12月8日 胜过世界
12月8日，周一
胜过世界
胜过世界的是谁呢？不就是那信耶稣是神的儿子的吗？（约翰壹书5:5）
信心使我们能够胜过世界；这种得胜，是一种“直接的”“被动的”得胜——不是我们靠自己拼命用力，而是单单以信心安息在主耶稣基督里。我越来越深信：这就是我们在今生作为基督徒所要学习的最大的功课：我们可以立刻、直接而单纯地，把自己交托在那位复活之主的能力和大能之下。“使我们胜过世界的，就是我们的信心”（4节）——就是我对祂的信心，我相信祂是神的儿子。因此，我来到祂面前，安息在祂里面。这样的信心，本身也是神在我们心里所赐的恩典；不是出于我们自己，乃是圣灵使我们转向基督、倚靠基督。
这正是整本圣经反复宣告的真理之一。我只引用一处经文，就足以说明这一点，也可以代表其他许多经文：“耶和华的名是坚固的高台，义人投奔，就得安全。”（箴18:10）就是这样！你也可以去读诗篇，看看那些古时候的敬虔人怎样与世界、与世界的试探和暗示争战，他们都会告诉你，最终只有一条路可以走。他们会说，那些仇敌的势力对他们来说实在太大了；他们可能一再失败，只能说：“我只有一件事可以做——我要奔进那座坚固的高台，在那高台里面，我就得安全。”
如果你更喜欢新约的说法，这个真理就在葡萄树与枝子的教义里，正如我们的主亲口所说：“我是葡萄树，你们是枝子。住在我里面的，我也住在他里面，他就结出很多果子；因为离开了我，你们就不能作什么。”（约15:5）使徒保罗则从正面来表达了同一真理：“我靠着那加给我能力的，凡事都能作。”（腓4:13）又说：“我已经与基督同钉十字架；现在活着的，不再是我，而是基督活在我里面；如今在肉身中活着的我，是因信神的儿子而活的；祂爱我，为我舍己。”（加2:20）在这里，保罗所说的，就是一个与基督联合的人，因着信心，天天倚靠基督来生活、争战、得胜。
默想主题：
我要奔进那座坚固的高台，在那高台里面，我就得安全。
麦琴（麦克谦）读经计划进度
家庭敬拜：代下8章，约叁
个人灵修：哈3章，路22章
December 8, Monday
VICTORY OVER THE WORLD
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 JOHN 5:5)
Faith enables us to have victory over the world and to overcome it directly—passively—by the resting of a naked faith upon the Lord Jesus Christ. I am increasingly convinced that this is the greatest lesson that we as Christian people can ever learn in this world. It is the possibility of directly and immediately and passively resting upon the power and the ability of our risen Lord. “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (verse 4)—my faith in Him, my belief in Him, that He is the Son of God. The result of that is that I go to Him and rest upon Him.
This is something of the meaning that you will find enunciated everywhere in the Bible. Let me give you just one quotation that will illustrate it perfectly and represent all others: “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10). That is it! Read the various Psalms too, and see how those godly men of old were struggling against the world and its temptations and insinuations, and they will all tell you that was the only thing they could do. They say that the forces were too great for them. They might have failed, but they said, “There is only one thing to do—I will run into the tower, and there in the tower I am safe.”
Or if you like it in New Testament form, it is the doctrine of the vine and the branches, as seen in the statement of our Lord: “Without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). It is put positively by the apostle Paul: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13); and “nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20).
A Thought to Ponder: I will run into the tower, and there in the tower I am safe.