十二月二十四日
卻爲你們成了貧窮。（林後8：9）
主耶穌基督永遠是富足、榮耀、可尊崇的，但“他本來富足，卻爲你們成了貧窮。”他既然是富足的，那末與他的窮弟兄就不能有真正的交通，除非他滿足了他們的需要（頭與肢體的關係也是一樣）。若我們的神、我們的主不把他自己的豐富賜與我們，幷且自己成爲貧窮，好使我們成爲富足，就不能與我們相交。若他仍坐在他榮耀的寶座上，若我們仍然在墮落敗壞之中，不接受他的救恩，那麽兩方面是不可能有交通的。我們墮落離了恩約之後的地位，使我們這些墮落的人不能與神有交通，正如彼列與基督不能相合一樣。爲了要有交通的可能，富足的親屬當把他的財富分賜給他貧窮的親屬；公義的救主必須把他自己的完全分賜給他有罪的弟兄，而我們這些貧窮、犯罪的人，就當爲恩典的緣故接受他豐滿的恩典；因著一造賜給，一造接受；高者降低，低者升高；那末兩下才能接近，彼此才能有真正而熱烈的相交。耶穌必須使他的民穿著他自己的衣服，不然他就不能准他們進入他的榮宮；幷且他必須用自己的血洗淨他們，不然他們便仍舊污穢不堪，不能與他相交。
信徒啊！這就是愛！爲你的緣故，主耶穌“成爲貧窮”，好使你能與他相交。
“在昔日我主爲罪人降生，撇榮冕離天上寶位；
在大衛之城，一窮苦馬棚，有空處是爲你預備。”
December 24
“For your sakes he became poor.”—2
Corinthians 8:9
The
Lord Jesus Christ was eternally rich, glorious, and exalted; but “though
he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor.” As the rich saint cannot
be true in his communion with his poor brethren unless of his substance he
ministers to their necessities, so (the same rule holding with the head as
between the members), it is impossible that our Divine Lord could have had
fellowship with us unless he had imparted to us of his own abounding wealth,
and had become poor to make us rich. Had he remained upon his throne of glory,
and had we continued in the ruins of the fall without receiving his salvation,
communion would have been impossible on both sides. Our position by the fall,
apart from the covenant of grace, made it as impossible for fallen man to
communicate with God as it is for Belial to be in concord with Christ. In
order, therefore, that communion might be compassed, it was necessary that the
rich kinsman should bestow his estate upon his poor relatives, that the
righteous Saviour should give to his sinning brethren of his own perfection,
and that we, the poor and guilty, should receive of his fulness grace for
grace; that thus in giving and receiving, the One might descend from the
heights, and the other ascend from the depths, and so be able to embrace each
other in true and hearty fellowship. Poverty must be enriched by him in whom
are infinite treasures before it can venture to commune; and guilt must lose
itself in imputed and imparted righteousness ere the soul can walk in
fellowship with purity. Jesus must clothe his people in his own garments, or he
cannot admit them into his palace of glory; and he must wash them in his own
blood, or else they will be too defiled for the embrace of his fellowship.
O believer, herein is love!
For your sake the Lord Jesus “became poor” that he might lift you up
into communion with himself.
