馬太福音 6:13 節的禱告文，說：「不叫我們遇見試探，救我們脫離凶惡。因為國度、權柄、榮耀，全是你的，直到永遠。阿們。」在「不叫我們遇見試探...」這一句話之前有kai這個希臘文的連接詞，kai就是還有、同時的意思，目的是讓禱告的人不僅僅是求神免去我們自己的罪、如同我們免了人的罪，同時還要祈求神「不叫我們遇見試探，救我們脫離凶惡。」
有人說「試探」是人生必須經歷的過程，意思是說一生當中，人是一定會遇到「試探」。路德會的創辦人馬丁路德在1519年的時候，他說：「試探」是宇宙性的，形形色色，到處都有。意思是說，「試探」是無所不在，而且包羅萬有。又有人說「試探」好像「火」一樣，可以把我們燒傷，所以對「試探」是應當「敬而遠之」，「避之則吉」。
我們要知道「試探」和「試驗」或者「試煉」的區分，兩者的區別，就是其來源和目的均有差別。試探的來源是出於魔鬼/撒但，目的是引誘我們犯罪；「試驗」和「試煉」是源自於神，目的是要鍛鍊我們，從中得到造就的益處。正如創世記中第三章記載的第一個「試探」，撒但魔鬼透過蛇去引誘夏娃（4節），叫她懷疑神的愛，結果吃了神不許他們吃分別善惡樹的果子，違背了上帝的旨意，犯罪之後被逐出了伊甸園。舉例，我們對食物因為健康原因需要節制，那麼我們過量吃所喜好的東西，這些食物就成為我們的「試探」和「引誘」，對某些人抵擋放在面前的巧克力和冰淇淋的「試探」和「引誘」也不是一件容易的事。對膽固醇過高的人來說，放在餐桌上的山珍海味，也不是一件容易抵擋的「試探」。名、利、和色情就是我們經常會面對的「試探」和「引誘」，我們要想辦法去遠離這些試探，否則我們自身和家人都會受到傷害。
因為沒有印刷術，早期的聖經都是手抄本，最完整的早期手抄經文中在禱告文中並沒有「因為國度、權柄、榮耀，全是你的，直到永遠。阿們！」馬太福音 6:12 這後半節，為什麼後半句的經文在後期的手抄本中開始出現呢？ 原來這後半句話「因為國度、權柄、榮耀，全是你的，直到永遠。阿們！」是初世紀教會常用的禱告結束語，很可能是這個原因，這後半節就存留到現在。不論其原因為何，這後來加上的半節確實是非常地合適，是富有真理的結束語。是的、遵守神的律例誡命實踐祂的旨意就是順服在神的權柄下、活在祂的國度裏，在地上居住的人，要將屬神的榮耀完全完全地歸給神。
弟兄姊妹們，這後半節「因為國度、權柄、榮耀，全是你的，直到永遠。阿們！」，是全然充滿著頌讚的意味，提醒向天父禱告的子民，省察自己是否心存敬拜讚美的心靈和誠實？是否成全了神的「國度」？願意順服神的「權柄」？是否虧缺了神的「榮耀」？最後的「阿們」就是「實實在在」的意思，具有「誠心所願」的意涵，表示我們的禱告都是從心而發。弟兄姊妹們，讓我們的禱告就是如此誠實，是從心而發。阿們！
Translation:
Temptation and Evil ~Pastor Bernie Chung
The prayer in Matthew 6:13 says, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.” Right after the word “temptation”, there is a connective Greek word kai in the original text which means “also” or “at the same time”. This makes it more apparent that those of us who pray should not only ask God to forgive our own sins, but also forgive our debtors. In addition, we also ask God “to lead us not into temptation, but to deliver us from evil”.
Some people would say that temptation is to be expected norm in life—without exception. Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran Church, said in 1519 that temptations are universal, of all kinds, and everywhere. This means that temptations is omnipresent, far-reaching, and all-inclusive. Some people say that temptation is like fire which can burn us. We must respect its danger and keep it far away from us. Avoidance is good. Do not play with fire! We also need to know the difference between temptation and trial or test. They are from different sources and carry different purposes. The source of temptations is Satan, aka. The Devil, with his goal to make us commit sin. The source of a trial or test is from God. The purpose of a trial or test is to let us receive the benefit of edification. The first temptation is recorded in the third chapter of Genesis. The devil Satan lured Eve by the serpent (v. 4), causing her to doubt God’s love. As a result, she ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil against God’s command, and Adam did the same. Because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, they were expelled from the Garden of Eden for sinning. If we need to eat certain food in moderation for health reasons, the food we like to eat such as ice cream or chocolate that happens to be in front of us becomes irresistible temptation. For those us with high cholesterol, the expensive and sumptuous banquet food is also a temptation that is not easy to overcome. Fame, fortune, and sex are temptations that we may face in life also. Failure to resist these temptations will harm ourselves and our families.
Did you know that in ancient times the Bible was completely handwritten? And in the most complete handwritten scriptures of the early days, there is no second half of the verse that contains “For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours forever. Amen!” (Usually, this is a footnote at the bottom of the page.) When was this verse added then? It turns out that “For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours forever, Amen!” was a common prayer closing phrase in the early churches of New Testament time and has been kept to this day. In any case, this half of the stanza is a fitting and truthful conclusion to the prayer. Truly obeying God’s commands and carrying out His will are the best ways to submit to the power of our Almighty God. All glories we bring to God in the days of our life belong to him entirely!
Brothers and sisters, this verse “For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen!” is so full of praise! It serves as a reminder when we pray to examine ourselves with these criteria: Do we have the spirit of honesty in our worship and praise? Has the Kingdom of God fulfilled? Have we submitted to God’s authority? Have we not stolen God’s glory? The concluding “Amen” means truly and sincerely. In other words, every verse in the prayer has no falsehood because it comes from our heart. May our prayers be of such qualities that please God. Amen!
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