BA 2 Assurance from God's Plan
BA 2 来自神的计划的保证
Lesson Two
第二课
Assurance From God's Plan
来自上帝计划的保证
Daniel Burnham, America's preeminent architect at the turn of the 20th Century, once said, “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood.”
美国在20世纪初最杰出的建筑师丹尼尔-伯纳姆（Daniel Burnham）曾经说过："不要做小计划，它们没有激起人们血性的魔力"。
Burnham followed his own advice. He and his partner designed one of America's first skyscrapers. He planned and oversaw the construction of Chicago's 1893 World's Fair. He prepared “The Plan of Chicago,” the first comprehensive effort to control growth in an American city. In Washington, D.C., Burnham helped design the National Mall including the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. He also designed the Union Railroad Station that replaced the one that was on the capital grounds.
伯纳姆听从了自己的建议。他和他的伙伴设计了美国第一批摩天大楼之一。他计划并监督了芝加哥1893年世界博览会的建设。他编制了 "芝加哥计划"，这是控制美国城市发展的第一次全面努力。在华盛顿特区，伯纳姆帮助设计了国家广场，包括林肯和杰弗逊纪念馆。他还设计了联合火车站，取代了原来在首都的火车站。
Burnham's plans certainly stirred men's blood. Yet they pale when compared with God's eternal plan for you and me.
伯纳姆的计划当然激起了人们的血性。然而，与上帝为你我制定的永恒计划相比，这些计划就显得很苍白。
The Great “I AM.”
伟大的 "我是"。
In this lesson, we will review some of the most important features of God's nature. Prepare to stretch your mind. It is virtually impossible for the human brain to comprehend the idea that God lives in the eternal present. For him, there is neither past nor future. From our time-bound point of view, God has always existed, and he always will exist.
在本课中，我们将回顾神的本性的一些最重要的特征。准备好伸展你的思维。人类的大脑几乎不可能理解上帝生活在永恒的当下的想法。对他来说，既没有过去也没有未来。从我们受时间限制的角度来看，上帝一直存在，他也将一直存在。
When God commissioned Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage, Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God replied, “I AM who I AM." This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me” (Exodus 3:14).
当上帝委托摩西带领以色列人离开埃及的奴役时，摩西对上帝说："假设我去找以色列人，对他们说'你们祖先的上帝派我来找你们'，他们问我，'他叫什么名字？那我该怎么告诉他们呢？" 上帝回答说："我就是我"。这就是你要对以色列人说的：我是派我来的"（出埃及记3：14）。
Then God said, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers–the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob–has sent me to you. This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation” (Exodus 3:15).
神说："你对以色列人说：'你们祖宗的神--亚伯拉罕的神、以撒的神、雅各的神--差我到你们这里来。这是我的名字，直到永远，我的名字要世世代代记在心里"（出埃及记3：15）。
“Yahweh” is a Hebrew word meaning “He IS.” When God speaks of himself, he says “I AM.” When we speak of him, we say, “He IS.” From our point of view, God always has existed and always will exist. He is self-existent.
"Yahweh "是希伯来语，意思是 "他是"。当上帝说到自己时，他说 "我是"。当我们谈到他时，我们说，"他是"。从我们的角度来看，上帝一直存在，也将一直存在。他是自我存在的。
In Psalm 90:1-2, David prayed, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.”
在诗篇90:1-2中，大卫祷告说："主啊，你历代都是我们的居所。在山未生之前，或你生出大地和世界，从亘古到永远，你是神"。
The Mystery of the Trinity
三位一体的奥秘
The New Testament stretches our minds when it reveals that the one true God is made up of three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. It is virtually impossible for us to understand how one God can be three, and three can be one. The concept of the “trinity” was not devised by human minds. Human beings do not think like that. The concept of the triune God comes from God himself. Consider the following:
新约圣经揭示了唯一的真神是由三个人组成的，这使我们的思想得到了延伸。父、子、灵。我们几乎不可能理解一位神怎么会是三位，三位又怎么会是一位。三位一体 "的概念不是由人类的头脑设计出来的。人类不会这样思考。三位一体的上帝的概念来自于上帝本身。请考虑以下情况。
The gospel of John begins with these words: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” (John 1:1-2).
《约翰福音》以这些话开始。"起初有道，道与神同在，道就是神。他起初与神同在"（约翰福音1:1-2）。
At first glance, this statement is confusing. How can the “Word” be God and be with God at the same time? A clue to this mystery is found in the original Greek text where a definite article (the) is used in the clause, “the Word was with the God.” But the article is not in the clause, “the Word was God.” In the Greek text, the grammatical structure indicates that the Word (Christ) is essentially the same in nature as the God but is not the same person as the God.
乍一看，这句话让人困惑。道 "怎么可能既是神又与神同在？这个谜团的线索在希腊原文中被发现，在 "道与神同在 "这句话中使用了一个定冠词（the）。但在 "道就是神 "这句话中却没有这个定冠词。在希腊文中，语法结构表明，道（基督）在本质上与神相同，但与神不是同一个人。
We must view John 1:1-2 in the light of John's other writings where he reveals that Jesus is divine and essentially the same in nature as God the Father but is not the Father. (See John 1:14; 3:16; 5:16-32; 10:27-30; 14:6, 16, 26, 28; 15:23; 16:27-28; 17:1-26; 20:21.)
我们必须根据约翰的其他著作来看待约翰福音1:1-2，在这些著作中，他揭示了耶稣是神圣的，与父神在本质上是一样的，但不是父。(见约翰福音1：14；3：16；5：16-32；10：27-30；14：6、16、26、28；15：23；16：27-28；17：1-26；20：21）。
Who Created the Universe?
谁创造了宇宙？
The mystery deepens when John reveals that the Word is the agent by whom God created the universe: “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3).
当约翰揭示道是上帝创造宇宙的媒介时，这个奥秘更深了。"万物是藉着他造的；没有他，就没有被造的"（约翰福音1：3）。
The apostle Paul says virtually the same thing about Christ: “By him, all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, . . . all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things” (Colossians 1:16-17). In other words, God created everything in the universe through the pre-existent Christ.
使徒保罗对基督说的几乎是同样的话。"万物都是靠他创造的：天上的，地上的，看得见的，看不见的，......万物都是靠他创造的，也是为他创造的。他在万物之前"（歌罗西书1：16-17）。换句话说，上帝通过先存的基督创造了宇宙中的一切。
The author of Hebrews says essentially the same thing: “God has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe” (Hebrews 1:2). God the Father worked through his divine Son to create the heavens and the earth.
希伯来书的作者基本上说了同样的话："神藉着他的儿子对我们说，他指定他为万物的后嗣，并借着他创造宇宙"（希伯来书1:2）。父神通过他的神子工作，创造了天和地。
“The Word Became Flesh.”
"道成肉身"。
John continues, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the Word became flesh and was called “Immanuel,” meaning “God with us” (Matthew 1:23)
约翰继续说："道成了肉身，住在我们中间。我们见过他的荣光，就是那从父那里来，满有恩典和真理的独一的荣光"（约翰福音1:14）。当耶稣在伯利恒出生时，道成了肉身，被称为 "以马内利"，意思是 "上帝与我们同在"（马太福音1：23）。
John concludes, “Though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet, to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:10-12). Think of it. Jesus gives us the right to become children of God, the King of kings.
约翰总结说："世界虽是藉着他造的，世界却不认识他。他来到属于他的地方，但他自己的人却不接待他。然而，凡接待他的，就是信他名的，他就赐给他们权利，作神的儿女"（约翰福音1：10-12）。想一想吧。耶稣给我们权利成为上帝的孩子，万王之王。
Who would have thought that sinful men and women like us could become God's children? Yet, that was God's eternal plan for those who believe in the name of Jesus.
谁会想到像我们这样有罪的男人和女人可以成为上帝的孩子？然而，这是神为那些相信耶稣之名的人制定的永恒计划。
“Believing” in the name of Jesus is more than giving intellectual assent to the truth that he is the divine Son of God. It means trusting him enough to follow him wherever he leads. It means believing in him enough to obey his commands. In his Sermon on the Plain, Jesus asked, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). True belief is obedient belief.
"相信 "耶稣的名字，不仅仅是对他是上帝的神子这一事实给予理智的认同。它意味着相信他，足以跟随他到他所带领的地方。它意味着相信他，足以服从他的命令。在平原上的布道中，耶稣问道："你们为什么称我为'主啊，主啊'，却不照我的话去做？(路加福音6:46)。 真正的信仰是顺从的信仰。
In fact, in the original New Testament, “belief” and “obedience” are inseparable. Belief presupposes obedience. For example, in the Greek text, John 3:36, “belief” and “obedience” are virtually synonymous. Those who believe have life; those who disobey don't have life. In Hebrews 3:18-19, “disobedience” and “unbelief” are viewed as two sides of the same coin. People who “disobeyed” were not allowed to enter the promised land. They could not enter because of their “unbelief.” Jesus gives submissive, obedient believers the right to become children of God and heirs of eternal life.
事实上，在新约原文中，"相信 "和 "顺服 "是不可分割的。信仰的前提是顺服。例如，在希腊文中，约翰福音3：36，"相信 "和 "顺服 "几乎是同义词。相信的人有生命；不顺服的人没有生命。在希伯来书3:18-19中，"不顺服 "和 "不信 "被视为同一枚硬币的两面。不顺服 "的人不被允许进入应许之地。他们不能进入是因为他们 "不信"。耶稣给了顺从、服从的信徒权利，让他们成为上帝的孩子和永生的继承人。
Like Father, Like Son
有其父必有其子
The divinity of Jesus Christ is stated clearly in John 1:18: “No one has ever seen God. But God, the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.” Here, John calls Jesus “God." Jesus Christ is divine, and he has made the Father known to us. When we look at Jesus, we see what God, the Father, is like.
耶稣基督的神性在约翰福音1:18中说得很清楚："从来没有人见过神。惟有在父身边的神，就是那独一的神，已经把他显出来了"。这里，约翰称耶稣为 "上帝"。耶稣基督是神圣的，他使天父为我们所知。当我们看耶稣时，我们看到了上帝，也就是父，是什么样子。
Paul agrees. He describes Jesus as “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Similarly, the writer of Hebrews says, “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3). It is clear that the Father and the Son are not the same person; yet the Son is exactly like the Father in essence, character, purpose, and will. That is why Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
保罗同意这一点。他把耶稣描述为 "看不见的上帝的形象"（歌罗西书1：15）。同样，希伯来书的作者说："子是神荣耀的光辉，是神存在的确切代表"（希伯来书1：3）。很明显，圣父和圣子不是同一个人；但圣子在本质、性格、目的和意志上与圣父完全一样。这就是为什么耶稣说："凡看见我的，就是看见了父"（约翰福音14：9）。
Is Jesus Christ Really Eternal?
耶稣基督真的是永恒的吗？
One day, Jesus said to a group of hostile Jewish leaders, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56).
有一天，耶稣对一群充满敌意的犹太领袖说："你们的父亲亚伯拉罕一想到看到我的日子就欢喜，他看到就高兴"（约翰福音8:56）。
The Jewish leaders retorted sarcastically, “You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham!”
犹太领导人讽刺地反驳道："你还不到50岁，就已经看到了亚伯拉罕！"
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I AM” (John 8:56-58). By using God's name (Exodus 3:14), Jesus claimed to be eternal. The Jewish leaders regarded that claim as blasphemy, and they picked up stones to kill him, but Jesus escaped.
耶稣说："我实实在在地告诉你们，在亚伯拉罕未生以前，我就是"（约翰福音8：56-58）。通过使用上帝的名字（出埃及记3：14），耶稣声称自己是永恒的。犹太领导人认为这种说法是亵渎神灵，他们拿起石头要杀他，但耶稣逃脱了。
Later, on the eve of his crucifixion, Jesus looked toward heaven and prayed, “Father, glorify me in your presence, with the glory I had with you before the world began” (John 17:1, 5). Then, Jesus prayed,“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world” (John 17:24). Jesus wants us to spend eternity with him in heaven. That is God's eternal plan.
后来，在他被钉死在十字架上的前夕，耶稣望着天祷告说："父啊，在你面前荣耀我，用我在创世前与你同在的荣耀"（约翰福音17：1，5）。然后，耶稣祷告说："父啊，我希望你赐给我的人在我所在的地方与我同在，看我的荣耀，就是你赐给我的荣耀，因为你在创世之前就爱我"（约翰福音17：24）。耶稣希望我们在天堂与他一起度过永恒的时光。这是神永恒的计划。
Paul Writes About God's Plan
保罗写道："上帝的计划"
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul virtually shouts, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in heavenly places with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Ephesians 1:3-4).
在给以弗所人的信中，保罗几乎是在喊："我们主耶稣基督的神和父是应当称颂的，他在基督里把一切属灵的福气赐给我们在天上。因为他在创世以前就在他里面拣选了我们，使我们在他眼前成为圣洁无瑕"（以弗所书1：3-4）。
Then, Paul explains, “In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us in all wisdom and understanding” (Ephesians1:7-8). God's eternal plan is to redeem us ‘in Christ” from bondage to the forces of evil, to cleanse us from sin, and to create for himself a holy people, blameless in his sight.
然后，保罗解释说："在他里面，我们藉着他的血得了救赎，使我们的罪得赦免，这是照着神丰富的恩典，用各样的智慧和悟性加给我们的"（以弗所书1：7-8）。上帝永恒的计划是将我们 "在基督里 "从邪恶势力的束缚中救出来，洗净我们的罪，并为他自己创造一个圣洁的子民，在他眼中无可指责。
Seven times in the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul uses the term “in Christ” or “in him.” All spiritual blessings are “in Christ.” “In him” we are redeemed. “In him” we have forgiveness of our sins. “In him” we were chosen “according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11). Our hope is “in Christ” according to his purpose (Ephesians 1:9-12). As fish live in water, we live “in Christ.” How do we get into Christ? Paul says that we are “baptized into Christ” (Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27). Baptism is the doorway into Christ for penitent believers.
在以弗所书第一章中，保罗七次使用 "在基督里 "或 "在他里面 "这个词。所有属灵的祝福都是 "在基督里"。"在他里面 "我们得到了救赎。"在他里面 "我们的罪得到了赦免。"在他里面 "我们被选中，"是照着那按着他旨意作成一切的计划"（以弗所书1：11）。我们的希望是按照他的旨意 "在基督里"（以弗所书1：9-12）。正如鱼生活在水中，我们生活在 "基督里"。我们如何进入基督？保罗说我们是 "受洗归入基督"（罗马书6：3；加拉太书3：27）。洗礼是忏悔的信徒进入基督的门径。
Victory in Jesus
在耶稣里的胜利
“In Christ,” we are empowered by the Spirit to be holy as he is holy. But that is not easy. Most of us struggle as Paul did. Paul said, “When I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being, I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.” In anguish, Paul cried out, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Then he answers his own question: “Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:21-25). He concludes, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
"在基督里，"我们被圣灵赋予权力，成为圣洁的人，如同他是圣洁的。但这并不容易。我们大多数人都像保罗那样挣扎。保罗说："当我想做善事的时候，恶就在我身边。因为在我的内心深处，我喜欢上帝的律法；但我看到另一个律法在我身体的肢体中工作，与我心中的律法交战，使我成为在我肢体中工作的罪律的俘虏。" 在痛苦中，保罗喊道："我是多么可悲的人啊！谁能把我从这身体里救出来？谁能把我从这死亡的身体里救出来呢？" 然后他回答了自己的问题。"感谢神--通过我们的主耶稣基督"（罗马书7：21-25）。 他的结论是："因此，现在在基督耶稣里的人就不被定罪了"（罗马书8:1）。
“In Christ,” we may slip and fall, but when we repent, the blood of Christ cleanses us and keeps us clean (1 John 1:7). When we confess our sins to God, “he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
"在基督里，"我们可能会滑倒，但当我们忏悔时，基督的宝血会洗净我们，使我们保持清洁（约翰一书1:7）。当我们向神认罪时，"他是信实的，是公义的，必赦免我们的罪，洗净我们一切的不义"（约翰一书1：9）。
“Therefore,” Paul asks, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:35, 37).
"因此，"保罗问道，"谁能使我们与基督的爱隔绝？患难、困苦、逼迫、饥荒、赤身露体、危险、刀剑，谁能叫我们与基督的爱隔绝呢？. . 不，在这一切事上，我们因那爱我们的，就得胜有余了"（罗马书8:35, 37）。
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