To be a testimony to the world, Christians need to   live what they profess.

成为世上的见证，基督徒需要活出他们所认信的。

The nineteenth-century preacher Alexander Maclaren once said, “The   world takes its notion of God most of all from those who say they belong to   God’s family. They read us a great deal more than they read the Bible. They   see us; they only hear about Jesus Christ.” Sound biblical doctrine, as   important a foundation as it is, is inadequate by itself to influence the   world toward Christ’s gospel.

十九世纪布道家亚历山大?麦克拉伦曾说：“世人对于神的概念，首先来自那些自称属于神家的人。他们接触我们的机会大大多于自己去阅读圣经。他们看得见我们；却仅仅是听说耶稣基督。”可靠的圣经教义，是一个重要的根基，但只凭教义不足以影响世人归向基督的福音。

Christians today could learn much from the early Christians, whose   lives were such a rebuke to the immoral, pagan societies around them.   Unbelievers in those cultures found it extremely difficult to find fault with   Christians, because the more they observed them, the more they saw believers  living out the high moral standards the church professed.

今日的基督徒能从早期基督徒身上学习到很多，早期基督徒活出的生命对于他们周遭不道德的异教社会是种无言的指责。异教文化中的不信者发现很难找到基督徒的错处，因为他们越多观察这些基督徒，就越多看见信徒彰显出教会所宣称的高标准道德。

Christians in those days were obedient to Peter’s instruction:   “For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:15). They also heeded Paul’s advice to Titus: “In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, in order that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us” (Titus 2:7-8).

早期的基督徒们顺服于彼得的指教：“神的旨意原是要你们行善，可以堵住那糊涂无知人的口”（彼得前书2：15）。他们也听从了保罗对提多的建议：“你自己凡事要显出善行的榜样，在教训上要正直，端庄，言语纯全，无可指责，叫那反对的人，既无处可说我们的不是，便自觉羞愧”（提多书2：7-8）。

Jesus commanded His original disciples and us, “Let your light   shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify   your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). Of course, Jesus had in   mind good works that were genuine and that came from a foundation of good   teaching. These verses ought to remind us, therefore, that doctrine and   practice must go hand in hand. The author of Hebrews shifts naturally from   doctrine and general exhortation to the specific admonitions of chapter 13.   Love among believers is his starting point, and it should be ours as we seek   to have a credible and worthy walk before the watching world.

耶稣命令他初带的门徒和我们：“你们的光也当这样照在人前，叫他们看见你们的好行为，便将荣耀归给你们在天上的父”（太5：16）。当然，耶稣心目中的善行是指那些真实的来自良好教导根基的行为。这些经节理应提醒我们，教义和实践必须携手同行。希伯来书的作者自然地将经文从教义和普通的劝勉转向了13章特别的警告。信徒彼此相爱是作者的出发点，当我们面对世人目光，追求可信而无愧的生活，这也应是我们的出发点。

Ask God to help you maintain a scriptural balance between doctrine   and practice. Pray that He would correct specific areas in which you have   been living out of balance.

求神帮助你在教义和生活实践之间保持圣经教导的平衡。在那些你一直无法平衡的领域，祈求神来规正你。

Memorize James 1:25. Use a Bible with good cross   references, and look up other verses that deal with “the law of liberty.”

背诵雅各书1：25.使用一本有交叉引用的圣经，查考涉及“自由的律法”的其他经节。