12月19日
公义的神
A God of Justice
主不算为有罪的,这人是有福的。——罗马书 4:8
What joy there is for anyone whose sins are no longer counted against him by the Lord.
—Romans 4:8 (TLB)
几年前,我在一个限速区因开车超速而被拦截, 后来在法庭上我做了认罪的答辩, 看到我出现在法庭上,法官不仅很友好而且还很不好意思。我的罚金是十美元。如果他让我无罪离开,那就违背了公义。罚款必须由我或是别人支付!审判与爱是相一致的。慈爱的神也一定是公义的神。这是因为神爱世人,所以祂是公义的。祂的公义和慈爱是平衡的,这样祂的慈爱和公义的行为才有意义。
如果神不能审判罪人,那么祂就不能始终如一地爱人。祂对罪人的惩罚和祂将义人分别为圣的做法彰显了神伟大的爱。我们必须要在审判的背景下看待十字架。因为神如此的深爱世人,以至于将祂的独生爱子赐给他们,这样世人就可以不再面对审判。
A number of years ago I was stopped for driving too fast in a speed zone, and in the courtroom I pleaded guilty. The judge was not only friendly but embarrassed for me to be in his court. The fine was ten dollars. If he had let me go free, it would have been inconsistent with justice. The penalty had to be paid either by me or someone else! Judgment is consistent with love. A God of love must be a God of justice. It is because God loves that He is just. His justice balances His love and makes His acts of both love and justice meaningful.
God could not consistently love men, if He did not provide for the judgment of evil-doers. His punishment of the evil-doer and His separation of the righteous is a manifestation of God’s great love. We must always look at the cross on the dark background of judgment. It was because God’s love for man was so intense that He gave His Son, so that man would not have to face judgment.
今日祷告
全能的神啊,你是至高无上的审判者。我感谢你,因为尽管我不配得到赦免,但是你的独生爱子耶稣基督为我担当了我应受的审判。
Prayer for the day
You are the Supreme Judge, almighty God, and I thank You that even though I did not deserve forgiveness, my judgment was paid by Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
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