用上帝之道應對屬靈之事

概要

暴力不能阻止思想,只能強化它。暴力只是削弱了異端的外在表現,使舌頭說謊,卻使其在人心中更堅定。但是,上帝的話語啟迪人心。所有的異端和錯誤就都從他們心中消失了。



哥林多後書10:4-5
我們爭戰的兵器本不是屬血氣的,乃是在上帝面前有能力,可以攻破堅固的營壘,將各樣的計謀,各樣攔阻人認識上帝的那些自高之事,一概攻破了,又將人所有的心意奪回,使他都順服基督。

對付異端是每一個基督徒的工作
你又說:「如果世俗權力不強迫人信主,只是在外面看著,不讓人用錯誤的教義欺騙人,這怎麼可以限制異端呢?」
答:「這是主教牧師的工作,這個工作應該被交給他們,而不是交給諸侯。武力無力限制異端。上帝之道必須投入戰鬥!如果上帝之道不成功,即使世俗的武力讓整個世界流滿鮮血,也不會成功。

唯用上帝之道應對屬靈之事
異端是「屬靈」事情。你不能用鐵砍,用火燒,用水淹。唯有上帝之道才有效。正如保羅在哥林多後書10:4-5說:「我們爭戰的兵器本不是屬血氣的,乃是在上帝面前有能力,可以攻破堅固的營壘,將各樣的計謀,各樣攔阻人認識上帝的那些自高之事,一概攻破了,又將人所有的心意奪回,使他都順服基督。」
我的朋友啊,如果你想趕走異端,你只能找辦法,在人思想裡做工,使他的心意扭轉。暴力不能阻止思想,只能強化它。暴力只是削弱了異端的外在表現,使舌頭說謊,卻使其在人心中更堅定。但是,上帝的話語啟迪人心。所有的異端和錯誤就都從他們心中消失了。
以賽亞在第11章中宣稱要這樣摧毀異端。他說:他「以口中的杖擊打世界,以嘴裏的氣殺戮惡人。」在此,你看到上帝可以用嘴殺戮和改變惡人。

暴力只能使異端變得強大
再者,如果沒有上帝的話語,再沒有什麼方法會比純粹的暴力讓信仰和異端變得更強大的了。因為人以為這是「以錯誤的理由使用暴力,反對正義之事」,又以為「暴力不是從上帝的話語而來,而權貴不知道要如何面對問題,只知道一味地使用暴力,就如同野獸所行的一般」。甚至在世俗的世界,也只有在法律判決是罪惡之後,才使用暴力刑罰。那麼,在崇高的屬靈事物之上,如果沒有公義和上帝之道,就更加不應當使用暴力了!所以,看啦!這些權貴是這麼聰明!他們想要趕走異端,卻只會使其變得更加強大,反使自己變得可疑,使異端變得正義了。

異端來自魔鬼,謬誤充滿人心
簡言之,這些諸侯和暴君不知道:對抗異端就是對抗魔鬼,因為正是魔鬼用謬誤,充滿人的心(帖後2:11帖撒羅尼迦後書2:11 故此,神就給他們一個生發錯誤的心,叫他們信從虛謊,[一]。正如保羅在以弗所書6:12說:「因我們並不是與屬血氣的爭戰,乃是與那些執政的、掌權的、管轄這幽暗世界的,以及天空屬靈氣的惡魔爭戰。」——馬丁路德(AE 45:114-115)(摘錄自《當如何順服世俗權力》,1523年)

註解一:回到原文
帖撒羅尼迦後書2:11 故此,神就給他們一個生發錯誤的心,叫他們信從虛謊,


Only Use God’s Word For Spiritual Matter

II Corinthians 10:4–5
Our weapons are not carnal, but mighty in God to destroy every argument and proud obstacle that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and to take every thought captive in the service of Christ.

Again you say, “The temporal power is not forcing men to believe; it is simply seeing to it externally that no one deceives the people by false doctrine; how could heretics otherwise be restrained?” Answer: This the bishops should do; it is a function entrusted to them86 and not to the princes. Heresy can never be restrained by force. One will have to tackle the problem in some other way, for heresy must be opposed and dealt with otherwise than with the sword. Here God’s word must do the fighting. If it does not succeed, certainly the temporal power will not succeed either, even if it were to drench the world in blood. Heresy is a spiritual matter which you cannot hack to pieces with iron, consume with fire, or drown in water. God’s word alone avails here, as Paul says in II Corinthians 10[:4–5], “Our weapons are not carnal, but mighty in God to destroy every argument and proud obstacle that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and to take every thought captive in the service of Christ.”
Moreover, faith and heresy are never so strong as when men oppose them by sheer force, without God’s word. For men count it certain that such force is for a wrong cause and is directed against the right, since it proceeds without God’s word and knows not how to further its cause except by naked force, as brute beasts do. Even in temporal affairs force can be used only after the wrong has been legally condemned. How much less possible it is to act with force, without justice and God’s word, in these lofty spiritual matters! See, therefore, what fine, clever nobles they are! They would drive out heresy, but set about it in such a way that they only strengthen the opposition, rousing suspicion against themselves and justifying the heretics. My friend, if you wish to drive out heresy, you must find some way to tear it first of all from the heart and completely turn men’s wills away from it. With force you will not stop it, but only strengthen it. What do you gain by strengthening heresy in the heart, while weakening only its outward expression and forcing the tongue to lie? God’s word, however, enlightens the heart, and so all heresies and errors vanish from the heart of their own accord.
This way of destroying heresy was proclaimed by Isaiah in his eleventh chapter where he says, “He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.” There you see that if the wicked are to be slain and converted, it will be accomplished with the mouth. In short, these princes and tyrants do not realize that to fight against heresy is to fight against the devil, who fills men’s hearts with error, as Paul says in Ephesians 6[:12], “We are not contending against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness, against the principalities which rule this present darkness,” etc.(AE 45:114-115)(Temporal Authority: To What Extent It Should Be Obeyed, 1523)


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