by 鍾卓權牧師 (Rev. Bernie Chung)
一位名叫馬丁·路德的德國威登堡(Wittenberg)大學的道德神學教授於1517 年10 月31 日在當地的教堂大門釘上以拉丁文寫的《九十五條論綱》,其正式名稱是《關於贖罪券效能的辯論》。其目的是抗議當時教會中不正當的習俗和錯誤的教義。當時的教皇利奧十世 Pope Leo X 在1520 年6 月15 日,發佈詔書,宣告馬丁·路德的觀點為異端,這項錯誤的宣告導致馬丁路德失去大學的教職並且被驅逐出教會。
其實早在宗教改革之前天主教會出版的聖經、神學家及早期教父的學說,有不少的釋經文獻,都已經有類似關於「唯獨信心」和「唯獨基督」的教導。「唯獨基督」(Christ Alone, Solus Christus or Solo Christo)強調我們的得救唯獨是藉著聖子耶穌基督,神的羔羊,是上帝唯一所能接納的贖罪羔羊。
天父上帝救贖世人,是憑藉著聖子耶穌基督所作的一切,聖子耶穌在十字架上全然獻上自己,成為了永恆的贖罪祭。唯有耶穌基督的犧牲,以無罪承擔了世人的罪孽, 才滿足了神公義的要求,方能使世人與上帝和好。
哥林多後書 5:18 的前半節說:一切都是出於 神、祂藉著基督使我們與他和好…。
聖父上帝藉著聖子耶穌基督「替眾人死」(15 節),人與神和好的障礙就除去了。但在人這一方面其障礙仍然存在,因為人必須明白並且接受上帝的呼召才能與神和好,所以哥林多後書 5:18 的下半節說:(上帝) 又將勸人與祂和好的職分賜給我們。由此可知,我們既然是已經蒙呼召與上帝和好,我們就有屬神兒女的位分,同時亦有勸人與上帝和好的責任與職分,見證和宣講上帝 在聖子耶穌裡所成就的救贖,就是「唯獨基督」所成就的救贖。此外並沒有 任何人、事或者物可以替代。我們若不宣講「唯獨基督」這真正的福音,表示我們不看重「唯獨基督」所成就的救贖恩典。倘若我們明白了又看重「唯獨基督」所成就的救贖恩典, 我們必定會不猶豫,不論得時與不得時,必須要將救贖的福音、確實地與人分享,擔當了勸人與上帝和好的職分。 弟兄姊妹妹,但願我們能時刻將與上帝同工視為我們責任,隨時隨地,信靠順服,執行上帝所託付我們的大使命,完成 勸世人與上帝和好的職分 。阿們!
Translation:
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a professor of moral theology at the University of Wittenberg, Germany, nailed the "Ninety-five Theses" written in Latin on the door of the local church. The official name for these theses should be "The Debate on the Efficacy of Indulgences", and the purpose of which was to protest against many of the improper
customs and teachings in the church at that time. Pope Leo X issued an edict on June 15, 1520, falsely declared Martin Luther's views as heretic, thereby expelling Martin Luther from the university and excommunicating him from the church.
Ironically, before the Reformation, the Bible published by the Catholic Church, the doctrines of theologians and early church fathers, and many exegetical documents, all have similar teachings about "Faith Alone" and "Christ Alone”. "Christ Alone” (Solus Christus or Solo Christo) emphasizes that our salvation is only through the Son Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Jesus is the only Lamb of Atonement accepted by God.
God the Father redeems us all through everything that was done by His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus fully sacrificed himself on the cross and made an eternal sin offering. Only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is sufficient to reconcile the world with God.
The first half of 2 Corinthians 5:18 says: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ...”
It is because of Jesus who died for us so that through the Son of God the obstacles to reconciliation between man and God are removed. But there are still obstacles on the human side that need to be addressed. The second half of 2 Corinthians 5:18 says: “(God) gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” It should be clear that since we have been called to reconcile with God, and as the children of God, we have the role of persuading people to reconcile with Him, witnessing and proclaiming what God has accomplished in His Son, Jesus. Our only salvation is the salvation accomplished by "Christ Alone". There is no substitution for this and nothing else matters. We must preach the true Gospel of "Christ Alone" whether in season or out of season. Otherwise it only means that we do not value the redemptive grace accomplished by "Christ Alone". We ought to truly understand and to focus on the redemptive grace accomplished by "Christ Alone", and not hesitate to share the Gospel of redemption with others. We must naturally obey God’s call to tell others about the reconciliation with God the Father and encourage them to accept the saving grace that proceeds from Jesus, the Son. Brothers and Sisters, let’s work together with God’s help to carry out the Great Commission that God has entrusted to us. Amen!
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