第七课 律法与福音的误用

In this lesson, we will begin to examine some of the common ways that the law and gospel are misused and misapplied to harm the spiritual lives of people

错误地运用律法与福音会严重危害人们的属灵生活。本课我们将审视与辨别某些常见的误用律法与福音的方式。

A. Misuse 1: Salvation By Human Works 误用1:靠人的行为得救恩

  1. Perhaps the most harmful misuse of law and gospel is the false teaching that people can/must earn their salvation entirely or in part by their own efforts to keep the law.
最为有害的误用方式:人们可以/必须靠着努力遵行律法来赚得自己全部的或部分的救恩。
  1. Some examples of salvation by works teaching are:
某些靠人的行为得救恩的错误教导:

a.     “Live the best life you can and God will save you.”

“尽你所能活出完美的生命,神将救赎你。”

b.    “Jesus' sacrifice is not enough to save you. You must complete your salvation by living a life of obedience to God's commands.”

“耶稣降世舍命还不足以救赎你,你必须靠着全然服从神的诫命来实现自己的救恩。”

c.    “God will reward those who do good with eternal life.”

“神会以永生来奖赏那些多行善事的人。”
  1. Salvation by human works contradicts the biblical teachings that sinners are saved only by God’s grace for them through faith in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.
因人的行为得救恩与圣经的教导相抵触。

圣经的教导:唯有靠神的恩典、通过对耶稣基督救赎大业的全然信靠,罪人方能得救赎。

“But because of His great love for us, God , who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

然而 神既有丰富的怜悯,因他爱我们的大爱,当我们死在过犯中的时候,便叫我们与基督一同活过来(你们得救是本乎恩)。(以弗所书2:4-5)

“To the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:5)

惟有不作工的,只信称罪人为义的 神,他的信就算为义。(罗马书 4:5)

B. Misuse 2: Religious Legalism 误用2:宗教律法主义

  1. Religious legalism is the misguided attempt to produce Christian living (sanctification) by making the law the motivation and power for it.
宗教律法主义误导人们试图以律法作为基督徒圣洁生活的动因。
  1. Some examples of religious legalism are:
某些宗教律法主义的实例:

a.     “You must attend worship services at least once a week or God will not bless your life.”

“你每周至少要参加一次崇拜活动,否则神不会祝福你的生活。”

b.    If you do not love other people as much as you love yourself, God will not love you.

“你若非爱人如己,神就不会爱你。”

c.    “It is your duty to witness to your faith.  You must testify to Christ if you expect to be saved.”

“你有责任见证你的信心。若想得救,你必须向基督表明你的信心。”
  1. Religious legalism errs by failing to use the gospel to supply the desire and strength to keep the law and live the Christian life.
宗教律法主义的错失在于不懂得福音才是基督徒遵行律法保持圣洁生活的根本力量与动因。

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship,” (Romans 12:1)

所以弟兄们,我以 神的慈悲劝你们,将身体献上,当作活祭,是圣洁的,是 神所喜悦的;你们如此事奉乃是理所当然的。(罗马书 12:1)

C. Misuse 3: Religious Moralism 误用3:宗教道德主义

  1. Religious moralism is closely related to religious legalism. It is the mistaken attempt to produce good moral behavior without the motivation and power of the gospel.
宗教道德主义与宗教律法主义相仿,都试图抛开福音这一根本动因,靠自己来向世人“提供”某些良好的道德品行。
  1. Religious moralism is frequently practiced and promoted by people who hold the incorrect view that the main purpose of the church is to transform society and improve the earthly lives of people. This view is called the Social Gospel.
有一种观点认为,教会的主要目的是转变社会形态,改善世人的生活,即社会福音。持此观点的人不断将宗教道德主义付诸实践并发扬光大。
  1. God has created the Church and has given it the primary mission of proclaiming His Word to save people from sin and make them His disciples.
神创建教会并授予它根本的使命——宣扬神的道,救人于罪恶,使他们跟随神。

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20a)

“所以,你们要去使万民作我的门徒,奉父子圣灵的名,给他们施洗(或作”给他们施洗,归于父子圣灵的名。“)。凡我所吩咐你们的,都教训他们遵守。” (马太福音 28:19-20a)

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. . . We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:18,20)

一切都是出于 神,他藉着基督使我们与他和好,又将劝人与他和好的职分赐给我们。所以,我们作基督的使者,就好象 神藉我们劝你们一般;我们替基督求你们与 神和好。(哥林多后书 5:18,20)
  1. While Christians are committed to live personally moral lives and to encourage good moral living in society, they recognize that God has given earthly government the job of promoting good morals among its people to produce a good society by using the law to set standards and employ rewards and punishments to gain compliance.
当基督徒在日常生活中有良好的社会公德,遵纪守法独善其身时,他们会意识到,是神委派世间的政府在民众当中设立、使用并不断改进各种道德规范、律法标准、奖惩制度,从而营造一个良性和谐的社会氛围。

“The authorities that exist has been established by God. . . Rulers hold no terror for those who do what is right, but for those who do wrong. . . He is God's servant to do you good.  But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing.  He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”  (Romans 13:1b, 3a, 4)

凡掌权的都是 神所命的。 . . 作官的原不是叫行善的惧怕,乃是叫作恶的惧怕。 . .他是 神的用人,是与你有益的。你若作恶,却当惧怕,因为他不是空空地佩剑。他是 神的用人,是伸冤的,刑罚那作恶的。(罗马书 13:1b, 3a, 4)
  1. Some examples of religious moralism are: 某些宗教道德主义的实例:
a.     “God's people must take the lead in fighting drug and alcohol abuse so we can help create a safer, more godly society.”

“基督徒只有成为与吸毒酗酒等社会现象作斗争的先锋,才能建造一个更加安全、虔诚的社会。”

b.    “It is our calling as God's people to end injustice in the world.”

“作为基督徒,我们受呼召去终止世间一切的不义。”

c.    “One of our major goals as a Christian congregation should be to aggressively protest the evils of gambling because it is hurting the economic welfare of so many in our community.”

“作为基督教会,我们的主要目标之一应该是强烈反对赌博这一丑恶的社会现象,因为它会危害我们团体中许多人的经济利益。”
  1. The major failing of religious moralism is the same as that of religious legalism. It tries to change human behavior with law and not gospel motivation and power.
宗教道德主义的主要失误与宗教律法相同——试图以律法而非福音为内在力量与动因去改变人类的行为。

D. Misuse 4: Antinomianism 误用4:反律法主义

  1. Antinomianism is derived from two Greek words (“anti” and “nomos”) that literally mean “against the law.” Antinomianism is a false religious teaching that views God’s law as unnecessary for people.Antinomianism has two major forms.
反律法主义来源于两个希腊词语,义为“反对律法”.这一错误的宗教教导认为,神的律法全无必要。反律法主义有两个主要的形式。
  1. Extreme Antinomianism = the law is entirely unnecessary for everyone. God will work repentance, faith and sanctification in people through the gospel alone.
极端反律法主义=律法对所有的人都完全不必要。神只以福音教人悔改、建立信心,使人圣洁。
  1. Moderate Antinomianism = the law is necessary to lead people to contrition, but it is not necessary to guide Christians in sanctified living.
温和反律法主义=律法在教人认罪悔改层面上是必要的,但在使基督徒过圣洁生活的层面上是不必要的。
  1. Some examples of antinomianism are:
某些反律法主义的实例:

a.     “You do not need to hear the law any more.  You already know what God expects of you.”

“你无需再听从律法,你已经知道神要你做什么。”

b.    “It is Jesus' mercy alone that teaches us how great is our sin and how afraid we must be of God's  punishment.

”只有耶稣的怜悯让我们明白我们的罪孽有多么深重,我们对神的惩罚惧怕到什么程度。“

c.    ”We preach the positive message of Christ's love.  People hear enough bad news without the church adding any more to their lives.“

” 我们要传讲积极正面的信息——基督的爱。人们听到的负面信息已经足够多了,教会就不要再给他们的生活添加更多类似的信息了。“
  1. Antinomianism makes the great mistake of insisting that God uses the gospel, not the law, to work contrition and to give guidance for Christian living.
反律法主义的重大错误在于极力强调神以福音(非律法)促成罪人的悔改、指导基督徒的生活。

”Through the law we become conscious of sin.“  (Romans 3:20b)

因为律法本是叫人知罪。(罗马书 3:20b)

”Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. . . I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path . . . Direct my footsteps according to Your  word; let no sin rule over me.“  (Psalm 119:35, 104, 133)

求你叫我遵行你的命令,因为这是我所喜乐的。 . . 我藉着你的训词得以明白,所以我恨一切的假道。求你用你的话,使我脚步稳当,不许什么罪孽辖制我。(诗篇119:35, 104, 133)

E. Review The Lesson 本课回顾

Agree And Disagree Statements 判断题

Mark each statement A (agree) or D (disagree)

正确的划”V“,错误的划”X“

—- 1. The most harmful misuse of the law and gospel is to corrupt the Bible’s teaching that we are saved by God’s grace through Spirit-worked faith in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.

—- 我们得救是本乎恩(神的恩典),因圣灵的工作而相信耶稣基督的救赎大业。误用律法与福音最大的危害在于败坏了圣经的这一教导。

—- 2. The teaching that a person is saved mostly by faith in Jesus and in part by his/her own works is not as bad as the teaching that a person is saved entirely by his/her own works.

—- 教导一:一个人得救全凭自己的努力。教导二:一个人得救基本上因着相信基督,部分地靠自己的努力。两个教导相比较,后者没有前者那么糟糕。

—- 3. Religious legalism employs the law to do more than God wants it to.

—- 宗教律法主义试图利用律法去做超出神要律法所做的事。

—- 4. Legalism turns God’s loved children into God’s burdened slaves.

—- 律法主义将神所钟爱的儿女变为身负重担的奴隶。

—- 5. Much religious moralism flows from a confusion of the mission that God has given to His Church and the mission He has given to earthly government.

—- 宗教道德主义的困惑在于:误将神赐予世俗政府的使命当做神赐予教会的使命。

—- 6. Since Christians are in the world, but not of it, they don’t have much interest in promoting moral living and improving society.

—- 由于基督徒生活在这个世界却不属于这个世界,所以他们不大关心社会的进步与道德生活的改善。

—- 7. The Social Gospel deserves a more prominent place in the ministry of Christ’s Church.

—- 在基督教会的事工中,”社会福音“配居更显赫的地位。

—- 8. An antinomian is one who insists that the law is not needed for a healthy spiritual life.

—- 反律法主义者执意认为,健康的属灵生活不需要律法。

—- 9. While antinomianism opposes the law, it has little impact on the ministry of the gospel.

—- 反律法主义反对律法,与福音事工只有微不足道的冲突而已。

—- 10. People who diminish the role of God’s law don’t know what they are saved from or what they are living for.

—- 贬低神律法的人不知道他们因什么得救、为什么而活。

Evaluate The Following Teachings 你如何评价以下教导

  1. ”All men, by the grace of God, have the power to gain eternal life. This is called salvation by grace coupled with obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Salvation in the kingdom of God is available because of the atoning blood of Christ. But it is received only on condition of faith, repentance, baptism, and enduring to the end in keeping the commandments of God.“
”所有的人靠着神的恩典而具有赢得永生的能力。我们靠着遵行律法与遵守福音仪式两相结合的恩典而得救赎。在神的国度里我们因着基督的宝血可得救赎,然而若要得此救恩,只能以信心、悔改、洗礼以及持之以恒地遵行神的诫命为前提。“
  1. ”The church is here to make this world a better place in which to live. We must especially focus on meeting the needs of the poor and disadvantaged. We must remove the inequities we find in the world and build a just society. This is the “saving” work of the church.“
”教会有责任使这个世界成为一个更完美的生活所在。我们必须特别致力于如何满足贫穷者的需求,关注社会的缺失。我们必须铲除世间的罪恶,建设一个公正的社会。这是教会救世济民的工作。“

最后更新于 2012年8月25日 星期六 08:50