The Bible

 

約翰福音 1

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1 太初有道,道與神同在,道就是神。

2 這道太初與神同在。

3 萬物是藉著他造的;凡被造的,沒有一樣不是藉著他造的。

4 生命在他裡頭,這生命就是人的光。

5 在黑暗裡,黑暗卻不接受光。

6 有一個人,是從神那裡差來的,名叫約翰。

7 這人來,為要作見證,就是為光作見證,叫眾人因他可以信。

8 他不是那光,乃是要為光作見證。

9 那光是真光,照亮一切生在世上的人。

10 他在世界世界也是藉著他造的,世界卻不認識他。

11 他到自己的地方來,自己的人倒不接待他。

12 凡接待他的,就是信他名的人,他就賜他們權柄,作神的兒女。

13 這等人不是從血氣生的,不是從情慾生的,也不是從人意生的,乃是從神生的。

14 道成了肉身,住在我們中間,充充滿滿的有恩典有真理。我們也見過他的榮光,正是父獨生子的榮光。

15 約翰為他作見證,喊著:「這就是我曾:『那在我以後的,反成了在我以前的,因他本在我以前。』」

16 從他豐滿的恩典裡,我們都領受了,而且恩上加恩。

17 律法本是藉著摩西傳的;恩典和真理都是由耶穌基督來的。

18 從來沒有人看見神,只有在父懷裡的獨生子將他表明出來。

19 約翰所作的見證記在下面:猶太人從耶路撒冷差祭司和利未人到約翰那裡,問他說:「你是誰?」

20 他就明,並不隱瞞,明:「我不是基督。」

21 他們又問他:「這樣,你是誰呢?是以利亞嗎?」他:「我不是。」「是那先知嗎?」他回答:「不是。」

22 於是他們:「你到底是誰,叫我們好回覆差我們來的人。你自己,你是誰?」

23 :「我就是那在曠野有人聲喊著:『修直主的道路』,正如先知以賽亞所的。」

24 那些人是法利賽人差來的(或作:那差來的是法利賽人);

25 他們就問他:「你既不是基督,不是以利亞,也不是那先知,為甚麼施洗呢?」

26 約翰回答說:「我是用水施洗,但有一位站在你們中間,是你們不認識的,

27 就是那在我以後的,我給他解鞋帶也不配。」

28 這是在約但河外伯大尼(有古卷:伯大巴喇),約翰施洗的地方作的見證。

29 次日,約翰看見耶穌到他那裡,就:「看哪,神的羔羊,除去(或譯:背負)世人罪孽的!

30 這就是我曾:『有一位在我以後、反成了在我以前的,因他本在我以前。』

31 我先前不認識他,如今我用水施洗,為要叫他顯明給以色列人。」

32 約翰又作見證說:「我曾看見聖靈,彷彿鴿子降下,住在他的身上。

33 我先前不認識他,只是那差我來用水施洗的、對我:『你看見聖靈降下來,住在誰的身上,誰就是用聖靈施洗的。』

34 我看見了,就證明這是神的兒子。」

35 再次日,約翰同兩個門徒站在那裡。

36 他見耶穌行走,就:「看哪,這是神的羔羊!」

37 兩個門徒見他的話,就跟從了耶穌。

38 耶穌過身來,看見他們跟著,就問他們:「你們要甚麼?」他們:「拉比,在哪裡住?」(拉比翻出來就是夫子。)

39 耶穌:「你們看。」他們就去看他在那裡住,這一天便與他同住;那時約有申正了。

40 見約翰的話跟從耶穌的那兩個人,一個是西門彼得的兄弟安得烈。

41 他先找著自己的哥哥西門,對他:「我們遇見彌賽亞了。」(彌賽亞繙出來就是基督。)

42 於是領他去見耶穌。耶穌看著他,:「你是約翰的兒子西門(約翰在馬太16:17稱約拿),你要稱為磯法。」(磯法翻出來就是彼得。)

43 又次日,耶穌想要往加利利去,遇見腓力,就對他:「來跟從我吧。」

44 這腓力是伯賽大人,和安得烈、彼得同城。

45 腓力找著拿但業,對他摩西在律法上所寫的和眾先知所記的那一位,我們遇見了,就是約瑟的兒子拿撒勒人耶穌。」

46 拿但業對他:「拿撒勒還能出甚麼好的嗎?」腓力:「你看!」

47 耶穌看見拿但業,就指著他:「看哪,這是個真以色列人,他心裡是沒有詭詐的。」

48 拿但業對耶穌:「你從哪知道我呢?」耶穌回答:「腓力還沒有招呼你,你在無花果樹底,我就看見你了。」

49 拿但業:「拉比,你是神的兒子,你是以色列的王!」

50 耶穌對他:「因為我『在無花果樹底看見你』,你就信嗎?你將要看見比這更大的事」;

51 :「我實實在在地告訴你們,你們將要看見開了,神的使者上去下來在人子身上。」

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #6

Study this Passage

  
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6. Who bore witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ. (1:2) This symbolically means, who from the heart and so in a state of light receive Divine truth from the Word and acknowledge the Lord's humanity to be Divine.

John is said to have borne witness to the Word of God, but because John means all people who possess goodness of life arising from charity and its accompanying faith, as said just above in no. 5, therefore all these are meant in the spiritual sense. The angels, who are concerned with the spiritual sense of the Word, never know the name of any person mentioned in the Word, but only what the person represents and so symbolizes, which in the case of John is goodness of life or goodness in act, and consequently all people as a whole who possess that goodness. These bear witness, which is to say, they see, acknowledge, and accept from the heart in a state of light, and confess the truths of the Word, especially this truth there, that the Lord's humanity is Divine, as can be seen from the copious passages cited from the Word in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Lord.

Jesus Christ and the Lamb in the book of Revelation mean the Lord in respect to His Divine humanity, and God means the Lord in respect to the Divine itself from which springs all else.

[2] As regards the spiritual signification of bearing witness, this is said of truth, because in the world it is truth to which one is to bear witness, and which, when borne witness to, is acknowledged. But in heaven truth bears witness to itself, because it is the very light of heaven. For when angels hear the truth, they at once recognize it and acknowledge it. And because the Lord is the embodiment of truth, as He Himself teaches in John 14:6, 1 He is, in heaven, self-witnessing. This makes apparent what is meant by the testimony of Jesus Christ. Therefore the Lord says,

You have sent to John, and he bore witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man... (John 5:33-34)

And in another place:

(John) came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light... He was not that Light... (The Word that was with God and was God, and became flesh,) was the true Light which gives light to every man... (John 1:1-2, 7-9, 14, 34)

Elsewhere:

Jesus... said..., ."..I bear witness of Myself, (and) My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going... (John 8:14)

When the Counselor comes..., the Spirit of truth..., it will testify of Me. (John 15:26)

The Counselor, the spirit of truth, means the truth itself emanating from the Lord. Therefore it is said concerning it that it will not speak of itself but from the Lord (John 16:13-15). 2

Footnotes:

1. Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

2. [Jesus said,] "However, when it, the Spirit of truth, has come, it will guide you into all truth; for it will not speak on its own authority, but whatever it hears it will speak; and it will tell you things to come. It will glorify Me, for it will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that it will take of Mine and declare it to you."

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.