就圣经和经历的意义说，恩典的意思就是享受。恩典就是在我们基督徒生活里的享受。我们基督徒的生活有三方面：亚伯拉罕的一面、以撒的一面、雅各的一面。在亚伯拉罕的一面，我们看不到多少享受。虽然亚伯拉罕蒙祝福，得昌大，但他没有多少享受。他失去了父亲，罗得使他忧伤，他所信赖的以利以谢被弃绝，他用自己的努力与妾所生的儿子以实玛利被赶走。以撒出生之后，神要求亚伯拉罕把他献为燔祭。以撒得回不久，亚伯拉罕又失去亲爱的妻子。我们在他一生中能看到损失的一面。他几乎丧失了一切。这是基督徒生活的全部么？若是这样，那么基督徒的生活不过是损失的生活。但损失只是基督徒生活的一面。罗马五章二节不是说，“我们得以进入现在所站的损失中。”不，乃是说，“我们…因信得进入现在所站的这恩典中。”神无意把我们留在损失中。祂的心意是要把我们带进恩典，带进享受中。
神要把我们带进恩典的享受中，但这恩典有一个阻挠，就是己。我们自己就是阻挠。虽然基督已经来了，恩典也随着祂来了，并且我们已经被带进所站的这恩典中，但这恩典最大的阻挠乃是你和我。因此，在我们能有以撒的经历之前，需要代表生命经历第一面的亚伯拉罕。亚伯拉罕的生活显明，我们若要享受神的恩典，全享神的丰富，我们必须受对付，受割礼，被除去。亚伯拉罕若不受割礼，以撒绝不会生出来。在创世记十七章亚伯拉罕受割礼之后，神就告诉他，以撒将要出生（创十七19）。至终，在创世记二十一章，以撒出生了。以撒随着神的眷临而来，他是凭着神的眷临出生的。神的眷临等于以撒的出生。这就是恩典。
神已经来给祂所呼召的人享受。然而我们若要有这享受，己必须除去。己一除去，以撒就来了。这就是说，恩典来了，丧失己并不容易。要除去己，我们必须受损失。你愿意失去你自己么？我不信有甚么人愿意失去他自己。虽然如此，我们必须先失去自己，恩典才能临到。弟兄们，你必须准备失去己，你若这样作，恩典就要来临。亚伯拉罕受割礼之后，以撒就来了。这是原则。我们必须先作亚伯拉罕，然后才成为以撒。
每日一问：在我们身上，什么阻挠神的工作，使我们不能享受恩典？
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Isaac’s Experience – Receiving Grace (3) — Rom. 5:2
In the biblical and experiential sense, grace means enjoyment. Grace is the enjoyment in our Christian life. Our Christian life has three aspects: the Abraham aspect, the Isaac aspect and the Jacob aspect. In the Abraham aspect, we do not see much enjoyment. Although Abraham was blessed and became great, he had little enjoyment. He lost his father; Lot brought him grief; Eliezer, whom he trusted, was rejected; Ishmael, the son he had by his own effort through his concubine, was driven away. After Isaac was born, God required Abraham to offer him as a burnt offering. Not long after Isaac was returned, Abraham lost his beloved wife. We can see the aspect of loss throughout his life. He lost nearly everything. Is this the entirety of the Christian life? If so, then the Christian life is nothing more than a life of loss. But loss is only one aspect of the Christian life. Romans 5:2 does not say, “We have obtained our introduction by faith into this loss in which we stand.” No — it says, “We have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand.” God does not intend to leave us in loss. His intention is to bring us into grace, into enjoyment.
God wants to bring us into the enjoyment of grace, but this grace has one hindrance –the self. We ourselves are the hindrance. Although Christ has come, and grace has come with Him, and we have already been brought into the grace in which we stand, the greatest hindrance to this grace is you and me. Therefore, before we can have Isaac’s experience, we need Abraham, who represents the first aspect of life experience. Abraham’s life makes clear that if we want to enjoy God’s grace and fully enjoy God’s riches, we must be dealt with, circumcised and removed. If Abraham had not been circumcised, Isaac would never have been born. After Abraham was circumcised in Genesis chapter 17, God told him Isaac would be born (Gen. 17:19). Finally, in Genesis chapter 21, Isaac was born. Isaac came with Gods visitation — he was born through God’s visitation. God’s visitation equals Isaac’s birth. This is grace.
God has come for the enjoyment of those He has called. But if we are to have this enjoyment, the self must be removed. Once the self is removed, Isaac comes. That is to say, grace comes. Losing the self is not easy. To remove the self, we must suffer loss. Are you willing to lose yourself? I do not believe anyone is willing to lose himself. Nevertheless, we must first lose ourselves before grace can come. Brothers, you must be prepared to lose yourself; if you do so, grace will come. After Abraham was circumcised, Isaac came. This is the principle. We must first be Abraham, and then we become Isaac.
Daily Question: In us, what hinders God’s work and keeps us from enjoying grace?