2024-02-01 周四 素质的灵与经纶的灵

经文:但圣灵降临在你们身上,你们就必得着能力,并要在耶路撒冷、犹太全地、撒玛利亚,直到地极,作我的见证人。(徒一8,另译)

素质的灵与经纶的灵

行传二章一、二节说,“五旬节那天到了,门徒都聚集在一处。忽然从天上有响声下来,好像一阵暴风刮过,充满了他们所坐的整个屋子。”在主的复活里,复活生命的灵被比作气,吹进门徒里面(约二十22),那是在素质一面为着他们属灵的所是并生活。在主的升天里,升天能力的灵在这里由风所象征,浇灌在门徒身上,这是在经纶一面为着门徒的职事和行动。复活生命素质的灵,使信徒能活基督;升天能力经纶的灵,使他们能执行主的使命。

我们需要清楚看见,约翰二十章的吹气与行传二章的风,二者是不同的。约翰二十章的吹气是在素质一面将赐生命的灵分赐到门徒里面,为着他们属灵的所是和属灵的生活。但行传二章的风是将经纶能力的灵,浇灌在已经接受素质的灵到他们里面的信徒身上。能力之灵的浇灌不是为着信徒属灵的所是或生活,乃是为着信徒的职事和行动。所以,那灵素质的一面是为着生活,经纶的一面是为着职事。

三一神成了赐生命的灵

新约启示三一神成了肉体,三一神显现于肉体。这就是说,成为肉体的那一位不仅仅是子,乃是完整的神,就是三一神,父神、子神、灵神。说完整的神显现于肉体,就是说完整的神成为肉体。三一神成了一个人,在地上生活,尽职事,进入死,胜过死并征服死、又在复活里从死出来。祂在复活里成了赐生命的灵。所以,那成了肉体、在地上生活、进入了死、又在复活里从死出来的三一神,已经成了赐生命的灵。

约翰一章十四节说,“话成了肉体”,林前十五章四十五节下半说,“末后的亚当成了赐生命的灵。”约翰一章十四节的“肉体”,就是林前十五章四十五节“末后的亚当”。如今末后的亚当成了赐生命的灵,这灵乃是成为肉体之基督的变化形像。那成为肉体的乃是三一神成为人,就是末后的亚当,这末后的亚当在复活里已经成了赐生命的灵。所以,在祂复活那天,祂向门徒显现,向他们吹气,说,“你们受圣灵。”这灵是谁?这灵乃是经过过程之三一神的终极完成,临到祂的赎民。

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The Essential Spirit and the Economical Spirit — Acts 1:8

Acts 2:1 and 2 say, “And when the day of Pentecost was being fulfilled, they were all together in the same place. And suddenly there came a noise out of heaven like a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.” In the Lord’s resurrection, the Spirit of resurrection life is likened to breath, breathed into the disciples (John 20:22) for their spiritual being and living essentially. In the Lord’s ascension, the Spirit of ascension power, poured upon the disciples, is symbolized here by the wind for the disciples’ ministry and move economically. The essential Spirit of resurrection life is for the believers to live Christ; the economical Spirit of ascension power is for them to carry out his commission.

We need to see clearly the difference between the breathing in John 20 and the blowing in Acts 2. The breathing in John 20 is for the imparting of the life-giving Spirit into the disciples essentially for their spiritual being and for their spiritual living. But the blowing in Acts 2 is for the pouring out of the economical Spirit of power upon the believers, who have already received the essential Spirit into them. The pouring out of the Spirit of power is not for the believers’ spiritual being or living; rather, the outpouring of the Spirit of power is for the believers’ ministry and move. Therefore, the essential aspect of the Spirit is for living, and the economical aspect is for ministry.

The Triune God Became the Life-Giving Spirit

The New Testament reveals that the Triune God became incarnate. The Triune God was manifested in the flesh. This means that the One who was incarnated was the complete God, the Triune God, God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit, not merely the Son. To say that the complete God was manifested in the flesh means that the complete God was incarnated. The Triune God became a man, lived on earth, ministered, entered into death, conquering and subduing death, and came forth from death in resurrection. In resurrection he became the life-giving Spirit. Therefore, the Triune God, who became incarnated, who lived on earth, and who entered into death and came out of death in resurrection, has become the life-giving Spirit.

John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh,” and 1 Corinthians 15:45b says, “The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.” The “flesh” in John 1:14 is “the last Adam” in 1 Corinthians 15:45. Now the last Adam has become the life-giving Spirit, and this Spirit is the transfiguration of the incarnated Christ. The incarnated One was the Triune God to be a man as the last Adam, and this last Adam in resurrection has become the life-giving Spirit. Therefore, on the day of his resurrection, he appeared to his disciples, breathed upon them, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Who is this Spirit? This Spirit is the ultimate consummation of the processed Triune God reaching his redeemed people.