分类： 《新城要理问答》

问题24：为什么救赎主基督必须受死？
答：因为罪的工价乃是死。为了救我们脱离罪的权势和刑罚，并带我们归回神，基督甘愿替我们受死。通过祂的代赎之死，祂独自将我们从地狱中救赎出来，并为我们赢得了罪的赦免、公义和永生。
儿童版：基督甘愿替我们受死，为了救我们脱离罪的权势和刑罚，并带我们归回神。

Question 24: Why Was it Necessary for Christ, the Redeemer, to Die?
Answer: Since death is the punishment for sin, Christ died willingly in our place to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin and bring us back to God. By his substitutionary atoning death, he alone redeems us from hell and gains for us forgiveness of sin, righteousness, and everlasting life.
For Kids: Christ died willingly in our place to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin and bring us back to God.

歌谱 Lead Sheet

经文

《歌罗西书》1 章21 节至22 节：

　　你们从前与神隔绝，因着恶行，心里与祂为敌。但如今祂藉着基督的肉身受死，叫你们与自己和好，都成了圣洁，没有瑕疵，无可责备，把你们引到自己面前。

注解

亚祂那修

　　耶稣取了与我们一样可朽坏的身体，把它交给了死，替所有人献给了父。祂如此行是出于对我们纯粹的爱，这样，众人与祂同死，从而就废掉了死的律，因为死的使命既已在肉身中完成了，从此也就失去了在人身上的权势。祂通过自己肉身的死和复活，让败坏中的人成为圣洁并因此而活着。祂由此将死从他们身上彻底除去，就像火中的稻草一样。

默想

狄马可

　　为什么救赎主基督必须死？这是个沉重的话题，我不知道还有没有比这更加沉重的话题了。基督的一生是完美的一生，是你我应该效法的榜样。祂生活在爱和服侍中，祂一生都信靠祂的天父，这令人惊叹。这样的耶稣为什么必须死？为什么从道德上来说祂必须死？

　　祂不是为自己而死，如果我们只考虑耶稣自己，祂就不用上十字架了。祂死是因为要成为救赎主，祂这样做是自愿的，是祂天父的旨意，也是祂自己的意思，是为了救赎我们。祂甘愿舍去生命，祂情愿牺牲自己，死在十字架上，为要拯救我们脱离我们应得的刑罚。神是良善的，祂必会惩罚罪。你我在暗中所行的错事，就算是没人知道的那些，神都知道。神是真实的，神不是一个概念，不是我们心中的幻像，这位神是非分明，每一项罪都会受到神的惩罚。耶稣因此而来，祂定意要成为我们的救赎主，这也是天父的旨意。耶稣献上自己为祭，为了要代替我们。「代替」这个词经常用来表示「作为替代物」，被放在你我的位置上。只要我们悔改离开罪恶，信靠祂，耶稣就代替我们。

　　所以这位救赎主为什么必须死？因为这是你我唯一得生命的方法。

祷告

　　为我们赎罪的救主，谢谢祢没有改变心意，而是忍受了一切，直至死在十字架上。因为祢的死，我们可以永远活着。求祢帮助我们既知道了这些，就以勇气、信心和盼望来面对我们自己的死亡。阿们。

Scripture

COLOSSIANS 1:21–22

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.

Commentary

ATHANASIUS OF ALEXANDRIA

Thus, taking a body like our own, because all our bodies were liable to the corruption of death, He surrendered His body to death instead of all, and offered it to the Father. This He did out of sheer love for us, so that in His death all might die, and the law of death thereby be abolished because, having fulfilled in His body that for which it was appointed, it was thereafter voided of its power for men. This He did that He might turn again to incorruption men who had turned back to corruption, and make them alive through death by the appropriation of His body and by the grace of His resurrection. Thus He would make death to disappear from them as utterly as straw from fire.

Devotional

MARK DEVER

Why was it necessary for Christ, the Redeemer, to die? This is a heavy question. I don’t know if questions get much heavier than this. Christ lived a perfect life, the life you and I should have lived. He lived a life of love, of service. He lived an amazing life of trust in his heavenly Father. So the question is a pressing one. Why should one like that die? Why was it morally necessary?

Well, he didn’t have to die for his own sake. If we were thinking just about Jesus, there would be no necessity for the cross. No, he died because he would be the Redeemer. It was his will, and also his heavenly Father’s will, to redeem us. It was his will to lay down his life, to sacrifice himself by dying on the cross in order to rescue us from the penalty that we deserved. You see, because God is good, he will punish sin. That wrong thing that you or I have done in secret— God knows about it. God’s real. He’s not just an idea. He’s not just a figment of our imagination. And this God is so thoroughly committed to what is good and right that every sin will be punished. And this is where Jesus comes in. Jesus determined to be our Redeemer. It was the will of his heavenly Father that he give himself as a sacrifice in substitution. That’s a word that’s often used—as a substitute, in the place of, instead of you and me. Jesus is our substitute if we repent of our sins, turn from them and trust in him.

So why did the Redeemer need to die? Because that’s the only way you and I would live.

Prayer

Atoning Savior, thank you that you didn’t turn back, but endured all the way to death on the cross, and beyond. Because of your death, we can live eternally. With this knowledge, help us face our own deaths with courage, faith, and hope. Amen.

问题23：救赎主为什么必须是完全的神？
答：由于祂的神性，祂的顺服和受苦才是完全的和有功效的；祂也才能承受神对罪的义怒，并胜过死亡。
儿童版：由于祂的神性，祂的顺服和受苦才是完全和有功效的。

Question 23: Why Must the Redeemer Be Truly God?
Answer: That because of his divine nature his obedience and suffering would be perfect and effective; and also that he would be able to bear the righteous anger of God against sin and yet overcome death.
For Kids: That because of his divine nature his obedience and suffering would be perfect and effective.

歌谱 Lead Sheet

经文

《使徒行传》2 章24 节：

　　神却将死的痛苦解释了，叫祂复活，因为祂原不能被死拘禁。

注解

约翰·屈梭多模

　　不要为自己的罪恶哭泣，因为救恩已经从坟墓里发出光来；不要惧怕死亡，因为救主的死已经使我们自由了。祂曾一度被死拘禁，却最终消灭了它。祂下到地狱，就征服了地狱。地狱尝了祂的肉就被激怒了。以赛亚曾预言说：地狱遇见祢就被激怒了……地狱怒了，因为它被废除了；地狱怒了，因为它被嘲弄了；地狱怒了，因为它被杀死了；地狱怒了，因为它被锁链捆住了。它吞了一个肉身，却面对面遇见了神；它藏于地下，却触碰到了天堂；它夺去了可见的，却撞见了那位不可见的。死啊，你的毒钩在哪里？死啊，你得胜的权势在哪里？基督复活了，你被打垮了；基督复活了，魔鬼倒下了；基督复活了，天使在欢呼；基督复活了，生命掌权了。

默想

里奥·舒斯特

　　我们通常更喜欢关注耶稣人性的一面，记住耶稣是完全的人是很重要，但祂也是完全的神。耶稣是完全的神意味着什么？为什么作为我们的救赎主，祂是真神如此重要？

　　使徒约翰在他的福音书开篇即宣告，耶稣是永生的神在肉身显现。他解释说：「太初有道，道与神同在，道就是神……道成了肉身，住在我们中间，充充满满地有恩典，有真理。我们也见过祂的荣光，正是父独生子的荣光。」（约1:1、14）使徒保罗在给歌罗西人的书信中写道：「因为神本性一切的丰盛，都有形有体地居住在基督里面。」（西2:9）

　　同样，耶稣也多次申明自己的神性，并且说自己与父本为一。有一次，一些人听懂了祂的宣告，就想用石头打祂，还说，打祂不是为善事，而是为祂说了僭妄的话，「祢是个人，反将自己当作神」（约10:33）。启示录描述耶稣是阿拉法，是俄梅戛，「是昔在、今在、以后永在的全能者」（启1:8）。的确，祂不仅仅是人，也是真正的神。

　　为什么耶稣作为我们的救赎主，是完全的神如此重要？因为我们犯罪是得罪神，只有神能赦免对祂所犯下的罪。这就是为什么当耶稣说祂能赦罪时，当时的一些宗教领袖就被吓坏了。他们明白祂说的是什么意思。一个人怎么能赦免我们对神所犯的罪呢？在人是不能，但神可以。

　　耶稣需要成为完全的人，才能替代我们，但祂也必须是完全的神，以使祂的顺服和受苦得以完全，并使神的公义得到彻底和永久的满足。

祷告

　　神之子，我们因为自己的罪承受不起神的忿怒，更不可能胜过死亡。唯有祢，圣洁的主，可以担当罪的刑罚，并战胜死亡。谢谢祢为我们开了一条通往神的道路，使我们在永恒中能得享祂的同在。阿们。

Scripture

ACTS 2:24

God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

Commentary

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon hath shone forth from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Saviour’s death hath set us free. In as much as he was held captive of it, he hath annihilated it. By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive. He angered it when it tasted of his flesh. And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry: Hell, said he, was angered, when it encountered thee. . . . It was angered, for it was abolished. It was angered, for it was mocked. It was angered, for it was slain. It was angered, for it was fettered in chains. It took a body, and met God face to face. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took that which was visible, and fell upon the invisible. O Death, where is thy sting? O Hell, where is thy victory? Christ is risen, and thou art overthrown. Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen, and the Angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigneth.

Devotional

LEO SCHUSTER

We often like to focus on the human aspects of Jesus, and it’s important to remember that Jesus was fully human. But he was also fully God. What does it mean that Jesus was fully God? And why is it so important that he, as our Redeemer, be truly God?

The apostle John opens his Gospel by declaring that Jesus is the eternal God in flesh. He explains: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (1:1, 14). In his letter to the Colossians the apostle Paul wrote, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9).

Similarly, Jesus himself numerous times affirmed his divinity and that he was one with the Father. On one occasion, some of his listeners understood what he was claiming and tried to stone him, ex- plaining that they were stoning him not for any good work, but for blasphemy:, “You, being a man, make yourself God” (John 10:33). The book of Revelation describes Jesus as the Alpha and the Omega, the One “who was and is and is to come” (1:8). Indeed, he is no mere man. He is truly God.

So why is it so important that Jesus as our Redeemer be truly God? Our sin was committed against God. Only God can forgive a transgression against himself. This is why some of the religious leaders in Jesus’s day were horrified when he said he forgave sins. They understood the implications of what he said. How could a mere man forgive the sin we have against God? A mere man can’t, but God can.

Jesus needed to be fully human in order to be our substitute, but he needed to be fully God in order for his obedience and suffering to be perfect and for God’s justice to be completely and eternally satisfied.

Prayer

God the Son, because of our sin, we could never bear the wrath of God or overcome death. Only you, the Holy One, could suffer the just punishment for sin and defeat death. Thank you for making a way for us to God, to enjoy him eternally. Amen.

问题22：救赎主为什么必须是真正的人？
答：在人性中，祂才能代表我们完全地遵守全部律法，并为我们担当罪的刑罚；祂才能体恤我们的软弱。
儿童版：在人性中，祂才能代表我们完全地遵守全部律法，并为我们担当罪的刑罚。

Question 22: Why Must the Redeemer Be Truly Human?
Answer: That in human nature he might on our behalf perfectly obey the whole law and suffer the punishment for human sin; and also that he might sympathize with our weaknesses.
For Kids: That in human nature he might on our behalf perfectly obey the whole law and suffer the punishment for human sin.

歌谱 Lead Sheet

经文

《希伯来书》2 章17 节：

　　所以，祂凡事该与祂的弟兄相同，为要在神的事上成为慈悲忠信的大祭司，为百姓的罪献上挽回祭。

注解

亚祂那修

　　「道」知道，要拯救败坏的人，死是必不可免的，而「道」作为不朽的神之子又是不可能死的；为此，祂取了可以死的肉身，这肉身因着万有之上的「道」住在里面，就能够替所有人去死；并且因着肉身里面「道」的不朽，所有人从此就可以借着复活的恩典而脱离败坏。祂将自己所取的、无瑕疵的身体献上为祭，就能救所有与祂同在肉身之中的人脱离死亡。超乎万有的神之道，将自己有形的殿献上，就借着祂的死偿还了所有人的罪债。不朽的神之子，既在人性上与所有人联合，也就借着复活的应许为所有人披上了不朽的外衣。

默想

安泰博

　　我们人类是如此的堕落，我们很久以前就如此堕落了，甚至认为这样的自己就是人的标准。我们甚至会说犯错是人的本性，我们不得己在堕落中、在支离破碎中、在不完整中来定义人性。但你若这样定义人性，那么你要如何来定义耶稣？就是取了我们人性的耶稣。圣经告诉我们耶稣是无罪的，是没有犯过错误的。

　　我们在耶稣身上看见的是真正的人性。祂道成肉身，祂在世上的生活与侍奉向我们表明，人性本来正应该像祂这样，人性本该如此。这才是亚当受造应该要有的样式，但亚当却在自己的罪中堕落并败坏了。《罗马书》5 章告诉我们说，第一个人亚当犯罪，借着祂，罪就进入了世界。但是第二个亚当来了，真正的亚当，就是基督，祂是真正的人。祂在人性当中所做的，是非常不平凡的。在人性中，祂将我们所亏欠神的一切都献给了神。所以在祂的人性中，祂完美的顺服神一切的诫命。我们不愿意献给神的顺服，祂代替我们献上。实际上因着我们堕落的、罪的本性，我们也无法将自己的顺服献给神。

　　明白基督是完美的义者很重要，因为祂为我们成就了义。我们需要的义都在神的儿子身上，因为祂取了我们的肉身、我们的形象和人类的本性。祂不但主动地成为我们的义，而且在十字架上死了，祂承担人类本应承受的刑罚，祂替代我们而死。我们不只是对神亏欠义，因为我们没有达到这义，我们还亏欠神我们的生命、死亡和血。但是基督代替了我们，为了满足神的公义以及神在义中对罪的惩罚，祂将自己作为我们的祭物献给了神。

　　为了成为我们完美的大祭司、我们完美的祭物，耶稣必须成为像我们一样的人。祂取了我们的本性，祂也在这本性中彰显出人性的价值。人该有怎样的样式？人应该在神面前公义、顺服神、在凡事上敬拜神、完全的爱祂。当耶稣在加略山的十字架上背负我们的罪时，同时也显明了我们的亏欠。祂作为完全的大祭司，祂现在也能够体恤我们，完全了解我们的苦楚、失败、挣扎，因为祂曾取了我们的肉身。祂现在可以用同理心看待人类，祂成为完美的人，在神面前代表我们。

　　这就是为什么祂必须成为和我们完全一样的人，只是祂没有犯罪。

祷告

　　信实的大祭司，祢也曾凡事受过试探，与我们一样，只是祢仍旧全然地顺服。谢谢祢了解我们的软弱，求祢使我们不要为自己的罪开脱，或否认自己的罪。让我们欢喜快乐地接受祢替我们所成就的一切。阿们。

Scripture

HEBREWS 2:17

Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Commentary

ATHANASIUS OF ALEXANDRIA

For the Word, perceiving that no otherwise could the corruption of men be undone save by death as a necessary condition, while it was impossible for the Word to suffer death, being immortal, and Son of the Father; to this end He takes to Himself a body capable of death, that it, by partaking of the Word Who is above all, might be worthy to die in the stead of all, and might, because of the Word which was come to dwell in it, remain incorruptible, and that thenceforth corruption might be stayed from all by the Grace of the Resurrection. Whence, by offering unto death the body He Himself had taken, as an offering and sacrifice free from any stain, straightway He put away death from all His peers by the offering of an equivalent. For being over all, the Word of God naturally by offering His own temple and corporeal instrument for the life of all satisfied the debt by His death. And thus He, the incorruptible Son of God, being conjoined with all by a like nature, naturally clothed all with incorruption, by the promise of the resurrection.

Devotional

THABITI ANYABWILE

We human people are so fallen, and we’ve been so fallen for so long, that we actually think that we are the measure of what it means to be human. It’s striking. We say things like “to err is human.” And we unwittingly then begin to define humanity in terms of that fallenness, in terms of its brokenness, in terms of its incompleteness. But if you define humanity like that, what do you do with Jesus? What do you do with Jesus who takes upon himself our humanity, yet, as the Bible tells us, is without sin, who does not err?

What we see in Jesus is true humanity. What we see in his incarnation, his earthly life and ministry, is what humanity was meant to be, what Adam was created to be but ruined in his sin and his fall. So, as Romans 5 teaches, the first man Adam sins, and through his sin death enters the world. But here comes a second Adam, a true Adam, Christ, who is truly man. What Christ does in his humanity is nothing short of remarkable. In his humanity, he offers to God everything that we owe God. In his humanity, in his perfect obedience to God’s commands, he offers to God the obedience that we refuse to give him (and could not give him) because of our fallen, sinful nature.

It’s absolutely essential that what we see in Christ is perfect righteousness, because he’s supplying that righteousness on our behalf. All the righteousness we will ever need is in the Son of God who took upon himself our flesh, our likeness, our human nature. Not only does he positively supply the righteousness, but on the cross, our Savior dies and pays the penalty that humanity owed. He dies in our place. We owe God not only righteousness, but now because we didn’t supply that righteousness, we also owe God our lives, our death, our blood. Christ takes our place, and he supplies to God the sacrifice on our behalf that satisfies God’s demands for righteousness and his righteous determination to punish sin.

And so in order to be for us a perfect High Priest, in order to be for us a perfect offering, Jesus had to be one with us. He had to take upon himself our nature and in that nature demonstrate what humanity is, what it was meant to be—righteous before God, obedient to God, worshiping God in all things, loving him fully. And he also demonstrates what humanity owes when he pays the penalty on Calvary’s cross for our sin. And so to be that High Priest, a perfect High Priest, who also now sympathizes with us, knows our suffering, knows our failures, knows our troubles, and knows them intimately because he experienced them in our flesh, he can look to humanity with sympathy and represent humanity to God with perfection.

And so it was necessary that he be made like us in every way, but without sin.

Prayer

Faithful High Priest, you were tempted in every way as we are, yet you remained perfect in your obedience. Thank you that you know our weakness. Keep us from excusing or denying our sinfulness. We joyfully accept your exchange. Amen.

问题21：需要什么样的救赎主才能带我们归回神？
答：既是真正的人，也是真正的神。
儿童版：既是真正的人，也是真正的神。

Question 21: What Sort of Redeemer is Needed to Bring Us Back to God?
Answer: One who is truly human and also truly God.
For Kids: One who is truly human and also truly God.

歌谱 Lead Sheet

经文

《以赛亚书》9 章6 节：

因有一婴孩为我们而生，
有一子赐给我们。
政权必担在祂的肩头上。
祂名称为奇妙、策士、全能的神、永在的父、和平的君。

注解

奥古斯丁

　　祂是亘古就存在的神之子，预定了要在两千多年前降世为人子。祂虽没有犯过罪，却为了我们的缘故遭受如此大的刑罚，又使我们白白地从祂手中领受了如此多的好处。祂是父所生的，并不是父所造的；子通过自己所造的女人感孕、降世为人，来到这世间生活了一段时间，尽管这女人是借着祂的大能才得以存在的。

默想

布莱恩·柴培尔

　　救主为何必须是完全的人？一个原因是，祂可以与我们相认同。圣经上说祂「凡事受过试探，与我们一样，只是祂没有犯罪」（来4:15）。祂经历过我们的经历，所以祂明白我们经历了什么。祂是我们的大祭司，祂理解我们的痛苦。我们明白，耶稣可以认同我们，祂明白我们的感受，但祂却全然顺服地度过了艰难、屈辱和卑微的一生，从不曾怀疑天父的爱或偏离祂的道路。

　　这意味着耶稣不仅能认同我们所经历的，祂还能完美地替代我们。我在罪中，就与神隔绝了。祂是圣洁的，而我不是。公义、圣洁的神没办法认同我的罪。神必须提供一种方法，将我的罪转移。于是，祂就差遣祂的儿子，取了人的形象和样式，度过了没有瑕疵的人生，所以祂可以替代我的罪。

　　因为耶稣的生命是没有罪的，所以当祂甘愿在十字架上担当我们该受的刑罚时，祂就能正当、充分、完美地替代你我。耶稣能够认同我们所经历的，祂的一生是全然顺服的一生，祂可以完美地替代我们。因为祂认同我们，将我们的罪归在自己身上，所以，当祂从坟墓中复活，并升到天父那里，祂就成了我们完美的代求者。祂知道我们的长处，也了解我们的软弱。祂的神性里面仍保留了人性的特征，祂了解我们人类的全部经验，并确切地知道我们需要什么。

　　但耶稣也是神。因为祂就是神，所以才能实现祂来的目的。即使是现在，祂仍掌管着我们的世界，凡神所命定的，就一定会发生。因为祂是神，所以当祂被处死，祂不仅为我们的罪付上了完全的赎价，还清了我们所欠的罪债，还能从坟墓中复活。死亡不能打败祂。因为耶稣活着，祂是主，祂是神，祂升到天父那里，持续地为我们代求。不仅是代求，耶稣更能成就神在我们生命中的旨意。祂是神，能够赐予我们所需要的一切，正如祂也是人，知道我们所需要的一切，并且供应我们所需要的一切。

　　耶稣是完全的神和完全的人，是我们的救主，祂降世为人，遵行神救赎我们的旨意而成就了一切。

祷告

　　神之子，也是人子，祢就是历世历代被预言的那一位。唯有祢既是神，又是人，唯有祢活出了全然顺服的生命，可以为我们赎罪。唯有借着祢，我们才能到神那里去。阿们。

Scripture

ISAIAH 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Commentary

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO

He who existed as the Son of God before all ages, without a beginning, deigned to become the Son of Man in these recent years. He did this although He who submitted to such great evils for our sake had done no evil and although we, who were the recipients of so much good at His hands, had done nothing to merit these benefits. Begotten by the Father, He was not made by the Father; He was made Man in the Mother whom He Himself had made, so that He might exist here for a while, sprung from her who could never and nowhere have existed except through His power.

Devotional

BRYAN CHAPELL

Why do we need a Redeemer who is truly human? One reason is so that he can identify with us. The Bible says he was “in every re- spect . . . tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). He went through our experience, so he understands what we go through. He is our High Priest. He understands how we suffer. We understand that God can identify with us, but even as he identified with us—by having lived a hard life, by having been humiliated, and by having gone through humble circumstances—he did it with perfect obedience, not doubting the love of his Father and not wavering from his Father’s path.

That means that not only could Jesus identify with what we experience as humans; he could become the perfect substitute for us. In my sin, I’m separated from God. He’s holy; I am not. For God to be just and holy, he cannot identify with my sin. God had to provide a way for my sin to be put on another. He did that by having his Son come in human likeness, human form, but living perfectly so that he could be the substitute for my sin.

Because Jesus lived a perfect life, when he willingly suffered the penalty for my sin on the cross, it was a right, adequate, and perfect substitute for my sin and for your sin. Jesus could identify with what we go through, but because he lived perfectly in obedience, he became the perfect substitute for our sin. And because he took our sin upon himself, having identified with us, when he rose from the grave and ascended to his Father, he became the perfect advocate for us. He knows our strengths and our weaknesses. Because he retains his humanlike features and functions in his divine nature, he still understands the entirety of our human experience and knows exactly what we need.

But he’s also God. And because Jesus is God, he can accomplish the purposes for which he came. Even now, he can rule our world in such a way that all God intends for our lives will happen. And when he was put to death because he was God, he could not only fully pay the sacrifice for our sin and pay the debt that we owed, he could rise from the grave. Death could not defeat him. Because Jesus is alive, because he is sovereign, because he is divine and risen to God, he continues to advocate for us. But even more than advocate, Jesus accomplishes God’s purposes in our lives. He is the God who accomplishes all that we need, even as he is the man who understands all that we need and provides all that we need.

Jesus, perfect God, perfect man, is the Redeemer that we needed, and he accomplished all that was necessary by identifying with our humanity and doing what God had to do to save us.

Prayer

Son of God and Son of Man, for generations you were prophesied. Only One who is both divine and human could live in perfect obedience and be a fitting sacrifice on our behalf. There is no other way to God but by you. Amen.

问题20：谁是救赎主？
答：唯一的救赎主就是主耶稣基督、永恒的神之子，神在祂身上成为人，亲身担当了罪的刑罚。
儿童版：唯一的救主就是主耶稣基督。

Question 20: Who is the Redeemer?
Answer: The only Redeemer is the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, in whom God became man and bore the penalty for sin himself.
For Kids: The only Redeemer is the Lord Jesus Christ.

歌谱 Lead Sheet

经文

《提摩太前书》2 章5 节：

　　因为只有一位神；在神和人中间，只有一位中保，乃是降世为人的基督耶稣。

注解

约翰·屈梭多模

　　神独生的子，在亘古以先，不可触摸、不可感知，纯洁无瑕、没有肉身，如今却披上可见的、能朽坏的肉身。为了什么？祂来到我们中间是为了教导我们，祂教导我们，牵我们的手，将人所不能见的事指示给我们。既然人认为百闻不如一见，相信耳听为虚、眼见为实，祂就情愿亲自在肉身中显现，以消除所有的疑虑……亘古常在者降生为婴孩。坐在高天宝座上的那一位现在躺在马槽里。不可触摸、纯洁无瑕、没有肉身的祂今日却听凭人的发落。曾打破罪人束缚的祂如今却被婴孩所束缚。但祂已命定羞耻变为光荣，恶名披上荣耀，用全然的受辱来彰显祂的良善。

　　为此，祂取了肉身，让我可以明白祂的道；祂拿走我的血气，祂赐给我祂的灵；祂赐下，我领受，祂为我预备了宝贵的生命。祂拿走我的血气，使我成圣；祂赐给我祂的灵，将我救赎。

默想

狄马可

　　救赎主是耶稣基督，永生神的儿子。永生神的儿子成为人，和你我一样生活，出生于公元一世纪。在世的三十多年里，祂和我们一样地生活，唯一的差别就是祂总是信靠着神，全然的信靠祂。当你想到自己昨天或前天应当信靠，却没有信靠神的时候，然而就是在那个时候，你没有顺服的时候，耶稣顺服了神。祂信靠神的全知，祂跟随天父的旨意。

　　当我回顾自己的一生，我知道自己没有像耶稣那样全然信靠神地生活。但我们的救赎主耶稣基督，祂是这样做的。祂之所以被称为救赎主，是因为祂「赎出」了祂的百姓。祂重新设定了我们的价值。

　　你如果想要赎回什么，就需要付出金钱。我小时候集邮，有那种可赎回的邮票，我们收集这些邮票，赎回后可以用来换其他东西。耶稣决定了我们的价值，祂还重新设定了我们的价值。祂在十字架上为那些为自己的罪悔改又信靠祂的人付出了生命。祂是我们的救赎主，又赋予我们价值，为了我们舍弃自己的性命，因为我们不信靠天父，不顺服祂，不敬畏祂。就像圣经说的，祂来赐给我们祂自己的生命，替代我们。祂活出了信靠的一生，祂本不该死。祂还是死了，只因对我们的爱，为我们献出祂自己。这就是圣经所说的，祂是我们的救赎主，是拯救我们的那位。

　　旧约的画面：神拯救祂的百姓脱离埃及，使他们脱离捆绑，不再做奴隶；新约的画面：耶稣就是我们的救赎者。你和我生来都在罪的捆绑下，走在只顾自己的灭亡道路上。但神因着祂的大爱，差遣祂的独生爱子，活出完美的生命，死在十字架上，并从死里复活，使我们可以转向祂，从而救赎我们。当我们说耶稣基督是我们的救赎主时，指的就是这个意思。

祷告

　　宝贵的救主，祢在创世以先就爱了我们。祢舍弃了荣耀，背负我们的羞辱。祢一路顺服直致死在十字架上，使父得了荣耀。祢配得我们的赞美、感谢和敬拜。祢是我们唯一的盼望。阿们。

Scripture

1 TIMOTHY 2:5

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

Commentary

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

The Only Begotten, Who is before all ages, Who cannot be touched or be perceived, Who is simple, without body, has now put on my body, that is visible and liable to corruption. For what reason? That coming amongst us he may teach us, and teaching, lead us by the hand to the things that men cannot see. For since men believe that the eyes are more trustworthy than the ears, they doubt of that which they do not see, and so He has deigned to show Himself in bodily presence, that He may remove all doubt. . . . The Ancient of days has become an infant. He Who sits upon the sublime and heavenly Throne, now lies in a manger. And He Who cannot be touched, Who is simple, without complexity, and incorporeal, now lies subject to the hands of men. He Who has broken the bonds of sinners, is now bound by an infant’s bands. But He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness.

For this He assumed my body, that I may become capable of His Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His spirit; and so He bestowing and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sanctify me; He gives me His Spirit, that He may save me.

Devotional

MARK DEVER

The Redeemer is Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. The eternal Son of God became man and lived a real human life like ours. For a little more than thirty years in the first century AD, he lived like you and me; the only difference is that he always trusted God. He trusted him entirely. So if you think of ways just yesterday and the day before that you should have trusted God and didn’t, in those very times Jesus obeyed God. He trusted that what God knew was better, that he should follow his Father’s will.

When I look back on my own life, I know that I haven’t lived like that. But the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, has. He is called the Redeemer because he “redeems” his people. He resets our value.

When you redeem something at a store, you turn it in and you get some money for it. When I was a kid, we had redemption stamps. We would save up our stamps and then turn them in to get something else. Well, Jesus is what sets our value. He resets our value. He gives his own life on the cross for all who repent of their sins and trust in him. He is our Redeemer. He has valued us, though we have thrown our own lives away by not trusting in our heavenly Father, by not obeying him, and by not fearing him. He actually came and gave his own life in our place. He lived a life of trust, and he died a death that he didn’t have to die, but he did it because of his love for us. He gave himself entirely for us so he could, as the Bible says, be our Redeemer, the One who rescues us.

The image of redemption in the Old Testament is one of God rescuing his people from Egypt, pulling them out of bondage, out of literal slavery. In the New Testament Jesus the Redeemer rescues us from our natural state of being in bondage to sin, of serving ourselves in destructive ways. But God in his great love sent his only begotten Son, who lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and then rose from the dead in order to bring us to him, to redeem us. That’s what we mean when we say Jesus Christ is our Redeemer.

Prayer

Precious Redeemer, before the world began, you loved us. You gave up your glory to bear our shame. You glorified your Father by obeying him all the way to the cross. You deserve our praise, thanks, and worship. We have no hope but in you. Amen.

问题19：有没有办法逃脱刑罚，重蒙神的恩宠？
答：有，为了满足祂的公义，神主动出于纯粹的怜悯，借着一位救赎主使我们与祂和好，并将我们从罪恶和罪的刑罚中拯救出来。
儿童版：有，神借着一位救赎主使我们与祂和好。

Question 19: Is There Any Way to Escape Punishment and Be Brought Back into God’s Favor?
Answer: Yes, to satisfy his justice, God himself, out of mere mercy, reconciles us to himself and delivers us from sin and from the punishment for sin, by a Redeemer.
For Kids: Yes, God reconciles us to himself by a Redeemer.

歌谱 Lead Sheet

经文

《以赛亚书》53 章10 节至11 节：

耶和华却定意将祂压伤，
使祂受痛苦；
耶和华以祂为赎罪祭。
祂必看见后裔，并且延长年日，
耶和华所喜悦的事必在祂手中亨通。
祂必看见自己劳苦的功效，
便心满意足。
有许多人因认识我的义仆得称为义，
并且祂要担当他们的罪孽。

注解

约拿单·爱德华兹

　　但对基督徒而言，除了耶稣基督福音的信息以外，天上地下还有什么配得我们的爱慕、盼望和欣喜呢？除了耶稣基督福音的信息以外，天上地下还有什么配得我们真挚、持久的渴望和我们强烈的热忱呢？福音所宣告的信息本身及其展现的方式都最令我们受影响和动容。耶和华的荣美是最值得我们爱慕的对象，又以最令人动容的方式向我们展现。所有的光芒都在无限的爱、温柔和慈悲中死去的救主的脸上闪耀。神的羔羊身上全部的美德，祂的谦卑、忍耐、温柔、摆上、顺服、爱和怜悯都以最能拨动我们每一根心弦的方式活现在我们眼前；出于对我们温柔的爱和怜悯，在祂最后所忍受的难以言说、无可比拟的苦难当中，所有这些美德都经受了最大的考验、最苦的磨练，也由此得到了最鲜明的彰显。在这样的情形下，我们罪的可恨也以最令人动容的方式显明出来。从为我们付上赎价的救主所承受的痛苦中，我们看到了罪可怕的后果。神对罪的恨恶、刑罚所表明的祂的忿怒和公义也以最令人动容的方式呈现出来；神将如此可怕的罪的刑罚降在与祂无比亲密，又无比爱我们的主的身上，就显示出了祂对公义的严格要求与决不妥协，以及祂的忿怒的可畏。福音启示我们，神就是这样完成了对我们的救赎和祂荣耀的旨意，仿佛每件事都是精心策划好的，为要尽可能地触碰我们心灵最柔软的部分，最小心而又最强烈地打动我们。我们从此不再受罪的刑罚的影响！在如此伟大的救恩面前，我们真该谦卑自己如同尘土一般。

默想

米卡·埃德蒙森

　　在电影院看电影如果不熄灯，感受就会不一样。对此我有亲身体会，当时《星球大战·原力觉醒》已经放映了30 秒，灯却没有关，有三个人被惹恼了，就冲出去要求工作人员把灯关掉。光的影像在黑暗背景的衬托下为整个体验增加了信息量和戏剧性。

　　我们可能会说，要理问答也是如此设置的。神凭着公义审判我们的罪，为我们提供了黑暗的背景，使福音的荣耀得以照耀。只有认识到灾祸的深重后，我们才能更好地明白神救赎计划的真正意义。

　　要理问答告诉我们，神以一种无偿和怜悯的方式，代表人类满足了祂自己对公义的要求。据《以赛亚书》53 章，神以祂的义仆（耶稣基督）为赎罪祭。耶稣基督遵行神的旨意走完了一生，为我们满足了神律法对公义的要求。祂不仅为我们降生，还为我们受死。以赛亚形象地描写这位义仆「 被压伤」和「受痛苦」（ 赛53:10），提醒我们罪的沉重代价。耶稣在十字架上承担了神对罪的全部咒诅，充分满足了神对罪的公义要求。耶稣基督活在义中的生命和祂的受死代赎满足了神对我们公义的要求，使祂如今看我们在罪上是死的，在义上是活的，这个伟大的代赎正是福音的核心所在。

　　也许以赛亚最令人吃惊的用词是主「喜悦」以祂为赎罪祭。事实上，主喜悦让祂无辜的独生子被嘲弄，被苦待，被钉十字架。这在人看来几乎不可能是真的，除非你明白背后的原因。神当然不喜悦罪，不喜悦犹大出卖耶稣，不喜悦宗教领袖恨祂，不喜悦彼拉多不公正地判祂钉十字架，不喜悦被误导的群众弃绝祂。但神喜悦祂儿子主动和被动（透过苦难）的顺服，不论代价如何，祂都持续地信靠神和爱祂的百姓。神喜悦让审判落在子的身上，以拯救祂有罪的百姓。神喜悦是因为，透过十字架，神之子将得着荣耀，神的子民将得蒙救赎，神的公义将得到满足，神之爱将得以显明。十字架不是一场悲剧，而是神的旨意，是祂计划通过这位救主的工作来拯救祂的百姓和启示祂无法测度的荣耀的恩典。

　　最终，神出于祂的怜悯，无偿地完成了这个代赎。要理问答谨慎地指出，神通过降罚耶稣来拯救我们是出于祂「纯粹的怜悯」。「纯粹的怜悯」即唯独恩典，并无其他考虑。正如伟大的布道家司布真所写的一本名著《都是恩典》。虽然这恩典教导我们如何避免不敬虔，但恩典并不取决于我们在任何方面的顺服。考虑到罪的不断侵袭和我们生命时常的软弱，我们必须抓住「唯独恩典」的福音不放。神赐下祂的爱子并非想从我们身上得到些什么，而仅仅是因为祂爱我们。这才是真正的好消息！

祷告

　　使我们与祢和好的主，感谢祢为我们开路。祢的公义和怜悯都是完全的。我们所接受的救恩本是我们不配得的。我们奉祢爱子耶稣基督的名来到祢的面前，乃是仰赖祂的义，而不是我们自己的。阿们。

Scripture

ISAIAH 53:10–11

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.

Commentary

JONATHAN EDWARDS

But is there any thing which Christians can find in heaven or earth, so worthy to be the objects of their admiration and love, their earnest and longing desires, their hope and their rejoicing, and their fervent zeal, as those things that are held forth to us in the gospel of Jesus Christ? In which not only are things declared most worthy to affect us, but they are exhibited in the most affecting manner. The glory and beauty of the blessed Jehovah, which is most worthy in itself to be the object of our admiration and love, is there exhibited in the most affecting manner that can be conceived of, as it appears, shin- ing in all its lustre, in the face of an incarnate, infinitely loving, meek, compassionate, dying Redeemer. All the virtues of the Lamb of God, his humility, patience, meekness, submission, obedience, love and compassion, are exhibited to our view in a manner the most tending to move our affections of any that can be imagined; as they all had their greatest trial, and their highest exercise, and so their brightest manifestation, when he was in the most affecting circumstances; even when he was under his last sufferings, those unutterable and unparalleled sufferings he endured from his tender love and pity to us. There also, the hateful nature of our sins is manifested in the most affecting manner possible; as we see the dreadful effects of them in what our Redeemer, who undertook to answer for us, suffered for them. And there we have the most affecting manifestation of God’s hatred of sin, and his wrath and justice in punishing it; as we see his justice in the strictness and inflexibleness of it, and his wrath in its terribleness, in so dreadfully punishing our sins, in one, who was infinitely dear to him and loving to us. So has God disposed things in the affair of our redemption, and in his glorious dispensations, revealed to us in the gospel, as though every thing were purposely contrived in such a manner as to have the greatest possible tendency to reach our hearts in the most tender part, and move our affections most sensibly and strongly. How great cause have we therefore to be humbled to the dust that we are no more affected!

Devotional

MIKA EDMONDSON

The movie theater experience just isn’t the same without the lights off. I learned this firsthand when, after the first thirty seconds of Star Wars: The Force Awakens accidently played in a lit theater, three irritated guys stormed out and demanded that the staff turn the lights down. A dark backdrop contrasted against a light image adds volume and drama to the total experience.

We might say that the catechism is set up that way as well. God’s just and righteous judgment against our sin provides the dark back- drop against which the glory of the gospel shines through. After we’ve understood the depth of our calamity, we can better appreciate the true magnitude of God’s rescue plan for us.

The catechism tells us that God freely and mercifully satisfied the demands of his own justice on our behalf. According to Isaiah 53, God made the righteous life of his servant (Jesus Christ) to be a substitutionary offering for the unrighteous. In obedience to God’s will, Jesus Christ lived the life we should have lived and so fulfilled the just requirements of God’s law on our behalf. Yet he also died the death we should have died. Isaiah’s graphic language of the servant being “crushed” and “put to grief” (Isa. 53:10) reminds us of the heavy price of our sin. At the cross, Jesus bore the full weight of God’s curse against sin and so fully satisfied the demands of God’s just condemnation against sin. So we have a righteous life that satisfies the justice of God for us and an atoning death that satisfies the justice of God for us. This great exchange is the heart of the gospel itself.

Perhaps the most startling aspect of Isaiah’s language is that it “pleased” the Lord to make this exchange. Somehow, it actually pleased the Lord to hand his innocent Son over to be mocked, brutalized, and crucified. That’s a nearly impossible truth to fathom until you realize why God was pleased by this. Certainly, God was not pleased by the sin of Judas who betrayed Jesus, the religious leaders who hated him, Pilate who unjustly sentenced him, or the misguided crowd who rejected him. But God was pleased by the active and passive (through suffering) obedience of his Son, who continued to trust God and love his people no matter the cost. God was pleased to lay his judgment upon the Son in order to save his sinful people. God was pleased because, through the cross, the Son of God would be glorified, the people of God would be saved, the justice of God would be satisfied, and the love of God would be revealed. The cross was not a tragic accident. It was God’s will, his plan to save his people through the work of the Redeemer and to reveal the immeasurable riches of his glorious grace.

Finally, God freely and mercifully made this exchange. The catechism is careful to point out that the cause of God punishing Jesus in order to rescue us was “mere mercy.” The language “mere mercy” means grace alone, grace apart from any other considerations. As the great preacher C. H. Spurgeon famously wrote, salvation is “all of grace.” Although this grace trains us to avoid ungodliness, it does not depend upon our obedience in any way. As we consider the besetting sins and ongoing weaknesses of our lives, we have to cling to the “mere grace” aspect of the gospel. God did not give his beloved Son in view of what he would get out of our lives, but merely because he loves us. Now that’s good news indeed!

Prayer

O Reconciling One, thank you for making a way for us. You have been perfect, both in justice and in mercy. We accept the salvation we do not deserve. We come before you in the name of Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, trusting in his merits rather than our own. Amen.

问题18：神会允许我们的悖逆和拜偶像不受惩罚吗？
答：不会，每一种罪都违背了神的主权、圣洁和良善，也违背了祂公义的律法；神对我们的罪怀有公义的忿怒，并且会在今生和来世以公正的审判来惩罚这些罪。
儿童版：不，神对我们的罪怀有公义的忿怒，并将在今生和来世惩罚这些罪。

Question 18: Will God Allow Our Disobedience and Idolatry To Go Unpunished?
Answer: No, every sin is against the sovereignty, holiness, and goodness of God, and against his righteous law, and God is righteously angry with our sins and will punish them in his just judgment both in this life, and in the life to come.
For Kids: No, God is righteously angry with our sins and will punish them both in this life, and in the life to come.

歌谱 Lead Sheet

经文

《以弗所书》5 章5 节至6 节：

　　因为你们确实的知道，无论是淫乱的，是污秽的，是有贪心的，在基督和神的国里都是无分的。有贪心的，就与拜偶像的一样。不要被人虚浮的话欺哄，因这些事，神的忿怒必临到那悖逆之子。

注解

司布真

　　以有罪的为无罪是对无辜者的惩罚。想想如果盗贼做了坏事却不受罚，那么所有在伦敦的诚实人将要承受怎样的伤害和不公。如果以有罪的为无罪，那将使无辜的人受苦。因此，不是出于主观，而是出于公义的要求，神必须刑罚做了错事的我们。

默想

阿利斯泰·贝格

　　当保罗在腓力斯与土西拉的面前讲道时，祂实际上讲了三点：公义、节制、将来的审判。（参见徒24）腓力斯和土西拉的奸情并没有阻止保罗清楚地传讲神的公义，这可以说是祂传道的标志。在雅典，祂用类似的内容结束在雅典的讲道：「因为祂已经定了日子，要藉着祂所设立的人按公义审判天下」（徒17:31）。其实罪恶的事每天都在上演，大家都以为可以逍遥法外。但圣经说得很清楚，将会有审查、定罪和永远的刑罚，会有清算的日子。

　　那种认为神很仁慈，不会定罪，到最后每个人都会升天，皆大欢喜的想法，我们在圣经中找不到依据。反而保罗在《以弗所书》5 章警戒我们，警戒那些表面对耶稣有信心的人：不可以听从在保罗/ 圣经之外的其他教导，那一天会来，日期已定，那天会显明一切的公平正义，那日的判决将是终极性的审判。

祷告

　　公义的主，我们若认为自己是良善的，便是自欺。祢的忿怒是我们应得的。我们违背了祢的命令，没有全心、全意、全力地爱祢。我们只能恳求基督的义，祂担当了我们的刑罚。阿们。

Scripture

EPHESIANS 5:5–6

For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Commentary

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON

Not to punish the guilty were to exact the penalty of suffering from the innocent. Think what an injury and injustice would be inflicted upon all the honest men in London if the thieves were never punished for their roguery. It would be making the innocent suffer if you al- lowed the guilty to escape. God, therefore, not out of arbitrary choice, but from very necessity of rightness, must punish us for having done wrong.

Devotional

ALISTAIR BEGG

When Paul preached before Felix and Drusilla, he essentially had three points—righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come (Acts 24). The fact that Felix and Drusilla were in an adulterous relationship did not prevent Paul from speaking very clearly about the justice of God. It was, if you like, almost a hallmark of his preaching. At the end of his address in Athens he says the same thing: “[God] has fixed a day on which he will judge the world” (Acts 17:31). The Bible makes it clear that we won’t escape detection or conviction or sentence forever. There is going to be a payday.

The idea that God is too kind ever to condemn sin and that everyone in the end will go to heaven does not actually find a basis in the Bible itself. Paul’s warning in Ephesians 5 is to those who have professed faith in Jesus, so that they will not pay attention to those who suggest other than what he’s teaching them, namely, that this day will come—a day that is fixed, a day that will be absolutely fair, and a day when the judgment rendered will be absolutely final.

Prayer

Righteous Lord, if we think that we are good, we deceive ourselves. We deserve your wrath. We have broken your commands, and we have not loved you with our whole hearts, minds, and strength. We can only plead the righteousness of Christ and ask you to let our punishment fall on him. Amen.

问题17：什么是偶像崇拜？
答：偶像崇拜就是为了我们的希望、幸福、意义和安全而信靠受造之物，而不是造物主。
儿童版：偶像崇拜就是信靠受造之物，而不是造物主。

Question 17: What is Idolatry?
Answer: Idolatry is trusting in created things rather than the Creator for our hope and happiness, significance and security.
For Kids: Idolatry is trusting in created things rather than the Creator.

歌谱 Lead Sheet

经文

《罗马书》1 章21 节、25 节：

　　因为，他们虽然知道神，却不当作神荣耀祂，也不感谢祂。他们的思念变为虚妄，无知的心就昏暗了……他们将神的真实变为虚谎，去敬拜侍奉受造之物，不敬奉那造物的主……

注解

马丁·路德

　　什么是偶像崇拜？或者，什么是人的偶像？在每次有需要的时候，我们指望从中得到好处或者庇护，这就是「偶像」的含义……许多人认为，只要有钱、资产……，他就拥有了神和他一切所需的。人有了这些就变得自大、有安全感和骄傲，一旦缺乏或者失去就感到绝望，这就是拜偶像的证据。我再说，偶像崇拜就是心完全依赖于某些东西。

　　彻底地质问并探究你的内心，你就会发现它是不是单单只属于神。你的心是否除了神的恩惠以外别无所求，尤其当你遇到麻烦或有需要时？你的心能否放下不是从神而来的一切呢？如果是，那么你拥有了这位独一的真神。另一方面，你的心是否还另有所系？还有别的依靠？你是否希望从那里得到比神给你的更多的好处和帮助呢？当遇到问题时，你是逃向神，还是逃离祂？如果是逃离祂，那么你就有别神、有假神、有偶像。

默想

提摩太·凯勒

　　上一个要理问答提到，罪就是拒绝、忽略、悖逆神，不把神当作神，不把祂所当得的荣耀归给祂。在圣经里，对人们犯罪着墨最多的方式是偶像崇拜。偶像崇拜就是爱其他事物胜过爱耶稣基督。偶像崇拜就是为了自己的私欲，看重其他事物更胜耶稣基督，把这些事物当成你的盼望与喜乐、生命的意义与保障。除掉偶像崇拜的罪之所以如此重要，是因为它会在你的生命中，长期而且非常深入的滋长，但并非马上就能让你意识到，自己是在很明显地干犯神的律法。

　　比如说，如果财富和事业是你最重要的，成为了你的偶像，这会促使你过度工作，使你筋疲力尽，使你变得残酷，辖制你的爱心，不结圣灵的果子，破坏你的人际关系，甚至伤害你与家人的关系、和朋友的关系。所有这些事可能持续很长一段时间最终才会导致问题的发生，如撒谎、欺骗、犯奸淫。以财富为偶像崇拜确实会导致这些后果。

　　所以，你要理解的重点是：罪不只是做坏事，而且是把好的东西当作我们最终极的目标，这会败坏你的灵魂、毁坏社会，亏缺神的荣耀。

祷告

　　造我们的神，赦免我们敬拜祢所造的。我们不该盼望或信靠任何人或事物。唯有祢是自有永有、一无所缺的。愿祢成为我们的一切。阿们。

Scripture

ROMANS 1:21 AND 25

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. . . . They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator. . . .

Commentary

MARTIN LUTHER

What is it to have a god? Or, what is one’s god? Answer: To whatever we look for any good thing and for refuge in every need, that is what is meant by “god.” . . . Many a person imagines that he has God and everything he needs, provided he has money and property. . . . The evidence for this appears when people are arrogant, secure, and proud because of such possessions, but desperate when they lack them or lose them. I repeat, to have a god means to have something on which one’s heart depends entirely.

Question and explore your own heart thoroughly, and you will find out if it embraces God alone or not. Do you have it in your heart to expect nothing but good things from God, especially when you are in trouble and in need? And does your heart in addition give up and forsake everything that is not God? Then you have the one true God. On the other hand, is your heart attached to and does it rely on something else, from which you hope to receive more good and more help than from God? And when things go wrong, do you, instead of fleeing to Him, flee from Him? Then you have another god, a false god, an idol.

Devotional

TIMOTHY KELLER

The last catechism answer showed us that sin is rejecting, ignoring, and rebelling against God, not treating God as God, and not giving him the honor that is his due. In the Bible, the most frequently described way that human beings do that is through the sin of idolatry. Idolatry is loving anything more than Jesus Christ. Idolatry is treating anything as more important than Jesus Christ for your meaning in life, for your happiness, for your security and hope, or for your self-regard. The reason why it’s so important to understand the sin of idolatry is that it can be growing in a part of your life for a long time and get very deep without it right away leading to clear, visible, and easily seen violations of God’s law.

So, for example, if affluence and your career have become too important to you, they’ve become idols, and that can lead you to working too hard and exhaustion. It can lead you to becoming ruthless. It can block the development of a loving heart and the fruit of the Spirit. It can thin out your relationships. It can hurt your family relationships. It can hurt your friendships. And all these things can be going on for a long time before it leads to a real overt example of lying or cheating or adultery, because idolatry can lead to those things.

So what’s important to grasp is this: sin is not just doing bad things. It’s turning good things into ultimate things, because it ruins your soul, destroys community, and dishonors God.

Prayer

Creator God, forgive us for worshiping the things you have made. No person or thing should be our hope or our trust. You alone are self-existent and all sufficient. May you be our all in all. Amen.

问题16：什么是罪？
答：罪是在神所创造的世界中拒绝或忽视神，通过把神排除在生活之外来背叛祂，不活出或执行祂在律法中的要求，从而导致我们的死亡和一切受造物的崩溃。
儿童版：罪是在神所创造的世界中拒绝或忽视神，不活出或执行祂在律法中的要求。

Question 16: What is Sin?
Answer: Sin is rejecting or ignoring God in the world he created, rebelling against him by living without reference to him, not being or doing what he requires in his law—resulting in our death and the disintegration of all creation.
For Kids: Sin is rejecting or ignoring God in the world he created, not being or doing what he requires in his law.

歌谱 Lead Sheet

经文

《约翰一书》3 章4 节：

　　凡犯罪的，就是违背律法；违背律法，就是罪。

注解

章伯斯

　　罪是一种基本关系。罪不是你做错了什么，而是一种非法的存在，是故意、决然地独立于神之外。基督教的一切都以罪的活跃性和根本性为基础。其他宗教对付许多罪行，唯有圣经对付罪性。耶稣最先挑战的就是人身上罪的遗传；因为我们在传讲福音的时候常常忽视了这一点，所以福音的信息现在已经变得不再扎心，也失去了突破力。

默想

约翰·林

　　什么是罪？罪就是违背神的律法，就是没有达到祂的要求，不按照祂要求我们的方式生活，或者说，没有完全活出神造我们的目的。罪是把神排除在我们的生活之外，不以祂的心意为我们的生活准则，不把祂作为我们生命的中心。我们的生活若忽略神的本性，我们就违背了祂的律法。律法就是他对我们施恩爱护、保守我们生命最好最完善的准则。

　　我们这样想好了：如果我从悬崖跳下，我说：「我不需要地心引力，我要按着自己的规则来。」一方面你会违反特定的规则，叫做「不可从悬崖跳下」；另一方面你忽视了地心引力。在你生命中，你觉得地心引力没有任何意义和影响，也不认为它对你来说有多重要。你不会说地心引力太专制了，顺服这律是不可理喻的。你不会这样讲，因为你知道万有引力是我们生活中必须考虑的因素。当然有我们需要尊重的规则，也会有我们必须要承认的界限。你知道你若挑战地心引力，跳下悬崖会发生什么事：摔个粉身碎骨。

　　当我们不把神当作神，不理会神慈爱的律例，不荣耀祂，或者用行动表达祂在我们的生命中各方面都不重要、没影响。我们就辜负了我们被造的目的。这将会导致我们摔个粉身碎骨。

　　也许这个例子对我们会有帮助：当各星球绕一个叫太阳的中心公转时，我们的太阳系会一片祥和，但如果有些行星自行决定自己的轨道，或者有行星决定不环绕任何东西自行运转，会发生什么？死亡并解体。太阳系会分崩离析，因为行星不围绕正确的中心运行。它们没有以太阳为中心，所以带来的结果就是分崩离析，彻底地毁灭。

　　不以神为中心的生命，不仅仅带来我们的死亡并解体，也带来整个宇宙面临灭亡和瓦解。神造亚当和夏娃，成为了创造的最高峰。当他们犯罪悖逆神慈爱的律例，不只是对他们的生命有影响，也影响了整个宇宙。

　　保罗写下了「罪的工价乃是死」（罗6:23）。罪导致灭亡，但福音是耶稣基督在十架上亲尝死味，好叫我们得生命。在某个意义上，祂在十架上被击打苦待，灵魂被撕裂，使我们得以重塑为完全。祂为我们的罪而死，使我们可以活着。是祂遭受死亡和破碎，祂为我们的罪付上了代价，使我们免于死亡。

祷告

　　宇宙的主，祢所行的尽都美好。我们若偏行己路，就是在走死亡的道路。帮助我们看到罪就是毒药。求祢让祢的律法，而不是邪灵来塑造我们的思想和人生。阿们。

Scripture

1 JOHN 3:4

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

Commentary

OSWALD CHAMBERS

Sin is a fundamental relationship; it is not wrong doing, it is wrong being, deliberate and emphatic independence of God. The Christian religion bases everything on the positive, radical nature of sin. Other religions deal with sins; the Bible alone deals with sin. The first thing Jesus Christ faced in men was the heredity of sin, and it is because we have ignored this in our presentation of the Gospel that the message of the Gospel has lost its sting and its blasting power.

Devotional

JOHN LIN

One very important way of understanding sin is that sin is rebellion against God’s law. It’s not doing what he requires of us, not living as he has called us to live, and, therefore, never fully being who God created us to be. Sin is living without reference to God, not viewing him to be the defining reality of our lives around which our entire lives need to be centered. And when we don’t live as if God is who he is, we violate his law and all the good, loving, protecting guidelines that he’s provided to us for how to best and most fully live.

Think about it this way. If you were to walk off a cliff saying, “I don’t have to live by the law of gravity; I can live by my own rules,” you would, on the one hand, be disobeying a very specific rule and commandment—namely, “Don’t walk off a cliff.” But on the other hand, you would also not be living in reference to gravity. You would be living as if gravity were of no consequence or importance in your life. You would never say the law of gravity is arbitrary, or that it is unreasonable that you have to obey it. You would never say that, because you understand that gravity is something that we must live in reference to. Of course there are guidelines to honor and boundaries to acknowledge. You know the result of walking off a cliff and trying to break the law of gravity: death and disintegration.

When we don’t live as if God is God, when we break God’s loving law, when we fail to honor who he is, when we say or imply by our actions that he’s of no consequence or importance in this or that part of our lives, we fail to fully be the people God created us to be. And it leads to death and disintegration.

This illustration might help. Our solar system exists harmoniously when all the planets orbit the same center: the sun. If, however, the planets all decided on their own what to orbit, or if some of the planets chose not to orbit anything, what would happen? Death and disintegration. The solar system as we know it would unravel and fall apart because the planets would not be orbiting the correct center. They wouldn’t be living in reference to the sun. And therefore everything would fall apart and be destroyed.

Not living in reference to God not only leads to our personal death and disintegration; it’s the reason why the entire cosmos is subject to death and disintegration. God created Adam and Eve to be the centerpiece and the pinnacle of creation. When they sinned, their disobedience of God’s loving law not only had implications on their lives, it also had implications on the entire cosmos.

Paul writes that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Sin leads to death. And yet the gospel is that Jesus Christ experienced death so that we could live. In some ways he was disintegrated on the cross, spiritually torn apart, so that we could be made whole. He died for our sin, so that we could be made alive. He experienced death and disintegration. He paid the penalty for our sin, so that we would not have to.

Prayer

Lord of the Universe, all your ways are good. We pursue the way of death when we go our own way. Help us to see sin as the poison it is. Let your law, rather than the spirit of lawlessness, shape our minds and our lives. Amen.

问题15：既然没有人能够遵行，那么律法的目的是什么？
答：使我们认识神的圣洁本性和旨意，以及我们内心的罪性和悖逆；并意识到我们需要一位救主。律法还教导并劝勉我们活出与我们救主相称的生活。
儿童版：使我们认识神的圣洁本性，以及我们内心的罪性，并意识到我们需要一位救主。

Question 15: Since No One Can Keep the Law, What Is Its Purpose?
Answer: That we may know the holy nature and will of God, and the sinful nature and disobedience of our hearts; and thus our need of a Savior. The law also teaches and exhorts us to live a life worthy of our Savior.
For Kids: That we may know the holy nature of God, and the sinful nature of our hearts; and thus our need of a Savior.

歌谱 Lead Sheet

经文

《罗马书》3 章20 节：

所以凡有血气的，没有一个因行律法能在神面前称义，因为律法本是叫人知罪。

注解

查尔斯·西缅

　　这些可怜的人以为可以单讲福音而不提律法。但我说，他们必须传讲律法，除非他们不传福音。加入了律法，过犯就会显多：正因为如此，你们要在不敬虔的会众当中宣讲律法；像喇叭一样抬高你的嗓门，告诉人们他们的过犯，借着传扬神伟大救恩中无尽的财宝和丰富，你就愈加荣耀了你尊贵的主。向那些相信因着救恩，律法已经被成全、被废弃，不再有效的人传讲律法；将他们指向名为「以马内利」的那一位，就像主耶稣自己用滴血的手握着律法，告诉他们说：「你们若爱我，就必遵守我的命令。」（约14:15）

默想

里根·邓肯

　　神的律法帮助我们认识神、认识自己、认识自己的需求，以及平安蒙福的生命样式。律法帮助我们认识神，因为律法清楚地显明了神的性情和属性，揭示了祂圣洁的旨意和祂是怎样的神。

　　保罗在《罗马书》1 章告诉我们，每个人都能分辨善恶，但律法向我们非常具体地显明了神的性情和祂自己的道德标准。道德标准不是专横武断的。神并非不讲理地让我们遵守祂的标准，祂给我们的要求也是祂自己将会做的。所有的道德都根源于神的性情。研读律法使我们看见神各种性情的彰显。神的律法也显出我们是怎样的人。我们的本性就是罪人，我们有悖逆、犯罪的倾向。比如耶稣与富有的少年人谈话，耶稣对他说：「去变卖你所有的，分给穷人」（太19:21），那少年人说，「我做不到」，就忧忧愁愁地走了。这段话是在讲什么？耶稣要所有人变卖一切吗？不。但这个例子，耶稣借着神的律法显明了这个人特定的罪。第一诫是什么？神说，除我以外，不可有别神。道成肉身的神，对这富有的少年人说，「你到底要什么？你的钱财，还是我，你的神？」富有的少年人看待钱财超过了神。所以在此，耶稣用第一条诫命来显明这个人的罪。

　　这也引到律法的第三功用：律法帮助我们明白所需要的是什么。当我们明白神是谁，我们知道我们达不到祂的道德与性情标准；当我们明白自己是什么样的人，我们知道自己内心对罪的倾向。这一切把我们推向耶稣，因为我们明白我们需要一位救主，而这位救主已成全这律法。祂全然顺服，为我们应受的刑罚付上代价，所以律法把我们推向这位救主，指向这位救主，带我们来到这位救主面前。

　　当然，律法也使我们看见，平安蒙福的生命是怎样的。很多人一想到顺服，就会立刻想到说，「我们真得这样吗？一定要行善、要顺服吗？」但耶稣对神的吩咐和旨意的态度不是这样的。耶稣常对门徒说：「我的食物就是遵行差我来者的旨意，做成祂的工。」（约4:34）祂的意思是，遵行神的律法和旨意就像在祂面前摆设丰盛的宴席。当我们借着福音信靠耶稣，我们就被拯救，律法不只指向基督，更使我们明白如何平安蒙福地生活。

　　当神在伊甸园赐给亚当和夏娃祂的命令时，祂所赐下的这些诫命是福分，显明祂对他们的爱。在伊甸园中祂爱他们，又赐福给他们，他们只要对诫命顺服就能蒙福。当我们因耶稣得拯救，与基督联合，我们行事为人就能与这福音相称，并且满有主耶稣基督的样式。因为耶稣乐意顺服神，所以神的律法显明平安蒙福的生命是怎样的，显明当我们信靠耶稣基督时，我们就能活出与福音相称的生活。

祷告

　　赐各样美善恩赐的神，祢的律法向我们显明了何为公义。虽然律法定我们有罪，但藉着律法我们能从中看到祢是何等的圣洁，祢的爱子是何等的完美。虽然我们达不到祢律法的要求，但我们愿意常常为祢的律法献上感谢和赞美，为我们拥有一位救主而欢呼。阿们。

Scripture

ROMANS 3:20

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Commentary

CHARLES SIMEON

These poor men think they can preach the Gospel without preaching the Law. I say, they must preach the Law, unless they do not mean to preach the Gospel. The Law entered that the offence might abound: proclaim it, I say, for this purpose among your ungodly congregations; lift up your voices like trumpets, and tell the people their transgressions, that you may glorify the more your honoured Master, in proclaiming the infinite riches and fulness of His great salvation. Preach the Law to those who believe, as finished, cancelled, dead for their salvation: point them to Immanuel as holding it in His bleeding hand, and saying to them, “If ye love me, keep my Commandments.”

Devotional

LIGON DUNCAN

The law of God helps us to know God, know ourselves, know our need, and know the life of peace and blessedness. It helps us to know God because it specifically reveals his character and his attributes, his holy will, what he’s like.

Paul tells us in Romans 1 that everyone knows right and wrong. But the law of God very specifically reveals to us God’s character and his own moral qualities. Morality is not arbitrary. God doesn’t tell us to do arbitrary things. God does not require us to do things that he is not prepared to do himself. So all morality is rooted in God’s character. And when we study the law, we see a display of God’s character.

God’s law also reveals to us ourselves, especially our sinful nature and our disobedience, our inclination to sin. For instance, when Jesus is talking to the rich young ruler, he says, “Go, sell what you possess, and give to the poor” (Matt. 19:21). And the rich young ruler essentially says to Jesus, “I can’t.” And he walks away sadly. Now what’s going on in that story? Is Jesus saying that we all have to give away all of our possessions? No. But in the case of the rich young ruler, Jesus is revealing to him by the law of God the specific nature of his own sin. What’s the first commandment? To have no other gods before me. And there, God in the flesh is saying to the rich young ruler, “What’s it going to be? Your money, your possessions, or me, God?” And the rich young ruler chooses something over God, before God.

That leads to the third thing that the law helps us with. It helps us to understand our need. When we know who God is, and we know that we don’t measure up to his morality and character, when we know who we are, and we know the sinful inclinations of our hearts, it presses us to Jesus, because we know that we have need of a Savior. And the Savior has fulfilled that law. He’s obeyed it perfectly, and he’s paid the penalty that is due to us for it. The law presses us to the Savior. It points us to the Savior. It takes us to the Savior.

Of course, the law also shows us the life of peace and blessedness. When we think about obedience, many of us immediately think, “Oh, do I have to? Do I have to do good works? Do I have to obey?” That wasn’t Jesus’s attitude toward God’s commands and God’s will. In fact, he frequently said to his disciples, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me” (John 4:34). In other words, he was saying that it was like spreading a seven-course banquet in front of him to be able to obey the law of God, the will of God. And once we’re redeemed, once we’ve trusted in Jesus Christ alone for salvation as he has offered in the gospel, the law not only is something that points us to Christ, but it also shows us how to live the life of peace and blessedness.

When God originally gave his commands to Adam and Eve in the garden, he gave those commands to them as blessings. They weren’t things upon which his love was contingent. He loved them and blessed them in the garden. And their obedience to the commands was the very sphere in which they enjoyed that blessedness. And when we are saved by Christ, when we are united to Christ, we are able to walk in a manner that is worthy of the gospel. We are to live in a manner that is like the Lord Jesus Christ. And he delighted in obeying God. And so the law of God shows us what that life of peace and blessedness is like. It shows us what it’s like to live a life worthy of the gospel once we’ve trusted in Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Giver of All Good Gifts, your law reveals to us what is just. Though it condemns us, through it we know how great is your holiness and how perfect is your Son. Though we fall short, may we always give you thanks and praise for your law and rejoice that we have a Savior. Amen.