11月23日 救主
11月23日，主日
救主
父差遣子作世人的救主，这是我们见过的，并且现在作见证。（约翰壹书4:14）
“父差遣子作世人的救主，这是我们见过的，并且现在作见证。”完备的福音，其核心都浓缩在这一句话里！这是约翰在整封书信中唯一一次使用“救主”这个称呼。当然，他在别处也表达了同样的真理。他说我们的主是“为我们的罪作了挽回祭，不是单为我们的罪，也是为普天下人的罪。”（约壹2:2，和合本）某种意义上，约翰在这里再次表达了同样的思想，只是换了一种说法，称祂为“世人的救主”。
然而，“救主”这个词的意义远不止于“帮助者”。圣经不是说父差子来“帮助”人类；祂不是仅仅来协助我们。也不是说祂只是来教导我们、指示我们当怎样行的导师；祂绝不仅仅是教师。事实上，我更要强调，“救主”这个词所代表的概念，也不应被理解为祂只是我们的榜样、典范或激励者。我之所以强调这一点，是因为今天有许多人谈到基督是救主，但若你问他们这意味着什么，他们的回答往往只是：基督在我们前面走，引领我们走向更高尚的生活。
但这种理解的实质是：他们仍以为人最终要靠自己得救；而基督所做的只是来协助我们、鼓励我们，使我们“自救”稍微容易一点。这种看法，显然完全否认了圣经的启示，也否定了历世历代教会与信经的信仰告白。
默想主题：
“救主”这个词的意义远不止于“帮助者”。
麦琴（麦克谦）读经计划进度
家庭敬拜：代上18章，雅5章
个人灵修：拿2章，路7章
November 23, Sunday
THE SAVIOR
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. （1 JOHN 4:14）
“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” The whole Gospel in a phrase! This is the only time in which John uses the expression “Saviour” in the entire epistle. He gives the same teaching, of course, in other places. He says that our Lord is “the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). There is a sense in which he repeats the thought here, but he does not use this precise phrase but describes Him as “the Saviour of the world.”
The word “Saviour” does not merely mean helper. We are not told that the Father sent the Son to help mankind; it does not mean that He is just someone who assists. Nor does it mean that He is just one who teaches or indicates to us what we ought to do; He is not merely an instructor. Indeed, I would go further and say that the term “Saviour” and its connotation must not be thought of in terms of an example or pattern or encourager. I use these terms because so often people speak about our Lord as Savior, and yet if you ask them to define what they mean by that, they say that Christ as Savior is One who is March ing ahead of us and is leading the way.
Now the element that is seen in such ideas is that ultimately you and I have to save ourselves, and what the Lord does is to aid and assist us—to give us encouragement and make it somewhat easier for us to do so. Now that, of course, is clearly a complete denial not only of the biblical teaching, but also of the historic faith and creeds of the Christian Church.
A Thought to Ponder: The word “Saviour” does not merely mean helper.