1月10日 眼開了
要叫他們的眼睛得開……得蒙赦罪……同得基業。（徒二十六18）
神施恩最完全的首要工作，已包括在這一句裏：“得蒙赦罪。”人若經歷不到信耶穌的個人體驗，幾乎都是因爲他從未蒙受什麽恩典。一個人得救的唯一標志，是他從耶穌基督那裏有所領受。作爲神的工人，我們的本分就是要開人的眼睛，使他們弃暗投明。可是那幷不是得著拯救，那只是一種轉變——一個被喚醒的人的改變。我說大多數挂名信徒都屬這一類，幷不算太過分。
他們眼是開了，卻沒有接受恩典。轉變幷不等于重生。今日我們所傳的資訊中，就忽略了這個因素。一個人重生，是因爲從全能的神那裏所領受的一份禮物，而非他自己的抉擇。人就是立上許多誓言，而且簽署許願，勇往直前，義無回顧，這一切都不代表“得救”。得拯救是我們被帶到一個地步，憑耶穌基督得特權，從神有所領受——就是“得蒙赦罪”。
接踵而來的，就是恩典的第二步工作——“和一切成聖的人同得基業”。人得了重生，便藉著成聖的功夫，甘心情願地把自己的主權交給主耶穌，幷且把自己全然投在神賜福別人的心意上。
祈禱◆噢，主啊，求你賜我更親切和更美善的品性；賜給我屬靈的恩賜，和對別人全然忍耐的生命。你的美善將這一切彰顯了，噢，主啊，只要我被你充滿，我的祈求便成爲真實。
January 10 The Opened Sight
“To open their eyes . . . that they may receive . . .” Acts 26:18
This verse is the grandest
condensation of the propaganda of a disciple of Jesus Christ in the whole of
the New Testament.
The first sovereign work of
grace is summed up in the word – “that they may receive remission of sins.”
When a man fails in personal Christian experience, it is nearly always because
he has never received anything. The only sign that a man is saved is that he
has received something from Jesus Christ. Our part as workers for God is to
open men’s eyes that they may turn themselves from darkness to light; but that
is not salvation, that is conversion – the effort of a roused human being. I do
not think it is too sweeping to say that the majority of nominal Christians are
of this order; their eyes are opened, but they have received nothing.
Conversion is not regeneration. This is one of the neglected factors in our
preaching today. When a man is born again, he knows that it is because he has
received something as a gift from Almighty God and not because of his own
decision. People register their vows, and sign their pledges, and determine to
go through, but none of this is salvation. Salvation means that we are brought
to the place where we are able to receive something from God on the authority
of Jesus Christ, viz., remission of sins.
Then there follows the
second mighty work of grace – “an inheritance among them which are sanctified.”
In sanctification the regenerated soul deliberately gives up his right to
himself to Jesus Christ, and identifies himself entirely with God’s interest in
other men.
