2023-11-01 周三 神的救恩是以国度为目标

经文:耶稣回答说,我实实在在的告诉你,人若不是从水和灵生的,就不能进神的国。(约三5,另译)

在新约里我们能很清楚看见,神的福音、神的救恩乃是以国度为目标,要把你我救到国度里。神的福音不只是以赦罪为目标,也不只是以生命为目标,乃是以国度为目标。神的福音不只要救你到赦罪里,也不只要救你到生命里,更是要把你救到国度里。

可惜在今日的基督教里,这亮光已经给抹煞了。可能你已得救多年,但对于国度还没有一点印象,没有一点感觉。然而,圣经一再给我们看见,神的福音最中心、最重要、最主要的一个目标,就是神的国。神所以把你救来,是要把你放在这个国里面。神所以赦免你的罪,也是要把你摆在这一个国里面。祂所以赐给你生命,赐给你圣灵,就是要叫你得着重生,能以活在这个国里面(约三3,5)。你必须先得着这个国的生命,你才能活在这个国里,并且过在这个国里才能有的生活。所以总括的说,神的福音乃是以神的国为目标,要把人救到这个国里,并摆在这个国里生活。

简单的说,神所赐给你一切救恩里的丰富,都是为着一件事,就是叫你进到祂的国里,叫你能活在这个国度里。所以,我们必须看见,赦罪不是神福音的目标,生命也不是神福音的目标;神福音的目标乃是国度。神所以赦免你的罪,把你洗净;祂所以把祂的生命赐给你,把祂的灵放在你里面,使你成为一个洁净而活过来的人,目的是要把你救到祂的国度里,把你摆在国度里,叫你活在国度里。这个国度才是祂的目标。

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God’s Salvation Is Aimed at the Kingdom – John 3:5

In the New Testament we can clearly see that God’s gospel and God’s salvation are aimed at the kingdom and are meant to save you and me into the kingdom. The gospel of God is not just about the forgiveness of sins, nor is it just about life, it is about the kingdom. The gospel of God not only saves you into forgiveness of sins, nor does it only save you into life, it also wants to save you into the kingdom.

Unfortunately, in today’s Christianity, this light has been wiped out. Maybe you have been saved for many years, but you still have no impression or feeling of the kingdom. However, the Bible shows us over and over again that the most central, most crucial and major goal of God’s gospel is the kingdom of God. The reason why God saves you is to put you in this kingdom, and the reason why God forgives your sins is also to put you into this kingdom. The reason he gives you life and the Holy Spirit is that you can be reborn and be able to live in this kingdom (John 3:3, 5). You must first receive the life of this kingdom before you can live in this kingdom, and live a life that is only possible in this kingdom. In summary, God’s gospel aims at the kingdom of God, saving men into this kingdom and setting them up to live in this kingdom.

Simply put, all the riches in salvation God has given you are for one thing, which is to bring you into his kingdom and enable you to live in this kingdom. Therefore, we must see that forgiveness of sins is not the goal of God’s gospel, and life is not the goal of God’s gospel; the goal of God’s gospel is the kingdom. The reason why God forgives your sins and cleanses you, gives you his life and puts his Spirit within you is to make you a clean and resurrected person. The purpose is to save you into his kingdom, place you in the kingdom and enable you to live in the kingdom. This kingdom is his goal.