Continued from last week: “Consecration” and “Holiness”

            It is such a huge blessing that our defilement and shame can be covered by the righteousness and holiness of Jesus Christ.  Yet if we move away from Christ, we will lose all and return to the former disgrace. Then how can we respond to the Scripture: “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”? (Hebrews 12:14)

           “For it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peters 1:16) From the bottom of our hearts, we hope that we could be as holy as God.  This idea of hoping to be as holy as God sounds very ideal, yet we have made exactly the same mistake as the church in Galatia: trying to be holy by our own strength and effort, and not with Christ’s.

            “I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?  Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?  Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain?” (Galatians 3:2-4)  

             If we have heard and believed the gospel of salvation, we would be sealed by the Holy Spirit, and be hidden in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:13).  In Him, we are made righteous and sanctified. Apart from Him, all attempts on our part to achieve are futile. We must stay in Him!   

             Holiness is the divine nature of God, it is not a kind of knowledge that can be achieved by learning; nor a skill that can be attained by practice. Mankind can admire, adore, look up to the holiness of God, even do our best to imitate it, but we would never be able to “squeeze out” a bit of holiness. This is like the moon. It cannot illuminate on its own.  The only thing it can do is to move out from the shadow of the earth, and let the light of the sun shine on it, so that in return, it can shine brightly by reflecting the light of the sun. Christians are the same. They cannot become holy by themselves, but they can become holy if they are hidden in Christ. This hiding within Christ is not temporary, it’s everlasting, but if we choose to leave and get away from Christ, we will return back to the defilement we used to be. Therefore, Jesus told the disciples:

            “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” (John 15:5-6) 

              續上週：從「聖物」理解「聖潔」   

             基督的義和聖潔遮蓋我們的污穢和羞恥，那是莫大的恩典。但我們的污穢只是被遮蓋在基督的聖潔之下，離開了基督，我們依然是「可恥」的污穢；我們又如何回應聖經的話：「你們要追求與眾人和睦，並要追求聖潔；非聖潔沒有人能見主。」（希伯來書 12:14）  

            「你們要聖潔，因為我是聖潔的。」（彼得前書1:16）再者，我們也從心底裡同意並盼望自己如神一樣聖潔。但這種期待自己如神一樣聖潔的想法，看似正確高貴，但正是加拉太教會的錯謬：要在基督之外，使自己聖潔！

             加拉太書 3:2-4 2我只要問你們這一件：你們受了聖靈，是因行律法呢？是因聽信福音呢？ 3你們既靠聖靈入門，如今還靠肉身成全嗎？你們是這樣的無知嗎？4你們受苦如此之多，都是徒然的嗎？難道果真是徒然的嗎？      

             原來我們因聽信福音，就受了聖靈的印記，被藏在基督裡；我們就因此被基督遮蓋，得稱爲義，又因他成聖。那麼我們這些從「聖靈而生」、「藏在基督裡」的人，就不該有出自本身「實際」的聖潔嗎？我們應該有實際的聖潔，但不是出自本身。

             聖潔是神的本性；不是一門可學習而得的「學問」或鍛鍊而能的「技巧」。人可以敬仰、羨慕、崇拜神的聖潔，甚至因愛慕而模仿；但永遠「擠」不出一點聖潔來。這好比月亮不是光體，絲毫不能發光。它唯一能做的，就是走出地球的影子，讓陽光照耀它的表明，反射太陽的光芒。基督的門徒也是如此，他們沒有出自本身的聖潔，只有藏身在基督裡的聖潔；而且這個「藏身」不是暫時的，乃是永遠的；我們什麼時候選擇離開，我們就回復從前的污穢。因此耶穌對門徒說：

        約翰福音 15:5-6

        5我是葡萄樹，你們是枝子。常在我裡面的，我也常在他裡面，這人就多結果子；因為離了我，你們就不能做什麼。6人若不常在我裡面，就像枝子丟在外面枯乾，人拾起來，扔在火裡燒了。

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