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以弗所书生命读经 · 第57篇

基督如何荣化召会

HOW CHRIST GLORIFIES THE CHURCH
1我们已经看见，以弗所五章二十五至二十七节陈明在三个阶段里的基督。在第一阶段，就是在肉体里的阶段，基督为召会舍了自己。在第二阶段，祂乃是赐生命的灵，圣化、洁净、保养并顾惜召会。至终，在第三阶段，祂要把一个荣耀的召会献给祂自己，作祂的新妇。
1We have seen that 5:25-27 presents Christ in three stages. In the first stage, the stage of the flesh, Christ gave Himself up for the church. In the second stage, He as the life-giving Spirit is sanctifying, cleansing, nourishing, and cherishing the church. Eventually, in the third stage, He will present a glorious church to Himself as His Bride
2基督如何将召会献给祂自己我们需要来看，基督如何将召会献给祂自己，作荣耀的召会。当我年轻时，我以为基督仅仅在天上，而召会在地上。我的观念以为，祂从天上回到地上时，要突然把召会提走，将召会献给祂自己。按照这个观念，基督远在天上，而我们在地上豫备自己好献给祂。然而，后来我领悟，这是天然的观念，这把基督弄得太客观了。神的经纶与天然的观念和宗教完全不同。在神的经纶里，祂正把基督作到我们里面。至终，基督要把荣耀的召会献给祂自己。祂不是仅仅以一种客观的方式来临，乃是在我们里面扩展，然后从我们里面出来。
2HOW CHRIST PRESENTS THE CHURCH TO HIMSELF We need to consider how Christ will present the church to Himself as a glorious church. When I was young, I thought that Christ was merely in the heavens and that the church was on earth. My concept was that at His coming back from the heavens to the earth, He would suddenly take up the church and present her to Himself. According to this concept, Christ is far away in the heavens, and we on earth are making ourselves ready to be presented to Him. I realized later, however, that this is a natural concept that makes Christ too objective. God’secon o my is altogether different from the natural concept and from religion. In His economy, God is working Christ into us. Eventually, Christ will present the glorious church to Himself not by coming merely in an objective way, but by expanding within us and then by coming out of us
3罗马八章指明，神不仅呼召我们，称义我们，也要荣化我们。多年前人教导我说，有一天主要突然从天降临，把我们全都送到荣耀里。但这种得荣的观念不是照著神的经纶。基督荣化我们，不是藉著从天降临，乃是藉著从我们里面出来。荣耀的盼望不是在天上的基督，乃是在我们里面的基督。（西一27。）如果我们没有接受基督作我们的生命和我们的人位，我们就无法享受那在我们里面的荣耀。我们需要说，『主耶稣，我接受你作我的生命和我的人位。主，我把我的心给你。主阿，得著我的心，拥有我的心，占有我的心，安家在我心里。』你若这样操练，你自然而然就会认识在你里面的荣耀。
3Romans 8 indicates that God has not only called us and justified us, but that He will also glorify us. Years ago I was taught that one day the Lord would suddenly descend from the heavens and sweep us up into glory. But this concept of glorification is not according to God’secon o my. Christ will glorify us not by descending upon us from the heavens, but by coming forth from within us. The hope of glory is not the Christ in the heavens, but the Christ who is in us (Col. 1:27). If we do not take Christ as our life and our person, we shall have no way to enjoy the glory that is within us. We need to say, “Lord Jesus, I take You as my life and my person. Lord, I offer my heart to You. Take my heart, Lord. Possess it, occupy it, and make Your home in it.” If you practice this, spontaneously you will come to know the glory within you
内里荣耀的照耀
THE SHINING OF THE INNER GLORY
4我们许多人受过教导说，神的光从外面照耀我们。然而，我们对于主光照的经历并非如此。照我们的经历，光不是从外面照耀，乃是从我们里面照耀。当你接受基督作你的生命和人位时，不要期望天开了，外面有大光照在你身上。倘若你的经历像许多人一样，主的光照就该是内里的，是一种从里面来的照耀。这样一种照耀，乃是内里荣耀的彰显。我们荣耀的盼望，乃是基督在我们里面。因此，当神荣化我们时，祂无需从天上送下荣耀来；反而，祂是使基督从我们里面照耀出来。这指明得荣乃是对内住基督的主观经历。
4Many of us were taught that the light of God shines upon us from outside of us. Our experience of the Lord’s shining, however, is different from this. According to our experience, the light shines not from the outside, but from within us. When you take Christ as your life and your person, do not expect the heavens to open and a great light to shine upon you in an outward way. If your experience is like that of so many, the Lord’s shining will be inward, a shining from within. Such a shining is an expression of the inner glory. Our hope of glory is Christ in us. Hence, when God glorifies us, He will not need to send the glory from above; rather, He will cause Christ to shine forth from within us. This indicates that glorification is a subjective experience of the indwelling Christ.
被基督作荣耀所吞没
SWALLOWED UP BY CHRIST AS GLORY
5我们的得荣与宗教的观念相反；我们的得荣不是突然的事，乃是当基督在我们里面扩充，并以祂自己浸透我们时，得荣就逐渐的发生。当基督一点一点的『把我们吃掉』时，我们就被祂荣化。我们都需要被那作我们里面之荣耀的基督吃下、吞食并吞没了。基督在我们里面不仅作我们的生命和人位，祂也就是神的荣耀。
5Contrary to the religious concept, our glorification will not be a sudden event. Rather, it will take place gradually as Christ expands within us and saturates us with Himself. Christ glorifies us as He “eats us up” little by little. We all need to be eaten, devoured, swallowed up, by Christ as the glory within us. Within us we have Christ not only as our life and our person, but also as the very glory of God
6我们可以用丑陋的毛虫蜕变成美丽的蝴蝶，作为得荣的说明。美丽不是突然降临并包裹毛虫，就使毛虫在一瞬间成了一只蝴蝶。不，蝴蝶的美丽蕴藏在毛虫的生命里。当这生命的律在毛虫里面作用时，毛虫就逐渐变化成蝴蝶。当这过程发生时，蝴蝶的美丽就吞灭了毛虫的丑陋。同样的原则，基督在我们里面成了荣耀的盼望。祂这内住的荣耀，用每一个机会在我们里面扩展。这内里的荣耀浸透我们，甚至吞灭我们。有一天我们整个人将被神圣的荣耀所浸透。到那日，我们就要完全被带进荣耀里。这与宗教的教训完全不同。宗教的教训告诉我们，我们必须循规蹈矩，盼望有一天我们突然被迁到荣耀的范围里。按照这种宗教观念，我们必须尽力讨主喜悦。我们若讨主喜悦，有一天祂要突然从天降临，把我们都带到荣耀里。这与神的经纶何等相反！神的经纶乃是将基督分赐到我们里面。我们这些信徒，有基督在里面作我们的荣耀。我们所需要的，不是作好或尽力讨神喜悦；我们所需要的，乃是顾到作我们荣耀盼望的基督，并让这荣耀成为我们的生命和人位。
6We may use the metamorphosis of an ugly caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly as an illust ration of glorification. A caterpillar is not instantaneously transformed into a butterfly by a beauty that suddenly descends upon it and envelops it. No, the beauty of the butterfly is contained within the life of the caterpillar. As the law of this life functions within the caterpillar, the caterpillar is gradually transformed into a butterfly. As this process takes place, the beauty of the butterfly swallows up the ugliness of the caterpillar. In the same principle, Christ is in us to be our hope of glory. As the indwelling glory, He takes every opportunity to expand within us. The inner glory saturates us and even swallows us up. One day our entire being will be saturated with the divine glory. On that day we shall be brought into glory in a full way. This is completely different from the religious teaching that tells us we must try to be have ourselves until someday when we hope to be suddenly transported into a realm of glory. According to the religious concept, we must try our best to please the Lord. If we are pleasing to Him, one day He will swoop down from heaven and carry us away to glory. What a contrast between this and God’s economy! God’s economy is to dispense Christ into us. As believers, we have Christ in us as our glory. Our need is not to behave ourselves or to endeavor to please God; it is to take care of Christ as the hope of glory and to allow this glory to be our life and person.
基督从我们里面出来
CHRIST COMING FROM WITHIN US
7我们里面所有的，不仅是生命或那灵，更是基督自己作为神的荣耀。这位基督要将召会献给祂自己，作荣耀的召会。然而，祂这样作不是以宗教的方式，乃是照著神的经纶。这意思是说，祂要在我们里面扩充，并以祂自己浸透我们，直到我们完全被内里的荣耀所吞没。然后祂要从我们里面出来。
7What we have within us is not simply life or the Spirit, but Christ Himself as the very glory of God. This Christ will present the church to Himself as a glorious church. However, He will do this not in a religious way, but in the way that is according to God’secon o my. This means that He will expand within us and saturate us with Himself until we have been wholly swallowed up by the inner glory. Then He will come forth from within us
8大多数基督徒盼望基督从天降临。我对论到这些事的经节非常熟悉。一面，基督要从天降临。但另一面，使许多人大吃一惊的乃是：祂要从我们里面出来。客观的说，基督是在天上；但从主观、从经历上说，祂乃是在我们里面。祂是内住在我们里面的那一位，将要从我们里面出来。自从基督进到我们里面的那天起，祂就一直寻找出路，要通过我们而得以出来。祂进到我们里面不难，但祂要从我们里面出来却不容易。譬如，我们很容易把一粒种子种到土里，但要使这粒种子从土里长出来却需要时间，需要一段过程。尽管如此，正如种子至终要从土里生长出来，基督至终也要浸透我们，吞没我们，然后经过我们得以出来。
8Most Christians expect Christ to come from the heavens. I am very familiar with the verses which speak of this. On the one hand, Christ will come from the heavens. But on the other hand, much to the surprise of many, He will come from within us. Objectively Christ is in the heavens, but subjectively and experientially He is in us. As the One indwelling us, He will come from within us. Since the day Christ came into us, He has been seeking a way to come out through us. It is easy for Him to get into us, but it is not easy for Him to get out of us. For example, we can easily sow a seed into the soil, but it takes time and it requires a process for this seed to grow out from the soil. Nevertheless, just as the seed eventually grows and comes out from the earth, so Christ eventually will saturate us, swallow us up, and then come out through us
宗教与神的经纶相对
THE CONTRAST BETWEEN RELIGION and God’secon o my
9今天大多数基督徒偏离了神经纶的目标，因为他们被宗教观念所蒙蔽。他们根本不知道神的经纶是甚么。宗教与神的经纶相对，这可用主的人性生活说明。当主耶稣在地上时，圣殿及其一切仪式、作法、规条等，还在耶路撒冷。祭司在圣殿里献祭、烧香、点灯。然而，神不在圣殿里─祂乃是在主耶稣里。有时主到伯大尼，住在拉撒路、马大和马利亚的家中。祂以正常为人的方式探望他们，和他们说话。然而，当祂在伯大尼那个家中时，祭司们继续在圣殿举行仪式。在圣殿里的祭司身上，我们所看见的是宗教的作法；但在伯大尼的主身上，我们所看见的是神的经纶。神的经纶乃是把祂自己作到人里面。祂经纶的实施，不是在圣殿里，乃是在伯大尼那个家中，因为那里有作神丰满具体化身之基督的同在。凡在圣殿里敬拜的人，是实行他们的宗教；但拉撒路、马大、和马利亚却享受主耶稣的同在。今天地方召会不该像耶路撒冷的圣殿，乃该像伯大尼的那个家。这意思是说，召会不该是宗教的场所，乃该是完成神经纶的所在。
9Most Christians today miss the mark of God’secon o my because they are veiled by religious concepts. They simply do not know what God’secon o my is. The contrast between religion and God’secon o my can be illustrated by the Lord’s human living. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, the temple with all its rituals, practices, and ordinances was still in Jerusalem. In the temple the priests presented the offerings, burned the incense, and lighted the lamps. However, God was not in the temple— He was in the Lord Jesus. Sometimes the Lord stayed in the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary in Bethany. He visited with them and spoke with them in a normal, human way. Nevertheless, while He was in that house in Bethany, the priests continued to perform the rituals in the temple. With the priests in the temple we see the practice of religion, but with the Lord in Betha ny we see God’secon o my. God’secon o my is to work Himself into man. His economy was carried out not in the temple, but in that house in Bethany, for there Christ, the embodiment of the fullness of God, was present. Those who worshipped in the temple were practicing their religion, but Lazarus, Martha, and Mary enjoyed the presence of the Lord Jesus. The local churches today should not be like the temple in Jerusalem, but be like that home in Betha ny. This means that the churches should not be places of religion, but be places where God’secon o my is being carried out.
10宗教教导人说，神要带我们进入荣耀的境界、范围里。按照宗教的观念，在一刹那之间，主要把我们迁到这客观的荣耀里。在那时之前，我们必须循规蹈矩，并尽力照著圣经使我们的生活受规正。在凡事上并在每一方面，我们都必须尽力符合圣经。然后，按照这种教训，有一天我们才有资格被提，进入神荣耀的范围里。这观念与神的经纶相对。按照神的经纶，荣耀已经进到我们里面，现今正住在我们里面。这荣耀就是作我们生命和人位的基督。基督要把荣耀的召会献给自己，不是在一刹那之间临到召会，乃是藉著在召会里面扩展，直到召会完全被祂自己所浸润、浸透并吞没。这与外面尽力讨神喜悦有何等的不同！得荣完全是基督在我们里面扩展，并以祂自己来吞没我们。这就是神的经纶。
10Religion teaches that God will bring us into a sphere, a realm, of glory. According to the religious concept, the Lord will instantaneously transport us into this objective glory. Until then we must behave ourselves and seek to order our lives according to the Scriptures. In everything and in every way we must try our best to be scriptural. Then, according to this teaching, we shall be qualified one day to be caught up into the realm of God’s glory. Contrast this concept with the economy of God. According to God’secon o my, the glory has already come into us and is now dwelling within us. This glory is the very Christ who is our life and our person. Christ will present a glorious church to Himself not by suddenly coming down upon the church, but by expanding within the church until the church has been wholly permeated, saturated, and swallowed up with Himself. How different this is from trying to please God in an outward way! Glorification is altogether a matter of Christ’s expanding within us and swallowing us up with Himself. This is God’secon o my
11让我们转离宗教的教训，并把我们自己绝对的献给神的经纶。圣经启示，在神的经纶里，祂正把基督作到我们里面。在我们悔改相信主耶稣的那天，基督就进到我们里面作荣耀的元素。现今藉著将祂自己扩展到我们里面，祂正在将荣耀的召会献给祂自己的过程中。按照以弗所三章十七节，基督在我们里面扩展，实际上就是祂在我们心里安家。基督浸透我们，甚至『吃掉我们』。这要一直进行到祂从我们里面出来为止。藉著这过程，基督正把召会献给自己，作荣耀的召会。
11Let us turn from religious teachings and give ourselves absolutely to God’secon o my. The Bible reveals that in His economy God is working Christ into us. On the day we repented and believed in the Lord Jesus, Christ came into us as the element of glory. Now He is in the process of presenting a glorious church to Himself by spreading Himself within us. According to Ephesians 3:17, Christ’s expanding within us is actually His making His home in our heart. Christ is saturating us and even “eating us up.” This will go on until He comes out of us. By this process Christ is presenting the church to Himself as a glorious church
不仅是得胜的，更是荣耀的
NOT ONLY VICTORIOUS, BUT ALSO GLORIOUS
12以弗所五章二十七节不是说，基督要把美好的召会或得胜的召会献给自己，乃是说基督要得著荣耀的召会。我们可能是得胜的，却不是荣耀的。许多书告诉我们如何得胜，但我不知道有那一本书说到如何得荣耀。照样，许多信息释放出来论到得胜的路。但你曾否听过一篇信息是论到如何得荣？基督所要的是荣耀的召会，不是仅仅得胜的召会而已。
12Ephesians 5:27 does not say that Christ will present to Himself a nice church nor even a victorious church, but it says that Christ will have a glorious church. It is possible to be victorious without being glorious. Many books tell us how to be victorious, but I do not know of a book that tells us how to be glorious. Likewise, many messages have been given on the way to have victory. But have you ever heard a message about how to be glorious? Christ wants a glorious church, not merely a victorious one.
回到内住的基督
BACK TO THE INDWELLING CHRIST
13我们很少人有把握说，我们是荣耀的。这原因乃在于我们自知没有给主完全的机会，让祂浸透我们并从我们里面出来。我们许多人接受主耶稣进到我们里面之后，受了宗教教训打岔，或陷入其网罗。我们注意其他的事物，却没有专注于内住的基督。所以，在主的恢复里，我们都必须被带回到内住的基督。从我们的深处，我们需要告诉主说，我们要接受祂作我们的生命和人位，并且在我们里面给祂完全的地位。如果主只在诸天之上，祂就不能作我们的生命和人位。但基督既在诸天之上，也在我们里面。这位内住者，乃是我们必须接受作我们生命和人位的。当我们如此行，祂就安家在我们心里。祂在我们里面扩展，浸透我们，并且逐渐吞没我们。至终，在祂回来时，祂要从我们里面完全彰显出来。这就是神在生命里的经纶。
13Not many of us have the confidence to say that we are glorious. The reason for this is that we realize that we have not given the Lord the full opportunity to saturate us and to come out through us. After receiving the Lord Jesus into us, many of us became distracted or snared by religious teachings. Instead of concentrating on the indwelling Christ, we paid attention to other things. Therefore, in the Lord’s recovery we all must be brought back to the indwelling Christ. From the depths of our being we need to tell the Lord that we want to take Him as our life and our person and give Him the full ground within our being. If the Lord were only in the heavens, He could not be our life and our person. But Christ is both in the heavens and in us. It is this indwelling One whom we must take as our life and person. When we do this, He makes His home in our heart. He expands in us, saturates us, and gradually swallows us up. Eventually, at the time of His coming back, He will be fully expressed from within us. This is God’secon o my in life
荣化的过程
THE PROCESS OF GLORIFICATION
14在神的经纶里，基督甚至现今就在把荣耀的召会献给自己的过程中。当这过程进行时，祂就藉著成为我们的生命和人位，安家在我们心里。祂乃是这样以祂自己浸透我们里面的所是。祂的目的不是要改正我们、调整我们、或者改良我们；祂的目的乃是要荣化我们。为要达到这目标，祂现今正在我们里面执行这荣化的过程。
14In God’secon o my, Christ is even now in the process of presenting the glorious church to Himself. As this process takes place, He is making His home in our heart by becoming our life and our person. In this way, He saturates our inner being with Himself. It is not His intention to correct us, adjust us, or to improve us. His aim is to glorify us. In order to achieve this goal, He is now carrying on the process of glorification within us
15不管你多么好、多么良善、多么对、或多么得胜，你还不是荣耀的。基督的目的不是要得著好的、对的、或美善的召会，乃是要得著全然荣耀的召会。因此，基督只在意以祂自己浸透我们，并吞没我们，好荣化我们。一天过一天，祂在吞吃我们，并以祂所是的元素来顶替我们。这过程发生在我们全人的深处。哦！我们何等需要经历这样一位亲密、个人的基督！我们的基督必须不是一位在教训上的基督，乃是一位在我们心里安家的基督，一位以祂的元素浸透我们全人的基督。
15No matter how nice, good, right, or victorious you may be, you are not yet glorious. Christ’sin tent i on is not to obtain a church that is nice, right, or good, but to obtain a church that is altogether glorious. Hence, Christ cares only to glorify us by saturating us with Himself and by swallowing us up. Day by day, He is devouring us and replacing us with the element of what He is. This process transpires in the depths of our being. Oh, how we need to experience such an intimate, personal Christ! Our Christ must not be a Christ in teaching, but be a Christ making His home in our heart, a Christ saturating our being with His element
相互的吃
A MUTUAL EATING
16有一首著名的诗歌告诉我们，要信而顺从。然而，神的经纶远多于单单的信而顺从；神的经纶要求我们被基督『吃掉』。基督要我们吃祂，祂也要吃我们。因此，在神的经纶里有一个相互的吃。我在本篇信息的负担是要指出，基督的目的是要『吃掉我们』。当我们完全被基督吃尽时，祂就要把召会献给自己，作荣耀的召会。你知道为甚么今天的召会不是那样荣耀么？这是因为很多人没有让基督吃掉他们。召会若要成为荣耀的，我们就必须让内住的基督吃尽我们里面的每一部分。根据二十五节，基督为召会舍了自己。现今祂正在我们里面作工，好浸透我们，并从我们里面出来。然而，祂不是要从我们里面出来，而把我们撇下。相反的，祂要藉著浸透我们，吞吃我们，而从我们里面出来。我们需要祷告说，『主耶稣，吃掉我！』当基督在内里完全吃尽我们时，祂就能向撒但夸口说，『撒但，看看我荣耀的召会！』
16A well-known hymn tells us to trust and obey. God’secon o my, however, is more than just trusting and obeying; it requires that we be “eaten up” by Christ. Christ wants us to eat Him, and He wants to eat us. Hence, in God’secon o my there is a mutual eating. My burden in this message is to point out that Christ’sin tent i on is to “eat us up.” When we have been consumed by Christ in a full way, He will then present the church to Himself as a glorious church. Do you know why the church today is not very glorious? The reason is that not many have allowed Christ to eat them up. If the church is to become glorious, we need to allow the indwelling Christ to consume every part of our inward being. According to verse 25, Christ gave Himself up for the church. Now He is working within us to saturate us and to come out of us. However, He does not intend to come out of us and leave us aside. On the contrary, He wants to come out of us by saturating us and devouring us. We need to pray, “Lord Jesus, eat me up!” When Christ has finished consuming us inwardly, He will be able to boast to Satan, “Satan, look at My glorious church
17神经纶的目标，乃是要得著荣耀的召会。神已命定我们要得荣耀。（林前二7。）这不是客观的荣耀，乃是主观的、在经历上的荣耀。这样的荣耀实际上就是我们所吃的基督，也是那要把我们吃掉的基督。今天我们迫切的需要，乃是吃主并让祂来吃尽我们。只有这样，召会才能成为基督所渴望之荣耀的召会。
17The goal of God’secon o my is to gain a glorious church. God has ordained us unto glory (1 Cor. 2:7). This is not an objective glory, but a glory that is subjective and experiential. Such a glory is actually the very Christ whom we eat and by whom we are being eaten up. Our desperate need today is to eat the Lord and to allow Him to consume us. Only in this way will the church become the glorious church for which Christ is longing