Manna issue 69 - Church Unity 教會的合一
Yung-Ji Lin—Taichung, Taiwan
Translated from Holy Spirit Monthly, Issue: 425
台灣台中 林永基長老
翻譯自聖靈月刊 425 期
In recent years, scholars have begun
to take an interest in the True Jesus
Church and her development. To this
end, the development of the True Jesus
Church was included in the agenda of
an international discussion on religions
held in 2012.
這幾年來，有許多的學者對真教會的發展感到興趣，
2012年有一個國際性的宗教研討會，其中有一個研討議題就是探討真耶穌教會的發展。
A common understanding regarding
the church and her teachings is vital.
Erroneous teaching leads people
away from God, and we cannot be
complacent in these last days because
the devil incessantly seeks to destroy
the church of God. The apostolic church
started to deteriorate around 100 A.D.
But Paul had already warned them
earlier, “I marvel that you are turning
away so soon from Him who called you
in the grace of Christ, to a different
gospel, which is not another; but there
are some who trouble you and want to
pervert the gospel of Christ. But even
if we, or an angel from heaven, preach
any other gospel to you than what
we have preached to you, let him be
accursed” (Gal 1:6–8).
所有對教會和教義有通盤的了解是很重要的。
在這個末後的世代，我們不可自滿，因為魔鬼時時刻刻要破壞神的教會。
使徒時代的教會約在主後一百年就開始變質了，
保羅曾提出警告：
「我希奇你們這麼快離開那藉著基督之恩召你們的，去從別的福音。
那並不是福音，不過有些人攪擾你們，要把基督的福音更改了。
但無論是我們，是天上來的使者，若傳福音給你們，與我們所傳給你們的不同，他就應當被咒詛。」
（加一6-8）。
What is precious about the True Jesus
Church is our uncompromising faith in
the Bible because we believe that the
word of the Lord never changes. We
accept what the Bible says and we
have indeed experienced the blessings
promised by God.
真耶穌教會可貴的地方，是我們堅信聖經的話，
因為相信主的話是不會改變。
聖經怎麼講，我們就怎麼接受，
我們也確實體驗到神應許的福氣。
The True Jesus Church has been
established for nearly a century now.
We have witnessed the development
of the true church and its establishment
in over sixty different countries and
regions; this is truly the grace of God.
However, as the church grows, she
faces a great challenge today, which
are increased attacks from the evil one;
he divides believers by altering the
truth and tarnishes the image of church
organization, which, in turn, causes the
believers to lose their faith and trust
in the true church. Faced with such
challenges, we ought to rely on the
Lord and His great power to be strong
to withstand the devil’s schemes. We
must remind churches everywhere to
hold fast to the truth and pursue unity
in the truth in order to be victorious
over the devil’s ploy.
真耶穌教會建立至今，已將近百年了，
我們看到真教會的發展，已經在六十個國家或地區建立了教會，這是主的恩典。
不過今日教會的發展仍面對惡者更大的攻擊，
惡者藉著改變真理來分化信徒，
藉著醜化教會的組織，造成信徒不信任教會，動搖對真教會的信心。
我們面對這樣的挑戰，就要靠著主，倚賴祂的大能大力作剛強的人，抵擋魔鬼的詭計。
我們必須提醒各國的教會要堅守真道，追求在真道上合一，才能得勝魔鬼的詭計。
So important was the unity of
the church to Paul that even in the
midst of his imprisonment, this issue
preoccupied him. Therefore, Paul
provided specific guidance with regard
to church unity saying, “I, therefore,
the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to
walk worthy of the calling with which
you were called, with all lowliness and
gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing
with one another in love, endeavoring
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace” (Eph 4:1–3).
保羅非常重視教會的合一，當他被囚在監牢當中，他仍然關心著教會的合一。
保羅對教會的合一提出了具體的指導，他說：
「我為主被囚的勸你們：既然蒙召，行事為人就當與蒙召的恩相稱。
凡事謙虛、溫柔、忍耐，用愛心互相寬容，
用和平彼此聯絡，竭力保守聖靈所賜合而為一的心。」
（弗四1-3）
From Paul’s teachings we know that
we ought to pursue unity so that we
will be worthy to receive salvation.
How then do we go about pursuing
this? Paul proposes five key points:
從保羅的教導得知，我們要追求教會的合一，
才能與所領受的救恩相稱。
那麼，要如何追求呢？
保羅提出了五個要點：
I. HUMILITY 謙虛
The humility of believers promotes
church unity.
信徒若是謙虛，就能促進教會的合一。
The people of the world live in sin,
surrounded by dissension, hatred,
murder, and disharmony. The Lord Jesus
understands the misery of humankind
and knows that the only way for man
to live a blissful life is to remove the evil
in man’s heart.
世人活在罪中，到處紛爭、仇恨、殘殺，不能和平相處。
主耶穌明白世人的痛苦，祂知道必須為人除去心中的罪惡，人類才有幸福可言。
To redeem man from sin, He
humbled Himself and came into the
world as a man. To shoulder the sins
of mankind, He submitted to the will
of the heavenly Father—to undergo
crucifixion, shedding His blood for
the redemption of mankind, so that
whosoever desires to receive the grace
of salvation can be reconciled with
God. We ought to emulate the Lord’s
humility and submit to the truth. Only
thus can we be reconciled with our
brethren and attain church unity (cf.
Phil 2:6–8).
祂為了替人贖罪，謙虛自己，降世為人；
為承擔人類的罪，順服天父的旨意，
被釘死在十字架上，為世人流血贖罪，
讓願意領受救恩的人得與神和好。
我們當效法主的謙虛，順服真理，
必能與同靈和好，追求教會的合一
（參：腓二6-8）。
Without humility, there is no
submission to the truth. Different people
insist on their different concepts of
serving God, leading to dissension and
division within the church. A humble
person respects God’s guidance; if
his opinion does not receive general
concurrence, he will wait patiently for
God’s time, believing firmly that God is
in charge (cf. Isa 2:4).
人們若不謙虛，就沒有順服真理的心，
在事奉的觀念上就不同調，教會很容易造成分裂。
凡是謙虛的人，他會尊重神的帶領，
若是自己的主張一時不能得到他人的認同時，
他會耐心地等候神的時候，
也深信神在我們當中作主
（參：賽二4）。
For example, if a person has a new
understanding of the church’s beliefs,
deems it to be consistent with the
truth and wishes to advocate this new
perspective, he should first raise this
for discussion in the church’s “Truth
Research Meeting.” However, if the
subsequent discussion does not yield
any consensus and concurrence on this
new view, the proponent has to learn
to wait patiently for God’s time, submit
to the stipulation of the church and
not proclaim a teaching that has not
become part of the church’s common
beliefs. This is humility. Believing that
God has His time, we ought to hold
firm to the belief that the Spirit of truth
will guide us into unity in all truth (Jn
16:13). A united church is one where
everyone humbles himself before God
and submits to the leadership of the
church with neither discontentment
nor complaint (Eph 4:13).
例如有人所主張真理的觀點，
過去從未有人提出，他若是自認為合乎真理的話，
應在「真理研究會」上提出討論，
討論的結果或許仍無法得到大家認同時，
要學會耐心等候神的時候，
順服教會的規定，不隨意發表大家未能共識的道理，
這就是謙虛；
相信神有神的時候，我們更要深信真理的聖靈必定引導大家在真道上合一
（約十六13）。
人人若是在神的面前，謙虛順服教會的帶領，
沒有任何的不滿、抱怨，
這就是教會合一的表現
（弗四13）。
II. GENTLENESS 溫柔
Gentleness amongst believers will also
promote church unity.
信徒若是溫柔，也能促進教會的合一。
Gentleness is a characteristic that
falls between the two extremes of
being easily angered and never getting
angry. In other words, a gentle person
gets angry only when there is cause
to be angry, e.g., for the truth’s sake,
not wanting others to be deceived
and to lose their spiritual life. In other
situations, when the truth is not
concerned, a gentle person can keep
himself or herself away from anger.
溫柔是介於任意生氣和從不發脾氣之間，
在該生氣的時候生氣，是為了真理的緣故，不願眾人受迷惑而喪失靈命；
在不該生氣的時候能不生氣，因為所面對的事情是與真理無關。
The Lord Jesus was an extremely
gentle person and lowly in heart (Mt
11:29). He was not offended by
Nathanael’s unreasonable criticism
but even praised Nathanael as a true
Israelite in whom was no deceit. His
gentleness won Nathanael’s heart. Yet
the gentle Lord could lose His temper,
and on one occasion, He even became
extremely furious. So great was His
fury that He made a whip of cords in
the holy temple, drove out the oxen
and sheep, poured out the changers’
money and overturned their tables. All
because these traders had made the
Father’s house a house of merchandise
(Jn 2:13–17).
主耶穌是極其柔和謙卑的人（太十一29），
祂不計較拿但業對祂無理的批評，反而稱讚拿但業是心中沒有詭詐的真以色列人，祂的溫柔得到拿但業的心。
這麼溫柔的主也曾大發烈怒，
祂在聖殿中，拿繩子作成鞭子，把牛羊都趕出殿去，倒出兌換銀錢之人的銀錢、推翻他們的桌子。
因為他們將天父的殿，當成作買賣的地方（約二13-17）。
Moses was another very humble man.
When his authority was challenged,
he was neither angry nor defensive.
Instead, he placed the matter entirely
in the hands of God (cf. Num 16:1–5).
In contrast, when the people went
against God to worship the golden
calf, he burnt with such great anger for
the truth that he cast down the tablets
he had just received from God and
broke them. God was also incensed
and wanted Moses to execute these
rebellious people (Ex 32:7–10, 19–21).
摩西為人極其謙和，當有人挑戰他的權威時，
他毫不生氣，也不辯白，把這事交託給神（參：民十六1-5）；
但是當百姓背叛神去拜金牛犢時，
他為了真理發了非常大的脾氣，
把剛從神那裡所領受的兩塊法版都摔碎了，
不只摩西生氣了，神也生氣了，要摩西擊殺那些悖逆的人
（出三十二7-10、19-21）。
Thus we can see that being gentle
and lowly at heart does not mean
that we are not allowed to get angry.
When someone deceives others and
leads them away from the truth and
the church, we must not keep silent.
Instead, we must vigorously defend
the truth and courageously take a firm
stand to deal with the person who
misleads other believers into departing
from the truth. In short, where the truth
is concerned, no compromise should
be made lest the truth be distorted and
the unity of the church be destroyed.
可見，溫柔不是不能發脾氣；
當有人引誘人離開真道、離開真教會時，我們不能無動於衷，
我們要表明維護真理的立場，處理那些引誘人離開真道的人。
所以為了維護真理，就不能退讓，以免真理被扭曲了，破壞了教會的合一。
On the other hand, we need not lose
our temper over matters that do not
concern the truth:
若是與得救無關的事，就不要隨便發脾氣，
Repay no one evil for evil. Have
regard for good things in the sight
of all men. If it is possible, as much
as depends on you, live peaceably
with all men. Beloved, do not avenge
yourselves, but rather give place to
wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is
Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
(Rom 12:17–19)
「不要以惡報惡；眾人以為美的事要留心去做。
若是能行，總要盡力與眾人和睦。
親愛的弟兄，不要自己伸冤，寧可讓步，聽憑主怒；
因為經上記著：主說：『伸冤在我；我必報應。』」
（羅十二17-19）。
Gentleness and humility means
being able and willing to suffer loss and
being taken advantage of in situations
that do not involve the truth. When we
understand the true meaning of being
gentle, we will be able to defend the
truth; the church will then be united in
the truth.
所以凡是與得救無關者，寧可吃虧、寧可受欺，這就是溫柔。
當我們明白溫柔真正的意思，
就能勇敢地維護真理，
教會才能在真理上合一。
III. ENDURANCE 忍耐
The endurance of believers can also
promote church unity.
信徒若能忍耐，也能促進教會的合一。
Envy, strife, criticism, and judging are
inevitable in church, for we are all still
human. While we may wonder how
these things can happen in the true
church of God, this should not cause us
to doubt the church. All these negative
incidents still occur because the level
of spirituality varies amongst believers:
some are like babes who are prone to
envy and strife (1 Cor 3:1–3); some
are like children who are susceptible
to deception (Eph 4:14); but there also
those who are spiritually mature and
able to discern between good and evil
(Heb 5:14).
在教會當中難免會遇上嫉妒紛爭、批評論斷的事，
不要因此懷疑真教會，為什麼會有這樣的事？
因為每位信徒的靈性各有不同，
有的像嬰孩，容易嫉妒紛爭（林前三1-3）；
有的像小孩容易受迷惑（弗四14）；
有的靈性成熟像大人能分辨是非（來五14）。
Let us not quibble with weaker
believers but patiently guide them as
parents so that they will grow in the
truth. When all of us have matured
and become full-grown spiritual adults,
the church will truly attain unity in the
truth.
當我們面對軟弱的信徒，不要與他們計較，
要如同父母般地耐心引導他們，讓他們在道理上成長；
當大家的靈性都能如同大人般地成熟，
教會就能在真道上達到實在的合一。
IV. LOVE 愛心
Love amongst believers will promote
church unity.
信徒若有愛心，必能促進教會的合一。
When we meet with believers who
are weak, not only do we need to be
patient, we also have to help them
grow.
當我們面對軟弱的信徒，不只是要忍耐，
還要以愛心互相寬容，幫助對方成長。
The Lord Jesus said, “But I tell you
not to resist an evil person. But whoever
slaps you on your right cheek, turn
the other to him also” (Mt 5:39). This
“evil person” refers to a person who is
spiritually immature. When someone
slaps us on our right cheek, let us not
set ourselves against him but instead
be patient and avoid retaliation. We
are also told to “turn the other cheek
to him”—what does this mean? From
the subsequent part of the passage we
can understand its meaning. The Lord
Jesus said, “Love your enemies, and
pray for those who spitefully use you
and persecute you.” In other words,
we are to return good for evil—this is
clearly much more difficult to do than
just physically “turning the other cheek
to him.”
主耶穌說：
「不要與惡人作對。有人打你的右臉，連左臉也轉過來由他打」
（太五39），
惡人就是靈性不成熟的人，
所以我們被打右臉的時候，不只是不可與他作對，還要忍耐，不可還手，
甚至「連左臉也轉過來由他打」，這是什麼意思呢？
從下文得知其意，
主耶穌說：「要愛你們的仇敵，為那逼迫你們的禱告」，
這就是以愛心寬容對方，
這是比「連左臉也轉過來由他打」
更不容易的事。
Once there was an officer who struck
Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying,
“Do You answer the high priest like
that?” Jesus answered him, “If I have
spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but
if well, why do you strike Me?” Jesus
did not retaliate after being struck,
but the evil one perversely continued
persecuting Jesus. Eventually, the
Lord Jesus was crucified. But amidst
extreme suffering, Jesus still prayed to
the heavenly Father, “Father, forgive
them, for they do not know what they
do.” Out of love, the Lord Jesus was
forbearing with those who persecuted
Him.
曾經有一個差役用手掌打主耶穌，說：
「你這樣回答大祭司嗎？」
耶穌說：「我若說的不是，你可以指證那不是；
我若說的是，你為甚麼打我呢？」
主耶穌被打並沒有還手，
但是惡者卻蠻橫無理地繼續逼迫主耶穌，
最後主耶穌被釘上十字架，
在極端痛苦的時刻，主耶穌仍向天父禱告：
「父啊！赦免他們；因為他們所做的，他們不曉得。」
主耶穌做到了用愛心寬容那些逼迫祂的人。
Within the church we ought to
learn to bear with those who ill-treat
us, even if they demand a yard after
taking an inch. Let us not set ourselves
against them but instead trust that
“vengeance belongs to God, God will
repay.” Perhaps there will come a day
when their hearts are touched by God
and they become repentant.
在教會中，我們當學會用愛心寬容那些惡待我們的人，
即使他們得寸進尺地惡待，
我們也不要與他們作對，要相信「伸冤在神，神必報應」；
或許有一天，他們的心被神感化而悔改了。
We believe that only love can melt
away every kind of difficulty. For
example, historically, the love of Christ
contributed to the abolishment of
slavery; therefore we ought to forbear
the ignorance of others through love
and guide them in the path of truth.
This will promote unity in the truth,
which, in turn, facilitates church
growth.
我們相信唯有愛才能化解各種的難題，
歷史上的奴隸制度就是因基督的愛而瓦解了，
所以我們要以愛心寬容人們的無知，引導他們走在真道上，
教會就能在真道上合一而成長。
V. PEACE 和平
If believers seek to live peaceably with
each other, there will be church unity.
信徒之間若能追求和平，必能帶來教會的合一。
When someone offends us, not only
should we forbear his ignorance out of
love for him, we ought to communicate
peaceably with him.
當對方得罪我們的時候，
我們不但要以愛心寬容他的無知，
更要以和平與他聯絡。
The Lord Jesus said, “Moreover if
your brother sins against you, go and
tell him his fault between you and him
alone. If he hears you, you have gained
your brother” (Mt 18:15). This is how
we pursue harmony with a peaceable
attitude.
主耶穌說：
「倘若你的弟兄得罪你，你就去，趁著只有他和你在一處的時候，指出他的錯來。
他若聽你，你便得了你的弟兄」
（太十八15），
這就是存著和平的心追求和睦。
If the person who offends us refuses
to heed our advice, let us not lose heart.
Let us take one or two more spiritually
sound brethren along to advise him
or her, so that by the mouth of two
or three witnesses every word may be
established (Mt 18:16). This is a more
positive way of dealing with conflicts.
Furthermore, if the person who offends
us has his conscience blinded such
that he hardens his heart and refuses
to heed any advice, we should then
communicate this to the church and
allow the church to handle the matter
(Mt 18:17). We ought to avoid willfully
bringing the disagreement or conflict
to the court, much less broadcast the
matter to the general public who, not
understanding the full context, may
make erroneous judgments (1 Cor 6:1–
8). Entrusting resolution to third parties
outside the church is a reflection of
distrust in and disrespect for the church.
得罪我們的人若不聽勸勉，我們不要灰心，
另外帶一兩個靈性好的人同去，要憑兩三個人的口作見證，句句都可定準
（太十八16），
這是更積極的作法。
若是得罪我們的人心被矇蔽了，硬心不肯接受勸勉，
我們就告訴教會，請教會處理
（太十八17）。
這時切忌以人意訴之於法庭，
更不要藉著電子郵件訴之於社會不知情的大眾公審
（林前六1-8），
這些都是不信任教會，藐視教會的作法。
We ought to trust the church as the
Lord Jesus had once said, “Assuredly, I
say to you, whatever you bind on earth
will be bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth will be loosed in
heaven” (Mt 18:18). The church is
the body of Christ, and she is different
from other organizations in society.
God entrusted spiritual authority to the
church so that she can baptize people
for the remission of sins and also hold
the authority to maintain discipline
within the church.
我們應當信任教會，主耶穌曾說：
「我實在告訴你們，凡你們在地上所捆綁的，在天上也要捆綁；凡你們在地上所釋放的，在天上也要釋放。」
（太十八18），
教會是基督的身體，與社會上的組織不同，
因為神把屬靈的權柄託付了教會，
所以教會按著真道而行，為人施洗，可以叫人的罪得赦免；
同理，教會有權柄維持教會中的紀律。
We need to be alert to the warning
signs. A person blinded by sin loves to
broadcast to the uninformed general
public. To hold the thought that any
misunderstanding can be solved on
the social media is falling right into the
devil’s trap. For people who are blinded
by sin have ceased to accept any advice
given by other brethren, and they
despise the way the church handles
the conflict involving them. Instead,
they hope to create confusion on the
social media by presenting a warped
version of the church’s well-meaning
explanations, causing other believers to
be dragged along by the evil one and
be overcome.
被罪矇蔽的人最喜歡訴諸「不知情的社會大眾」，這時我們要小心，
若是以為在媒體上可以化解各樣的誤解，正是中了惡者的詭計。
因為被罪矇蔽的人都已不接受同靈的勸勉，又藐視教會的處理，
當然更希望在媒體上興風作浪，
把我們善意的解說加以扭曲，這
樣我們就會被惡者拖著走，甚至被拖垮！
Therefore the Lord Jesus said, “But if
he refuses even to hear the church, let
him be to you like a heathen and a tax
collector” (Mt 18:17).
所以主耶穌說：「他們若是不聽教會，就看他像外邦人和稅吏一樣了。」（太十八17）
When there are conflicts among
brethren, all ought to submit to the
teachings of the Lord in handling such
matters. We earnestly believe that this
is the way to bring about church unity.
當我們遇上一些同靈得罪的事，必須要遵照主的教訓而行，深信這是帶來教會合一的方法。
CONCLUSION 結語
After Paul had presented the five
important points that promote
church unity, he gave us this further
encouragement, “endeavoring to keep
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace.”
保羅提示了促進教會合一的五大要點之後，
他勉勵大家：「竭力保守聖靈所賜合而為一的心。」
Church unity is a gracious blessing
that the Holy Spirit bestowed upon
us long ago. However, such unity is
difficult to maintain and may even be
easily lost. We must do our best to
preserve it. Just as couples take up the
responsibility of preserving the blissful
marriages that God has given them,
even more so we should all do our best
to preserve church unity.
「教會的合一」是聖靈早已賜給我們的恩典，
但是這「合一」很容易失去，不容易維持，
所以要竭盡所能的維護，如同神賜給我們美好的婚姻，我們一定要盡本分地維護；
同理，「教會的合一」更是我們要竭力去保守的。
How do we do our utmost to preserve
church unity? Church unity is preserved
by relying on the Holy Spirit and
cannot be developed through man’s
will. When a man falls short of the
glory of God, he will turn arrogant and
self-righteous, and he will manifest the
bitter envy and contention in his heart in
various ways (Rom 3:23; Jas 3:14–18).
Therefore, we have to rely on prayer
and submit to the guidance of the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit will allow us to
realize our inner shortcomings, help us
change ourselves and learn humility,
gentleness, perseverance, love, and
peace. Only then can we bring about
church unity. Through this process, we
will better understand the power of the
Holy Spirit and rely on Him to defend
ourselves against the ploys of the evil
one. Simultaneously, we ought to make
an effort to learn and understand the
Bible, emulate Jesus in using the word
of God to resist the devil, to uphold the
truth and agree with the true church. In
this way, Satan will not stand a chance
to work.
我們要如何「竭力」保守「教會的合一」？
「教會的合一」是靠聖靈「保守」，而不是以人意製造出來的。
因為人若虧缺神的榮耀，就會自大、自義，
把心裡所懷著苦毒的嫉妒和紛爭，透過各種方法宣洩出來
（羅三23；雅三14-18）。
因此我們藉著禱告，順服聖靈的帶領，
聖靈會讓我們明白內心的虧欠，先改變自己，學會謙虛、溫柔、忍耐、愛心與和平，
就能促進教會的合一，
我們就更明白聖靈的能力，足以抵擋惡者的詭計；
同時我們也要努力學習聖經，
效法主耶穌以神的話抵擋惡者的誘惑，
堅守真道、認同真教會，
惡者就無機可趁了。
When the church is united, she
will make great leaps in her growth.
We shall enjoy the same experience
as the church in Jerusalem—we will
be preserved by the Holy Spirit to be
united as one and have favor with all
the people. And the Lord will add to
the church daily those who are being
saved (Acts 2:46–47).
當教會合一的時候，必然促進教會聖工大大發展，
如同耶路撒冷教會得聖靈的保守而合一，得著眾民的喜愛，
主也將得救的人天天加給他們
（徒二46-47）。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)