【双语灵修】存敬畏基督的心Out of Reverence for Christ

“又当存敬畏基督的心，彼此顺服。你们作妻子的，当顺服自己的丈夫，如同顺服主。” - 弗 5:21-22

保罗以一条命令开始了这一段：当存敬畏基督的心，彼此顺服。这与尚不完美的家庭生活有关——虽然作为基督徒，我们已经属于神的国度，但我们仍然生活在一个破碎的世界里。

家庭是学习生活的理想场所。通过家庭关系，我们可以学会爱、尊重、顺服和感恩。因此，《圣经》非常重视夫妻关系。与开篇的命令相呼应，保罗指出妻子要顺服丈夫。这里顺服的动机不是基于恐惧，而是源于对主的顺服。在父母出于对基督的敬畏而彼此顺服的环境中长大的孩子，更有可能以这种基督般的姿态来处理他们之间的关系。而这种姿态能够对孩子的生活和整个社会产生真正的影响。

然而，保罗并不是在呼吁妻子们盲目地、被迫地顺服，这一点怎么强调都不为过。相反，他呼吁女性出于对主的敬畏而主动地顺服。这种彼此顺服是怎样的呢？基督的榜样对我们有何指导意义？在基督里，我们可以选择彼此顺服，同时使得所有家庭成员都获益，在教会里也是一样。

祷告

圣灵啊，请指引我们出于对基督的敬畏而彼此顺服。阿们。

彼得前书 3:1-6

1你们做妻子的，要顺服自己的丈夫。这样，若有不信从道理的丈夫，他们虽然不听道，也可以因妻子的品行被感化过来，
2这正是因看见你们有贞洁的品行和敬畏的心。
3你们不要以外面的辫头发、戴金饰、穿美衣为装饰，
4只要以里面存着长久温柔、安静的心为装饰，这在神面前是极宝贵的。
5因为古时仰赖神的圣洁妇人正是以此为装饰，顺服自己的丈夫，
6就如撒拉听从亚伯拉罕，称他为主。你们若行善，不因恐吓而害怕，便是撒拉的女儿了。

Out of Reverence for Christ

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord." - Ephesians 5:21-22

Paul starts this section with a command: submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. And this connects with family life, which is not yet perfect—for although, as Christians, we already belong to the kingdom of God, we still live in a broken world.

The family is the ideal place to learn about life. Through family relationships we can learn love, respect, obedience, and gratitude. So the Bible places great importance on the husband-wife relationship. Echoing his opening command, Paul states that women are to submit to their husbands. The motivation here is not submission based on fear, but submission that flows from one’s submission to the Lord. Children who grow up with parents who submit to one another out of reverence for Christ will be more likely to approach their relationships with this Christlike posture. And this posture has the power to make a real impact on the children’s lives and on society in general.

It cannot be overstated, however, that Paul is not calling wives to blind, forced submission. He is instead calling women to freely submit out of reverence to the Lord. What does this kind of submission to one another look like? How is Christ’s model a guide for us? In Christ we can choose to submit to one another in ways that encourage the flourishing of all family members as well as the church.

Prayer

Spirit, guide us in how to live in submission to one another out of reverence for Christ. Amen.

诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳