新约 - 哥林多前书(1 Corinthians)第10章

For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.
They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
They all ate the same spiritual food
and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.
Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry."
We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.
We should not test the Lord, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes.
And do not grumble, as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angel.
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.
I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.
Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?
Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.
Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
"Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive.
Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience,
for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."
If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.
But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake--
the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience?
If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God--
even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
哥林多前书第十章   林前 10:1-5> 云、海、灵食、灵水各有所指,你也相当熟悉的…… 

  10:1-5 这里提到云和海,是指以色列人出埃及时,神藉着云柱来引导他们,又平安带领他们渡过红海(参出 14 章);灵食和灵水是指以色列人在旷野漂流的时候,神奇妙的供应(参出 15 ; 16 章)。 

  林前 10:1-33> 前章写成熟基督徒的生活,今章应会讲…… 

  10:1-33 在第 9 章,保罗以他自己作为榜样,指出成熟的基督徒会锻炼自己,使自己更有效地服事神。在第 10 章,他则用以色列作为灵命不成熟的例子,指出他们过分自信及缺乏有纪律的生活。 

  林前 10:2> “受洗归了摩西”,这句话很难懂,你说是不是? 

  10:2 “受洗归了摩西”,意为我们藉洗礼与基督联合,以色列人在出埃及的时候,也与摩西联合,由他来带领。 

  林前 10:11> 往事如烟?是人不想记?记不住?要不忘教训嘛…… 

  10:11 今日的压力常常会导致我们忘掉昔日的教训。但保罗提醒我们必须牢记以色列人的教训,好使我们不致重蹈覆辙。为了不忘昔日的教训,最佳的方法是天天读经,让神提醒我们怎样按祂的旨意而活。 

  林前 10:13> 不叫我们受过于我们所能受的试探──只是试诱来到,人心仍有所动…… 

  10:13 在一个道德败坏的社会里,保罗鼓励哥林多教会的信徒,要勇敢抵挡试探。他说:( 1 )试探和犯罪的念头会临到每个人的身上,不要以为你能避免;( 2 )倘若别人可以抵挡试探,你也一定可以;( 3 )不管任何试探,依靠神的帮助,你必能胜过。神会这样帮助我们胜过试探:( 1 )祂使我们知道哪些人或处境会使我们跌倒;( 2 )祂帮助我们远离明明知道是错的事;( 3 )祂帮助我们只做好的事情;( 4 )我们可以祈求神的帮助;( 5 )有些爱主的朋友在你被试探时可以帮助你。无论如何,赶快离开试探的场所是得胜的第一步(参提后 2:22 )。 

  林前 10:14> 崇拜偶像?我不会的,那些木头是死的嘛;至于心中的偶像…… 

  10:14 哥林多最明显的宗教特色就是拜偶像,那里有很多神庙,香火鼎盛。木头和石头本身没有好坏可言,但人们却赋予它们只有神才配得的敬拜,又期望它们赐下只有神才有能力给予的好处,如风调雨顺、五谷丰登及儿孙满堂等。拜偶像在今日仍旧是严重的问题,只是形式不同而已。我们也许不再去拜那些木头或石头,但却崇拜钞票信用卡。现代的偶像如权力、享受或名声等,是被我们高举的东西。保罗说:“你们要逃避拜偶像的事”,所指的就是这些事。 

  林前 10:16-21> 吃祭过偶像的肉也会不安?怎会这样? 

  10:16-21 无论是犹太人、基督徒或异教的信徒,都觉得吃祭物是与神明联合的意思。在旧约时代,当一个犹太人献过祭后,便会进食部分的祭物,表明他曾犯罪得罪了神,现藉献祭与神复和(参申 12:17-18 )。因此,初信的人若见到信徒吃祭过偶像的食物,便会感到不安。 

  林前 10:21> 我只想大家都好一点,你却说我不能同时吃圣餐又吃鬼的筵席,我…… 

  10:21 作为基督的追随者,我们必须对祂全然效忠。保罗说,我们不可同时吃主的圣餐,又吃鬼的筵席。吃主的圣餐表示我们记念主,承认祂为我们死。吃鬼的筵席表示我们认同撒但的崇拜,参与了提倡异教(或罪恶)的活动。你是否也两面讨好,既想满足基督的要求,又不想得罪别人?圣经说,你不可以同时两者兼得。 

  林前 10:23-24> 明明是没什么大不了,为了要迁就他,说是怕他跌倒,何时才知道该这样做?太麻烦了…… 

  10:23-24 有时我们很难知道何时需要迁就软弱的信徒。保罗于是给我们一个简单方便的原则──对别人的需要要敏感,心存恩慈。有些行为未必是错,但对别人不一定有好处。纵使我们在基督里是自由的,但也不应滥用自由而使弟兄姊妹受伤害。我们不能单顾自己的事,也要对别人的事敏感。(有关要照顾软弱的肢体,请参 8:10-13 ;罗 14 章的注释。) 

  林前 10:25-27> 买来就要吃,又怕祭过偶像;人生时常处进退两难的境地,可以怎样处理? 

  10:25-27 保罗对于这个进退两难的问题,提供了一个答案──可买市场上的任何食物,不必追问它曾否祭过偶像。这算不得什么,任何人的良心不必受它困扰。当我们过分担心自己的每一个行为,就容易变成律法主义者,无法享受生命。因为万物都是从神而来,祂让我们享用。如果我们知道有问题,就应该努力解决它,但却不必刻意去发掘问题。 

  林前 10:28-33> 我们为何要受别人的良心所辖制?我不是我自己的吗? 

  10:28-33 为什么我们要被别人的良心所限制呢?最重要的理由是,我们做任何事都要荣耀神,即使是吃、喝的事情。我们不应该做一些引致别的信徒跌倒的事情,我们为别人要做得最好,以至他们可以得救。 

  林前 10:31> 凡事所行为要荣耀神?我…… 

  10:31 神的爱必定会渐渐改变我们的生命,使我们无论做什么,都是为祂的荣耀而作。要常常问:“这事荣耀神吗?”或“我如何在此事上荣耀神?”以此作为自己的生活准则。 

  关键时刻的抉择 

  林前 10:33> 人都在追求自我,保罗却说要为别人的好处放下自己,这合时宜吗? 

  10:33 保罗处事的准则并不是出于自己的喜好,而是只求别人的好处。若不以此为原则,便会:( 1 )冷漠无情,任意妄为,不管是否伤害了别人;( 2 )顾虑太多,恐怕令人不高兴,所以什么都不敢做;( 3 )变成一个惟命是从的人,为了得到别人的认同,便随波逐流,忘了神的旨意。在这个 " 自我中心 "" 追求第一 " 的世代,保罗却独排众议,树立了一个良好的标准。如果我们以别人的利益为基本目标,这样的事奉就会讨神喜悦。