Books
罗马书生命读经 · 第50篇

肉体与灵

THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT
1在前面的信息中我们看过，我们需要在生命中作王胜过我们三个主要的仇敌─罪、死和撒但。罗马书是神的福音，对付这三件消极的事。五至八章很完全的论到罪与死。那里有罪，那里就有死，因为罪带进死。在十六章二十节保罗说到撒但；他说，平安的神快要将撒但践踏在我们的脚下。保罗在本书结束以前没有题撒但的名，原因乃是，对付撒但是身体的事，不是个人的事。你若想要凭自己征服撒但，你就会失败。撒但，身体的仇敌，只能被身体击败。所以，藉著众地方召会作基督身体实际的彰显，撒但就被对付。保罗在十五至十六章非常实际的说到召会以后，才说到践踏撒但；他藉此指明，撒但是被践踏在众地方召会的脚下。
1In the foregoing messages we have seen that we need to reign in life over sin, death, and Satan, our three main enemies. As the gospel of God, the book of Romans deals with these three negative things. In chapters five through eight sin and death are covered in a full way. Where there is sin, there is death, because sin brings in death. In 16:20 Paul speaks of Satan; he says that the God of peace will soon crush Satan under our feet. The reason Paul did not mention Satan by name before the end of the book is that dealing with Satan is a Body matter, not an individual matter. If you try on your own to subdue Satan, you will be defeated. Satan, the enemy of the Body, can be defeated only by the Body. Therefore, it is through the local churches as the practical expression of the Body of Christ that Satan is dealt with. Only after Paul has covered the church in a very practical way in chapters fifteen and sixteen, does he speak of the crushing of Satan; he indicates thereby that Satan is crushed under the feet of local churches
撒但、罪、和死
SATAN, SIN, AND DEATH
聚集在人的肉体里
MEETING IN MAN’S FLESH
2我在本篇信息中的负担是要指出，这三个主要的仇敌─罪、死和撒但集中在人的肉体里。罪、死、和撒但聚集在我们肉体的『会场』里。罪、死、和撒但总是在一起。在我们的构成里，有一处这三个仇敌能聚集的地方，就是肉体。从人堕落的时候起，这三者就在人的肉体里举行不断的聚集。
2My burden in this message is to point out that the three main enemies—sin, death, and Satan—are centered in man’s flesh. Sin, death, and Satan meet together in the “meeting place” of our flesh. Sin, death, and Satan are always together. There is a place in our constitution where these three enemies can meet, and that place is the flesh. From the time of man’s fall, they have been holding a continuous meeting in the flesh of man
3在我基督徒的生活中，没有甚么比肉体更困扰我。我们不该只是定罪罪、死和撒但，却不领悟我们问题的中心乃是肉体。我们就是摆脱不了肉体；我们无法从肉体走开，像我们能从建筑物走出来一样。我们摆脱不了肉体，原因乃是肉体成了我们这人的一部分。好些时候我对主说，『主，你是奇妙的，你为我们作了许多。主，为甚么你不把肉体从我们身上取去？』照著我的经纶，肉体离去会好得多。
3Throughout my Christian life, nothing has troubled me more than the flesh. We should not condemn sin, death, and Satan without realizing that the very center of our problem is the flesh. We simply cannot get away from the flesh; we are unable to walk away from it in the way we can walk out of a building. The reason we cannot get away from the flesh is that it has become part of our being. A number of times I have said to the Lord, “Lord, You are wonderful, and You have done so much for us. Lord, why don’tY ou take the flesh away from us?” According to my economy, it would be much better for the flesh to be gone
4可能你被你的脾气所困扰；但脾气的源头乃是肉体。我们所有的问题，都起源于肉体。若不是因著肉体，我们就不会有麻烦的脾气。所以，我们也许要主除去我们的肉体。我们也许以为肉体一被取去，我们就会立刻变得非常属灵。
4Perhaps you are bothered by your temper. But the source of temper is the flesh. All our problems originate with the flesh. If it were not for the flesh, we would not have a troublesome temper. Therefore, we may want the Lord to get rid of our flesh. We may think that if the flesh were taken away, we would immediately become very spiritual.
我们基本的问题
OUR FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM
5但主的道路非同我们的道路。想想亚当堕落以前在园子里的情形。那时候没有肉体，因为罪还没有进到亚当的身体里，使其变质为肉体。有一天，主给我看见，园子里的亚当没有肉体的问题，但仅仅如此并不彀。我看见我主要的问题不在于肉体，乃在于缺少那灵。不错，在伊甸园里亚当没有肉体，但他里面也没有神的灵。他是无罪的，但他也是虚空的。这虚空就给仇敌机会进来。主若取去我们的肉体，使我们虚空，我们就不能长久保守自己纯洁；那狡猾者撒但至终会偷著进来。所以，我们需要领悟，我们基本的难处，乃是在积极一面缺少那灵，而不是在消极一面有肉体。
5But the Lord’sway is not our way. Consider Adam’s situation in the garden before the fall. At that time, there was no flesh, for sin had not yet entered into Adam’s body to transmute it into the flesh. One day the Lord showed me that it would not be adequate to be like Adam in the garden without the problem of the flesh. I saw that my main problem was not with the flesh; it was with the shortage of the Spirit. Yes, in the garden of Eden Adam did not have the flesh, but neither did he have the Spirit of God in him. He was innocent, but he was also empty. This emptiness gave opportunity for the enemy to come in. If the Lord were to take away our flesh and leave us empty, we would not be able to keep ourselves pure very long. Satan, the subtle one, would eventually creep in. Therefore, we need to realize that our fundamental problem is the lack of the Spirit on the positive side, not the presence of the flesh on the negative side
七至八章的肉体
THE FLESH IN CHAPTERS SEVEN AND EIGHT
6在罗马书里，肉体被暴露无遗。三章二十节说，『凡属肉体的人，都不能本于行律法在神面前得称义。』这里『属肉体的人』原文为『肉体』，其意义与五至八章者不同。这里的『肉体』指人，人类。在神眼中，每个堕落的人都是肉体。因此，在三章二十节，『肉体』指人堕落所是的总和。反之，在七章，『肉体』只是指人所是的一部分，不是指整个人。在七章，『肉体』是指我们罪恶、邪恶的部分，由罪内住的部分。我们在本篇信息中所关切的，不是三章二十节里所启示的肉体，乃是七至八章所说到的肉体。七章十八节说，『我知道住在我里面，就是我肉体之中，并没有善。』我们的肉体是邪恶事物居住的地方。无论人看起来多善良，他至少有一部分肉体─是邪恶的。不要被看起来温柔、仁慈、诚实、谦卑、有同情心的人所欺骗。这样的人仍和每个人一样；住在他肉体之中，并没有善。
6In Romans the flesh is exposed in a full way. Using the word “flesh” with a meaning different from that found in chapters five through eight, 3:20 says, “By the works of law no flesh shall be justified before Him.” Here, “flesh” refers to a person, a human being. In the eyes of God every fallen person is flesh. Hence, in 3:20 “flesh” denotes the totality of man’s fallen being. In Romans 7, on the contrary, “flesh” refers only to a part of man’s being, not to the whole person. In chapter seven “flesh” denotes the sinful, wicked part of us, the part indwelt by sin. Our concern in this message is not with the flesh as revealed in 3:20, but with the flesh as covered in chapters seven and eight. Romans 7:18 says, “For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, nothing good dwells.” Our flesh is the place where evil things make their abode. No matter how good a person may seem to be, at least one part of him, the flesh, is evil. Do not be deceived by a person ─ who is seemingly gentle, kind, honest, humble, and sympathetic. It is still true of him, as it is of everyone else, that in his flesh nothing good dwells.
7这些年来，我学知每个人都看自己比别人强。丈夫也许认为自己比妻子优越，妻子也许看自己比丈夫高。因著假谦卑，我们也许不说自己比别人强，但我们里面常常这样觉得。然而，无论我们多好，我们仍有肉体。藉著主的怜悯，我看见了祂神圣的教导，就是在我肉体之中，并没有善。
7Throughout the years, I have learned that everyone regards himself as better than others. A husband may consider himself superior to his wife, and a wife may view herself as higher than her husband. Because of false humility, we may not say that we are better than others, but inwardly this is the way we often feel. But no matter how good we may be, we still have the flesh. Through the Lord’s mercy I have come to see His holy teaching that in my flesh there is nothing good.
罪恶的组合
A SINFUL COMPOUND
8我们需要强调，在肉体之中并没有善，好帮助寻求的基督徒；他们常常对自己属灵的长进感到失望。他们越渴望圣别，似乎就越不圣别。他们切望与主是一，结果却作出许多不是出于主的事。他们也渴望胜过缠累他们的罪，罪却似乎胜过他们。所以，他们对自己的情形感到失望，并且厌恶自己。基督徒需要寻求主，渴望属灵，并胜过一切消极的事物。然而，我们被罪恶的组合─我们的肉体与罪、死和撒但的组合─阻挠并拦阻。要对付这邪恶的组合极其困难。罪、死、和撒但加到人的身体里，结果就是肉体。这组合不仅是在我们里面；牠就是我们这人的一部分。
8We need to emphasize that there is nothing good in the flesh in order to help seeking Christians who often become disappointed with their spiritual progress. The more they desire to be holy, the less holy they seem to become. They long to be one with the Lord, but end up doing many things that are not of the Lord. They also desire to overcome their besetting sin, but it seems that sin overcomes them. Therefore, they become discouraged with their situation and disgusted with themselves. It is necessary for Christians to seek the Lord, to aspire to be spiritual, and to overcome all negative things. Nevertheless, we are hindered and frustrated by a sinful compound: our flesh compounded with sin, death, and Satan. It is extremely difficult to deal with this evil compound. When sin, death, and Satan are added to the human body, the result is the flesh. This compound is not merely in us; it is part of our very being
迫切转向灵
DESPERATE TO TURN TO THE SPIRIT
9你可能和我已往一样不明白，为甚么主不索性把这罪恶的组合从我们取去。主是智慧的，祂知道祂在作甚么。虽然肉体是罪恶、丑陋的，主却特意不肯把牠取去。主把肉体留给我们，不是要一直使我们失望。祂允许肉体存在，使我们被迫寻求祂的帮助。若不是因著肉体，我们不会这样迫切呼求主名。若不是因著肉体的问题，我不信我们会有那么多的祷告。我们都知道对我们的丈夫、妻子、儿女发脾气是错误的。然而，我们若爱主并寻求祂，甚至发脾气也会为我们效力，因为这会迫使我们到主面前去。我们发脾气以后，也许有数小时觉得羞愧，不愿祷告，因为我们觉得太羞愧而无法祷告。然而，至终我们对主强烈的愿望，会迫使我们祷告，我们也会祷告得非常好。就这一面说，我们实际上得著肉体的帮助。
9Perhaps you are wondering, as I have in the past, why the Lord would not simply take this sinful compound away from us. The Lord is wise and knows what He is doing. Although the flesh is sinful and ugly, the Lord purposely refuses to take it away. The Lord does not leave the flesh with us in order to constantly disappoint us. He allows the flesh to remain so that we shall be compelled to seek Him for help. If it were not for the flesh, we would not be so desperate to call on the name of the Lord. If it were not for the problem of the flesh, I doubt that we would pray very much. We all know that it is wrong to lose our temper with our husband or wife or with our children. However, if we love the Lord and seek Him, even losing our temper will work on our behalf, for it will force us to go to the Lord. After we lose our temper, we may feel ashamed for several hours, unwilling to pray because we are too ashamed to pray. Eventually, however, our intense desire for the Lord will compel us to pray, and we shall pray in a very good way. In this regard we are actually helped by the flesh.
10在我尽职事的早年，常常因著某些圣徒不太属灵而受困扰。后来我学习不受这事的困扰。我领悟我们若总是作得很好，就不会常常进入灵里。你若没有失败，你也许花许多时间思想你多美好，而不会迫切转向灵。这就是主没有在以色列人一进入美地时，就灭绝所有仇敌的原因。（士二21～三4。）神特意许可某些仇敌存留，目的是要加强以色列人，并且训练他们争战。同样的原则，肉体留在这里，是叫我们得益处。这不是说，我们该作恶以成善。这乃是说，主在祂的智慧和主宰里，使用肉体以达成积极的目的。神使用我们肉体的失败
10In the early years of my ministry, I used to be troubled when certain saints were not doing well spiritually. Later I learned not to be bothered by this. I realized that if we are always doing well, we shall not get into the spirit very much. If you have no failure, you may spend a great deal of time thinking how good you are. You will not be desperate to turn to the spirit. This was the reason the Lord did not exterminate all the enemies as soon as the children of Israel entered into the good land (Judg. 2:21—3:4). God deliberately permitted certain enemies to remain for the purpose of strengthening the children of Israel and of training them to fight. In the same principle, the flesh is left here for our good. This does not mean that we should do evil that good may come. It means that, in His wisdom and sovereignty, the Lord uses the flesh for a positive purpose. GOD’SU SE OF OUR FAILURES IN THE FLESH
11所有寻求主的人都被肉体困扰。肉体使我们众人有许多失败。但藉著我们的失败，主的一些东西就作到我们这人里面。我能见证，一年过一年，神在我里面一直增加，主要是藉著我的失败。我不敢说，我们的失败越多，我们的光景越好。然而，我能说，神使用我们的失败来帮助我们在主里长大；但只有在我们爱主并寻求祂时才会如此。我们若寻求主，无论我们经历成功或失败，我们都可以有平安。我们都必须认真寻求作王胜过罪、死和撒但。然而，我们也许竭力要在生命中作王胜过这三个仇敌，但我们所经历的却是失败多于成功。不要失望。只要你爱主并寻求祂，祂甚至会使用你的失败，将祂自己更多作到你里面。我们许多人能见证，我们藉著失败比藉著成功更多得著主。我们的失败逼我们到主面前，并且使我们迫切进入灵里。至终，藉著这样迫切转向灵，我们就会完全被主浸透。没有罪恶、丑陋的肉体所给的帮助，我们就不会那么迫切要得著主，或让祂作到我们里面。我读过好些关于圣别、属灵、和得胜生活的书。我试过这些书里所引荐的一切作法，这些作法没有一种是全然成功的。虽然我们知道自己必须圣别、属灵并得胜，但我们达不到，并且落在受苦之中。我们的目标是圣别、属灵或得胜；但神的目标是要将祂自己作到我们里面。只要神有机会将祂自己作到我们这人里面，祂就不太在意我们的情形是顶好或是可怜。通常在我们的光景可怜时，祂更有机会在我们里面作祂所渴望作的。我们的情形和光景顶好时，我们也许就向主内里的工作关闭了。我不是鼓励你要在可怜的情形或在属灵低落的景况里。但我能向你保证，当你在这样的光景或景况里，神能更多将祂自己作到你里面，过于你光景好的时候。这是因为我们在困难的情形里，就更向主敞开，更愿意转向祂，并且更愿意让祂将自己作到我们里面。
11All seekers of the Lord are troubled by the flesh. It causes all of us to have many failures. But through our failures something of the Lord is wrought into our being. I can testify that year after year God has been increasing in me, mainly through my failures. I dare not say that the more failures we have, the better off we shall be. However, I can say that God uses our failures to help us grow in the Lord. But this is only true if we love the Lord and seek Him. If we seek the Lord, we may be at peace, whether we experience success or failure. We all must earnestly seek to reign over sin, death, and Satan. However, although we may try diligently to reign in life over these three enemies, we shall experience more failure than success. Do not be disappointed. As long as you love the Lord and seek Him, He will use even your failures to work more of Himself into you. Many of us can testify that we have gained more of the Lord through our failures than through our successes. Our failures press us to the Lord and make us desperate to get into the spirit. Eventually, by turning to the spirit in such a desperate way, we shall be fully saturated with the Lord. Without the help rendered by the sinful, ugly flesh, we would not be as desperate to gain the Lord or to have Him wrought into us. I have read a number of book son holiness, spirituality, and the victorious life. I have tried all the ways recommended in these books. None of these ways was altogether successful. Although we know that we must be holy, spiritual, and victorious, we fall short and come into suffering. Our goal is holiness or spirituality or victory. But God’s goal is to work Himself into us. As long as God has the opportunity to work Himself into our being, He does not care very much whether our situation is excellent or poor. Often He has a greater opportunity to do what He desires in us when our condition is pitiful. When our situation and condition are excellent, we may be closed to the Lord’sin ward working. I do not encourage you to be in a poor situation or to be in a low state spiritually. But I can assure you that when you are in such a condition or state, God will be able to work more of Himself into you than when your condition is good. The reason for this is that when we are in a difficult situation, we are more open to the Lord, more willing to turn to Him, and more willing to allow Him to work Himself into us.
12因为罪、死、撒但在我们的肉体里举行不断的聚集，我们众人至终深受其扰，甚至厌恶肉体。但神是主宰一切的。我们若寻求祂，甚至肉体罪恶的组合也会帮助我们得著主。因为我们常常失败，我们就被逼到灵里，这样，我们就更多得著那灵。这不是得胜的事；这是得著那灵的事。
12Because sin, death, and Satan are conducting a continuous meeting in our flesh, we all eventually become extremely troubled and even disgusted with the flesh. But God is sovereign. If we seek Him, even the sinful compound of the flesh will become a help to us in gaining the Lord. Because we fail so often, we are pressed into the spirit, and, in this way, we gain more of the Spirit. This is not a matter of victory; it is a matter of gaining the Spirit
转向灵
turning to the spirit
13我们应当转向我们的灵；这在道理上说来容易，但要实行却相当困难。有些人也许以为，当他们的情形可怜时，要转向灵很困难，但我不赞同这说法。在这样的情形中，也许在外表上、在人面前很难转向灵，但比较容易有真正、里面的转。我们的光景若从来没有不好过，我们的转向灵就可能相当肤浅。但是当我们遭遇很大的失败时，我们就真正转向我们的灵。在我们基督徒的经历中，我们需要白昼，也需要黑夜。为这缘故，神允许我们失败。我们总是在白昼喜乐，但在黑夜失望灰心。然而我们需要白昼，也需要黑夜。无论在白昼或黑夜，神都在我们里面作工。罗马八章四节说到照著灵，不照著肉体而行。谈论这事非常容易，但实行这事并不容易。要实际的进入本节，我们需要经过许多失败的经历，我们才会更多在灵里。要对付肉体并得救脱离肉体的影响，惟一的路乃是进入灵里。
13Doctrinally speaking, it is easy to say that we should turn to our spirit, but it is rather difficult to practice this. Some may think that it is difficult to turn to the spirit when their situation is poor, but I do not agree with this. In such a case it may be difficult to turn to the spirit outwardly, before man, but it is easier to have a genuine, inward turn. If our condition is never poor, our turning to the spirit is likely to be quite shallow. But when we have a great failure, we truly turn to our spirit. In our Christian experience we need the night as well as the day. For this reason, God allows us to fail. We are always happy in the day, but disappointed or discouraged in the night. But we need the night as well as the day. Whether it is during the day or during the night, God is working in us. Romans 8:4 speaks of walking according to the spirit and not according to the flesh. It is very easy to talk about this, but not so easy to practice it. In order to get into this verse in reality, we need to be processed through many experiences of failure. Then we shall find ourselves more in the spirit. The only way to deal with the flesh and to be saved from its influence is to get into the spirit
14除非我们开灯，否则就无法对付黑暗。无论我们怎样对付黑暗，牠都会存留，直到光进来。同样的原则，我们若缺少那灵，就无法对付肉体。我们离了那灵，越对付肉体，肉体就变得越顽强、越活跃。藉著我们自己的挣扎，我们无法胜过肉体。要得拯救脱离肉体，惟一的路就是转向灵并进入灵里。我们的问题是，我们难得愿意转向灵。因此，我们需要失败，使我们愿意转。一旦我们转向灵，我们就自然而然照著灵而行。我们都需要一些事物逼迫我们、迫使我们向著灵。在这事上，我们自己的愿意并不彀。神在祂的主宰里，有路使用肉体以完成祂的定旨。祂主宰的安排与我们有关的每件事，以完成祂的经纶。为著祂经纶的缘故，神使用我们罪恶、丑陋的肉体，迫使我们转向我们的灵，使我们更多得著那灵。祂是何等的智慧，何等的主宰！
14Unless we turn on a light, there is no way to deal with darkness. No matter how much we deal with the darkness, it will remain until light comes in. In the same principle, we cannot deal with the flesh if we are short of the Spirit. The more we deal with our flesh apart from the Spirit, the stronger and more active the flesh becomes. By our own striving we cannot overcome the flesh. The only way to be rescued from it is to turn to the spirit and to get into the spirit. Our problem is that we rarely turn to the spirit willingly. Thus, we need failures to make us willing to turn. Once we turn to the spirit, we spontaneously walk according to the spirit. We all need something to force us, to press us, to the spirit. In this matter our own willingness is not adequate. In His sovereignty, God has a way to use the flesh in the fulfillment of His purpose. He sovereignly manages everything related to us for the carrying out of His economy. For the sake of His economy, God uses our sinful, ugly flesh to force us to turn to our spirit that we may gain more of the Spirit. How wise and how sovereign He is