538. 第9节 当在主神, 救主面前作出忏悔, 然后祈求帮助和力量以抵制邪恶
当靠近主神, 救主, 因为祂是天地之神, 耶稣基督与救主, 全能, 全知, 全在, 怜悯本身连同公义皆属祂, 也因为人是祂的创造物, 教会是祂的羊圈, 还因为在新约中, 祂常常吩咐, 人当靠近, 敬拜, 爱慕祂。 在以下约翰福音经文中, 主教导我们唯独靠近祂:
我实实在在地告诉你们: 人进羊圈, 不从门进去, 倒从别处爬进去, 那人就是贼, 就是强盗。 从门进去的, 才是羊的牧人。 我就是门, 凡从我进来的, 必然得救, 并且出入得草吃。 盗贼来, 无非要偷窃, 杀害, 毁坏; 我来了, 是要叫羊 (或作“人”) 得生命, 并且得的更丰盛。 我是好牧人。 (约翰福音10:1-2, 9-11)
人不能“从别处爬进去”, 表他不能靠近父神, 因为祂是不可见的, 因此无法被靠近, 不能与人结合。 这就是为何祂亲自降世, 使自己显为可见, 能靠近也能结合的原因, 唯有这样人才能得救。 因为除非在靠近神时, 我们视祂为一个人, 否则关于神的一切观念都是虚妄, 它们会塌陷, 就象视力投向宇宙, 即投向茫茫太空, 自然界, 或自然界中所触及的一切那样。
自永恒起就是一的神, 亲自降临世间, 这一点从主, 救主的诞生明显可知, 祂通过至高力量经由圣灵被孕育, 结果, 祂的人身受生于处女马利亚。 由此可知, 祂的灵魂是神性本身, 即所谓的圣父, 因为神是不可见的, 并且如此受生的人性是父神的人性, 即所谓的圣子 (路加福音1:32, 34-35)。 同样可知, 靠近主神, 救主, 就是靠近圣父, 因此腓力求主将父显给他们看, 祂回答说:
人看见了我, 就是看见了父, 你怎么说“将父显给我们看”呢? 我在父里面, 父在我里面, 你不信吗? 你们当信我, 我在父里面, 父在我里面。 (约翰福音14:6-11)
有关该主题的更多内容, 可见于神, 主, 圣灵以及三位一体的章节。
538. We Need to Make Our Confession before the Lord God the Savior, and Also to Beg for His Help and Power in Resisting Evils
It is the Lord God the Savior to whom we must turn, (1) because he is the God of heaven and earth, the Redeemer and Savior, who has omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, who is both mercy and justice itself, and (2) because we are his creation and the church is his sheepfold, and we are commanded many times in the New Covenant to turn to him and worship and adore him.
In the following words in John the Lord commands that we are to turn to him alone:
Truly, truly I say to you, those who do not enter through the door to the sheepfold but instead climb up some other way are thieves and robbers. The person who goes in through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. I am the door. Anyone who enters through me will be saved and will find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, slaughter, and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and abundance. I am the good shepherd. (John 10:1-2, 9-11)
The "other way" that we are not to climb up is toward God the Father, because he cannot be seen, and is therefore inaccessible and unavailable for partnership. This is why he came into the world and made himself able to be seen, accessible, and available for partnership. He did this for only one reason: so that human beings could be saved. If we do not direct our thinking toward God as a human being, our whole mental sight of God is lost. It collapses like our eyesight when we send it out into the universe. Instead of God we see empty nothingness, or nature as a whole, or certain objects within nature.
[2] The being who came into the world was God himself, who from eternity [has been and] is the One. This is very clear from the birth of the Lord and Savior. He was conceived by the power of the Highest through the Holy Spirit. As a result the Virgin Mary gave birth to his human manifestation. It follows then that his soul was the Divinity itself that is called the Father - God is, after all, indivisible - and the human being born as a result is the human manifestation of God the Father, which is called the Son of God (Luke 1:32, 34-35). It follows from all this that when we turn to the Lord God the Savior, we are turning to God the Father as well. This is why he replied to Philip, when Philip asked him to show them the Father, "Those who see me see the Father. How then can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me" (John 14:6-11). For more on this, see many things that are stated in the chapters on God, the Lord, the Holy Spirit, and the Trinity.
538. IX. Confession ought to be made before the Lord God the Saviour, and then prayer should be offered for help and the power to resist evils.
The Lord God the Saviour ought to be approached, because He is the God of heaven and earth, the Redeemer and Saviour, whose attributes are omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence, mercy itself together with righteousness; also because man is His creation, and the church is His sheep-fold. The New Testament contains in many places His command that man should approach, worship and adore Him. He instructed us to approach Him alone in this passage of John:
In truth I tell you, anyone who does not go into the sheep-fold through the gate, but climbs up another way, is a thief and a robber. But he who goes in through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. I am the gate, anyone who goes in through me will be saved and will find pasture. A thief only comes to steal, slaughter and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and plenty. I am the good shepherd, John 10:1-2, 9-11.
The reason one ought not to climb up another way is so as not to approach God the Father, as He is invisible, and therefore unapproachable and incapable of being linked to man. That is why He came into the world, and made Himself visible, approachable and capable of being linked to. This was exclusively so that man could be saved. For unless in approaching God we think about Him as a man, all ideas about God are vain; they collapse like the power of sight directed towards the universe, that is, into empty space, or towards nature, or the objects inside nature that stand in the way.
[2] God Himself, who from eternity is one, came into the world, as is perfectly plain from the way the Lord the Saviour was born: He was conceived by the power of the Most High through the Holy Spirit, and as a result His Human was born of the Virgin Mary. From this it follows that His soul was the Divine itself, which is called the Father, since God is indivisible; and that the Human so born is the Human of God the Father, which is called the Son of God (Luke 1:32, 34-35). Again, it follows from these facts that when the Lord God the Saviour is approached, God the Father is also approached. That is why when Philip begged Him to show him the Father, He replied:
He who sees me, sees the Father. How is it then you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? Believe me, I am in the Father and the Father is in me, John 14:6-11.
More on this subject will be found in the chapters on God, the Lord, the Holy Spirit and the Trinity.
538. IX. CONFESSION OUGHT TO BE MADE BEFORE THE LORD GOD THE SAVIOR, FOLLOWED BY SUPPLICATION FOR HELP AND THE POWER TO RESIST EVILS.
The Lord God the Savior is to be approached because He is the God of heaven and earth, the Redeemer and Savior, to whom omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, mercy itself, and also justice, belong; also because man is His creature and the church is His sheepfold; also because in the New Testament He frequently commands men to approach, worship, and adore Him. That He alone is to be approached He has enjoined in the following words in John:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not through the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber; but he that entereth in through the door is the shepherd of the sheep, I am the door, through Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall find pasture. The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have abundance. I am the good shepherd (John 10:1-2, 9-11).
That man is not "to climb up some other way" means that he is not to approach God the Father, because He is invisible and therefore inaccessible, and conjunction with Him is impossible; and this is why He Himself came into the world, and made Himself visible and accessible, and conjunction with Him possible; which was done solely that man might be saved. For unless in thought God is approached as a Man, every idea of God perishes; it falls as sight does when directed out upon the universe, that is, into empty nothingness, or into nature, or into what is met within nature. That God Himself, who from eternity is One, came into the world, is clearly evident from the birth of the Lord the Savior, in that He was conceived by the power of the Most High through the Holy Spirit, and from this conception His Human was born of the virgin Mary; from which it follows, that His soul was the Divine Itself that is called the Father (for God is indivisible); and that the Human born therefrom is the Human of God the Father, which is called the Son of God (Luke 1:32, 34, 35). From this again it follows that when the Lord God the Savior is approached, God the Father is approached also; therefore, to Philip asking Him to show them the Father, He replied:
He that seeth Me seeth the Father; how sayest thou then, show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? Believe Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me (John 14:6-11).
But on these points more may be seen in the chapters on God; the Lord, the Holy Spirit, and the Trinity.
538. IX. CONFESSION OUGHT TO BE MADE BEFORE THE LORD GOD THE SAVIOR, AND ALSO SUPPLICATION FOR HELP AND POWER TO RESIST EVILS.
The Lord God the Savior ought to be approached because He is God of heaven and earth, the Redeemer and Savior, to whom belong omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, mercy itself, and at the same time righteousness; and because man is His creature, and the Church His fold, and He has many times in the New Testament commanded that men should approach, worship and adore Him. That He ought to be approached, He enjoined in these words in John:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheep-fold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep... I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved... and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd" 10:1-2, 9-11.
Man is forbidden to climb up some other way lest he should seek immediate approach to the Father, who is invisible, and consequently inaccessible, with whom there cannot be conjunction. It was on this account that He Himself came into the world and made Himself visible, accessible and capable of entering into conjunction with man, solely for this end, that man might be saved. For unless God is approached in thought as Man, all idea of God is lost, being like sight directed into the universe, that is into empty space, or it is directed upon nature or upon something visible in nature.
That God Himself, who from eternity is one, came into the world is clearly evident from the birth of the Lord the Savior; for He was conceived of the power of the Most High by the Holy Spirit, and thus His Human was born of the Virgin Mary. From this it follows, since God is indivisible, that His soul was the Divine Itself, which is called the Father; and that the Human born therefrom is the Human of God the Father, which is called the Son of God, Luke 1:32, 34-35. It also follows that, when the Lord God the Savior is approached, God the Father is also approached. Therefore the Lord gave this answer to Philip, who desired that He would show him the Father:
"He that seeth (A.V., hath seen) me, seeth the Father: and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me. John 14:6-11.
But more may be seen on this subject in the chapters concerning God, the Lord, the Holy Spirit, and the Trinity.
538. Quod Confessio coram Domino Deo Salvatore oporteat fieri, et tunc supplicatio de ope et potentia resistendi malis.
Quod Dominus Deus Salvator adeundus sit, est quia est Deus Coeli et Terrae, Redemptor et Salvator, cui Omnipotentia, Omniscientia, Omnipraesentia, Ipsa Misericordia et simul Justitia, et quia homo est Ipsius 1 Creatura, et Ecclesia Ipsius Ovile, ac ut Ipsum adeant, colant et adorent, pluries in Novo Foedere mandavit; quod Solus adeundus sit, his verbis injunxit apud Johannem, "Amen, amen dico vobis, qui non ingreditur per januam in Ovile, sed ascendit aliunde, is est fur et latro; qui vero ingreditur per januam, pastor est ovium. Ego sum Janua; per Me si quis introiverit, salvabitur, et pascuum inveniet; fur non venit nisi ut furetur, mactet et perdat; Ego veni ut vitam habeant et abundantiam; Ego sum Pastor bonus," Cap. 10:1-2, 9-11. Quod homo non aliunde ascendere debeat, est ne ad Deum Patrem, quia Ille est invisibilis, et inde inaccessibilis 2 et inconjungibilis, et ideo Ipse in Mundum venit, et se fecit visibilem, accessibilem, et conjungibilem, quod fuit unice propter finem, ut homo posset salvari; nam nisi Deus ut homo in cogitatione aditur, perit omnis idea de Deo, cadit sicut visus in universum, ita in inane nullum, aut in naturam, aut in obvia intra naturam.
[2] Quod Ipse Deus, Qui ab aeterno est Unus, in Mundum venerit, patet clare a nativitate Domini Salvatoris, quod a virtute Altissimi per Spiritum Sanctum conceptus sit, et quod inde Humanum Ipsius a Maria Virgine natum sit, unde sequitur, quod Anima Ipsius fuerit Ipsum Divinum, quod Pater vocatur, est enim Deus individuus, et quod Humanum inde natum, sit Humanum Dei Patris, quod vocatur Filius Dei, Luca 1:32, 34-35: ex his iterum sequitur, quod dum Dominus Deus Salvator aditur, etiam Deus Pater adeatur; quare respondit Philippo petenti ut monstraret Patrem, "Qui videt Me, videt Patrem, quomodo ergo tu dicis, monstra nobis Patrem; nonne credis quod Ego in Patre, et Pater in Me sit; credite Mihi, quod Ego in Patre, et Pater in Me sit," Johannes 14:6-11. Sed de his videantur plura in Capitibus de Deo, Domino, Spiritu Sancto, et de Trinitate.
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