【读圣经学英语】行真理的必来就光

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约翰福音-John 3 章19~23节

3:19 光来到世上，世人因自己的行为是恶的，不爱光倒爱黑暗，定他们的罪就是在此。
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. 
3:20 凡作恶的便恨光，并不来就光，恐怕他的行为受责备。
For every one who practices evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his works be reproved. 
3:21 但行真理的必来就光，要显明他的行为是在神里面行的。
But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be manifested that they are wrought in God.
3:22 这事以后，耶稣和门徒到了犹太地，同他们在那里居住并施浸。
After these things, Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He spent some time with them and baptized.
3:23 约翰在靠近撒冷的哀嫩也施浸，因为那里水多，众人都去受浸。
And John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people came and were baptized;
 
亮光

 

神的儿子来作光，好叫人被照亮而得救。（约三19～21。）为着要拯救我们，神的儿子，基督，先来作光照亮人，好叫人能以得救。但很可惜，大多数人喜爱黑暗而不喜爱光，因为他们的行为是恶的。凡作恶的便恨光，并不来就光，恐怕他的行为受责备。但人若来就光，就蒙光照，并且藉着这光照要得拯救。光在先，得救在后。

我们在约翰三章可以看见，连一个上流社会有道德的君子也在死亡的在线。虽然他寻求神，可是他是按照知识树的线来寻求。尼哥底母寻求教训、知识，这些都是属于知识树。他并不知道生命，也没有生命树的观念。但是主使他从知识转到生命，从知识树转到生命树，好使他重生，并得着在创世记二章中生命树所指明的神圣生命。在主与他的谈话中，含示他对知识的寻求与他的蛇性有关。我们天然人的蛇性不只使我们行恶，也使我们寻求知识，甚至是关于神的知识，而并不在生命的路上。这种知识的寻求乃在死亡的在线，也带进死亡。我们都必须从这知识的线转到生命的线，好叫我们接受神的生命作我们的享受。

 
 

Enlightenment:

The Son of God came as light that man might be enlightened for salvation (3:19-21). In order to save us, Christ, the Son of God, came firstly to be the light to enlighten man that man might be saved. But, sorry to say, most men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But anyone who comes to the light will be enlightened and, through this enlightenment, he shall be saved. Light comes first, then salvation follows.

In chapter three of John we can see that even a high-class moral gentleman was also on the line of death. Though he was seeking after God, he was seeking according to the line of the tree of knowledge. Nicodemus was seeking for teaching, for knowledge, which belongs to the tree of knowledge. He did not know life and had no concept of the tree of life. But the Lord turned him from knowledge to life, from the tree of knowledge to the tree of life, that he might be regenerated and have the divine life denoted by the tree of life in Genesis 2. In the Lord’s conversation with him, it is implied that his seeking of knowledge was related to his serpentine nature. The serpentine nature of our natural being causes us not only to do evil things, but also to seek knowledge, even knowledge concerning God, in a way that is not in the way of life. This kind of knowledge-seeking is on the line of death and brings in death. We all have to be turned from this line of knowledge to the line of life that we may receive the divine life for our enjoyment.