在基督裡盼望
2020/05/15
Look to God’s promise not your circumstances.
《在逆境中轉向神》
(Romans 4:18–21)(ESV)
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations (18)
Abraham’s situation looked bleak. God promised him multitudes of descendants, but the only problem was he was well past child producing.
“He considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old).”
He also considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. Not only was Abraham almost 100 years old, but Sarah his wife was very old, and she had never been able to have children her whole life.
How are they going to have children? If Abraham had based his hope on his circumstances he would have given up. But In hope he believed against hope—God’s promise gave him hope in his hopeless situation.
He put his hope in God’s promise, not his circumstances.
We may feel hopelessly unrighteous.
We may feel like God could never forgive us for the sins we have committed, that he would never accept us.
But we must not look at ourselves, just like Abraham didn’t look at himself,
but like Abraham, we must believe God’s promise of grace. He counts me righteous in Christ!
羅馬書 4:18 他在無可指望的時候，因信仍有指望，就得以作多國的父，正如先前所說，「你的後裔將要如此。」
羅馬書 4:18 他在無可指望的時候，因信仍有指望，就得以作多國的父，正如先前所說，「你的後裔將要如此。」19 他將近百歲的時候，雖然想到自己的身體如同已死，撒拉的生育已經斷絕，他的信心還是不軟弱；20 並且仰望神的應許，總沒有因不信心裡起疑惑，反倒因信心裡得堅固，將榮耀歸給神，21 且滿心相信神所應許的必能做成。
亞伯拉罕老邁體衰。雖然上帝向他許諾有許多後裔，但困惑的是他已經遠遠超過了生育孩子的年齡。因為他已經一百歲了，身體如同已死。
亞伯拉罕也知道妻子撒拉的生育已經斷絕。自己不僅快100歲了，他的妻子撒拉也很老，她一生都沒懷孕。
夫妻都已無法生育要如何生子？ 如果亞伯拉罕把希望寄託在自己的情況上，他會絕望的。但是在信心中，他仰望上帝的應許，而不是在處境中自憐。
我們可能覺得上帝永遠不會為我們所犯的罪寬恕我們，他永遠不會接受我們。面對不義感到絕望。
但是我們決不能看著軟弱的自己，就像亞伯拉罕沒有看自己惡劣的處境一樣，相反的，要像亞伯拉罕，我們必須相信上帝恩典的應許。只要活在基督裡，祂在基督裡算我們是義的！
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