1210 天然的奉献
因为律法上记着，亚伯拉罕有两个儿子，一个是使女生的，一个是自主之妇人生的。《加拉太书4:22》
保罗在加拉太书这一章中不是讨论罪，而是在讨论天然与属灵二者的关系。天然生命只有通过献上为祭，才能变成属灵。没有这个献上为祭，一个人将会过着分裂的生活。为什么神强求天然生命必须献上？神并没有这样强求；这不是神完全的旨意，而是祂许可的旨意。神完全的旨意是要天然生命藉着顺服转变为属灵；罪才使得天然生命必须成为祭物。
亚伯拉罕必须先献上以实马利，然后才能献上以撒（见创世记 21:8-14）。我们有些人试图在献上属灵的祭给神之前，先献上天然的。我们向神献上属灵祭物唯一之道是「将『我们的』身体献上当作活祭…」（罗马书 12:1）。成圣不仅仅意味着从罪恶中得释放，它意味着我有意地把自己献给我救恩的神，并愿意付出任何代价。
若我们不献天然生命给属灵生命，天然生命就会拒绝和违抗在我们里面神儿子的生命，并会产生不断的混乱，这总是不受纪律约束的灵性的结果。我们走差路，是因为我们固执地拒绝在身体、道德或思维上纪律管训自己。我们为自己辩解说：「嗯，我小时候没被教导要纪律管训。」那么，现在就操练约束你自己！如果你不，你将毁掉你整个人为神而活的生命。
只要我们继续纵容和满足我们天然的生命，神就不会积极参与其中。但是，一旦我们愿意把它放逐到沙漠，并决心制服它，神就会与它同在。然后，祂将供应井水和绿洲，并实现祂对天然生命的一切应许（见创世记 21:15-19）。
来自章伯斯的智慧
真诚意味着外表和实际完全一致。《登山宝训研究》
1210 The Offering of the Natural
It is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. —Galatians 4:22
Paul was not dealing with sin in this chapter of Galatians, but with the relation of the natural to the spiritual. The natural can be turned into the spiritual only through sacrifice. Without this a person will lead a divided life. Why did God demand that the natural must be sacrificed? God did not demand it. It is not God’s perfect will, but His permissive will. God’s perfect will was for the natural to be changed into the spiritual through obedience. Sin is what made it necessary for the natural to be sacrificed.
Abraham had to offer up Ishmael before he offered up Isaac (see Genesis 21:8-14). Some of us are trying to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God before we have sacrificed the natural. The only way we can offer a spiritual sacrifice to God is to “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice…” (Romans 12:1). Sanctification means more than being freed from sin. It means the deliberate commitment of myself to the God of my salvation, and being willing to pay whatever it may cost.
If we do not sacrifice the natural to the spiritual, the natural life will resist and defy the life of the Son of God in us and will produce continual turmoil. This is always the result of an undisciplined spiritual nature. We go wrong because we stubbornly refuse to discipline ourselves physically, morally, or mentally. We excuse ourselves by saying, “Well, I wasn’t taught to be disciplined when I was a child.” Then discipline yourself now! If you don’t, you will ruin your entire personal life for God.
God is not actively involved with our natural life as long as we continue to pamper and gratify it. But once we are willing to put it out in the desert and are determined to keep it under control, God will be with it. He will then provide wells and oases and fulfill all His promises for the natural (see Genesis 21:15-19).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Sincerity means that the appearance and the reality are exactly the same.—Studies in the Sermon on the Mount