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圣经怎么说...得救了谁?

原作者: John Odhner (机器翻译成: 中文)

Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, aerial view

人们普遍存在对他人的负面判断的倾向。在高中,这种趋势在群体中表现出来。一些受欢迎的孩子进入了一个小组,逐渐开始认为他们比别人更好,因为他们更喜欢。不“入内”的孩子可能会成为怜悯,鄙视甚至残酷笑话的对象。该集团以一种或另一种方式对其他人进行了微妙的判断,认为它们是人类的下层阶级。

在各种宗教中也表现出同样轻视他人的倾向。一些宗教团体变得如此以自我为中心,以至于他们相信任何一种不同的信仰都无法上天堂。极端化的话,这种态度比势利的少年集团残酷得多。

圣经的教导与此形成鲜明对比。首先,上帝的话语告诉我们,我们不应该将人们称为“得救”或“罪人”。耶稣说,

“不要判断,不要谴责您。为什么您要看哥哥眼中的斑点,却不考虑您自己眼中的木板?” (马太福音7:1, 3

门徒詹姆士这样说:“有一个律政者,谁能拯救和毁灭。你是谁来审判另一个?” (雅各书4:1

当主在世上的时候,教会的领袖中普遍存在一种判断态度。许多人以为,当弥赛亚降临时,他会拯救犹太人,而不是其他人。耶稣来的时候,他们谴责他与非犹太人和犹太人的交往。

耶稣不鼓励这种态度。祂曾经与一些“信任自己”的人说话,他们得救了,其他人则没有。他请他们考虑两个祈祷:“上帝,我感谢你,我不像其他人。”和“上帝,怜悯我,一个罪人!”耶稣称赞那个自以为是罪人的人。 (路加福音18:9-14

最好将自己视为罪人,而不是认为自己已得救。

您可能还记得好撒玛利亚人的寓言,他停下来在路边帮助受伤的人。即使这个撒玛利亚人是“错误的”信仰(从犹太人的角度来看),耶稣说撒玛利亚人也应该被爱为邻居,因为他是个好人。实际上,他说,想要永生的人应该像这个撒玛利亚人(路加福音10:29-37),即使撒玛利亚人既不是基督徒也不是犹太人。耶稣看到了-并且看到了-一个人的内心,而不仅仅是教会所属的。

圣经清楚地表明,决定一个人是否去天堂的是人的生活方式,而不仅仅是他的信仰。耶稣说:“不是每个对我说'主啊,主'的人都要进入天国,但要奉行我父在天上的旨意。 (马太福音7:21

再一次,“他将根据自己的工作奖励每一个人。” (马太福音16:27

他说:“行善的人会复活,而行恶的人会死刑。” (约翰福音5:29

由于一个人的生命不仅取决于他的信仰,还决定着他的永恒,耶稣预言许多基督徒将得不到拯救,因为他们过着邪恶的生活。

“那天有许多人对我说:'主啊,主啊,我们岂不是以你的名预言,以你的名驱赶魔鬼,以你的名行了许多奇事?”然后我向他们宣告:“我从不认识你:离开我,你们这是行不通的!””(马太福音27:22-23, 路加福音13:25-27

非基督徒可以得救的一个原因是,他可以爱他的邻居。真正爱他的邻居的人也爱基督,尽管他可能没有意识到。耶稣说:“因为你照管了我弟兄中最少的一个,你就对我做了。” (马太福音25:40

对耶稣的信仰,对邻居没有爱是没有意义的。

“尽管我有全部信念,所以我可以摘山,但没有爱,我什么都不是。” (哥林多前书13:2

另一方面,真正的爱是一个人在心中认识主的标志,无论他信奉何种宗教。

“爱相信一切。” (哥林多前书13:7

“行善的人是上帝的,但行恶的人却没有看见上帝。” (约翰三书1:11

“让我们彼此相爱,因为爱是上帝的爱,每个相爱的人都是上帝所生,并且认识上帝。上帝就是爱,任何恪守爱心的人都恪守上帝,上帝也奉行上帝。” (约翰一书4:7-11

摘要:

一些基督教教会教导:只有基督徒才能得救。

圣经实际上说的是什么(以及新基督教教会的教义):拯救了来自所有宗教的好人。

有关新基督教教会教义的一些参考资料: 天堂与地狱318-328, 天命326

经非常有用的网站的作者John Odhner的许可使用:http://whatthebiblesays.info/Introduction.html

播放视频
The "Big Spiritual Questions" videos are produced by the General Church of the New Jerusalem. Link: newchurch.org

圣经文本

 

路加福音第18章:9-14

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9 耶稣向那些仗着自己是人,藐视别人的,设一个比喻,

10 :有两个人上殿里去祷告:一个是法利赛人,一个是税吏。

11 法利赛人站着,自言自语的祷告:神阿,我感谢你,我不像别人勒索、不义、奸淫,也不像这个税吏。

12 我一个礼拜禁食两次,凡我所得的都捐上十分之一。

13 那税吏远远的站着,连举目望也不敢,只捶着胸:神阿,开恩可怜我这个罪人!

14 告诉你们,这人回家去比那人倒算为义了;因为,凡自的,必降为卑;自卑的,必升为

      

来自斯威登堡的著作

 

Apocalypse Explained#794

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794. Verse 5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, signifies the doctrine destroying utterly the goods of the Word and its truths. This is evident from the signification of "mouth," as being doctrine, from which is instruction, preaching, and reasoning (of which above, n. 782). "The mouth of the beast," signifies doctrine, because in the preceding verse it was said that "they worshipped the dragon and its beast;" and this signified the acknowledgment of that dogma, and the reception of it in doctrine; also because it was said above that "the mouth of that beast was as the mouth of a lion," which signified instruction, preaching, and reasoning, which are from the received doctrine. The above is evident also from the signification of "speaking great things," as being to teach evils that destroy the goods of the Word, for "great" is predicated in the Word of good, and in the contrary sense of evil, while "many" is predicated of truth, and in the contrary sense of falsity (See above, n . 336-337, 424). Because "the beast" means those who by reasonings separate faith from life, and those who do this destroy the goods of the Word, and because his "mouth" signifies their doctrine, therefore "to speak great things" signifies to destroy the goods of the Word. The above is evident also from the signification of "speaking blasphemies," as meaning to falsify the truths of the Word (See above, n. 778). From this it is clear that "there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies" signifies the doctrine destroying the goods of the Word and utterly falsifying its truths. It is said utterly falsifying its truths, because the falsification of the Word even to the destruction of Divine truth, such as it is in the heavens and such as it is in the spiritual sense of the Word, is signified by "blasphemy" (See above, n. 778); this therefore is what is meant by utterly falsifying truths.

[2] It is said that "the mouth of the beast speaking great things" signifies doctrine, and instruction, preaching, and reasoning therefrom destroying the goods of the Word; it shall be told, therefore, in what manner they are destroyed. They are destroyed especially by teaching that faith without good works justifies and saves, and this is confirmed by the reasoning that no one can do good of himself, and that the good that a man does of himself must needs be meritorious good; and this is established by the Word, especially by the Pharisee and the publican praying in the temple:

That the latter was justified merely by his saying, God be merciful to me a sinner; and that the Pharisee was not justified who said that he was not an extortioner, unjust, and an adulterer, as others were, and that he fasted twice in the week, and gave tithes of all that he possessed (Luke 18:10-14);

and also by these words of the Lord:

Doth the lord thank the servant for doing those things that were commanded him? I trow not. So ye also, when ye shall have done all things that are commanded you, say, We are surely useless servants, for we have done that which we ought to do (Luke 17:9, 10).

But those are greatly mistaken who conclude from these words that there is nothing of justification and salvation in good works, but in faith alone, for they do not know what good works are. There are works that are done by man, and these are not good; and there are works that are done by the Lord through man, and these are good. Yet both of these appear alike in external form; but in internal form they are wholly unlike. The works enumerated by the Pharisee were works done from himself, and were therefore meritorious; so, too, the works done by command by servants, who are nevertheless called "useless."

[3] It shall now be told, therefore, how works are done by man himself, and how they are done by the Lord with man, also how the latter are distinguished from the former. It has been shown above n. 790 that man has two minds, one spiritual, the other natural. The spiritual mind is what is called the internal and the spiritual man, and the natural mind is what is called the external and the natural man. And as man has an internal spiritual and an external natural, and the internal is conjoined with heaven and the external with the world, it follows that whatever man does from that internal through the external he does from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord; but anything that a man does by the external without the internal, this he does from self. This is meant by the Lord's words in Luke:

Now do ye Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. Ye foolish ones, did not He that made the outside make the inside also? But rather give for alms those things that are within, then behold all things are clean unto you (Luke 11:39-41).

It is said, "the outside of the cup and of the platter," and "the inside" of them, because the "cup" has a similar meaning as "wine," and the "platter" a similar meaning as "food;" and "wine" signifies truth, and "food" signifies good. It is said also "give alms," and this signifies love and charity. From this it is evident that whatever a man does from the external alone is unclean, but whatever he does from a cleansed internal through the external is clean, for this is from the Lord; but the other from man. But examples will illustrate this point also. The internal is doing good for the sake of good, speaking truth for the sake of truth, acting sincerely for the sake of sincerity, and doing what is just for the sake of justice. He who does good for the sake of good does good from good, thus from the Lord, who is Good itself, and from whom is all good; and he who speaks truth for the sake of truth speaks truth from truth, thus from the Lord, who is Truth itself and from whom is all truth. The like is true of him who acts sincerely for the sake of sincerity, and does what is just for the sake of justice; for sincerity is moral good and truth, and justice is civil good and truth; and all good and truth are from the Lord and not from man, because they are done from the internal through the external. But when a man does and speaks what is good, true, sincere, and just, for the sake of self and the world he does and speaks them from self, because from the external man without the internal; and such deeds or works are all evil, and if heaven is regarded in them they are meritorious, and all such are iniquitous. In this world no one can determine whether works are from the Lord or from man, since in external form the two kinds appear alike, but they can be distinguished by the Lord alone, and after man's life in the world their origin is disclosed (Matthew 10:26, 27; Mark 4:22; Luke 8:17; 12:2, 3, 8, 9). But how an internal is given to man, and an external from the internal, may be seen above n. 790.

[4] From this it can be seen that if man were to fulfill all things of the law from self, that is, were to give much to the poor, were to do good to widows and orphans, to assist the needy, yea, were to give food to the hungry, and drink to the thirsty, to take in strangers, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and those who are bound in prison, preach and teach the gospel, convert the Gentiles, frequent temples, devoutly listen to preaching, attend the sacrament of the Supper frequently each year, spend time in praying, and other like things, and if his internal had not been purified from the love of rule and from the pride of self-intelligence, from the contempt of others, from hatred and revenge, from craftiness and malice, from insincerity and injustice, from the lasciviousness of adultery, and from other evils and falsities therefrom, still all these works would be hypocritical and from the man himself, and not from the Lord. But these same works when the internal has been purified are all good, because they are from the Lord with man. This has been testified to me from very many examples in the spiritual world. I have there heard that it has been granted to many to call to mind the acts of their life in the world, and to enumerate the good deeds they had done; but when their internal was opened it was found to be full of all evil and falsity therefrom; and it was then revealed to them that the good deeds they had enumerated they had done from self, because for the sake of self and the world. But it is otherwise with those who from the Word have abstained from doing evils, and have afterwards shunned and turned away from them because they are sins, and are contrary to love to God and to charity towards the neighbor. Their works were all good, although they had a similar appearance in external form as the works of those described above, and there was a perception in like manner of their having been done as if from self. These works are what are meant in the Word by the "works" that make a man spiritual, and make him happy to eternity; and these can in no way be separated from faith, for if faith were to be separated from these it would be dead, and a dead faith is a faith in falsity from evil.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.