悔改是一生的堅持

《九十五條論綱》 第一條
當我們的主耶穌基督說:「你們應當悔改」時,祂期望基督徒終生悔改。


毫無疑問,我堅持這一主張。

首先,「悔改」的希臘文「Μετανοεῖτε」更準確的拉丁文翻譯可以用「transmentamini」。 它的意思是指:呈現出不一樣的思想和感覺;理智的恢復(康復);從一種思想轉變成另外一種思想;靈魂的轉變。這就是說:那些屬世的人現在可以明白屬靈之事了。使徒保羅在羅馬書12:2說:「心意更新而變化」就是這個意思。當人恢復理智時,罪人的心就應當轉變,進而恨惡自己的罪孽了。
從以下這些經文,我們可以明顯地看到這種康復或自恨應當貫穿人的一生。
馬太福音10:39 在今生恨惡自己靈魂的,必得著生命,直到永生。[註解一]
馬太福音10:38 不背著他的十字架跟從我的,也不配作我的門徒。
……
馬太福音5:4 哀慟的人有福了!因為他們必得安慰。
在羅馬書六章和八章,以及許多經文中,保羅也吩咐我們治死肉體和貪愛世界的肢體。
加拉太書5:24 凡屬基督耶穌的人,是已經把肉體連肉體的邪情私慾同釘在十字架上了。
哥林多後書6:4-5 在各樣的事上表明自己是上帝的用人,就如在許多的忍耐、……不食。

第二,基督是靈魂的老師,不只停留在文字之上。祂的話就是靈、就是生命(約翰福音6:63)。祂必定是在教導心靈和誠實裏的悔改。決不像那些假冒偽善、極端傲慢之徒表演的那樣:禁食時,故意弄歪嘴臉,在大街上禱告,炫耀自己的施捨(馬太福音6:16)。基督必定倡導一種上至紫袍君王和聖潔祭司、下至貧苦乞丐的各行各業都能夠實行的悔改。因為基督的教導,必然適用於所有人。

第三,我們的禱告是持續終生的,並且應當為「免我們的債(太6:12)」禱告。所以,我們的悔改應當持續終生,時時恨惡自己。只有蠢人以為作虛假的禱告可以得到赦免。我們切不可輕看自己的罪!這罪真實存在!並且,如果沒有得到赦免,我們就不能得救!——馬丁路德(《九十五條論綱》之解釋,AE 31:83–85)

註解一:回到原文 馬太福音的經文是:為我失喪生命的,將要得著生命。而馬丁路德在此處的意思與路加福音14:26的經文更接近:人到我這裏來,若不愛我勝過愛(原文作「恨」)自己的性命,就不能作我的門徒。

When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, 「Repent」 [Matt. 4:17], he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.
This I assert and in no way doubt.

1. Nevertheless, I shall prove the thesis for the sake of those who are uninformed, first from the Greek word Μετανοεῖτε itself, which means 「repent」 and could be translated more exactly by the Latin transmentamini, which means 「assume another mind and feeling, recover one’s senses, make a transition from one state of mind to another, have a change of spirit」; so that those who hitherto have been aware of earthly matters may now know the spiritual, as the Apostle says in Rom. 12[:2], 「Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.」 By this recovery of one’s senses it happens that the sinner has a change of heart and hates his sin. It is evident, however, that this recovery or hatred of oneself should involve one’s whole life, according to the passage, 「He who hates his soul in this life, preserves it for eternal life」 [Matt. 10:39]. And again, 「He who does not take his cross and follow me, is not worthy of me」 [Matt. 10:38]. And in the same chapter, 「I have not come to bring peace, but a sword」 [Matt. 10:34]. In Matt. 5[:4], 「Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.」 And Paul in Romans 6 and 8 and in many other places orders us to mortify the flesh and members of the body which are upon earth. In Gal. 5[:24] he teaches us to crucify the flesh with its lustful desires. In II Corinthians 6 he says, 「Let us show ourselves in much patience, in many fastings, etc.」 [Cf. II Cor. 6:4–5]. I produce these citations so extensively because I am dealing with those who are unacquainted with our teachings.
2. I shall prove this thesis also according to reason. Since Christ is the master of the spirit, not of the letter, and since his words are life and spirit [John 6:63], he must teach the kind of repentance which is done in spirit and in truth, but not that which the most arrogant hypocrites could do openly by distorting their faces in fasts and by praying in streets and heralding their giving of alms [Matt. 6:16]. Christ must teach a repentance, I say, which can be done in every, walk of life, a repentance which the king in purple robes, the priest in his purity, and the princes in their dignity can do just as well as the monk in his rituals and the mendicant in his poverty, just as Daniel and his companions did in Babylon [Dan. 1 and 3]. For the teaching of Christ must apply to all men, that is, to men in every walk of life.
3. We pray throughout our whole life and we must pray 「forgive us our debts」 [Matt. 6:12]; therefore, we repent throughout our whole life and are displeased with ourselves, unless anyone may be so foolish as to think he must only pretend to pray for the forgiveness of debts. For the debts for which we are commanded to pray are real and not to be treated lightly; and even if they were venial, we could not be saved unless they were remitted. (AE 31:83–85)