原創：神的工與人的信——約翰福音6：29解經-彩虹之約-萬維論壇-萬維讀者網（電腦版）

送交者: 從上而生 2018年12月17日04:05:22 於 [彩虹之約] 發送悄悄話

The Work of God and The Faith of Man, An Exegesis on John 6:29

John 6:29 is a favorite verse of Chinese Arminians, who cite this verse as proof that man has to exercise his free will to choose repentance and faith as his personal action and contribution to his salvation. Because the Chinese Union Bible (CUB), the most predominant Chinese translation of the Bible used by Chinese Christians since 1919, translates this verse as “信神所差來的，這就是作神的工, literally “to believe in one whom God has sent: this is to do the work of God”. Obviously, CUB translation on John 6:29 gives the reader an impression that “the work of God” in 6:29 is the work that God requires us. Frequent challenges from Chinese Arminians on this issue prompted me to take a closer look at its Greek text, English translations and interpretations from scholars.

Translation

The Greek text of John 6:29 reads: ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ ἵνα πιστεύσητε εἰς ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος. Translators are divided into two groups when translating Jesus’s words in John 6:29. The ESV, a representative of first group, translates them as: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom He has sent.” Similar translations are seen in ASV, CSB, KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NKJV, NRSV, RSV, WEB and YLT. The Lu Zhen-Zhong version of the Bible is another Chinese translation, which is well-known in Chinese Christian community as more literal translation version than CUB. The New Testament translation of this version was published in 1946. Lu’s version reads: “信他所差遣的，這就是上帝的工”, literally, “to believe in one whom he has sent: this is the work of God.” Lu’s translation is similar to that from ESV group. As Singurd Grindheim observes, these translations preserve the ambiguity of the expression “the work of God.”^{^[1]} While the REB, a representative of another group, translates them as, “This is the work that God requires: to believe in the one whom he has sent.” Similar translations are seen in CEB, CEV, GNB, NET, NJB, and NLT. CUB translation is similar to that from REB group. The REB group takes the phrase “the work of God” (τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ) as an objective genitive, referring “the work that God expects from human beings”, as Grindheim pointed out.^{^[2]} The translation from ESV group seems more literal to the Greek text than that from REB group, which seems to have its interpretation brought into their translations.

If we have a closer look at Greek text of John 6:29, we would find that Jesus’s statement is in the form of a subjunctive with the conjunction ἵνα, which is often translated as “in order that” or “that”. One of the uses given by D.B. Wallace in his GGBB for ἵνα is that it can be used substantivally and one of those functions is for the ἵνα clause to be in apposition to a previous noun. Wallace also notes that this construction is especially common in Johannine literature.^{^[3]} Thus, the ἵνα clause in Jesus’s statement (ἵνα πιστεύητε εἰς ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος) can be taken as an apposition clause, which is in apposition to previous noun ἔργον. The clause “τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ” can be considered as the object of εἶπεν. With this consideration, the Jesus’s words should be translated as ESV in English and as Lu Zhen-Zhong’s version of the Bible in Chinese. Since ἵνα is primarily used as a marker to denote the purpose, aim and goal^{^[4]} , it is hard to take the phrase “τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ” as an objective genitive, for it contradicts the primary sense of ἵνα.

Interpretation

I found it interesting that commentators were not so divided about the interpretation of Jesus’s words in 6:29, compared to its translation. Most of them lean towards to interpreting “τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ” as the work that God requires us to do, even though many of them use the translations from ESV group. However, it is not hard to see their struggles to keep their interpretations in harmony with the established sound doctrine.

William Hendriksen takes “the work of God” as that “man must render to God the work of faith”, although he is fully aware that “salvation is entirely by grace”. He says, “the work of faith is the work of receiving the gift of God.”^{^[5]}

Leon Morris found it as interesting that “Jesus describing ‘work’ as believing: God does not require that we pile up merits to obtain a heavenly credit. He requires that we trust him.” He concluded that “the ‘work of God’ means that which God requires of us.”^{^[6]}

Having said that “it is not what we can do for God but rather what God has already done for us. All that is required of us is that we believe it”, James Montgomery Boice, who considered John 6:29 as a “golden sentence”, still concluded “what God requires of us is that we give up trying to please him by our own efforts and instead commit ourselves into the hands of our Savior.” ^{^[7]} Clearly, he views believing as the work that God requires from us. Richard Phillips has the same view as Boice has on that “Jesus describes believing as ‘the work of God,’ his point is to contrast works with faith.” ^{^[8]}

Although Murray Harris stated “Jesus contrasts the one ‘work’ that God actually requires (τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ)— namely (epex. ἵνα), constant belief (πιστεύητε, pres. subjunc.) in his accredited messenger— with the many ‘works’ the Jews imagined God demanded (τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ, v. 28)”, he realized “Yet this human ‘work’ of continually believing in Jesus is ultimately the work of the Father who draws believers to Christ (v. 44).”^{^[9]}

Edward Klink noted “the singular work of the Christian is faith in the Son who was sent from the Father … Any work for God must involve faith in his Son.” Then he continued “There is a work to be done, but it belongs to God… Faith, then, is to trust in the work of God accomplished in Jesus Christ.”^{^[10]}

D.A. Carson commented on 6:28 “they respond by focusing all attention on the work (lit) ‘What must we do in order to work the works of God?’ The expression ‘the works of God” does not refer to the works that God performs, but (as in NIV) to the works God requires.” Carson then went on “Jesus sets them straight: The work of God — i.e. what requires — is faith.” ^{^[11]}

Urban C. Von Wahlde found that scholars intended to set up a contrast between the audience’ s use of the plural“works” (ἔργα) and Jesus’s use of the singular (ἔργον), in order to interpret Jesus’s words in 6:29 as a correction of audience’s legalistic misunderstanding of works. He shows that these conclusions are unwarranted. In his commentary on John 6:29, he says, “This is often treated as the Johannine answer to the relation between faith and works. It is not. The confusion arises from the presence of the idiomatic expression in v. 28.” On verse 28, he noted, “‘What should we do (poiōmen), to work the works (ergazōmetha ta erga) of God?’ This is not a question about doing the works of the Law but an example of the idiomatic expression found in apocalyptic meaning ‘to do the will of,’ or ‘to do what is characteristic of.’ (The expression appears also in 8:39, 41)”^{^[12]} Von Wahlde claims that the tension between legalism and faith is not an issue in the Gospel of John, and he has forcefully denied the notion that Jesus taught his audience that God was only interested in one “work”: faith, as opposed to the many works by which they merit eternal life.

On the basis of the flow of the argument that unfolds in the bread of life discourse with its focus on God’s gift, Grindheim argues that the genitive construction of “τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ” should be interpreted as subjective genitive, meaning the work God does, rather than objective genitive, meaning the work God requires. ^{^[13]} He concluded that Jesus’s words in v.29 should be interpreted as “the work that God does is that you believe in him whom he has sent”, which is to say “faith is given by God”. For “The bread of life discourse emphasizes the same point. Faith in Jesus is a gift that God gives”, Grindheim explained^{^[14]}

Grindheim’s observation provides many new insights on the translation and interpretation of this verse, yet some issues are not fully resolved. First, the ἵνα clause seems not well interpreted and translated. Klink noted, “Jesus’s statement is in the form of a subjunctive with the conjunction often translated as ‘that/in order that’ (ἵνα), which in this context is best taken as introducing an epexegetical clause explaining the preceding ‘this’ (τοῦτό) and is fittingly translated as an infinitive”^{^[15]} It seems that Grindheim treats the ἵνα clause in v.29 in the same way as Klink.

My Argument

In this article, I will argue that τοῦτό (v.29) refers to the idiomatic expression in the ἵνα clause in v.28: “in order to work the work of God (ἵνα ἐργαζώμεθα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ)”, meaning “in order to become the children of God” on the basis of study on the same idiomatic expression used in 6:28, 8:39, 8:41, while the conjunction ἵνα in v. 29 is used in its primary sense as a marker to denote purpose, aim or goal. Meanwhile, I consider John 6:44 and 65 as two parallel verses to John 29, for Jesus defines “the work of God” (v.29) as the Father’s drawing (v.44), which is graciously given by the Father (v.65).

1, Idiomatic Expression of “Work the Works of God”

Jesus’s words in 6:29 are given in answer to a question from the audience: “What shall we do that we might work the works of God?” (v. 28). In order to understand what Jesus really teaches in v. 29, we first have to understand what the question from the audience really means. As Von Wahlde suggests that the idiomatic expression used in v.28 appears in John 8:39 and 41. In 8:39, Jesus said to Jews, “If you are the children of Abraham, you would do (ἐποιεῖτε) the works (ἔργα) of Abraham”, in which Jesus has lineage and this idiomatic expression linked together. In John 8:41, when Jesus said to the Jews, “you are doing the deeds of your father (ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε τὰ ἔργα τοῦ πατρὸς)”, the Jews responded to Jesus with a statement about birthright and lineage: “We were not born of fornication (Ἡμεῖς ἐκ πορνείας οὐ γεγεννήμεθα); we have one Father: God” (NASB), which is shown as a pattern of “born of……Father”. Verse 39 and 41 can be also translated as “for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example” (v.39) and “you are imitating your real father”(v.41, NLT, emphasis mine). This translation suggests the relationship between seed (σπέρμα, 8:33) and image is involved. The word σπέρμα actually means semen, and it originally comes from the Hebrew word זֶרַע (Gen.1:11-12), which is best translated as “seed”. Desmond Alexander noted, “zeraʿ conveys the idea that there is a close resemblance between the ‘seed’ and that which has produced it.” When Peter talks about the new birth in terms of God’s sovereign grace in election in 1Peter 1:23, as Boice indicated, “he emphasizes that God is the Father of his children and that we are born again spiritually by means of the Word of God, which Peter likens to the male life germ. The Latin Vulgate makes this image of Peter’s even clearer than our English versions, for the word used there is semen.”^{^[16]} We can find that same concept in James 1:18, "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." In the immediate context of 6:29, Jesus says, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (6:63). Jesus teaches his audience that the Father would have his elect begotten of his own will through Jesus’s words (cf. John 3:5). Unless the sinner received the Word of God, the spiritual seed of his new life, he is unable to imitate him, or follow his example, or do his will. In other words, he is not a child of God. Satan is his father in the spiritual sense and he will do his will. That is why Jesus rebukes the Jews in 8:37-44. “To work the work of God”(v. 28) is therefore a periphrasis for “to be born of God” or “to become the children of God”.

2, Man’s Faith Is a Result from the Work of Father’s Regeneration

This is actually the theme of the Gospel of John, for it is addressed from the prologue, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of …… but of God” (1:12-13). The use of the concept of new birth strongly emphasizes the need for a divine initiative for man’s faith on Jesus. Now we can see John’s statement (1:12-13) is on Jesus’s lips (6:29), which is to say that man’s faith on Jesus is a result from the regeneration of God.

The implied subject of the clause in v. 29 “whom he has sent” by the 3rd singular ἀπέστειλεν indicates that “the work of God” refers to “the work of the Father”. In the light of 8:39-41, the question in 6:28, in the presence of the same idiomatic expression, that “What shall we do (ποιοῦμεν), that we might work the works of God (ἐργαζώμεθα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ)?” should be best taken as a question about birthright and lineage: what shall we do, in order that (ἵνα) we might become the children of God? Jesus’s words in v. 29 is to answer the question of birthright and lineage: This (in order to have you born in God’s family) is (of course) the work of the Father, in order that (ἵνα) you believed into the One whom he sent. John’s point in 1:12-13 is succinctly expressed by Jesus in 6:29. Therefore, Jesus words in v.29 were meant to teach that the Father grants regeneration unto faith and regeneration precedes faith, which is also consistent to his own teaching in John 3:3,5.

Grindheim observes that the work of God in verse 29 specifically refers to the work that the Father does to draw people to Christ (6:44), and that drawing work is the Father’s sovereign grace (v.65).^{^[17]} At this point, it is not hard to see that verse 29, 44 and 65 are three parallel verses:

Verse 29: Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Verse 44: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”

Verse 65: And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

I consider John 6:44 as a single verse which covers all five points of Calvinism, in the acrostic TULIP. The narrative reveals the total depravity of the people, which is evident on their inabilities to receive the gift that is given to them. Jesus teaches his audience that they need Father’s sovereign and unconditional choice of sinners to have them born again by Father’s drawing first, in order that they can come to him. Unless the Father "draws" him, a sinner will not believe Jesus. This regenerating work of the Father is done by Father’s drawing definitively to elect. Then Christ would have them persevered to the last day.

BDAG implies the key verb “draw” (ἑλκύσῃ) meaning that the object being moved is incapable of propelling itself or in the case of persons is unwilling to do so voluntarily.^{^[18]}Joel Beeke uses this verb to describe God’s irresistible grace in calling sinner as forceful and compelling force.^{^[19]} For “there is not one example in the New Testament of the use of this verb where the resistance is successful”, as Morris says.^{^[20]}

When Paul says, “he (Father) has delivered (ἐῤῥύσατο) us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col. 1:13), he echoes the teaching of Jesus in 6:44 and 3:3, 5, where Jesus says, “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God....he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Total deprived man lacks all ability to save himself, even to believe in the gospel freely offered to him. He needs Father’s sovereign and invincible grace to drag him out from the domain of darkness in order to enter and see the kingdom of God. Jesus’s use of the singular (ἔργον) in v.29 indicates the work of God is a monergistic grace from the Father (v.65). God's gracious choosing makes man willing to receive salvation in Christ.

3, Revision of the Translation of Jesus’ Words in John 6:29

Having understood that Jesus’s words in v.29 were meant to teach that the Father grants regeneration unto faith, it is not hard to understand why the existing translations caused so many confusions. When interpreting John 3:16, Wayne Grudem noted, “The Greek phrase πιστεύω εἰς αὐτόν could also be translated ‘believe into him’ with the sense of trust or confidence that goes into and rests in Jesus as a person.”^{^[21]} Morris understands the Greek phrase πιστεύω εἰς to be a significant indication that faith is not just intellectual assent but includes a “moral element of personal trust.”^{^[22]} Same Greek phrase is used in v.29. Given the fact that man’s faith on Jesus is his personal trust in Jesus to save him, it is correct to say that faith is a result of God’s regenerating work, but it is not theologically correct to say faith is the work of God. For faith is a humanly exercised act, although it is a divinely imparted habit. Based on this doctrinal consideration, ἵνα here in v.29 should be treated as a subordinate conjunction, introducing the purpose the Father regenerated his elect first, in order that they believe into Jesus, just as how Wallace interprets the use of ἵνα in John 3:16.^{^[23]} The conjunction ἵνα here is used in its primary sense as a marker to denote purpose, aim or goal.^{^[24]}Jesus words in verse 29 are therefore best translated as: “this is the work of God, in order that you believe into the One whom He sent.” In Chinese, it would be translated as, “這是神的工作，好叫你們信祂所差來的。”This revised translation offers a clear expression of ordo salutis existing in John 6:29. Jesus’s words in this verse are meant to teach that man’s faith on him is a gift that the Father gives through his gracious and invincible drawing.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Ed. (BDAG).

Beeke, Joel R. Living for God’s Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism. Lake Mary, FL: Reformation Trust, 2008.

Carson, D. A. The Gospel According to John. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1991.

Daniel B. Wallace. “Greek grammar: beyond the basics 5.0.” Zondervan interactive, 2003.

Von Wahlde, Urban C. Eerdmans Critical Commentary: The Gospel and Letters of John, Volume 2: The Gospel of John. (ECC; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010)

Grindheim, Sigurd. “The Work of God or of Human Beings: A Note on John 6:29.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society; Lynchburg 59, no. 1 (March 2016): 63–66.

Harris, Murray J., Andreas J. Kostenberger, and Robert W. Yarbrough. John. Nashville, TN, UNITED STATES: B&H Publishing Group, 2015.

III, Edward W. Klink. John. Edited by Clinton E. Arnold. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2016.

James Montgomery Boice. The Gospel of John: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005.

Leon Morris. The Gospel According to John. Rev. ed.. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: WBEerdmans PubCo, 1995.

Phillips, Richard D. John: 2 Volume Set. 2 volume set edition. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P & R Publishing, 2014.

Wayne A. Grudem. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Leicester, England : Grand Rapids, Mich.: Inter-Varsity Press ; Zondervan PubHouse, 1994.

William Hendriksen. Exposition of the Gospel According to John. New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1992.

神的工與人的信——約翰福音6:29解經

約翰福音6:29乃華人阿米念主義者最喜歡的經文，他們引用這節經文來證明人需要行使他的自由意志來選擇悔改相信作為得到他救恩的作為和貢獻，因為和合本——華人基督徒自1919年以來最盛行的聖經版本是這樣翻譯這節經文的：“信神所差來的，這就是作神的工”, 這個中文翻譯字面上的意思是“to believe in one whom God has sent: this is to do the work of God”. 很顯然，和合本對約翰福音6：29的翻譯給人的印象是這節經文中的“神的工”乃是神要我們做的工。因為頻繁地受到華人阿米念主義者在這個問題上的挑戰，這促使我去仔細查考這節經文的希臘文原文、英文翻譯和學者們的闡釋。

翻譯

約翰福音6:29 希臘文的原文是這樣的: ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ ἵνα πιστεύσητε εἰς ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος. 翻譯家們在約翰福音6：29這節經文中耶穌的話的翻譯上有很大的分歧，這種分歧可大致分為兩組。第一組以 ESV為典型代表，將之譯作 “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom He has sent.” 類似的翻譯可見於這些版本：ASV, CSB, KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NKJV, NRSV, RSV, WEB 和YLT。呂振中譯本是另外一種中文譯本，該版本在華人基督徒圈子內跟和合本比較以更加直譯著稱，其新約部分於1946年出版。呂振中版本這節經文譯作： “信他所差遣的，這就是上帝的工”, 字面上的意思是, “to believe in one whom he has sent: this is the work of God.” 呂振中的翻譯跟ESV這組的英文翻譯類似，這種翻譯正如Singurd Grindheim 所觀察到的，保留了 “the work of God”這個詞組意義上的模糊性。^{^[1]} 而REB這個版本是另一組翻譯的代表，它將之譯作, “This is the work that God requires: to believe in the one whom he has sent.” 類似的翻譯見於CEB, CEV, GNB, NET, NJB, 和 NLT等版本。和合本的翻譯跟REB這組的翻譯類似，將 “the work of God” (τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ) 作為受詞的所有格來處理，正如Grindheim所指出的那樣，是指作 “神期待我們人來做的工作。”^{^[2]} ESV這組版本的翻譯似乎更像希臘文的直譯，而REB這組版本的翻譯似乎將翻譯者的注釋翻譯帶進譯文裡面了。

倘若我們仔細查看約翰福音6:29希臘文原文，我們會發現耶穌的話是以ἵνα這個連接詞的一種虛擬語氣說出來的，這個字通常譯作“好叫”或“叫”。D.B. Wallace在他的GGBB這本書中說到ἵνα這個字的一種用法就是可以用作名詞來用，而ἵνα從句的功用之一就是作前面名詞的同位語。還說到，這種結構在約翰的著作中尤其常見。^{^[3]} 因此耶穌這句話中的ἵνα從句 (ἵνα πιστεύητε εἰς ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος)可以看作同位語從句，作為前面“工作”(ἔργον)這個名詞的同位語。 “τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ” 這個從句可以看作是εἶπεν的賓語。基於這種考慮，耶穌在這節經文中的話英文就可以作ESV那樣的翻譯，中文就可以作呂振中譯本那樣的翻譯。因為ἵνα這個字主要的意思是用作表示意圖、目的和目標^{^[4]} ，因此很難將 “τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ” 作為受詞的所有格來處理，因為這個跟ἵνα這個字的主要意思相違背。

Interpretation

注釋家們對6：29這節經文的闡釋遠不如在其翻譯上的分歧那麼多，我覺得這很有意思。他們大多數將“τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ”當作神要求我們去做的工作來看，即使他們用的是ESV這組的聖經翻譯版本。不過，不難看出他們在自己對經文的解釋和現有的純正教義之間保持和諧這方面的掙扎糾結。

William Hendriksen 將“神的工” 看作 “人必須回應神之信心的工作”，即便他完全清楚“救恩完全是出於恩典”，他說。“信心的工作乃解釋神禮物的工作。”^{^[5]}

Leon Morris 覺得“耶穌將‘工作’描述成相信” 很有意思，他說，“神不需要我們積德來獲得屬天的信用，祂要我們的就是相信祂。” 他因此得出結論說，“‘神的工’意思是神要求我們做的工”^{^[6]}

James Montgomery Boice將6：29視作“金句”，他在說完“不在乎我們為神做什麼，而在乎神已經為我們做了什麼。神要求我們的一切就是我們相信之”之後，卻得出結論說，神要求我們的是放棄我們自己的努力來取悅祂，而是要我們將自己委身給救主的手中。”^{^[7]}他顯然將信心視作神要求我們做的工。Richard Phillips 跟Boice的觀點相同，他說，“耶穌將信心描述成‘神的工’，祂的指向是要將行為與信心對照起來。”^{^[8]}

儘管Murray Harris說及，“耶穌將神確切地要求我們做的一個‘工作’(τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ)— 也就是 (ἵνα作為解釋性的), 將相信 (πιστεύητε, 現在時虛擬語氣) 祂信任的使者——與猶太人所想象的神要求的許多“工作”作為對照(τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ, v. 28)”, 但他也意識到，“不過這種人的持續相信耶穌的“工作”最終是父神吸引信徒到基督那裡的工作（44節）”^{^[9]}

Edward Klink說，“基督徒單一的工作信父差遣來的子、、、為神做的任何工作都涉及到對祂兒子的信。”他接着又說，“還有一項工作需要做，但卻是屬於神的、、、信心，而後是相信神在耶穌基督裡面所成就的工作。”^{^[10]}

D.A. Carson 是這樣註解6:28的“他們關注全是工作（字面上的意思是）‘我們當行什麼，才算作神的工？’‘神的工’這個表述不是指神做的工作，而是（正如NIV所翻譯的）神要求我們做的。” Carson 接着說，“耶穌跟他們直白地說：神的工——就是所要求的——就是信心。”^{^[11]}

Urban C. Von Wahlde 發現學者們都有把會眾使用複數的“工作”(ἔργα) 與耶穌使用的單數的工作 (ἔργον)來作顯明對照，目的是要將耶穌在約6：29中的話解釋成糾正會眾錯誤地理解成守律法的行為，他表明這些結論是沒有根據的。在他對約6：29的注釋當中他這有說，“這常常將約翰的回答作為一種信心與工作之間的關係來處理，但這卻不是。這種混亂主要是因為28節中有一個成語表述。”在對28節的注釋中，他說，“‘我們當行什麼(poiōmen), 才算做神的工(ergazōmetha ta erga)，這個問題不是在說行律法的工作，而是成語表述的範例，表達啟示性的意思‘按誰的旨意行’或‘按誰的特徵行’（這種表述還在約8：39，41出現）”^{^[12]} Von Wahlde 宣稱律法主義和信心之間的張力不是約翰福音要說的問題，他強烈地否認耶穌是在那裡教導會眾：跟他們想要做的許多工作來賺取永生相對而言，神唯一對人感興趣的一個“工作”就是：信心。

基於耶穌有關生命的糧講道所展開的論點是聚焦在神的恩賜上，Grindheim辯論說， “τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ” 這個所有格結構應該解釋為主詞的所有格，意思是神做的工作，而不是受詞的所有格，意思是神要求人做的工作。^{^[13]} 他的結論是耶穌在29節經文中的話應該解釋為“神的工就是你信祂所差來的祂”，也就是說，“信心乃是神恩賜的”。因為“生命的糧之講道強調是同一個觀點，在耶穌里的信心乃是神恩賜的禮物”，Grindheim解釋說^{^[14]}

Grindheim’s 的觀察對這節經文的翻譯和解釋提供了不少深刻的見解，但有些問題還是沒有完全得到解決。首先， ἵνα 從句似乎沒有得到很好的解釋和翻譯。Klink寫到，“耶穌的表白是一種虛擬語氣結合通常譯作‘叫/好叫’ (ἵνα)的這個連接詞一起說出來的，從上下文來看，最好將這個連接詞視作介導一個解釋性從句，以此來解釋前面的‘這’ (τοῦτό)，將之譯作不定詞比較合適。”^{^[15]} 看上去Grindheim是以Klink同樣的方式來處理29節當中的 ἵνα從句的。

我的論點

在這篇文章當中，我要辯論的觀點是29節中的“這” (τοῦτό) 是指着28節ἵνα 從句中的成語表述而說的“in order to work the work of God (ἵνα ἐργαζώμεθα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ)”, 意思是“好叫我們成為神的兒女”，這是結論是在對同樣的成語用在6:28, 8:39, 8:41三節經文的研究基礎上得出來的，而29節中的連接詞ἵνα 這個字用的是其主要的意思來表示意圖、目的和目標。與此同時，我認為約6:44和65是兩節與約6:29平行的經文，因為耶穌在44節用父的吸引來定義29節的“神的工”，而神的這工乃是父恩典地賜予的（65節）。

1, “做神的工Work the Works of God”這個成語表述

耶穌在6:29所說的話乃是針對會眾在28節問的問題: “我們當行什麼，才算作神的工呢？What shall we do that we might work the works of God?” 要想明白耶穌在29節教導的真意，我們首先得明白會眾問題的真意。正如Von Wahlde所提示的，用於在28節裡面的那個成語也出現在約8:39 和 41節裡面。在8:39, 耶穌對猶太人說，“你們若是亞伯拉罕的兒子，就必行(ἐποιεῖτε)亞伯拉罕所行的事(ἔργα)”，在這句話裡面耶穌將家系與這個成語緊緊聯結在一起。在約8:41, 當耶穌對猶太人說，“你們是行你們父所行的事(ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε τὰ ἔργα τοῦ πατρὸς)”，而猶太人給耶穌的回應卻是一個關乎出生權和家系的表白：“我們不是從淫亂生的 (Ἡμεῖς ἐκ πορνείας οὐ γεγεννήμεθα)，我們只有一位父就是神。” 這裡顯示出一種“從、、、父而生”的模式。第39節和41節的英文翻譯還可以這樣翻 “for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example效法祂的樣式” (v.39) and “you are imitating your real father效法你真正的父”(v.41, NLT, 斜體強調是我放上去的)。這個翻譯提示其中蘊含着種子seed (σπέρμα, 8:33) 與形象之間的關係，σπέρμα 這個字的意思其實就是精子，其本來源於希伯來文 זֶרַע (創1:11-12)這個字，其最好的翻譯是“種子”（不少人翻譯作“後裔”）。Desmond Alexander 說, “zeraʿ （זֶרַע）這個字表達一種‘種子’與從其而出的兩者之間非常相像的觀念。”正如Boice所指出的，當彼得在彼得前書1：23論及神在揀選中的主權恩典的新生時，“他強調神是祂子民的父，而我們從屬靈意義上來說我們的重生乃是藉着神的道，在那裡彼得將神的道比作男人生命的精子。拉丁文聖經比起英文版聖經來甚至將彼得用的這幅畫面刻畫得更清晰，因為拉丁文用的那個字就是精子。”^{^[16]} 我們在雅各書1：18也可以發現同樣的概念，“他按自己的旨意，用真道生了我們，叫我們在他所造的萬物中，好像初熟的果子。”在 6:29緊鄰的上下文裡，耶穌說，“叫人活着的乃是靈，肉體是無益的。我對你們所說的話，就是靈，就是生命” （6:63)。耶穌教導祂的會眾父會按照祂的旨意使祂揀選的人藉着祂的話生出來（參見約3:5）。除非罪人接受了神的道——他新生命屬靈的種子，他就不可能效法祂，或跟從祂，或按祂的旨意行。換句話說，他還不是神的孩子呢。從屬靈意義來說，撒旦乃是他的父，他會按照撒旦的旨意行。這就是為什麼耶穌在8:37-44那樣駁斥猶太人說。因此，28節中“做神的工”實際上是“從神而生”或“成為神的兒女”的委婉表述。

2,人的信乃父重生之工的結果

這實際上是約翰福音的主題思想，因為在開場白裡面就講到這點，“他到自己的地方來，自己的人倒不接待他。凡接待他的，就是信他名的人，他就賜他們權柄，作神的兒女。這等人、、、乃是從神生的”（1：12-13）使用新生這個概念本身就是非常強調人信耶穌需要一個從神而來的創始。如今我們就能看見約翰的在1：12-13的告白在耶穌的口中表達出來了（6:29），也就是說，人對耶穌的信乃是神重生之工的結果。

第29節“祂所差遣的”這個從句中第三人稱單數動詞ἀπέστειλεν所暗示出來的主語“祂”表明“神的工”是指着“父的工”。在 8:39-41的亮光之下，因着6:28中的問句當中也使用了同樣的成語表達“我們當行(ποιοῦμεν)什麼，才算作神的工(ἐργαζώμεθα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ)呢？”最好是將之視作作一個關於出生權和家系的問題：我們當行什麼，好叫 (ἵνα) 我們可以成為神的兒女呢? 耶穌在29節的話就是回答這個出生權和家系問題的：這（使你們生在神的家中）（當然）是父的工作，好叫你們信祂所差來的那位。約翰在1:12-13中的觀點被耶穌在6:29中清楚地表達了出來。因此，耶穌在29節中的話意在教導會眾父賜重生使得人信，亦即重生先於信心，這也跟祂在約 3:3,5的教導是一致的。

Grindheim觀察到29節中神的工是特別指着父吸引人到基督那裡來講的（6：44），而這種吸引的工作乃是父主權的恩賜（6：65）。^{^[17]} 及此，就不難看出29, 44 和 65這三節經文實際上是平行的：

第29節: 耶穌回答說，信神所差來的，這就是作神的工。（筆者譯：這是神的工作，好叫你們信祂所差來的）

第 44節: “若不是差我來的父吸引人，就沒有能到我這裡來的。到我這裡來的，在末日我要叫他復活。”

第65節: 耶穌又說，“所以我對你們說過，若不是蒙我父的恩賜，沒有人能到我這裡來。”

我將約6:44看作一個單節含括鬱金香（TULIP）這個縮寫所代表的加爾文主義五要點的經文。經文顯示出人的全然變壞，表現在他們沒有能力得到給予他們的禮物。耶穌教導祂的會眾，他們需要父主權的和無條件的揀選罪人，使得他們藉着父的吸引而先得重生，好叫他們能夠來到祂面前。若不是父“吸引”人，罪人就不會相信耶穌。父的這種重生的工作是特定地做在祂揀選的人身上。而後基督保守他們到末日。

BDAG （新約和早期基督教文獻希臘文英文字典）暗示匙詞“吸引” (ἑλκύσῃ) 這個字的意思是所挪動的物體本身無法驅動，或在說到人時意思是人自己不情願那樣做。^{^[18]}Joel Beeke用這個字來描述神在呼召罪人那種強大和無可抗拒力量帶來的不可抗拒的恩典。^{^[19]} 。正如Morris所說，因為“在新約中還沒有一例在用這個動詞的情況下抗拒成功了的”^{^[20]}

當保羅說“他救了我們脫離(ἐῤῥύσατο)黑暗的權勢，把我們遷到他愛子的國里”（西 1:13）時，他是在回應耶穌在6:44 和3:3, 5的教導，在那裡耶穌說“人若不重生，就不能見神的國、、、人若不是從水和聖靈生的，就不能進神的國。”全然敗壞的人沒有能力救自己，甚至沒有能力相信白白給他的福音。他需要父主權的和不可戰勝的恩典將他從黑暗的權勢下硬拽出來，好叫他進入和看見神的國。耶穌在29節所用的單數的工作 (ἔργον) 表明神的工乃是從父而來獨一的恩賜（65節）。神恩典地選擇使得人願意接受在基督里的救恩。

3, 約翰福音6:29翻譯上的修訂

在明白了耶穌在29節中的話意在教導會眾父賜重生使得人信，亦即重生先於信心之後，就不難明白現存的翻譯會導致如此多的困惑。Wayne Grudem在闡釋約3:16時這樣說，希臘文的短語πιστεύω εἰς αὐτόν（信祂）也可以翻譯作“信入祂”，帶有個人信靠或帶着信任進入和安歇在耶穌裡面的意思。”^{^[21]} Morris 將希臘文短語πιστεύω εἰς 理解為一個顯著的標識表達信心不僅僅是知性上的同意而已，還包括着“個人信靠的道德成分”在裡面。^{^[22]}這個同樣的希臘文短語也見於29節，鑑於人對耶穌的信心乃是他個人對耶穌拯救他的信靠，說信心是神重生之工的結果就對了，但若說信心乃是神的工在神學上就不對了。因為信心儘管是從神那裡賜給的習性，但畢竟還是人的作為。基於這個教義上的考慮，也正如Wallace在解釋 ἵνα在約 3:16的用法時所指出的，29節裡面的這個ἵνα最好是作為附屬從句的連詞，引出父重生祂揀選的人在先，目的是好叫他們信入耶穌。^{^[23]} 連接詞ἵνα這個字主要的意思是用作表示意圖、目的和目標。^{^[24]}因此，耶穌在29節中的話的最佳翻譯是 “this is the work of God, in order that you believe into the One whom He sent.” 中文的最佳翻譯是, “這是神的工作，好叫你們信祂所差來的。”這一修訂的翻譯將6:29裡面所蘊含的救恩的次序清晰地表達出來了，耶穌在這節經文意在教導人對祂的信乃從藉着祂恩典的無法抗拒的吸引父賜下的禮物。