八福
好像我們的天父
經文
約翰壹書二28-三11
28小子們哪，你們要住在主裡面。這樣，他若顯現，我們就可以坦然無懼；當他來的時候，在他面前也不至於慚愧。
29你們若知道他是公義的，就知道凡行公義之人都是他所生的。
1你看父賜給我們是何等的慈愛，使我們得稱為神的兒女；我們也真是他的兒女。世人所以不認識我們，是因未曾認識他。
2親愛的弟兄阿，我們現在是神的兒女，將來如何，還未顯明，但我們知道，主若顯現，我們必要像他、因為必得見他的真體。
3凡向他有這指望的，就潔淨自己，像他潔淨一樣。
4凡犯罪的，就是違背律法；違背律法就是罪。
5你們知道主曾顯現，是要除掉人的罪；在他並沒有罪。
6凡住在他裡面的，就不犯罪；凡犯罪的，是未曾看見他，也未曾認識他。
7小子們哪，不要被人誘惑，行義的才是義人，正如主是義的一樣。
8犯罪的是屬魔鬼，因為魔鬼從起初就犯罪。神的兒子顯現出來，為要除滅魔鬼的作為。
9凡從神生的，就不犯罪，因神的道（原文作種）存在他心裡；他也不能犯罪，因為他是由神生的。
10從此就顯出誰是神的兒女，誰是魔鬼的兒女。凡不行義的就不屬神，不愛弟兄的也是如此。
11我們應當彼此相愛。這就是你們從起初所聽見的命令。
信息分享
使人和睦是一種正面的態度，能產生良好的靈性和心理健康，而耶穌說有這種態度的人是值得羨慕和祝賀的。第七福的應許是，使人和睦的人「必稱為神的兒子」。為甚麼是「稱為」？因為他們就是神的兒子，這是他們生命中的份。鍾馬田博士（Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones）這樣說：「被稱為神的兒子的意思是，使人和睦的人是神的孩子，他好像他的天父。」
如果要我選一節最能夠完美地表達基督教福音意義的經節，我會選哥林多後書五19：「神在基督裡，叫世人與自己和好……並且將這和好的道理託付了我們」。自從人犯罪以來，神便開始積極從事愛的外展工作──尋求與那些不想和好的人和好。神要我們做祂所做的事，祂委派我們負起這種使人和好的任務。
那些內裡與神和好，並尋求別人與神和好，以及彼此和好的人，是世上最健康和最快樂的人。聖經有兩段偉大的經文稱我們為天父的兒子，就是馬太福音五章9節和馬太福音五章45節，而且是為了同一個原因。我們從這些經文可以得出甚麼結論？這結論就是──我們使人和好時的心態最像神。那些嘗試使別人和好的人是在做天國的工作，因為天國的工作就是讓我們和好。
「神要我們做祂所做的事」
進深研究
加四1-7；約一12；羅八14；來二10
1.身為兒子，我們成了什麼人？
2.我們如何備受帶領？
祈禱
神我的父啊，祈求您幫助我能夠更學像您。您是使人和好的父，求您使我有您那神聖的形像。幫助我向所遇到的人傳達和平的信息。奉耶穌的名祈求，阿們。
The Beatitudes
Like our Father
Bible reading:
1 John 2:28-3:11
28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.
5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.
6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.
9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.
10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God's child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.
11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
Message
Peacemaking is a positive attitude that produces good spiritual and mental health, and the one who has this attitude, according to Jesus, is to be envied and congratulated. The promise of the seventh Beatitude is that peacemakers "will be called sons of God". Why called? Because they are sons of God. This is their lot in life. Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones put it like this: "The meaning of being called the sons of God is that the peacemaker is a child of God and that he is like his Father."
If I were to pick out the one verse that most perfectly expresses the meaning of the Christian gospel, it would be this: "in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself...and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:19, RSV). Ever since man sinned, God has been engaged in the positive business of an outgoing love - seeking to reconcile those who did not want to be reconciled. God wants us to do what He does - He commits to us the same task of reconciliation.
Those who are inwardly reconciled to God and seek to reconcile others to Him and to each other are the healthiest and the happiest people on earth. In two outstanding passages in the Bible, we are called sons of the Father - and for the same reason: Matthew 5:9 and Matthew 5:45. What do we conclude from this? We are most like God when we are bringing people together in reconciliation. And those who try to reconcile others are doing the work of heaven - for it is heaven's work to reconcile us.
"God wants us to do what He does"
Prayer
O God my Father, I pray that You will help me become more and more like You. You are a Father who reconciles - make me into Your own divine image. Help me to breathe "peace" upon all I meet. For Your own dear Name's sake. Amen.
Further study
Galatians 4:1-7
John 1:12
Romans 8:14
Hebrews 2:10
1. As sons, what have we become?
2. How are we led?
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