精妙的平衡
有时候，人们会对腓立比书这些经文感到困惑，认为它们暗示我们，得救是藉着我们的好行为，而不是透过信心、藉着神的恩典。我们得救，究竟是靠着恩典，还是靠着好行为呢？
我们得救是靠着神的恩典，这恩典会在我们的好行为中显出来，好行为是神在我们身上工作的证据。(请参考保罗在以弗所书 2:8-10的解释。)
这里，在腓立比书中，保罗提醒他的读者顺服的重要，这可能听起来像“靠自己的努力上天堂”的计划。但实际上并不是。保罗马上接着说，我们的好行为是神成就的。所以，完全是靠着恩典，然而我们也有责任做些什么，作为回应。
当保罗敦促他的读者“作成”他们得救的功夫时，他的意思是我们已经接受了恩典，要做合乎逻辑的后续工作。他不是说我们“制造”我们的救恩。我们只是跟随圣灵在我们里面的带领，继续努力，因为我们已经藉着恩典被更新了。
人很容易犯非对即错的错误。我们可能把恩典当作借口，随意生活，反正我们已经被赦免了。或者，我们可能会忽略恩典，拚命赚取神的喜爱。但救恩是完全靠着恩典的，而我们的回应就是：顺服，藉着神在我们里面持续不断的工作来顺服。这是一个精妙的平衡，也是神圣的平衡。
主啊，求祢使我们的头脑能明白祢的救恩及它的意义，每一刻都为祢而活。奉耶稣的名祷告，阿们。
腓立比书 2:12-13
12 这样看来，我亲爱的弟兄，你们既是常顺服的，不但我在你们那里，就是我如今不在你们那里，更是顺服的，就当恐惧战兢，做成你们得救的工夫。
13 因为你们立志行事，都是神在你们心里运行，为要成就他的美意。
A Fine Balance
"My dear friends, as you have always obeyed . . . continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." — Philippians 2:12
People are sometimes confused by these verses in Philippians, thinking that they imply we are saved by our good deeds rather than by God’s grace through faith. Are we saved by grace or by good works?
We are saved by the grace of God, which shows itself when we produce good works, the evidence of God’s work in us. (See also Paul’s explanation in Ephesians 2:8-10.)
Here, in Philippians, Paul reminds his readers of the importance of obedience, which can sound like a “work-your-way-to-heaven” scheme. But it’s not. Paul immediately goes on to say that the good works we do are enabled by God. So it’s all by grace, and yet we are responsible to do something too, in response.
When Paul urges his readers to “work out” their salvation, he means doing the logical follow-through of having received grace. He does not say we “create” our own salvation. We just keep working it out, following the lead of God’s Spirit working in us because we have been made new through grace.
It is easy to slide into an either/or mistake. We might think grace gives us an excuse to live however we want, if we are forgiven anyway. Or we might ignore grace and try to work furiously to earn God’s favor. But salvation is all by grace, and our response is obedience, through God’s ongoing work in us. It’s a fine balance, and a holy one too.
Make our minds able to understand your salvation and what it means, O Lord, to live every moment for you. In Jesus, Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
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