第五週 • 週五

晨興餧養

加六 15~16『受割禮不受割禮，都無關緊要，要緊的乃是作新造。凡照這準則而行的，願平安憐憫臨到他
                       們，就是臨到神的以色列。』
　三 26      『因爲你們眾人藉着相信基督耶穌，都是神的兒子。』

    保羅在加拉太六章十六節的末了說，『就是臨到神的以色列。』『就是』在原文不是用作連接詞，而是作爲解釋，指明使徒認爲在基督裏許多單個的信徒，在團體一面乃是神的以色列。神的以色列即真以色列人（羅九 6 下，二 28~29，腓三 3），包括在基督裏所有外邦和猶太的信徒，他們是亞伯拉罕的真子孫（加三 7、29），是信仰之家的人（六 10）。

    凡照『這準則』而行的是真以色列人，是神的以色列。就一面說，以色列國與世俗世界或宗教世界沒有區別。在神眼中，以色列國並不是真以色列人。我們這些神的兒子纔是真以色列人，因爲我們是神的家人，是祂今日的選民。在外面我們也許不是以色列人，但在裏面我們是以色列人。這就是我們說我們這班相信基督的人是真以色列人的原因。外面的以色列國並不太在意神，但我們對神卻有真實的關注，並且不斷的在述說祂。我們真是神的以色列（加拉太書生命讀經，三三○頁）。

信息選讀

    我們這些相信基督耶穌的人也有雙重的身分。一面，我們是神的兒子，神聖家庭的一員。另一面，我們是未來的君王，命定要作君王的人。君王職分與神的以色列有關。我們應當不只是神的兒子，也是神的以色列。要成爲神合式的兒子，有那靈的果子，如加拉太五章二十二至二十三節所列舉的那些美德，就彀了。但我們要作君王—神的以色列，就需要另一種生活，一種特別的憑着靈而行。我們需要有神兒子的生活，也需要有神的以色列的生活。

    許多基督徒沒有第一種憑着靈而行，更不用說第二種了。我們感謝主，因着祂的憐憫，今天在召會生活中許多人的確有第一種憑着靈而行，以活基督。但現今主正呼召我們往前有第二種憑着靈而行，第二種的生活。這不僅僅是神聖家庭中兒子的生活，也是那要在神國裏作君王之人的生活。願我們的眼睛得開啓，看見我們是皇家的君王！我們的定命不只是作神的兒子，乃是在神的國裏作掌權的君王。

    你活得像君王的樣子麼？你若這樣生活，甚至你笑的時候也像君王。我們若看見保羅論到神的以色列這話，含示我們需要君尊的生活行動，我們裏面就會激起要過君尊生活的渴慕。我們甚至要禱告：『主，使我有君尊的生活行動，好叫我彀資格成爲神今日以色列的一部分。』

    就一面說，即使許多以色列人悖逆且非常罪惡，以色列國還是神的以色列和神的見證。然而，真以色列，屬靈的以色列，乃是召會。但因爲以色列國與召會都在低落的光景裏，主就需要恢復神的真以色列。爲着這樣的恢復，我們需要兩種生活，兩種的行。在第一種行，我們會有愛、喜樂、和平、溫柔和恒忍這樣的美德，這都是那活在我們裏面之基督的彰顯。我們也需要第二種行，好叫我們成爲神的以色列，背負神的君王職分，有祂的權柄代表祂，並執行祂的行政管理。

    那些真正渴望隨主往前的基督徒，通常只顧到第一種行，渴望屬靈、聖別並得勝，但我們也需要顧到第二種行。我們尤其需要顧到召會生活，…〔好〕成爲神的以色列（加拉太書生命讀經，四六六至四六八頁）。

    參讀：加拉太書生命讀經，第三十、三十四、三十六至三十七、四十三篇。


WEEK 5 — DAY 5

Morning Nourishment

Gal. 6:15-16 "For neither is circumcision anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation is
                           what matters. And as many as walk by this rule, peace be upon them and mercy,
                           even upon the Israel of God."
               3:26 "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."

    Paul concludes Galatians 6:16 with the words,"even upon the Israel of God." The Greek word rendered"even" (kai) here is not connective but explicative,  indicating  that  the  apostle  considers  the  many  individual believers in Christ collectively the Israel of God. The Israel of God is the real Israel (Rom. 9:6; 2:28-29; Phil. 3:3), including all the Gentile and Jewish believers in Christ. These are the true sons of Abraham (Gal. 3:7, 29), the household of the faith (6:10).

    Those who walk by"this rule" are the true Israel, the Israel of God. In a way there is no difference between the nation of Israel and the secular world or the religious world. In the eyes of God, the nation of Israel is not the real Israel. We, the sons of God, are the true Israel, for we are God's household, His chosen people today. We may not be Israel outwardly, but we are Israel
inwardly. This is why we say that we, the believers in Christ, are the true Israel. The outward nation of Israel has little concern for God. However, we have a genuine concern for God and speak of Him continually. We are indeed the Israel of God. (Life-study of Galatians, p. 269)

Today's Reading

    We who believe in Christ Jesus...have a dual status. On the one hand, we are sons of God, members of the divine family. On the other hand, we are kings-to-be, those destined to be kings. Kingship is related to the Israel of God. We should be not only sons of God, but also the Israel of God. To be proper sons of God it is sufficient to have the fruit of the Spirit, such as those virtues listed in Galatians 5:22 and 23. But to be kings, the Israel of God, we need another kind of living, a particular kind of walk by the Spirit. We need both the living of sons of God and that of the Israel of God.

    Many Christians do not have the first kind of walk by the Spirit, much less the second. We thank the Lord that, by His mercy, many in the church life today do have the first kind of walk by the Spirit to live Christ. But now the Lord is calling us to go on to have the second walk by the Spirit, the second kind of living. This is the living not merely of sons in the divine family, but
of those who will be kings in God's kingdom. May our eyes be opened to see that we are kings in the royal family! Our destiny is not only to be sons of God; it is to be kings reigning in the kingdom of God.

    Do you live in a kingly way? If you live in this way, you will be kingly even when you laugh. If we see that Paul's word about the Israel of God implies that we need a kingly walk, the aspiration to live in a kingly way will be stirred up within us. We may even want to pray,"Lord, cause me to live and walk in a kingly way so that I may be qualified to be part of today's Israel of God."

    In a sense, the nation of Israel is the Israel of God and a testimony of God, even though many Israelites are rebellious and very sinful. However, the real Israel, the spiritual Israel, is the church. But because both the nation of Israel and the church are in a low condition, there is the need for the Lord to recover the real Israel of God. For such a recovery, we need two kinds of living, two kinds of walk. In the first walk we shall have such virtues as love, joy, peace, meekness, and longsuffering, all of which are the expression of the Christ who lives in us. We also need the second kind of walk so that we may be the Israel of God bearing God's kingship, representing Him with His authority, and executing His governmental administration.

    Whereas those Christians who truly desire to go on with the Lord usually care only for the first kind of walk and desire to be spiritual, holy, and victorious, we need to care also for the second kind of walk. In particular, we need to care for the church life...to become the Israel of God. (Life-study of Galatians, pp. 381-382)

    Further Reading: Life-study of Galatians, msgs. 30, 34, 36-37, 43