达成神目的所需要的两件事物—第一项是后裔
现在我们需要来看，在亚伯拉罕的日子，达成神的目的所需要的两件事物。第一项是后裔。神呼召亚伯拉罕的目的是要达成祂的目的。我们已经看过，祂的目的是要得着一班人，照着祂的形像彰显祂自己，并有祂的管治权代表祂自己。但亚伯拉罕没有后裔。没有后裔，亚伯拉罕怎能达成神的目的？神需要藉这后裔得着一班人。
不是亚伯拉罕所有的
亚伯拉罕和我们一样，我们也和他一样。当亚伯拉罕知道他需要后裔，他就指望以利以谢。亚伯拉罕似乎说，“现在我了解，为着神我必须有后裔，好得着一班人。我既已年迈，我妻子的生育也几乎断绝了，这后裔必定是现成的。”但神绝不用我们已有的东西达成祂的目的。我们所有的一切，对这事毫无用处。不要以为你所有的，对达成神的目的有用。你所有的不过是以利以谢。你所有的没有一样算得数。我们所有的，没有一样对达成神的目的有用。
乃是神应许要作出来的
为着达成神的目的所需要的后裔，必须是神所应许要藉亚伯拉罕作出来的。这必须是神将一些东西作到他里面，使他能生出后裔。那么这后裔到底是谁？你读创世记十五章和加拉太三章，会看见这后裔就是基督自己。我们所有的，没有一样能生出基督。我们的教育、成就、技术等等，都算不得甚么。这些都不过是以利以谢，并不是神作到我们里面，使我们生出基督，就是那后裔。只有神作到我们里面的，才能生出作后裔的基督。
为要达成神的目的，我们必须有基督作到我们里面。这就是为何保罗告诉我们，基督启示在他里面（加一15～16），基督在他里面活着（加二20），基督成形在他里面（加四19），并且在他活着就是基督（腓一21）。当他还是大数的扫罗时，他经过了犹太教的大马色，得着许多东西。那段时间他所得着的，都不过是以利以谢。主告诉保罗，他必须把那一切忘掉。那些都是粪土。保罗所有的东西，没有一样能生出基督。只有神作到他里面的，才能生出基督。
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English Title
Two Things Needed to Fulfill God’s Purpose — The First Item is the Seed
Now we need to see that in Abraham’s day, two things were needed to fulfill God’s purpose. The first item is the seed. God’s purpose in calling Abraham was to fulfill His purpose. As we have seen, His purpose is to obtain a group of people to express Himself according to His image and represent Himself with His dominion. But Abraham had no seed. Without a seed, how could Abraham fulfill God’s purpose? God needed to obtain a group of people through this seed.
Not What Abraham Had
Abraham was just like us, and we are just like him. When Abraham realized he needed a seed, he looked to Eliezer. Abraham seemed to say, “Now I understand that for God’s sake I must have a seed to obtain a group of people. Since I am old and my wife’s child-bearing has ceased, this seed must be one who is already available”. But God never uses what we already have to fulfill His purpose. Everything we have is useless for this matter. Do not think that what you have is useful for fulfilling God’s purpose. What you have is merely “Eliezer”. Nothing you have counts. None of what we have is useful for fulfilling God’s purpose.
What God Promised to Work Out
The seed needed to fulfill God’s purpose must be the one God promised to work out through Abraham. This requires God to work something into him so that he can bring forth the seed. Who, then, is this seed? If you read Genesis 15 and Galatians 3, you will see that this seed is Christ Himself. Nothing we have can bring forth Christ. Our education, achievements, skills, and so forth, count for nothing. These are all just “Eliezer”; they are not God worked into us to bring forth Christ, the Seed. Only what God works into us can bring forth Christ as the Seed.
To fulfill God’s purpose, we must have Christ worked into us. This is why Paul tells us that Christ was revealed in him (Gal. 1:15-16), Christ lived in him (Gal. 2:20), Christ was being formed in him (Gal. 4:19), and for him to live was Christ (Phil. 1:21). When he was still Saul of Tarsus, he went through the “Damascus” of Judaism and obtained many things. Everything he gained during that time was just “Eliezer”. The Lord told Paul that he must forget all those things. They were but dung. Nothing Paul had could bring forth Christ. Only what God worked into him could bring forth Christ.