第三週．週二
晨興餧養
羅六４ 『所以我們藉著浸入死，和祂一同埋葬，好叫我們在生命的新樣中生活行動，像基督藉著父的榮耀，從死人中復活一樣。』
五１７ 『…那些受洋溢之恩，並洋溢之義恩賜的，就更要藉著耶穌基督一人，在生命中作王了。』
許多人讀羅馬六章，常常漏讀一句話；他們都讀到浸入基督的死，和祂一同埋葬，卻常常漏掉一句話，那就是『浸入基督耶穌』。〔3。〕…只有浸入基督的人，纔能浸入祂的死。因此，受浸乃是浸入基督。因著浸入基督，我們在基督裏與祂聯合，所以祂死了，當然我們也死了。（李常受文集一九五二年第一冊，六一一頁。）
信息選讀
基督徒生活是受浸的生活。一面，受浸已成就了；另一面，受浸還在繼續，直到我們完全被變化，模成基督的形像。因此，在這目標達到以前，我們繼續過受浸的生活。這就是說，我們天天在基督之死的應用之下，經歷祂死的功效；這死現今乃是包羅萬有之靈的一個成分，元素。在我們日常的生活中，我們可經歷裏面消極的元素被治死。這事的發生，不是藉著道理或特別的實行，乃是藉著那包含在包羅萬有的靈裏，在基督之死裏殺死的元素。
在羅馬六章四節保羅引進埋葬的思想，指明我們可以在基督的埋葬裏經歷祂。在天然方面，死總是在埋葬之前。但在屬靈方面，埋葬是在死之前。我們受浸時，就與基督一同埋葬了；我們與祂一同埋葬時，就歸入祂的死。我們不是直接死的，乃是藉著受浸歸入基督的死。
假定一個人悔改相信了主耶穌，他就該浸入基督。將這初信者浸入基督，就是將他放在基督的死裏。他受浸時，事實上是被埋葬。這埋葬帶進死。這就是藉著浸入死，與祂一同埋葬的意思。
不僅如此，信徒既復活，像基督復活一樣，就該在生命的新樣中生活行動。…我們與基督一同埋葬，進入祂的死裏，如今我們復活了，像祂復活一樣。因此，我們應當在生命的新樣中生活行動。生命的新樣與賜生命的靈（在復活裏的基督自己）非常有關。在生命的新樣中生活行動的路乃是那靈。
我們浸入水裏的時候是進到死裏；但我們從水裏出來的時候，乃是進到復活裏。…我們受浸以後，就成了在復活裏的新人。復活不僅是將來的光景，也是現在的過程。在生命的新樣中生活行動，乃是今天在復活的範圍裏生活，並在生命中作王。〔五17。〕這種生活對付我們裏面屬亞當的一切，直到我們完全變化，模成基督的形像。（八29。）
我們都應當在這生命的新樣中生活行動。我們必須看見，我們在受浸時，就在基督死的樣式裏與祂聯合生長，並且要在祂復活的樣式裏，就是在祂復活生命的新樣中，與祂聯合生長。…我們在受浸時與祂同葬，現今我們在祂的復活裏，在祂神聖的生命裏，與祂同長。我們必須照著這異象生活行動，就是在生命的新樣中生活行動。在我們的日常生活和聚會裏，我們需要在生命的新樣中生活、舉止行動、工作並作每一件事。（新約總論第十冊，四六至四八頁。）
參讀：基督並祂釘十字架，第九篇。
WEEK 3 — DAY 2
Morning Nourishment
Rom. 6:4 We have been buried therefore with Him through baptism into His death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we might walk in newness of life.
5:17…Much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Many people when reading Romans 6 always miss one phrase. They read that they have been baptized into Christ’s death and that they have been buried with Him, but they miss the phrase baptized into Christ Jesus [v. 3]…Only those who have been baptized into Christ can be baptized into His death. Thus, to be baptized is to be immersed into Christ. Because we have been baptized into Christ, we are in Christ and are identified with Christ. Hence, when Christ died, we also died. (CWWL, 1952, vol. 1, “The Crucified Christ,” p. 446)
Todays Reading
The Christian life is a life of baptism. On the one hand, baptism has been accomplished; on the other hand, baptism continues until we are fully transformed and conformed to the image of Christ. Hence, until this goal has been attained, we continue to live a life of baptism. This means that we are daily under the application of the death of Christ as we experience the effectiveness of His death, which is now one of the ingredients, the elements, in the all-inclusive Spirit. In our daily life we may experience the putting to
death of the negative elements within us. This takes place not by doctrine or by a particular practice but by the killing element in the death of Christ included in the all-inclusive Spirit.
[In Romans 6:4] Paul introduces the thought of burial, indicating that we may experience Christ in His burial. In the natural realm death always comes before burial, but in the spiritual realm burial comes before death. When we were baptized, we were buried with Christ. When we were buried with Him, we entered into His death. We do not die directly; we enter into Christ’s death through baptism.
Suppose a certain person repents and believes in the Lord Jesus. He should then be baptized into Christ. To baptize this new believer into Christ is to put him into the death of Christ. When he is baptized, he is actually buried. This burial results in death. This is what it means to be buried with Christ through baptism into His death.
Furthermore, the believers, having been resurrected as Christ was, should walk in newness of life [v. 4]…We were buried with Christ into His death, and now we have been resurrected as He was. Hence, we should walk in newness of life. This newness of life is very much related to the life-giving Spirit, who is Christ Himself in His resurrection. The way to walk in newness of life is the Spirit.
When we are immersed in the water, we enter into death, but when we come out of the water, we enter into resurrection…After baptism we become a new person in resurrection. Resurrection is not only a future state; it is also a present process. To walk in newness of life means to live today in the realm of resurrection and to reign in life [5:17]. This kind of living deals with all that is of Adam in us until we are fully transformed and conformed to the image of Christ (8:29).
We all should walk in this newness of life. We must see that we have grown together with Christ in the likeness of His death, that is, in baptism, and that we will grow together with Him in the likeness of His resurrection, that is, in the newness of His resurrected life…We were buried with Him in baptism, and we are now growing with Him in His resurrection, in His divine life. We must walk according to this vision; that is, we must walk in newness of life. In our daily life and our meetings, we need to live, behave, act, work, and do everything in newness of life. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3051-3053)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1952, vol.1, “The Crucified Christ,” ch. 9
