12. Manna issue 88 - Family: What God Has Joined, Let No Man Separate (Part 2) 家庭：神配合的，人不可分開。(第二回)
Aun Quek Chin—Singapore 新加坡 Aun Quek Chin
Editor’s note:
The first of this three-part series, published in issue 87,
focused on understanding God’s will and His purpose in instituting marriage.
This second part looks at God’s principles for marriage
and extends these principles to our relationship with Him.
編者註：
發表在第 87 期，一系列由三篇文章組合而成的第一回，
專注於明白神的旨意，及神設立婚姻的目的。
本期第二回要探討神設立婚姻的原則，
並將這些原則，延伸到我們與祂的關係。
Disagreements and difficulties arise in every marriage.
The world offers solutions such as marriage counseling and therapy
to help couples get through their rough patches.
Christians have the additional privilege of having an Almighty God
who is always ready to see them through these storms.
Yet, we hear of Christians who ultimately divorce;
we see couples in cold, loveless relationships
—they remain together but can barely tolerate each other.
If we look at God’s original plan for marriage,
we will see that such situations are not what God intended.
To prevent our marriage from declining to such a state,
we must clearly understand and firmly uphold God’s established principles for the marriage covenant.
每個婚姻都會出現不合和困難。
世界上會提供婚姻諮詢等解決方案和治療，
以幫助夫妻渡過難關。
基督徒有額外的特權，我們擁有全能的神
神會誰隨時準備好，在風暴中照顧他們。
然而，我們又聽說，有基督徒最終離婚了；
我們看到情侶的關係，變得冷酷無情，
—他們依然在一起，卻幾乎無法容忍彼此。
如果我們看看神對婚姻原本的計劃，
就會看到這樣的情況，並不是神的旨意。
為了避免我們的婚姻墮落到這種狀態，
就必須清楚地了解，並堅定遵守神對婚約的既定原則。
There are three key principles of marriage that God’s children must believe and practice:
神兒女必須要相信，並實行的三項婚姻主要原則：
ONE HUSBAND, ONE WIFE 一夫一妻
And this is the second thing you do:
You cover the altar of the LORD with tears,
With weeping and crying;
So He does not regard the offering anymore,
Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.
Yet you say, “For what reason?”
Because the LORD has been witness
Between you and the wife of your youth,
With whom you have dealt treacherously;
Yet she is your companion
And your wife by covenant.
But did He not make them one,
Having a remnant of the Spirit?
And why one?
He seeks godly offspring.
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.
“For the LORD God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one’s garment with violence,”
Says the LORD of hosts.
“Therefore take heed to your spirit,
That you do not deal treacherously.”
(Mal 2:13–16)
13你們又行了一件這樣的事，使前妻歎息哭泣的眼淚遮蓋耶和華的壇，
以致耶和華不再看顧那供物，也不樂從你們手中收納。
14你們還說：這是為甚麼呢？因耶和華在你和你幼年所娶的妻中間作見證。
他雖是你的配偶，又是你盟約的妻，你卻以詭詐待他。
15雖然神有靈的餘力能造多人，他不是單造一人麼？為何只造一人呢？
乃是他願人得虔誠的後裔。所以當謹守你們的心，誰也不可以詭詐待幼年所娶的妻。
16耶和華─以色列的神說：休妻的事和以強暴待妻的人都是我所恨惡的！
所以當謹守你們的心，不可行詭詐。這是萬軍之耶和華說的。
(瑪 2：13-16)
Monogamy is God’s intended marital arrangement for man.
We can infer this from various parts of the Scriptures.
First, God created only one wife–Eve—for Adam.
He could have created multiple spouses to meet Adam’s need for companionship and help.
But it was His will to create just one woman for the first man.
From the beginning, the Creator has already indicated
that He does not tolerate a third party within a marriage.
We thus have a responsibility to be faithful to our spouse.
一夫一妻制是神定意對男人的婚姻安排。
我們可以從聖經各處推斷出這一點。
首先，神只為亞當創造了一個妻子—夏娃。
他本可以創造許多配偶，來滿足亞當對陪伴和幫助的需求。
但祂的旨意，是為這第一個男人，只創造了第一個女人。
從一開始，造物主就已經表明，
祂不容忍婚姻內有第三方。
因此，我們有責任忠於自已的配偶。
Second, the prophet Malachi reiterates God’s expectation of monogamy
(Mal 2:15),
declaring that adultery incurs God’s rejection.
Malachi rebuked God’s people for having extramarital relationships.
He warned them that God was fully sympathetic with the wronged wives.
Helpless to prevent their husbands’ infidelity,
the former prayed and wept at the altar of God
(Mal 2:13).
Consequently, God rejected the offerings of their philandering husbands.
第二、瑪拉基先知，重申了神對一夫一妻制的期望
（瑪 2:15），
宣布姦淫會導致神的拒絕。
瑪拉基斥責神的子民有婚外情。
他警告他們，神完全同情那些錯誤的妻子。
無力阻止那些丈夫出軌，
那錯誤妻子在神的祭壇前禱告哭泣
（瑪 2:13）。
因此，神拒絕了他們那些放蕩丈夫的獻祭。
Dealing treacherously with one’s spouse and divorce are abominations to God.
Even as we obey God to worship Him in spirit and in truth,
we must also speak and act with sincerity toward others.
We would be hypocrites if we harbor hatred towards our spouse,
have romantic feelings for a third party,
or indulge in an extramarital affair.
Our heavenly Father watches from heaven.
Even though it seems we have deceived others and there is nothing our spouses can do,
God will mete out judgment.
以詭詐待配偶和離婚，是神所憎惡的。
即使我們順從神，用心靈和誠實敬拜祂，
我們還必須坦率言而有信，並待人以誠。
如果我們對配偶懷有仇恨，就是偽君子，
對第三者有抱有浪漫情懷，
或沉迷於婚外情。
我們的天父從在上監察。
即使我們欺騙了別人，似乎我們的配偶也無能為力，
但神會審判我們的。
For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy.
For I have betrothed you to one husband,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness,
so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
(2 Cor 11:2–3)
2我為你們起的憤恨，原是神那樣的憤恨。
因為我曾把你們許配一個丈夫，要把你們如同貞潔的童女，獻給基督。
3我只怕你們的心或偏於邪，失去那向基督所存純一清潔的心，
就像蛇用詭詐誘惑了夏娃一樣。
(林後 11：2-3)
God’s expectation of our marital fidelity is rooted in His expectations of our relationship with Him.
Paul says we are betrothed to Christ,
who will come for us one day.
We must be faithful whilst waiting,
meaning we must be single-minded towards Jesus.
Our hearts should not stray, and we should remain chaste.
Our declarations of love for our spouse are hollow
if we are also harboring affections for another person.
Proponents of polyamory like to claim that they have sufficient love to share,
and that their love for their multiple partners is genuine.
Such love may be real, but it is certainly not pure.
神對我們婚姻忠誠的期盼，根植於祂對我們與神關係的期盼。
保羅說我們已經許配給了基督，
有一天祂會來找我們。
在等待時，我們必須忠心，
這代表了，我們必須專心一意對待耶穌。
我們的心不應該偏離，應該保持貞潔。
如果我們也對另一個人抱持感情，
那麼我們給配偶愛的誓言，是空洞的。
多方戀愛的支持者，喜歡宣稱他們有足夠的愛來分享，
而且他們對多個伴侶的愛，各別都是真誠的。
這樣的愛或許是真實的，但肯定並不純潔。
God’s love for man is pure love, and this is the type of love He expects in return.
Jesus reminds us that a person cannot serve two masters.
We may proclaim the Lord with our lips,
but if our heart is distant from Him,
our love is deceitful and impure
(Isa 29:13).
In the same way, God expects us to have a pure love towards our spouse.
Our marriage bed should never be defiled by a third party,
as the physical relationship between husband and wife is sanctified.
We must ask God to help us maintain a pure love towards our spouse.
神對人的愛是純潔的愛，這也是祂所期待能得到回報的愛。
耶穌提醒我們，一個人不能事奉兩個主人。
我們或許用嘴唇宣揚主，
但如果我們的內心遠離祂，
我們的愛就是欺騙和不純潔
（賽 29:13）。
同樣，神會希望我們對配偶有純潔的愛。
我們的婚姻之床，不應該被第三者玷污，
因為夫妻之間的肉體關係，是神聖的。
我們必須求神幫助我們，可以保持對配偶純潔的愛。
TILL DEATH DO US PART 直到死亡把我們分開
Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law),
that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?
For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives.
But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband.
So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress;
but if her husband dies, she is free from that law,
so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.
(Rom 7:1–3)
1弟兄們，我現在對明白律法的人說，你們豈不曉得律法管人是在活著的時候麼？
2就如女人有了丈夫，丈夫還活著，就被律法約束；
丈夫若死了，就脫離了丈夫的律法。
3所以丈夫活著，他若歸於別人，便叫淫婦；
丈夫若死了，他就脫離了丈夫的律法，雖然歸於別人，也不是淫婦。
(羅 7：1-3)
To God, marriage is for life.
It is the most serious and longest lasting covenant that a person can make.
Since it is a promise made before God and man,
it must be upheld, as the traditional vows state,
“for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”
Unfortunately, financial difficulties, long-term illness,
incompatible personalities and myriad other factors
may drive a wedge between the couple.
Intense and sustained conflict in these situations may tempt us to give up on our marriage.
In such moments, we must remind ourselves
that while we enjoy the benefits and pleasures of marriage,
we must also be prepared to share and bear its burdens and responsibilities.
Demanding the good times and fleeing the difficult is indicative of our immaturity and irresponsibility.
Worse, it shows we were lying when we said our vows.
在神看來，婚姻要終其一生。
這是人一生中，所要維持最嚴肅、最長久的盟約。
既然這是在神和人面前，所作出的承諾，
就必須堅持下去，正如傳統上大家所說的誓言，
“不論好壞，富有或貧困，健康或疾病，直到死亡才會將我們分開。”
不幸的是，經濟困難，長期久病，
個性不合和許多其他的因素，
就會損害夫妻之間的關係。
每當在這些激烈又持續衝突的情況之下，就可能會誘使我們放棄婚姻。
在這樣的時刻，我們必須提醒自己，
在我們享受婚姻的好處和快樂的同時，
還必須準備分擔背負它的重擔和責任。
若只一味索求好時光，卻只會逃避困境，就代表了我們很不成熟和不負責任。
更不幸的是，這就表示，我們婚禮的宣誓，就是撒謊。
What is the significance of making our vows before God? 在神面前立誓有什麼重要性？
God is faithful and unchanging.
He is our ultimate standard, a worthy witness to the covenant we make with our spouse.
Hence, the marriage vow is sacred.
In a wedding ceremony, the most solemn part is the making of the vows.
The congregation is generally very attentive and excited to see the bride enter and walk down the aisle.
However, everyone should be even more attentive when the couple say their vows,
because their words form the basis of a covenant made before God.
The words are also very useful as a reminder to those in the congregation,
who are already married,
of whether they are truly continuing to love their spouses in all circumstances.
Uttering these words insincerely or unthinkingly is tantamount
to trivializing the wedding ceremony, or worse, committing perjury.
神是信實的，永不改變。
祂是我們的終極標準，是我們與配偶立約時，有公信力的見證人。
因此，結婚誓言是神聖的。
在婚禮上，最隆重的部分是宣誓。
會眾通常非常關心，並且很興奮地看到新娘走進來，直到通道盡頭。
然而，當結婚夫婦宣誓的時候，大家都應該更加關注，
因為他們是在神面前，宣誓成為婚約的基礎。
這些誓言對會眾而言，也非常有用，
可以提醒會眾之中，已經結婚的人，
他們是否真的在所有情況下，都繼續疼愛自已的配偶。
不真誠或不加思索，就說出這些誓言，
無異於使婚禮變得很瑣碎，或者更糟的是，就像在作偽證一樣。
Set me as a seal upon your heart,
As a seal upon your arm;
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy as cruel as the grave;
Its flames are flames of fire,
A most vehement flame.
Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor can the floods drown it.
If a man would give for love
All the wealth of his house,
It would be utterly despised.
(Song 8:6–7)
6求你將我放在你心上如印記，帶在你臂上如戳記。
因為愛情如死之堅強，嫉恨如陰間之殘忍；
所發的電光是火焰的電光，是耶和華的烈焰。
7愛情，眾水不能息滅，大水也不能淹沒。
若有人拿家中所有的財寶要換愛情，就全被藐視。（新娘的兄弟）
(歌 8：6-7)
According to Solomon, love is as strong as death and its flames are unquenchable.
These verses underline the fact that the flames of love transcend lustful desire or simple emotion.
The flames of love are holy and are from God, which is why they cannot be quenched.
根據所羅門的說法，愛和死亡一樣激烈，它的火焰是無法消滅的。
這些經文強調這樣的事實，即愛的火焰超越了情慾或小情緒。
愛的火焰是聖潔的，來自於神，這就是為什麼它們不會熄滅。
Love sparked by our carnal desires for sex, money or fame often end quickly.
Carnal desires will not last forever;
the heat from these sputter out once they are gratified.
Flames of emotion are good, but they are weak and unstable.
Couples in a good mood tell each other “I love you”
but when they are in a bad mood,
they spit “I hate you!” at each other.
The flames of true love from God are unchanging
because this love is based on God’s love.
由我們對性、金錢或名望所引起的肉慾，往往很快就結束。
肉體的慾望不會永遠持續；
一旦這些慾望得到滿足，其中熱力就會散射出來消失。
情感上的熱力是好的，但它們卻很虛弱並不穩定。
情侶心情好時，互道“我愛你”
但是當心情不佳時，
會彼此對罵“我恨你！”。
從神真愛而來的火焰，是永不變更的，
因為這種愛是基於神的大愛。
ONE MAN, ONE WOMAN 一夫一妻
The third principle underlying marriage is that God instituted this covenant for a man and a woman.
Today, some liberal countries have legalized same-sex marriage,
and some Christian denominations conduct same-sex wedding ceremonies.
Many people justify such developments on the basis
that gay and lesbian individuals do not choose their sexuality;
they are born that way.
But this is not what the Bible says.
婚姻的第三個原則，是神為男人和女人設立了婚約。
如今，一些自由開放的國家，已將同性婚姻合法化，
一些基督教派亦舉辦同性婚禮。
許多人基於，同性戀者不會選擇他們的性取向，這個理由，
來說明這種進展是合理的，
他們天生就是那樣。
但這不是聖經所教導的。
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions.
For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman,
burned in their lust for one another,
men with men committing what is shameful,
and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
(Rom 1:26–27)
26因此，神任憑他們放縱可羞恥的情慾。
他們的女人把順性的用處變為逆性的用處；
27男人也是如此，棄了女人順性的用處，慾火攻心，彼此貪戀，
男和男行可羞恥的事，就在自己身上受這妄為當得的報應。
(羅 1：26-27)
Our Omniscient God and Almighty Creator would clearly have been aware
if homosexuality were part of His intended design.
But what we repeatedly see in the Scriptures is a rejection of this inclination.
Those who indulge in these “vile passions” will receive “the penalty of their error.”
However, in His love, God is not willing for any to perish.
For those people inclined towards homosexuality,
the Holy Spirit can help them exercise self-control
if they choose to heed God’s words,
and submit to Him.
In contrast, for those who choose to follow their passions and fleshly desires,
God will give them up and let them do what they want.
Both women and men who do so will receive God’s judgment.
我們全知的神，全能的造物主，已經很明顯的意識到，
同性戀情況，是否屬於祂所規劃的一部分。
但在聖經中，我們可以反覆看到，神是拒絕這種傾向的。
那些沉迷於這種“邪情惡慾”的人，將會得到“自已錯行的懲罰”。
然而，在神的愛中，祂不願意任何人滅亡。
對於那些傾向於同性戀的人而言，
聖靈可以幫助他們有所節制，
如果他們選擇留心聽從神的話語，
並順服神。
相比之下，對於那些選擇隨從自己的激情和肉慾的人來說，
神會拋棄他們，讓他們隨已意而行。
不論男女，這樣做的人，都要接受神的審判。
CONCLUSION 結論
Our Almighty God instituted marriage at His creation,
as part of His foundational plan for human lives.
God’s plan is perfect, as long as we abide by His principles for this holy union.
When we start to go beyond His boundaries for marriage, problems arise.
And as humans imagine more and more possibilities for how to define marriage, complications multiply in tandem.
We can safeguard our marriages by upholding God’s principles,
remembering that the quality of our relationships ultimately impact our relationship with God.
我們全能的真神，在創造天地的時候，設立了婚姻，
作為給人類生活基本計劃的一部分。
神的計劃是完美的，只要我們遵守祂設立聖潔婚姻的原則。
當我們開始超出祂所設立的婚姻界限時，問題就產生。
隨著人類思考，如何來定義婚姻的想法越來越多時，其複雜性也隨之增加。
我們可以通過堅守神的原則，來保守自已的婚姻，
記住，我們夫妻關係的品質，最終都會影響我們與神的關係。
Of course, even when we adhere to God’s boundaries for marriage, dissatisfaction can still arise with time.
In the concluding article, we will look at how to grow together with our spouse,
and how to deal with conflicts within our marriage.
當然，即使我們遵守神在婚姻上的界限，不滿有時還是會發生。
在最後的文章中，我們要來看看如何與我們的配偶一起成長，
以及如何處理我們婚姻中的衝突。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
歡迎主內同靈來信加入翻譯
Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)