【双语灵修】爱 Love
无论我们从哪个角度看,神的爱总是比我们的过犯更多。
“不是我们爱神,乃是神爱我们,差他的儿子,为我们的罪作了挽回祭,这就是爱了。” - 约一 4:10
这可能是有史以来最有力的宣告。在所有关于爱的书卷中,甚至在所有谈论爱的经文中,这是唯一神对爱亲自下定义的地方。爱不只是一种感觉,或者一种行动,甚或是一种承诺——尽管所有这些东西都包括在其中。爱是超越语言的,它藉着圣父的旨意和圣子的牺牲——即耶稣死在十字架上,使我们与神的关系得以恢复——得以清晰地表达出来。
无论我们从哪个角度看,神的爱总是比我们的过犯更多。从父的角度看,祂为了那些需要祂拯救的人,牺牲了祂的爱子。从子的角度看,祂牺牲了自己,使我们能够重新回到父的身边。而从我们的角度来看,在我们现实所见范围之内,我们是迷失的,在世上毫无盼望。由于我们的罪,我们正走向毁灭。我们却无法拯救自己。所以神“差他的儿子,为我们的罪作了挽回祭”。何以如此?因为祂爱我们。
在这种爱的光照下,再进一步地领悟到:“我们若彼此相爱,神就住在我们里面,爱他的心在我们里面得以完全了”。
祷告
父、子、圣灵的真神,我的爱比你的爱少得多。我微弱的爱怎么可能得以完全呢?请帮助我的爱不断增长。阿们。
约翰一书 4:7-21
7亲爱的弟兄啊,我们应当彼此相爱,因为爱是从神来的。凡有爱心的,都是由神而生,并且认识神。
8没有爱心的,就不认识神,因为神就是爱。
9神差他独生子到世间来,使我们藉着他得生,神爱我们的心在此就显明了。
10不是我们爱神,乃是神爱我们,差他的儿子为我们的罪做了挽回祭,这就是爱了。
11亲爱的弟兄啊,神既是这样爱我们,我们也当彼此相爱。
12从来没有人见过神,我们若彼此相爱,神就住在我们里面,爱他的心在我们里面得以完全了。
13神将他的灵赐给我们,从此就知道我们是住在他里面,他也住在我们里面。
14父差子做世人的救主,这是我们所看见且作见证的。
15凡认耶稣为神儿子的,神就住在他里面,他也住在神里面。
16神爱我们的心,我们也知道也信。神就是爱,住在爱里面的,就是住在神里面,神也住在他里面。
17这样,爱在我们里面得以完全,我们就可以在审判的日子坦然无惧;因为他如何,我们在这世上也如何。
18爱里没有惧怕,爱既完全,就把惧怕除去,因为惧怕里含着刑罚;惧怕的人在爱里未得完全。
19我们爱,因为神先爱我们。
20人若说“我爱神”,却恨他的弟兄,就是说谎话的;不爱他所看见的弟兄,就不能爱没有看见的神。
21爱神的,也当爱弟兄,这是我们从神所受的命令。
Love
"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." - 1 John 4:10
This might be the most powerful sentence ever written. With all the volumes written about love, even with all the Scriptures that talk about love, this is the only place where God wrote down his definition of love for all to see. Love is not simply a feeling, or an action, or even a commitment—although all of those things are involved. Love is beyond words and has been communicated most clearly through the Father’s will and the Son’s sacrifice—when Jesus died on a cross so that our relationship with God could be restored.
No matter what angle we view it from, God’s love is always more. From the angle of the Father, he sacrificed what was dearest to him for the sake of those who needed him more. From the Son’s perspective, he sacrificed himself so that we could be restored to the Father. And from our perspective, to the extent that we can see it honestly, we were lost and without a hope in the world. Because of our sin, we were headed for destruction with no way to save ourselves. So God “sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” Why? Because he loves us.
And in the light of that love, there is more: “If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
Prayer
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, my love is so much less than yours. How can it be that my weak love can complete yours? Help my love to grow. Amen.
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