3基督经过死以后,进入复活,在复活里生为神的长子。(徒十三33,罗一3~4,八29。)在那之前,祂是神的独生子。(约一18,三16。)就著独生子说,基督有神性,但没有人性。然而,就著在复活里所生神的长子说,祂有神性,也有人性;有神圣的性情,也有属人的性情。不仅如此,在祂奇妙的复活里,基督成了赐生命的灵。(林前十五45。)神的灵在旧约时就有了,但那时神的灵没有将神圣的生命赐给人性的性能。因此,有些亚当的后裔得著神的能力,但没有得著神的生命。参孙是典型的例子,他从神的灵得著神的能力,却没有得著任何与神的生命有关的东西。旧约里许多其他的人,就如约伯,是相当的敬虔、虔诚;但我们不能说他们是属灵的,或他们是被属灵、神圣的生命所充满的。直到成为肉体之三一神的基督复活以后,神的灵才开始有性能将神圣的生命赐给人,因为在复活里,基督自己成了赐生命的灵。在基督的复活里,凡神所拣选的人也蒙了重生、再生。(彼前一3。)复活的基督是神的长子和赐生命的灵,在祂里面,我们这些神所拣选的人都蒙了重生,成为新造、新人。
3After Christ passed through death, He entered into resurrection. In resurrection He was born to be the firstborn Son of God (Acts 13:33; Rom. 1:3-4; 8:29). Prior to that time He was the only begotten Son of God (John 1:18; 3:16). As the only begotten Son, Christ had divinity, but He did not have humanity. However, as the firstborn Son of God, begotten in resurrection, He has humanity as well as divinity, the human nature as well as the divine nature. Furthermore, in His wonderful resurrection Christ became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). The Spirit of God was there in the Old Testament, but at that time the Spirit of God did not have the capacity to give the divine life to humanity. For this reason, certain ones of the descendants of Adam received the power of God but not the life of God. Samson is a typical example of one who received the power of God from the Spirit of God but did not have anything related to God’s life. Many others in the Old Testament, such as Job, were quite godly and pious, but we cannot say that they were spiritual, that they were filled with the spiritual, divine life. It was only since the resurrection of Christ, who is the incarnated Triune God, that the Spirit of God began to have the capacity to give the divine life to human beings, for it was in resurrection that Christ Himself became the life-giving Spirit. Also, in the resurrection of Christ all of God’s chosen people were regenerated, born again (1 Pet. 1:3). In the resurrected Christ, who is the firstborn Son of God and the life-giving Spirit, we, God’s chosen people, were regenerated to become the new creation, the new man.