【传道者|中英文朗读】 悔改、圣灵的恩赐与新约中的宗教仪式

作者克林顿·瓦伦,博士,圣经研究所副主任,现居美国 马里兰州 银泉

悔改、圣灵的恩赐与洗礼、按手礼之间有何联系呢?这些宗教仪式都是领受圣灵的必要条件吗?以下我们将对新约中的一些例证进行简要思考,并尝试借此回答上述问题。

基督教洗礼的起源与本质

基督教中的洗礼起源于约翰所传“悔改、使罪得赦的洗礼”(可1:4;徒13:24)2 人们受约翰的洗,是因约翰所传之道而悔悟,正如基督徒受洗是对耶稣并祂门徒所传福音的积极回应(路5:32;徒2:38)。耶稣也受了约翰的洗,这说明基督徒的洗礼不应和约翰的洗礼有太大出入。3

然而,耶稣的受洗在有些方面是独一无二的。首先,祂无需悔改,因祂从未犯罪;第二,祂为应验预言受圣灵恩膏担任弥赛亚的角色(徒10:38);第三,耶稣的受洗预表祂的牺牲与复活(路12:50;约2:19-21),并为信徒树立了可效学的榜样。

基督的受洗也是一个有益的见证,因为它显出了基督徒的洗礼和圣灵恩赐之间的紧密联系。正如耶稣所说,领受圣灵与受洗同样重要(约3:5)。圣灵在人生命中所作的改变如此令人称奇,以至于耶稣将其称为“重生”(约3:3)。保罗认为洗礼象征着耶稣的牺牲与复活,以及一种生命的更新。它标志着人在罪上死了,与基督一同埋葬,并且复活成为新的生命(罗6:1-7;参提3:5)。《圣经》中的洗礼是要浸入水中,4 也是人与教会联合的一种方式(林前12:12–14)。

洗礼虽与悔改密切相关,但《圣经》中从未提及受洗能引发这种内心的改变。悔改必须先行(徒2:38)。受洗是内心悔改的外在标志(彼前3:21;西2:11,12)。这种内在的更新也曾被描述为“受了圣灵的印记”(弗1:13;4:30)。洗礼固然重要,但它绝非得救的充分条件,而是圣灵在人生命中做工的公开见证(徒10:47,48)。

按手礼与圣灵的恩赐

让我们转向新约中的另一个宗教仪式——按手礼,即耶稣和使徒在不同情境下、出于各种原因,按手在人的身上。通常这与内在的改变并无必然的联系,与圣灵的恩赐也没有明显的关联。按手礼(有时伴随着祷告)涉及

  • 耶稣及其使徒医病(可6:5;路4:40;徒28:8),
  • 耶稣为小孩子祝福(太19:13–15),
  • 使徒指派七人管理饭食 (使徒行传6:1-6),5
  • 安提阿教会任命保罗和巴拿巴作布道士,并差遣他们外出做工(徒13:1-3)
  • 保罗关于拣选长老的指示:给人行按手的礼,不可急促 (提前5:22).

只有三处新约经文将圣灵与按手礼相联系(徒8:17,18;9:17;19:6)。当我们仔细研究这些经文的背景时就会明白,这些按手礼都是独一的、特别的、不可重复的案例,不应作为当今福音事工的榜样。6

1.徒8:17,18。腓力在撒玛利亚传道,使多人信而受洗,行邪术的西门也在其中(徒8:5-13)。“撒玛利亚人领受了上帝的道”的消息传到耶路撒冷,彼得和约翰也受差遣协助并接续腓力所做的工(14节)。7 正如经文所指出的,撒玛利亚人受洗时还没有领受圣灵(16节)。8 于是使徒“按手在他们头上,他们就受了圣灵”(17节)。《圣经》虽未对这一行为作出解释,但针对其原因,却有些许提示。

首先,在撒玛利亚传讲福音是早期教会事工的重大推进,这与耶稣的命令是一致的(徒1:8)。此外,经文还使用了特殊的词语描述撒玛利亚人尚未接受圣灵的事实:“因为圣灵还没有降在他们一个人身上”(徒8:16)。“降”(epipiptō)这个词在希腊文《圣经》中仅指三次赐下圣灵,本节是第一次。第二次是指圣灵降在哥尼流家中聚集聆听彼得讲道的外邦人身上(徒10:44)。第三次是在彼得对耶路撒冷教会信徒讲述五旬节圣灵沛降(徒2:1-8)之时——“圣灵便降在他们身上,正像当初降在我们身上一样”(徒11:15)。也就是说,徒1:8指出了向世界传扬福音的三个阶段——以圣灵的倾降为记号,首先是向犹太人,其次是撒玛利亚人,最后是外邦人。9 圣灵倾降于撒玛利亚人身上发生在他们受洗之后。然而,对于外邦人,圣灵在他们受洗以先浇灌(徒10:44)。

2.徒9:17。保罗在去往大马士革的路上奇迹般地悔改归主,并藉着在异象中蒙主差遣之亚拿尼亚的工作与早期教会建立了联系。(徒9:10–16)就像撒玛利亚人悔改归主一样,因着悔改与受洗,基督教会的印记临到了他的身上。亚拿尼亚 “把手按在扫罗身上,说:‘兄弟扫罗,在你来的路上向你显现的主,就是耶稣,打发我来,叫你能看见,又被圣灵充满’”(17节)。随后,“扫罗的眼睛上,好像有鳞立刻掉下来,他就能看见,于是起来受了洗。”(18节)。此处经文并未明确亚拿尼亚按手在保罗身上的行为,是否使他恢复视力,或是被圣灵充满,或是兼而有之。但从第12节,可以得出结论,即按手的动作只是医好了保罗的眼睛。怀爱伦写道:“亚拿尼亚代表基督摸扫罗的眼睛,叫他能看见。他又代表基督按手在扫罗身上。当他奉基督的名祷告时,扫罗就领受了圣灵。”10 虽是与按手同步,但圣灵的领受似乎是对祷告的回应。

3.徒19:1-7。使徒行传第19章记述了保罗在第三次布道之旅中将福音带到以弗所,并在那里停留逾两年之久(8、10节)。他一到以弗所,就遇见了“几个门徒”(tinas mathētas,第1节),一共约有12人(第7节)。当没有额外的限定词时,门徒一词通常指受洗的基督徒,尤其是在使徒行传中。11 考虑到上下文平淡的措辞,这些以弗所人最多是“有部分知识的信徒”12 。这将有助于解释路加在此暂停叙述保罗旅途的原因。事实上,保罗似乎看出了他们在教导和经验上的不足,因他曾问:“你们信的时候,受了圣灵没有?”(第2节)。正如我们所见,通常领受圣灵与相信同来,这本是顺理成章的。但是他们的回答却是“没有,也未曾听见有圣灵”(第2节),这很难令人信服。虽然施洗约翰说过耶稣来要用圣灵给人施洗(可1:7,8),但这些以弗所的门徒可能没有听过这话。因此,保罗解释了约翰如何敦促人们相信“那在他以后要来的,就是耶稣。”(徒19:4)

显然,他们已被圣灵引领到如此的地步,保罗使他们对基督的福音有了更加全面的认识。他“以主耶稣的名”(第5节)为他们再次施洗,这就在他们向基督献身的事上盖了印记。也为今天的信徒提供了重要的参考,其内容主要体现在以下两个方面:首先,因为受洗归入基督被视为一个人正式接受祂为救主,正式进入祂的教会,受洗通常无需重复进行,就像已婚夫妇不再重复举行婚礼一样。13 然而,若是有人长期度违背《圣经》教导和受洗誓言的生活,以致离开了基督,那么重新受洗则是合宜的。因此,公开的认罪悔改必须回归基督并再次将生命献上。信徒考虑再次受洗的原因之二是寻见并接受全新样式的真理,就像约翰的门徒那样,他们的生活发生了翻天覆地的变化,以至需要重新受洗以纪念“新生活”的开始,如此便为合宜。14

使徒行传第19章还指出,保罗按手在他们头上,他们就领受了圣灵。这是为传福音的缘故,因为“他们就说方言,又说预言”(第6节),就如使徒向耶路撒冷的居民(徒2:1-8,16-21)和外邦人(徒10:44-48)传福音时所经历的一样。使徒行传第19章中圣灵的沛降还颇具战略意义。福音得以更快地在以弗所传开,而以弗所是罗马的主要港口和东西方贸易中心,是小亚细亚最重要的城市。15

求问与领受

在慕道友预备受洗加入教会时,应确保他们已获得充分的教导,并在他们的生活中表现出悔改和圣灵赐下的凭据。16《新约圣经》始终将领受圣灵与悔改、归主和受洗联系在一起。保罗、撒玛利亚人、哥尼流和他的家人,以及其余外邦信徒的悔改的经历各异。我们并未发现《圣经》授权任何牧师为领受圣灵给人按手。然而,当一个人理解并相信福音,且愿意领受圣灵这一礼物时,圣灵往往会临到他身上。

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1.更深入研究,参见,奥斯卡·卡尔曼,《新约中的洗礼》(英国伦敦:SCM出版公司,1950年;比斯利·默里,《新约中的洗礼》密歇根州大急流城埃尔德曼斯,1962年;埃弗雷特·弗格森《早期教会的洗礼前五个世纪的历史、神学和敬拜仪式》密歇根州大急流城埃尔德曼斯,2009年,第83-198页;安赫尔·曼努埃尔·罗德里格斯,新约中的洗礼及其相关问题, https://adventistbiblicalresearch.org/materials/church/baptismal-instruction-new-testament-and-other-related-issues.

2.英文原版引用经文来自英文标准版。

3.参见威尔逊·帕罗希,徒19:1–7根据保罗的洗礼神学重新审视”美国安德烈大学神学院研究47,第1期(2009)94,95,描述了五旬节后基督教洗礼的独特性,引入了一个重要的教会重点,包括以耶稣之名受洗和圣灵的赐下”。^

4.这不仅表现在动词词根 baptō的基本含义上Albrecht Oepke,“βάπτω,βαπτίζωολ”,《新约神学词典》。格哈德·基特尔和格哈德·弗里德里希译。杰弗里·W·布罗姆利,卷1 [密歇根州大急流城埃尔德曼斯,1964年],第529-546页,但也需要大量的水”施洗(约3:23;徒8:38。在描述早期的基督教洗礼时,弗格森说道:“基督教的文学来源,以世俗词语的使用和犹太教的浸礼基础,对全身入水作为正常(洗礼的)行为予以了充分的支持。弗格森,《早期教会的洗礼》,891。^

5.将祷告和按手在七位领袖头上使徒联系起来是很自然,从而由会众选择的七领袖进行了证实。^

6.同样,样的做法极其稀少情况特殊,不应普及。罗德里格斯,洗礼指导^

7.怀爱伦,《使徒行(加利福尼亚州山景城太平洋出版社1911),106,107。^

8.尚未(oudepō)和(monon)这两个词突出了这种情况的特殊性质。^

9 .参见乔治·埃尔登·拉德,《新约神学》。唐纳德·哈格纳,修订版。(密歇根州大急流城:埃尔德曼斯,1993,383:“我们可以说有一个犹太人的五旬节,一个撒玛利亚人的五旬节和一个外邦人的五旬节。^

10.怀爱伦,《使徒行》,第122

11.参见6:1,2,7;9:10, 19.

12.格哈德·哈塞尔,《说方言圣经中的方言和当代语词》(密歇根州贝林泉:基督复临论神学学会,1991年),第99页。

13 .参见基督复临安息日会教会规程》,第19版。马里兰州 黑格斯敦评论和先驱报出版社2016,第50页:“灵性冷淡信徒需要悔改的灵来帮助他们灵性的复兴与更新这之后即可参加圣餐,这意味着罪已洗清并重新建立与基督的关系无需再次受洗^

14. 《教会规程》49页。再次受洗并不质疑先前受洗之意义重新受洗并不会与之前受洗的意义有所矛盾

15.保罗在以弗所住了三年(徒20:31),当约翰写启示录时,小亚细亚西部的教会已然建立(见启2;3)。

Conversion, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and New Testament religious practices

By Clinton Wahlen, PhD, an associate director, Biblical Research Institute, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.

How are conversion and the gift of the Holy Spirit related to baptism and the laying on of hands? Is either of these religious practices necessary to receive the Holy Spirit? This brief consideration of the New Testament evidence attempts to answer these questions.1

ORIGIN AND NATURE OF CHRISTIAN BAPTISM

Christian baptism has its origins in John’s “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4Acts 13:24).2 Being baptized by John signaled one’s repentance in response to John’s preaching, just as Christian baptism shows a positive response to the similar proclamation of Jesus and His disciples (Luke 5:32Acts 2:38). Jesus’ submitting to John’s baptism shows that Christian baptism should not be distinguished too sharply from that of John.3

Jesus’ baptism, however, is unique in several aspects. First, He needed no repentance because He never sinned. Second, Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit for His unique Messianic role in the fulfillment of prophecy (Acts 10:38). Third, His baptism prefigured His death and resurrection (Luke 12:50John 2:19–21) and set an example for believers to follow.

Christ’s baptism is also instructive because it shows the close connection between Christian baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus indicates, receiving the Holy Spirit is just as essential as being baptized (John 3:5). So extraordinary is the transformation made by the Spirit in a person’s life that Jesus describes it as being “born from above” (John 3:3, marg.). Paul identifies baptism as symbolic of the death and resurrection of Jesus and of a life-changing experience. It marks one’s death to sin, burial with Christ, and resurrection to a new life (Rom. 6:1–7; cf. Titus 3:5). Baptism, which biblically is by immersion in water,4 is also the means whereby a person is united to the church (1 Cor. 12:12–14).

While baptism and conversion are closely associated, nowhere in Scripture is baptism said to cause this inner change. Repentance must come first (Acts 2:38). Baptism is the outward sign of an inwardly repentant heart (1 Pet. 3:21Col. 2:1112). This inner change is also described as being “sealed” by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:134:30). Important as baptism is, it is not a means of salvation but the person’s public witness to the Holy Spirit’s work in his or her life (Acts 10:4748).

THE LAYING ON OF HANDS AND THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT

Turning to another New Testament religious practice, both Jesus and the apostles are described as laying their hands on people in various settings and for a variety of reasons. Often it had no necessary connection with inward change and no obvious relation to the gift of the Holy Spirit. Laying on of hands (sometimes together with prayer) relates to

  •  the healing of disease by Jesus (Mark 6:5Luke 4:40) and His followers (Acts 28:8),
  •  Jesus’ blessing of children (Matt. 19:13–15),
  •  the apostles ordaining of seven individuals for the work of ministering to people’s material needs (Acts 6:1–6),5
  • the church in Antioch ordaining Paul and Barnabas as missionaries and sending them on their missionary journey (Acts 13:1–3), and
  •  Paul’s instruction on selecting elders: not to lay hands on anyone hastily (1 Tim. 5:22).

Only three New Testament passages connect the Holy Spirit with the laying on of hands (Acts 8:17189:1719:6). As a close examination of the larger context of these verses will make clear, these were unique, exceptional, and unrepeatable cases that necessitated the laying on of hands and should not be used as a model for ministry today.6

1. Acts 8:1718Philip’s preaching of the gospel in Samaria led many to believe and be baptized, including Simon Magus (Acts 8:5–13). When word reached Jerusalem that “Samaria had received the word of God,” Peter and John were sent to help and follow up the work being done by Philip (v. 14).7 As the text indicates, the Samaritans had not yet received the Holy Spirit when they were baptized (v. 16).8 So the apostles “laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit” (v. 17). No explanation for this action is given, but there are some hints as to the reason.

First, the preaching of the gospel in Samaria represents a major mission advance by the early church in harmony with the instructions given by Jesus (Acts 1:8). In addition, the text uses unusual language to describe the fact that the Samaritans had not received the Holy Spirit: “for he had not yet fallen on any of them” (Acts 8:16). The word “fallen” (Gk. epipiptō) refers to the giving of the Holy Spirit on only three occasions, with this being the first. The second is in reference to the Holy Spirit falling on the Gentiles who gathered at Cornelius’s house to hear Peter’s preaching (Acts 10:44). The third is contained in Peter’s description of this event to some in the Jerusalem church—that “ ‘the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning’ ” (Acts 11:15; emphasis added)—referring to the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1–8). In other words, the three stages in preaching the gospel to the world indicated in Acts 1:8—first to Jews; then to Samaritans; and, finally, to Gentiles—are marked by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.9 This outpouring on Samaritans occurred sometime after they were baptized. In the case of the Gentiles, however, the Holy Spirit was poured out beforehand (Acts 10:44).

2. Acts 9:17Following his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul was brought into connection with the early church through the ministry of Ananias, who had been instructed in a vision to go to him (vv. 10–16). As with the Samaritans’ conversion, the seal of Christ’s church was to be placed on his conversion and baptism. “Laying his hands on him,” Ananias said, “ ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit’ ” (v. 17). As a result, “something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized” (v. 18). The text is unclear as to whether the act of Ananias in laying his hands on Paul effected the regaining of sight, being filled with the Holy Spirit, or both. From verse 12, it might be concluded that it only accomplished Paul’s healing. Notice Ellen White’s description: “In Christ’s stead Ananias touches the eyes of Saul, that they may receive sight. In Christ’s stead he places his hands upon him, and, as he prays in Christ’s name, Saul receives the Holy Ghost.”10 Even though it coincides with the laying on of hands, it seems that the reception of the Spirit came in response to prayer.

3. Acts 19:1–7Acts 19 describes the gospel being brought by Paul to Ephesus, where he stayed more than two years during his third missionary journey (vv. 8, 10). Almost immediately, he met “some disciples” (tinas mathētas, v. 1), about twelve in number (v. 7). When not further qualified, the term disciples normally refers to baptized Christian believers, especially in Acts.11 Given the context and the very general phraseology, these Ephesians were, at best, “believers with partial knowledge.”12 This would help explain why Luke interrupts Paul’s travel narrative at this point. In fact, Paul seems to recognize their instruction and experience were inadequate because he asks: “ ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ ” (v. 2). As we have seen, ordinarily, the reception of the Holy Spirit coincides with believing, so this should have been assumed. But their reply—that they had not yet “ ‘even heard that there is a Holy Spirit’ ” (v. 2)—is hardly reassuring. Although John the Baptist pointed to Jesus as the One who would come and baptize with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:78), these disciples from Ephesus may not have heard this remark. Thus, Paul explained how John had urged people to believe in “ ‘the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus’ ” (Acts 19:4).

Clearly, these men had been led by the Spirit up to this point; Paul brought them to a fuller understanding of the gospel of Christ. Their rebaptism by Paul “in the name of the Lord Jesus” (v. 5) set a seal on their Christian commitment. It also provides an important example for believers today—in two different ways. First, because baptism into Christ constitutes one’s formal acceptance of Him as Savior and entry into the Christian church, it should not normally be repeated any more than a married couple would repeat their wedding ceremony.13 On the other hand, if a person has fallen away from Christ by living a life out of harmony with Scripture and the baptismal vows they made, rebaptism would be appropriate. Thus, public confession is made of a return to Christ and reconsecration of one’s life to Him. A second reason a person may want to consider rebaptism is upon seeing and embracing a whole new paradigm of truth, as the disciples of John did, which leads to such a dramatic life change that rebaptism is deemed appropriate to mark this “new life.”14

Acts 19 also indicates that they received the Holy Spirit through Paul’s laying on of hands. This was for outreach because “they began speaking in tongues and prophesying” (v. 6), just as the apostles had experienced for evangelizing the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Acts 2:1–816–21), and the Gentiles for a similar witness (Acts 10:44–48). The gift of the Spirit in Acts 19 was likewise strategic. The gospel could now spread more rapidly in Ephesus, which, as a major Roman port and center of trade for East and West, was the most important city of Asia Minor.15

ASK AND RECEIVE

In preparing people for baptism and church membership, care should be taken to ensure that they have been thoroughly instructed and show evidence of conversion and the gift of the Holy Spirit in their lives.16 The New Testament consistently associates receiving the Spirit with repentance, conversion, and baptism. The conversions of Paul, the Samaritans, Cornelius and his household, and other Gentile believers were unique. We find no biblical authorization for a minister to lay hands on individuals in order that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Rather, the Spirit is normally bestowed on a person as soon as he or she understands and believes the gospel and is willing to receive this gift.

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  1. For further study, see, e.g., Oscar Cullmann, Baptism in the New Testament (London, UK: SCM, 1950); G. R. Beasley-Murray, Baptism in the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1962); Everett Ferguson, Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2009), 83–198; Ángel Manuel Rodríguez, “Baptismal Instruction in the New Testament and Other Related Issues,” accessed October 8, 2020, https://adventistbiblicalresearch.org/materials/church/baptismal-instruction-new-testament-and-other-related-issues
  2. Scripture is from the English Standard Version. 
  3. See Wilson Paroschi, “Acts 19:1–7 Reconsidered in Light of Paul’s Theology of Baptism,” Andrews University Seminary Studies 47, no. 1 (2009): 94, 95, describing the distinctiveness of the post-Pentecost Christian baptism as introducing “an important ecclesiological emphasis” that includes “baptism in the name of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit.” ^
  4. This is indicated not only by the basic meaning of the verbal root baptō (Albrecht Oepke, “βάπτω, βαπτίζω κτλ,” Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 1 [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964], 529–546) but also by “much water” being required for baptisms to take place (John 3:23Acts 8:38). Describing early Christian baptism, Ferguson states: “The Christian literary sources, backed by secular word usage and Jewish religious immersions, give an overwhelming support for full immersion as the normal action.” Ferguson, Baptism in the Early Church, 891. ^
  5. It is natural to connect the actions of praying and laying hands on the seven with the nearest subject, namely, “the apostles,” thereby providing confirmation by the leadership of the seven chosen by the congregation. ^
  6. Similarly, “The few cases where it was performed are very peculiar and should not be used to universalize the practice.” Rodríguez, “Baptismal Instruction.” ^
  7. Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1911), 106, 107. ^
  8. The exceptional nature of the situation is underscored by the words “not yet” (oudepō) and “only” (monon). ^
  9. Cf. George Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, ed. Donald A. Hagner, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1993), 383: “We may say that there is a Jewish Pentecost, a Samaritan Pentecost, and a Gentile Pentecost.” ^

10. White, Acts of the Apostles, 122. 

11.See, e.g., Acts 6:1279:1019

12.Gerhard F. Hasel, Speaking in Tongues: Biblical Speaking in Tongues and Contemporary Glossolalia (Berrien Springs, MI: Adventist Theological Society, 1991), 99. 

13.Cf. Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual, 19th ed. (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 2016), 50: “A member whose spiritual experience has become cold needs a spirit of repentance which leads to revival and reformation. This experience will be followed by participation in the communion service to signify renewed cleansing and fellowship in the body of Christ, making rebaptism unnecessary.” ^

14.Church Manual, 49. Rebaptism in no way impugns the significance of one’s prior baptism. 

15.Paul spent three years in Ephesus (Acts 20:31), and by the time John wrote the book of Revelation, churches were well established throughout the western part of Asia Minor (see Rev. 23). 

原文链接:https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2021/08/Conversion-the-gift-of-the-Holy-Spirit-and-New-Testament-religious-practices