1020 神的旨意是我的意愿吗?
神的旨意就是要你们成为圣洁…《帖撒罗尼迦前书 4:3》
成圣不是神是否愿意使我成圣的问题——而是那是我的意愿吗?我愿意让神在我身上做每件事,通过基督十字架的赎罪而使成圣变得可能吗?我愿意让耶稣成为我的圣洁,让祂的生命展现在我的肉身中吗?(见哥林多前书 1:30)。小心不要说:「噢,我渴望成圣。」不,你并不渴望的。要认识到你的需要,但要停止渴望,并将其变成行动。要以绝对、毫无疑问的信心接受耶稣基督成为你的圣洁,耶稣赎罪的伟大神迹就会在你里面成为真实。
耶稣所成就的一切,根基于基督在十字架上所完成的工作,通过神白白赐下爱的恩赐,就成为我的了。作为一个得救和被圣化的灵魂,我的态度是完全谦卑的圣洁(没有骄傲的圣洁这回事)。这圣洁是基于痛苦悔改、难以言喻的羞耻感和堕落感,也是基于一种惊奇的领悟,即神的爱在我对祂毫不在乎时向我显明了(见罗马书5:8)。祂为我的救恩和成圣完成了一切,难怪保罗说没有什么「能叫我们与神的爱隔绝;这爱是在我们的主基督耶稣里的。」(罗马书8:39)。
成圣使我与耶稣基督合而为一,并在祂里面与神合一,而那只能通过基督宏伟的赎罪来实现。千万不要混淆而倒果为因。在我身上的结果是顺服、服事和祷告,这是对因基督十字架的赎罪在我身上带来的奇妙成圣所无法表达的感谢和崇拜的结果。
来自章伯斯的智慧
我们应该总是选择我们的书籍如同神选择我们的朋友一样,稍微超出我们一点点,这样我们就必须尽全力以跟上它们。《神手之阴》
1020 Is God’s Will My Will?
This is the will of God, your sanctification… —1 Thessalonians 4:3
Sanctification is not a question of whether God is willing to sanctify me— is it my will? Am I willing to let God do in me everything that has been made possible through the atonement of the Cross of Christ? Am I willing to let Jesus become sanctification to me, and to let His life be exhibited in my human flesh? (see 1 Corinthians 1:30). Beware of saying, “Oh, I am longing to be sanctified.” No, you are not. Recognize your need, but stop longing and make it a matter of action. Receive Jesus Christ to become sanctification for you by absolute, unquestioning faith, and the great miracle of the atonement of Jesus will become real in you.
All that Jesus made possible becomes mine through the free and loving gift of God on the basis of what Christ accomplished on the cross. And my attitude as a saved and sanctified soul is that of profound, humble holiness (there is no such thing as proud holiness). It is a holiness based on agonizing repentance, a sense of inexpressible shame and degradation, and also on the amazing realization that the love of God demonstrated itself to me while I cared nothing about Him (see Romans 5:8). He completed everything for my salvation and sanctification. No wonder Paul said that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).
Sanctification makes me one with Jesus Christ, and in Him one with God, and it is accomplished only through the magnificent atonement of Christ. Never confuse the effect with the cause. The effect in me is obedience, service, and prayer, and is the outcome of inexpressible thanks and adoration for the miraculous sanctification that has been brought about in me because of the atonement through the Cross of Christ.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We should always choose our books as God chooses our friends, just a bit beyond us, so that we have to do our level best to keep up with them. Shade of His Hand, 1216 L