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The Almost Christian 差不多的基督徒


If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. – Romans 10:9

The trust fall. This is an essential, life-changing, team-building exercise that many Singaporean students undergo when they are at camps and retreats. “Do you believe that your friends will catch you?” “Yes,” the obviously terrified student standing on the raised platform squeaked. “Ok, cross your arms in front of you and fall backwards.” The silence of anticipation was deafening as seconds ticked away. “I cannot!” wailed the distraught student. The student almost completed the challenge.

Wesley knew from his own personal experience that “it was possible to be a sincere person who has all the outward signs of a Christian… [a] form of Godliness… yet not have the faith of the heart.”31 What does this faith look like in an ‘Altogether Christian?’ (1) A belief that is rooted in the love of God. Because He is love, we need to put our trust in the mercy and forgiveness of God.32 (2) An assurance of salvation: “saving faith brings a note of certainty into our lives.”33 Wesley himself, even after being ordained continued to struggle with his faith, until his experience at Aldersgate on 24 May 1738. (3) A reliance on Christ. “For Wesley, belief was ultimately expressed in obedience… it is one thing to profess faith but it is something else to express it… Such obedience is not based on a cold sense of duty, but rather an intense hunger to do God’s will. Obedience is joyful…”34

你若口里宣认耶稣是主,心里信上帝叫他从死里复活,就必得救。 《罗马书》10:9

信任下降。许多新加坡学生都必须去营会或退修会经历生命的改变、团队训练。 “你相信你的朋友会抓住你吗?” “是的,” 站在升起的平台上的那个显然很害怕的学生尖声说。 “好的,交叉双臂放在胸前并向后倾倒。”随着时间的流逝,期待的沉默被震耳欲聋的哀嚎取代。 “我不能!”是那位心烦意乱的学生痛哭的声音。他差不多完成挑战。

约翰.卫斯理从自己的亲身经历中得知:“有可能成为一个真诚的人,他有一个基督徒的外在标志:一种敬虔的形式。。但却不具有内心的信心。”30这信心是什么样子呢?就像一个'完全基督徒'一样(1)一种根植于上帝之爱的信念。因为祂是爱,我们需要相信上帝的怜悯和宽恕。(2)救恩的确据:“朝向救恩的信心为我们的生命带来确信。”约翰.卫斯理本人即使在被按立之后仍继续为自己的信心挣扎,直到1738年5月24日雅德门的经历。(3)依靠基督。 “对约翰.卫斯理来说,信心最终是以顺服的方式表达出来的。。信奉信仰是一回事,但表达信仰的是另一回事。。这种顺服并非基于冷漠的责任感,而是强烈的渴望去遵守上帝的旨意。顺服是喜乐的。。”


反思

对你来说,具有信心的信仰最重要的成分是什么?为什么?

Reflection

Which element in believing faith seems most important to you? Why?

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