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歌罗西书生命读经 · 第56篇

持定元首，本于祂，全身以神的增长而长大

Holding the Head, out from whom all the body grows with the growth of God
1读经：歌罗西书2:16-19;1:18上，哥林多后书3:17上，提摩太后书4:22上，哥林多前书6:17。
1Scripture Reading: Col. 2:16-19; 1:18a; 2 Cor. 3:17a; 2 Tim. 4:22a; 1 Cor. 6:17
2歌罗西二章十八至十九节说，『不可让人凭故意卑微，并敬拜天使，所作反对你们的判断，骗取你们的奖赏；这等人留恋于所见过的，随著自己肉体的心思，徒然自高自大，不持定元首；本于祂，全身藉著节和筋，得了丰富的供应，并结合一起，就以神的增长而长大。』『留恋于所见过的』，和『不持定元首』，这两句话与被骗取有关。如果我们不持定元首，反倒留恋于所见过的，我们享受基督的奖赏就会被骗取。任何人若留恋于所见过的，并且不持定元首，我们就不可被他骗取。每当我们不持定元首时，我们的奖赏就被骗取了。
2Colossians 2:18 and 19 say, “Let no one purposely defraud you of your prize, in humility and worship of the angels, standing on things which he has seen, vainly puffed up by the mind of his flesh, and not holding the Head, out from Whom all the Body, by means of the joints and bands being supplied and knit together, grows with the growth of God.” The phrases “standing on things which he has seen” and “not holding the Head” are related to being defrauded. If we do not hold the Head but stand on things which we have seen, we shall be defrauded of our prize of the enjoyment of Christ. We should not allow ourselves to be defrauded by anyone standing on things which he has seen and not holding the Head. Whenever we ourselves fail to hold the Head, we are defrauded of our prize
享受基督
ENJOYING CHRIST AS THE REALITY
作一切正面事物的实际
OF ALL POSITIVE THINGS
3要紧的是要知道，在经历上甚么是持定元首，以及如何持定元首。我们不该把二章十九节当作理所当然，以为我们知道持定元首的意思。反之，我们应当深入这一节，为著其意义来求问主；这样，我们就会蒙光照。
3It is important to understand, in an experiential way, what it means to hold the Head and how to hold the Head. We should not take 2:19 for granted, assuming that we know what it is to hold the Head. Instead, we should dig into this verse and inquire of the Lord concerning its meaning. Then we shall be enlightened
4我们要正确领会持定元首的意义，就必须来看二章十六至十七节；那里保罗告诉我们，基督是一切影儿的实体、实质和实际。饮食、安息日、月朔、节期，都是要来之事的影儿，基督才是这些影儿的实体、实际。保罗根据这个事实警告我们，不可让人骗取我们的奖赏。他在二章十八至十九节里的警告，乃是根据十六至十七节所启示的事实，就是基督是一切正面事物的实际。那些想要骗取我们的人，留恋于所见过的，并且不持定元首。因此，在影儿的实体─基督─与持定元首之间，就有了关联。换句话说，这位是一切正面事物实际的基督，乃是身体的元首。倘若我们要知道甚么叫作持定元首，就必须认识甚么是享受基督作一切正面事物的实际。没有这样来享受基督，我们在经历上就无法持定祂作元首。以此为背景，我们就能说，持定元首就是享受基督作一切正面事物的实际。
4To understand properly what it means to hold the Head, we need to consider 2:16 and 17, where Paul tells us that Christ is the body, the substance, the reality, of all the shadows. Eating, drinking, Sabbaths, new moons, and feasts are all shadows of things to come, whereas Christ is the body, the reality, of these shadows. Based upon this fact, Paul warns us not to allow anyone to purposely defraud us of our prize. His warning in 2:18 and 19 is based upon the fact, revealed in verses 16 and 17, that Christ is the reality of all positive things. Those who seek to defraud us are the ones who stand on things which they have seen and who do not hold the Head. Thus, there is a connection between Christ as the body of the shadows and holding the Head. In other words, the very Christ who is the reality of all positive things is the One who is the Head of the Body. If we would know what it means to hold the Head, we must know what it is to enjoy Christ as the reality of all positive things. Without enjoying Christ in this way, we cannot experientially hold Him as the Head. With this as the background, we can now say that to hold the Head is simply to enjoy Christ as the reality of all positive things.
5真正的基督徒生活乃是享受基督的生活。我们必须终日享受主。我们已经看见，保罗说到饮食、安息日、月朔、节期的时候，乃是指著日日、周周、月月、年年享受的事。事实上，我们每天需要吃喝好几次。保罗在二章十六节所用的例子，包括了从时时享受基督到年年享受基督的整个时间。这指明我们应当不断的享受基督。我喝一杯水的时候，应当记得要喝基督。我吃食物的时候，应当享受基督作真食物。每当我们这样享受基督，我们自然就持定祂作元首。因此，要持定基督作元首，最好的路就是享受基督。要持定基督，没有比吃基督更好的路。我们如何藉著摄取食物、吃食物而持定食物，照样也要藉著吃基督而持定祂。在二章十六至十九节，保罗从基督作我们所享受的一切这第一层楼，跳到基督作元首这经历的顶楼。我们享受基督作食物、饮料、空气、和我们的一切，就会被神圣的电梯提升到高处，在那里我们持定基督作元首。但如果我们停止享受基督，我们立刻就不是持定祂作元首。只有当我们享受祂的时候，我们才是持定祂。这不是从神学课本学来的道理，这乃是基督徒经历的事实。我从多年的经历中学知，持定元首就是不断的享受基督。我们是受造的器皿，为要盛装祂，我们是藉著吃喝祂、吸入祂来盛装祂。由此我们看见，持定基督作元首，乃是一件非常主观的事。
5The genuine Christian life is a life of enjoying Christ. We need to enjoy the Lord all day long. We have seen that in speaking of eating, drinking, Sabbaths, new moons, and feasts Paul refers to matters of daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly enjoyment. Actually, we eat and drink several times a day. In Paul’su se of illustrations in 2:16, he covers the whole span from the hourly enjoyment of Christ to the yearly enjoyment of Him. This indicates that we should enjoy Christ continually. When I drink a glass of water, I should remember to drink Christ. When I eat my food, I should enjoy Christ as the real food. Whenever we enjoy Christ in this way, we automatically hold Him as the Head. Thus, the best way to hold Christ as the Head is to enjoy Him. There is no better way to hold Christ than to eat Him. Just as we hold food by taking it into us and eating it, so we hold Christ by eating Him. In 2:16-19, Paul takes a great leap, from Christ as everything for our enjoyment, which is on the ground floor, to Christ as the Head, which is the top floor of our experience. As we enjoy Christ as food, drink, air, and everything to us, we are uplifted by a divine elevator to the very height, where we hold Christ as the Head. But if we stop enjoying Christ, we immediately stop holding Him as the Head. Only when we enjoy Him do we also hold Him. This is not a doctrine learned from theology books. It is a fact of Christian experience. From my experience throughout the years I have learned that to hold the Head is to enjoy Christ continually. We are vessels made to contain Him, and we hold Him by eating, drinking, and breathing Him. By this we see that holding Christ as the Head is a very subjective matter
对身体的感觉
BODY-CONSCIOUS
6保罗在二章十七节说，那实体却属于基督，但他在十九节没有说到基督，乃是说到持定元首。基督一辞更换成元首，原因在于我们对主的享受，使我们对基督的身体有感觉。如果我们是不断享受基督的人，我们就不会仍旧单独。持个人主义的圣徒，乃是没有一直享受主的人。我们越享受基督，就越对身体有感觉。我们早晨应当接触主，但晚上应当来参加召会的聚会。白天享受主，晚上却忽略了召会─祂的身体─的聚会，这不是正常的。即使你的环境不许可你参加所有的聚会，你里面也该有个感觉说，你整个内里的人都是在召会的聚会中与众圣徒同在的。这种对身体的感觉乃是来自对基督的享受。
6In 2:17 Paul says that the body is of Christ, but in verse 19 he speaks not of Christ, but of holding the Head. The reason for the change in terminology from Christ to the Head is that our enjoyment of the Lord causes us to become conscious of the Body. If we are those who enjoy Christ continually, we shall not continue to be individualistic. The saints who are individualistic are those who do not consistently enjoy the Lord. The more we enjoy Christ, the more we become Body-conscious. We should touch the Lord in the morning, but in the evening we should come to the church meetings. It is not normal to enjoy the Lord during the day and neglect the meetings of the church, which is His Body. Even if your environment does not allow you to attend all the meetings, inwardly you should have the sense that your whole inner being is with the saints in the church meeting. This consciousness of the Body comes from the enjoyment of Christ.
7我们天天对基督的享受，实际上乃是出于作元首的基督。这就是为甚么我们享受基督，祂就使我们对身体有感觉。我们从经历中得知，我们越享受基督，我们对身体的渴望就越强。然而，我们若是一段时间没有接触主，我们自然而然就会忽略召会生活，或对聚会失去兴趣。我们越少接触主，就越对召会和圣徒有所批评。我们的眼目会注意别人的过失和缺点。这样缺少对基督的享受，就给仇敌撒但开门，让他进来使我们批评身体上别的肢体。但如果我们又开始享受主，门就渐渐关上了。我们若一直享受基督，最终门就完全关上。然后我们就不再批评召会，反而为著召会生活赞美主，并且见证我们是何等的宝爱召会生活。带进这一种改变的，不是劝勉，也不是改正，乃是恢复对基督的享受。这亲爱、宝贵的一位，乃是我们所享受，作我们食物、饮料、气息的那一位；祂就是身体的元首。保罗因著对这件事有透彻的认识，他就能从基督作一切正面事物的实际给我们享受，跳到基督作元首这件事上。我们所享受作为一切的基督，既是身体的元首，我们越享受祂，就越有身体的感觉。这指明享受基督不是单独的事，乃是身体的事。我们这些身体上的肢体，必须以团体的方式来享受基督。
7What we enjoy of Christ day by day is actually something of Him as the Head. This is the reason that when we enjoy Christ, He causes us to become conscious of the Body. According to our experience, we know that the more we enjoy Christ, the more intense is our desire for the Body. However, if we fail to contact the Lord for a period of time, we shall automatically neglect the church life or lose interest in the meetings. The less we contact the Lord, the more critical we become of the church or of the saints. We have an eye for the faults and shortcomings of others. This shortage of the enjoyment of Christ opens the door for the enemy, Satan, to come in to make us critical of other members of the Body. But if we begin again to enjoy the Lord, the door will gradually close. Eventually, if we are constant in our enjoyment of Christ, the door will be completely shut. Then, instead of criticizing the church, we shall praise the Lord for the church life, and we shall testify how much we love it. What brings about such a change is not admonition or correction, but the recovery of the enjoyment of Christ. The dear, precious One whom we enjoy as our food, drink, and breath, is the Head of the Body. Because Paul had a thorough realization of this, he could leap from Christ as the reality of all positive things for our enjoyment to the matter of Christ as the Head. Since the Christ we enjoy as our everything is the Head of the Body, the more we enjoy Him, the more we become Body-conscious. This indicates that the enjoyment of Christ is not an individualistic matter. It is a Body matter. We need to enjoy Christ as members of the Body in a corporate way
宝爱身体上所有的肢体
LOVING ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE BODY
8保罗在二章十九节说到『全身』。对基督的享受，保守我们这些身体上的肢体成为一。我们越享受基督，就越宝爱身体上别的肢体。对基督的享受使我们爱召会生活中的每一个人；连我们爱不来的人，也都成了我们所亲爱的、所宝贵的。然而，我们若不持续享受基督，我们就会轻看召会中的一些人。事实上，召会和圣徒还是一样，只是我们的态度改变了。但如果有人把基督供应给我们，而我们重新开始享受主，身体上所有的肢体就再次变得可爱了。我们会有一种甜美的感觉，我们既是身体上的肢体，就宝爱所有的肢体。
8In 2:19 Paul speaks of “all the Body.” The enjoyment of Christ keeps us one as members of the Body. The more we enjoy Christ, the more we love the other members of the Body. The enjoyment of Christ causes us to love everyone in the church life. Even those whom we find it difficult to love become dear and precious to us. However, if we do not keep on enjoying Christ, we shall despise certain ones in the church. Actually, the church and the saints remain the same; it is our attitude that changes. But if the supply of Christ is ministered to us and we begin to enjoy Him again, all the members of the Body will once again become lovable to us. We shall have the pleasant realization that, as members of the Body, we love all the other members.
9享受基督就使基督在我们的经历中成为元首。我们若不享受基督，基督就无法主观的在经历上作我们的元首。人也许一再的告诉你，基督是身体的头，但你若不是经常的享受祂，你就根本不觉得祂是元首。你越享受基督，你在经历上就越领会，你所享受的这位基督就是身体的头。这样的领会使你对身体有感觉，并使你宝爱身体上所有的肢体。
9It is the enjoyment of Christ which causes Him to be the Head in our experience. Christ cannot be our Head subjectively and experientially unless we enjoy Him. You may be told again and again that Christ is the Head of the Body, but you will not have any consciousness of Him as the Head unless you enjoy Him regularly. The more you enjoy Christ, the more you will realize experientially that the very Christ you enjoy is the Head of the Body. This realization will make you conscious of the Body and cause you to love all the members of the Body
被带到复活里
BROUGHT INTO RESURRECTION
10保罗在一章十八节说，『祂也是召会身体的头；祂是元始，是从死人中复活的首生者。』基督是从死人中复活的首生者，这个事实指明，祂在复活里成为身体的头。基督在复活以前，还不是身体的头。以弗所一章指明，基督复活、升天以后，就向召会作万有的头。因此，基督作元首，乃是在复活里。
10In 1:18 Paul says, “ And He is the Head of the Body, the church; Who is the beginning, Firstborn from among the dead.” The fact that Christ is the Firstborn from among the dead indicates that He is the Head of the Body in resurrection. Before His resurrection, Christ was not yet the Head of the Body. Ephesians 1 indicates that after His resurrection and ascension, Christ was made the Head over all things to the church. Hence, Christ’she ad ship is in resurrection
11因著基督作元首是在复活里，享受基督自然而然就把我们带到复活里，并拯救我们脱离天然的人。我们都是天然的，如果我们没有藉著享受基督而被带到复活里，我们就会留在天然的人里面。赞美主，享受基督就把我们带到复活里！我们享受祂越多，我们的天然就越少。这也不仅是道理，乃是基督徒经历的事实。
11Because Christ’she ad ship is in resurrection, the enjoyment of Christ spontaneously brings us into resurrection and saves us from our natural being. We all are natural. If we are not brought into resurrection through the enjoyment of Christ, we shall remain in our natural person. Praise the Lord that the enjoyment of Christ brings us into resurrection! The more we enjoy Him, the less natural we are. Once again, this is not a mere doctrine, but a fact of Christian experience
被带到诸天之上
BROUGHT INTO THE HEAVENS
12享受基督也把我们带到升天里。我们越享受祂，在经历上就越在诸天界里。这意思是说，藉著享受基督，我们就属天了。我们不仅不再是天然的，也不再是属地的了。享受基督使我们在复活里，也在升天里。我们越享受基督，就越在诸天之上。因此，持定基督作元首，就使我们经历在诸天之上。在诸天之上就是持定元首，这样说也是很对的。在经历上，持定元首和在诸天之上乃是一件事，二者是一样的。
12The enjoyment of Christ also brings us into the ascension. The more we enjoy Him, the more we are in the heavenlies experientially. This means that through the enjoyment of Christ, we become heavenly. Not only are we no longer natural, but we are no longer earthly. The enjoyment of Christ causes us to be both in resurrection and in ascension. The more we enjoy Christ, the more we are in the heavens. Therefore, to hold Christ as the Head is to be in the heavens in our experience. It is also true to say that to be in the heavens is to hold the Head. Experientially, holding the Head and being in the heavens are one and the same.
13如果我们在经历上暂时放下基督，不继续持定祂作元首，我们就会觉得，我们是属地的。譬如说，一位姊妹购物时没有持定基督作元首，这样至少她在购物时，就放弃了元首。我们的婚姻生活也是一样。夫妻吵嘴的时候，他们在经历上必定不在诸天界里。他们至少是属地的，因为他们吵嘴时，没有持定基督作元首。每当我们是属地的，我们就没有持定元首。但如果我们在婚姻生活中一直享受基督，我们就持定祂作元首，并且有在诸天之上的经历。这样，我们就是属天的人。没有甚么能把我们从诸天之上拉到地上。可惜在我们的经历里，我们很快就落下来了，甚至一句话、一个不好的脸色，就使我们从诸天之上掉到地上。我们在日常生活中太容易不持定元首了！根据三章一至四节，我们的生活应当在诸天之上，就是神宝座所在之处。一面，作元首的基督乃是在我们的灵里；另一面，祂也在诸天之上，不在地上。我们惟有在诸天之上的时候，才是持定祂作元首。享受基督就是持定元首，而持定元首就是在诸天之上。
13If in our experience we temporarily abandon Christ and do not continue holding Him as the Head, we shall sense that we are earthly. For example, suppose a sister does not hold Christ as the Head in the matter of shopping. Then at least temporarily, during the time she is shopping, she has given up the Head. The same may be true in our married life. When a husband and wife are exchanging words, they certainly are not in the heavenlies in their experience. To say the least, they are earthly, for when they are arguing, they are not holding Christ as the Head. Whenever we are earthly, we are not holding the Head. But if in our married life we consistently enjoy Christ, we shall hold Him as the Head and be in the heavens in our experience. Then we shall be a heavenly people. Nothing will be able to pull us down from the heavens to the earth. Unfortunately, in our experience we quickly make this descent. Even a single word or unpleasant look can cause us to fall from the heavens to the earth. How quickly in our daily living we may cease from holding the Head! According to 3:1-4, our living should be in the heavens, where God’s throne is. On the one hand, Christ as our Head is in our spirit; on the other hand He is in the heavens, not on earth. Only when we are in the heavens do we hold Him as the Head. To enjoy Christ is to hold the Head, and to hold the Head is to be in the heavens
我们需要在灵里
OUR NEED TO BE IN SPIRIT
14我们在经历中，怎样才能在诸天之上？惟有享受元首基督作我们灵里赐生命的灵，我们在经历里才能在诸天之上。林后三章十七节说，『而且主就是那灵。』如果基督只是元首，不是那灵，在经历上我们就无法接触祂，也无法持定祂。虽然基督的地位是元首，但在我们的经历中，祂却是赐生命的灵。按照提后四章二十二节，是那灵的主如今与我们的灵同在。真奇妙！基督在诸天之上是元首，但在我们的灵里却是那灵。因此，要持定基督作元首，我们就不仅要享受祂，也要在诸天之上，更要在我们的灵里。我们若要持定元首，就必须在灵里。在歌罗西二章十八节，保罗用了『随著自己肉体的心思，徒然自高自大』这样的发表。心思是魂的一部分，肉体则与肉身有关。凡随著肉体的心思自高自大的人，都没有持定基督作元首，因为他是在属肉体的心思里，不是在灵里。每当我们在心思或在肉体里，我们就没有持定元首。但是当我们从肉体并从心思转到灵里，我们就自然而然持定基督作元首了。如果我们留在属肉体的心思里，就无法接触基督、持定基督。但如果我们转到灵里，我们就是持定元首；祂就是在我们灵里赐生命的灵。
14How in our experience can we be in the heavens? We can be experientially in the heavens only by enjoying Christ, the Head, as the life-giving Spirit in our spirit. Second Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit” (Gk.). If Christ were only the Head and not the Spirit, there would be no way for us to contact Him or hold Him experientially. But although Christ’s position is that of the Head, in our experience He is the life-giving Spirit. According to 2 Timothy 4:22, the Lord, who is the Spirit, is now with our spirit. How wonderful! In the heavens, Christ is the Head, but in our spirit, He is the Spirit. Therefore, to hold Christ as the Head is not only to enjoy Him and to be in the heavens, but it is also to be in our spirit. If we would hold the Head, we must be in spirit. In 2:18 Paul uses the expression “vainly puffed up by the mind of his flesh.” The mind is part of the soul, and the flesh is related to the physical body. Anyone who is puffed up by the mind of the flesh does not hold Christ as the Head, for he is in his fleshly mind, not in the spirit. Whenever we are in the mind or in the flesh, we are not holding the Head. But when we turn from the flesh and from the mind to the spirit, we automatically hold Christ as the Head. If we linger in our fleshly mind, we shall not be able to touch Christ or hold Him. But if we turn to the spirit, we shall hold the Head, who is the life-giving Spirit in our spirit
15我们已经看见，持定基督作元首包括三件事。我们要持定元首，就必须享受基督，必须在诸天之上，也必须在我们的灵里。我们由经历中晓得，这三件事是并行的。我们享受基督的时候，我们就在诸天之上，也在灵里，不在心思或肉体里。在经历上，我们在灵里就是在三层天上。照圣经来看，至圣所是在三层天上，也在我们的灵里。每当我们转到灵里，我们就在诸天之上享受主；这就是持定元首的路。
15We have seen that to hold Christ as the Head involves three things. To hold the Head we must enjoy Christ, we must be in the heavens, and we must be in our spirit. From our experience we know that these three matters go together. When we enjoy Christ, we are in the heavens and in our spirit, not in the mind or in the flesh. To be in the spirit is experientially to be in the third heaven. According to the Bible, the Holy of Holies is both in the third heaven and in our spirit. Whenever we turn to the spirit, we are in the heavens enjoying the Lord. This is the way to hold the Head
吸取基督的丰富，
ABSORBING THE RICHES OF CHRIST
为著身体的长大
FOR THE GROWTH OF THE BODY
16当我们享受基督，并持定祂作元首时，我们就吸取祂的丰富。按照二章十九节，有个东西从元首出来，使身体以神的增长而长大。当我们在诸天之上、在灵里享受基督时，就能持定元首，并吸取祂的丰富。然后有个东西会从元首出来，使神在我们里面增长。这意思是说，神的元素更多加到我们里面，因而也加到身体里面。这便叫身体以神的增长、神的增多而长大。当我们持定元首，我们就能吸取那延展无限、包罗万有之基督的丰富。这些丰富就是神的元素；这些元素从元首出来，在我们里面成为神的扩增，使身体因此而长大。至终，基督的身体要成为一个新人，基督在其中是一切，又在一切之内。因著基督是新人独一的构成成分，祂就是新人的每一个肢体，又在每一个肢体之内。
16As we enjoy Christ and hold Him as the Head, we absorb His riches. According to 2:19, something proceeds out from the Head which causes the Body to grow with the growth of God. When we enjoy Christ in the heavens and in our spirit, we hold the Head and absorb His riches. Then out from the Head something will proceed to produce the growth of God in us. This means that more of the element of God is added into our being and thereby into the Body. This causes the Body to grow with the growth, the increase, of God. As we hold the Head, we absorb the riches of the extensive, all-inclusive Christ. These riches are the elements of God, the very elements that proceed out from the Head and become in us the increase of God by which the Body grows. Eventually, the Body will be the one new man in which Christ is all and in all. Because Christ is the unique constituent of the new man, He is every member of the new man and in every member
17持定基督作元首，就是不断的享受祂，在诸天之上，并留在我们的灵里。藉著持定基督作元首，我们就对基督的身体有感觉。我们经历身体生活，就从元首吸取丰富，这些丰富乃是神的元素，在身体的肢体里面成为神的扩增，使全身因此而长大。所以，基督身体的长大乃是享受基督，持定祂作元首，并吸取祂的丰富所产生的结果。
17To hold Christ as the Head is to enjoy Him continually, to be in the heavens, and to remain in our spirit. Through holding Christ as the Head, we become conscious of the Body. Experiencing the Body life, we absorb the riches out from the Head. These riches are the very elements of God which become in the members of the Body the increase of God by which the whole Body grows. Therefore, the growth of the Body is the product of enjoying Christ, holding Him as the Head, and absorbing His riches.