双语灵修（葛培理牧师）：8 月 12 日 惧怕与信

8 月 12 日

惧怕与信

你们所受的不是奴仆的心，仍旧害怕；所受的乃是儿子的心，因此我们呼叫阿爸，父。”

罗马书 8:15

当我明白基督对我这个罪人的爱时，我就对基督报之以爱的回应——爱是有感觉的。但对基督的爱是一种超越人类之爱的爱，尽管两者有相似之处。也会有感觉，但是感觉来了又消失了，信奉却不改变。我们这些委身于基督的人，会有喜乐、爱、感恩，这种感觉来来去去，但委身于主却始终不变。感觉固然重要，但并非必不可少。

圣经说：“爱既完全，就把惧怕除去”（约翰一书 4:18）。爱基督的人对主有信心，于是就能胜过惧怕。心理学家告诉我们：惧怕分为破坏性和健康性两种，其中健康性惧怕是有益处的，它使我们关心我们的身体和我们所爱的人。

当我明白基督在祂的死里得胜了死与罪时，我就不再惧怕死亡了。圣经说：“祂也照样亲自成了血肉之体；特要藉着死，败坏那掌死权的就是魔鬼；并要释放那些一生因怕死而为奴仆的人。”（希伯来书 2:14-15）。

拯救我们的不是勇敢和自信的感觉，却是我们的信仰；而勇敢和自信来源于我们对基督的信靠。圣经告诉我们：要敬畏主。这是虔诚的敬畏，正是这种对主的敬畏，才让我们能够正确看待其他所有的惧怕。

老约翰·威瑟斯彭 (Old John Witherspoon)是唯一签署《独立宣言》的牧师， 对此他的看法是这样的：“只有对神的敬畏，才能使我们摆脱对人的惧怕。”

今日祷告：

天父，让我充满对祢的敬畏，而不是对人的惧怕，祷告奉耶稣的名，阿们。

August 12

OF FEAR AND FAITH

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15, NIV

When I understand something of Christ’s love for me as a sinner, I respond with a love for Christ-and love has feeling. But love for Christ is a love that is above human love, though there is a similarity. There is also feeling. But feelings come and go. Commitment stays. We who have committed ourselves to Christ have feelings that come and go-joy, love, gratitude, and so on. But the commitment remains unchanged. Feelings are important, but not essential. The Bible says: “Perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18). And those who love Christ have that confidence in Him that raises them above fear. Psychologists tell us there is destructive fear and healthy fear. Healthy fear is instructive, causing us to care for our bodies and our loved ones.

When I understand that Christ in His death gained a decisive victory over death and over sin, then I lose the fear of death. The Bible says that “He also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15). It is not the feeling of boldness and confidence that saves us, but it is our faith that saves us, and boldness and confidence result from our having trusted in Christ. The Bible says that we are to fear the Lord. This is reverential fear. It is this kind of fear of the Lord that puts all other fears in proper perspective.

Old John Witherspoon, the only cleric to sign the Declaration of Independence, had this to say on the subject: “It is only the fear of God that can deliver us from the fear of man.”

Pray for the Day:

Father, fill me with the fear of You and not the fear of men, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.