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帖撒罗尼迦前书生命读经 · 第19篇

与神的工作合作（二）

Cooperation with the Divine Operation (2)
1读经：帖撒罗尼迦前书5:12-28。保罗写帖前五章十二至二十二节的时候，心里还有许多话要对帖撒罗尼迦的初信者说。他还有许多事要教导他们。然而，因为他没有时间多写，就在这几节里把许多不同的项目都列在一起；这些事就如：要敬重带领的人，要和睦，要劝戒不守规矩的人，抚慰灰心的人，扶持软弱的人，对众人恒忍，不可以恶报恶，要常常喜乐，不住的祷告，凡事谢恩，不要销灭那灵，不要藐视申言者的话，要凡事察验，善美的要持守，各种的恶事要远离禁作。事实上，几乎每一项都需要一整章才能充分的发挥。
1Scripture Reading: 1 Thes. 5:12-28 When Paul wrote verses 12 through 22 of chapter five, he had much on his heart that he still wanted to say to the new believers in Thessalonica. He had many things that he yet wanted to teach them. However, because he did not have the time to write further, he listed many different items together in these verses: honoring the leading ones, being at peace, admonishing the disorderly, consoling the fainthearted, upholding the weak, being longsuffering toward all, not rendering evil for evil, always rejoicing, praying unceasingly, giving thanks in everything, not quenching the Spirit, not despising prophecies, proving all things, holding fast what is good, abstaining from every form of evil. Actually, nearly every item requires a full chapter to be developed adequately
2与神合作保罗在二十三节接著说，『且愿和平的神，亲自全然圣别你们，又愿你们的灵、与魂、与身子得蒙保守，在我们主耶稣基督来临的时候，得以完全，无可指摘。』『且』字将本节所说神亲自全然圣别我们的祝福，与前节要我们远离禁作各种恶事的嘱咐连接起来。一面我们远离禁作各种恶事，另
2COOPERATING WITH GOD In verse 23 Paul goes on to say, “And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” “And” conjoins the blessing of God’s sanctifying of our entire being, given in this verse, with the charge of our abstaining from every kind of evil, given in the preceding verse. On the one hand, we abstain from
3一面神全然圣别我们。我们与神合作，叫我们过圣别的生活。
3every form of evil; on the other hand, God sanctifies us wholly. We cooperate with God for a holy living
4根据十六至二十二节，我们应当喜乐、祷告、谢恩，不要销灭那灵，不要藐视申言者的话，要凡事察验，善美的要持守，各种恶事要远离禁作。我们若留意这些事，和平的神就全然圣别我们。在此我们看见信徒与神的工作合作这件事。十二至二十二节给我们看见信徒的合作─活出属灵圣别的生活。二十三至二十四节说到神的工作圣别并保守信徒。我们若要过为著召会生活的圣别生活，就必须与神的工作合作。神现今住在我们里面。内住的三一神在我们里面一直在工作，所以我们不该销灭那灵。那灵实际上就是经过过程的
4According to verses 16 through 22, we should rejoice, pray, give thanks, not quench the Spirit, not despise prophecies, prove all things, hold fast what is good, and abstain from every form of evil. If we take care of these things, the God of peace will sanctify us wholly. Here we see the matter of the believers’ cooperation with the divine operation. In verses 12 through 22 we have the believers’ cooperation in living a spiritual and separated life. In verses 23 and 24 we have God’so per at i on in sanctifying and preserving the believers. If we would live a holy life for the church life, we must cooperate with God’so per at i on. God is now dwelling in us. The indwelling Triune God is operating within us all the time. This is the reason we should not quench the Spirit. Actually, the Spirit is the processed
5三一神。那灵在我们里面的焚烧，就是三一神在我们里面的工作；我们需要与这工作合作。我们的合作就是留意十二至二十二节所题的一切事。我们这一面必须合作；神那一面一直在我们里面工作。和平的神要亲自全然圣别我们。三一神内住，而我们就是祂所内住的人。因此必须有两面：神的一面和我们的一面。祂工作，而我们与祂的工作合作。
5Triune God. The inward burning of the Spirit is the operation of the Triune God within us, an operation with which we need to cooperate. We cooperate by taking care of all the matters covered in verses 12 through 22. On our side, we need to cooperate. On God’s side, God is operating within us. The God of peace Himself will sanctify us wholly. The Triune God indwells, and we are the ones indwelt by Him. Hence, there must be two sides: God’ss i de and our side. He operates, and we cooperate with His operation.
6保罗在二十三节表达出他的愿望和渴慕：愿和平的神全然圣别我们。这实际上是使徒的祷告。保罗祷告，求和平的神亲自全然圣别我们。我们也可以说，二十三节的上半是保罗祝福信徒的话，他愿和平的神使他们圣别。保罗在这节的后半说，『愿你们的灵、与魂、与身子得蒙保守，…得以完全。』这节的上半说到神圣别我们，这是神采取主动。但这节的后半说到我们的灵、与魂、与身子得蒙保守，在这事上我们多少应当采取主动。
6In verse 23 Paul expresses his wish, his desire, that the God of peace would sanctify us wholly. Actually, this is the apostle’spray er. Paul prays that the God of peace Himself sanctify us wholly. We may also say that the first part of verse 23 is Paul’s blessing, that he blesses the believers with a word concerning the God of peace sanctifying them. In the second part of this verse Paul says, “May your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete.” In the first part of the verse, concerning God’s sanctifying us, it is God who takes the initiative. But in the second part of the verse, concerning our spirit, soul, and body being preserved, we are the ones who should somehow take the initiative
得蒙保守
BE PRESERVED
7『得蒙保守』这个吩咐，可以看作是既主动又被动的动词。这意思是说，我们主动要得蒙保守。然而，神是保守我们的灵、与魂、与身子的那一位。因此，我们虽然采取主动，而事实上是神作工保守我们的全人。所以我们应当祷告说，『主阿，我渴望我的灵、与魂、与身子得蒙保守，但我作不来。主，我要主动的求你这样作。』你愿意、渴慕你的全人得蒙保守得以完全么？我们若没有这种渴慕，就当求主怜悯我们，赐给我们这样的渴慕。但我们若已经有了这种渴慕，就需要主动的祷告，求主保守我们。
7The command “be preserved” may be regarded as an active-passive verb. This means that we take the initiative to be preserved. However, God is the One who preserves our spirit, soul, and body. Therefore, we take the initiative, but God does the work of preserving our entire being. Therefore, we should pray, “Lord, I long to have my spirit, soul, and body preserved. However, I cannot do this work. I take the initiative, Lord, to ask You to do this.” Do you have the desire, the aspiration, that your entire being would be preserved complete? If we do not have this desire, we should ask the Lord to have mercy on us and grant us such an aspiration. But if we already have this longing, we then need to take the initiative to pray that the Lord would preserve us
8保罗写二十三节不是根据道理，乃是根据他的经历。我们很难说保罗在这节经文里的话是他的祷告，还是他的祝福。我们在这里确实看见了保罗的盼望、愿望。保罗盼望和平的神全然圣别信徒，又盼望信徒能渴望他们的灵、与魂、与身子得蒙保守得以完全，无可指摘。你们看见这节经文里有神的工作，也有我们的合作么？毫无疑问，使徒是代表神的。因此，保罗的盼望就是神的盼望。他的愿望就是神的愿望。这意思是说，神盼望、愿意全然圣别我们。但我们渴望我们的灵、与魂、与身子得蒙保守么？圣别我们的工作乃是神的工作，但渴望得蒙保守是我们的合作。我们有了神的愿望和我们的渴慕，就能与神的工作合作，祂要全然圣别我们，且要保守我们的全人。
8Paul wrote verse 23 not according to doctrine, but according to his experience. It is difficult for us to say whether in this verse we have Paul’spray er or his blessing. It is certain that here we see Paul’s desire, his wish. Paul desired that the God of peace would wholly sanctify the believers and that the believers would have an aspiration for their spirit, soul, and body to be preserved complete and without blame. Can you see in this verse God’so per at i on and our cooperation? No doubt, the apostle represents God. Thus, Paul’s wish is God’s wish. His desire is God’s desire. This means that God wishes, desires, to sanctify us wholly. But do we have the aspiration for our spirit, soul, and body to be preserved? The sanctifying work is God’so per at i on, but the aspiration to be preserved is our cooperation. When we have both God’s desire and our aspiration, we then have our cooperation with God’so per at i on to sanctify us wholly and to preserve our entire being.
9主的来临保罗在二十三节题到『我们主耶稣基督来临』。这话再次题醒我们，保罗在四章所写的话。保罗在五章二十三节似乎是说，『你们这些信徒对主耶稣要回来，感到兴奋么？你们等候祂来临么？你们若是兴奋并且等候，就需要实行我刚才所写的那些话，就是要得蒙圣别，使你们的灵、与魂、与身子得蒙保守。你们若不这样实行，就没有豫备好迎接主回来。你们必须圣别，也必须蒙保守。这样你们就豫备好了，也彀资格迎接主耶稣回来。你们必须承认，你们现今还没有豫备好主的来临。这意思是说，祂必须迟延祂的来临，直到信徒们都豫备好。亲爱的圣徒，我劝你们要为主的来临有豫备，要全然圣别，并使你们的灵、与魂、与身子得蒙保守，得以完全，无可摘。』
9THE COMING OF THE LORD In verse 23 Paul refers to “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is a further reminder of what Paul has written in chapter four. In verse 23 Paul seems to be saying, “Are you believers excited that the Lord Jesus will come back? Are you waiting for His coming? If you are excited and are waiting, you need to practice what I have just written concerning being sanctified and having your spirit, soul, and body preserved. If you do not practice this matter, you will not be ready for the Lord’s coming back. You must be sanctified and preserved. Then you will be ready, prepared, qualified, for the coming back of the Lord Jesus. You must admit that at present you are not ready for the Lord’s coming. This means that He must delay His coming until the believers are ready. Dear ones, I urge you to get ready for the Lord’s coming by being sanctified wholly and by being preserved in your spirit, soul, and body complete and without blame
10全然圣别根据二十三节，和平的神是那圣别人的，祂的圣别带来和平。当我们从里面被祂全然圣别时，就在凡事上与祂与人都有和平。『全然』的意思是完全，彻底，…达到极点。神全然圣别我们，叫我们的全人─灵、魂、体，没有一部分是凡俗或世俗的。
10SANCTIFIED WHOLLY According to verse 23, the Sanctifier is the God of peace. His sanctification brings in peace. When we are wholly sanctified by Him from within, we have peace with Him in every way. The word “sanctified” here means to be set apart; it is to be separated unto God from things common or profane
11『圣别』一辞在这里的意思是分开，使有区别；就是从凡俗或世俗的事物分别归神。保罗说到我们的灵、与魂、与身子，这话有力的指明人有三部分：灵、魂与身体。灵是我们最深的部分，是里面的器官，有神的知觉，使我们能接触神。（约四24，罗一9。）魂是我们的自己，（比太十六26，路九，）介于我们的灵与体之间，有自
11The word “wholly” means entirely, thoroughly, to the consummation. God sanctifies us wholly, so that no part of our being, either of our spirit or soul or body, will be left common or profane. Paul’sword concerning our spirit and soul and body strongly indicates that man is of three parts: spirit, soul, and body. The spirit is our inmost part, the inner organ, possessing God-consciousness, that we may contact God (John 4:24; Rom. 1:9). The soul is our very self (Matt. 16:25; Luke 9:25), a medium between our spirit and our body, possessing self -25
12己 的知觉，使我们有个格。体是我们外在的部分，是外在的器官，有世界的知觉，使我们能接触物质的世界。体包含魂，魂是装灵的器皿。那是灵的神住在灵里；我们的自己住在魂里；物质的感觉是在体里。神圣别我们，首先藉重生得著我们的灵；（约三5～；）其次将祂自己这赐生命的灵，从我们的灵扩展到魂里，浸透并变化魂；（罗十二2，林后三18；）最终，经由我们的魂，赐生命给我们必死的身体，（罗八11，13，）并且凭著祂生命的大能，将我们的身体改变形状。（腓三21。）
12consciousness, that we may have our personality. The body is our external part, the outer organ, possessing world-consciousness, that we may contact the material world. The body contains the soul, and the soul is the vessel of the spirit. In the spirit of the regenerated ones, God as the Spirit dwells; in the soul, our self; and in the body, the physical senses. God sanctifies us first by taking possession of our6 spirit through regeneration (John 3:5-6); second, by spreading Himself as the life - giving Spirit from our spirit into our soul to saturate and transform it (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18); and last, by enlivening our mortal body through our soul (Rom. 8:11, 13) and transfiguring it by His life power (Phil. 3:21).
13神不仅全然圣别我们，也保守我们的灵、魂、体得以完全。『全然』是指量一面；『完全』是指质一面。在量一面，神要全然圣别我们；在质一面，神要保守我们得以完全，就是要保守我们的灵、魂、体得以完美。因著堕落，我们的体受了败坏，魂受了玷污，灵也死了。在神完全的救恩里，我们全人都要得救，成为完全、完美的。为此，神保守我们的灵脱离死的元素，（来九14，）保守我们的魂不再留在天然和老旧里，（太十六
13God not only sanctifies us wholly, but also preserves our spirit, soul, and body complete. “Wholly” is quantitative: “complete” is qualitative. In quantity God sanctifies us wholly; in quality God preserves us complete, that is. He keeps our spirit, soul, and body perfect. Through the fall our body has been ruined, our soul has been contaminated, and our spirit has been deadened. In God’s full salvation our entire being is saved and made complete and perfect. For this, God is preserving our spirit from any deadening element (Heb. 9:14), our soul from remaining natural and old
1424～26，）并保守我们的体脱离罪的败坏。（帖前四4，罗六6。）神这样的保守，以及祂彻底的圣别，维持我们过圣别的生活，直到成熟，使我们能在主的『巴路西亚』─祂的同在─里与祂相会。保罗在帖前五章二十四节说，『那召你们的是信实的，祂也必作成这事。』信实的神召了我们，也必要全然圣别我们，并保守我们全人得以完全。这是保罗对信徒所说极有把握的话。
14Matt. 16:24-26), and our body from the ruin of sin (1 Thes. 4:4; Rom. 6:6). Such a preservation by God and His thorough sanctification sustain us to live a holy life unto maturity that we may meet the Lord in His parousia, His presence. In verse 24 Paul says, “Faithful is He who calls you, who also will do it.” The faithful God who has called us will also sanctify us wholly and preserve our entire being complete. This is Paul’sword of assurance to the believers
本书信的结语
THE CONCLUSION OF THE EPISTLE
15二十五至二十八节是本书信的结语。
15In verses 25 through 28 we have the conclusion of
16二十五节说，『弟兄们，请为我们祷告。』保罗竟然请一班在主里不到一年的信徒为他祷告，这岂不是令人吃惊么？你会请求这样年幼的信徒为你祷告么？保罗在这一节里要初信者为祂祷告，就好比作祖父的要求年幼的孙子为他祷告一样。但无论如何，保罗请求一班在主里还没有多久的初信者为使徒祷告。保罗知道，不论他们祷告的经历多么欠缺，他们祷告还是有帮助的。这给我们看见，我们不该藐视初信者和年幼的人。相反的，我们应当请求他们为我们祷告。
16this Epistle. Verse 25 says, “Brothers, pray concerning us.” Is it not surprising that Paul would ask those who have been in the Lord less than a year to pray for him? Would you have asked such young believers to pray for you? Paul’s request in this verse for prayer can be compared to a grandfather asking his young grandchild to pray for him. Nevertheless, Paul asked new believers, those who had been in the Lord for only a short time, to pray for the apostles. Paul knew that, no matter how little was their experience in prayer, it still would be helpful for them to pray. By this we see that we should not despise the new ones or the young ones. On the contrary, we should ask them to pray for us.
17保罗在二十六至二十七节说，『你们要用圣别的亲嘴问众弟兄安。我指著主吩咐你们，要把这信念给众弟兄听。』有些古卷在众弟兄之前加上『圣别的』，意指本书信与信徒圣别的生活有关，因此使徒在结语的嘱咐里，就称信徒为圣别的众弟兄。保罗结束的话这样说，『愿我们主耶稣基督的恩与你们同在。』恩典是神在子里作我们的享受。约翰一章十七节说，『因为律法是藉著摩西赐的，恩典和实际都是藉著耶稣基督来的。』律法是照著神的所是要求人，恩典却是以神的所是供应人，以应付神的要求。没有人能藉著律法有分于神，恩典却叫人得以享受神。因此，恩典是神给人享受。我们还可以从林前十五章十节来看恩典。保罗在这一节说，『然而因著神的恩，我成了我今天这个人，并且神的恩临到我，不是徒然的；反而我比众使徒格外劳苦，但这不是我，乃是神的恩与我同在。』这节里的恩，乃是复活的基督成了赐生命的灵，在复活里将经过过程的三一神带到我们里面，作我们的生命和生命的供应，使我们能在复活里活著。因此，恩乃是三一神成了我们的生命和一切。
17In verses 26 and 27 Paul says, “Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I adjure you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers.” Some manuscripts insert the word “holy” before brothers. This would mean that since this Epistle is concerned with the holy life of the believers, the apostle in his concluding charge calls the believers holy brothers. Paul’s concluding word is this: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” Grace is God in the Son as our enjoyment. According to John 1:17, “The law was given through Moses; grace and reality came through Jesus Christ.” The law makes demands on man according to what God is, but grace supplies man with what God is to meet what God demands. No man can partake of God through the law, but grace is the enjoyment of God for man. Thus, grace is God enjoyed by man. In 1 Corinthians 15:10 we have a further word concerning grace. Here Paul says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace unto me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” Grace in this verse is the resurrected Christ becoming the life-giving Spirit to bring the processed God in resurrection into us to be our life and life supply that we may live in resurrection. Therefore, grace is the Triune God becoming life and everything to us
18推动保罗并且在保罗里面运行的恩典，不是一件事情或一样东西，乃是一个活的人位，就是复活的基督，也就是父神的具体化身，成了包罗万有赐生命的灵，住在保罗里面作他的一切。我们惟有享受主作恩典，才能为著召会生活过圣别的生活，就是凭著主作生命的供应，而有真实、正确为著召会的生活。
18The grace that motivated Paul and operated in him was not a matter or a thing, but a living Person, the resurrected Christ, the embodiment of God the Father becoming the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit, who dwelt in Paul as his everything. It is only when we enjoy the Lord as grace that we can live a holy life for the church life, a life that is genuine and proper for the church by the Lord as the life supply