多(林前 1：2；林後 1：1)
堅革哩(羅 16：1)
外邦人的教會(羅 16：4)
加拉太的教會(林前 16：1)
亞細亞和馬其頓的教會(林後 8：1)
神的眾教會。(林前 11：16)

b. A local church as an organized unit
or its members. Hence the
“church” could hear and even
fear (Acts 5:11). She could also
receive guests, send missionaries
or workers, and make intercession
(Acts 15:3,4,22, 12:5).

b. 地方教會，是有有組織運作單位，代表其中的信徒。
因此，"教會"有耳可聽，會感到害怕。(徒 5：11)
她也會接待訪客，派遣傳道或工人到外，為別人代禱。
(徒 15：3，4，22，12：5)

c. The universal church, commonly
termed “church of God” (1 Cor
10:32, 11:22, 15:9; 2 Cor 1:1),
“church of Christ,” “churches of
Christ” (Rom 16:16). In other
words, the church is seen as a
whole (Acts 9:31; 1 Cor 10:28,32).

c. 教會的統稱，一般的用法是"神的教會"，
(林前 10：32，11：22，15：9；林後 1：1)
"基督的教會"，"基督的眾教會"。(羅 16：16)
換言之，教會被當成一個整體來看。
(徒 9：31；林前 10：28，32)

d. In the spiritual dimension, the
church is pre-existent and
perfected, that is, “the church in
heaven” (Eph 1:4; Heb 12:22;
Gal 4:26; Rev 12:1). From such
a perspective, the church is the
body of Christ and Christ, who fills
all in all, is the head of the church
(Eph 2:22, 3:7,11,21, 5:25; Col
1:18–25).

d. 在屬靈的國度中，教會本來就是預先存在的，而且也是完美的，
也就是"天國的教會"。(弗 1：4；來 12：22；加 4：26；啟 12：1)
以這樣的觀點來看，教會是基督的身體，也是基督本身，
祂充滿萬有，是教會的頭。
(弗 2：22，3：7，11，21，5：25；歌 1：18-25)

In summary, the etymological and
categorical meanings of the word
“church” derive from God “calling” His
people and “gathering” His children
together since the OT times. God chose
Abraham in antiquity to establish an
“assembly” (qahal) of many nations.
This promise was proclaimed through
Isaac’s blessing to Jacob. It was first
fulfilled in the “holy assembly” of the
Israelites in the OT. After the exodus,
ethnic Israel as a whole was known as
“edah.” From Moses to Jesus, God’s
election was limited to ethnic Israelites.
Hence “qahal” and “edah” were used
interchangeably. Subsequently, Jews
who were called to Christ adopted the
term “qahal,” translated “ekklesia”
in Greek, which became a specific
reference to the Christian “church.”
The Jews who chose to remain under
the OT law retained the word “edah”
for their assembly, thus its Greek
translation specifically refers to the
Jewish synagogue.

總結一下，"教會"這個字，就字源學和幾個領域中所涵蓋的意思來看，
自從舊約時代以來，就是神"呼召"自已的子民，把祂的子女聚集起來。
神在亞伯拉罕已經年紀很大的時候，才和他一起建立多族的 “assembly 團體聚會” (qahal)。 
這個應許是透過以撒向雅各的祝福來傳達的。
在舊約時代中，這是以色列民第一次具體實現"神聖的聯合聚會"。
出埃及之後，以色列民族整體就是一個 “edah 宗教性的聯合聚會”。
從摩西到耶穌，神的選擇只集中在以色列民族身上。
因此，qahal團體聚會” 和 “edah 宗教性的聯合聚會”是可以互為使用的。
接著，猶太人被基督選召，就採用了 "qahal 團體聚會"這個詞，
在希臘文裡面被翻譯為 “ekklesia”，就變成特別用來代表基督徒的"教會"。
而那些信奉舊約的猶太人，仍然保有 " edah 宗教性的聯合聚會" 這個字來代表他們猶太的聚會，
因此希臘翻譯上，特別指的是猶太會堂。

In the NT era, Jesus, the Word
incarnate, completed the universal
calling of God’s people. This work
was later carried on by His disciples.
Now the word “ekklesia” no longer
falls into a general social and political
context. Today, we can go straight to
the Scriptures to understand the true
meaning of this term, which is: “The
church of God which He has purchased
(or redeemed) with His own blood”
(Acts 20:28).

新約的時候，耶穌道成肉身，完成了全世界神選民的呼召。
這個工作到後來，為祂的門徒來繼續執行。
現在“ekklesia 團體聚會”這個詞，就不再被用來指涉一般社會上或是政治上的運動聚集。
今日，我們就可以直接從聖經裡面來了解這個字詞的真正意思，
也就是"神的教會，就是他用自己血所買來的（或作：救贖的）"。
(徒 20：28)

SPIRITUAL ESSENCE OF THE CHURCH 教會屬靈的本質

As we study the church’s definition, we
realize that “church” can be understood
at many levels. Historically, we can look
at the church within time and space;
spiritually, we can look at the heavenly
church. This article weighs more on
investigating the spiritual essence of
the church, as it lies at the core of the
“only saved church” understanding.
For our discussion, the Bible’s teachings
on the spiritual essence of the church
can be summed up into three aspects:

當我們在研究教會的訂義時，我們明白到，"教會"有好幾個層面的意思。
就歷史上來說，我們可在時間和空間中來看教會；
屬靈上來說，我們可以來考察屬天的教會。
本文會更加著重於研討更多教會屬靈的本質，
因為這對於"唯一得救的教會"的核心認知很重要。
就我們的討論來看，聖經的教導，對於教會的屬靈本質，
可以歸納出下面三個方面來討論：

Within Eternity, the Church Has God’s Pre-existence

以永恒的角度來看，教會的出現，就如同是神預先存在一樣

In the eternal spiritual realm that
surpasses human rationality, the
church is a reality to God even before
creation. The church is chosen in
Christ long before the creation of the
world. Regarding this pre-existence of
the church in eternity, Paul attested:
“…just as He chose us in Him before
the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame
before Him in love, having predestined
us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ
to Himself” (Eph 1:4–5). When the
church was realized in the world, the
apostles remarked: “But we speak
the wisdom of God in a mystery, the
hidden wisdom which God ordained
before the ages for our glory” (1 Cor
2:7).

在超越人類認知能力的屬靈永恒國度之中，
甚至在創世之前，對神而言，教會就已經是一種現實，實現的存在了。
早在創世很早之前，教會早就被基督選上了。
關於在永恒之中，教會的預先存在這件事，保羅親自作見証：
4就如神從創立世界以前，在基督裡揀選了我們，使我們在他面前成為聖潔，無有瑕疵；
5又因愛我們，就按著自己意旨所喜悅的，預定我們藉著耶穌基督得兒子的名分。
(弗 1：4-5)
當教會真的在這個世界上實現的時候，眾使徒補充說：
7我們講的，乃是從前所隱藏、神奧祕的智慧，就是神在萬世以前預定使我們得榮耀的。
(林前 2：7)

We see then, that from eternity,
the pre-existent church based on
God’s absolute foreknowledge and
grace, is a reality in the pre-existent
Christ. When the church is realized in
the world, her membership includes
NT believers saved by grace, as well
as OT saints who “obtained a good
testimony through faith, [and] did not
receive the promise” (Heb 11:39). This
is “Jerusalem above” in Pauline terms
and “heavenly Jerusalem” attested to
in Hebrews.

然後，我們從永恒的角度來看，
以神絕對的預先認知和恩典來看，
以前就存在的教會，早就實現，早就已經出現在以前就存在的基督之中。
當教會在這個世界出現的時候，祂的組成包含了經由恩典所拯救的新約信徒，
同樣地，也包含了，"都是因信得了美好的證據"的舊約古聖徒。
(來 11：39)
這就是保羅所說的"上面的耶路撒冷"，也是希伯來書作見証的"天上的耶路撒冷"。

From Ages Past, the Church Is the Mystery Hidden in Christ

從以前的世代到如今，教會是藏在基督裡的奧秘

Before God was manifested in the flesh,
Christ was already chosen by God from
a spiritual perspective, although He
who partook of flesh and blood had
not yet appeared in history. Just as
Peter said:

神在肉身顯現之前，以屬靈的角度來看，神早就已經揀選基督了，
雖然那時，那個實現在血肉之軀出現的人，還沒有在歷史上出現。
就如彼得所說：

“Behold, I lay in Zion a chief
cornerstone, elect, precious, and
he who believes on Him will by no
means be put to shame.” (1 Pet 2:6)

看哪，我把所揀選、所寶貴的房角石安放在錫安；信靠他的人必不至於羞愧。
(彼前 2：6)

This is a mystery “which in other
ages was not made known to the sons
of men, as it has now been revealed
by the Spirit to His holy apostles and
prophets” (Eph 3:5). Paul likewise had
deep insight into this mystery, which
from the beginning of the ages has been
hidden in God who created all things:
“that the Gentiles should be fellow
heirs, of the same body, and partakers
of His promise in Christ through the
gospel” (Eph 3:6). The cross of Jesus
not only reconciles humanity with God,
so that man can rejoice in His presence
(Rom 5:8–11), it also breaks down the
wall of enmity between the Jews and
Gentiles, reconciling “them both to
God in one body” (Eph 2:16).

這是一個奧秘，
"5這奧祕在以前的世代沒有叫人知道，像如今藉著聖靈啟示他的聖使徒和先知一樣。"
(弗 3：5)
同樣地，保羅對這個奧秘也有很深的認知，
在世代開始之前，它就隱藏在創造萬物的神之中：
6這奧祕就是外邦人在基督耶穌裡，藉著福音，得以同為後嗣，同為一體，同蒙應許。
(弗 3：6)
耶穌的十字架，不只讓人與神和好了，也因此，人們才得以歡欣的與祂在一起，(羅 5：8-11)
同樣地，它也打破了在猶太人和外邦人之間的仇視之牆，
"便藉這十字架使兩下歸為一體，與神和好了"。
(弗 2：16)

As the teaching of the cross clearly
indicates, the church embodies the
mystery hidden in Christ and hence,
manifests both the horizontal and
vertical aspects of the cross. Vertically,
the church reaches towards heaven to
God and therefore, she possesses the
consistency and integrity from God
(unity); horizontally, she traverses
nationalities and thus has a universal
character (catholicity). Also, having
been cleansed by the precious blood of
Jesus, she is characterized by holiness
(Eph 5:26–27, 32).

就如十字架的教導，清楚地指出，
教會具體實現在藏在基督裡面的奧秘，
因此在具體展現在十字架上，左右橫向及上下縱向的關係之上。
以上下縱向的關係來看，教會達到了天上神那裡去，
所以她有從神而來的一致性及正直特性(合一性)；
以左右橫向的關係來看，她橫越了國籍，因此有著全宇宙的一致性的特性(寬容性)。
也因為經由耶穌寶血的潔淨，她也具有聖潔的特性。
(弗 5：26-27，32)

Paul explains in 2 Timothy 1:9–10:
“who 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, but has now
been revealed by the appearing of our
Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished
death and brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel.”

保羅在提摩太後書一章 9-10 節解釋：
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，
10但如今藉著我們救主基督耶穌的顯現才表明出來了。他已經把死廢去，藉著福音，將不能壞的生命彰顯出來。

The church presents the “unity,”
“catholicity” and “holiness” in Christ.
This is the very “eternal life which God
… promised before time began” (Tit
1:2), showing that the church embodies
the mystery hidden in Christ.

教會在基督之中，表現了"合一"，"寬容" 及"聖潔"。
這就是我們所特別注重，
"2盼望那無謊言的神在萬古之先所應許的永生"(多 1：2)，
顯明了，教會是隱藏在基督之中的奧秘，在現世之中的具體實現。

At Pentecost, the Church Was
Founded in History Through the
Promised Holy Spirit

五旬節，透過應許的聖靈，歷史上教會成立了

Before He redeemed and established
the NT church, Jesus had announced:
“on this rock I will build My church,
and the gates of Hades shall not
prevail against it” (Mt 16:18). Here the
“rock” (petra) is to be differentiated
from Peter’s name, “stone” (Petros).
Materially, a rock can be built upon
for a house or hewn into for a tomb
and is sought after as a refuge when
great calamity comes at the end of the
world (Mt 7:25, 27:51,60; Mk 15:46;
Rev 6:15–16). Spiritually, “this rock”
specifically refers to Jesus, just as Paul
says, “that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor
10:4; cf. Rom 9:33; 1 Pet 2:8).

在祂拯救及建立新約教會之前，耶穌已經宣佈：
"我要把我的教會建造在這磐石上；陰間的權柄（權柄：原文是門），不能勝過他。"
(太 16：18)
這裡“rock 岩右” (petra) 和彼得的名字 “stone 石頭” (Petros) 是不太一樣的。
物質上來說，一大塊岩口可以在上面蓋一座房子，
或是把岩石砍一砍，削出一座墓穴，
由其是在末後大災難來臨的時候，大家會尋找它，把它當成避難所，
(太 7：25，27：51，60；可 15：46；啟 6：15-16)
就屬靈意義來說，"這個靈磐石"特別指著耶穌而言，
就如保羅說的，"那磐石就是基督。"
(林前 10：4；參考，羅 9：33；彼前 2：8)

The apostolic church is established
solely on the redeeming blood of Jesus
Christ. Through efficacious baptism,
the blood of Christ brings about
remission of sins. Baptism’s efficacy,
in turn, comes from the power of the
promised Holy Spirit, as John testifies:
–“This is He who came by water and
blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water,
but by water and blood. And it is the
Spirit who bears witness, because the
Spirit is truth… And there are three that
bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the
water, and the blood; and these three
agree as one” (1 Jn 5:6–8).

使徒教會成立，主要是因為有耶穌基督寶血的救贖。
經由具有功效的洗禮，基督的寶血帶來了罪的赦免 
反過來說，洗禮的功效來自應該聖靈的能力，就如約翰作見証：
6這藉著水和血而來的，就是耶穌基督；不是單用水，乃是用水又用血，
7並且有聖靈作見證，因為聖靈就是真理。
8作見證的原來有三：就是聖靈、水，與血，這三樣也都歸於一。
(約壹 5：6-8)

Before Pentecost, Jesus sent His
disciples “just as the Father sent the
Son.” He has also gave them authority:
“And when He had said this, He
breathed on them, and said to them,
‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive
the sins of any, they are forgiven them;
if you retain the sins of any, they are
retained’” (Jn 20:22–23). Moreover,
before Jesus was taken to heaven, He
entrusted His disciples with the great
commission of preaching the gospel
to every creature (Mk 16:15–18; Acts
1:8).

五旬節之前，耶穌派遣祂的門徒，
"就如天父派遣兒子一樣"。
祂也賜給他們權柄：
22說了這話，就向他們吹一口氣，說：你們受聖靈！
23你們赦免誰的罪，誰的罪就赦免了；你們留下誰的罪，誰的罪就留下了。
(約 20：22-23)
而且在耶穌升天之前，祂交託門徒傳福音的大任務，要把福音傳給每個人。
(可 16：15-18)

When Pentecost came, the disciples
who had gathered in one place to
pray in one accord received the Holy
Spirit that God promised some eight
hundred years before. Thus began a
new chapter in the history of God’s
kingdom. Salvation through the rebirth
of water and spirit had been initiated
and the NT church was realized among
men:

當五旬節來到時，門徒聚集在一個地方，同心禱告，
並且得到聖靈，這個聖靈就是神八百多年以前，所應許要賜下的聖靈。
因此在神國度的歷史上，開啟了新的一篇章。
透過聖靈和水的重生得到拯救已經開始了，
新約的教會在眾人之後，具體實現了：

“Now, therefore, you are no longer
strangers and foreigners, but fellow
citizens with the saints and members
of the household of God, having been
built on the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself
being the chief cornerstone.”
(Eph 2:19,20)

19這樣，你們不再作外人和客旅，是與聖徒同國，是神家裡的人了；
20並且被建造在使徒和先知的根基上，有基督耶穌自己為房角石。
(弗 2：19-20)

Since the church is built on the
Lord Jesus, her Rock and cornerstone,
and the apostles and prophets who
preached the truth of salvation, she is
characterized by “apostolicity,” which
is her heritage of the historical founding
by the promised Holy Spirit.

因為教會是建立在主耶穌的基礎之上，
她是靈磐石，也是房角石，
而使徒和先知傳揚得救的真理，
讓教會具有"使徒傳承下來"的特點，
就是她在歷史上所流傳下來的特點，
就是教會有應許聖靈的同在。

[To be continued…] 待續...

小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com