第十四课：反照

律法中的爱

藉着耶稣基督的牺牲，上帝向全人类提供了拯救。祂赐怜悯和恩典给一切接受祂的人。这样，他们就出死入生，离罪归义，出黑暗入光明了。他们不会在审判中被定罪，因为基督成为了他们的中保（约翰福音5:24；约翰一书2:1）。鉴于这种新约的关系，耶稣说：“你们若爱我，就必遵守我的命令。”（约翰福音14:15）是什么命令呢？上帝一直用一条至高无上的法则来领导全宇宙，就是永恒之爱的律法（约翰一书4:8）。上帝所赐的全部律法都归结于这条律法，也都是从这条律法延展而来，因为这条律法是祂品格的反映。从这条爱的律法中发展出来两条伟大的律法：爱上帝和爱邻舍。基于上述两条律法，上帝又给了世人们十条具体的法则，指导他们如何爱上帝和彼此相爱（出埃及记20:1-17）。这些法则就是众所周知的“十诫”。与古代以色列的许多其他律法不同，这些律法是基督徒生活的基石，因为它们描述了基督在堕落世界中的品格。它们背后的原则是永恒、持久和普遍的。当亚当和夏娃犯罪时，他们的道德标准立刻动摇了。当涉世未深的亚当和夏娃落入罪中之时，他们怎能理解爱在律法中的深意呢？一个与上帝疏远的世界又怎能理解真爱呢？人类对“爱”的定义是扭曲的，对“圣洁”的定义是模糊的，对“善与恶”的定义是混淆的。在每个人的内心，都在进行着一场属灵的善恶之争，但对人类来说，善恶之间的界限变得模糊了。然而，上帝有一个计划。这计划反照了祂的品格，将持续地向人类启示祂的品格和爱的法则（以弗所书3:5)。它最终会揭示真爱的意义，确立上帝的爱，帮人们作出明智的选择，并使罪展示出它邪恶的本质。它也要为审判而预备这个世界。就像人们常说的，上帝正在逐步地“发号施令”。

爱惜失丧的人

人类在伊甸园一犯罪就开始了。在犯罪之前，亚当夏娃赤身露体并不羞耻（创世记2:25）；而他们犯罪后，为纯全和圣洁不再而感到羞愧，所以立刻躲藏起来。

他们躲藏，是因为他们为自私感到羞耻。

他们躲藏，是因为他们意识到自己不是神，而害怕真神上帝。

他们躲藏，是因为害怕死于上帝的愤怒。

尽管他们将会因自己的行为受苦，上帝依然实施了救赎他们的计划（创3:15)。夏娃因对权力和知识的妄求而屈从了试探（创世记3:16）。亚当对上帝缺乏信心，他必须耕种被诅咒过的土地，汗流满面才得糊口（创世记3:17-19）。上帝用死去的动物皮子做衣服给他们穿（创世记3:21)，然后赐给他们弥赛亚的应许，这些动物的牺牲预表了弥赛亚的舍命。

在伊甸园中，爱的法则已经发生作用了。

彰显基督

后来，上帝在西奈山上向以色列人宣布“十诫”，进一步阐明了祂的律法（出埃及记20:1-17）。因着长期的奴役，致使上帝最初赐给亚当和夏娃的命令几乎被完全遗忘了，所以上帝将这些律法再次赐给祂的子民。上帝共将六百一十三条律法赐给以色列人，并使他们成为祂向世界的代言人。这些律法都记录在《圣经》的前五卷书《妥拉》中。犹太人称之为“摩西律法”。在这613条律法中，有10条是特别的，即“十诫”。它们是反映上帝品格的道德指南针。它们的特别之处在于，是由上帝亲口颁布，亲手写出，并保存在圣所的约柜里。约柜的顶部是“施恩座”，是上帝宝座的象征。上帝赐给祂子民的法则中有许多是指向耶稣基督的。十诫是一种道德准则，只要人类仍存在世上，它就会一直存在（马太福音5:18）。直到基督亲自降临之前，它们都将最真切地彰显祂的品格。

错误的形象

即使是当时的613条律法，上帝也藉其帮助人类进一步地理解爱与平等。其中有些律法表明了天国的原则和价值观。耶稣称其为“律法上更重要的事”（马太福音23:23)，其中包括公义、怜悯和信心。但这仍然不够。帮助人类理解律法中爱的原则将是一条漫长的道路。

以色列人在数百年间因为违反了许多律法，最终被流放到亚述和巴比伦。最后，因为不遵守律法而受到的惩罚，希伯来人回到了他们的国家，他们决心无论如何都要遵守律法。但是律法和遵守律法本身就成了目的，而不是达到目的的方法；遵守律法的真正目的是为了自己体验上帝的爱，然后向别人展示上帝的爱。相反，他们专注于通过遵守律法来改善自己的形象。他们把律法变成了冗长的注意事项清单。他们开始相信是律法给了他们生命，律法会拯救他们。然而，事实恰恰相反；律法只是定罪，让他们明白自己需要救世主。

以马内利

然后上帝差遣祂的儿子。耶稣解释并成全了律法。耶稣的许多教导都是关于理解和遵守“十诫”的。马太福音第5,6和12章，以及马可福音第7和12章都说明了耶稣如何看待上帝的律法。耶稣教导说，“十诫”远远超出了字面的意义，包含着更深层次的属灵应用。

凡看见妇女就动淫念的，这人心里已经与她犯奸淫了（马太福音5:28）；

忧虑和信靠财富而不信靠上帝，就是拜偶像（马太福音6:24-34）；

不奉养年迈父母的就是羞辱他们（马可福音7:9-13）；

在安息日行善不算违背安息日（马太福音12:1-14）。

耶稣非但没有废除“十诫”，反而表明“十诫”在揭示爱的真谛上的核心作用。

成全爱

耶稣还明确了律法中最重要的部分是：尽心、尽性、尽意、尽力爱主你的上帝；并且爱人如己（马可福音12:28-31）。耶稣说明，整部旧约可以归结为这两条律法。这两条律法的第一条在十诫的前四条中被揭示出来，向我们展示了上帝应有的地位和我们对祂的责任。我们需要完全地降服于上帝，对上帝来说最重要的就是爱。接下来的六条诫命揭示了我们要对全人类怀有同样无私的爱。爱邻舍是爱上帝的外在表现（约翰一书4:20）。这种爱不是由我们自己发出的，而是由基督放在我们里面的，当我们住在上帝里面时，祂也住在我们里面，这种爱自然就从我们身上流露出来。

耶稣在祂的整个事工中努力地帮助祂的门徒理解这个爱的原则。在被钉十字架前的最后一个晚上，基督为门徒洗脚，然后对他们讲述天国的道理：你们要彼此相爱，彼此服侍，你们若这样做，人们就会认出你们是跟过耶稣的。祂说，这种自我牺牲的谦卑服务将促成他们与上帝以及彼此之间的合一。（详细内容可在约翰福音第13-17章中阅读）。直到耶稣升天后，他们才逐渐明白这个道理。尽管信心迟钝，但他们终于明白了。他们开始对天国的本质有了深刻的理解，约翰写下了整本《圣经》中最深刻的一句话: 上帝就是爱（约翰一书4:8）。这是永恒的真理，宇宙的所有规律都源于此。上帝就是爱，祂的行为和话语将爱定义为无私谦卑的服务，各人看别人比自己强（腓立比书2章）。爱的永恒法则和爱一样简洁，可以扩展为两大法则：爱上帝和爱人类。这在赐予人类的道德原则“十诫”中得到充分体现。其他在诫命之外的律法，都是为了解释说明上帝所说的“爱”。所有这些都是基于谦卑的自我牺牲。

LESSON 14: REFLECTION

Love In Law

Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God provided for the salvation of all mankind.

Mercy and Grace is given to all who accept Him. They, then, pass from death to life, from sin to righteousness, from darkness to light. They won’t be condemned in judgment because Christ will be their representative (John 5:24; 1 John 2:1).

In the light of this new covenant relationship, Jesus says, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) What commandments? God has been guiding the universe with one overriding law for all eternity, the law of Love (1 John 4:8). All laws that God has ever given have pointed to, and come from this law because this law is a transcript of His character. Flowing out of this law of love, came the two great laws: Love God and Love your neighbor. From that, God gave to humans on earth ten specific laws of how to love God and to love one another (Exodus 20:1-17). They are known, of course, as The Ten Commandments. And unlike many of the other laws given to ancient Israel, these are the bedrock for Christian living because they describe Christ’s character in a fallen world. The principles behind them are eternal, enduring, and universal. When Adam and Eve sinned, their moral compass was immediately shaken. How was an immature Adam and Eve, who had been slingshot into sin, supposed to understand the depths of love in the law? How was a world alienated from God going to understand true love?  

Humanity’s definition of “love” was askew, their definition of “holiness” lost, the definition of “good and evil” confused. There was an unnatural war within every human between good and evil but lines between them had become, for humans, blurred. God had a plan, however. It would involve an ever-growing revelation of His character and the law of love (Ephesians 3:5), which reflects His character. It would eventually reveal the definition of true love. It would set right God’s love and allow people an informed choice. It would allow time for evil to show its true colors. It would also prepare a world for judgment. God was going to progressively, as it has been said, “lay down the law.”

Love Lost

It started in Eden immediately after sin. Before sin, the man and woman were naked and unashamed (Genesis 2:25); after sin, they immediately hid, ashamed of what before had been pure and holy. They hid, too, because they were ashamed for their selfishness. They hid because they realized that they were not gods and were afraid of the true God. They hid because they were afraid of dying at the hands of an angry God. God, though, implemented plans to redeem them (Gen. 3:15), even though they would suffer from their actions. Eve’s desire for power and knowledge led to submission (Genesis 3:16). Adam’s lack of faith in God led to him working the soil and hoping the cursed ground would provide for them (Genesis 3:17-19). God provided clothes for them from the death of animals (Genesis 3:21), and then gave them the promises of a Messiah, who would be prefigured and foreshadowed in the death of these animals. The law of love was, in Eden, already at work.

Reflection of Christ

Later God opened the law up further when He declared, from on top of Mount Sinai, the Ten Commandments to Israel (Exodus 20:1-17). God’s commands, first given to Adam and Eve, had been all but forgotten, and so they were repeated to His people there, who had long been in bondage and slavery. God gave 613 laws to the nation of Israel, who was to be God’s mouthpiece to the world. These are included in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. The Jews knew this as “The Mosaic Law,” or “The Law of Moses.” Ten of the 613 laws were special, the Ten Commandments. They were a moral compass that reflected the character of God.

They were so special that God spoke them with His own voice, wrote them with His own finger, and put them inside the ark of the covenant in God’s house. The cover of that box was called “The Mercy Seat” and it was a representation of His throne. God had given men many laws that would point to Jesus. But the Ten Commandments were a moral code that would remain as long as humanity existed on earth (Matthew 5:18). They would be the clearest reflection of Christ until He would come in person.

Wrong Image

Even through the 613 laws, God would bring humanity a step closer to understanding love and equality. There were laws that showed the principles and values of God’s Kingdom. Jesus calls many of these, “The weightier matters of the law” (Matthew 23:23), and they include justice, mercy, and faith. But even these were still not complete. It would be a long road to help humanity understand the principles of love within the law. Israel, for hundreds of years, broke many of the laws and ended up in exile in Assyria and Babylon. Eventually, the Hebrew people returned to their nation and, having been punished for having disobeyed the law, they were determined to keep it, no matter what. But the law, and keeping the law, became an end in and of itself, instead of a means to an end; and that end was to experience for themselves and then reveal to others, the love of God. Instead, they focused on improving their own image by keeping the law. They turned the law into longer lists of dos and don’ts. They started to believe that it was the law that gave them life, and that the law would save them. The truth was, however, the opposite; the law only condemned them, showing them the need of a Savior.

Immanuel

Then God sent His son. Jesus explained and fulfilled the law. Many of the teachings of Jesus are about understanding and obeying the Ten Commandments. Matthew 5, 6, and 12, and Mark 7 and 12 show how Jesus viewed the law of God. Jesus taught that the Ten Commandments go far beyond the plain reading to a deeper spiritual application. To look at someone lustfully is to commit adultery in your heart (Matthew 5:28); to be anxious and to trust in wealth instead of God is to serve an idol (Matthew 6:24-34); to not take care of your elderly parents is to dishonor them (Mark 7:9-13); and to do good on the Sabbath is to keep the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-14). Far from disbanding the Ten Commandments, Jesus showed how central they are in revealing what love is, really, about.  

Fulfillment

Jesus also defined what the most important parts of the law are: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:28-31). Jesus says that the entire Old Testament is summed up in these two laws.

The first of these principles is revealed in the first four commandments of the Ten.

They showed God in His rightful position and our duty to Him. They define a selfless surrender to Him. They show that the most important thing to God is love. Then, as revealed in the next six, they embrace a transition of that same selfless love toward all of humanity. Loving your neighbor is an outward expression of your love for God (1 John 4:20). It is not simply performed by you; it is implanted by Christ in you and then flows out of you as you abide in Him and He abides in you. Jesus spent His whole ministry trying to help the disciples understand these principles of love. On the final night before His crucifixion, Christ washed His disciples’ feet, and then spoke to them the principles of the kingdom: they should love each other and serve each other, and by their doing that, people would know that they were followers of Jesus. He says that this self-sacrificing humble service would be what unified them with God and with each other. (You can read about this at length in John 13-17).

Only after Jesus ascended into heaven did they begin to understand. It was slow going but, eventually, they got there. They begin to have such a grasp of the nature of the Kingdom of God that John pens the most profound words in the entire Bible: God is Love (1 John 4:8). This is the eternal truth from which all the laws of the universe stem. God is Love, and His actions and Word define love as selfless humble service that puts others ahead of ourselves (Philippians 2). Out of the Eternal Law of Love, which is as concise as LOVE, flows the two great laws: Love God and Love mankind. This is expanded upon in the Ten Moral Principles given to humanity as the Ten Commandments. All the laws given to us beyond the command to love are given to explain what God means when He says “Love!” All of these are defined by humble self-sacrifice.