《西敏信条教牧简释 11.3》

Posted on Jan 25, 2021 by admin

11.3 基督以其顺服和受死,完全清偿了一切称义之人的罪债,并适当地、真实地、完全地代替他们补偿了他父的公义1。然而,圣父既为他们而赐下基督2,而基督的顺服和补偿也被接受为他们的3,并且二者都是白白赐予的,并非因为他们本身有什么功德,所以,他们的称义是惟独出于上帝白白的恩典4;目的就是叫上帝严格的公义和丰富的恩典在罪人的称义上得着荣耀5。1 罗5:8-10、19;提前2:5、6;来10:10、14;但9:24、26;赛53:4-6,10-12 ; 2 罗8:32 ; 3 林后5:21;太3:17;弗5:2 ; 4 罗3:24;弗1:7 ; 5 罗3:26;弗2:7

11.3  Christ, by His obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are thus justified, and did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to His Father’s justice in their behalf.1 Yet, in as much as He was given by the Father for them;2 and His obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead;3 and both, freely, not for any thing in them; their justification is only of free grace;4 that both the exact justice, and rich grace of God might be glorified in the justification of sinners.5

1 Rom 5:8–10, 19; 1 Tim 2:5–6; Heb 10:10, 14; Dan. 9:24, 26; Isa 53:4–6, 10–12; 2 Rom 8:32;  3 2 Cor 5:21; Mt 3:17; Eph 5:2;  4 Rom 3:24: Eph 1:7;  5 Rom 3:26; Eph 2:7.

上帝是无比圣洁的,而人是由尘土被造的,叛逆了祂,并应得祂的大怒。像这样,人怎样才能以与上帝有爱的关系为乐?答案,正如我们所承认的,是因为上帝先使我们称义。

God is transcendently holy, whereas man is a creature of dust who has rebelled against Him and is worthy of His wrath. How then can man enjoy a loving relationship with God? The answer, which we are given to confess, is that God first justifies us.

我们已经了解到称义是上帝的工作,包括使得,又宣告一个罪人为义。我们已经考虑了称义的白白恩典、性质、范围、基础与工具。现在我们要承认称义的益处和目的。

We have seen how justification is an act of God that involves both making and declaring a sinner righteous. We have already considered the gratuitousness, nature, scope, basis and method of justification. We are now given to confess the benefits and goal of justification.

称义的益处,简单而言,包括赦免与悦纳。我们的小教理问题33,概括了信条这一章节,教导我们:“称义是上帝的作为,出于他白白的恩典,由此而赦免我们一切的罪,并悦纳我们为义人,这仅是因为基督的义归于我们,且惟独用信心才能接受的。”

The benefits of justification, simply stated, are pardon and acceptance. Our Shorter Catechism, question 33, which summarises the present paragraph, teaches us that “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.”

我们能通过以下的例子诠释这两个益处:国王想让一个破产的人担当一位可信的王子的职责,并正为此做准备。国王先完全清除他的债,然后让他有权使用皇家宝库,这样从今以后,他再也不会变穷了。这本质上就是基督为我们所做的。祂为我们还了罪的债并清除了我们属灵破产的状态,使我们得以获得赦免;然后祂将祂的义算为是我们的,这样我们在上帝面前得以是义的。

We may illustrate the two benefits in terms of a bankrupt being prepared by a king to serve as a trusted prince. The king first clears his debt completely, and then gives him a credit line to the royal treasury so that from then on, he will never be poor again. This is essentially what Christ did for us. He paid our debt of sin to cancel our spiritual bankruptcy and thereby secure our pardon; and then He credits His righteousness to our account that we are accepted as righteous in God’s sight.

我们罪的赦免是基督在十字架上的死成全的。这正是保罗这句话的含义:“神使那无罪的替我们成为罪,好叫我们在他里面成为神的义”(林后5:21)。如同我们信条所说的,基督“完全清偿了一切称义之人的罪债,并适当地、真实地、完全地代替他们 [或:我们] 补偿了他父的公义”。这有时又称作基督被动的顺服。

The pardoning of our sin was accomplished by Christ’s death on the Cross. This is what Paul mean when he says that God “hath made [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor 5:21). As our Confession puts it, Christ “did fully discharge the debt of all those that are thus justified, and did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to His Father’s justice in their behalf.” This is sometimes known as Christ’s passive obedience.

另一方面,上帝悦纳我们为义,不只仅仅是因为我们的罪得以代赎,也因为基督的义 — 作为我们的圣约代表完全满足律法的要求 — 归算于我们 (罗5:17-19)。这有时被称之为基督主动的顺服。

Our being accepted as righteous, on the other hand, is not only because our sin has been atoned for, but also because the righteousness of Christ, —in His perfect keeping of the Law as our covenantal representative, —is imputed to us (Rom 5:17–19). This is sometimes known as Christ’s active obedience.

基督主动与被动顺服的功德被归算于我们,这正是我们称义的益处。

The merits of Christ’s active and passive obedience imputed to us are the benefits of our justification.

然而,称义的目的是为了上帝通过“严格的公义和丰富的恩典在罪人的称义上得着荣耀”。如保罗所说的,这是为了“要将他极丰富的恩典,就是他在基督耶稣里向我们所施的恩慈,显明给后来的世代看”(弗 2:7)。

The goal of justification, however, is that God may be glorified through “the exact justice, and rich grace of God [being] glorified in the justification of sinners.” As Paul puts it, it is so “that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:7).

亲爱的,不要将称义想成一个冷冰冰的司法过程。它不是这样的。它则是一份礼物,是被我们珍贵的、为我们生而死的救主的血与泪中所洗的。我们难道不应该,出于对祂的感恩,尽我们每一份力为祂的荣耀而活?

Beloved, do not think of justification as a cold legal transaction. It is not. It is rather a gift washed in the blood and tears of our dear Saviour who lived and died for us. Shall we not, out of gratitude to Him, live for His glory with every ounce of our strength?

原文作者: 林集章 、蔡林斯 、欧阳效正
中文譯者: 何恩杰,刘行
來源: Westminster Confession of Faith — With Brief Pastoral Comments  

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