神的榜样
圣经中有一条神所命定广传福音的路。在创世记和出埃及记中我们可以看见神传福音的榜样。
创世记记载了全宇宙中神第一次亲自访问堕落之人的事。神首先来寻找堕落的人,然后向堕落的人传福音,最后把救恩供应给被定罪的人。在创世记亚当堕落后,神来寻找他(创三8-9),神是头一个‘叩门者’。亚当因吃了善恶知识树的果子而犯罪之后,神立刻就来‘叩亚当的门’。虽然亚当从神面前躲藏起来,神却来寻找他。祂来访问亚当,并且叩亚当的心门。祂呼唤亚当,对他说,‘你在哪里?’(创三9)。神找到堕落的人之后,就传福音给他(创三15)。神告诉堕落的人,女人的后裔要伤那害人之蛇的头。这女人的后裔就是由童女所生的耶稣基督。祂在十字架上,伤了古蛇魔鬼的头。
神更进一步将救恩供应给被定罪的人(创三21)。神用皮子作衣服,遮盖堕落的人,这些皮子是来自被杀的牺牲。皮衣表征基督是从神而来、遮盖我们的义。在得着皮子作的衣服遮盖之前,亚当和夏娃害怕被神看见,所以他们穿上自己编织的无花果树叶子遮身(创三7)。但神来给他们正确的遮身;这预表神的救恩是用基督自己庇护堕落的人。神给堕落之人所穿戴的,乃是神遮盖之救恩的预表。
神访问人的榜样也可见于以色列人堕落的时候。以色列人深深堕落到埃及人的辖制之下。然后神下来访问他们。在出埃及记三章八节,耶和华说,‘我下来是要救他们脱离埃及人的手。’神下来访问以色列人,为要救他们脱离埃及法老的暴政和霸占的手。
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God’s Ordained Way to Preach the Gospel – Gen. 3:8-9
God’s Example
The Bible reveals a divinely ordained path for spreading the gospel. In Genesis and Exodus, we see God’s example in preaching the gospel.
In Genesis, God personally visited fallen men for the first time in the universe. First, He sought out fallen men, then preached the gospel to them and finally provided salvation to the condemned. After Adam’s fall, God came looking for him (Gen. 3:8-9). God was the first “door-knocker.” After Adam sinned by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God immediately came to “knock on Adam’s door.” Although Adam hid from God, the Lord sought him out, visited him and knocked on the door of his heart, saying, “Where are you?” (Gen. 3:9). After finding the fallen man, God preached the gospel to him, declaring that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). This seed refers to Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, who would defeat the devil on the cross.
God then provided salvation to the condemned (Gen. 3:21). He used skins as garments to cover fallen men, these skins came from the slain sacrifices, and the garment signifies Christ’s righteousness as a covering from God. Before this, Adam and Eve had tried to cover themselves with fig leaves they had sewn together (Gen. 3:7), but God gave them the proper covering; this typifies God’s salvation in using Christ Himself to protect fallen man. What God clothed fallen man is a type of God’s covering salvation.
We also see God’s example in His visit to the Israelites during their time of deep bondage in Egypt. When the Israelites fell under the oppression of the Egyptians, God came to deliver them. He said, “I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians” (Exo. 3:8). God visited the Israelites to rescue them from Pharaoh’s tyranny and domination.