BA 5 Assurance of Eternal Life
BA 5 永恒生命的保证
Lesson Five
第五课
Assurance of Eternal Life
永恒生命的保证
In his suffering, Job asked, “If a man dies, will he live again?” (Job 14:14). People have been asking that question for thousands of years. Christians ask, “Am I ready to face Jesus on the Day of Judgment?
在他的痛苦中，约伯问道："人若死了，还能再活吗？(Job 14:14)。几千年来，人们一直在问这个问题。基督徒问："我准备好在审判日面对耶稣了吗？
Jesus has much to say about life after death, but he usually speaks of “eternal life” which can begin now and last forever.
耶稣对死后的生活有很多论述，但他通常说的是 "永生"，可以从现在开始，持续到永远。
What Is “Eternal Life”?
什么是 "永恒的生命"？
On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus met with his apostles to eat the Passover meal. There, he instituted the Lord's Supper, gave final instructions to his apostles, and prayed his “high priestly prayer.” He prayed, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:1-3).
在他被钉死在十字架上的前一天晚上，耶稣与他的使徒们见面，吃逾越节的晚餐。在那里，他设立了主的晚餐，给他的使徒们做了最后的指示，并做了 "大祭司的祷告"。他祷告说："父啊，时机已到。荣耀你的儿子，使你的儿子也荣耀你。因为你赐给他管理万民的权柄，使他能把永生赐给你所赐给他的所有人。现在这就是永生：使他们认识你，唯一的真神，和你所差来的耶稣基督"（约翰福音17:1-3）。
In this prayer, Jesus gives us a definition of “eternal life.” Eternal life consists of knowing God and knowing Jesus Christ. According to scripture, knowing God is more than intellectual. Even demons know God intellectually and tremble (Luke 8:28; James 2:19). Knowing God, as Jesus defined it, is personal. It is an intimate relationship with God. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for “know” is yada. In Genesis 4:1, we read that “Adam knew [yada] his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.” Adam had an intimate relationship with Eve. In Exodus 3:7, God spoke to Moses from a burning bush and said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard their crying out because of their slave drivers, and I know [yada] their suffering.” God had a love relationship with his people so deep that he felt their pain.
在这个祷告中，耶稣给我们一个 "永生 "的定义。永生包括认识上帝和认识耶稣基督。根据经文，认识上帝不仅仅是智力上的。即使是恶魔在智力上认识上帝，也会发抖（路加福音8:28；雅各书2:19）。按照耶稣的定义，认识上帝是个人的。它是一种与神的亲密关系。在旧约中，希伯来文的 "知道 "一词是yada。在《创世纪》4:1，我们读到 "亚当认识他的妻子夏娃[yada]，她就怀孕，生了该隐。" 亚当与夏娃有一种亲密的关系。在出埃及记3:7，上帝从燃烧的灌木丛中对摩西说："我实在看见我的百姓在埃及的苦难。我听见他们因赶奴隶的人而呼喊，我知道他们的苦难。上帝与他的子民的爱的关系是如此之深，以至于他感受到了他们的痛苦。
In John 17:2-3, the Greek word translated “know” is ginô´skô which implies intimate knowledge. Knowing God and Christ means that we understand and adopt their values. We experience their holiness and love. Their thoughts become our thoughts, and their ways our ways. This kind of life extends beyond the limits of time. Eternal life has more to do with quality than duration.
在约翰福音第17章第2-3节中，翻译成希腊文的 "知道 "一词是ginô´skô，它意味着亲密的了解。认识上帝和基督意味着我们理解并采用他们的价值观。我们经历他们的圣洁和爱。他们的思想成为我们的思想，他们的方式成为我们的方式。这种生命超越了时间的限制。永恒的生命更多的是与质量有关，而不是与时间有关。
The scriptures say that God “gives us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). By his Spirit, we are transformed into his likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18). We “participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:4). We taste the “goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age” (Hebrews 6:4). We renounce the ways of the world with its greed, lust, selfishness, and worldly ambitions. We walk with God in paths of love and holiness. God “has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son of his love” (Colossians 1:13). The quality of life that we experience with God here on Earth is essentially the same as the life we will experience with him in the world to come.
经文说，神 "赐给我们生命和敬虔所需的一切"（彼得后书1：3）。通过他的灵，我们被改造成他的模样（哥林多后书3：18）。我们 "参与神的性情，逃避世界上由恶欲造成的败坏"（彼得后书1：4）。我们尝到了 "神的道的好处和未来时代的能力"（希伯来书6：4）。我们放弃世界上贪婪、淫乱、自私和世俗野心的方式。我们在爱和圣洁的道路上与神同行。神 "救我们脱离黑暗的辖制，领我们进入他爱子的国度"（歌罗西书1：13）。我们在地球上与上帝一起经历的生活质量，与我们在来世与他一起经历的生活本质上是一样的。
The Greek term for “life eternal” is a term that is frequently used in scripture to describe the life given by Jesus to obedient believers. This term describes God's kind of life. The “eternal life” that Jesus gives us is life that flows from the eternal God himself.
希腊语中的 "永生 "一词在圣经中经常被用来描述耶稣给予顺从的信徒的生命。这个术语描述了上帝的那种生命。耶稣给我们的 "永生 "是来自永恒的上帝本身的生命。
Jesus Launches Eternal Life
耶稣推出永恒的生命
One Sabbath, at the Pool of Bethesda, Jesus healed a man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years. When Jewish leaders tried to kill him for breaking the Sabbath, Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).
一个安息日，在毕士大池边，耶稣治愈了一个瘫痪了三十八年的人。当犹太领袖想以破坏安息日为由杀死他时，耶稣对他们说："我实在告诉你们，凡听见我的话，又信差我来者的，就有永生，不至于被定罪；他已经从死里复活了"（约翰福音5:24）。
Notice that the person who “hears” Jesus' word and “believes” the God who sent him “has eternal life” (present tense) and “will not be condemned” (future tense). He “has crossed over from death to life” (present perfect tense, completed action).
请注意，"听 "耶稣的话并 "信 "派他来的上帝的人 "有永生"（现在式），"不会被定罪"（未来式）。他 "已经从死里复活了"（现在完成时，完成动作）。
In the original text, the word translated “hear,” akoú´santes, means “to give ear to.” Jesus gives eternal life to those who listen to what he says about God, believes it, and submits to God's authority. The Greek word translated “believes” is the word used in John 3:36 where it is inseparably linked with obedience.
在原文中，翻译成 "听 "的意思是 "倾听"。耶稣把永生赐给那些听他所说的关于上帝的话，相信它，并服从于上帝的权威的人。翻译为 "相信 "的希腊文是约翰福音3:36中使用的词，它与顺服密不可分。
In baptism, we are united with Christ in a death like his, and we are united with him in a resurrection like his. We rise from baptism to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-5). Prior to baptism, we are spiritually dead. After baptism, we are spiritually alive (Colossians 2:9-14). At the time of our baptism, God gives us the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 5:32; Romans 8:9) to strengthen us with power in our inner being (Ephesians 3:16), to transform us into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18), to help us overcome our weakness (Romans 8:13, 26-27), and to assist us in living the Christian life. Our union with Christ establishes a relationship with God, and the life he gives to us is life that lasts forever.
在洗礼中，我们与基督在像他一样的死亡中结合在一起，我们与他在像他一样的复活中结合在一起。我们从洗礼中复活，在新的生命中行走（罗马书6：3-5）。在受洗之前，我们在精神上是死的。受洗后，我们在灵性上是活的（歌罗西书2：9-14）。在我们受洗的时候，神赐给我们圣灵（使徒行传2:38；5:32；罗马书8:9），在我们的内心深处用力量强化我们（以弗所书3:16），使我们变成基督的模样（哥林多后书3:18），帮助我们克服软弱（罗马书8:13，26-27），并协助我们过基督徒的生活。我们与基督的结合建立了与神的关系，而他赐给我们的生命是永恒的生命。
After we are baptized into Christ, if we walk in the light with God in love and holiness, “we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). The word translated “purifies” is a present tense Greek verb which signifies ongoing action. In other words, the blood of Jesus keeps us clean. When we sin and “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). Consequently, “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
我们受洗归入基督之后，如果我们在爱和圣洁中与神同行，"我们彼此相交，他儿子耶稣的血也洗净我们一切的罪"（约翰一书1:7）。译为 "净化 "的词是希腊语的现在时态动词，表示正在进行的行动。换句话说，耶稣的血使我们保持清洁。当我们犯罪并 "向神认罪，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）。因此，"现在在基督耶稣里的人就不被定罪了"（罗马书8:1）。
A Summary of Eternal Life on Earth
地球上的永恒生命的总结
In his commentary on the Gospel of John (Vol. I, page 190), William Barclay explains what eternal life means in practical terms. It means that we enter into an intimate relationship with God. The judge becomes our Father, and fear is replaced by affection. We accept the way of life that Jesus offers no matter how hard or challenging it is. We believe that his way will ultimately lead to peace, happiness, and fulfillment. Eternal life means that we willingly accept the help that Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit offer us as a source of strength for living the Christian life. It also means that we enter into a new relationship with other people. “Hatred becomes love; selfishness becomes service; and bitterness becomes forgiveness. Eternal life also means that we enter into a new relationship with ourselves. Weakness becomes strength; frustration becomes achievement; and tension becomes peace. To accept the offer of Jesus Christ is to find life.“ Barclay concludes: “Most people exist, but they do not live.”
威廉-巴克利在他对《约翰福音》的评论中（第一卷，第190页），以实际行动解释了永生的含义。它意味着我们进入了与上帝的亲密关系。法官成为我们的父亲，恐惧被感情所取代。我们接受耶稣提供的生活方式，不管它有多难，多有挑战性。我们相信他的方式最终会导致和平、幸福和满足。永生意味着我们愿意接受耶稣基督和圣灵为我们提供的帮助，作为过基督徒生活的力量来源。这也意味着我们与其他人进入一种新的关系。"仇恨变成了爱；自私变成了服务；苦毒变成了宽恕。永恒的生命也意味着我们与自己进入一种新的关系。虚弱变成力量；挫折变成成就；紧张变成和平。接受耶稣基督的提议就是找到生命"。巴克莱总结说。"大多数人都存在，但他们并没有生活"。
Jesus Gives Us a Taste of Eternal Life
耶稣让我们尝到了永生的滋味
Jesus often used figures of speech to describe his relationship with his followers. For example, he said, “I am the good Shepherd” (John 10:11). “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand” (John 10:27-29).
耶稣经常使用比喻来描述他与跟随者的关系。例如，他说："我是好牧人"（约翰福音10：11）。"我的羊听我的声音，我认识他们，他们也跟着我。我赐给他们永生，他们也永不灭亡；谁也不能从我手里把他们夺去。把他们交给我的父，比万有都大；谁也不能从我父手里把他们夺过来"（约翰福音10：27-29）。
It is reassuring to know that nothing can tear us out of God's hand and that, “in Christ,” we will never perish. Nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35; 37-39). Yet, if we are not careful, we can drift away from God, return to our old sinful habits, and “be hardened by sin's deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:12-13).
令人欣慰的是，没有什么能把我们从神的手中夺走，"在基督里"，我们永远不会灭亡。没有什么能使我们与神的爱分离（罗马书8：35；37-39）。然而，如果我们不小心，我们就会远离神，回到我们以前的犯罪习惯，并 "因罪的诡诈而变得刚硬"（希伯来书3：12-13）。
Warnings Against Backsliding
警示防止倒退
The scriptures warn us not to turn back to our old sinful ways (1 Corinthians 10:12; Philippians 4:1; Hebrews 2:1; 3:12-14, 22-29; 10:23-31; Revelation 2:20, etc.). The apostle Peter says that it is possible for us to escape the corruption of the world “by knowing our Lord and Savor Jesus Christ,” and then to become entangled in sin again and be overcome. If and when that happens, we are worse off in the end than we were at the beginning (2 Peter 2:20).
经文警告我们不要回到我们的旧罪中去（哥林多前书10:12；腓立比书4:1；希伯来书2:1；3:12-14，22-29；10:23-31；启示录2:20，等等）。使徒彼得说，我们有可能 "通过认识我们的主和品味耶稣基督 "而摆脱世界的腐败，然后再次被罪缠住并被战胜。如果发生这种情况，我们最终会比开始时更糟（彼得后书2:20）。
The writer of Hebrews says it is possible to be “enlightened,” to taste “the heavenly gift,” to share “in the Holy Spirit,” and to taste “the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age” and still fall away from God so that it becomes impossible to repent (Hebrews 6:1-6). That is why we should “draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22) and “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).
希伯来书的作者说，我们有可能被 "启发"，尝到 "天上的恩赐"，分享 "圣灵"，尝到 "神的道的美意和未来时代的能力"，但仍然偏离神，以至于无法悔改（希伯来书6：1-6）。这就是为什么我们应该 "存着真诚的心，满有信心地亲近神"（希伯来书10:22），并 "坚定不移地持守我们所承认的盼望，因为那应许的是信实的"（希伯来书10:23）。
Life After Death, Good and Bad
死后的生活，好与坏
After Lazarus died, Jesus said to his sister Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26). What did Jesus mean by this? He was saying that our spirit lives on after our body dies. A corpse knows nothing, but the spirit remains alive and conscious.
拉撒路死后，耶稣对他妹妹马大说："我就是复活，就是生命。信我的人虽然死了，也必复活；凡活着信我的人必不死"（约翰福音11:25-26）。耶稣这样说是什么意思？他是说，我们的身体死后，我们的精神还活着。尸体什么都不知道，但精神仍然活着，有意识。
For example, Jesus tells of a selfish, heartless rich man who died and went to hell. There, he was still alive, but he was in agonizing torment. He was aware that his five brothers on Earth were in jeopardy, so he begged Abraham to send Lazarus, the beggar, back from the dead to warn his brothers lest they suffer horrific torment in hell (Luke 16:28).
例如，耶稣讲述了一个自私、无情的富人，他死后下了地狱。在那里，他仍然活着，但他处于痛苦的煎熬之中。他知道他在地球上的五个兄弟处于危险之中，所以他恳求亚伯拉罕派乞丐拉撒路从死里复活，警告他的兄弟，以免他们在地狱里遭受可怕的折磨（路加福音16:28）。
By contrast, in John's vision of heaven, he “saw under the altar, the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of earth and avenge our blood?’” (Revelation 6:9-10). These martyrs were still alive, and they were aware that their deaths had not been avenged. They knew what was happening on Earth.
相比之下，在约翰的天堂异象中，他 "看到祭坛下，那些因为上帝的话语和他们所坚持的见证而被杀的人的灵魂。他们呼喊着：'主啊，圣洁真实的主，你要到什么时候才审判地上的居民，为我们的血报仇呢'" (启示录6:9-10）。这些殉道者仍然活着，他们知道他们的死亡没有得到报复。他们知道地球上正在发生什么。
Eternal Life Is a Future Reality
永恒的生命是一个未来的现实
“Eternal life” on Earth is still in its embryotic stage. Here, we are caterpillars on our way to becoming butterflies. We receive eternal life now, but not fully. It is not until after the final judgment that eternal life will come to full fruition.
地球上的 "永恒的生命 "仍处于胚胎阶段。在这里，我们是毛毛虫，正在成为蝴蝶的路上。我们现在得到了永生，但并不完全。直到最后的审判之后，永生才会完全得到结果。
One day Peter said to Jesus, “We have left everything to follow you” (Luke 18:28). Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come, eternal life” (Luke 18:29-30). Eternal life, in its fullness. is still in the future. See also Titus 1:2; 3:5-7 where we hope to experience eternal life in its fullness in heaven.
有一天，彼得对耶稣说："我们已经撇下一切来跟从你"（路加福音18:28）。耶稣回答说："我实在告诉你们，凡为神的国撇下家庭、妻子、弟兄、父母、儿女的，在今世和来世，没有不领受许多倍的永生的"（路加福音18：29-30）。永恒的生命，在它的充实中，仍然在未来。另见《提多书》1:2；3:5-7，我们希望能在天堂里充分体验永生。
Already But Not Yet
已经但还没有
To describe the ascending nature of eternal life, theologians use the phrase “already but not yet.” For us, eternal life is a present tense possession. We live in a world filled with sickness, sorrow, death, evil, violence, and corruption; but our relationship with God lifts us to higher ground and gives us a foretaste of life in heaven. We are imperfect now, but we are being perfected. We are experiencing eternal life now, but not fully. Eternal life will be complete when we look directly into the loving eyes of God in our eternal home.
为了描述永生的上升性质，神学家们使用了 "已经但还没有 "的说法。对我们来说，永生是一种现在式的拥有。我们生活在一个充满疾病、悲伤、死亡、邪恶、暴力和腐败的世界；但我们与上帝的关系将我们提升到更高的位置，使我们预感到天堂的生活。我们现在是不完美的，但我们正在被完善。我们现在正在经历永恒的生命，但还不完全。当我们在永恒的家园里直视上帝慈爱的眼睛时，永恒的生命才会完整。
Therefore, let us receive comfort and assurance from the words of Jude, the half brother of Jesus: “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy–to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore. Amen!” (Jude 24, 25).
因此，让我们从耶稣同父异母的兄弟裘德的话中得到安慰和保证。"那能保守你们不跌倒，并将你们无过失、大欢喜地呈现在他荣耀的面前的，愿荣耀、威严、能力、权柄，藉着我们的主耶稣基督，在万世之前，直到永远，都归给唯一的神我们的救主。阿门！" (犹大24，25)。
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