在团契查经时,弟兄姊妹经常会在唱赞美诗时、在祷告时,提到耶稣...最常用的语言大致就是“上帝赐下自己的独生子耶稣,祂用祂自己的宝血洗净我们的罪孽,祂的降世是为了拯救陷在黑暗里世人的灵魂..blahblahblah...” 坦白讲,我自己说多了也很无感,耶稣基督,道成肉身活了33年,我也没亲眼见过他,也没亲口和祂说过话,祂被钉上十字架为了救我们?好荒谬哦,一切的一切我都只能依靠自己的想象力来感受神对我们的爱...所以一个大问号就冒出来:这个耶稣基督被钉上十字架和我们到底有啥直接关系啊?对我们有啥重大意义啊?今天我尝试用自己浅显的认知来解读出答案。
约翰福音(下述“约”)6:53-55 耶稣说:“我实实在在地告诉你们:你们若不吃人子的肉,不喝人子的血,就没有生命在你们里面。吃我肉、喝我血的人就有永生,在末日我要叫他复活。我的肉真是可吃的,我的血是可喝的。So Jesus said to them,"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
如果刚刚接触圣经者,看到这段白话经文,第一个感觉是,怎么耶稣基督和《西游记》里的唐僧一样,众人为了得永生,就要吃唐僧的肉,喝唐僧的血,难道影响世界2000多年的圣经真的那么幼稚?我的经验是先把这个问题放在一旁,不如先相信这段经文就是客观真理,就是事实,相信基督徒真的吃了耶稣的肉,喝了耶稣的血,我们就得永生。
但是就算我现在相信这是真的事实,那还是没有解决耶稣上十字架到底和具体的我这个基督徒有啥关系?
罗 6:3-5 岂不知我们这受洗归入基督耶稣的人,是受洗归入他的死吗?所以我们借着洗礼归入死,和他一同埋葬,原是叫我们一举一动有新生的样式,像基督借着父的荣耀从死里复活一样。我们若在他死的形状上与他联合,也要在复活的形状上与他联合。Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
这段经文开始告诉我们基督徒的受洗与耶稣被钉死之间的关系。个人很喜欢读英文版本,尤其是经句里用的时态,注意到英文里用了不少“过去完成时”,比如:“who have been baptized into Christ Jesus”,“if we have been united with him”;还有用了不少“过去式”,比如:“were baptized into his death”,“Christ was raised from the dead”...但最后一句用了“certainly”这个单词表达将来会发生的事。从中我能得到两个启示:
1)基督徒受洗归入耶稣的死,这件事情是已经发生过了的完成时,这是历史事件
2)基督徒的重生生命复活,这件事情是会在未来发生的将来时,这也是肯定会发生的客观事实
有关上述两个已经惊到我的“历史事件”,“客观真相”的启示,当我在读到约翰福音中,还看到不少相关经句,佐以证明这个“历史事件”:
约 5:24 我实实在在地告诉你们:那听我话、又信差我来者的,就有永生,不至于定罪,是已经出死入生了。Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
再一次研究下英文的时态,“hears my word”“believes him”用的都是现在时,这说明听耶稣的话,信差耶稣来的父的这个动作是一直在进行中的动态的事情。然后后面一句又用了现在完成时--“has passed from death to life”,意思说我们这些相信耶稣的基督徒,真相是“已经出死入生”了...读到这里,发现这句经文和罗6:5 用的certainly貌似时间上不太相合...这是一个疑问,另外,我还是想搞懂,就算我相信耶稣在2000多年以前被钉死了,这真的是历史事件,那和我有啥直接关系呢?
罗 6:6-8 因为知道我们的旧人和他同钉十字架,使罪身灭绝,叫我们不再作罪的奴仆。因为已死的人是脱离了罪,我们若是与基督同死,就信必与他同活。We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
继续注意时态,这段经文依然用了几个“过去式”以及“现在完成时”,比如:“our old self was crucified with him”,“who has died has been set free from sin”,“we have died with Christ”.从中得到的启示是:
1)如果耶稣2000多年前被钉十字架是真的,那我们在受洗的那一刻,其实也是一桩100%已经发生过的历史事件,两件事情看起来相隔2000多年,但其实同时进行
2)当我们的“罪身”全都归给已经死去的耶稣后(他承担了我们的罪太可怜),“复活”这件事情一直是现在完成时
结合上述已经解过的罗6:3-5,由此得出这个惊人真相:经文里的“同死”是历史事件,是真相;经文里的“同活”是现在完成时,是我们现在肉眼看到的用心灵感受到的,一直在进行转化中的动态的事情!
在约翰福音中,描述耶稣死前的一段经文,读起来也颇有意思:
约 19:30 耶稣尝了那醋,就说:“成了!”便低下头,将灵魂交付给神了。When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished", and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
假设身处当时的场景,耶稣用自己的肉身钉十字架(想想就很痛苦),来赦免我们的罪孽,死前最后一句话没说别的,居然说了一句“成了”,听起来好奇怪是不是?只能推导出他道成肉身是出于神、他传讲福音33年是出于神、一直到他最后死掉,这一切都是出于神的大计划!耶稣说“成了”,意味着“我这33年属世的历史使命完成了”,这个“历史使命”就是世人的罪孽都归给我...
用“成了”这句话,来结合上述解过的约5:24,罗6:6-8的经文,也许更能理解体会什么叫做基督徒与耶稣“同死、同复活”这个概念。
至于到底什么叫“同复活”,这两天在查罗八章时,有隐约画面浮现,会涉及到第二个二律背反的概念--新生命和老生命的同时存在...