1月10日 眼开了
要叫他们的眼睛得开……得蒙赦罪……同得基业。（徒二十六18）
神施恩最完全的首要工作，已包括在这一句里：“得蒙赦罪。”人若经历不到信耶稣的个人体验，几乎都是因爲他从未蒙受什麽恩典。一个人得救的唯一标志，是他从耶稣基督那里有所领受。作爲神的工人，我们的本分就是要开人的眼睛，使他们弃暗投明。可是那幷不是得着拯救，那只是一种转变——一个被唤醒的人的改变。我说大多数挂名信徒都属这一类，幷不算太过分。
他们眼是开了，却没有接受恩典。转变幷不等于重生。今日我们所传的资讯中，就忽略了这个因素。一个人重生，是因爲从全能的神那里所领受的一份礼物，而非他自己的抉择。人就是立上许多誓言，而且签署许愿，勇往直前，义无回顾，这一切都不代表“得救”。得拯救是我们被带到一个地步，凭耶稣基督得特权，从神有所领受——就是“得蒙赦罪”。
接踵而来的，就是恩典的第二步工作——“和一切成圣的人同得基业”。人得了重生，便借着成圣的功夫，甘心情愿地把自己的主权交给主耶稣，幷且把自己全然投在神赐福别人的心意上。
祈祷◆噢，主啊，求你赐我更亲切和更美善的品性；赐给我属灵的恩赐，和对别人全然忍耐的生命。你的美善将这一切彰显了，噢，主啊，只要我被你充满，我的祈求便成爲真实。
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.
