守约的神（三）：圣约神学的实际涵义
The Covenant Keeping God - Part 3
Practical-Implications of Covenant Theology
作者：Dr. Greg Bahnsen
百万个为什么/译 诚之/校
原文链结：
http://www.salemreformed.org/pages/articles/bahnsen-articles/cross-examination-covenant-3.php
（感谢Salmen Reformed Church惠允翻译）
首先让我们扼要重述一下什么是“圣约神学”（covenant theology）：神在圣经的扉页中向我们启示了自己，特别显明了祂是守约的神。要正确地了解神本身（祂的位格）以及祂的工作，我们必须从神与祂的选民立约，并成全此约这道亮光去认识祂。
Let us begin by recapitulating what we mean by covenant theology. God reveals Himself in the pages of Scripture specifically as the covenant-keeping God. To understand His person and works properly, we must see Him in light of the covenant He has made and fulfills with His people.
我们早已看到，从创世之初，神与人的关系，从本质上讲，就是圣约的关系。祂的约在本质上是一个圣约。神与亚当所立的约是以恩典为特征，是祂主权所立的，而且对双方都具有约束力；它要求亚当的信靠和顺服，也需要神的监管（祝福或诅咒）。在亚当堕落犯罪后，神以怜悯与亚当重新建立了一个圣约的关系。这个带着恩典和应许的圣约甚至着眼更远——救世主降临的应许，这应许在整本旧约中逐步展开，并得到详细的阐述。
We have already seen that God's relationship with man from the very beginning was covenantal in nature. His covenant was covenantal in nature. His covenant with Adam was gracious in character, sovereignly imposed, mutually binding, called for trust and submission on Adam's part, and carried sanctions (blessings or curse). When Adam fell into sin, God mercifully re-established a covenantal relationship with him, one in which the gracious and promissory character of the covenant was accentuated even further -- in the promise of a coming Savior, a promise which is progressively unfolded and elaborated upon throughout the Old Testament.
人类堕落之后所有的圣约（包括神在摩西时期的治理Mosaic administration），在本质上也都是以恩典为特征的，是先前圣约的补足和延伸，并以基督以及祂的救赎工作为中心——而不是以犹太人和巴勒斯坦这块地为中心。旧约预表了基督和祂将要做的工作（借着预示和预言），新约则回顾了基督和祂已成就的工作，将福音宣告出来，即神救恩的国度已经到来。如此，神在各个时期不同的治理方式，基本上仍是同一个圣约。
Thus all of the post-fall covenants (even the Mosaic administration ) were gracious in character, complementing and expanding upon previous ones, and centered on Christ and His redemptive work -- rather than upon the Jews or the land of Palestine. The Old Covenant looked ahead to Christ and His work (by foreshadow and prophecy), while the New Covenant looks back to Christ and His work, proclaiming the gospel that God's saving kingdom has now arrived. These are, then, but one underlying covenant under differing administrations.
问：时代论者（dispensationalists）和圣约神学家都察觉到新旧约圣经之间是连贯的，但也有不连贯之处。双方都认识到，坠落后的人类要得到拯救，就需要神所赐与的恩典。双方都认为，摩西时期的祭仪（圣殿、献祭、等等），在新约中已经被搁置到一旁。那么，在摆明了所有的观点之后，两种学派间的神学差异还真有这么重大吗？
QUESTION: Both dispensationalists and covenant theologians see continuity as well as discontinuity between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Both recognize the need for the grace of God for anybody to be saved after the fall. Both believe that the Mosaic cultus (temple, sacrifices, etc.) has been laid aside in the New Covenant. So is the theological difference between these two schools of thought really so significant when all is said and done?
答：它们之间的分岐的确很大。它反映了对神的本性和性情的理解，会影响到我们看待救恩和理解圣经的方法，对我们敬拜神的方式，以及在世界中活在神的面前，也有更深远的含意。时代论者也许会推导出某些与圣约神学相同的结论，但他们推导出那些结论的方法，却成为了引起其它错误的根源。
ANSWER: The significance of the difference is a weighty one indeed. It reflects upon the nature and character of God. It impacts the way in which we see salvation and scripture. It carries far-reaching implications for the way in which we worship God and live before Him in the world. Dispensationalists may arrive at certain conclusions which agree with the conclusions of covenant theology, but the way in which they reach those conclusions leads to a host of other errors.
比如说，时代论者主张旧约中的每个教义原则已随着新约的到来而结束——除了新约所重申的教义以外。圣约神学家则采取截然不同的方法来阐释圣经。他们坚持，除了主自己，没有一个人有特权去更改或废除主的话。因此，随着新约的到来，旧约中的所有教义原则仍然继续有效，除非立约的神有新的宣示。简而言之：只有神自己才可以为新的教义赋予新意。因而， 时代论者和圣约神学家所采用的假设是刚好相反的。
For instance, dispensationalists maintain that everything in the Old Covenant passes away with the coming of the New Covenant -- everything except that which is reiterated in the New Covenant. Covenant theologians take a diametrically different approach to Biblical interpretation. They hold that nobody has the prerogative to alter or abrogate the word of the Lord except the Lord Himself. Therefore, with the coming of the New Covenant all the principles of the Old Covenant continue to be valid except where the Lord of the Covenant declares things to be new. To put it simply: God alone can define the newness of the new. Thus the operating presumption of dispensationalists and covenant theologians is exactly the opposite of each other.
时代论者会这样说：到了末了，旧约中的救赎可以凭着对神的恩典的信心得到。可是，他们也说到，在旧约中，救恩的施予取决于人是否完全遵行了律法——神在旧约中对律法主义者也发出了邀请。与此相比较，他们甚至假定，新约不讲律法；救恩纯粹是靠恩典，完全不考虑人的行为。这种对神的特性和主权的观点令人忧虑、 且偏离了圣经。按照圣约神学的观点，得救不是靠行为，乃是出于神的恩典。并且，这恩典需要神的选民以忠心顺服作为回应——在旧约和新约里都是如此。因此，时代论者曲解了神的救赎工作和新约的新义。
Dispensationalists will say that, in the end, salvation in the Old Covenant was by the grace of God through faith. However, they also say that, hypothetically, salvation was offered to men on the basis of their keeping the law perfectly -- that God extended an invitation to legalism -- in the Old Covenant. By contrast, they say, the New Covenant knows no legalism, even hypothetically; salvation is purely by grace without any consideration of works whatsoever. This viewpoint displays a very disturbing and unbiblical understanding of God's character and sovereignty. According to Covenant theology, salvation has never been by works, even hypothetically; it has always been proclaimed on the basis of God's grace. And this grace has always called for the response of faithful obedience on the part of God's people -- in both of Old and New Testaments. Thus dispensationalists have misconstrued God's work of salvation and (again) the newness of the New Covenant.
此外，由于时代论者没有荣耀神的圣约的统一性，他们今天同样在误导神的选民，把教会看成为神初期宣示的某种补充，并坚持犹太民族作为神在远古的选民，仍继续享有特权的这个观点。因而，时代论者坚持把属天的子民（教会）和属地的民众（犹太民族）的期盼和未来作出區分。然而，这远远不是保罗的展望。他不仅将混杂着外邦人的教会视为“神的以色列”（加6：16）——现在是由“以色列国民”（commonwealth of Israel）的“圣徒”（fellow-citizens）借着基督的宝血建立起来的（弗2:11-13，19）；他还坚持，以色列未来的福分，完全要靠参与在教会中福音的祝福——藉着把橄榄树嫁接回外邦人所嫁接的枝头上（罗11:11-26）。
Even further, because dispensationalists do not honor the unity of God's covenant, they also misconstrue the people of God today, seeing the church as something of a supplement to God's first declarations on the subject, and clinging to the idea of a continuing privilege for the ethnic Jews as God's ancient people. Accordingly dispensationalists insist on distinguishing the expectations and futures for the heavenly people (the church) and the earthly people (the Jews). Nothing could be further from Paul's own outlook, however. He not only saw the mixed Gentile church as "the Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16 ) which is now made up of "fellow-citizens" of the "commonwealth of Israel" through Christ's blood (Eph. 2:11-13 , 19 ), but he insisted that Israel's future blessing would be precisely to share in the gospel blessings of the church (Rom. 11:11-26 ) -- by being grafted back into the single olive tree into which the Gentiles have been grafted.
所以，我们不得不承认时代论者和圣约神学家之间存在着巨大分歧，因为这些分歧影响着我们对神的品格、救赎的本质、神的选民的身份的思考，以及我们应该如何运用圣经。
So then, we are forced to recognize that the differences between dispensationalists and covenant theologians are tremendous ones, for they affect what we think of the character of God, the nature of salvation, the identity of God's people, and how we use the Bible.
问：圣约神学用一种独特的方法去解读基督徒的信息和生活。尽管时代论者（藉著错误的神学方法）也可能得到某些相同的结论，您能谈谈圣约神学有些什么实际的内涵吗？
QUESTION: Covenant theology has a distinctive way of looking upon the Christian message and the Christian life. Even though dispensationalists may reach some of the same conclusions (through a faulty theological method), what would you say are some of the practical implications of covenant theology?
答：首先，圣约神学所理解的基督教，代表着救恩唯独靠恩典这一核心的、不可更改的信息。神以圣约的方式拯救我们——靠着祂所设立的白白的应许与怜悯的关系，并非因为我们里面有任何的功劳(merit)。
ANSWER: First of all, Christianity as understood by covenant theology stands for the central and unchanging message of salvation by grace alone. God saves us by way of covenant -- by His free promise and merciful relationship initiated by Him without consideration of any merit within us.
所以，在基督徒的生活中，首要的是靠着信心而活，在未来的事上还没有得到结果和成就之前，要相信神的应许。神自己先与我们立了约，并用祂的权柄设立了各项条款，圣约神学意指臣服于神的主权。
The Christian life is therefore above all a matter of living by faith, trusting the promise of God when the outcome or fulfillment is as yet unseen. And because God Himself initiated the covenant and set its terms by His own authority, covenant theology means bowing to the sovereignty of God.
因为祂是独有权能的，我们承认祂掌管世上的万有，祂对我们及我们的一切拥有主权——包括我们的儿女, 他们被恩慈地烙上了祂的印记。因此，圣约神学不认同极端的个人主义，强调家庭、强调神的全体选民（教会）。它把教会（持守信心的神的子民）作为神的救恩目标的焦点，贯穿整个救赎的历史。因着这个新、旧约中神的子民的统一性，以色列民族并无特殊的地位（相同的祝福会透过教会，临到所有的人）。
Since He is sovereign, we acknowledge that He owns the whole world and He owns us as well as everything about us -- including our children. They are graciously marked out as His own. Thus covenant theology shuns religious individualism in favor of an emphasis upon the family and upon the corporate people of God (the church). It sees the church, God's people by faith, as the focus of His saving purposes throughout redemptive history. Because of this unity between God's people in both the Old and New Covenants, there is no special place for ethnic Israel (apart from the same blessings which come to all men through the church).
圣约神学会培育以基督为中心的思想，因为祂是神应许的中保。同时，圣约神学强调弥赛亚的三个职份：先知、祭司、和君王。而且，救赎主正在行使这三个职份。我们对于救赎的唯一盼望是祂凭着祂的救赎工作，在神面前以祂大祭司的身份为我们代祷。作为先知，在我们生命的每一个领域，祂必定是超越我们的推理能力和在教育上的努力。我们要荣耀祂作为我们的君王，在生活中的每个领域（职场、娱乐、艺术、科学、社会、政治、经济，等等）活出祂的道。圣约神学宣告了在神面前（与祂“守约”）过圣洁、坚忍生活的需要。
Covenant theology fosters thinking which is Christ-centered because He is the Mediator of God's promises, and covenant theology puts emphasis upon all three of the Messiah's offices: prophet, priest, and king. All three are currently exercised by the Savior. Our only hope for salvation is His priestly intercession to God based upon His finished work of redemption. As our prophet He must be the Lord over our reasoning as well as our educational efforts, in all areas of life. Honoring Him as the reigning King, we seek to apply His word to every area of life (vocations, recreations, arts, sciences, society, politics, economics, etc.). Covenant theology declares the need for sanctified and persevering living under God ("keeping covenant" with Him).
最后，由于我们与神的关系从本质上是圣约性的，我们有必要把神的道作为定义圣约的条文。我们必须是这样的子民：研究并珍视神所显明的事——整本圣经，因为圣约神学坚守神的道的统一性和连贯性。从如上种种，我们可以了解到圣约神学是多么重要、多么实际。
Finally, because our relationship with God is covenantal in nature, there is a desperate need for God's word as the covenant's defining document. We must be people who study and cherish what God has there revealed -- from cover to cover, since covenant theology maintains the unity and continuity of that word. In all these ways we see just how important and how practical covenant theology really is.
