你會不會因為曾經吃到一塊焦黑的麵包,就放棄再進食? 媽媽有次把麵包烤焦了,色、味俱失,營養價值也沒了。你會不會因此就不再吃麵包? 「我還是需要吃飯,況且,媽媽又不是故意把麵包烤焦的。」 你會不會因為看到報載有「江湖郎中」無照行醫,就再也不去看醫生? 「當然不會,」你說:「少數蒙古大夫並不會影響我去看真正的好醫生!」 有人曾經找你一張假鈔,你會不會一氣之下把身上所有的鈔票都丟到垃圾桶?答案顯然也是──不! 同樣的原則也可以應用在你生命中的屬靈領域。●烤焦的麵包 可能有人曾熱心向你傳過福音,告訴你如何「重生」、如何「得救」,但因為方式太激烈,反使你覺得討厭,像是嘗了口烤焦的麵包。 或許你在上述的經驗中受了傷害,但你不應就此放棄:「我再不要聽什麼『重生』、『得救』了──!」你仍然有心靈的需要,就像肉體需要食物一樣,你的罪也依舊需要赦免。 ●「郎中」 每種職業都多多少少有些害群之馬用不正當手段謀利。同樣,倘若有人假冒基督教的名義欺名盜世,也就不足無奇了。基督教通常給人的印象是誠實無欺,這點反而使得「宗教郎中」更容易矇騙人。然而,我們絕不應就此斷言所有的基督徒都是騙子。 ●假鈔 凡事有真必有偽。你絕不可能拿到一張假的三十元鈔票,因為根本沒有發行真的三十元鈔。基督教信仰是斬釘截鐵的真實信仰,因此「市面上」也難免出現假貨。 ●識認真理 每個人都需要與上帝有正確的關係。現在,不管別人曾經怎樣誤導你,也不管你對基督教怎樣自我解釋,這裡有七件事能幫助你認識真正的基督信仰,它們都出自聖經──上帝的話。 1.上帝愛你 「上帝深愛世人,甚至將祂的獨生子賜給他們,叫一切信祂的,不至滅亡,反得永生。」(約三:16) 2.我們的問題 「因為世人都犯了罪,虧缺了神的榮耀;……因為你(上帝)不是喜悅惡事的神,惡人不能與你同居。」(福三:23;詩五:4) 3.罪的後果 「因為罪的工價乃是死,惟有神的恩賜,在我們的主基督耶穌裡,乃是永生。」(羅六:23) 4.上帝賜給我們救主 「惟有基督在我們還作罪人的時候為我們死,神的愛就在此向我們顯明了。」(羅五:8) 5.你須接受這位救主 「凡接待祂的(耶穌),就是信祂名的人,祂就賜他們權柄,作神的兒女。」(約一:12) 6.信耶穌,得永生 「神賜給我們永生,這上帝也是在祂兒子(耶穌)裡面。人有了神的兒子就有生命,沒有神的兒子就沒有生命。」(約壹五:11-12) 7.把握現在接受耶穌 「你們今日若聽他的話,就不可硬著心。」(希三:7-8) 你或曾因為一些「宗教郎中」而倒盡胃口;你或許也碰過一些不太客氣的基督徒,無論別人如何歪曲了基督教信仰,要不要相信耶穌基督,接受祂所賜的真理,仍取決於你。 別讓一塊「烤焦」的包阻礙了你與上帝的關係! Are you still eating even though Mom once burned the biscuits? They didn’t look good or taste good and had lost most of their food value. “Well,” you say, “I need to eat and besides, Mom didn’t mean to bun the biscuits.” Have you quit going to the doctor because you once read about a “doctor” practicing without a license? “Of course not,” you reply. “Some ‘quack’ isn’t going to keep me from going to a good doctor.” Have you thrown away all your money because someone once passed you a counterfeit dollar? The answer is obvious. So now let’s apply the same common sense to the spiritual dimension of your life. ●BURNED BISCUITS It is quite possible that someone may have offended you as he tried to explain being “born again” or “being saved.” Perhaps his way of doing it left a bad taste in your mouth. You may have been wronged but you can’t just say, “I don’t want anything more to do with becoming a Christian.” You have spiritual needs that are as real as the body’s need for food. And forgiveness of sins. ●QUACKS Every occupation has people who will use illegal or harmful practices for their own advantage. Isn’t it logical that some of these same people will try to operate under the guise of Christianity? The very fact that Christians usually do not act in a deceitful way makes it that much easier for spiritual quacks to fool people. So to classify all Christians as quacks would be a big mistake. ●COUNTERFEIT DOLLARS As long as there is the real thing there will always be the imitation. You will never see a counterfeit three-dollar bill because there isn’t a real three-dollar bill. Since there is reality to Christian faith, there will always be hypocrites or counterfeit Christians. ●GETTING THROUGH TO THE TRUTH Each person needs to have a right relationship to God. Forget how man has confused or misrepresented the message or how your own heart has tried to explain things away. Here are seven keys to help you find true Christian faith for yourself, based on what God says about it in the Bible. 1.God loves you. “… God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John:3:16) 2.You are in trouble. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) “You [God] are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with You the wicked cannot dwell.” (Psalms: 5:4) 3.Sin brings disaster. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) 4.God has provided a Savior. “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) 5.The Savior must be accepted. “To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John: 1:12) 6.Receiving the Savior gives eternal life.
“This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John:5:11-12) 7.Now is the time to receive Him.
“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Hebrews:3:7-8) It may be all too true that you have seen spiritual counterfeits or quacks. You may have known some Christians who were offensive. Still, the decision to believe in the truth of Jesus Christ is yours to make, regardless of how others may have mishandled it.
Don’t let “burned biscuits” keeps you from getting right with God.
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