各式各样的基督徒
哥林多前书二章14至三章5节
14然而,属血气的人不领会神圣灵的事,反倒以为愚拙,并且不能知道,因为这些事惟有属灵的人才能看透。
15属灵的人能看透万事,却没有一人能看透了他。
16谁曾知道主的心去教导他呢?但我们是有基督的心了。
1弟兄们,我从前对你们说话,不能把你们当作属灵的,只得把你们当作属肉体,在基督里为婴孩的。
2我是用奶喂你们,没有用饭喂你们。那时你们不能吃,就是如今还是不能。
3你们仍是属肉体的,因为在你们中间有嫉妒、分争,这岂不是属乎肉体、照着世人的样子行么?
4有说:我是属保罗的;有说:我是属亚波罗的。这岂不是你们和世人一样么?
5亚波罗算甚么?保罗算甚么?无非是执事,照主所赐给他们各人的,引导你们相信。
信息分享
你可以想出有多少种类的基督徒吗?我即时可想出的,包括有可爱的信徒、快乐的信徒、成长的信徒、信从圣经的信徒、祷告的信徒等等。但另一方面,却有不可爱的信徒、喜欢批评的信徒、停滞不前的信徒、从不祷告的信徒和从不读经的信徒等等。为何会出现如此不同的信徒呢?
保罗在这段经文指出世上有三大类人;或许我们明白这段经文以后,可以帮助我们去解答这个问题。首先,他在第二章14节指出有一种「属血气」的人。这种人是未曾接受基督的血气之辈,他是凭着血气行事。正如耶稣在约翰福音三章指出,「从肉身生的,就是肉身」;这种人即使是好人,却仍是没有神的人。
接着,他在二章15节和三章1节提到「属灵人」。属灵人就是已经重生的人,换言之,他已得着神的生命。正如神的心意是要一个婴儿逐渐长大成人,同样地,神也希望一个属灵人的生命逐渐成长。
还有第三类人,他们就是已经重生,却不肯成长的人。保罗在第三章的头3节论及他们。保罗仍然称他们是「弟兄」,可是,却说他们在基督里仍是婴孩。他们本该长大,成为成熟的信徒,可是,他们却仍然停留在婴孩的阶段。
他们没有成长的其中一个原因,是因为他们容让彼此之间出现嫉妒和纷争;当人容让罪在心中滋长,就不可能在灵里成长。
这样的基督徒,就像一个只能吃奶,不能吃肉的婴孩一样,不能吸收深奥的真理。
这样的基督徒怎能成长呢?他们必须找出生命中的罪,然后向神认罪。他们必须培养一颗渴慕与基督同行的心。他们必须下定决心,无论要付出甚么代价,都要不断追求成长。
只要你立定心志去成长,你将会发现自己已迈出了最重要的一步。
HOW MANY KINDS OF CHRISTIANS ARE THERE?
1 Corinthians 2:14-3:5
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.
2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;
3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?
Message
How many kinds of Christians can you think of? There are loving Christians, happy Christians, growing Christians, Bible-believing Christians, and praying Christians. On the other hand, there can be unloving Christians, critical Christians, stunted Christians, Christians who never pray and who never read their Bible. How does all this go together?
Paul helps us to understand this problem by pointing out that there are really three classes of people in the world. First there is the natural man mentioned in chapter 2:14. He is simply man as he is by nature, before he comes to Christ. As Jesus said in John 3 that which is born of the flesh is 'flesh'. He is a man without God, however good he may be.
Then there is the spiritual man mentioned in chapter 2:15 and chapter 3:1. A spiritual man is one who has been born again-into whose life, the life of God has come. God's plan is that just as we grew naturally from being a baby to being an adult so we should grow in our spiritual life also.
But there is a third group. These are Christians who have not grown. Paul speaks about them in the first three verses of chapter 3. Paul calls them 'brethren', but says they are still babes in Christ. They were still baby Christians when they should have been adult Christians.
One reason they had not grown is that they had allowed jealousy and strife to creep into their lives and into their church. No one can grow while these sins are present.
A Christian like this cannot take strong spiritual food. He is still a baby wanting milk and not meat.
How can such a Christian begin to grow? There needs to be confession of things in your life which have prevented your spiritual growth. There needs to be a desire to go on with Christ. There needs to be a determination to do this no matter what the cost. Say it. Do it now.
Begin to grow. You will find it will be the greatest step forward you could ever take in Christ.

