1009 建立在赎罪的根基上
…将肢体做义的器具献给神。《罗马书 6:13》
我不能救自己，使自己成圣；我无法为赎罪；我无法救赎世人；我无法将错误导正，使不洁变为洁净，或使不圣的成为圣；那全是神全权的作为。对耶稣基督所成就的一切，我有信心吗？祂已经为罪做了完全的赎罪祭，我是否习惯经常意识到这一点？我们最大的需要不是做事，而是相信。基督的救赎不是一种经历，而是神藉着基督所做的伟大作为，我必须将我的信心建基其上。如果我将信心建构在自己的经历上，我就会产生最不符合圣经模式的生命——一个孤立的生命，我的眼睛只专注在自己的圣洁。要提防不以主耶稣的赎罪为基础的人类圣洁，那生命不具任何价值，除了孤立的生命之外——对神毫无用处，令人讨厌的人。以我们的主自己来衡量你每一种经历。除非我们刻意把所有事物建立在基督十字架赎罪根基上，否则我们不能做任何事讨神喜悦。
耶稣的赎罪必须以实际、谦逊的方式展现在我的生活中。每次我顺服，神的绝对神性就在我这一边，以至神的恩典与我天然的顺服完全契合。顺服意味着我完全信靠赎罪，而我的顺服立刻就得到神超自然恩典的喜乐的回应。
要提防否认天然生命真实的人类圣洁——那是一个骗局。不断地让自己接受救赎的试炼或考验不断地将自己置于赎罪的考验中，并问：「在这件事或那件事上，赎罪的辨别在哪里？」
来自章伯斯的智慧
信心永远不知道它被引导到哪里，但它热爱并认识那位引领者。《竭诚为主》，3月19日
1009 Building on the Atonement
…present…your members as instruments of righteousness to God. —Romans 6:13
I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of God. Do I have faith in what Jesus Christ has done? He has made the perfect atonement for sin. Am I in the habit of constantly realizing it? The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things. The redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great act of God which He has performed through Christ, and I have to build my faith on it. If I construct my faith on my own experience, I produce the most unscriptural kind of life— an isolated life, with my eyes focused solely on my own holiness. Beware of that human holiness that is not based on the atonement of the Lord. It has no value for anything except a life of isolation— it is useless to God and a nuisance to man. Measure every kind of experience you have by our Lord Himself. We cannot do anything pleasing to God unless we deliberately build on the foundation of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.
The atonement of Jesus must be exhibited in practical, unassuming ways in my life. Every time I obey, the absolute deity of God is on my side, so that the grace of God and my natural obedience are in perfect agreement. Obedience means that I have completely placed my trust in the atonement, and my obedience is immediately met by the delight of the supernatural grace of God.
Beware of the human holiness that denies the reality of the natural life— it is a fraud. Continually bring yourself to the trial or test of the atonement and ask, “Where is the discernment of the atonement in this, and in that?”
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading. — My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L