BA 6 Assurance from the Lamb of God
BA 6 来自上帝的羔羊的保证

Lesson Six
第六课

Assurance From The Lamb of God
来自上帝的羔羊的保证

One day, John the Baptizer saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Why did John describe Jesus as the Lamb of God? Why is that description still meaningful today? To answer those questions, let us take a walk through biblical history.
有一天，施洗者约翰看到耶稣向他走来，说："看哪，神的羔羊，除去世人罪孽的"（约1:29）。为什么约翰将耶稣描述为上帝的羔羊？为什么这一描述在今天仍然有意义？为了回答这些问题，让我们在圣经的历史中走一走。

Adam and Eve had a close relationship with God in the Garden of Eden until they believed Satan's lies and ate the forbidden fruit. At that point, sin and death entered the world. The first couple's sin drove a wedge between them and their Creator. Human sin and God's holiness are incompatible (Isaiah 59:2; Habakkuk 1:13).
亚当和夏娃在伊甸园中与上帝有着密切的关系，直到他们相信了撒旦的谎言，吃了禁果。这时，罪和死亡进入了世界。第一对夫妇的罪在他们和造物主之间打下了楔子。人类的罪和上帝的圣洁是不相容的（以赛亚书59：2；哈巴谷书1：13）。

Animal Sacrifices
动物祭祀

In spite of the first couple's sin, God continued to love them and their descendants, and he maintained fellowship with them through animal sacrifices.
尽管第一对夫妇犯了罪，但上帝仍然爱他们和他们的后代，并通过动物祭祀维持与他们的关系。

Animal sacrifices seem strange, even repulsive, to us, but they were a blessing to people in the ancient world. Animal sacrifices were NOT offered to appease the wrath of an angry God. They were an expression of God's love for his people.
对我们来说，动物祭祀似乎很奇怪，甚至令人厌恶，但它们对古代世界的人们是一种祝福。献上动物祭品并不是为了平息愤怒的上帝的怒火。它们是上帝对他的子民的爱的一种表达。

God, himself, initiated the sacrificial system. Animal sacrifices served to turn the Israelites away from sin by reminding them that sin results in death. When God accepted the death of animals as payment for the sins of the people, he was able to extend grace and maintain justice at the same time. Moreover, by dwelling in the tabernacle, God assured the people that he was always present with them. The logic behind animal sacrifices is difficult for us to fathom, but the symbolism of animal sacrifices is part of God's eternal plan. That will become clear later in this lesson.
上帝亲自启动了祭祀系统。动物祭祀的作用是提醒以色列人，罪会导致死亡，从而使他们远离罪恶。当上帝接受动物的死亡作为对人民的罪的补偿时，他就能够在扩大恩典的同时保持公正。此外，通过住在会幕里，上帝向人们保证，他始终与他们同在。我们很难理解动物祭品背后的逻辑，但动物祭品的象征意义是上帝永恒计划的一部分。这一点将在本课的后面变得清晰。

Abel's Animal Sacrifice
亚伯的动物献祭

Early in human history, Abel (the son of Adam and Eve) killed one of his best lambs and offered its fatty portions to God as a sacrifice. “The Lord looked with favor upon Abel and his offering” (Genesis 4:4). Abel's sacrificial lamb pointed forward to the ultimate sacrifice of the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
在人类历史的早期，亚伯（亚当和夏娃的儿子）杀死了他最好的一只羊，并将其脂肪部分作为祭品献给上帝。"耶和华眷顾亚伯和他的祭物"（创世纪4:4）。亚伯的祭品指向 "除去世人罪孽的神的羔羊 "的最终祭品。

Abraham's Animal Sacrifice
亚伯拉罕的动物献祭

Later, God tested Abraham's faith by asking him to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah. We can only imagine the grief and confusion that churned in Abraham's heart. God had promised to bless all nations through Isaac. Now God was asking Abraham to kill his son. That did not make sense to Abraham.
后来，上帝要求亚伯拉罕将他的儿子以撒作为燔祭献给摩利亚山，以此来考验亚伯拉罕的信心。我们只能想象在亚伯拉罕心中翻腾的悲痛和困惑。神曾应许要通过以撒祝福所有的国家。现在神却要亚伯拉罕杀死他的儿子。这对亚伯拉罕来说毫无意义。

Yet Abraham's faith in God prevailed. He believed that God would raise Isaac from death in order to fulfill his promise (Hebrews 11:19). As Abraham took the knife in his hand to slay his son, an angel of the Lord said, “Abraham! Abraham! Do not lay a hand on the boy. . . . Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Genesis 22:12). At this point, Abraham saw a ram, caught by its horns in the thicket. He “took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:13). Abraham sacrificed a ram instead of his son. Two thousand years later, God sacrificed his Son instead of a lamb.
然而，亚伯拉罕对上帝的信心取得了胜利。他相信上帝会让以撒从死亡中复活，以实现他的承诺（希伯来书11：19）。当亚伯拉罕拿起手中的刀准备杀他的儿子时，耶和华的一位天使说："亚伯拉罕! 亚伯拉罕! 不要对这孩子下手。. . 现在我知道你敬畏上帝，因为你没有扣留你的儿子，你的独生子"（创世纪22：12）。这时，亚伯拉罕看到一只公羊，它的角被抓在草丛中。他 "拿着公羊，献为燔祭"（创世记22：13）。亚伯拉罕牺牲了一只公羊，而不是他的儿子。两千年后，上帝用他的儿子而不是羊羔献祭。

The Passover Lamb
逾越节的羔羊

In Egypt, the Israelites groaned in slavery. God felt their pain and sent Moses to deliver them from bondage. When the Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go, God demonstrated his sovereignty by sending ten plagues on Egypt. The tenth plague was the death of the firstborn. God said through Moses, “Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl who is at her hand mill” (Exodus 11:5).
在埃及，以色列人在奴役中呻吟着。上帝感受到了他们的痛苦，派摩西将他们从奴役中解救出来。当法老拒绝放走以色列人时，上帝在埃及降下十灾，以显示他的主权。第十灾是长子的死亡。上帝通过摩西说："埃及的长子都要死，从坐在宝座上的法老的长子，到在她手磨的女奴的长子"（出埃及记11：5）。

In order to spare the Israelites from the plague, God said to Moses, “Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month, each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household” (Exodus 12:3). On the fourteenth day of the month, each Israelite family was to slaughter the lamb, roast it, and eat all of it during the night along with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. They were also to smear some of the lamb's blood on their doorframes.
为了使以色列人免于瘟疫，上帝对摩西说："告诉以色列人，这个月的第十天，每个人都要为自己的家庭拿一只羊，每家一只"（出埃及记12：3）。在这个月的第十四天，每个以色列家庭要宰杀羊肉，烤羊肉，并在晚上与苦菜和无酵饼一起吃掉所有的羊。他们还要在门框上涂抹一些羊肉的血。

God said, “On that same night, I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn–both men and animals–and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood [on the doorframes] will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt” (Exodus 12:12-13).
神说："当夜，我必经过埃及，击杀一切头生的，包括人和牲畜，我要审判埃及的一切神。我是耶和华。门框上的血要在你们所在的房屋上为你们作记号，我看见这血，就从你们身上过去。我打埃及的时候，没有破坏性的灾祸触及你们"（出埃及记12：12-13）。

Moses gathered all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families, and slaughter the Passover lamb” (Exodus 12:21). At that time, Moses instituted the Passover festival to keep the memory of the Exodus alive.
摩西召集以色列所有的长老，对他们说："你们立刻去为你们的家庭挑选牲畜，宰杀逾越节的羊羔"（出埃及记12：21）。当时，摩西设立了逾越节，以保持对出埃及的记忆。

When God passed over Egypt that horrific night, the blood of the Passover lamb saved the lives of God's people. Approximately 1,400 years later, “the Lamb of God” died on a Roman cross at 3:00 p.m., at the very moment a Passover lamb was being offered at the temple in Jerusalem. The apostle Paul described Jesus as “our Passover Lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7). We are saved by his blood.
当上帝在那个可怕的夜晚经过埃及时，逾越节羔羊的血拯救了上帝子民的生命。大约1400年后，"上帝的羔羊 "于下午3点死在罗马的十字架上，此时耶路撒冷的圣殿正在献上逾越节的羔羊。使徒保罗形容耶稣是 "我们逾越节的羔羊"（哥林多前书5:7）。我们是靠他的血得救的。

The Day of Atonement
赎罪日

The Day of Atonement was the most important religious holiday the Israelites observed. In early autumn, six months after the Passover festival, the Israelites approached God seeking forgiveness of their sins (Leviticus 16). That day, God extended mercy to them.
赎罪日是以色列人遵守的最重要的宗教节日。在初秋时节，即逾越节后的六个月，以色列人向上帝寻求赦免他们的罪过（利未记16）。那一天，上帝向他们施以仁慈。

On the Day of Atonement, the high priest arose at dawn, bathed in the Holy Place, and put on his high-priestly garments. According to the Jewish Talmud, he washed his hands and feet, sacrificed a lamb, lit the lamps, and burned incense in the Holy Place. Then, he washed his hands and feet again, took off his high-priestly garments, bathed, and put on garments made of white linen symbolizing purity and humility (Leviticus 16:4). After that, he began his special Atonement duties.
赎罪日，大祭司在黎明时分起床，在圣地沐浴，并穿上大祭司的衣服。根据犹太教塔木德经，他洗净手和脚，献上一只羊，点燃灯，在圣所里烧香。然后，他再次洗净手脚，脱下大祭司的衣服，洗澡，穿上象征着纯洁和谦卑的白麻布衣服（利未记16：4）。之后，他开始了他特殊的赎罪职责。

First, he killed a young bull as a sin offering and took some of its blood into the Most Holy Place. Before entering through the curtain, he created a cloud of incense smoke to conceal the glory of God. With his finger, he sprinkled some of the blood on the Mercy Seat and some in front of the Mercy Seat to make atonement for his own sins and for the sins of his household (Leviticus 16:6, 11).
首先，他杀了一头小公牛作为赎罪祭，带着它的一些血进入至圣所。在通过门帘进入之前，他制造了一团香烟来掩盖上帝的荣耀。他用手指把一些血洒在慈悲座上，一些洒在慈悲座前，为自己和家人的罪孽赎罪（利未记16：6，11）。

Next, outside the entrance of the tabernacle, he took two goats and presented them to the Lord. He cast lots to determine which goat was to be offered as a sin offering and which was to be the “scapegoat.” The first goat was then slaughtered, and the high priest went into the Most Holy Place a second time and sprinkled some of the goat's blood on, and in front of, the Mercy Seat to atone for the sins of the people. He then purified the Most Holy Place, the Holy Place, and the altar by sprinkling on them the mixed blood of the bull and goat. Once outside the entrance of the tabernacle, the high priest put both hands on the head of the live goat and confessed, over it, “all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites–all their sins–and put them on the goat's head” (Leviticus 16:21). The scapegoat was then sent into the desert bearing the sins of the people.
接下来，在会幕门口，他拿着两只山羊献给主。他抓阄决定哪只山羊作为赎罪祭，哪只作为 "替罪羊"。然后，第一只山羊被宰杀，大祭司第二次进入至圣所，将山羊的一些血洒在慈悲座上和前面，以赎回人们的罪。然后，他把公牛和山羊的混合血洒在至圣所、圣所和祭坛上，以净化这些地方。一旦到了会幕门口，大祭司就把双手放在活山羊的头上，对着它忏悔，"以色列人所有的恶行和叛逆--他们所有的罪，都放在山羊的头上"（利未记16：21）。然后，这只替罪羊被送入沙漠，背负着人们的罪孽。

Animal Sacrifices Were Only a Shadow.
动物祭祀只是一个影子。

Animal sacrifices were a part of God's eternal plan, but they were never intended to be a permanent solution to the problem of sin. Why? Because “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin” (Hebrews 10:4). They only “covered” the sins. The sacrificial blood of lambs, rams, bulls, and goats was a type, symbol, or shadow of the blood that would be shed by the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Hebrews 9:22-23).
动物献祭是上帝永恒计划的一部分，但它们从未打算成为解决罪的永久方案。为什么呢？因为 "公牛和山羊的血不可能除掉罪"（希伯来书10:4）。他们只是 "掩盖 "了罪。羔羊、公羊、公牛和山羊的祭血是神的羔羊所流的血的类型、象征或影子，他带走了世界的罪（希伯来书9：22-23）。

The scapegoat, in particular, foreshadowed Jesus. As the sins of the Israelites were placed on the scapegoat, our sins were placed on Jesus. The prophet Isaiah looked ahead and wrote, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus “bore the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12). Paul said, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus bore our sins on the cross and died in our place. That was God's eternal plan.
特别是替罪羊，预示着耶稣。当以色列人的罪被放在替罪羊身上时，我们的罪也被放在耶稣身上。先知以赛亚展望未来，写道："我们都像羊一样走错了路，各人都偏向自己的道路；主把我们众人的罪孽归在他身上"（以赛亚书53：6）。耶稣 "担当了许多人的罪，为过犯的人代求"（以赛亚书53:12）。保罗说："神使那无罪的替我们成为罪，使我们成为神的义"（哥林多后书5：21）。耶稣在十字架上承担了我们的罪，替我们受死。这是神永恒的计划。

An anonymous author commented, “It must have been painful for sinners under the Mosaic law to slaughter an innocent animal when they knew they were the ones who had done wrong. In the same way, it is painful for us to admit our guilt and to know that the innocent and holy Son of God took the punishment for our sin.”
一位匿名作者评论说："对于摩西律法下的罪人来说，当他们知道自己是犯错的人时，宰杀一只无辜的动物一定是很痛苦的。同样，对我们来说，承认我们的罪行，知道上帝的无辜和圣洁的儿子为我们的罪行接受惩罚也是痛苦的。

The Meaning of Atonement
赎罪的意义

The English word “atonement” (at-one-ment), was coined by William Tyndale in 1526 to describe what the sacrifice of Christ achieves, namely our unity with God. In the Hebrew Bible, the word kapur (the word that Tyndale translated “atonement”) means “cover.” Kapur is found in the Old Testament some 140 times, almost always in connection with sin offerings that provide reconciliation with God.
英语中的 "赎罪"（at-one-ment）一词是由威廉-丁道尔在1526年创造的，用来描述基督的牺牲所达到的目的，即我们与上帝的合一。在希伯来圣经中，kapur（丁道尔翻译为 "赎罪 "的那个词）的意思是 "覆盖"。卡普尔在《旧约》中出现了约140次，几乎总是与提供与神和解的赎罪祭有关。

Sin separates us from God and creates enmity between us. The sacrifice of Christ reconciles us to God and puts us on friendly terms with him. At 3:00 p.m. on Passover Day, Jesus cried out with a loud voice and gave up his spirit (Matthew 27:50). “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51). The curtain was at least thirty feet high and weighed four to six tons. The Jewish Talmud says the curtain was so heavy that it took 300 men to carry it to its place. There is no way human hands could have torn the curtain in two from top to bottom. Only the invisible hand of God could rip the curtain apart when Jesus died.
罪使我们与上帝分离，在我们之间产生了敌意。基督的牺牲使我们与上帝和好，使我们与他处于友好的关系。逾越节当天下午3点，耶稣大声呼喊，放弃了他的灵魂（马太福音27:50）。"那时候，殿里的幔子从上到下被撕成两半"（马太福音27：51）。帘子至少有三十英尺高，重达四至六吨。犹太教塔木德经说，这帘子太重了，需要300个人才能把它抬到它的位置。人的手不可能把帘子从上到下撕成两半。只有上帝那只看不见的手才能在耶稣死后把帘子撕开。

The tearing of the temple curtain is significant. Prior to the death of Christ, the curtain was a barrier that prevented people from coming into the presence of God. But when Jesus died, the barrier to God came down. Paul says, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:18). God took the initiative, and Jesus made it happen. Now, “we have peace with God” (Romans 5:1). Now we have access to God (Romans 5:2). Now we are “at one” with God. Our Day of At-one-ment is the day we are born again of water and the Spirit (John 3:3-5).
撕毁圣殿的帘子意义重大。在基督死之前，帘子是一个障碍，阻止人们进入神的面前。但当耶稣死后，通往上帝的障碍就下来了。保罗说："这一切都是出于神，他借着基督使我们与自己和好"（哥林多后书5：18）。上帝采取了主动，而耶稣使之成为现实。现在，"我们与神有和平"（罗马书5:1）。现在我们可以接触到神（罗马书5:2）。现在我们与神 "合而为一"。我们的合一日是我们从水和圣灵重生的日子（约翰福音3:3-5）。

The cleansing power of the blood of Christ reaches backward as well as forward. The faithful people whose sins were covered by the blood of animals in Old Testament times were forgiven. Their sins were taken away by the blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:15).
基督之血的洁净力量既向后也向前延伸。在旧约时代，那些被动物的血所覆盖的忠诚的人们，他们的罪被赦免了。他们的罪被基督的血带走了（希伯来书9：15）。

Conclusion
总结

The inspired author of the book of Hebrews concludes, “And so, brothers and sisters, we are completely free to enter the Most Holy Place. We can do this without fear because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus. We enter through a new way that Jesus opened for us. It is a living way that leads through the curtain–Christ's body. Sprinkled with the blood of Christ, our hearts have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere heart, full of confidence because of your faith in Christ” (Hebrews 10:19-22, Easy-to-Read Version).
希伯来书受启发的作者总结说："因此，兄弟姐妹们，我们完全可以自由进入至圣所。由于耶稣的流血牺牲，我们可以毫无顾忌地这样做。我们通过耶稣为我们打开的一条新路进入。这是一条活路，穿过帘子--基督的身体。用基督的血浇灌，我们的心已经从有罪的良心中解放出来，我们的身体已经被纯净的水洗净。所以你们要存着真诚的心，因着对基督的信心，满有信心地来亲近神"（希伯来书10:19-22，易读版）。

The sacrifice of Christ gives us access to God, and that gives us assurance of eternal life.
基督的牺牲使我们能够接触到上帝，这使我们得到了永生的保证。

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