1/29/2023 真理的確據 ~鍾立恆牧師
作為信徒，我們被神呼召來講述真理、尋求真理和實踐真理。畢竟，耶穌說：「你們必曉得真理，真理必叫你們得以自由。」（約翰福音 8:32）。但誰才是真理？答案就是耶穌。在約翰福音 14 章 6 節，「耶穌說我就是道路、真理、生命；若不藉著我，沒有人能到父那裡去。」耶穌在每一方面都是真理的代表和化身。因為耶穌就是真理，祂也向我們實淺了如何尋求、講述和實踐真理的榜樣。
在寫給歌羅西教會的信中，保羅和提摩太熱情地問候「聖徒」和「忠心的弟兄」，並用這句話來祝福他們，「願恩惠、平安從我們的父歸於你們」（歌羅西書 1:2）。然後，在接下來的 6 節經文中，保羅寫下了他是如何祈禱，就是時常感謝天父和主耶穌基督。但原因是因為歌羅西的基督徒聽到了真理，就是福音。他們不僅聽見了，而且「因著真理確實認識了神的恩典」（第 6 節 - 新譯本）。他們得到了「那給你們存在天上的盼望」（5 節上）。歌羅西的信徒從過去的信徒那裡學到了真理。他們也從以巴弗裏學習，以巴弗是基督心愛的僕人和忠心的傳道人（6b-7 節）。
經文暗示保羅和以巴弗如何通過其他方式溝通，並看到歌羅西教會所實踐的真理。在尋求真理的過程中，信徒們表現出「在基督耶穌裡的信心」（4 節上）和他們「向眾聖徒的愛心」（4 節下），這正是「聖靈所存的愛心」（8節下）。在希臘文的四種愛中，這種愛不是來自人類的。 Eros（浪漫）、storgae（感情）和phileo（兄弟情），是由人類產生的。第四種愛是agape（愛德），這種愛只能來自上帝。這就是「聖靈所存」所表現出的愛，以巴弗看到他們正在應用愛德的愛。這是犧牲的愛，作為忠心的弟兄姐妹、同工和忠於基督裏的傳道人，願世人們能知道，愛德對教會內外的所有人來說，應該是顯而易見的。願我們口中所講述的，透過這種愛，能讓整個教會去愛和包容基督身體內的所有聖徒，並使我們因我們的父而歡喜快樂。這就是真理的確據，我們一起去追求吧！
Original Text:
The Evidence of Truth ~Pastor Benjamin Chung
As believers, we are called to speak the truth, seek the truth and do the truth. After all, Jesus says, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 ESV). And who is the truth? It’s Jesus. In John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” Jesus is the ultimate TRUTH in all ways. Jesus being the Truth also points us to how we are to seek, speak and do the truth.
In the letter to the church in Colossae, Paul and Timothy warmly greet “the saints and faithful brothers” blessing them with the statement, “grace to you and peace from God our Father” (Colossians 1:2). Then, in the next 6 verses, Paul writes of how he prays, which is to always thank God, the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. But the reason why is because the Christians and call us say heard the word of truth, which is the gospel. Not only did they hear, they “understood the grace of God in truth” (v.6). They received “the hope laid up for [them] in heaven” (v.5b). The believers in Colossae learned the truth from believers in the past. They were also learning presently from Epaphras, a beloved fellow servant and faithful minister of Christ (vv.6b-7). This means, Epaphras is the pastor of the church!
Implied in the text is how Paul and Epaphras were communicating through other means and seeing the truth being demonstrated by the Colossian church. In the search for truth, the believers demonstrated there “faith in Christ Jesus” (v.4a) and the love they had “for all the saints” (v.4b), which was a “love in the Spirit” (v.8b). Of the four loves in Greek, this love does not come from man's flesh. Eros (romantic), storgae (affection), and phileo (brotherly), is produced by humanity. The 4th love is agape (charity), which can only come from God. This is the love as being demonstrated “in the Spirit” and which Epaphras sees them applying. This is sacrificial love that as faithful brothers and sisters, fellow servants, and faithful ministers of Christ, may it be made known that agape is evident to all inside and outside the church. May the words that come from our lips celebrate how the entire church loves all the saints within the body of believers and cause us to rejoice in our Father. This is the evidence of truth, let’s go after it!