State of the Lost

First of all, Christ’s words reflect the desperate state of the lost; that is, the state of all men as they are apart from Christ. The teachings on this point are not so much direct as indirect. Still they underlie the positive points made in this passage.

失落的狀態

首先，基督的話反映了迷失者的絕望狀態；也就是說，所有人離開基督時的狀態。關於這一點的教導與其說是直接的，不如說是間接的。它們仍然是這段話中所提出的積極觀點的基礎。

In reference to man’s desperate state apart from Christ, these verses show that he has lost spiritual life; otherwise it would not be necessary for Christ to speak of it as a gift. Originally, man had life. When the first man and woman were created by God they were created with that life that shows itself in communion with him. Consequently, we learn that they communed with God in the Garden in the cool of the day. When they sinned, this life was lost, a fact evidenced by their hiding from God. This has been the state of people ever since. Consequently, when the gospel is preached, those who hear it turn away unless God intervenes to do a supernatural work of regeneration in their hearts.

這些經文談到人離開基督而陷入絕望的境地時，表明他已經失去了屬靈的生命。否則基督就沒有必要把它說成是一份恩賜。本來，人是有生命的。當神創造第一個男人和女人時，他們被創造時就帶有與神相交的生命。因此，我們得知他們在涼爽的天氣里在花園裡與神交談。當他們犯罪時，他們就失去了生命，這一事實從他們躲避神就可以看出。從那時起，這就是人們的狀態。因此，當福音被傳揚時，那些聽到福音的人就會轉身離去，除非神介入，在他們的心中進行超自然的重生工作。