Christians: Never Impose, Only Propose

基督徒：只提议不强求 

Participating in God's Plans Without Overstepping Our Bounds

参与到上帝的计划中而不越权

BY JOHNSTONESTREET

CHRISTIAN POST GUEST COLUMNIST

中文翻译：Ruth Wei

April 12,2016|7:18 am

Christians can and must make a difference in the culture. But we never impose, we only propose. Here's a point or two of clarification.

基督徒文化可以并且必须不同于其他文化。但是，我们只是提议而不强求别人接受我们的文化。这有一两点需要说明。

"When you talk about Christians restoring the culture," I'm sometimes asked, "do you mean that we should take over the laws and run society? Because,you know, that's been tried before, and it didn't go so well."

我经常被问到：“当你提到基督徒文化正在恢复时，你是说我们要掌管律法来运行社会吗？你知道，虽然一直在尝试，却一直不顺利。”

I can understand the confusion. One source of the confusion is that there are some Christians who do propose something like this. Some of them are following the theological ideas of R. J. Rushdoony, who is considered to be a founder of what is known as Christian reconstructionism. Others just use language like "taking back America" or "conquering the seven mountains of culture." They seem to imply a sort of Christian take over of the key segments of culture.

我可以理解这个疑惑。一个疑惑的原因是一些基督徒提出了这样的看法，其中的一些人则是遵循了重建神学的奠基人路斯德尼的神学观点。而另一些人则用一些特殊的词汇：“找回美国”“ 征服文化七大山”（罗马境内有七座山，代表着世界的七大体制），通过这些词汇暗示基督徒会掌控文化当中的一些主要元素。

Another source for the confusion is eschatology, or competing visions about the end times. And yet another source would be main stream media outlets, particularly those on the far left, who are constantly worrying about Christians conspiring to impose a theocracy — typically through a candidate they do not like. (I only wish they had more trouble finding sound bites to support their conspiracy theories).

另一个疑惑的原因就是末世论或是关于末世的不同看法。当然还有一个原因可能是主流媒体，特别是那些一直担心基督徒在密谋神权政治的极左倾想法—典型的是通过某个他们不喜欢的候选者（我希望他们找不到那些可以支持他们阴谋的证据）。

Like I said, I understand where this confusion comes from. But I'd like to offer what I think Chuck Colson meant when he called for Christians to make a difference in the culture.

正如我所说，我明白这些疑惑的原因。但是我更愿意谈一谈我对查克·寇尔森所提出的基督徒文化使命的看法。

The Gospel, as described in the Holy Scriptures, can be said to have four chapters:creation, fall, redemption and restoration. It's easy to get the impression from how Christians talk about the Gospel that it only has two chapters: fall and redemption, or sinner and salvation.

正如《圣经》上所述的，福音包含四个部分：创造，堕落，救赎和恢复。很容易就能够记住基督徒常说的福音包含两个部分：堕落和救赎，或说罪人和拯救。

But it's important to include the first and fourth chapters for a number of reasons. Most important because they're there in the Scripture. The Bible begins by describing in great detail what God intended for His creation — for the world He created and for the image bearers He created to take care of it.In fact, it's the brilliance (or to use biblical language, "the very goodness") of God's creation that makes the fall such a tragedy.

但是，福音里面包含第一和第四部分也是非常重要的，有很多的原因可以说明这一点。其中最重要的就是因为这两部分也都是《圣经》里写到的。《圣经》一开始就详细的记载了神创造的目的—祂创造了世界并且按着自己的形象造了人，让人管理世界。事实上，正是由于神所创造的都是非常美妙（或者用《圣经》上的词语“一切都是好的”）所以堕落就成为了悲剧。

God loved His world, and especially His image bearers, so much that He set in place His plan to redeem through His Son what was fallen. That redemption was accomplished when He defeated sin and death and rose from the grave.

神爱祂所造的世界，特别是有祂形象的人类，为了堕落的人类，神不得不派遣祂的儿子耶稣来实行拯救。在耶稣胜过罪，死亡和从坟墓中复活后，那个救赎也就完成了。

But even that isn't the end of the story. In fact, in his sermon in Jerusalem afterreceiving the Holy Spirit, Peter preaches not only that Christ had risen from the dead but that He had ascended to take His seat at God's right hand, who had put everything under His feet. In other words, Christ's resurrection led to Christ's enthronement.

但是即使这个还不是故事的结局。事实上，彼得在耶路撒冷被圣灵充满之后的讲道中不光提到基督从死里复活了，而且升天坐在上帝的右边，上帝使一切都俯伏在祂的脚下。换句话说，耶稣的复活就是祂做王的标志。

"Ha!"you say. "See — that sounds like you think Christ is King of everything and that we ought to force everyone to think like you do."

你肯定会说“哈！看吧，听起来就像是基督是一切的王，我们也应该让每个人都像你一样接受这个想法。”

Well,yes, Christ is King of everything. But no, Christ's Kingdom advances now not byf orce, but by love.

好吧，确实，基督是一切的王。但是，基督的国度扩展至今都是靠着爱而不是强权。

Christ's rule will fully be recognized when He, as the apostle John quoted Jesus as saying, "makes all things new."

基督的法则只有当祂“把一切事情都更新”后才能被认可，正如使徒约翰引用耶稣的话所说的。

Jesus will make a new creation, culminating in a new heaven and new earth. That's how the story ends — and it's brilliant. In fact, don't take my word for it, do a study comparing Genesis 1-11 with Revelation 7-21 and read for yourself how the Kingdom is ultimately the restoration of God's creation. It's incredible!

耶稣会造一个全新的天和地。这个才是故事的结局，最美的结局。实际上，不用理会我的辞藻，只是去比较一下创世记1到11章和启示录的7到21章，自己去读，看看那神的创造被恢复后的天国最终是什么样子的！简直是不可思议的！

Now what's this have to do with us? Well, we live in this story, and our moment is between redemption and restoration. And Paul describes that in 2 Corinthians 5,that those of us who have been reconciled ought to become those who reconcile.We participate in God's plan.

那么这个和我们有什么关系呢？我们也是故事中的一个角色，我们所处的正是救赎和恢复之间的阶段。保罗在哥林多后书5章中提到我们这些与神和好的人就当把这和好的福音传给别人。我们参与到神的计划中。

And we do it like our Savior did, through love, through sacrifice, through making wrongs right, through pointing people to the One who makes them right with their Creator, who is their Creator.

我们也当也像我们的救主一样，通过爱，牺牲，把错误的修正，带领人认识那位创造他们的主。

整理：于姊妹