十二月二十四日
却爲你们成了贫穷。（林后8：9）
主耶稣基督永远是富足、荣耀、可尊崇的，但“他本来富足，却爲你们成了贫穷。”他既然是富足的，那末与他的穷弟兄就不能有真正的交通，除非他满足了他们的需要（头与肢体的关系也是一样）。若我们的神、我们的主不把他自己的丰富赐与我们，幷且自己成爲贫穷，好使我们成爲富足，就不能与我们相交。若他仍坐在他荣耀的宝座上，若我们仍然在堕落败坏之中，不接受他的救恩，那麽两方面是不可能有交通的。我们堕落离了恩约之后的地位，使我们这些堕落的人不能与神有交通，正如彼列与基督不能相合一样。爲了要有交通的可能，富足的亲属当把他的财富分赐给他贫穷的亲属；公义的救主必须把他自己的完全分赐给他有罪的弟兄，而我们这些贫穷、犯罪的人，就当爲恩典的缘故接受他丰满的恩典；因着一造赐给，一造接受；高者降低，低者升高；那末两下才能接近，彼此才能有真正而热烈的相交。耶稣必须使他的民穿着他自己的衣服，不然他就不能准他们进入他的荣宫；幷且他必须用自己的血洗净他们，不然他们便仍旧污秽不堪，不能与他相交。
信徒啊！这就是爱！爲你的缘故，主耶稣“成爲贫穷”，好使你能与他相交。
“在昔日我主爲罪人降生，撇荣冕离天上宝位；
在大卫之城，一穷苦马棚，有空处是爲你预备。”
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.
