第四週．週一
晨興餧養
賽五四５ 『…造你的，是你的丈夫；萬軍之耶和華是祂的名。救贖你的，是以色列的聖者；祂必稱為全地的神。』
林後十一２ 『我以神的妒忌，妒忌你們，因為我曾把你們許配一個丈夫，要將一個貞潔的童女獻給基督。』
在神的創造裏，人原初的地位是妻子的地位。以賽亞五十四章五節說，造我們的神是我們的丈夫。因此，照著神的創造，人有妻子的地位。我們是神的妻子，必須倚靠祂，並以祂為我們的頭；這是我們原初的地位。
人墮落時，取了另一個地位，就是舊人自取的地位。墮落的人擅自取了作丈夫的地位。神所造的人是妻子；墮落的人成了丈夫。墮落的人擅自取了作丈夫的地位，向神獨立，並且自立為頭，為丈夫。在你得救以前，你從不認為自己是妻子。你若是女子，也許以為自己比男人更強。在墮落的人中，男人和女人都認為自己是丈夫。許多作妻子的曾說，『為甚麼我必須在我丈夫之下？他應當在我之下。為甚麼他應當作頭？我要作頭。』因此，墮落的人成了強悍、醜陋的丈夫。（羅馬書生命讀經，一六四至一六五頁。）
信息選讀
墮落的人既然想要作丈夫，神就將律法頒賜給他。律法不是要給妻子，乃是要給墮落的丈夫。因此，這律法成為舊人的律法，丈夫的律法。（羅七2。）然而，神的本意不是要舊人遵守律法，因為舊人無法遵守律法。…人犯了很大的錯誤，以為神賜人律法，是要人遵守律法。相反的，神賜人律法，是要人干犯律法；因著干犯律法，人纔可能完全被暴露。你若想要遵守律法，你就錯了；你若干犯律法，你就對了。律法賜下不是給人遵守的，律法賜下乃是給人干犯的。
這思想很合乎聖經。羅馬三章二十節說，『律法本是叫人知罪。』…人若沒有律法，就會繼續犯罪而不承認這些是罪。人會原諒自己罪惡的行為，用好聽的說法描述這些行為。然而，律法鑑定罪為罪。不僅如此，四章十五節說，『那裏沒有律法，那裏就沒有過犯。』你也許以為律法防止過犯，但這一節說律法暴露過犯。不但如此，五章二十節說，『律法插進來，是叫過犯增多。』律法插進來，不是叫過犯減少或受約束；那是我們天然的觀念和想法。保羅說，律法插進來，是叫過犯增多，意思是過犯可能大量增加。因此，聖經指明，律法賜下，不是給我們遵守，乃是給我們違犯。
你也許說，『我不會想要干犯律法。』無論你想不想要干犯律法，都算不得甚麼，因為你會干犯律法。你無法不干犯律法。律法說，『要愛鄰舍如同自己。』〔利十九18。〕雖然你也許想愛你的鄰舍，但你愛不來。甚至上學的孩子也無法愛同學如同自己。每位讀本篇信息的人，至少都干犯過十誡中的一條，並且繼續干犯。誰能遵守律法？一個也沒有。律法插進來，是叫過犯增多。
照著羅馬七章七節，非藉律法，我們就不知何為罪。在這節裏保羅說，非律法說，『不可起貪心，』他就不知何為貪心。概略而言，我們可以說，律法的作用是叫過犯增多。一旦過犯增多，律法就暴露它是罪；這樣，律法就引導我們知罪。
重生新人的地位，乃是真正妻子的地位。重生將我們恢復到我們原初的地位。（羅馬書生命讀經，一六五至一六六頁。）
參讀：羅馬書生命讀經，第十二篇。
WEEK 4 — DAY 1
Morning Nourishment
Isa. 54:5 …Your Maker is your Husband; Jehovah of hosts is His name. And the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.
2 Cor. 11:2 For I am jealous over you with a jealousy of God; for I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
In God’s creation man’s original position was that of a wife. Isaiah 54:5 says that God our Maker is our Husband. Thus, according to God’s creation, man had the position of a wife. As a wife to God, we must depend upon Him and take Him as our Head. This was our original position.
When man fell, he took another position, the self-assuming position of the old man. The fallen man assumed the position of a husband. The man created by God was a wife; the fallen man became a husband. Assuming the position of the husband, the fallen man became independent of God and made himself the head as the husband…Among fallen people both males and females think of themselves as husbands. Many wives have said, “Why must I be under my husband? He should be under me. Why should he be the head? I want to be the head.” Hence, fallen man became a strong, ugly husband. (Life-study of Romans, pp. 134-135)
Todays Reading
Since fallen man wanted to be the husband, God gave him the law. The law is not intended for the wife but for the fallen husband. Thus, this law becomes the law of the old man, the law regarding the husband (Rom. 7:2). However, God did not intend that the old man keep the law, because the old man cannot keep it…People make a great mistake when they think that God gave man the law that he might keep it. On the contrary, God gave the law to man that he might break it and that, by breaking it, he might be completely exposed. If you try to keep the law, you are wrong; if you break the law, you are correct. The law was not given for man to keep; it was given for man to break.
This thought is scriptural. Romans 3:20 says, “Through the law is the clear knowledge of sin.”…If man had no law, he would continue to commit sins but would not recognize them as such. Man would excuse his sinful deeds, using favorable terms to describe them. However, the law identifies sin as sin. Moreover, Romans 4:15 says, “Where there is no law, neither is there transgression.” You may think that the law prevents transgression, but this verse says that the law exposes transgression. Furthermore, Romans 5:20 says, “The law entered in alongside that the offense might abound.” The law did not enter that the offense might be reduced or restricted. This is our natural concept and thought. Paul says that the law entered that the offense might abound, meaning that it might increase plentifully. Thus, the Bible indicates that the law was not given for us to keep but for us to violate.
You may say, “I will not try to break the law.” Whether you want to break the law or not means nothing, for you will break the law. You cannot help but break the law. The law says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Although you may try to love your neighbor, you cannot do it. Even the children in school cannot love their classmates as themselves. Everyone reading this message has broken and continues to break at least one of the Ten Commandments. Who can keep the law? No one. The law entered that the offense might abound.
According to Romans 7:7, we would not have known sin except through the law. In this verse Paul says that he would not have known coveting, except the law had said, “You shall not covet.” As a summary, we may say that the law works that the offense might abound. Once the offense abounds, the law exposes it as sin. In this way the law leads us to the knowledge of sin. The position of the regenerated new man is a genuine wife’s position. Regeneration restores us to our original position. (Life-study of Romans, pp.
135-136)
Further Reading: Life-study of Romans, msg. 12
