1009 建立在贖罪的根基上
…將肢體做義的器具獻給神。《羅馬書 6:13》
我不能救自己，使自己成聖；我無法為贖罪；我無法救贖世人；我無法將錯誤導正，使不潔變為潔凈，或使不聖的成為聖；那全是神全權的作為。對耶穌基督所成就的一切，我有信心嗎？祂已經為罪做了完全的贖罪祭，我是否習慣經常意識到這一點？我們最大的需要不是做事，而是相信。基督的救贖不是一種經歷，而是神藉着基督所做的偉大作為，我必須將我的信心建基其上。如果我將信心建構在自己的經歷上，我就會產生最不符合聖經模式的生命——一個孤立的生命，我的眼睛只專註在自己的聖潔。要提防不以主耶穌的贖罪為基礎的人類聖潔，那生命不具任何價值，除了孤立的生命之外——對神毫無用處，令人討厭的人。以我們的主自己來衡量你每一種經歷。除非我們刻意把所有事物建立在基督十字架贖罪根基上，否則我們不能做任何事討神喜悅。
耶穌的贖罪必須以實際、謙遜的方式展現在我的生活中。每次我順服，神的絕對神性就在我這一邊，以至神的恩典與我天然的順服完全契合。順服意味着我完全信靠贖罪，而我的順服立刻就得到神超自然恩典的喜樂的回應。
要提防否認天然生命真實的人類聖潔——那是一個騙局。不斷地讓自己接受救贖的試煉或考驗不斷地將自己置於贖罪的考驗中，並問：「在這件事或那件事上，贖罪的辨別在哪裡？」
來自章伯斯的智慧
信心永遠不知道它被引導到哪裡，但它熱愛並認識那位引領者。《竭誠為主》，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