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2024年5月19日 牧者之言

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马丁·路德的《罗马书》序言 （接上文）

第三章——所有人都是罪人 24. 在第三章中，使徒将他们归为同一类，说这个人并不比那个人好，他们在神眼中都是罪人。唯一的区别是犹太人拥有神的话语，尽管他们中的许多人不相信它。但这并没有使神的信心和真理失效。顺便说一句，使徒介绍了诗篇 51 篇 4 节中的一段话，其中宣称神无论何时施行审判，都是公义的。他在接下来的内容中再次提到这一点，并通过圣经证明所有人都是罪人，没有人能因律法的行为而称义，但律法的颁布只是为了让人认识罪。 靠恩典得救 25. 接下来使徒开始教导成为敬虔和得救的真正方法。 他说：“世人都犯了罪，亏缺了神的荣耀。”他们都必须靠着对基督的信仰而得救，而无需靠自己的任何功劳，基督通过流血为我们赢得了救恩。神已将他摆在我们面前作为施恩座，赦免我们过去所有的罪孽。 他以这种方式证明，只有神赋予信仰的公义才能帮助我们。这种义是当时由福音所揭示的，但之前已被律法和先知所证实了。因此，律法是借着信仰而建立的；通过这个论证，律法的行为及其荣耀都被彻底粉碎了。 第四章——善行是信心的外在标志 26. 使徒在前三章揭示了罪，并教导了因信称义的道路，现在开始遇到一些反对观点和主张。首先，他谈到了所有人在听到“信心不需行为就可以称义”时普遍提出的观点。 他们说：那么，我们难道就不要做任何善事吗？他提醒自己关于亚伯拉罕，并说：亚伯拉罕的一切行为成就了什么？难道这一切都是徒劳的吗？难道他的善行对他一点好处都没有吗？他最后宣布亚伯拉罕称义，无需任何行为，仅凭信心，以至于在割礼之前，他在圣经中已被称为义人，完全是因为他的信心（创15:6）。 如果上帝吩咐他行割礼，这是一种良好的顺服行为，但对他的义没有任何贡献，那么其他善行肯定不会对一个人的义有任何贡献。但是，正如亚伯拉罕的割礼是一个外在的记号，表明他因信而称义一样，所有的善行也只是出于信心的外在记号，作为善果，证明一个人在上帝眼中已经是内在的公义了。 27. 通过这一论证，正如从圣经中提取的有力例子一样，圣保罗确立了他之前在第 1 章中关于信仰的教导（3:27）。此外，在诗篇第32篇中，保罗介绍了另一位见证人大卫，他也说，人不靠行为就称义，尽管他在称义之后，并不是仍然没有行为。接下来，他展开了他所介绍的例子，使其涵盖了律法的所有其他工作，并得出结论，犹太人不能因为他们的血统而成为亚伯拉罕的后裔，更不用说因为律法的工作了。但是，如果他们希望成为真正的继承人，他们就必须继承亚伯拉罕的信心，因为亚伯拉罕因信称义，并被称为先于律法（摩西律法和割礼律法）的信徒之父。此外，律法产生愤怒而不是恩典，因为没有人自愿地、出于爱而遵守律法。因此，律法带来不悦而不是恩典。因此，唯有信心才能获得应许给亚伯拉罕的怜悯。这些例子也是为了我们的缘故而记录下来的，以便我们可以相信。                                                   （未完待续)

5/19/24  Pastor’s Word Martin Luther’s Preface to The Epistle to the Romans (Continue from above)

Ch. 3—All Men are Sinners 24. In the third chapter the apostle casts them all on the same heap, saying that one is no better than the other, and all of them are sinners in the sight of God. The only difference is that the Jews have had the Word of God, though many of them did not believe it. But that has not made the faith and truth of God of no effect. Incidentally, the apostle introduces the passage from Psalm 51:4, which declares that God is righteous whenever He judges. This point he takes up again in what follows and proves by the Scriptures that all are sinners and no one is justified by the deeds of the Law, but that the Law has been given only that man might know sin. Salvation by Grace 25. Next the apostle begins to teach the true way of becoming godly and being saved. He says:—‘All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.’ They must all be saved without any merit of theirs, by faith in Christ, who has earned our salvation by shedding His blood. He has been set before us as a Mercy-seat by God, who forgives us all our past sins. In this manner he proves that only the righteousness which God gives to faith can help us. This righteousness was revealed at that time by the Gospel, but had been witnessed previously by the Law and the prophets. Thus the Law is established by faith, and the deeds of the Law, together with their glory, are dashed to the ground by this argument. Ch. 4—Good Works the Outward Signs of Faith 26. Having revealed sin in the first three chapters and having taught the way of faith unto righteousness, the apostle now begins to meet several objections and claims. First, he takes up the one which is commonly advanced by all when they hear that faith justifies without works. They say: Are we, then, not to do any good works? He reminds himself of Abraham and says: What has Abraham accomplished with all his works? Was it all in vain? Did his works not benefit him at all? He winds up by declaring that Abraham was justified without any works, by faith alone, so much so that prior to the work of circumcision he is extolled in Scripture as a righteous man solely for the sake of his faith. Gen. 15:6. Now, if the work of circumcision, which God enjoined upon him and which was a goodly act of obedience, contributed nothing to his righteousness, surely no other good work will contribute anything to a person’s righteousness. But just as the circumcision of Abraham was an external sign, exhibiting his righteousness by faith, so all good works are merely external signs flowing from faith and, as good fruits, attesting that a person is already inwardly righteous in the sight of God. 27. By this argument, as by a powerful example drawn from Scripture, St. Paul establishes his former teaching concerning faith in chap. 3:27, and, in addition, introduces another witness, David, in the thirty-second psalm, who also says that man is justified without works, although he does not remain without works after he has become justified. Continuing, he expands the example which he has introduced, so as to make it cover all other works of the Law, and concludes that the Jews cannot be the heirs of Abraham because of their descent, much less on account of the work of the Law, but that, if they wish to be genuine heirs, they must inherit Abraham’s faith, inasmuch as Abraham was justified by faith and called the father of the faithful prior to the Law, both that of Moses and that of circumcision. Moreover, the Law works wrath rather than grace, because no one obeys the Law willingly and from love; hence by the Law comes disfavour rather than grace. Therefore it must needs be that faith alone obtains the mercy promised to Abraham. These examples have been recorded also for our sakes, in order that we might believe.                                                    (to be continued)

2024年5月12日 牧者之言

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母亲们的法则
Mothers’ Teachings

箴 1：8 我儿，要听你父亲的训诲，不可离弃你母亲的法则。
Prov 1: 8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
箴言1：8中的 “法则” 原文“תּוֹרָה”（torah）和“律法”（law）是同一个词，有“方向、教导”等意思。“母亲的法则”这个表达让我想到“家训”或“传家宝”等概念。每个母亲都有她的人生法则，这些法则是儿女们的家训和传家宝，值得继承和发扬。
我生命中的三位母亲对我产生了很大影响。第一位是我的亲生母亲徐元玲；第二位是我的美籍老师裴斐（Faye Pearson）妈妈；第三位是我曾经寄居在她家的简·布鲁金（Jane Brooking）妈妈。这三位了不起的女性分别教导了我舍己、智慧和愛心的法则。
我先分享一下自己亲生母亲的舍己。“妇人焉能忘记她吃奶的婴孩，不怜恤她所生的儿子？即或有忘记的，我却不忘记你”（赛49：15）。感谢天父赐予我一位舍己的母亲。我出生时患有严重的先天性心脏病。农村老家的赤脚医生建议我父母把我扔到元宝山上去。我的母亲像摩西的母亲一样，将我留了下来。我有姐弟三人，但母亲却将她大部分的爱给了我。她倾其全力将我抚养成人。母亲没有读过书，她甚至无法拼写出自己的名字来；然而她用全部的生命实践着舍己的意义。父亲50岁那年得肝癌去世，母亲独自用她坚强的膀臂撑起了这个家。农村贫穷的环境造就了母亲吃苦耐劳、勤俭节约的品格。她从未停止过劳动。蒙主眷顾，她今年74岁耳不聋、眼不花，仍在坚持不懈地为我家付出。她蒸的包子和饺子是全家人的最爱。她背着两岁半的孙子到处走。她起早贪黑亲生耕种家里的菜园，辛勤的耕耘总是给她带来丰收的喜悦，各样蔬菜不仅可以供自己家里吃，还可有余分给弟兄姐妹们。她舍己的法则是一笔财富。
裴斐（Faye Pearson，1940年5月14日—2019年2月20日，参5/14/2023 牧者之言 Pastor’s word）妈妈是一位美国传教士，她在亚洲宣教42年。她一生单身，衷心服侍主。我之所有称她为“妈妈”是因为她的美好品行赢得了这个称号，并且她教导过的许多学生都亲切地称呼她妈妈。我在南京神学院认识她。她的法则是智慧。她是美国人，可思维模式却是中国式的。她热爱中国，将她的一生奉献给向中国人传道的福音事工上，她去世时穿着一身红色的唐装。她说：“如果上帝再加增我四十年，我还要服侍中国人”。 她关心学生的灵性、家庭和生活，甚至操心帮大龄学生们找对象。她是一位很好的倾听者，你可以和她无话不谈；她也可以毫无保留地给予意见和指导。她是一位大领袖，曾在美南浸信会国际宣教部担任驻亚洲区总干事，带领五百多对传教士夫妇。她的领袖风格是天然的；她用榜样而不是用权力去带领。她重视人际关系，关心每个人。她是个实干家，做事有计划有条理，干净利落。她晚年身患癌症时，仍然在家里接待许多客人，并亲手下厨为客人们准备食物。她去世前提前就将自己的追思礼和安葬礼安排好，确定在哪里举行，谁主持，谁分享见证、该分享什么等。2008年我来美国之后，每逢圣诞节都会去她家里。记得2018年与她度过的最后一个圣诞节时，她依然以智慧教导我和莎莎如何作牧师、作师母。当她看到我大儿子天意2岁还走不稳时，特别嘱咐我们说：“天意是个慢性格的孩子，你们对他一定要有耐心。不要催他，不要逼他作他不愿意作的事。”这句话今日依然受用。
提到我的美国妈妈简（参5/15/22 牧者之言 Pastor’s Word）让我想到中国的一句古话：“受人滴水之恩当以涌泉相报”。在我来美留学最后一年，她和美国爸爸莱斯利（Leslie）接待我在她家免费住了半年时间。他们在我饿的时候给我吃，渴的时候给我喝，我作客旅留我住（太25：35），我上学时开车送我去学校，我毕业时帮我将西服带到干洗店去干洗，我婚礼上作我的父母，我孩子出生时寄来小礼物……。她的法则是爱心。她没有自己的孩子，却先后接待几位学生到她家里住。这些学生亲切地称呼她“妈妈”。凡接触过她的人永远忘不了她甜蜜的微笑和热情的拥抱。正如我从前所提到的，她与人见面时，会给对方一个大大的拥抱，抱得很紧，持续时间很长，至少有20秒钟。她去世时，一位中国留学生在她脸书上留言说：“你是我们遇到过的最善良的朋友。 我很高兴我们认识你并与你共度时光。 我会永远记住你的笑容和温暖的心。愿你安息。” 她的爱心是从主里来的，“凡有爱心的，都是由神而生，并且认识神”（约一4：7）。这份爱是宽广的，包容的，并且可以给人带去力量的。
这三位母亲的法则：舍己、智慧和爱心，我将铭记在心，并仍在学习中。
母亲节愿主赐福每一位母亲健康、平安和喜乐！

2024年5月5日 牧者之言

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马丁·路德的《罗马书》序言

（接上文）
(e) 公义
18. 我所描述的信心就是‘义’，它被称为神的义，或在神眼中有效的义，因为神为了我们中保基督的缘故赐下它，并算为义 。 这种义使一个人给予他所应得的。 因为通过信心，人就脱离了罪，并热爱上帝的诫命。 因此，他将应有的荣耀归给神，并偿还他所欠的。 另一方面，他愿意尽其所能地为他人服侍，并以这种方式偿还对每个人的债务。 这种正义是人性、人的自由意志、我们的力量所无法达到的。因为正如任何人都无法点燃对自己的信心一样，他也无法消除这种不信。那么，他该如何消除一项罪孽，即使是最微不足道的罪孽呢？ 因此，凡是没有信心或不信的人所做的事，无论外表多么华丽，都是虚假、伪善和罪恶（罗14:23）。

(f) 情欲与灵
19. 关于这封书信中的‘情欲’（flesh）和‘灵’(spirit)这两个词，你们不可将‘情欲’理解为仅指不贞洁的事物，也不要将‘灵’理解为指内心内在的事物。圣保罗以及约翰福音 3 ：6 节中的基督，称一切从肉身生的都是肉身，因此指整个人，包括他的身体和灵魂、他的理性和他所有的感官，因为他里面的一切都贪恋肉体。因此，你会明白，你必须称任何一个对崇高的、灵性的问题充满自己的想象力、教导和胡言乱语的人为“属肉体的”。 你可以很容易地从《加拉太书》中关于肉体行为的说法中得到这一点。 5:20 异端和仇恨也被称为肉体的行为。 此外，在罗马书 8:3，使徒说律法因肉体软弱。 这不是指不贞洁，而是指所有的罪，但主要是指不信，这是影响灵性的最大恶习。

20. 另一方面，即使是那些从事最明显工作的人，你也必须称其为‘属灵的’，例如，基督为门徒洗脚时，彼得划船钓鱼时 。 因此，‘肉体’是指一个人在内心和外在的生活中服务于肉体和现世存在的益处，而“灵”则表示一个人在内心和外在的生活中服务于圣灵和未来生命的益处。

21. 如果不理解所提到的术语，你将永远无法理解圣保罗的这封书信，也无法理解圣经的任何一卷书。 因此，要提防所有在不同意义上使用这些词的教师，无论他们是谁，即使他们碰巧是耶柔米、奥古斯丁、安布罗修、奥利金，以及像他们一样或比他们更高
的人。

第二部分: 现在我们要来看这封书信本身。

第一章——人类的重罪

22. 传福音的人首先应该通过关于罪的律法的启示，责备和谴责人在生活中一切不是出于圣灵和对基督的信仰的罪，为了使人们能够了解自己和他们的痛苦，变得谦虚并渴求帮助。因此，圣保罗遵循这一规则，从第一章开始斥责明显的严重罪恶和不信，就像外邦人过去和现在仍然在那些没有上帝恩典的人身上所犯的罪一样。 他说，通过福音，上帝因所有人的不敬虔和不义而从天上向他们显明了愤怒。因为虽然他们知道并且每天都感知到有一位上帝，但他们的本性，在恩典之外，本身就是如此邪恶，以至于他们既不感谢他，也不荣耀他，而是使自己盲目，不断陷入更糟糕的邪恶之中。直到他们在拜偶像之后，毫无羞耻地犯下最可憎的罪孽和一切恶习，而且他们也不在别人身上责备这些罪孽。
第二章——虚伪和自以为义
23. 在第二章中，这种责备进一步延伸，以涵盖那些表面虔诚或暗地里犯罪的人。 犹太人就属于这一类人，他们今天都是伪君子，他们过着美好而诚实的生活，却没有真正热爱它，因为他们在内心深处是上帝律法的敌人。 然而，他们却随时准备对他人做出评判，就像所有伪善者的做法一样，以自以为纯洁，尽管他们充满了贪婪、仇恨、骄傲和一切卑鄙。 太23:25 这些人正是藐视上帝的良善，并因自己的刚硬而为自己积聚愤怒的人。 因此，圣保罗作为律法的真正解释者，不会允许任何人被视为无罪之人，而是谴责上帝对所有靠自然力量或自由意志过上美好生活的人的愤怒。 他不允许他们被视为比明显的罪人更好的人。事实上，他告诉他们，他们铁石心肠，不知悔改。
（未完待续）

Martin Luther’s Preface to The Epistle to the Romans

（continue from above）
(e) Righteousness

18.Now, faith such as I described is ‘righteousness,’ and is called the righteousness of God, or the righteousness that is valid in God’s sight, because He bestows it and counts it for righteousness for the sake of Christ, our Mediator. This righteousness causes a person to render to each his due. For through faith man becomes void of sin and conceives a love for the commandments of God. Thus he gives due honour to God and pays Him what he owes. On the other hand, he willingly serves his fellow-man in whatever way he can, and in that way also pays his debts to everybody. Such righteousness human nature, man’s free will, and our powercannot achieve. For just as little as anybody can kindle faith in himself, just as little can he remove this unbelief. How, then, is he to remove one single sin, even of the paltriest kind? Therefore, whatsoever is done without faith or in unbelief, no matter what a splendid appearance it may present, is falsehood, hypocrisy, and sin. Rom. 14:23.

(f) Flesh and Spirit
19. As regards the term ‘flesh’ and ‘spirit’ in this epistle, you must not understand ‘flesh’ to mean only unchaste matters, nor ‘spirit’ to mean the inward matters of the heart. St. Paul, as well as Christ in John 3:6, calls everything flesh that is born of flesh, hence the entire person with his body and soul, his reason and all his senses, because everything in him lusts after the flesh. Thus you will understand that you must call any person ‘carnal’ who is full of his own imaginations concerning sublime, spiritual matters, teaching and twaddling about them. You can readily gather this from what is said concerning the works of the flesh in Gal. 5:20, where also heresy and hatred are called works of the flesh. Moreover, in Rom. 8:3, the apostle says that the Law is weakened by the flesh. This does not refer to unchastity, but to all sins, chiefly, however, to unbelief, which is the greatest vice affecting the spirit.

20. On the other hand, you will have to call even that person ‘spiritual’ who is engaged in most obvious work, as, for instance, Christ when He was washing His disciples feet, and Peter when he was rowing his boat and fishing. Accordingly, ‘flesh’ denotes a person who spends his life inwardly and outwardly in serving the interests of his flesh and temporal existence, while ‘spirit’ denotes a person who spends his life inwardly and outwardly in serving the spirit and the interests of the life to come.

21. Without this understanding of the terms noted you will never grasp this epistle of St. Paul, nor any book of the Holy Scriptures. Therefore, beware of all teachers who employ these words in a different sense, no matter who they are, even if they should happen to be Jerome, Augustine, Ambrose, Origen, and men like them or still higher than they.

Part II. Now we shall take the Epistle itself.

Ch. 1—The Gross Sins of Men

22. It behoves a preacher of the Gospel, first of all, by means of the revelation of the Law concerning sins, to reprove and denounce as sin everything in a person’s life that does not proceed from the Spirit and from faith in Christ, in order that men be enabled to know themselves and their misery, become humble, and crave help. Therefore St. Paul, following this rule, starts in the first chapter to rebuke gross sins and unbelief which are manifest, such as the sins of the Gentiles were and as are still in those who live without the grace of God. He says that by the Gospel is revealed the wrath of God from heaven upon all men because of their ungodliness and unrighteousness. For although they know, and perceive every day, that there is a God, still their nature, outside of grace, is in itself so evil that they neither thank Him nor honour Him, but inflict blindness on themselves and without ceasing fall into worse evils, until, after practising idolatry, they commit, without shame, the most abominable sins and every vice and, moreover, do not rebuke them in others.

Ch. 2—Hypocrisy and Self-righteousness

23. In the second chapter this reproof is still further extended, so as to embrace those who are outwardly pious or sin in secret. Of this class were the Jews, and are all hypocrites today, who lead a good and honest life without real love for it, because at heart they are enemies of God’s Law. Yet they are ready to pass judgment on other people, as is the manner of all hypocrites, so as to esteem themselves pure, although they are full of avarice, hatred, pride, and all vileness. Matt. 23:25. These are the very people who despise the goodness of God and heap up wrath for themselves because of their hardness. Thus St. Paul, as a true expounder of the Law, does not suffer anyone to pass for a sinless person, but denounces the wrath of God to all who would lead a good life by their natural strength or free will. He does not suffer them to pass for anything better than manifest sinners; in fact, he tells them that they are hard-hearted

and impenitent.                                                                              (To be continued)

4月28日 牧者之言

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马丁·路德的《罗马书》序言

（接上文）

(b) 罪  

至于“罪”（sin），圣经用这个词不仅指可见的外在行为，更是指外在行为的每个变化和诱因——发生在内心深处及所有力量。据此，“犯罪”（crime）一词表示一个人完全堕落并陷入罪中。因为除非一个人全身心投入其中，否则任何外在的罪恶行为都不会发生。圣经特别关注心灵，以及所有罪恶的根源和主要来源，那就是内心深处的不信。因此，单单靠信心就能称义，并获得圣灵和从事外在行为的意愿。因此，单单不信就会犯罪，并激发肉体和外在恶行的欲望，就像在乐园里的亚当和夏娃所作的那样（创 3:6，12）。为此，基督只称不信为罪，他在约翰福音 16:8, 9 中说：“圣灵必责备罪恶的世人，为罪是因为他们不信我。”因此，在行善或作恶（即善果或恶果）之前，心中首先必须有信或不信，后者是一切罪的根源、汁液和主要力量。因此，圣经中将它称之为蛇的头和古龙的头，按照对亚当的应许，它必须被女人的后裔基督打伤（创 3:15）。

(c) 恩典  

“恩典”（grace）和“恩赐”(gift)之间的区别是：恩典，该术语的正确意义是指神对我们的恩惠和美意，神将恩惠和美意珍藏在自己里面，并且基于此原因他愿意将基督和圣灵，连同圣灵的恩赐倾注给我们。在5:15中，圣保罗谈到“那因耶稣基督……神的恩典和恩典中的赏赐……”，现在，恩赐(the gifts)和圣灵(the Spirit)在我们里面天天加增，但还尚不完全；因此，邪恶的情欲和罪恶仍然存在于我们里面，它们与圣灵作战，正如罗马书 7：14, 23；加 5:17; 创 3:15 预言了女人的后裔和蛇的后裔之间彼此为敌。尽管如此，恩典却成就了如此多的事，使我们在神眼中被算为完整和完全的义。因为神的恩典不像恩赐那样是可分割的、零碎的，而是由于我们保惠师和中保基督的缘故，将我们完全接纳到神的恩宠之中，为此在我们里面开始有了恩赐。 

现在你会明白第七章，保罗仍然责备自己是罪人，然而他在第 8 章 1 节宣称“在基督耶稣里的人就不被定罪了”，尽管他们领受到的恩赐和圣灵尚未完美。我们仍然是罪人，因为我们里面的肉体还没有被治死。然而，我们既然信了基督，有了圣灵的开始，神就施恩惠与我们，不顾念我们的罪，也不定罪我们的罪，而是按照我们对基督的信心来对待我们，直到罪被消灭了。

(d) 信心  

“信心”不是某些人认为关于信仰和人类观念的梦想。 当他们看到随之而来的不是生活的改善，也不是善行，尽管他们能够听到和谈论很多信心，但他们这样说却犯了错误：“信心是不够的； 如果我们想变得敬虔并得救，就必须行善”。 原因是，当他们听到福音时，他们就去行善，并凭自己的力量在心里形成一个想法：我相信。 他们认为这是真正的信仰。 但是，由于它是人类的虚构和思想——内心深处无法感知，所以它一事无成，也不会带来任何改进。

相反，信心是在我们里面神的工作，它改变我们，使我们从神那里获得新生（约1:13），信心治死了老亚当，使我们在心灵、情感、思想和行为上和所有能力综合起来，成为新造的人，信心将圣灵带入新造的人。哦，这种信仰是一种活生生的、充满活力的、活跃的、强大的东西。它只能不断地行善。没有问否要做善事，但在问问题之前，善行已经行出来了，而且是持续不断的。但任何不行善的人都是没有信心的。他在黑暗中摸索，寻找信心和善行，他既不知道什么是信心，也不知道什么是善行，尽管他对信心和善行有很多胡言乱语。

信心是对神恩典的一种活生生的、大胆的信心，它敢于冒着千次死亡的确据。 这种对神圣恩典的信心和认识使人在与上帝和所有受造物的关系中感到快乐、勇敢和充满喜乐。 圣灵正在信徒里面做这事。 因此，一个人不受约束，愿意并热情地为每个人行善，为每个人服侍，承受各种苦难，出于对神的爱和对向他施予如此恩典的神的赞美。 因此，行为与信心是不可能分开的，就像不可能将燃烧和发光的能力与火分开一样。 因此，要提防你自己的错误思想和空谈者，他们假装有伟大的智慧来辨别信仰和善行，但实际上是最大的愚者。 祈求上帝，让他在你里面创造信心； 否则你将永远没有信心，是的，无论你计划什么、做什么。

（未完待续）

Martin Luther’s Preface to The Epistle to the Romans

（continue from above）

(b) Sin  

As regards ‘sin,’ by this term Scripture denominates not only the external work of the body, but every movement and incitement to some external work that takes place in the inmost heart and all its powers. The term ‘commit,’ accordingly, denotes that a person falls completely and rushes into sin. For no external sinful work is done except a person rushes into it with his whole body and soul. Scripture takes particular notice of the heart and of the root and main source of all sins, which is unbelief in the inmost heart. Accordingly, even as faith alone justifies and obtains the Spirit and willingness for good external works, so unbelief alone sins and rouses the flesh and the desire for evil external works, as happened to Adam and Eve in paradise. Gen. 3:6. 12. For this reason Christ calls only unbelief sin, when He says, John 16:8, 9: ‘The Spirit will reprove the world of sin because they believe not on me.’ Hence, before good or evil works are done (which are good or evil fruits), there must first be in the heart faith or unbelief, the latter being the root, sap, and main strength of every sin. For this reason it is called in Scripture the serpent’s head and the head of the old dragon, which, in accordance with the promise made to Adam, must be bruised by Christ, the woman’s Seed. Gen. 3:15.

(c) Grace  

The difference between ‘grace’ and ‘gift’ is this: Grace, in the proper sense of the term, denotes God’s favour and good will towards us, which He cherishes in Himself, and by reason of which He is inclined to pour into us Christ and the Spirit with His gifts. This is manifest from chap. 5:15, where St. Paul speaks of ‘the grace of God and the gift of grace, which is by . . . Jesus Christ.’ Now, the gifts and the Spirit are increased in us daily and are not yet perfect; hence evil lusts and sins still remain in us, which war against the Spirit, as is stated Rom. 7:14f. 23; Gal. 5:17; Gen. 3:15, where enmity between the woman’s Seed and the seed of the serpent is predicted. Notwithstanding this, grace accomplishes so much that we are accounted completely and fully righteous in the sight of God. For the grace of God is not divisible and piecemeal as the gifts are, but receives us altogether into God’s favour for the sake of our Advocate and Mediator Christ, and for the reason that there is in us a beginning of the gifts.

Now you will understand the seventh chapter, where Paul still chides himself a sinner, and nevertheless, in chap 8:1, declares that there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, because of the imperfect gifts and the Spirit. We are still sinners because of the flesh in us that has not yet been mortified. However, since we believe in Christ and have the beginning of the Spirit, God is favourably inclined and gracious to us, so much so that He will not regard nor condemn our sins, but deal with us in accordance with our faith in Christ, until sin is slain.

(d) Faith  

‘Faith’ is not the human notion and dream which some regard as faith. When they see that it is not followed by an improvement of life nor by good works, while they are, nevertheless, able to hear and talk much of faith, they fall into the error of saying: Faith is not sufficient; we must do works if we want to become godly and be saved. The reason is because, when hearing the Gospel, they go to work and by their own power frame up a thought in their heart which says: I believe. That they regard as genuine faith. But, inasmuch as it is a human figment and thought of which the inmost heart is not sensible, it accomplishes nothing and is not accompanied by any improvement.

On the contrary, faith is a divine work in us, which transforms us, gives us a new birth out of God, John 1:13, slays the old Adam, makes us altogether different men in heart, affections, mind, and all powers, and brings with it the Holy Spirit. Oh, it is a living, energetic, active, mighty thing, this faith. It cannot but do good unceas-ingly. There is no question asked whether good works are to be done, but before the question is asked the works have been done, and there is a continuous doing of them. But any person not doing such works is without faith. He is groping in the dark, looking for faith and good works, and knows neither what faith is nor what good works are, although he indulges in a lot of twaddle and flummery concerning faith and good works.

Faith is a living, daring confidence in the grace of God, of such assurance that it would risk a thousand deaths. This confidence and knowledge of divine grace makes a person happy, bold, and full of gladness in his relation to God and all creatures. The Holy Ghost is doing this in the believer. Hence it is that a person, without constraint, becomes willing and enthusiastic to do good to everybody, to serve everybody, to suffer all manner of afflictions, from love of God and to the praise of Him who has extended such grace to him. Accordingly, it is impossible to separate works from faith, just as impossible as it is to separate the power to burn and shine from fire. Accordingly, beware of your own false thoughts and of idle talkers, who pretend great wisdom for discerning faith and good works and yet are the greatest fools. Pray God that He may create faith in you; otherwise you will be without faith for ever and aye, no matter what you may plan and do.

(to be continued)