为着基督据有美地
照着圣经中神圣的启示，我们需要为着基督据有美地，这样基督就能使我们成为祂的产业。我们据有神所应许的美地，乃是为着基督，而基督使我们成为祂的产业，乃是为着我们。
为着基督据有美地，并预备适当的人，将基督生到人类中，乃是旧约在约书亚记、士师记、路得记这三卷书里这段历史两个主要的点。这两个主要的点－为着基督取得那地，并为着基督预备真实的先祖，乃是约书亚记至路得记之历史的精意。神所应许的地既是基督的预表，为基督得着地，意思就是为基督得着基督。
神关于美地的应许
在创世记神应许亚伯拉罕，祂要将美地赐给亚伯拉罕的后裔。四百多年后，神差遣摩西去拯救以色列人出埃及，告诉他说，祂要差遣他将百姓带进美地。神已将那地赐给以色列人是个事实，但尚未成为实际。这乃是应许，是仍待应验的。甚至以色列人在约书亚的带领之下，来到摩押平原的时候，神将美地赐给以色列人，还不是实际的事实，因那地还没有成为以色列的产业。以色列人得着美地，据有美地以后，那地才真正成为他们的，成为实际的事实。
我们需要回应神所应许、预备、并赐给的
美地已应许给以色列人，情况也预备好，使那地能真正赐给以色列人了。神这赐与者作了一切，但仍需要以色列人这接受者作些事，好据有神所赐给的。在约书亚记的开始，以色列预备好可以往前，取得美地，据有美地，并享受美地。以色列这样作，意思就是他们在为美地所预表的基督作些事。否则，美地就闲置在那里。
今天传福音的原则是一样的。神的救恩已在基督里且凭着基督应许、预备、并完成了。一切都预备好了，使这救恩能赐给罪人。神要将救恩赐给罪人，但他们需要借着接受祂救恩的恩赐来响应祂。借着接受祂的救恩响应神，就是为神作有帮助的事。你若知道神的心，就会领悟每当罪人悔改并接受基督时，那个罪人就是在帮助神。
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Taking the Possession of Good Land for Christ — Jos. 1:2-3
According to the divine revelation in the Scriptures, we need to take possession of the good land for Christ so that Christ can make us His possession. Our taking possession of the God-promised good land is for Christ, and Christ’s making us His possession is for us.
To take possession of the God-promised land for Christ and to provide the proper persons to bring forth Christ into the human race are the two major points of the section of the history in the Old Testament in the three books of Joshua, Judges and Ruth. These two main points – to take the land for Christ and to provide the bona fide ancestors for Christ – are the spirit of the history from Joshua to Ruth. Since the God-promised land is a type of Christ, to gain the land for Christ means to gain Christ for Christ.
God’s Promise Concerning the Good Land
In Genesis God promised Abraham that He would give the good land to Abraham’s descendants. More than four hundred years later, God sent Moses to deliver Israel out of Egypt, telling him that He was sending him to bring the people into the good land. It was a fact that God had given the land to Israel, but this fact was not yet practical. Rather, it was a promise that still needed to be fulfilled. Not even at the time when Israel came to the plains of Moab under the leadership of Joshua was the giving of the good land to Israel a practical fact, for the land had not yet become Israel’s possession. Only after Israel had gained the good land and had taken possession of it did the land actually become theirs as a practical fact.
To Reposed to What God Promised, Prepared and Given
The good land had been promised to Israel, and the situation was ready for the land to be given to Israel in actuality. God, the Giver, had done everything, but there was still the need for Israel, the receiver, to do something to take possession of what God had given.
The principle is the same with the preaching of the gospel today. God’s salvation has been promised, prepared and completed in Christ and with Christ. Everything is ready for this salvation to be given to sinners. God wants to give salvation to sinners, but they need to respond to Him by receiving His gift of salvation. To respond to God by receiving His salvation is to do something helpful for God. Actually, to receive God’s salvation is to do God a favor. If you know the heart of God, you will realize that whenever a sinner repents and receives Christ, that sinner is doing God a favor.