真基督教神學

 

摘要

真正的基督教神學並不把人帶到上帝的威儀中去,而是把人帶到基督裡去。



哥林多前書1:24 基督總為上帝的能力,上帝的智慧。

我常常警告你們:真正的基督教神學並不把人帶到上帝的威儀中去,這是摩西和其他教導做的事。但是基督是由童貞女生出,來作我們的中間人和大祭司。
所以,當我們與律法、罪、以及與上帝面前的死亡作戰時,再沒有什麼比靠著我們想出來的毫無根據的猜測進入天堂,更危險的方法了。這就像一個人想要在上帝不可測度的能力、智慧、和威嚴裡面去探究上帝一般,去詢問祂是如何創造世界,又是如何統治世界的。如果你要用這種方法去理解上帝,想要在中間人基督以外,用自己的善行、禁食、打扮、和修士的禿頂作上帝和你之間的中保,那麼你一定會跌倒。這正是魔鬼曾做過的事(賽14:12)。你會在可怕的絕望中失去上帝和一切。
因為,上帝的本性就是無限巨大、無可測度、無限的;所以,在人的本性看來,上帝是不可容忍的。所以,你若想要安全,不把自己良心和得救置於危險之地,就不要觸碰這些猜測的靈。按照聖經教導你的那樣,去把握上帝:(林前1:21-24)“世人憑自己的智慧,既不認識上帝,上帝就樂意用人所當作愚拙的道理拯救那些信的人 … … 我們傳釘十字架的基督,在猶太人為絆腳石,在外邦人為愚拙;但在那蒙召的,無論是猶太人、希臘人,基督總為上帝的能力,上帝的智慧。”
所以,讓我們從基督開始的地方開始——即:從童貞女的腹中、在馬槽裡、在祂母親的乳房開始。祂降下,出生,活在人中,受苦,被釘,最後死亡,就是祂自己用所有可能的方式把自己顯明在我們眼前。祂要我們的心專注於祂。這樣就阻止我們妄圖自己爬入天堂,阻止我們測度神聖的威儀。——馬丁路德(AE 26:28-29,《加拉太書註解》1535年,第1-4章)


True Christian theology
1 Corinthians 1:24 Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
True Christian theology, as I often warn you, does not present God to us in His majesty, as Moses and other teachings do, but Christ born of the Virgin as our Mediator and High Priest.
Therefore when we are embattled against the Law, sin, and death in the presence of God, nothing is more dangerous than to stray into heaven with our idle speculations, there to investigate God in His incomprehensible power, wisdom, and majesty, to ask how He created the world and how He governs it. If you attempt to comprehend God this way and want to make atonement to Him apart from Christ the Mediator, making your works, fasts, cowl, and tonsure the mediation between Him and yourself, you will inevitably fall, as Lucifer did (Is. 14:12), and in horrible despair lose God and everything.
For as in His own nature God is immense, incomprehensible, and infinite, so to man’s nature He is intolerable. Therefore if you want to be safe and out of danger to your conscience and your salvation, put a check on this speculative spirit. Take hold of God as Scripture instructs you (1 Cor. 1:21, 24): “Since, in wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
Therefore begin where Christ began—in the Virgin’s womb, in the manger, and at His mother’s breasts. For this purpose He came down, was born, lived among men, suffered, was crucified, and died, so that in every possible way He might present Himself to our sight. He wanted us to fix the gaze of our hearts upon Himself and thus to prevent us from clambering into heaven and speculating about the Divine Majesty.——Martin Luther
(AE 26:28-29 Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 1-4)


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