11月27日 认识神的爱
11月27日，周四
认识神的爱
“神对我们的爱，我们已经明白了，而且相信了。神就是爱；住在爱里面的，就住在神里面，神也住在他里面。”（约翰壹书4:16）
我的喜乐如何才能满溢呢？我如何才能昂首走过这世界？我怎样才能得胜地走完全程呢？关键只有一个：我要确实认识、真实相信神向我所怀的爱。若我真认识这爱，我就能坦然地说：“无论是死，是生……是高天的、是深渊的，或是任何别的被造之物，都不能叫我们与神的爱隔绝。”（罗8:38-39）
因此现在问题一个一个地摆在我们面前：我认识这爱吗？我能够如此宣告吗？新约处处都在发出这样的宣告，保罗尤其喜欢这样的表达：“神的儿子──祂爱我，为我舍己。”（加2:20）使徒保罗对赎罪教义的阐明无人能及，他把其中的丰富与荣耀完全展开；但当他谈到个人领受时，却简单而深刻地说：“祂（就是耶稣基督）为我死；祂爱我。”这是保罗个人的认识，是个人的信心领受。新约中处处有这样的见证。例如彼得曾说：“你们虽然没有见过祂，却爱祂；现在虽然不能看见祂，却信祂。因此，你们就有无法形容、满有荣耀的大喜乐。”（彼前1:8）
那么我们认识这种喜乐吗？这些信徒并没有见过主耶稣，因此我们不能推脱说：“那是第一代基督徒的特权，他们见过耶稣的真身而我们没有；若我能亲眼看见祂，我也会爱祂。”但事实上他们并不比我们更“见过”祂。这些第一代基督徒所拥有的，是使徒的见证和教导；他们接受了这见证，就爱主，并在主里面经历了“无法形容、满有荣耀的大喜乐”。
默想主题：
第一代基督徒他们爱主，并在主里面经历了“无法形容、满有荣耀的大喜乐”。
麦琴（麦克谦）读经计划进度
家庭敬拜：代上23章，彼前4章
个人灵修：弥2章，路11章
November 27, Thursday
KNOWING THE LOVE OF GOD
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. (1 JOHN 4:16)
How can my joy abound? How can I walk through this world with my head erect? How can I come through triumphantly? Well, here is the main thing: I should know the love that God has toward me. If I have that, I can say that “neither death, nor life . . . nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Therefore, the questions come to us one by one: Do I know this love? Can I make this statement? It is made everywhere in the New Testament. Paul is particularly fond of stating it: “. . . the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). No man could state the doctrine of the atonement in all its plenitude and glory like the apostle Paul, and yet here he says in essence, “He died for me; He loved me.” This is personal knowledge, personal appropriation. You find this everywhere in the New Testament. For example, “Whom having not seen,” says Peter, “ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8).
Do we know that? These people did not see Him, and so we cannot argue and say, “It is all very well for those first Christians; they saw Him. If only I could see Christ, then I would love Him.” But they did not see Him any more than we see Him. They had the apostolic witness and teaching and accepted this witness and testimony. They loved Him and rejoiced in Him “with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
A Thought to Ponder: They loved Him and rejoiced in Him “with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”