《基督是我們生命的訣要》第九日 屬靈或屬肉體

  

    「弟兄們！我從前對你們說話，不能把你們當作屬靈的，隻得把你們當作屬肉體，在基督裏為嬰孩的。」（林後三：1）

     保羅在這裏把基督徒分成兩種，這是很重要的事實，人自然的生命都是屬肉體的，但是當基督徒一旦重生得救，接受聖靈，立刻就開始情慾和聖靈之間的爭鬥，一直到基督徒降服聖靈的引導，使聖靈的能力日漸興旺，他成為屬靈的人，但情慾仍然存在，而在情慾裏一無良善，他必須把情慾釘死，然後他就成為屬靈的人，正如經上所說：「屬靈的人看透萬事。」（林前二：15）

     另一種情形是基督徒不認識或者認識卻不順服聖靈，仍舊靠著情慾行事，基督徒那就顯得輭弱無力了，靈命亦不會長大，他仍是個嬰孩。他用自己的能力試著做得好一點，欲從聖靈入門，但仍靠情慾行事——一個屬肉體的人試著去成聖（加三：3）。因著情慾的勝利，使他沒有力量去抵抗情慾或者世界的靈之工作。

 這是一個可恥的光景，教會大部分的成員仍然屬於肉體，他們註定服在情慾的勢力之下，行事總是憤怒、嫉妒、不饒恕人、這類基督徒無法領悟屬靈的真理。若是他們的生命在基督裏，天天與祂有交通，但神對祂兒女的應許，都是他們難以瞭解的。

     我們要堅定的向神禱告，啟示我們屬靈和屬肉體的意義，並且使我們完全能讓聖靈來引導。

　

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto Spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ.” –I COR. iii. I.

 The difference St Paul makes between the two kinds of Christians is of great importance. Man’s natural life is altogether carnal. The Christian at his new birth receives the Holy Spirit, and immediately there begins a struggle between flesh and spirit. So long as the Christian allows the Spirit to conquer, and is led by the Spirit, the power of the Spirit over him increases, and he becomes a spiritual man. The flesh is still there, and in the flesh is no good thing, but he learns that it means that his flesh is crucified as something that deserves the accursed death, and he becomes the spiritual man, of whom it may be said: “The spiritual man discerneth all things.”

    When, on the other hand, the Christian is ignorant about the Spirit, or if informed, disobedient, then the flesh obtains the mastery, and the Christian remains weak; and as there is no spiritual growth, he remains a babe. He may try in his own strength to do better, and what was begun in the Spirit is continued in the flesh—a carnal attempt to become holy (cf. Gal. iii. 3). By degrees the flesh triumphs, so that he has no power to resist the works of the flesh or the Spirit of the World.

    This is the sad condition of the Church, that the majority of her members remain carnal. They constantly fall under the power of the flesh, and, as a result, are overcome by envy and anger and uncharitableness. Such Christians have no insight into spiritual truth. If their life in Christ, daily fellowship with Him, and what God promises to do for His children is mentioned, they can hardly understand what is meant.

     How earnestly we should pray God to reveal to us what is carnal and what spiritual, and enable us to yield ourselves completely to the guidance of His Spirit.