2016年2月12日
一知半解 Undigested Knowledge
读经: 約翰福音8章39-47節
Reading: John 8:39-47
你們若常常遵守我的道，就真是我的門徒。-約翰福音8章31節
If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. - John 8:31
全年读经: 利未記13章;馬太福音26章26-50節
Bible in a Year: Leviticus 13; Matthew 26:26-50
英國的外交官奧利訪（1881-1965年），在他的一本著作中提到，許多學生在考試時都能正確作答，但卻不能實際運用。奧利訪說：「如此未經消化的知識是沒什麼用處的。」
作家巴拿巴·派博（Barnabas Piper）發現自己也有類似的情形。他說：「我明白許多基要真理，就自以為很親近上帝。其實我是自欺欺人，懂得很多，不等於與耶穌有美好的關係。」
有一天，耶穌在聖殿遇到那些熟悉律法的猶太人。他們以身為亞伯拉罕的後裔自居，但是卻拒絕相信上帝的兒子。耶穌說：「你們若是亞伯拉罕的兒子，就必行亞伯拉罕所行的事」 （約翰福音8章39節） 。什麼事呢？亞伯拉罕「信耶和華，耶和華就以此為他的義」（創世記15章6節） 。但那些人仍然拒絕相信，他們說：「我們只有一位父，就是上帝」 （約翰福音8章41節） 。耶穌回答說：「出於上帝的，必聽上帝的話；你們不聽，因為你們不是出於上帝。」 （47節）
派博也提到，自己經歷了挫折之後，才真實地體會上帝的恩典，與耶穌建立個人的關係。當我們不再把上帝的真理當成 信仰的知識，而是讓主的話來改變我們的生命，那麼我們就能活出基督的樣式，叫人們能認識耶穌。
天父！謝謝祢接納每個回轉相信祢的人。
信仰不只是接受聖經知識，而是活出基督的生命。
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In his book on language, British diplomat Lancelot Oliphant (1881–1965) observed that many students give correct answers on tests but fail to put those lessons into practice. "Such undigested knowledge is of little use," declared Oliphant.
Author Barnabas Piper noticed a parallel in his own life: "I thought I was close to God because I knew all the answers," he said, "but I had fooled myself into thinking that was the same as relationship with Jesus."
Faith is not accepting the fact of God but receiving the life of God.
At the temple one day, Jesus encountered people who thought they had all the right answers. They were proudly proclaiming their status as Abraham's descendants yet refused to believe in God's Son.
"If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would do what Abraham did" (John 8:39). And what was that? Abraham "believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness" (Gen. 15:6). Still, Jesus' hearers refused to believe. "The only Father we have is God himself," they said (John 8:41). Jesus replied, "Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God" (v. 47).
Piper recalls how things "fell apart" for him before he "encountered God's grace and the person of Jesus in a profound way." When we allow God's truth to transform our lives, we gain much more than the right answer. We introduce the world to Jesus.
Father, thank You that You receive anyone who turns to You in faith.
Faith is not accepting the fact of God but of receiving the life of God.