Celebrate the gift of Jesus!

同来欢庆耶稣这宝贵的礼物！

The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 1 John 4:14

父差子作世人的救主。-约翰一书4章14节

My parents taught me to love all sorts of music—from country to classical. So my heart beat rapidly as I walked into the Moscow Conservatory, one of Russia’s great music halls, to hear the Moscow National Symphony. As the conductor drove the musicians through a masterful Tchaikovsky piece, themes developed that gradually built to a powerful crescendo—a profound and dramatic musical climax. It was a magical moment, and the audience stood to roar its approval.

父母亲曾教导我喜爱各类型的音乐，不管乡村歌曲或古典音乐我都学习欣赏。因此当我有机会到俄罗斯著名的音乐厅，欣赏莫斯科国家交响乐团的演奏时，我不禁万分激动。乐团指挥带领乐团演奏柴可夫斯基的名曲，声量渐次加强，最后达到令人荡气回肠的音乐顶峰。在这美妙的时刻，听众都站起来热烈鼓掌。

The Scriptures move toward the most powerful crescendo of history: the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the moments following Adam and Eve’s fall into sin in the garden of Eden, God promised that a Redeemer would come (Genesis 3:15), and throughout the Old Testament that theme moved forward. The promise rang out in the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:21), the hopes of the prophets (1 Peter 1:10), and the longings of the people of God.

圣经的记载也可说是渐次加强，迈向人类历史的顶峰：耶稣基督的十字架和死而复活。亚当与夏娃在伊甸园里犯罪之后，上帝应许会差派一位拯救者（创世记3章15节），接着这个主题在整本旧约不断地推进，无论是逾越节的羔羊（出埃及记12章21节）、众先知的盼望（彼得前书1章10节），以及上帝子民的期盼，都是呼应这个应许。

First John 4:14 confirms where that story had been going: “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” How? God accomplished His promised rescue of His broken world when Jesus died and rose again to forgive us and restore us to our Creator. And one day He will come again and restore His whole creation.

约翰一书4章14节印证了上帝的应许没有落空：“父差子作世人的救主，这是我们所看见且作见证的。”如何印证？当耶稣死而复活，使我们罪得赦免，且恢复我们与创造主的关系，上帝要拯救这个破碎世界的应许便应验了。有一日，耶稣会再来，恢复祂的整个创造。

As we remember what God’s Son has done for us, we celebrate the great crescendo of God’s grace and rescue for us and His world—Jesus!

当我们回想上帝的儿子为你我所作的事时，就应当欢庆祂拯救了你我以及这个世界，耶稣是上帝恩典的顶峰！

Father, the coming of your Son has impacted Your world like nothing else. we are grateful He has come for our rescue and will come again to restore Your world.

天父，祢的爱子的到来影响了全世界。祂来到世上拯救我，并且还要再来恢复祢的世界，为此我献上感恩。

1 John 4:14-21    NIV

4 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

约翰一书 4:14-21

4 父差子做世人的救主，这是我们所看见且作见证的。 15 凡认耶稣为神儿子的，神就住在他里面，他也住在神里面。 16 神爱我们的心，我们也知道也信。神就是爱，住在爱里面的，就是住在神里面，神也住在他里面。 17 这样，爱在我们里面得以完全，我们就可以在审判的日子坦然无惧；因为他如何，我们在这世上也如何。 18 爱里没有惧怕，爱既完全，就把惧怕除去，因为惧怕里含着刑罚；惧怕的人在爱里未得完全。19 我们爱，因为神先爱我们。 20 人若说“我爱神”，却恨他的弟兄，就是说谎话的；不爱他所看见的弟兄，就不能爱没有看见的神。 21 爱神的，也当爱弟兄，这是我们从神所受的命令。

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

First John 4:14 declares that Christ is the “Savior of the world.” Our response to His sacrificial death on the cross so we might be saved puts us in one of two categories: We’re either among “those who are perishing” or “[those] who are being saved” (1 Corinthians 1:18). The apostle Paul says the Greeks laughed at the ludicrousness of a dead man giving eternal life to others (vv. 22–23). But to all who believe in Jesus, the cross is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (v. 24). The Scriptures tell us, “This Good News about Christ ... is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16 ), for “Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin” (1 Corinthians 1:30 ).

约翰一书4章14节宣告说，基督是“世人的救主”。基督在十字架上受死牺牲，是要叫我们可以得蒙拯救。我们的反应可分为两种：要么是“那灭亡的人”，要么是“得救的人”（哥林多前书1章18节）。使徒保罗指出，虽然希腊人嘲笑说，一个死人能给别人带来永生实属荒谬（22-23节），但对于所有相信耶稣的人来说，基督被钉十字架是“上帝的能力，上帝的智慧”（24节）。圣经告诉我们，“这福音本是上帝的大能，要救一切相信的”（罗马书1章16节），因为“基督使我们跟上帝恢复了正确的关系；祂使我们纯全圣洁，把我们从罪中释放出来”（哥林多前书1章30节，新普及译本）。

整理：于姊妹