Saturday, November 17, 2012

学习马可福音


第十六章


韩家亮

耶稣是周五被钉十字架。2节和9节发生在一周的第一天。注意这里周日是一周的第一日,周一是第二日,……。1-8节叙述了耶稣的复活。

脚注说最可靠的抄本没有9-20节。有些人可能感到困惑。但是正如一本非常好的课本【1】所说,这种差别对正确解经不重要。实际上,类似经节在圣经的其它地方出现。15 耶稣对门徒们说∶“你们到全世界去,把福音传播给每一个人。 16 那些相信福音并接受洗礼的人必会得救;不相信的人必被定罪。这段经节类似于马太福音28:18 耶稣走近他们,说道∶“天上地上的一切权力都已赐给了我, 19 你们必须去使全世界的人都成为我的门徒,以父、子和圣灵的名义为他们施洗礼, 20 教导他们遵守我告诉过你们的一切。记住,我总会继续与你们同在,直到世界的末日。”

注释:
【1】Robert R. Hann, “The Bible, an owner's manual” : Paulist Press, c1983.

第十五章


韩家亮

第二节 彼拉多审问耶稣。他问∶“你是犹太人的王吗?” 耶稣回答说∶“你说的对。”这里耶稣承认了。虽然他不是犹太人的世俗王,他是神遣来领导犹太人的,从这个意义上他是犹太人的王。1-15节记录耶稣是如何受审判的。

16-20节描述了士兵如何嘲弄耶稣。21-32节是关于耶稣钉十字架。33-41节记录耶稣的死。42-47节记录耶稣的埋葬。注意47节抹大拉的马利亚和约瑟的母亲马利亚都看清了安放耶稣的地。她们在下一章里将要见证耶稣的复活。


第十四章


韩家亮

这章相当长,我只指出关键点。1-9节讲耶稣被膏(旧约圣经中成为王的象征)。8节里……“她事先把香膏倒在我身上,为我的葬礼做准备。”耶稣又一次预言他的死和埋葬。

逾越节是犹太人最重要的节日(出埃及记)。耶稣是在逾越节被处死的。这有一个重要的象征意义。他为我们死了以致我们可以在神的眼里得到救赎。主的晚餐也有重要象征意义。这是我们和神之间的一个契约。24 耶稣说∶“这是我的血,它是为了宽恕许多人而流的,以便开始上帝对他子民的新契约。”契约是庄重的。神有过两次契约:(1)与亚伯拉罕立的旧约,(2)与所有基督徒立的新契约。基督徒以主的晚餐来纪念神通过耶稣建立的新契约。

27-31节告诉我们一个熟悉的故事:彼得三次否认耶稣。彼得是十二使徒中最忠实的门徒,但是他在压力下三次否认耶稣。所以我们如果依靠血肉之力我们可能在压力下犯罪。另外27节引用撒加利亚书13:7. 耶稣预言彼得要否认他三次。这些预言的能力是从神来的。

32-41节被称为客西马尼(地名 Gethsemane)。这些描述了耶稣在被抓捕前做了什么。这个地名现在是那时耶稣的痛苦的代名词。我想提醒大家注意36节:(耶稣说)∶“阿爸,父,上帝,您是万能的,把这杯苦酒端开吧。不过,请不要做我想的事,而是按您的意愿去做吧。” 这里显示耶稣是人,知道受苦是困难的。但是他不要自己的愿望,要父的愿望。这与耶稣所教导的《马太福音》6:9-13 节类似,父的愿望实现。

53-65节描述耶稣在犹太首领面前受审。61…… 大祭司又问道∶“你就是受到祝福的上帝之子基督吗?”62 耶稣回答说∶“我是。你们将看到人子坐在万能的上帝右边,驾着天上的云来临。” 63 大祭司听了这话,非常懊恼,撕扯着自己的衣服说∶“我们不再需要别的证据了! 64 你们都听见了他这些亵渎上帝的话。你们说该怎么办?” 所有的人都诅咒耶稣,说他有罪,说他该死。 对犹太长老、祭司、律法教师来说,62节中耶稣的回答是亵渎神。另一面来说,这是耶稣亲口声称他是神的儿子。

66-72节应现了27-31节耶稣预言彼得将三次否认耶稣。

第十三章


韩家亮


耶稣在1-2节预言了犹太教圣殿的毁灭。许多基督徒认为这个预言在公元70年罗马军队毁灭耶路撒冷时实现。耶稣门徒问耶稣这些事什么时候会发生。耶稣在5-31节里实际上没有谈以前说的事情而是预言世界末日的事。耶稣所讲的这些事确实可怕。《启示录》也描述类似灾难。因为这大概是你第一次读圣经,我暂时不详细讨论。

28 “你们要从无花果树上受到启发,一旦树枝发嫩,树叶发芽,你们就知道夏天快到了。这段经节有意思。十一章中两次提到无花果树(12-14,20-21)。第一次时无花果树没有结果子。有些基督徒认为无花果树预示犹太民族。因为他们没有结公义的果子,他们因此被诅咒。但是在世界末日,犹太民族会重生,对应于以色列的复国。或许这个看法是对的。

耶稣在32-37节告诉他的门徒没有人知道什么时候世界末日会来到。32 “谁也不会知道那一天、那一时刻什么时候到来,甚至天上的天使也不知道,人子也不知道,只有父知道。不时我听到见到有人(甚至是牧师)声称他们知道耶稣会回来的具体时间,或世界末日的具体时间。明摆着,他们不对,因为这与耶稣的教导相对。耶稣要求他的追随者准备好。


第十二章


韩家亮

1-12节是关于庄户的寓言。它的意义不难理解。庄户这里是指古以色列人。奴仆是指神的仆人即先知。最后神派遣他的儿子。13-17节法利赛人和希律党人要抓耶稣的把柄,问他是否应该交税。耶稣的回答极有智慧。

18-27节耶稣回答了撒都该人关于复活的问题。撒都该人不相信有复活。28-34节耶稣总结了诫命为两条。摩西给了十诫。耶稣给的两条是所有诫命的中心。35-37节耶稣问弥赛亚是谁的儿子。虽然耶稣在名义上是大卫的子孙,但是他实际上是受圣灵怀孕的。38-40节耶稣警告注意律法教师。他们虽然外表上很虔诚,但是实际上确是伪君子。41-44节耶稣称许一个穷寡妇,只奉献了两个小铜板。这教导我们奉献的数量不是最重要,而是尽力全心。


第十一章


韩家亮

这章比前一章需要解释的少。1-11节描述耶稣进耶路撒冷的情景。

12-14节和20-21节显明信心的能力。22-24节讲了更多。耶稣说:24 “所以我告诉你们、凡你们祷告祈求的、无论是甚么、只要信是得着的、就必得着。”耶稣又说:25 “你们站着祷告的时候、若想起有人得罪你们、就当饶恕他、好叫你们在天上的父、也饶恕你们的过犯。” 所以,你必须先原谅别人。否则,你的祷告神不一定会垂听。15-17节耶稣扫清神殿。我们应该知道崇拜的殿堂不能用来做钱财交易。崇拜的时候需要一个纯洁的心。

26节到本章结束讲述耶稣被问及他的权威的来处。


第十章


韩家亮

在2节法力赛人为了试探耶稣问耶稣离婚的问题。耶稣先回问他们。然后耶稣用《创世纪》的经节回答他们。6 但从起初创造的时候、 神造人是造男造女。7 因此人要离开父母、与妻子连合、二人成为一体。 8 既然如此、夫妻不再是两个人、乃是一体的了。 9 所以 神配合的、人不可分开。这段经文有非常深刻的意义,我以后或许会另外讨论。在这里,我希望你们注意到耶稣的教导高于摩西的诫命是从神的原来计划来的。

13-16节告诉我们耶稣爱孩子。你应该注意15 “我实在告诉你们、凡要承受 神国的、若不像小孩子、断不能进去。”所以一个信徒应该完全相信神的话。

17-31节是我最喜爱的故事。同样的故事在其它福音书里也有,例如《马太福音》19章。虽然这个故事不长也不复杂,但是它包含了许多信息。一个富有年轻人问耶稣“我当作甚么事、才可以承受永生。”作为基督徒,我们知道这不可能(参看27节)因为我们都是罪人。无论我们做什么,我们都无法有资格承受永生。耶稣告诉他“除了 神一位之外、再没有良善的。 ”保罗在《罗马书》写到3:10 就如经上所记、『没有义人、连一个也没有.
3:11 没有明白的、没有寻求 神的.
3:12 都是偏离正路、一同变为无用.没有行善的、连一个也没有。
耶稣是善的因为他是神。耶稣在19节告诉这个富有年轻人一些诫命(摩西诫命的部分)。这个年轻人说“这一切我从小都遵守了。”但是你如果懂得耶稣山上教训,例如《马太福音》5:21-48 你就会知道没有人能够完全满足神的诫命。当这个年轻人回答耶稣他满足这些诫命后,耶稣告诉他:“去变卖你所有的、分给穷人、就必有财宝在天上.你还要来跟从我。 ”他听见这话、脸上就变了色、忧忧愁愁的走了.因为他的产业很多。

这句经节和整个故事告诉我们我们无法自救只有神可以救我们。基督教的中心是耶稣通过死在十字架上拯救我们。我们可以通过接受耶稣作为救主得救,别无它路。

32-34节重复我们以前见到的。

经节35-45是关于耶稣门徒争谁为大。42 耶稣叫他们来对他们说、你们知道、外邦人有尊为君王的、治理他们.有大臣操权管束他们。 43 只是在你们中间、不是这样.你们中间、谁愿为大、就必作你们的用人. 44 在你们中间、谁愿为首、就必作众人的仆人。 所以在基督教中间服事最重要。

从46节到这章最后讲耶稣治愈一个瞎子。

第九章


韩家亮

第一节耶稣告诉他的门徒在他们死以前会看到“ 神的国大有能力临到”。这预示了2-13节的变形象,特别是2-4节。彼得在惊讶中无意说的话把耶稣与伊利亚和摩西等同(5节)。但是在7节天上来的声音宣称耶稣是神的儿子并要求其他人听从他。这里耶稣的特殊地位很清楚,耶稣高于别的先知(参8:27-30)。

14-29节的一段讲一个被鬼附的孩子。正如以前所讲,要是病人得治愈,病人或是他或她的亲人首先要有信心(23-24节)。

耶稣在30-32节再次(已经在8:31-33讲过)预言了自己的受折磨,死和复活。

38-41节可以总结为“不反对我们的就是为我们的”。这里,耶稣教导他的门徒聚焦在工作上而不是谁做工作。


在42-50节中,耶稣教导不使别人跌倒很重要。这里跌倒是指在属灵意义上,即使别人离开真理或神。

第八章


韩家亮

1-10节讲到耶稣喂食4000多人。第六章有一个类似的神迹。11-13节中法利赛人求耶稣在天上显示一个神迹。以前耶稣已经做过许多神迹,但是法利赛人仍旧不相信他。这里求神迹是试探神。《马太福音》4:5 魔鬼又把耶稣带到圣城耶路撒冷,让他站在大殿院上一个很高的地方,对他说: 6 “如果你是上帝之子,就跳下去吧,因为《经》上说:
‘上帝将吩咐天使帮助你,
他们会用手接住你,
使你的脚不会跌到石头上。’”
7 耶稣回答说∶“《经》上还说:

‘不可试探主—你的上帝。’”

耶稣在《马可福音》8:12 说“没有神迹会给你们这代人看。神造神迹是因为有需要,不是为了一些人的好奇。

14-21节这一段是关于法利赛人和希律的酵。门徒们只带了一条面包上船。当耶稣告诉他们要提防法利赛人和希律的酵时,他们想到的是做面包的酵。但是这里(福音书里还有其它许多地方)耶稣用酵这个字表示信息的变质和不纯正。耶稣这里是警告他的门徒要保持他们信仰纯正。他的门徒没能理解他的警告。耶稣有能力喂饱数千人,为什么他会担心面包不够?

22-26节中耶稣治愈了一个瞎子。22节讲带着瞎子去找耶稣的人们认为耶稣只要一碰他,他就会痊愈。实际上耶稣治疗这个瞎子还是经过了几个步骤。每个病例可能很不相同。

27-30节显明了耶稣到底是谁。许多人说耶稣是众先知中之一(28节)。彼得说耶稣是救主。救主是犹太教和基督教的中心人物(参《圣经浅谈》)。马太福音16:16更为清楚。“西门彼得回答说∶“您是基督,是活生生的上帝的儿子。

在耶稣的身份显示以后,耶稣开始教导他的门徒”他耶稣开始向门徒们解释说他必须去耶路撒冷,年长的犹太首领、祭司长和律法师必会让他遭受到很多苦难。他还告诉他们,他必被杀害,并在第三天必定复活.” 这些预言后来被证实确实。34-38节中耶稣警告他的门徒,他们必须准备做出牺牲。

第七章



韩家亮

1-23节关于犹太人习俗。仔细读3节中间“拘守古人的遗传”。也就是说传统要求犹太人吃东西前洗手。但是这个习俗不是神所要求的。耶稣在8节说“你们是离弃 神的诫命、拘守人的遗传。”耶稣批评这些法力赛人和律法教师创立自己的规则却忽略神的律法。

摩西五经有规定不得吃某些食物,例如猪肉。利未记11章列出许多食物不洁净,不可吃。许多犹太人仍然守这些,但是多数基督徒不再守这些。《使徒行传》有关于这方面的更多启示。这里我们需要注意15节(耶稣说)“从外面进去的、不能污秽人、惟有从里面出来的、乃能污秽人。”所以,只是吃某种食物不会污秽人,但是他或她说的有可能。

14-30节讲一个叙利非尼基妇人,她的女儿被恶鬼附身。这个故事有两点值得注意:她很谦卑,她有信心。耶稣试探她的信心,她的回答非常谦卑。类似于我们前几章看到过的,是她的信心治愈了她的女儿。她需要来到神的面前。但是如果她没有信心,仍然不会治愈她女儿。

31-37节讲耶稣治愈一个聋哑人。


第六章

韩家亮

1-23节关于犹太人习俗。仔细读3节中间“拘守古人的遗传”。也就是说传统要求犹太人吃东西前洗手。但是这个习俗不是神所要求的。耶稣在8节说“你们是离弃 神的诫命、拘守人的遗传。”耶稣批评这些法力赛人和律法教师创立自己的规则却忽略神的律法。

摩西五经有规定不得吃某些食物,例如猪肉。利未记11章列出许多食物不洁净,不可吃。许多犹太人仍然守这些,但是多数基督徒不再守这些。《使徒行传》有关于这方面的更多启示。这里我们需要注意15节(耶稣说)“从外面进去的、不能污秽人、惟有从里面出来的、乃能污秽人。”所以,只是吃某种食物不会污秽人,但是他或她说的有可能。

14-30节讲一个叙利非尼基妇人,她的女儿被恶鬼附身。这个故事有两点值得注意:她很谦卑,她有信心。耶稣试探她的信心,她的回答非常谦卑。类似于我们前几章看到过的,是她的信心治愈了她的女儿。她需要来到神的面前。但是如果她没有信心,仍然不会治愈她女儿。

31-37节讲耶稣治愈一个聋哑人。

第五章

韩家亮

1-6节记录了耶稣在他的出生地受到藐视。那里的人质疑他的地位。耶稣是神的儿子但是他是以人的形式出现。以前他的生活平常,他的许多乡里很难想象他会做出伟大的事迹。一个教训是不以人的家庭和相貌判断人。另外,由于这些人缺乏信心,耶稣只能行很少的神迹。前几章也谈到信心起的作用。信心在医治,神迹,和祷告中很重要。

6节下半节到13节耶稣送出12门徒。14-29节是关于试洗约翰被杀之事。30-44记录耶稣喂饱5000人。45-56讲耶稣在水上行走。

这章讲的事迹和神迹不难懂得,当然有些人可能接受有些困难。如果你有疑问,可以贴出,或是电邮寄来。我尽量回答。

第五章

韩家亮

这一章只讲述两个神迹,第一个是治愈一个被邪灵附身的人。经文不难懂。15节最后“……他们都很害怕。”耶稣做了一件好事,为什么他们害怕?这些人养猪,大概不是犹太人。如果他们是犹太人,他们有较大可能欢迎耶稣因为犹太人信有神迹。17节“人们都央求耶稣离开此地。”或许因为上面的原因,这些人不欢迎会显神迹的人。

这一章后面实际有两个神迹:一个关于有病的妇人,另一个是救活死去的女孩。这里的关键是信心。34节“ 耶稣对她说∶“亲爱的女子,你的信仰治愈了你。””耶稣没有说我治好了你,而是你的信心治好了你。许多时候,我们成不了事是因为我们缺乏信心。同样,36节最后 (耶稣说)“不要害怕,尽管相信就是了。


第四章

韩家亮

这章有几个寓言。寓言常有深刻的含义。信徒可能懂得寓言,但是不信者不能懂。第一个寓言是关于撒种者(农夫),它的实际意义是预言人们如何响应福音(神的话)。当福音宣扬时,有的会拒绝,有的一开始会接受但是没有深刻的决心,有些成为坚决的跟随者。这个寓言有重要的意义。

21-24节初看是两个寓言,但是这两个寓言是有联系的。第一部分告诉他的门徒公开见证耶稣。这样作有时会遇到逼迫甚至死亡。但是真正的信徒不应该隐藏他们相信耶稣这事。25 拥有的人,会得到更多;几乎一无所有的人,就连他们仅有的一点点也要被拿走。初看这句话有点迷惑。24-25节与21-23节是有关联的。如果一个人使用神的恩赐,他或她就会得到神更多的恩赐。但是,那些人不用神的恩赐,恩赐会被拿走。

杂草的寓言(30-34节)难度较高,我们暂时略过它。

35-41节讲一个耶稣平息风暴的故事。这是一个难以相信的神迹。它有寓意,但是我们这里略过,只是指出耶稣有超自然地能力。

第三章

韩家亮

三章1-6节讲耶稣在安息日治病。守安息日是犹太教十诫之一。《出埃及记》20:8 “要记住安息日,守为圣日。 9 你一周可工作六天, 10 但第七天是你的上帝耶和华的安息日,这一天你和儿女、仆婢、牲畜及你那里的外族人不可做任何工。 11 因为耶和华用六天造了天、地、海和其中的万物,第七天便休息了,所以耶和华赐福这日,把它定为圣日。前一章中,耶稣告诉我们他要改变一些宗教法律。安息日为大多数犹太教徒所遵守。《马可福音》3:4又问众人说、在安息日行善行恶、救命害命、那样是可以的呢.他们都不作声。耶稣指出十诫的本质是善。

三章6节法利赛人出去、同希律一党的人商议、怎样可以除灭耶稣。法利赛人是从字面意义上都尊崇犹太教的一派犹太人。这些法利赛人要谋杀耶稣因为他为了做善事而不守安息日。这显示了他们的邪恶。

有些人错误地认为基督徒崇拜的日子是安息日。安息日是神创造的第七天,这在《创世纪》一章有记载,也出现在上面的《出埃及记》20:7中。星期天不是安息日而是七天中的第一天。基督徒在星期天崇拜聚会是因为耶稣在一周的第一天从死中复活。

在20-30节,有些犹太律法教师攻击耶稣是被魔鬼控制。这显示他们绝望而用污蔑的方法。耶稣驳斥他们说:3:29凡亵渎圣灵的、却永不得赦免、乃要担当永远的罪。


第二章

韩家亮

2:1-12,耶稣治愈了一个不能走路的残疾人。有些律法教师想“只有神才能赦免罪”。你或许记得马太福音18:21 彼得走上前来问∶“主,如果我的兄弟不断地亏待我,我要原谅他几次呢?七次够吗?”:22 耶稣说∶“我告诉你,不只七次,而是七十个七次。注意马太福音18:21-22里的罪是指一个人对另一个人犯的。(你也可以参照主祷词。如果你不熟悉主祷词的话,你可以自己找找看。)另一方面,2:1-12里这些教师明显认为这个残疾人得了残疾是因为他的罪是触犯了神。所以,只有神才可以赦免他,医治他。

另一点值得注意的是九节“两者相比,哪个更容易呢?是对这个瘫痪病人说‘你的罪被宽恕了,’容易,还是说:‘站起来!拿着铺盖走吧,’容易呢?”对我们常人来说,两个都不容易。第一个是因为我们没有这个权力。他的罪不是针对我们的。第二个是我们没有这样的能力。但是对耶稣来讲,这两样都不难。

第三点是10节中耶稣称自己为人子(Son of Man)。第一章我们看到耶稣是神的儿子。那么这里是不是有矛盾呢?没有。耶稣是神的儿子,有神的属性。耶稣称自己是人子,以表示他成为人的救赎。马可福音10:45 (耶稣说)人子降世,人子来不是让人伺候他的,他来是为了服侍他人的,而且,为了拯救众人,他还牺牲了自己的生命。再有 腓立比书
5 在生活中,你们要想耶稣基督之所想。
6 虽然基督在本质上就是上帝,但他没有认为与上帝平等是用作自己优越的事情。
7 相反,他放弃了一切,取了奴隶的本性,和人类一样。 8 当他在外表变得和人类一样时,他自甘卑微,甚至顺服到了死的地步,不惜死在十字架上。
这段经文准确地描述了耶稣基督。耶稣基督即是神的儿子也是人子。

13-17节告诉我们耶稣挑选了利未。注意有的律法教师攻击耶稣与罪人交往。虽然他们自己认为是义人,但是他们仍然是罪人。正如罗马书3:10 正如《经》上所说:
“没有正直的人,一个也没有!
11 没有理解的人,
没有寻求上帝的人,
所以,这些律法教师也是罪人虽然他们不觉得。

18-27节里耶稣表示他要改变一些规则。犹太人遵守许多规则,有些规则是从摩西五经(Torah)来的,也有的是祖宗传下来的。仔细读2:21-22。21 “没有人会用没有缩过水的新布去补旧衣服,因为补钉一缩水,会把原来的破洞扯得更大了。 22 谁也不会把新酒装进旧酒囊里,否则,新酒会撑破旧酒囊,结果酒和酒囊两样东西都被毁了。你们总是把新酒装到新酒囊里。”耶稣用衣服和酒袋来表示宗教仪式和规则。他暗示他的门徒将守一套新的规则。

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韩家亮

我们现在开始学习马可福音。圣经有66本书,内容丰富。圣经中有些书比其它书容易懂。我们有可能从较容易懂的一些旧约书(如路得记、撒母耳记)开始。但是对基督教来说新约比旧约重要。这是我们为什么选择新约的一本书作为我们学习的开始。新约的中心是耶稣。新约的前四本书称为福音书。这四本中间,马可福音比较短,也比较容易懂。这是我们选它的原因。

有的人想通过其它书,甚至小说、电影来了解圣经。这种方法通常没有用处。有时这种方法会误导,得出对圣经完全错误的看法。如果圣经是神的话,难道神不想让你,神的儿女,理解祂的话吗?我们要做的是帮助你起个头,教你方法和惯例,并介绍基督教主流是怎样解释圣经的。期望你以后能够在没有我们帮助下读懂圣经。


怎样找到圣经呢?有一个网站很不错Biblegateway (http://www.biblegateway.com/) 。其中有英文,也有中文。以前中文和合本用的很多。但是和合本已经有许多年的历史,有些地方翻译不是很好,有许多地名人名与现在常用的差别很大。我一般用易读版(http://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=Mark&qs_version=ERV-ZH)。如果你能读懂英文的话,建议同时参考英文本。有许多英文版本可以用。其中最流行的是NIV(New International Version)。NIV意义比较准确又比较容易读。

圣经浅谈 以及引用的参考资料对了解背景和进一步学习可能很有用。


第一章

1:1 上帝之子有个脚注,有些希腊本没有这几个字。有些人可能会起疑问,既然耶稣是上帝之子是基督教的根本,没有这几个字是不是意味着基督教的基础是否可靠?是否圣经可靠?有一本很好很易懂的英文书【1】信服地解释了这点。这些地方的差别是因为历史和技术的原因,是不影响基督教的信仰。实际上1:11和1:24 11很清楚地表明耶稣是上帝之子。

1:2和1:3都有准备好道路。这里的道路不是指平常我们所说的马路、公路、铁路。要见到主,一个人需要一个纯洁的心。为了这个目的,在耶稣来到之前施洗约翰被差遣到地上(参1:4)。1:2以“先知以赛亚”开始。先知以赛亚生活在约公元前700年,也就是说耶稣以前约700年。先知的重要性在圣经浅谈有简单的介绍。以赛亚书对认识耶稣有特别的重要,其中有50多处是关于耶稣的。

这一章至少有三处记录神迹:21-27,29-34,40-42。神迹存在吗?作为基督徒,我们相信神创造了世界上的一切,也具有能力成就这些神迹。有些人或许说,如果这些神迹是真的,显现给我看。神迹是神成就的。人无法重复神迹,否则就不是神迹了。

References:
[1] Robert R. Hann, “The Bible, an owner's manual” : Paulist Press, c1983.



Saturday, May 19, 2012

Church1


Church

The original meaning of the word church is a group of people called by God.  Today, the English word church is somewhat secular.  Often in a media report a church refers to a church building.  This is one of a few cases that Chinese translations are better than English.  Two words are used in Chinese: “teaching + building” and “teaching + assembly”. 

Another distinction we should know is that there are two important usages.  One is the universal church, which includes all true (born-again) Christians, starting from those in Acts to today until perhaps the end.  The second refers to a specific church, such as Fremont Community Church in Fremont, California.  Then, there are denominations.  Church is closely related to the Kingdom of God, hence, quite important. 

Parables of weeds and mustard seed

Important teachings in NT all have roots in Jesus preaching.  Let us consider parables of weeds and mustard seed in Matt. 13.  All these refer to the Kingdom of God. 

The good seed in the weeds parable (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43) may be interpreted as the word of God.  Various religions and sects may result from the seed.  This is why a well-recognized Bible version is so important. 

The mustard seed parable (Matt. 13:31-32) may be interpreted for different churches.  At first, this parable looks strange.  A mustard seed grows into a tree.  The bird implies Satan (13:4,19).  One interpretation is that this implies the Roman Catholic Church, which became corrupt.  One lesson here is that big is not necessarily good.  If a church grows too big so that it lost its focus, man made rules become implicit laws. 

A distributed system

When church grows big, a distributed system is better than a centralized system.  One might think of the word democracy.  However, democracy is a political term while the word distributed has no such implication.   Both the Roman Catholic Church and the Local Churches are too centralized. 

Biblical

A good church has to be biblical.  Not only it should use a widely recognized Bible but also its doctrines and creeds must be sound. 

The NT consists of 4 books on gospels, Acts and epistles, and revelation.  Gospels are mainly historical records of Jesus teaching.  Acts and epistles give a blueprint of saints (Christians) and apostolic churches.  

Churches today

All Protestant churches today try to be biblical.  Two things are important.  Should we use a scientific approach or an engineering approach?  Perhaps a mixed one is more appropriated.  We would like a church to be perfect.  However, a church consists of a group of sinners.  Its leaders (pastors, elders, or deacons) are sinners as well. 

I hope that you can see why I insist on using English Bible now.  Tense and plurality are very important but not reflected in Chinese. 

Denominations

W. Nee strongly criticized denominations.  This is understandable at the time and place.  I disagree with him on this.  In fact, when I visit a church it is always helpful to know its denomination and history.  This helps me to know its creeds, doctrines, strong features, and weak points.  Every church has problems.  It is better to be open about it. 

Fellowship among the churches

I Corinthians 12:12-26 (although individual Christian was meant here, I think that these can apply to churches) and Matt. 7:1-5.  Leaders of churches should fellowship often on doctrines, truths, methodologies, etc.  Of course, they must start with the Bible. 

Chinese or American 

Actually, the term Chinese church is unclear.  Is it a church of Chinese or a church of Chinese speaking Christians?   Let us use a Chinese church for a church for Chinese speaking people and American church for a church for English speaking people. 

You may have noticed that I used the term Local Churches above.  This is an oxymoron but I cannot find a right phrase.  After all, there is a Buddhist Church advertised in the Argus, a local newspaper in Fremont, California. 

In the Bible, apostolic churches can be as small as a house church and can be as broad as a large region.  There are no Jew churches, Greek churches, Syrian churches, etc.  I Corinthian 12:12-13, Colossians 3:11, and Galatians 3:26-28 are teachings on this. 




Truth1


What is truth? 

The word truth is hard to define.  According to an English dictionary, truth is something that is true or real.  But there is more to that.  For example, I have a book named “What went wrong?” by Bernard Lewis, which is true.  But few would regard this as an important truth.  You may be familiar with the term relative truth and absolute truth.  These are philosophical terms and are useful to determine scientific truths.  The idea is that at any time we can discover truths.  Truths are often relative.  Through many generations, scientists may gradually approach the absolute truths.  These are largely correct.  As I said before, scientific truths are only a small portion of the truths.  There are much more important truths. 

By the way, those from mainland China may be familiar with the slogan “Practice is the sole criterion to test truth”.  I wonder what truths they have discovered so far.  The only “truth” (relative truth) I can think of is that market economy is better than central planning economy, i.e., Adam Smith is more correct than Karl Marx.  This was known long time ago. 

I think a better definition of truth is that it is true both in this world and in the world to come.  According to the Bible, the world is divided into two periods; this world and the world to come.  (Buddhists claim that the world goes in cycles; but there are no scientific evidences to support it.)  

Book of Truth

The Bible is the book of Truth.  I have not seen any other book that is even remotely closer to it.  John 14: 6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  There is one sentence in the intro of http://www.gcciusa.org/b5/eBooks/Truth/truthIndex.html I like very much.  “Eastern thinkers are looking for the way; western philosophers are looking for truth; Jews are looking for everlasting life.”  In fact, all human beings are looking for the three, although for different peoples there may be different emphasis.  The Bible is the book of way, the book of truth, and the book of life.  The Bible is the book about God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

What about scientific truth? 

Some may wonder why the Bible does not have much about scientific truths.  The Bible does have some chapters dealing with scientific truths.  For example, Job 38-41.  By the way, it is interesting to read Job since it poses some very difficult questions.  Although many generations have passed, today’s sciences can only answer few, if any, the questions God asked Job. 

Another reason is what good is a book of scientific truths to a person?  Even some simple scientific truths will take many years for some well-educated person to understand them.  And what good are to him/her?  Does that ensure his/her entrance to heaven?  Suppose there is a person who is illiterate.  Does God not allow him/her to know Him?  That would be unfair since all talents ultimately come from God. 

Is knowledge good or bad? 

It is natural to discuss knowledge when talking about truths.  Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

There are two kinds of knowledge.  One may be puzzled when reading the original sin (Gen. Chapter 3), especially for a scientist like me.  It may seem incredible that God punished Adam for eating fruits from the tree of knowledge.  This contradicts to popular beliefs that knowledge is man’s strength. 

There are different types of knowledge.  In I.Cor.8, Paul said: “1Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” It seems that knowledge is bad.  But in Colossians 1:10, Paul said “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,”  So knowledge is not necessarily good or bad.  It is important to know what type of knowledge and how to use it. 

Prophet2


Different Prophecies

Let us denote prophecies in Ac. 2:17 as pro1, I Cor. 14 as pro2, and 12:28-30 as pro3. 

Preachers

Many churches today have pastors as preachers.  Ephesians 4:11 “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,” According to a dictionary, pastor and shepherd means the same thing, i.e., a minister in charge of a flock.  Most often, a sermon is a pro2.  If we interpret prophets in Ep.4:11 as pro3 and pastors and teachers as pro2, then the puzzling duplicity resolves.  

Man or woman? 

It should be clear that Paul in I Corinthians 14 meant for brothers only.  A sermon by 2 or 3 is good but any number is OK.  (It seems the more the better.  However, guiding by the spirit is the key.)  Preachers should be male only. 

Woman pastors

Note that if woman pastors do not preach, especially not in a congregational meeting for church building, this does not violate I Cor. 14 in spirit.  Since pastors do not have to preach. 

If a woman pastor preaches, is it a sin?  It should be clear that, according to Paul in Chapter 11, it is. 

Homework: 
  1. What other appearances of prophesying/prophecies in NT?  What types are they? 
  2. Compare the NIT version with the recovery version.  Do you see problems? 
  3. What meetings in NBS (“Messages for Building Up New Believers”, or “New Believers Series”)?  Where does W. Nee’ teaching agree with the Bible?  Where does not?  

Prophet1


What is prophecy? 

Some regard prophecy as predicting future events.  This does not distinguish it from scientific predictions, guessing or even fortune telling.  Prophecy really means speaking under divine inspiration.  It certainly may predict future events but more importantly the source and content is gift from God. 

Are there prophets now? 

The NT era is different from that of the OT time.  Heb. 1:1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, …” In the OT times, God gave words to prophets who in turn spoke to people.  These were recorded in the Bible, especially books of prophets.  Since Christ is our teacher in the new covenant (Jer.31:34; Matt. 23:10), there are no prophets in the sense of OT.  Specifically, no book or even a chapter may be added to the Bible.  All testimonies, sermons or books should be used as references.  Note that many cults or heresies add or change the Bible. 

Then, what about I Cor. 12:28-30 or 14?  In Ac. 2:17" 'In the last days, God says,
       I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
   Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
       your young men will see visions,
       your old men will dream dreams.” (from Joel 2:28)   
 
In the broadest sense, anyone who tells Bible verses to another is prophesying since the Word of God is true or will be true.  Prophesying in Acts 2:17-18 and in Paul’s letters means to enlighten others.  If someone interprets, preaches, testifies, or sheds light in general on some Bible verses or sound doctrines, that person is prophesying.  Martin Luther said that every Christian is a priest.  Thus, in a broad sense, anyone can prophesy. 

Ps. 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”  Prophets in I Cor. 12:28-30 get lights from God and enlighten others.  Prophets in this context must provide original insight to the Bible.  In addition, the interpretation must be biblical and relevant.  In the wide context of the Church, this is quite difficult since after studies of many generations much of the Bible is well understood.  On the other hand, the rich of the Bible is infinite.  Note that an apostle is higher than prophets.  An apostle certainly can prophesy. 

Chapter 14 of I Corinthians is on prophesying to build up the church.  This shows the importance of prophesying and provides some guidelines on prophesying.  Prophets here are slightly different from the above.  Prophecies in a congregation need not to be original but must be biblical and relevant. 

Biblical and relevant 

Prophesying must be biblical and relevant.  First, a message or testimony must be biblical.  Its spirit must agree with the Bible.  Therefore, it is essential for a person to gain a sound understanding of the Bible before prophesying.  One important point, highlighted by Watchman Nee in [1], is that only a spiritual man can gain lights from the Bible.  One must devote time to study the Bible and follow Christ in his acts.  Prophecy is a gift from God.  Since the need of prophesying is great and God is a loving God, the gift of prophecy will be given to those who are willing (Matt.7:7-11). 

Relevance to the present situation is also important.  This is one important theme in [2], an excellent book by Rick Warren, who is a pastor of a fast-growing church.  The Bible is relevant to everyone today but we have to find and show the relevance to peoples.  If sermons or other meetings can reach people in need, their minds may open to the Bible and the Holy Spirit.  This is by no means easy or simple.  The world has the work of God, Satan’s work, as well as worldly things and all sorts of views.  One needs to study many historical facts and use a biblical view to analyze the world, culture, and congregation.  I have written on Islam because the current world situation concerns many.  Many good Christians (even pastors) are also confused on this. 

One has to be aware of false teachings.  Through out the history, false teachings and heresies deviate from the original meaning of the Bible.  By studying these, such as those presented in http://www.gcciusa.org/b5/eBooks/Truth/truthIndex.html, one may increase awareness of pitfalls and mistakes. 

Interpretation

The meaning of the Bible often needs interpretation.  How to know whether the interpretation of some verses is correct and/or original?  First, one should know the interpretation system used throughout ages by previous saints and scholars.  Refer [3] and references therein for the start.  For specific verses, one can refer to one of the reference books in [3] or go to one of the public libraries to look up many reference books. 

On correctness, there are rooms for different opinions.  As Paul taught us in I Corinthians different teachers may have different viewpoints and all could be correct and beneficial.  One may favor one interpretation but the other could be equally correct.  On the other hand, since the reference books need to collect various viewpoints, some interpretations on some verses can be problematic. 

Watchman Nee and Witness Lee

Watchman Nee had strong influence on interpretation of the Bible as well as Chinese churches.  Thus, I would like to explore some now.  To me, it is clear that he is a prophet since his interpretations of the Bible shed much light.  I do not know any other contemporary has obtained as much from God.  Incidentally, this shows that God is righteous (Ac. 10:34-35).  Even though Nee had such a difficult environment and with shortcomings of Chinese language, he received great gifts from God.  His interpretations were developed from prior methodologies but many points were original.  This does not mean that he did not make mistakes (after all we are sinners).  Many his interpretations should be studied further in the mainstream system and shared by all churches. 

Witness Lee tried to carry on what W. Nee left.  My troubles with him are 1) many good points of his were from W. Nee (i.e., not original);  2) some important points of his had serious errors.  There are a number of cases to support my stand.  In addition, if you compare their styles you will find striking differences.  W. Nee rarely introduced new theological terms.  His interpretations are largely biblical as well as easy to understand.  On the other hand, Lee invented many new terms.  If you try to explain to other Christians, many are confused by his terms.  I heard some said that Nee made difficult Bible verses easy to understand while Lee made easy verses hard to understand.  There is some truth in this.  I do not think that most his terms are necessary to understand the Bible. 

One of W. Lee’s grave sins is to publish the “recovery version” of the Bible.  Today’s situation is very different from that of Martin Luther’s.  At that time, there were no German translation and ordinary people had no access to the Bible.  The English recovery version is particularly troublesome.  There are reasons to have new Chinese translation, as I mentioned earlier.  But why do we need new English versions?  If we need one, he should have talked to other denominations first. 

In addition, viewing some development in the local churches under his leadership, it is clear that he is not in the rank of prophet.  There is no point to study his work.  There are some fundamental questions regarding his interpretations, the practice of local churches, and the right ways according to the Bible.  I will explain more in the future when I have time. 

From the Bible and to the Bible

Finally, it is important to understand the role of prophets in the new covenant mentioned earlier.  We are facilitators not originators.  Christ is the true teacher and the LORD.  No matter how much we know or teach, the purpose is not to convince others of specific doctrines or verses but to lead one to the Bible and God.  If our service can help others to acknowledge the authority and relevance of the Bible and encourage others to read more of the Bible, then we are doing a good job.  This is what I mean “from the Bible and to the Bible.” 

(To certain extent, Lee’s style is a hindrance.  After many years experiences in Christ, I can understand many terms he used.  However, I do not think that most the terms are necessary.) 

  1. "How to Study the Bible" Watchman Nee, ISBN: 073630407X 
  2. "The Purpose-Driven Church," Rick Warren, Zondervan Publishing Company; 1995
  3. “The Bible, an owner's manual” Robert R. Hann, Paulist Press, c1983.

Faith2


Religion

The word religion is translated into Chinese as ‘sect + teaching.’  Strictly speaking, this is incorrect and there was no equivalent word in Chinese since God was unknown in China until modern times.  Religion concerns God and related human activities.  Since God created all peoples and there is only one God, a correct religion is not a sect but is universal.  Teaching is important.  But Jesus taught us that doing is equally important.  Luke 11: 28He (Jesus) replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." 

I used the word correct religion above and earlier.  What I mean is that only two religions are God’s religions: Judaism and Christianity.  All other religions are incorrect in the sense that they are not from God. 

Why not a religion from China? 

A Chinese may question why no correct religion originated in China.  According to the Bible, Judaism started from Abraham (Gen.12).  (It may also say that it started from Moses and the first 5 books of the Bible.)  This is why Abraham is called Father of Faith.  I heard two explanations.  1) God had to start from somewhere and Abraham was the one chosen.  2) At that time, Abraham was the more righteous one among all mankind.  Whatever the reason, this is a historical fact.  My understanding is that God will not start another religion in any other place (Is.55:9-11).  God is One and Only (John 1:14). 

Some Chinese may say that we do not want to worship a “foreign” God.  First, most Christians (or, for that matter, most Muslims or Buddhists) are not blood related to the origin of the faith.  Marxism is a kind of foreign faith; a faith without God.  Many Chinese worshiped it before.  Prior to that, Buddhism was originated in India and was widely followed in China.  This is just a lame excuse. 

Second, there are ample biblical references that God intended for Him to be known to all peoples in the world through the ages.  In Gen. 12:2-3, 3 “I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you." 
Note the words all peoples.  There are many additional verses in OT.  In NT, Matt. 28: …19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  Note the word all nations. 

From the biblical point of view, there are only two groups of peoples, Jews and Gentiles.  God has not created another religion for any race, nation, ethnicity, or language no matter how big, small, black, white, smart, or dumb.  I do not see why He will treat Chinese differently.  In fact, if a new religion is created in China, I am quite sure that it is not from God. 

For a Christian, nationality, ethnicity, or race are no longer that important.  The most crucial thing is that he/she is in the Kingdom of God (Ga.3:28).  Think about it.  Greek had splendid achievement in sciences, philosophy, logic, and politics.  Scientifically speaking, they were ages ahead of China.  Many Greeks became Christians (in fact Greek was part of the Roman Empire, which became the original Christendom).  Ancient Egypt had splendid civilization and wealth.  The first university was established in Egypt.  When visiting The Metropolitan Museum in New York, I was greatly impressed by achievements in ancient Egypt.  In many ways, ancient Egypt was more advanced than ancient China.  Although the Old Testament was quite negative (cf. Exodus) on Egypt, yet much of Egypt became part of Christendom in early Christianity.  These civilizations in no way were inferior to ancient China (if anything they were more advanced).   

Col.3: 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.  (cf. I Cor. 12:12-13, Gal. 3:28.)  Scythians were a tribe of most degraded kind of barbarians.  Paul here really meant to include all peoples at that time and the region.  It is interesting to read [1].  Germans, French, English, and Russians were barbarians. 

In 1st century when Paul preached, the Roman Empire was more diverse than today’s USA.  Cultural, ethnic, racial, and status differences were wider than nowadays in the US.  At least, we do not have slaves any more.  (By the way, Philemon concerns a runaway slave who became a brother in the Lord and is a very moving letter.)  Col.3:11 shows that all saints (Christians) could worship together and no one was higher than the other.  If you study the history of the early church, you know that was exactly what happened. 

Why gospel has not reached Chinese earlier? 

Good question.  I give two points.  First, God has His plan.  If you read the history of the early church, you will be marveled by His wisdom and power.  Jesus, the Son of God, was little known at the time even to Jews, truly fulfilling Isaiah 53.  Even his disciples were deflated by his crucifixion and went back to their old business (e.g., fishing).  If not for God’s work through the Holy Spirit, how can we have today’s billions of Christians?  The start of the Church is well recorded in the Bible.  Gradually, the gospel was preached one country after another, one language after another, and one continent after another.  China is one of the distant lands, both geographically and politically.  Second, Chinese are a very proud people and the regimes have been corruptive, repressive, or in war.   Many devoted missionaries were sent to China.  Initially, very little progress was made and many were even killed.  You must have heard the Boxer in early 1900’s.  Many Christians, both foreigners and Chinese, were killed for just being a Christian.  Slow progress of Christianity in China has to do with sins, Satan, and other worldly obstacles.  I plan to discuss this later. 

What about those who have not heard the gospel? 

A common understanding is that after death a believer will go to the heaven while a non-believer will go to hell.  This is perhaps too simplistic.  A difficult question is what about someone who died without hearing gospel or an infant died too young to make a decision?  Some take this as an excuse for not believing.  They argue how can God be so unfair?  First, no one deserves to go to heaven.  Romans 3:10-18 (and references in OT).  Note Paul really meant everyone including Abraham, Moses, King David, etc.  Suppose you and others travel aboard a ship.  Then there is a huge storm and the boat begins to sink.  Some have drowned and you are clinging to a piece of wood.  Now the Lord comes with a lifeboat and offers you a chance for life.  Are you so foolish to refuse the offer?  Do you have the right to complain why He has not arrived earlier?  Second, I firmly believe that God is righteous.  He will judge what one is given and what one has done.  Third, fairness is more or less a worldly standard while God’s standard is righteousness, which is much higher.  Jer. 17: 10 "I the LORD search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."
  Who can claim this? 

  1. "What Went Wrong", Bernard Lewis, 2001

Faith1


Faith

What is faith?  Heb. 11: “1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  If explained literally, faith can be anything.  So its secular meaning is easy to understand.  What we discuss here is religious faith, which concerns all encompassing and supernatural.  There are some reasons that some academics regard Confucius or Daoism as religious faiths originated from China.  Worldwide, there are 5 major religions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.  I would classify Confucianism, Taoism, and Falung Gong in the same category as Buddhism since they all represent effort by human to reach God and eternity. 

Historically, the strongest influence in China in terms of religion is Buddhism.  There are also Islamic minorities in China.  Christianity in China has a rather short history.  The following book
has much useful info including a brief history of Christianity in China.  I will refer to this book later on several different occasions. 

Which religion is correct? 

The short answer is Judaism and Christianity.  God alone can reveal Him to humankind.  Effort by human being, Buddhism is a good example, cannot reveal true God.  As for Islam, it is more complex.  I will address this issue in due course. 

I must state that no one can prove God or the Truth.  How a mere mortal like me can prove God Almighty, who has created every thing?  On the other hand, it is possible to show errors in faith.  If one can show that some belief is inconsistent with the Bible, then that belief is doubtful. 

Other faiths

I should state that I am a Christian, thus, cannot be totally objective to other faiths.  In fact, regarding to the Bible, God, and the Truth, no human being can be absolutely objective.  God did not create man that way. 

More importantly, being a Christian I must follow the Bible.  Deut. 12:30 “….be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, "How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same." 31 You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, …”.  The whole Chapter 13 of Deut. has more on this.  Also Exodus 23:13 “…Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.”  I only explain enough about a faith so that you can be sure that faith is not a correct one. 

Biblical Faith

The whole Chapter of Hebrew 11 is an excellent one on Christian faith.  Below are some important points.  1) Men of faith include Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, …, all appear in the Old Testament.  Therefore, it implies that Christian faith is consistent with the faith of Godly Jews.  2) Even sinner can have faith, verse 31.  Indeed, all of us are sinners.  Rom. 4:10-11 (also Psalms 14:1-3, 53:1-3) 10As it is written:
   "There is no one righteous, not even one;
        11there is no one who understands,
       no one who seeks God.”
3) Heb.11:39-40 indicate that faith comes with a promise by God.  And that promise has not been fulfilled but will be fulfilled in the future.   

What does this concern me? 

Some of you are not believers.  Maybe you would say what about if I just want to be a moral person, just live a peaceful life?  Then, you would miss the most important thing of one’s life. 

A human being differs from animal in that a person has three parts: spirit, soul, and body.  A secular man is a two dimensional person, i.e., with soul and body but not aware of spirit while a believer is a “three dimensional” person.  In Chinese, the words spirit and soul are often used together.  From the biblical viewpoint, it is not wrong for a secular man to talk about spirit (ref. Gen. 2:7) for he is referring a natural spirit.  The spirit we believers talk is much more precious: the life giving spirit (I Corin.15:45).  John 3: “15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Also John 3: “13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man. 16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” My interpretation is that this promise has two parts.  In this world, a believer experiences a foretaste of the life giving spirit.  In the world to come, a believer receives the full promise by God. 

Also Heb. 4: 12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-­edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  So only the Bible can help one to separate spirit from soul. 

God gives every one a chance: either be one of His children or not.  It is a choice you have to make. 

Can a scientist be a believer? 

Sure.  Especially Mainland Chinese may have been strongly misinformed by communist propaganda.  In addition, there is liberalism in scientific community at large (as well as in media, education, and academia).  But many accomplished scientists in history are believers.  Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein are two prominent examples.  Both are strong believers; also faith and philosophy had strong influence on their works.  See [1] for an intriguing account on faith of A. Einstein and its impact on his scientific contributions.  Science is a branch of Truth.  I might add, a small branch of Truth. 

Interestingly, by late 19th century Chinese scholars sensed that something was wrong in Chinese society and by 1919 (about the time of the famous May 4 movement) they proposed that two things “Science” and “Democracy” would save China.  After that time,  the faith among Chinese in Confucius is replaced by faith in science and technology.  Please read the book [2].  Modern sciences and democracy have their roots in Greek.  Also one should study the world history of major faiths.  Faiths solely in sciences and democracy are not totally new.  They cannot solve everything one needs and nor can build a paradise by themselves. 

To a believer, science and democracy do have important roles in society and in one’s life.  But nothing can replace God.  It would be pity if one worships created things but not the Creator. 

  1. “Einstein and religion : physics and theology” Max Jammer, Princeton University Press, 1999
  2. “The Alphabet Effect” by Robert K., Logan, St. Martin's Press; (September 1987)

Bible2


1) Ps. 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

2) A brother in the Lord said: “The Bible is the constitution of the Church.”  Well said. 

3) When Martin Luther faced a court of The Roman Catholic Church and possible death sentence, he defended his 95 theses.  He has nothing on his side but the Bible and God. 

The Holy Book

I like the table in the end of [1].  One important test of whether or not a religion is correct is the sacred books.  Evil religions, cults, or heresies use a sacred book(s) other than a widely accepted Bible.  (By the way, I do not agree completely with the author’s viewpoint on The Roman Catholic Church, which is way too negative.) 

What translation

Since the Bible is the constitution of the Church, not anyone who knows the biblical languages can translate the Bible.  (Not in terms of legality.  There are no copyright issues.)   A good version will take many experts and many years work (read the preface of NIV.  It took more than 100 scholars and more than 10 years).  This applies not only to Chinese but also to every language, including English.  Although English is much better than Chinese as a language for the Bible, English still lacks some expressive power for the Bible and is not as accurate as Greek. 

Different versions of translation may cause divisions in the Church.  Here, the Church refers the Universal Church including all churches through generations as well as Churches in different languages, Chinese, English, Korean, etc.  It is important to remove sectarian bias from translations.  Catholics and Protestants argued for generations of some differences, which are mostly minor or in footnotes.  Fortunately, these differences are largely resolved and the widely used versions are universally accepted by both Catholics and Protestants.  I strongly recommend the book [2].  To remove potential biases, many translations even invite Jewish scholars to verify the Old Testament. 

Translation is a type of prophecy.  Translations of the Bible were not allowed in the Catholic era.  There are reasons for this.  Possible division is one.  Another one is how to interpret the Bible.  Incorrect interpretation may have grave consequences.  In the Middle Age (prior to Reformation), this was one reason that The Roman Catholic Church did not condone unauthorized translation.  Martin Luther started translation the Bible into German because he believed that everyone should read Bible.  He is right.  In addition, he has the gift given by God.  He is an apostle (I Corinthians 12:28).  This does not mean that every spiritual person has the right to translate the Bible. 

Separation of power.  As an analogy, the US polity has three branches to share power: the administration, the Congress, and the Supreme Court.  Similarly, the Constitution of the Church should remove any sectarian bias.  Those who translate the Bible should not belong to only one denomination.  To avoid sectarian bias, the NIV is the work of almost all Protestant Churches. 

What about Chinese translations? 

Although Chinese lacks expressive power and is not accurate, good translations are still possible.  In addition, Chinese versions can be useful to many who do not know English, German, or another alphabetic language.  On the other hand, we should be aware the limitations of Chinese.  Perhaps Chinese versions of the Bible should be used only as references and should be updated periodically. 

Of the old Chinese translations, the Union version is widely recognized as a good one.  However, as mentioned in [2] there has much research done in the last 50 years and the Union version is too old (100 years old) to reflect that.  Plus, the Union version contains some serious mistakes.  It should be time to have a new Chinese translation. 

However, a good Chinese translation requires collaboration of all major Chinese churches and many years of scholarly work.  As you know, in the current environment this is not possible.  For the start, in mainland China there is an official Chinese church (three-self) and underground churches.  There is also a group known as the Local Church that uses a version called recovery version.  The Local Church was known as Christian Assembly and started by Watchman Nee.  Historically, it resembles Brethren (a Protestant denomination).  There are two problems with the so called “recovery version”.  First, it was translated by a group lead by Witness Lee.  Witness Lee was a co-leader with Watchman Nee and the most prominent leader of the Local Church after Watchman Nee was put into prison in 1952.  It is possible to consider Watchman Nee as an apostle in terms of I Corin.12:28.  However, it is clear that Witness Lee is not even a prophet in that sense.  And there are serious mistakes in the recovery version.  Second, even if the recovery version is correct, it is difficult to promote it since it will cause division in Chinese churches.  In Chapter 10 of [2] cults and extremes are prevalent in mainland China.  A Bible translation with serious errors can only make things worse.  

References:
  1. http://www.gcciusa.org/b5/eBooks/Truth/truthIndex.html
  2. “The Bible, an owner's manual” Robert R. Hann, Paulist Press, c1983.