Participants of the Divine Nature - Part 2

Ministry in Word

Participants of the Divine Nature – Part 2

与神的性情有分-第二部

Based on Charles H. Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening devotional
2 Peter 1:3-4
彼得後书1:3-4

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
「神的神能已将一切关乎生命和虔敬的事赐给我们，皆因我们认识那用自己荣耀 和美德召我们的主。因此，他已将又宝贵又极大的应许赐给我们，叫我们既脱离 世上从情欲来的败坏，就得与神的性情有分。」

We Are the Participants of the Divine Nature
我们与神的性情有分

The first man, Adam, was made in the image of God, for Genesis 1:26 tells us that theLord said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness”. Adam, with the divine nature, was originally sinless. When he disobeyed God’s order and ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he sinned and lost the divine nature. We, by the renewal of the Holy Spirit, are in a spiritual sense made in the image of the Most High,and we “participate in the divine nature.”

世上的第一个人亚当是照神的形像造的，因为创世記1:26告诉我们神说，「我们 要照着我们的形像、按着我们的样式造人」。带着神的性情的亚当原来是无罪 的。当他违背神的命令而吃了分辨善恶树上的果子时，他犯罪了并且失去了神的 性情。我们被圣灵更新，在属灵的意识上是照最高神的形像被再造了，并且我们 「得与神的性情有分。」

We, the redeemed, are the forgiven repentant sinners. We were regenerated when Christ saved us and we became participants of the divine nature.
我们这些被救赎的人是已悔改蒙赦免的罪人。当基督拯救我们之时我们得重生，我们就成为与神的性情有分的人。

We Are Made to Be Like God
我们被造成像神

We are, by grace, made to be like God. We take on God’s nature when we yield to His Spirit. 1 John 4:8 says that “God is love”. We become love for “everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (1 Jn 4:7). Before we were born of God, we didn’t know what love was, and how to love. We might try our best to love with our own strength and understanding, but the results were not satisfactory. However when we were born of God we participated in the divine nature of love, so that it becomes our nature to love like God
loves.
我们蒙恩被造成像神。当我们向神的灵降服的时候我们就得到神的性情。約翰一書4:8说「神就是爱」。我们成为爱因为「凡有爱心的，都是由神而生，并且认 识神。」〔約一4:7〕在我们由神而生之前我们不知何为爱，也不知如何爱。我 们尽我们所能，以自己的力量和了解去爱，但是结果并不理想。但是我们一旦由 神而生，我们就与神的性情有分，我们就自然如神一般地爱了。

King David wrote in Psalm 31:5 these words, he said, “redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.” So God is truth. As participants of the divine nature we become truth, and we love what is true. We became truth when “the Spirit of truth” came into us when we accepted the Lord as our Savior, for just as apostle Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal 2:20) Christ Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6). When Christ lives in us, truth lives in us, and we become truth by participating in the divine nature.
大卫王在詩篇31:5写了这些话，他说「耶和华诚实的 神啊，你救赎了我。」因 为耶和华是诚实的神，所以神是真理。作为与神的性情有分的人我们也成为真理，喜爱诚实之事。当我们接受主为我们的救主之时，「真理的灵」进入我们，我们成为真理，因为就如使徒保罗说，「我已经与基督同钉十字架，现在活着的 不再是我，乃是基督在我里面活着；」〔加2:20〕而基督耶稣说，「我就是道 路、真理、生命」〔約14:6〕当基督活在我们里面，真理就活在我们里面，我们 就因与神的性情有分而成为真理了。

Psalm 100:5 declares that “The Lord is good”. When the rich ruler greeted Jesus, calling him “Good teacher”, Jesus answered, “No one is good-except God alone.” (Lk 18:18-19) So in our human nature we are not good. Even when we do our good deeds we cannot do them with a pure, untainted motive. Sometimes we do them because it makes us feel good about ourselves, or we think we would gain favor with God. God makes us good by His grace, and we become the pure in heart who shall see God (Mt 5:8).
詩篇100:5宣称「耶和华本为善」。当那富有的官跟耶稣打照呼，称他为「良善的 夫子」，耶稣对他说：「除了神一位之外，再没有良善的。」〔路18:18-19〕所以 我们在我们的人的性情中我们并不良善。甚至当我们行善的时候我们不能以一个 纯洁清白的动机而行。有时我们行善因为它让我们好过一点，或者我们认为可以 取得神的欢心。神以他的恩典使我们成为良善，我们就成为清心的可以见神的人 〔太5:8〕。

To be continued next week.
下周待续。

May we be remade into God’s image, be loving, truthful, and good, living victoriously as participants in the divine nature.
愿我们被重造为神的形像，爱人、诚实和良善，得与神的性情有分，过一个得胜
的生活。

Tom and Tehwan Tso
仲谋与德菀


“The outcome of your faith is the salvation of your souls.” 1Peter 1:9
“信心的果效， 就是灵魂的救恩” 彼得前书1：9