新约 - 使徒行传(Acts)第15章

Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved."
This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.
The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad.
When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.
Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses."
The apostles and elders met to consider this question.
After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.
God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.
He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?
No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."
The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.
When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me.
Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself.
The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
"'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,
that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things'
that have been known for ages.
"It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.
Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.
For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."
Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers.
With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings.
We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said.
So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul--
men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing.
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements:
You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter.
The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message.
Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.
After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.
[but Silas decided to remain there.]
But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.
Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing."
Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them,
but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.
They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,
but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.
He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
使徒行传第十五章   第 15 章 

  第一届教会会议 

  徒 15:1> 犹太人的担心有理,不遵律法道德衰;保罗所说也不错,得救不得救不在乎守律法,你说谁对? 

  15:1 犹太基督徒的真正问题是外邦人是否需要遵守律法,守这些律法的标志就是行割礼。他们担心将来外邦信徒比犹太信徒更多,如果不遵守犹太律法,他们的道德标准就会下降。保罗、巴拿巴和其他教会领袖相信旧约律法是重要的,但并不是得救的先决条件。律法不能叫人得救,只有藉着信靠耶稣基督得到恩典才可以得救。 

  徒 15:1-21> 外邦人要遵守律法才得救?这引起很多问题,他们如何解决的呢?也许我们可学到一二…… 

  15:1-21 外邦人悔改为初期教会带来了一个急需解决的问题──外邦人是否须遵守摩西律法及其他犹太传统才能得救呢?有一群犹太基督徒坚持要遵守律法,和行割礼才能得救。外邦人则认为他们不必要成为犹太人才能成为基督徒。因此,保罗和巴拿巴便与教会领袖讨论这个问题。会议赞同保罗和巴拿巴的信念──遵守犹太律法、行割礼并不是得救的必要条件。安提阿和耶路撒冷教会解决争执的方法对我们很有帮助:( 1 )他们派代表去寻求解决方法;( 2 )与教会领袖会面,并定下日期继续商讨;( 3 )保罗和巴拿巴作报告;( 4 )雅各总结,并作出决定;( 5 )每个人都遵守这项决定;( 6 )写信给代表带回安提阿,报告这项决定。 

  这是处理教会内纷争的好办法。教会必须正视问题,听取各方面的论点,不可偏私,要由灵命成熟、能作出明智决定的领袖来进行讨论。并且决定一出,人人都当遵守。 

  徒 15:10> 律法既是人不能负的轭,不就可以废掉? 

  15:10 律法既然是犹太人不能负的轭,那么,在他们的历史中,律法又如何帮助他们呢?保罗说律法是一个指引,指出他们的罪,叫他们能悔改,回到神那里过公义的生活(参加 3:24-25 )。 

  徒 15:20-21> 文化差异,冲突必多,要想平衡,必会诸多要求别人遵守;但是信仰道上人所跟从的…… 

  15:20-21 雅各认为外邦信徒不必遵守割礼,但他们应该禁戒偶像、奸淫(拜偶像通常有这种行为)及吃勒死的牲畜和血(反映圣经有关血里有生命这个教训,参利 17:14 )。假如外邦信徒能禁戒不犯,他们便能得神喜悦,又能与犹太信徒融洽相处。当然,还有其他行为是不适合信徒的;不过犹太人最关心以上几点。这个和解方案使教会不会因为犹太人和外邦人之间的文化差异而妨碍到她的增长。当我们跨越文化和经济界限去分享福音时,必须明白我们所定的信仰要求是神的要求,而不是人的要求。 

  徒 15:22> 使徒不是大有权柄的吗?但他们顺服长老,真不明白…… 

  15:22 使徒不是教会的职位,而是根据特别的恩赐而设立的。长老是被委任带领和管理教会的。在这个会议上,使徒们顺服长老(耶稣的兄弟雅各)的决定。 

  徒 15:23-29> 言语温柔,安提阿人听得舒服;语气生硬,好事也变成──你道与人分享可怎样? 

  15:23-29 这封信回答了安提阿外邦基督徒的问题,给他们带来极大的喜乐( 15:31 )。这封措词中肯、充满安慰和爱的信提到圣灵的引导,解释要做些什么事,就如读者早已知道一样。假若我们不但谨慎学习信上的内容,而且学习如何表达,就会得益更多。我们说话的内容即使是正确的,也可能会因语气或态度而得罪了我们的听众。 

  徒 15:31> 本来会导致分裂的事情,反成了教会的祝福,关键是…… 

  15:31 有关行割礼的争论本来会使教会分裂,但保罗、巴拿巴和安提阿的犹太人作出了正确的决定──他们寻求教会领袖和神的话的引导。假如我们当中意见出现分歧,也应该用这样的方法来解决,寻求明智的引导,遵守所作出的决定。不要因意见不同而使你和其他信徒分裂,向第三方寻求帮助是解决困难、保持合一的好方法。 

  保罗第二次布道旅程 

  徒 15:36-39> 神通过保罗他们的争执而成就宣教工作;我们有争执时可以做什么? 

  15:36-39 保罗和巴拿巴因为马可而出现严重的意见分歧;保罗因为马可曾经离开( 13:13 ),所以不想带他一同上路。这次意见分歧引起这两位伟大的传道人分开,各自另组一队布道队,开辟了两项宣教工作。神甚至能通过争执和意见分歧来工作,后来,马可成为保罗的重要助手(参西 4:10 )。基督徒不是常常都意见一致,但问题可以通过彼此协商,各自保留不同意见以及让神的旨意做工来解决。 

  西拉 

  徒 15:40> 保罗拣选了一个不属自己教会的人一同上路,难道教会合一了吗? 

  15:40 西拉曾经参与在耶路撒冷举行的会议,也是被拣选代表耶路撒冷教会,把信件和决定带到安提阿的两个人之一( 15:22 )。保罗来自安提阿教会,他拣选了来自耶路撒冷教会的西拉一同上路,到许多城市去传扬福音,这次合作显出在耶路撒冷会议的决定后,教会合一的情形。──《灵修版圣经注释》