边一边 [2011-02-07 01:48:32 PM] 天国只降临在亲密的盟约关系中。换言之，天国若不在你和妻子之间，不在你与任何人的亲密关系中，就绝不可能单独在你心中。婚姻、教会和国家，在《圣经》中被视为上帝与人立约的三个盟约关系的范围。托尔斯泰提倡信仰与仁爱，却反对教会群体。他希望越过婚姻、教会和国家这三重盟约，而去爱全世界的人。这一貌似博爱的托尔斯泰主义，首先就在婚姻这一最小的人类盟约关系中，遭遇了最大的失败。——以上摘自王书亚《天国在你心中吗》一文。我觉得有问题，但又不明问题之所在。特别是其中的“国家”。不知博主是如何看的，请教。谢谢。
平安。您引证的文字显出了加尔文主义与其刚入教者的老我之间司空见惯的“亲密关系”，这是一种“要义之痒”——用自己的理性偏好和逻辑框架把圣经真理“基要”成一套理论，让真理小于一，并将自己小于一的“真理总结”强加于圣经。越是对圣经一知半解，越倾向于把“我说”等同于“这是神说的”。首先，“天国只降临在亲密的盟约关系中”。这是人的道理，不是启示真理。天国是神赐给人的，出于神的恩典和大能。“亲密的盟约关系”赋予了罪人与神同等的地位，这是不真实的。而且好像天国是否降临，取决于什么盟约关系。无论人怎样悖逆，天国仍然会如期降临，“地上的万族都要因他哀哭”（启示录2:7）。耶稣说，“天国近了，你们应当悔改”——既使你们不悔改，天国仍然近了，仍然要降临。其次，“天国若不在你和妻子之间，不在你与任何人的亲密关系中，就绝不可能单独在你心中”。按这逻辑，天国甚至不在耶稣的心中。而耶稣的十字架显示祂和所有的人或“教会”都不“（互相）亲密”了，没有什么“亲密关系”。他没有妻子，也没有“国家”。天国当然也不在彼拉多和希律的亲密关系中，不在五王或四王亲密的盟约关系中，不在所罗门和他的嫔妃的亲密婚约关系中。很多时候，罪之间的“亲密”更是罪。当然，天国也未必就在“反亲密”的关系中。天国超越“人际关系”。不仅如此，天国里的是什么人呢？与“要义”相反，耶稣说，“我实在告诉你们，你们若不回转，变成小孩子的样式，断不得进天国”（马太福音18:3）。而且，圣经明明说，天国之路是十字架的道路，不是什么蜜月旅行。“若不悔改，都要如此灭亡”。特别重要的是，天国根本不是在谁的“心中”，人的心是何等的丑恶黑暗，何等的狭小愚妄呢？（罗马书8:10-18）“天国在你们中间”那句不是说“天国在你们心中”（路17：21，参见文后的英语文献）。这种“我心即佛”的思想不是从圣经来的，是与东方异教和中国哲学淫乱的产物。最后，“婚姻、教会和国家，在《圣经》中被视为上帝与人立约的三个盟约关系的范围。”这话从何谈起呢，说穿了，仍然是社会福音那一套；完全把自己的理论强加于圣经。耶稣明说，我的国不在这世界，但这位作者偏偏针锋相对，天国分割为三国演义：婚姻、教会和国家。事实上，婚姻和国家不过是福音的禾场，而不是什么盟约的永恒标的。基督再来，天国完全，婚姻和国家都荡然无存了。何况，以色列人立王建国的时候，正在毁掉上帝的约。教会不是同盟会，是圣灵生出来的。托尔斯泰的问题恐怕不在于他的偏执，而在于他祂根本不知道什么是天国；而这一点，您接触的这位作者和他可谓50步与100步——他们共同对末世论真理或者无知，或者公然反对。我最近在注释启示录的时候，更强烈地感受到目前一些福音机构出版了大量的伪神学，在理性和信仰的“亲密关系”中催生出越来越多的稗子。愿神怜悯我们。
北京牛二 [2011-02-16 10:56:27 PM] 请教两个问题。第一、信仰问题。越来越想受洗，却越来越觉得自己不配，而且，我看到很多基督徒做人做事还不如不信的，还不如我。第二、社会问题。您怎么看中国GDP超过日本，成为世界第二大经济实体。谢谢！
平安。关于第一个问题，可以直截了当地说，一方面你说的不是基督教；另一方面你说的不是你自己。基督教从来没有说受洗是因为谁觉得自己配。任何一个人，永远都不配，一生都不配。受洗就是承认自己不配；只有耶稣配得（荣耀、冠冕、赞美和权柄）。您说的不是自己不配，而是觉得自己很配说别人不配，甚至用“拒绝受洗”的“秀态”来强调别人的不配——至少你比别人有自知之明。雅各“还不如我”，但他是神拣选的。随着时间的推移，我越来越发现，我就是卑鄙小人雅各。今天，我常常看见，我还不如雅各。但我顺服这样的真理，主啊，我信；大卫的子孙耶稣基督，开恩怜悯我这个罪人。受洗是天路的起点，不是终点。关于第二个问题，我在2004年以前说得太多了，以至于今天一些教会领袖拿来做控告的材料。我在这里只是引证几篇报道，你对比阅读一下就自有定论。不过对于一个基督徒来说，这都是极小的事。第一条消息。2010年2月海内外媒体联合报道：中国首次污染普查发现农田污染甚于工厂。中国10%的市售大米存在镉金属超标，人在食用这种大米之后会导致“骨痛病”，但学者的尴尬在于，迄今没有官方或医疗单位确认上述症状究竟为何病；更为严重的是，中国几乎没有关于重金属污染土地的种植规范，大量被污染土地仍在正常生产稻米。中国年产稻米近2亿吨，10％即达2000万吨。与此相关的一条消息说，三聚氰胺奶粉被取缔后，不法商人又用新的有毒物质“皮革水解蛋白粉”加入奶粉中，以提高蛋白成分。“世界第二”的人民正在“吸毒”。第二条消息来自《第一财经日报》2月15日的文章：“最穷的世界第二经济体”。这篇报道引用1968年罗伯特•肯尼迪在竞选总统时的演讲：“我们的国内生产总值（GDP）确实惊人，数字接近8000亿。但是，我们能够以此为根据评判整个国家的状况吗？GDP还应算进去空气污染、烟草广告以及战地救护车在血肉横飞的战场上穿梭的费用……还要计入惠特曼步枪、斯比克刀具以及泛滥的影视剧目的费用——因为它们炫耀暴力，以求把更多的仿真玩具倾销给我们的孩子。这就是我们所谓的国内生产总值，它既不能保障我们孩子们的健康，也不能保障他们所受教育的质量，甚至不能保障他们无忧无虑的快乐……简而言之，它能衡量一切，但并不包括使我们的生活有意义的东西！”这篇报道提醒中国人，2010年中国人均GDP仅为3800美元，在全球排名105位；而日本人均GDP已经接近40000美元。到2030年中国人均GDP将达到1.05万美元，也就相当于刚刚跨入发达国家门槛。不仅如此，1968年，日本成为世界第二大经济体的时候，基尼系数仅为0.349，而现在，中国的基尼系数已经达0.46。与此相关的一条消息说，中国取代美国成世界最大能源消费国，中国的碳排放量已经居世界首位。国际能源机构表示，中国的煤炭、石油、风电和其他能源的消费量过去十年增加一倍。2009年，中国的石油消费量达到22.6亿公吨，超过美国。二月初，世界卫生组织认为中国报告的交通事故死亡数字造假，要求中国重新统计。2007年中国公布的交通死亡数字为8万1649人，但是WHO的独立调查为中国公布的数字的２.7倍，为22万1135人。从这些报道中，你可以思想一下什么叫“机会成本”。不过我愿意引申一点，这个国家及其精英，同样是最穷的富人，他们穷的只剩下钱了。
一根柴 [2011-02-16 11:17:19 PM] 刚看到一个问题，不知道怎样回答更好。转在这里，请教高人。”既然希腊罗马的神话都不是真的，凭什么以色列的神话就一定是真的？既然罗马神话里的战神马斯是假的，凭什么闪米特神话里的战神耶和华就一定是真的？””任何宗教也别视无神论为寇仇。甭成天老想着拯救人家的灵魂。”
平安。不知道你是否读过法国列维-布留尔（Levy-Bruhl，Lucien）的名著《原始思维》。我觉得他的“集体表象”、“神秘的互渗”等概念，没有“单项类比”更能说明人类思维的那种“原始性”。你提到的这个例子很有代表性。“单项类比”在中国典故中可以说成是“井绳现象”，因为绳子和蛇有类比之处，因此，就直接将二者等同。事实上中医或中国的“食文化”所持守的“吃啥补啥”的逻辑，如出一辙。一个苦大仇深的孩子，认贼作父很多年，等自己的父亲来了，他有两个反应。第一，既然以前的是假的，这个也必定是假的。第二、一直被骗，现在就什么都不相信了。事实上，“希腊罗马的神话都不是真的”，和“以色列的神话就一定不是真的”之间根本没有因果关系。你娶了一个太太是黑人，别人娶了一个太太就一定也是黑人了。毛这位假神欺骗了我，因此所有称为神的都是毛。这也是我遇到的一位北京大学中文系教授的逻辑。一个上山挖金的人，被很多石头欺骗了，碰到金子就说，凭什么你是真的。这种孩子式的思维习惯很普遍。“我要和奶奶结婚？”“为什么？”“你可以跟我妈妈结婚，我就要和你妈妈结婚”。另外，基督教信仰与“灵不灵”的关系不是最重要的，我们不是因为“灵验”才认耶稣是主的；“即或不然，我也相信耶稣”，因为神的道路高过人的道路。无神论不是寇仇，只是愚妄和可怜。不过你转来的问题再一次提醒教会，不要搞乞丐式和雄辩症式的宣教。有时候他们不是要拯救灵魂，而是为了敛钱。耶稣一直被人视为寇仇，却没有强迫任何人信祂。
任不寐，2011年2月17日
不寐之夜 [2011-02-18 11:36:39 AM] 谢谢刚才“Live4Christ”弟兄/姐妹 的问题（可惜被删掉了）。他也引用了路加福音17：21，“人也不得说，看哪，在这里。看哪，在那里。因为神的国就在你们心里。心里或作中间”。我在文中简单提到，这个“心里”的译法是不对的。他的提问正好帮助我们把问题解释得更清楚一些。我在博文中附上了一篇英文文献，不是很难（在附图之后）。这篇文字重点在于解释，“在你们心里”，这个希腊文短语，应该翻译成is among you（复数）更准确。在神学院的时候，教授带领学生讨论了现在的很多译法，这些热烈的讨论使我们接受了among这个译法，因为其中的真理是不言而喻的。其实whin（心里）不仅是与东方异教和中国哲学淫乱的产物，而且，也包含着诺斯替主义的流毒。相应的，也可以参考一下约翰福音12:35，“耶稣对他们说，光在你们中间，还有不多的时候，应当趁着有光行走，免得黑暗临到你们。那在黑暗里行走的，不知道往何处去”。愿神与我们同在。
又见长河落日 [2011-02-18 12:11:17 PM] 在Arthur A. Just Jr.著名的路加福音注释中，他也非常有效地为“among you”辩护。一方面，他根据上下文来说明路加福音17：21中神国的意义在于：基督和祂的福音在哪里，神的国就在哪里。比如路加福音10：9，“要医治那城里的病人，对他们说，神的国临近你们了”；路加福音11：20，“我若靠着神的能力赶鬼，这就是神的国临到你们了”。不仅如此，耶稣这里对话的对象是法利赛人，耶稣不可能说神国在他们心里；而是说神国在他们中间；正如耶稣在他们中间。另一方面，他也从希腊文语法入手，指出，among you是唯一准确的译法。支持这种观点的包括J.Fitzmyer, I.H.Marshall,J.Nolland,R.Stein等。不仅如此，他们同样指出，whin you(在心里)反映的是外邦人的神学观念，而不是耶稣的福音真理：”Whthin you” would introduce a foreign theology that is not reflected in Jesus’ theology in any of the Gospel.The coming of the kingdom is never an interior event solely wjthin the hearts of people. The kingdom always comes from outside a person,from above, externally through the person of Jesus, his teaching and miracles and the incarnational means thtough which the Spirit works to bring faith in Jesus.
Is the Kingdom of God Within You?
by Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Kingdom. It is such an easy word to understand. Even without a dictionary to tell us its definition, we know that the natural usage of “kingdom” is a country or nation governed by a monarch. Thus, all kingdoms would have a few attributes in common. Obviously, a kingdom must have a king, who rules by law over a number of subjects who live within a certain territory.
When we imagine a kingdom, we often visualize something like Arthurian Britain —of knights and warhorses, a king making decrees from his throne, huge castles of stone, and crowns of gold and glittering jewels. Others might identify more with a modern constitutional monarchy as some of the northwest European states have. But would anyone ever imagine an invisible kingdom of some unknown ethereal quality that resides somewhere within a person’s body?
Often, the ridiculous can expose how foolishly some interpret or spiritualize the Scriptures. Unfortunately, most of the modern “Christian” churches have spiritualized the vital knowledge of the Kingdom of God. They have various ways of expressing their idea, but many eventually fall back on Luke 17:21, where Jesus says, “For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
On its surface, this verse seems to support the notion that God’s Kingdom dwells within a Christian. But is this really what Jesus said? Or do we have to dig a bit deeper to find the truth?
Translation Error
Had we read this verse in the Greek language, we would have no difficulty with it. Since few of us have proficiency in Greek, we must rely on the faithfulness of unconverted translators to give us a true rendition of the original. At times, though, our trust is sorely abused, as in this verse.
“Within” is translated from entos, used only twice in the New Testament. Its primary meaning is “inside,” as it is rendered in Matthew 23:26: “Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.” However, when used in conjunction with a plural noun, entos means “among” or “in the midst of.” In Luke 17:21, entos is used with “you,” and from the context, we can see that Jesus was speaking to a crowd of Pharisees, who had come to question Him about the Kingdom of God (verse 20). “You,” then, is plural. “The kingdom of God is among you” is best.
Most modern translations have recognized this grammatical error and translate entos as “among” or “in the midst of.” Some texts, like the New King James and the New International versions, persist in using “within,” though they note in the margin that “among” is an alternative.
Even without this technical knowledge of Greek, we could have easily understood that “within” is a poor and misleading translation. Christ was answering a question posed by the Pharisees, and He replied directly to them: “He answered them and said, . . . ‘For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.'” But how could the Kingdom of God be within His most bitter enemies? How many times did He reveal them to be hypocritical and misleading the people? Theologically, it is quite impossible to think that His Kingdom would be in the Pharisees.
It is only after He had made this remark that He turned to His disciples (verse 22) and explained what He meant. The subject of the entire section (verses 20-37) is stated most explicitly in verse 30: “Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” All along, He had been explaining His second coming! When He returns, He will set up His Kingdom on earth (Zechariah 14:9).
L’Etat C’est Moi
If the Kingdom is still future, how could He say that “the kingdom of God is among you”? To answer this, we must return to the four common traits of a kingdom. The primary trait is that a kingdom must be ruled by a king; otherwise, the country has some other form of government. A king of any nation is the chief representative of that nation. And the King of the Kingdom of God is none other than the living Jesus Christ!
Pilate specifically asked Jesus, “‘Are You a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth'” (John 18:37). So as the King of God’s Kingdom, He could truly tell the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God was among them.
This idea is not without a secular counterpart. Louis XIV, king of France (AD 1638-1715), is said to have told the Parlement de Paris in 1655, “L’Etat c’est moi.” This translates into English as, “I am the State.” France was not a nation or a kingdom without the king, and as an absolute monarch, Louis XIV possessed the full power of the state in himself. In the same manner, Jesus could have said, “I am the Kingdom of God among you,” and indeed, this is the basic meaning of “the kingdom of God is among you.”
Jesus makes a similar statement to the Pharisees in Matthew 12. The Pharisees had accused Him of casting out demons by Beelzebub, another name for Satan (verse 24). During His reply to this accusation, Jesus says, “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” (verse 28).
John writes,
And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:30-31)
This passage is a simple explanation of why Christ did so many miracles, including the casting out of demons. It was to testify to who He was! So, Jesus says, casting demons out of people by the Holy Spirit is proof that a representative of God’s Kingdom worked among them.
Another sometimes misunderstood statement is Luke 10:9, where Jesus sends out the seventy disciples to preach: “And heal the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.'” The problem here is that many people understand the preposition “near” to refer to place or proximity, but in this case it refers to time. To paraphase Jesus’ words, He said, “Tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is coming soon.'”
The Broader Teaching
Our understanding of a troublesome verse is often well served by studying the surrounding scriptures. If we pull a verse from its context, we can ascribe meanings to it that have nothing to do with its intent as it was spoken. In the case of Luke 17:21, this is very true.
The original question posed by the Pharisees was, “When is the Kingdom of God coming?” (verse 20). The long section from the end of verse 20 to verse 37 is Jesus’ answer, first to the Pharisees (verses 20-21) and then to His disciples (verses 22-37). His reply to the Pharisees is rather curt: “You won’t be able to discern the coming of the Kingdom because you haven’t recognized that I am its chief representative, though I have been among you.”
In His longer explanation to His disciples, Jesus goes into quite a bit more detail about the timing and conditions of establishing His Kingdom. First, He says, do not be deceived when people tell you Christ has come (verses 22-23). We will know very well when He returns; it will be like a flash of lightning that everyone will see (verse 24). However, before this can happen, Jesus must be tortured and crucified as man’s Redeemer (verse 25). From our vantage point, which the disciples did not have, we know that this condition has already been met at Golgotha or Calvary.
Then He gives details about the conditions in the world when He returns. It will be as it was in the days of Noah and Lot (verses 26-30). He highlights two major signs of the end here:
- He will come suddenly when people do not expect Him to return. Most people will be going about their normal activities, unaware of the times.
- When He returns, society will be degenerate and wicked just as it was before the Flood came and before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (see Genesis 6:5-7; 18:20; 19:1-11).
Luke 17:31-33 shows that, for His disciples, His coming will result in a test of faith. They will have to be willing to leave everything behind—their homes, their possessions, even their loved ones—in order to obey the call of God. Lot’s wife turned back in longing for what she had left behind, and God’s judgment fell swiftly upon her. We may have to be willing even to give up our lives for salvation, because in trying to save our physical lives, we would have to renounce our beliefs.
Verses 34-36 illustrate three scenes of judgment. These show that Christ will judge us individually, and despite how close we may be to another—a spouse, a neighbor, a co-worker—our obedience and good works will not deliver anyone else (see Ezekiel 14:12-20). We will have to prove ourselves to the righteous Judge of all (Acts 17:31; Romans 14:10).
Finally, the disciples ask Jesus where these things will take place (Luke 17:37). His reply is better translated in the Revised English Bible: “Where the carcass is, there will the vultures gather.” This seems somewhat enigmatic, but if we take what He says literally, He implies that He will return at a place of great carnage. This would parallel the scenarios prophesied in Zechariah 14:1-5 and Revelation 19:11-21 (see especially verses 17-18, 21b).
All through this section Jesus is describing real circumstances, real people and real places. He speaks of a literal Kingdom to be established at His return “with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30).
Since the context of Luke 17:21 is Christ’s second coming, and Jesus is speaking in great detail about the time, place and conditions of His return, we must see His Kingdom as a literal government—just as real as any government of man. We cannot divorce “the Kingdom of God is among you” from this larger topic. Doing so distorts the true meaning of a literal, soon-coming Kingdom ruled by Jesus Christ that will grow to fill the whole earth after His return.