第二週 • 週一
晨興餧養
約一4 生命在祂裏面，這生命就是人的光。
約壹五12 人有了神的兒子，就有生命；沒有神的兒子，就沒有生命。
永生（永遠的生命）…是聖經中一個很大的題目，並且也可以說，是神在祂的救恩裏所賜給我們的最大的福分。關於得着永生，享受永生的福分，聖經給我們看見，是分作三個不同的時期的。一個是在今世得永生，一個是在來世得永生，另一個是在永世享永生。…今世得永生，是在我們相信的時候。我們在今世相信主的時候，就得着永生，不必等到來世或永世纔得着。
許多人把永生領會錯了，以為永生乃是永遠的福氣。其實聖經給我們看見，永生不是永遠的福氣，乃是永遠的生命。永生雖然能叫我們得到永遠的福氣，但永生的本身卻不是永遠的福氣，乃是永遠的生命。這個永遠的生命，在這裏說，是起初就有的〔約壹一1〕。只有神的生命，是起初就有的。所以這個永遠的生命就是神的生命，是在宇宙和時間之先就有的（李常受文集一九三二至一九四九年第三冊，二九七至二九八頁）。
信息選讀
永遠的生命就是神的生命，因為神是永遠的〔約壹一2〕。…神是永遠的，是無始無終的，所以祂的生命也是永遠的，也是無始無終的。神這個無始無終永遠的生命，就是我們平常所說的永生。
神的兒子乃是神的化身，神自己是藏在祂兒子裏面，所以神的生命，也是在祂兒子裏面〔五11~12〕。這個在神兒子裏面的生命，就是永生。…話成了肉體的主耶穌就是神的兒子，所以神的生命—永生—是在祂裏面，我們接受祂，得着祂，就得着在祂裏面的永生。
神是把祂的生命，就是永遠的生命，當作一個禮物，在主耶穌裏白白地賜給我們〔羅六23〕，不需要我們出任何的代價，只要我們接受，就能得着。…永遠的生命—神的生命—既是神給我們的一個禮物，就是神賜給我們的，不是神賞給我們的〔約壹五11〕。
神愛我們，把祂的生命，就是永遠的生命，放在祂兒子裏面賜給我們，要我們接受〔約三16〕。接受的方法，就是信入祂的兒子。我們一信入祂的兒子，一用信心接受祂的兒子，我們就得着在祂兒子裏面永遠的生命。…神既把祂的生命，就是永生，放在祂兒子裏面當作禮物賜給我們，就我們一信入祂的兒子，一得着祂的兒子，自然就有了在祂兒子裏面的永生〔36〕。
我們一聽見主的話—福音，而相信了神，我們就有了永遠的生命〔五24〕。許多人以為，我們現在信主，等到將來纔有永遠的生命。豈知『信』和『有』的中間，是沒有時間的；…我們一信主，就有永遠的生命。我們信了之後，一點不必等，更不必等到將來，立刻就有永遠的生命。
在基督教裏也有許多人以為並主張說，我們信主的人現在不能知道自己有沒有永遠的生命。但〔約壹五章十三節〕清清楚楚告訴我們，神的話—就是聖經的話—叫我們信的人知道自己有永遠的生命。…我們有了這永遠的生命，當然就永不滅亡。這生命的永遠性質，必使我們永存不亡。並且我們有了永遠生命的人，又是在主和父的手裏，誰也不能把我們奪去〔約十28~29〕。我們裏面有神永遠的生命支持我們，外面又有主和父大能的手保守我們，這樣我們怎能滅亡？（李常受文集一九三二至一九四九年第三冊，二九八至三○一頁）
參讀：聖經要道（卷一），第十二題。
WEEK 2 — DAY 1
Morning Nourishment
John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
1 John 5:12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
Eternal life is a great topic in the Bible; it is the greatest blessing that God gives us in His salvation. Obtaining eternal life and enjoying the blessings of eternal life are divided into three different periods. The first period involves obtaining eternal life in this age, the second involves obtaining eternal life in the coming age, and the third involves the enjoyment of eternal life in eternity. We obtain eternal life in this age when we believe. When we believe in the Lord in this age, we obtain eternal life. We do not have to wait for the next age or for eternity to obtain it.
Many misunderstand and think that eternal life involves a blessing in eternity. Actually, the Bible shows that eternal life is not a blessing in eternity; rather, it is the life of eternity. This eternal life was from the beginning [1 John 1:1]. Only the life of God was from the beginning. Therefore, the eternal life is just the life of God, which existed before the universe and time began. (CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 3, “Crucial Truths in the
Holy Scriptures, Volume 1,” p. 222)
Todays Reading
Eternal life is the life of God because God is eternal [1 John 1:2]…God is eternal, without beginning and without end, so His life is also eternal, without beginning and without end. The life of God, which has no beginning and no end, is the eternal life.
The Son of God is God incarnated, God Himself embodied in His Son; therefore, the life of God is also in His Son [5:11-12]. This life, which is in God’s Son, is the eternal life. The incarnated Lord Jesus is the Son of God, so God’s life, the eternal life, is in Him [John 1:4]. When we receive Him and obtain Him, we also obtain the eternal life in Him.
God considers His life, the eternal life, to be a gift freely given to us in the Lord Jesus [Rom. 6:23]. We do not need to pay for it; as long as we receive it, we obtain it. Since the eternal life, the life of God, was given to us by God, it is God’s gift, not God’s reward, to us [1 John 5:11].
God loves us and gives us His life, the eternal life, which is in His Son for us to receive [John 3:16]. The way to receive eternal life is to believe in His Son. As soon as we believe in His Son and receive His Son by faith, we obtain the eternal life that is in the Son. Since the eternal life of God that is in His Son is a gift, as soon as we believe into His Son and obtain His Son, we spontaneously obtain the eternal life within His Son [v. 36].
When we hear the Lord’s word, the gospel, and believe in Him, we immediately have eternal life [5:24]. Many think that even though we believe in the Lord now, we do not obtain eternal life until some time in the future. They do not realize that there is no time between believes and has…As soon as we believe in the Lord, we have eternal life. After we believe, we do not need to wait, for even the slightest moment, to obtain eternal life. There is no need to wait for what we are immediately given.
In Christianity many think and suggest that those who believe in the Lord cannot know whether or not they have eternal life in the present age. However, 1 John 5:13 clearly says that the Word of God, the Bible, enables us to know that we have eternal life. Because the life we obtained is eternal, we will never perish. This life’s eternal nature ensures that we will never perish. Moreover, once we have eternal life, we are in the hands of the Lord and the Father, so no one can snatch us away [John 10:28-29]. We have the eternal life of God to uphold us inwardly, and we have the Lord’s and the Father’s hands to protect us outwardly. How can we perish? (CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 3,
“Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Volume 1,” pp. 222-224)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 3, “Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Volume 1,” ch. 12
