羅五17『若因一人的過犯，死就借着這一人作了王，那些受洋溢之恩，並洋溢之義恩賜的，就更要借着耶穌基督一人，在生命中作王了。』
八37『然而借着那愛我們的，在這一切的事上，我們已經得勝有餘了。』
羅馬五章十七節說，我們能憑恩典在生命中作王。在這些日子裡，我們一直說到神人，說到在生命上並在性情上，而不在神格上成為神。作王就是成為神。在全宇宙中誰掌權？誰是王？只有一位王。但我們是這一位王的兒女，也能在他的生命中作王。因着我們像神一樣作王，我們就借着在生命中作王，而在生命上並在性情上，但不在神格上成為神。神作王，我們也作王。
作王就是勝過、征服並管理撒但、世界、罪、肉體、自己以及周圍一切的環境。保羅在八章如此說，『誰能使我們與基督的愛隔絕？』（35）然後他說，『借着那愛我們的，在這一切的事上，我們已經得勝有餘了。』（37）沒有甚麼能使我們與基督的愛隔絕，因為我們在一切環境中，對一切問題，都是得勝有餘的。…我們也必須管理我們裡面的罪，管理撒但，並管理世界。我們不該讓世界的時髦勝過我們。反之，我們應當勝過一切，並且憑恩典在生命中作王（神聖啟示的高峰信息合輯第八冊，二六三至二六四頁）。
我們必須追求掌權的經歷。…第一，先要認識地位。…我們是在升天的地位上，就有權柄，就能掌權；我們若不在升天的地位上，就沒有權柄，也無法掌權。
就是主耶穌，他掌權的根據，也是在於他升天的地位。他復活升天了，才得着天上地上所有的權柄〔太二八18〕，而在萬有中掌權〔弗一20～22〕。所以我們若要掌權，總得在升天的地位上。…有了死的經歷，有了復活的經歷，也有了升天的經歷，然後才能有掌權的經歷。
我們掌權，…也根據神所安排的等次地位。…馬太八章記載一位百夫長，求主醫治他僕人的病。他的信心，也就是根據他對等次地位的認識。…他知道要掌權，就必須先服權柄，要作權柄，就必須先服權柄。
當初神造人的時候，曾給人權柄管理海里、空中並地上一切受造之物。那時人服神的權柄，所以人身上也就有神的權柄，叫一切受造之物來服人。但人一墮落反叛神，不服神的權柄，也就失去了神的權柄，在人手下的萬物也就不再服人的權柄了。所以…就是小小的蚊蟲、跳蚤，也會咬人。這就是說出，在整個墮落的宇宙里，到處都滿了受造之物的背叛和不服。
直等到主耶穌作為話成了肉體，在這背叛的宇宙中，才有了一位絕對服神權柄的人。主耶穌的一生，無論一言、一行、一動、一止，無不照着神的旨意，服在神的權下，正如腓立比二章所說，他是『降卑自己，順從至死，且死在十字架上』（8）。所以神就將他升為至高，叫天上的、地上的和地底下的，都向他屈膝，稱他為主，服在他的權下〔9 ～11〕。他就是因着守住了等次的地位，服在父神的權下，而得着權柄能為神掌權（生命的經歷下冊，四一九至四二三頁）。
參讀：羅馬書生命讀經，第四十六至四十七篇。
Rom. 5:17 “For if, by the offense of the one,
death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of
grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One,
Jesus Christ.” 8:37 “But in all these things we more than conquer through Him
who loved us.”
Romans 5:17 says that we can reign in
life by grace. In these days we are speaking about being a God-man, about
becoming God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead. To reign is to be
God. In the whole universe who reigns? Who is the king? There is only one King.
But we as the children of this one King can also reign in His life. Since we
reign as God does, by reigning in life we become the very God in life and in
nature but not in the Godhead. God reigns and we reign.
To reign is to conquer, subdue, and rule
over Satan, the world, sin, the flesh, ourselves, and all the environmental
circumstances. In Romans 8 Paul says this: “Who shall separate us from the love
of Christ?” (v. 35). Then he says, “We more than conquer through Him who loved
us” (v. 37). Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, because we are
more than conquerors over all the troubles in our environment...We also have to
rule over the sin within us, to rule over Satan, and to rule over the world. We
should not let the world’s fashion conquer us. Instead, we should conquer all
things and reign in life by grace. (Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the
Romans, pp. 209-210)
We must seek the experience of
reigning....First, we must know our position....If we are in the position of
ascension, we have authority and can reign. If we are not in the position of
ascension, we do not have authority and cannot rule.
Even in the case of the Lord Jesus,
the basis of reigning depended on His position of ascension. Not till after His
resurrection and ascension did He obtain all authority in heaven and on earth
(Matt. 28:18) and have dominion over all things (Eph. 1:20-22). Therefore, if
we would reign, we must be in the position of ascension....Only after we have
experienced death, resurrection, and ascension, can we obtain the experience of
reigning.
Our reigning
is...also [based] on the position of
order arranged by God..Matthew 8:5-13 tells us of a centurion who
came to ask the Lord to heal his servant’s sickness. His faith was based on his
knowledge of the position of order..He knew that in order to reign, he first
had to submit to the reigning. In order to be the authority, he first had to
submit to authority.
When God created man in the
beginning, God gave man authority to have dominion over all the creatures in
the sea, in the air, and upon earth. At that time, man was submitting to God’s
authority; hence, God’s authority was with him, and all creatures were made to
submit to man. But once man fell and rebelled against God, unwilling as he was
to submit to God’s authority, he then lost the authority of God. As a result,
all the creatures under man were no longer in subjection to man’s authority.
Therefore,...even the tiny mosquitoes and fleas can bite us. This indicates
that the entire fallen universe is full of the creatures’ rebelliousness and
insubordination.
It was not until the Lord Jesus came
as the Word become flesh that there was in this rebellious universe a man who
submitted absolutely to God’s authority. In the life of the Lord Jesus, every
word and action, every move and cessation, were in accordance with God’s will
and in subjection to God’s authority. Philippians 2:8 says, “He humbled
Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross.”
Therefore, God also highly exalted Him, that every knee in heaven, on earth,
and under the earth should bow to Him, and every tongue should call Him
Lord—all in submission to His authority (vv. 8-11). Because the Lord Jesus
submitted to the authority of God the Father and kept the position of order, He
obtained authority and was able to reign for God. (The Experience of Life, pp.
347-350)
Further Reading: Life-study of Romans, msgs. 46-47
- 未完待續
