by 鍾卓權牧師 (Rev. Bernie Chung)
普遍的人當首次聽到耶穌這個名字都會問「耶穌是誰？」，同時還有一個同樣困惑的問題那就是 「我們是誰？」，若能從另一角度更直接的問「我之被稱為 “人” 有什麼真正的意義？」 讓我們共同來探討聖經中對這些問題的答案。
首先，究竟我們是好人，還是壞人, 或還是介於兩者之間？大多數人都不敢自誇說自己是好人，更不想承認自己是壞人，所以將自己定位為「不算好人也不算是壞人」的位置。 我們大多數人都認為自己可以做一些自以為無傷大雅的”壞事”，但也會做一些自認為是正確的好事。諸如在紀念逝者的追悼會上所聽到典型的哀悼詞都會說剛剛離世的人基本上是個好人。
聖經的教導是說，人與生俱來就已經虧欠了神的榮耀，而這種達不到神所定的標準就是罪惡。 保羅在以弗所書2：1 中告訴我們說：「你們死在過犯罪惡之中…」。 我們屬靈生命的死亡是因為始祖亞當沒有順從造他的創造主，違背了創造主的命令而去按照自己的意念犯了罪，故此整個人類就陷入了罪惡之中。在聖經歷史中，這件事通常被稱為人的「墮落」。亞當一人犯了罪怎麼可能使我們所有人都陷入罪惡之中呢？ 聖經明顯地指出亞當代表了我們所有人，而他起初所犯的罪在任何時候對我們每一個人都有影響。亞當是我們的代表，我們承傳亞當的罪因而上帝算我們有罪。 保羅在給羅馬人的書信中作了這樣的總結說：「這就如罪是從一人入了世界、死又是從罪來的、於是死就臨到眾人、因為眾人都犯了罪。」(羅馬書5:12 節)
當然，有人可以在社會或人的層面上做得很好。但是聖經清楚地告訴我們，他們(人) 都偏離正路、一同變為汙穢．並沒有行善的、連一個也沒有。(詩篇 14:3)。此外，我們自己並沒有能力以自己之力去達到神所定的標準來取悅祂，因而無法與祂建立正常的關係。因此上帝才差派衪的兒子耶穌基督降世為人, 賜下救贖的恩典，把我們從罪中贖回。上帝從沒有放棄我們，約翰福音 3:16 說 :「神愛世人，甚至賜下他的獨生子，好讓所有信他的人不至於滅亡，反得永恆的
生命」。弟兄姊妹們，我們當感謝天父上帝的慈愛，主耶穌基督的赦罪恩典，和聖靈的感動和引導。阿們！
Translation:
When people hear the name Jesus for the first time, they would ask "Who is Jesus?" There is another question that equally can make us curious. It is "Who are we?" If we go deeper, the question should be "What is the real meaning of being called, a person?" Let us explore the Bible's answers to these questions together in reverse order. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis e will to make NIV84). God also gives mankind the fre 1:27decisions.
First of all, as God’s creatures how are we doing? Most of us dare not openly say that we are good people, and we do not want to admit we are bad people either. Many of us might unwittingly admit that we are somewhere between good and evil. We would maintain that the things we have done in life are mostly innocuous, believing that we must also have done some good things along the way. At a memorial service, it is quite common that the deceased is eulogized as a person of good deed. All inadequacies are not mentioned. We, as mankind, readily give ourselves passing grades.
The Bible teaches that it is the inherent nature of all human beings to not be able to live up to God's glory as we are sinful because of this failure to meet God's standards. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:1, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” We died spiritually because our first ancestor Adam did not obey his creator and made wrong choices. Adam committed a sin according to his own free will, and that caused the entirety of mankind to fall into sin. This historical and biblical event is often referred to as the "fall of man”. How could Adam’s sin alone make us all fall into sin? The Bible clearly states that Adam represents all of us and the sin he committed in the first place affects everyone of us perpetually. God holds us responsible for Adam’s sin because he represents us—the human race. Paul sums it up in his letter to the Romans: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
Of course, many people can do well climbing the social ladders of the day and have great accomplishments. But the Bible clearly tells us that all people “have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalms 14:3). It is also true that we by ourselves do not have the abilities to please God, or to establish a normal relationship with Him. However, despite our helplessness, God does not give up on us. He gave His only begotten son to us, so whoever believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. God redeems us from sin through the grace of Jesus Christ our Savior. Brothers and Sisters, the question “who is Jesus” has been answered. Let’s thank God our Heavenly Father for His mercy, the redeeming grace of Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
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