四月二十三日
然而，靠着爱我们的主，在这一切的事上已经得胜有余了。（罗8:37）
我们要到基督面前求饶恕，因为我们常想凭借律法的能力来制服我们的罪。保罗这样责备我们说：“无知的加拉太人哪，耶稣基督钉十字架，已经活画在你们眼前，谁又迷惑了你们呢？我只要问你们这一件：你们受了圣灵，是因行律法呢？是因听信福音呢？你们既靠圣灵入门，如今还靠肉身成全吗？你们是这样的无知吗？”把你的罪带到基督的十字架那里，因为旧人只能在那里被钉死：我们与他一同被钉。制胜罪的惟一的武器是用刺破主肋旁的枪。举一个例来说吧：你要胜过你的坏脾气，你用什么方法呢？你尝试多次但总不知解决怒气的正确方法乃是把它带到耶稣那里，这是很可能的一件事。我怎样得到了救恩呢？我不过是赤裸裸地来到耶稣面前，并信靠他的拯救罢了。我必可用同样的方法治死我的怒气，这是治死它的惟一方法。我必须把它带到十字架那里，对耶稣说：“主啊！我靠赖你救我脱离它。”惟有这样才能给它致命的打击。你有贪心吗？你感到世界迷惑你吗？你与它之间的争斗是不会终止的，它总是一种缠累你的罪，你若不借着耶稣的血，就没法能摆脱它的。把它带到基督那里对他说：“主啊！我已信靠你，你的名字叫耶稣，因为你必把你的百姓从罪里救出来。主啊！这里是我的罪，救我脱离它！”一切礼仪若没有基督都归失效。你的祷告、你的悔改和你的眼泪——把它们都算在内——若离了他都算不得什么。除了耶稣以外谁也不能帮助无依无靠的罪人，或是圣徒。若你要得胜，你必须靠着那爱你的得胜。我们的荣冠必须用他在客西马尼园中的橄榄枝编成。
April 23
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him
that loved us.” –Romans 8:37
We go to Christ for forgiveness, and then too often look to the law for
power to fight our sins. Paul thus rebukes us, “O foolish Galatians, who
hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth? This only would I learn
of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith? are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect
by the flesh?” Take your sins to Christ’s cross, for the old man can only
be crucified there: we are crucified with Him. The only weapon to fight sin
with is the spear which pierced the side of Jesus. To give an illustration–you
want to overcome an angry temper, how do you go to work? It is very possible
you have never tried the right way of going to Jesus with it. How did I get
salvation? I came to Jesus just as I was, and I trusted Him to save me. I must
kill my angry temper in the same way? It is the only way in which I can ever
kill it. I must go to the cross with it, and say to Jesus, “Lord, I trust
Thee to deliver me from it.” This is the only way to give it a death-blow.
Are you covetous? Do you feel the world entangle you? You may struggle against
this evil so long as you please, but if it be your besetting sin, you will
never be delivered from it in any way but by the blood of Jesus. Take it to
Christ. Tell Him, “Lord, I have trusted Thee, and Thy name is Jesus, for
Thou dost save Thy people from their sins; Lord, this is one of my sins; save
me from it!” Ordinances are nothing without Christ as a means of
mortification. Your prayers, and your repentances, and your tears–the whole of
them put together–are worth nothing apart from Him. “None but Jesus can
do helpless sinners good;” or helpless saints either. You must be
conquerors through Him who hath loved you, if conquerors at all. Our laurels
must grow among His olives in Gethsemane.
