第八章 撒旦反对完全之战

当基督徒们使自己消极地服从继续犯罪的程式时，撒旦是不是很快乐呢？你可以肯定他当然是了。一个人是不是会变得更加纵容一项他认为不可能胜过的罪呢？毫无疑问是的！当基督复临安息日会信徒支持撒旦的控告说律法不能被遵守时，这是不是特别危险呢？确实，它近乎属灵的背叛与亵渎了。

让我解释一下，为什么这一反对品格完全的教义对余民教会来说是如此致命的威胁呢？预言之灵不断地提醒我们，除了那些经历大摇动后幸存下来并参与大呼声的人以外，没有人会受印记。然而接受晚雨并发出大呼声的条件就是要胜过每一项罪！

要能引诱基督复临安息日会信徒相信“罪是不能被完全胜过的”这一毁灭性的骗局，对撒旦而言该是多大的胜利呀！通过屈服于那一巨大骇异的谎言，人就会被迫承认得救是不可能的了；因为，在那关键的时刻，所有没接受晚雨的人都必失丧。请思考这些重要的证言：

“那些符合每一要点，经得起每一考验，并且得胜，不顾任何代价的人，他们既已听从那为‘真实见证者’的忠告，就必领受晚雨。”——《证言卷一》，187面（另见《主必定快来》二月四日）

“今日要使你们的器皿得以洁净，预备妥当，以便接受上天的甘露，预备接受晚雨的沛降，因为晚雨定然倾降，上帝的福惠必要充满每一业已洁除各种污秽的心灵。”——《布道论》，702面（另见《奇妙的神恩》七月十六日）

“在我们的品格还有一点瑕疵或玷污的时候，我们就绝不能领受上帝的印。纠正我们品格上的缺点，并从心灵的殿中洗去一切的污秽，责任在乎我们自己。然后晚雨就要降在我们身上，像早雨在五旬节时降在门徒身上一样。”——《证言卷五》，214面（另见《基督徒经验谈》第三十二章　为审判的时辰作准备）

“我蒙指示，如果上帝的子民没有自行努力尽责，而是等待安舒的日子临到他们身上并清除其过失、矫正其错误；如果他们依靠安舒的日子（指晚雨圣灵沛降）来洁净其身体和灵性上的污秽，使自己配得加入大呼声，传扬第三天使的信息，那么他们必要显出亏欠来。那安舒的日子，或上帝的能力，只能临到那些通过做上帝吩咐他们做的工作而为之预备好了的人，也就是那些洁净自己脱离身体和灵性上的一切污秽，敬畏上帝而完全圣洁之人的身上。”——《证言卷一》，619面（另见《论饮食》第一篇）

在这些直率的证言清楚宣布的亮光中，复临教会的基督徒怎么还能否认胜过所有罪的可能性呢？凡没有在其生命中经历这一完全的成圣过程的人，都不能受［上帝的］印记。

许多人没有注意到因信称义有两个不同的方面，是每一位成功的得胜者都必须经历的。其中之一就是称义，通过赦免以往的罪，提供拯救以免于死刑。这一伟大的礼物是单单基于耶稣所做的真实之工，祂度了完美的一生，承担了我们的罪责，并为满足我们该受的刑罚而死。

我们一操练在耶稣里的信心，接受祂为我们个人的救主，祂就把祂代我们做那些事都归给我们。祂算我们为正过着完美的生活，看我们好象从来没有犯罪一样。祂把自己在十字架上死的功劳转移给我们，使我们脱离因我们以往的罪而招致的一切定罪或刑罚。这一信心的互换正是伟大的救赎计划的核心。缺了这个就无人能得救；并且唯独凭着信心才能称义，除此之外凭任何一种别的方法也必无人能得以称义。圣经说，“惟有不做工的，只信称罪人为义的上帝，他的信就算为义。”（罗4：5）

请注意不敬虔的罪人是因信称义的一个必要条件。那些在寻求称义之前感觉需要用他们的好行为使自己不那么有罪的人，正在破坏他们接受称义的唯一条件。并且，通过试图从一项完全不配得的礼物中提取一些个人的功劳，他们就无望地反对了圣经的教训。一个人越少感觉自己是个罪人，就越不可能凭单纯的信心仰赖上帝的应许。在称义的经验中，没有分割的功劳，惟独只靠信心。

然而因信称义的第二个方面也同等重要，就是成圣。福音活泼的大能并不单单只救我们脱离罪的行为，而不救我们脱离罪本身。亚当的堕落对于他自己以及所有的后裔，产生了两个可怕的问题。第一，它给人类带来了死亡的刑罚；第二，它把人的道德本性削弱到一个程度以致人没有能力停止犯罪。这些悲剧性的后果都已因第二亚当的荣耀得胜而改变了。

第一个问题通过耶稣转移的义，在称义时得到解决了。通过它，死亡的判决被解除，以往的罪被撤消。

然而还有一个问题要解决。道德的本性怎样才能被恢复，以致它能抵挡并得胜罪呢？救赎的计划并不仅仅只提供从罪的后果中部分的得救。通过成圣，耶稣的义就分赠给相信之人；并且完全得胜每一项先天或后天的软弱已成为可能。相信圣经满有大能的应许，能够打破罪的束缚，使心灵预备好接受晚雨下的盖印工作。

惟有那些同时主张称义与成圣的复临信徒才能在大呼声的经验中有份。那位女人的后裔已经将选择不犯罪的能力赐回给了亚当所有的儿女了。

我们教会里有一些批判家，他们感觉上帝的祝福因教会老底嘉的状况就不能再临到它身上了。一些人已经退出了教会，抗议教会的灵性衰退与标准流失。我完全不赞同这样的态度。最近我收到一封信，来信的人曾经是基督复临安息日会一间大教会的任职牧师。对于我把人带入他所描述为“完全背离真理”“重返巴比伦之黑暗”的教会中，他似乎真的很忧心忡忡。他引用了怀姐妹的几段话，为要说明教会正在重新退回到埃及去，他们渐渐漂向大海却没有航海图或指南针。我对那些证言以及其它许多类似性质的证言都很熟悉。她确实描述了教会机构每一层面那悲哀的老底嘉状况，她责备、申诉其与世界的妥协，并为此哀哭。然而她并没有离开教会，或暗示说它是巴比伦！虽然她说过令人惊奇的改正之言，却丝毫没有任何暗示说余民教会内关心的、忠心的人因为无论哪一种理由应该离开这个组织。她确实再三写道，软弱的、世俗化的、犹豫不定的人将要被揺出去，留下一班洁净的子民完成这项工作。

“上帝圣灵那鉴察心肠肺腑的证言必把那些人从以色列中分别出来，他们曾用上帝所命定的方法争战，以防止教会腐化。错误必须被称为错误。滔天之罪不可文饰，必须直指罪名…这一朴素直截的证言必须存在于教会之中，否则上帝的咒诅必将临到祂的百姓，正如由于古以色列人的罪上帝的咒诅就确实地临到他们一样。”——《证言卷五》，676面》Is it Possible to Live Without Sinning？

CHAPTER 8 SATAN'S WAR AGAINST PERFECTION

Is Satan happy when Christians resign themselves to a program of continued sin? You can be sure that he is. Does one become more tolerant of a sin that he believes is impossible to overcome? Without question! Is there something especially dangerous about Seventh-day Adventists defending Satan's accusation that the law cannot be obeyed? Indeed, it borders on spiritual treason and blasphemy.

But let me explain why this doctrine against character perfection is such a deadly menace to the remnant church. We are repeatedly reminded in the Spirit of Prophecy that none will be sealed except those who survive the shaking and take part in the loud cry. BUT THE CONDITION FOR RECEIVING THE LATTER RAIN AND GIVING THE LOUD CRY IS TO OVERCOME EVERY SIN!

What a triumph for Satan to be able to lure Seventh day Adventists into the fatal delusion that sins cannot be completely conquered. By yielding to that monstrous lie, one would be conceding the impossibility of being saved, because, at that point in time, all who do not receive the latter rain will be lost. Consider these significant statements:

"Those who come up to every point, and stand every test, and overcome, be the price what it may, have heeded the counsel of the True Witness, and they will receive the latter rain." Testimonies, Vol. 1, p. 187.

"Today you are to have your vessel purified, that it may be ready for the heavenly dew, ready for the showers of the latter rain; for the latter rain will come, and the blessing of God will fill every soul that is purified from every defilement." Evangelism, p. 702.

"Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon them. It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the soul temple of every defilement. Then the latter rain will fall upon us as the early rain fell upon the disciples on the Day of Pentecost." Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 214.

"I was shown that if God's people make no effort on their part, but wait for the refreshing to come upon them and remove their wrongs and correct their errors; if they depend upon that to cleanse them from filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and fit them to engage in the loud cry of the third angel, they will be found wanting. The refreshing or power of God comes only on those who have prepared themselves for it by doing the work which God bids them, namely, cleansing themselves of all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in thefear of God." Testimonies, Vol. I, p. 619.

In the light of these explicit declarations, how could any Adventist Christian deny the possibility of overcoming all sin? No one can be sealed who has not experienced this perfect process of sanctification in his life.

Many overlook the fact that there are two distinct aspects of righteousness by faith which must be experienced by every successful overcomer. One of them, justification, provides for deliverance from the death penalty through forgiveness of past sins. This tremendous gift is based solely upon the objective work of Jesus in living a perfect life, assuming our liability of guilt, and dying to satisfy the penalty against us.

As soon as we exercise faith in Jesus as our personal Saviour, He gives us the credit for all those things he did in our behalf. He counts us as having lived a perfect life, and looks upon us as though we have never sinned. He imputes to us the merits of His own death on the cross, relieving us of any condemnation or punishment for our past sins. This transaction of faith lies at the very heart of the great plan of salvation. None can be saved without it, and none can receive it by any other means than faith alone. The Bible says, "To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Romans 4:5.

Notice that the one requirement for receiving justification by faith is to be ungodly. Those who feel that they need to make themselves less ungodly by their good works before seeking justification are destroying their only grounds for receiving it. Furthermore, they hopelessly contradict the Scriptures by seeking to extract some personal merit from a totally undeserved gift. The less ungodly a person feels himself to be, the less inclined he will be to cast himself in simple faith upon the promises of God. In the justification experience, there can be no dividing of credit. It is by faith alone.

But the second, and equally important, aspect of righteousness by faith is sanctification. The dynamic power of the gospel does not deliver us from the guilt of sin without also saving us from the sin itself. Adam's fall into sin created two terrible problems for himself and all his descendants. First, it brought the sentence of death upon the human race, and second, it weakened man's moral nature to such a degree that he had no power to stop sinning. Both of these tragic consequences have been reversed by the glorious victory of the second Adam.

The first problem is remedied by the imputed righteousness of Jesus in justification. By it the death sentence is lifted, and past sins are canceled.

But there is still another issue to be resolved. How is the moral nature to be restored so that sin can be resisted and overcome? The plan of salvation does not provide for only a partial deliverance from the effects of sin. Through sanctification, the righteousness of Jesus is imparted to the believer, and total victory is made possible over every inherited or cultivated weakness. Faith in the power-packed promises of the Bible can break sin's stranglehold and fit the soul for sealing under the latter rain.

Only those Adventists who have claimed both justification and sanctification will have a part in the loud cry experience. The Seed of the woman has given back to all of Adam's descendants the power to choose not to sin. There are critics of our church who feel that God's blessing can no longer rest upon it because of its Laodicean condition. Some have withdrawn their membership in protest of the declining spirituality and loss of standards. I share nothing in common with such an attitude. Recently, I received a letter from a man who was once an ordained pastor of a large Seventh-day Adventist church. He seemed genuinely concerned that I could bring people into a church that had "totally apostasized from the truth," as he described it," and had reverted to Babylonian darkness." He quoted some paragraphs from Sister White to the effect that the church was retreating toward Egypt, that they were drifting away to sea, without chart or compass. I was acquainted with those statements and many others in the same vein. She did portray the sad, Laodicean condition of every level of church organization, rebuking, appealing, and weeping over its compromise with the world. BUT SHE DID NOT LEAVE THE CHURCH, OR SUGGEST THAT IT WAS BABYLON! Even though she spoke shocking words of correction, there was never any intimation that the concerned, faithful ones within the remnant should leave the organization for any reason whatsoever. She did write repeatedly that the weak, worldly, vacillating ones would be shaken out, leaving a pure people to finish the work.

"The searching testimony of the Spirit of God will separate those from Israel who have ever been at war with the means that God has ordained to keep corruptions out of the church. Wrongs must be called wrongs. Grievous sins must be called by their right name.... The plain, straight testimony must live in the church, or the curse of God will rest upon His people as surely as it did upon ancient Israel because of their sins." Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 676.