12月6日 我们已经得胜，也正在得胜
12月6日，周六
我们已经得胜，也正在得胜
“因为凡从神生的就胜过世界。使我们胜过世界的，就是我们的信心。”（约翰壹书5:4）
我要说明的是：作为基督徒，我们可以同时既说，我们已经得胜，也可以说我们正在得胜。可以用二战中的诺曼底登陆来作比方。盟军在诺曼底成功登陆，突破了德军的防线，那场战役就从根本上扭转了欧洲战场的局势，等于宣告了纳粹德国“注定要失败”。然而，我们都知道，战争并没有在那一天就结束；之后还经历了多次战役，战局一路发展推进，直到柏林沦陷，二战才在欧洲真正画上句号。也就是说：决定性的胜利已经打赢了，接下来是一步一步把已经赢得的胜利，落实到每一块具体的土地上。
基督徒在这个世界上的光景有点像这样。借着基督已经完成的救赎，基督徒不再居于撒但的权势之下；他们已经从撒但的国度被迁到神爱子的国度里。但是，这并不等于他们今后就再也不用面对撒但了。
或者，我们可以换一个图画来思想——这就好像有两座巨大的庄园，中间有一条大道穿过。道路的这一边是一座庄园，另一边是另一座庄园；这边代表着撒但的国度，而那边则代表神的国度。如今发生在每一位基督徒身上的情形是：他们原先都在那片属于撒但的、在牠辖制之下的庄园里；但如今，因着神重生的恩典，他们已经“跨过了那条路”，被带进了属于神的那片庄园，也就是神的国度。
然而，在今生今世，基督徒虽然已经在新的庄园——神的国度里——工作、生活，与神同行，但撒但——他们的宿敌——仍然在牠的那一片庄园里活动。牠仍然认为自己可以继续影响基督徒，好像基督徒还是那么愚蠢，以至于听从牠的声音。撒但“忘记”了一个事实：这些人已经一次而永远地被带出了牠的辖制；牠“忘记”了，这些人已经在基督里得了真正的自由。
所以，基督徒不会再回到牠的权势之下，不会再重新成为牠的奴仆；然而，他们在今世仍要不断面对撒但的进攻和猛烈的攻击，也要面对牠各种诡诈的引诱、暗示和挑拨。他们在基督里已经得胜，他们的地位已经从根本上改变；但在日常生活中，他们仍然在争战，需要在与神、与基督同行的路上，不断地、实际地得胜。
默想主题：
在基督里，基督徒已经得胜，但在今生仍要持续争战、不断得胜。
麦琴（麦克谦）读经计划进度
家庭敬拜：代下6:12-42，约壹5章
个人灵修：哈1章，路20章
December 6, Saturday
WE HAVE OVERCOME, AND WE ARE OVERCOMING
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (1 JOHN 5:4)
I am trying to say how at one and the same time it can be said that as Christians we have overcome and we are overcoming. Think of it in terms of the Battle of Quebec. General Wolfe conquered the French general Montcalm on the Heights of Abraham, and as the result of that battle Canada was conquered. And yet we read in our history books that the fight for possessing Canada went on for some seventy or eighty more years. That is it; the country was captured, and then captured in detail. The position of Christian men and women is something like that in this world. They are no longer under the dominion of Satan; they have been taken out of his kingdom, but that does not mean that they have finished with Satan.
Or look at it like this—think of it in terms of two big estates with a road going down between. On one side of the road there is one estate, and on the other side there is another; one of them is the kingdom of Satan, and the other is the kingdom of God. Now this is what has happened to Christian men and women: They were in the estate under the dominion of Satan, but they have crossed over the road and are now in the kingdom of God. But though they are in this life and world, working in that new estate, the kingdom of God, Satan, their old enemy, is still there in that other kingdom, and he thinks that Christians will be foolish enough to listen to him. He forgets that they have been once and forever taken out of his dominion; he forgets that they are free. So Christians do not come under his dominion, but they are still subject to his attacks and onslaughts and his suggestions and insinuations. They have overcome, but they are still fighting; they still have to overcome as they go on in this life walking with God and with Christ.
A Thought to Ponder: Christians have overcome, but they are still fighting.