Matthew 马太福音 16:18-20 — The Church that Christ Built 基督建立的教会

In Matthew 16:18-20, Jesus describes three features of the church that He builds.

在《马太福音》16章18至20节中,耶稣形容了祂所建立的教会的三个标志。

 

  1. The Foundation of the church 教会的根基 (16:18a)

For more than fifteen hundred years, the Roman Catholic Church has maintained that the church was built on the person of Peter, who became the first pope of Rome. However, the foundation of the church is the revelation of God given through His apostles to teach the gospel, not on the apostles themselves. Christ alone is the cornerstone of that foundation, the living Word to whom the written Word bears witness.

罗马天主教会在1500多年以来都坚持教会是建立在彼得这人身上的;彼得就是罗马的首任教皇。然而,教会的根基是坚立在神所给予祂门徒的启示上,为要他们传扬福音,所以根基并非信徒本身。唯独基督是那根基的房角石,是记载话语上所见证的活泼之道。

 

  1. The Power of the church 教会的权能 (16:18b)

Gates are used to protect those behind them, or to keep them from escaping as in a prison, while hades refers to the abode of the dead. When the terms gates and Hades are properly understood, it is clear that Jesus was declaring that death has no power to hold God’s redeemed people captive, whose Lord has conquered sin and death on their behalf.

“门”是用于保护门后的人,或避免囚禁的他逃脱;阴间则指的是死人的居所。我们若正确理解“门”与“阴间”这词,就能明白耶稣宣告的是死亡无能囚禁神所救赎的人,因主已为他战胜罪恶与死亡了。

 

  1. The Authority of the church 教会的权柄 (16:19)

To the Twelve and – by extension – to all believers, the Lord affirms that whatever they bind, that is, forbid, on earth shall be bound in heaven and that whatever they loose, that is, permit, on earth shall be loosed in heaven. By this, the Lord is giving all believers the astounding authority to declare what is divinely forbidden or permitted on earth, because they have the truth of God’s authoritative Word by which to judge.

对十二门徒(以致涉及所有信徒),主申明凡他们在地上所捆绑的,即禁止的,在天上也要捆绑;凡在地上所释放的,即容许的,在天上也要释放。借此,主将震撼性的权柄赐予所有信徒——他们能在地上宣告什么是天上所禁止或容许的,因为他们有神权威性话语的真理做其判断。

 
 
 

Praying the Scripture
用经文祷告
 
  1. In his letter to Ephesus, Paul says that God’s household is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20). Are you relying on the Scripture or the wisdom of man as the foundation of God’s truth?

在保罗写给以弗所的书信中,他说神的家是“建造在使徒和先知的根基上,有基督耶稣自己为房角石”(弗2:20)。你是否依靠圣经,或是人的智慧,作神真理的根基呢?

 

  1. Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55) Are you afraid of death? Know that death has no mastery over all who belong to Christ, and praise God for His victory over death.

“死被得胜吞灭;死啊,你得胜的权势在哪里?死啊,你的毒钩在哪里?”(林前15:55)你是否害怕死亡呢?要知道,死亡并不能战胜凡属基督的人。我们要因神胜过了死亡而赞美祂。

 

  1. On the basis of God’s own Word, Christians can proclaim what God has already determined to be right or wrong, forgiven or not. Let’s pray that God will continue to give us a Spirit of wisdom to learn His Word that we may be filled with the fullness of God.

基于神自己的话语,基督徒能宣扬神所定为对与错,以及赦免与不被赦免的事。让我们求神能继续给予我们智慧的灵,从神的话语中学习,叫我们被神的一切充满。