9在我的职事里,我时常对人说,我们若照著约翰十五章住在主里面,自然而然会活出葡萄树的生命。当然葡萄树的枝子不需要努力遵守任何诫命。它们只要住在葡萄树上,并活出葡萄树的生命。虽然我照著这条线来尽职事,但我不明白约翰十四章二十一节和二十三节,这两节与出埃及记二十章的诫命非常相像。约翰十四章二十一节说:『有了我的命令又遵守的,这人就是爱我的。』而二十三节说:『人若爱我,就必遵守我的话。』至少在某种程度上,主耶稣的这些话,似乎就是出埃及记二十章中话的重复。这原因乃是:论到生命的基本原则,旧约和新约是一样的。我们凭自己无法遵守神在旧约里,或主在新约里的诫命。在这件事上,保罗在罗马七章说,我们不可能遵守律法。保罗特别说到论贪心的诫命,它不仅与我们外面的行为有关,并且与我们里面的光景有关。虽然我们凭自己不能履行所有的诫命,但我们能住在主里面。并经历祂住在我们里面,让祂来倾注。再想一想摩西在山上的经历。因他从神接受了奇妙的灌输,他就能住在神里面,神也能住在他里面。这样的灌输和互住的结果,摩西就能遵守神的诚命,不是凭著他自己的努力,乃是凭著注入到他里头神的本质。在这一点上,我要请你们注意本篇信息的题目:『律法是神活的话,将神的本质注入到祂所爱的寻求者里面。』律法不光是一系列神圣的诫命,而是神活的话,将神的本质注入到那些爱慕地寻求祂的人里面。如果我们认为十诫只是律法,然后就要去遵守,这不是正确的接近律法。我们不该这样应用十诫。反之,我们该是爱神、寻求神的人。在这件事上,我们该像腓立比三章的保罗,就是在爱里追求基督,甚至是竭力追求的人。因著爱主,我们就该追求祂、接触祂,并且留在祂的面光中,与祂同住。我们若是这样作,就要天天被神注入,我们就会自然而然地照著神的律法而行。我们会遵守律法的要求,不是凭著我们自己的努力,乃是藉著我们接触注入到我们里头的主。一旦神的本质完全注入我们里头,神就要从我们里面遵守祂自己的律法。我们该记住,律法是在神的山上颁赐的,就是神的百姓能被神的本质所注入的地方。因此,我们不该认为律法仅仅是神的诫命;它乃是神的话,神的见证,不光彰显神,更将神的本质注入到那些在爱里寻求神的人里头。
9In my ministry I have often told people that if we abide in the Lord according to John 15, we shall spontaneously live out the life of the vine tree. Certainly there is no need for the branches of a vine to strive to keep any commandments. They simply abide in the vine and live out the life of the vine. Although I have ministered along this line, I have wondered about John 14:21 and 23, two verses which seem very much like the commandments in Exodus 20. John 14:21 says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me,” and verse 23 says, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word.” To a certain extent at least, these words of the Lord Jesus seem to be a repetition of the word in Exodus 20. The reason for this is that, as far as the basic principle of life is concerned, the Old Testament and the New Testament are the same. In ourselves, we are not able to keep the commandments of God in the Old Testament or of the Lord in the New. Regarding this matter, Paul said in Romans 7 that it is not possible for us to keep the law. In particular, Paul deals with the commandment concerning covetousness, a commandment which concerns not only our outward behavior, but also our inward condition. Although we in ourselves are not able to fulfill all the commandments, we can abide in the Lord and experience Him abiding in us that we may be infused with Him. Consider once again Moses’ experience on the mountain. Because he had received a marvelous transfusion from God, he could abide in God, and God could abide in him. As a result of such an infusion and mutual abiding, Moses could keep God’s commandments, not by his own efforts, but by the substance of God which had been infused into him. At this point, I would like to call your attention to the title of this message: “The Law Being the Living Word of God Infusing His Substance into His Loving Seekers.” The law is not only a list of divine commandments; it is the living word of God which infuses God’s substance into those who lovingly seek Him. If we consider the Ten Commandments only as laws and then try to keep them, we are not proper in our approach to the law. We should not apply the Ten Commandments in this way. On the contrary, we should be those who love God and seek Him. In this matter, we should be like Paul in Philippians 3, one who was pursuing Christ out of love and even running after Him. Out of love for the Lord, we should pursue Him, contact Him, and abide in His presence, dwelling together with Him. If we do this, day by day we shall be infused with God. Then automatically we shall walk according to God’s law. We shall keep the requirements of the law, not by our own efforts, but with what has been infused into us of the Lord through our contact with Him. Once we have been thoroughly infused with God’s substance, He Himself from within us will keep His own law. We should remember that the law was given on the mountain of God, the place where God’s people could be infused with His substance. Thus, we should not regard the law simply as His commandments, but as the word of God and the testimony of God, which not only express Him, but also infuse His substance into those who seek Him in love.