好人失喪，壞人得救？
路加福音十八章9至14節
9耶穌向那些仗著自己是義人，藐視別人的，設一個比喻，
10說：“有兩個人上殿裡去禱告：一個是法利賽人，一個是稅吏。
11法利賽人站著，自言自語地禱告說：‘ 神啊，我感謝你，我不像別人勒索、不義、姦淫，也不像這個稅吏。
12我一個禮拜禁食兩次，凡我所得的都捐上十分之一。’
13那稅吏遠遠地站著，連舉目望天也不敢，只捶著胸說：‘ 神啊，開恩可憐我這個罪人！’
14我告訴你們：這人回家去比那人倒算為義了。因為凡自高的，必降為卑；自卑的，必升為高。”
信息分享
耶穌為何講這個比喻呢？請再讀第9節。祂是刻意講給那些自以為義的人的，他們認為自己並不像其他罪人那樣需要神的憐憫。
比喻中的法利賽人同樣認為自己毫無錯失。他並不覺得自己需要求神的憐憫。他已經成為眾人的典範。然而，耶穌卻說，最終是那稅吏蒙神接納（14節）。為甚麼呢？為何不是那位表現敬虔的法利賽人得到神的接納呢？
稅吏是以罪人的身份，來到神的面前，求取神的憐憫，他稱呼自己為「罪人」。他說：「神啊，開恩可憐我這個罪人。」「憐憫」的意思，就是求神的忿怒不要臨到他的身上。他求神赦免，但他自知不配，所以才要求神格外開恩。
稅吏的禱告，只是一個簡單的呼求；但基督卻說這人回家去比那人倒算為義了──稅吏在神面前得稱為義。在福音書中，耶穌似乎僅在這裡用過「算為義」這個措辭。
反觀保羅在其書信中，卻經常用「算為義」這個措辭。保羅是法利賽人（年少時的他，豈不像比喻中的法利賽人嗎？）可是，當他遇見基督之後，他便清楚看見自己是個罪人；他甚至說自己是個「罪魁」。因他相信基督的救恩，使他在神面前得稱為義。
你被神算為義了嗎？
A GOOD MAN LOST - A BAD MAN SAVED
Luke 18:9-14
9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’
13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Message
Why did Jesus tell this story? Read v.9 again. He was speaking to those who felt they were self sufficient and did not see themselves as needy sinners before God.
The Pharisee saw nothing wrong in his life. He saw no need to ask God for anything. He was there to be seen. But it was the tax collector whom God accepted (v.14). Why? Why not the religious Pharisee who said he had done so much?
The tax collector took his place before God as a needy sinner. He actually said 'the sinner'. In other words, 'I see myself as the worst of sinners, please be merciful to me'. The word merciful means 'let your anger be removed from me'. His need is forgiveness, but he recognises what he really deserves.
His was a brief simple call, but Christ said he went home justified - made righteous in God's sight. This is perhaps the only time Christ used this word in this way.
It was Paul's word. He had been a Pharisee. (Was he the one in Christ's story?) But one day he met Christ and saw himself as THE sinner. He called himself the chief of sinners by~ he was justified, made righteous before God, through Christ's death.
Have you come to that place? Everyone needs to.