Yuēhànyīshū 3

1 Nǐ kàn fù cìgĕi wǒmen shì hédĕng de cíaì , shǐ wǒmen dé chēngwèi shén de érnǔ. wǒmen yĕ zhēn shì tāde érnǚ . shìrén suǒyǐ bú rènshi wǒmen , shì yīn wèicéng rènshi tā .

2 Qīnaì de dìxiōng a , wǒmen xiànzaì shì shén de érnǚ , jiānglái rúhé , hái wèi xiǎnmíng . dàn wǒmen zhīdào zhǔ ruò xiǎnxiàn , wǒmen bìyào xiàng tā . yīnwei bì dé jiàn tāde zhēn tǐ .

3 Fán xiàng tā yǒu zhè zhǐwang de , jiù jiéjìng zìjǐ , xiàng tā jiéjìng yíyàng .

4 Fán fàn zuì de , jiù shì wéibeì lǜfǎ . wéibeì lǜfǎ jiù shì zuì .

5 Nǐmen zhīdào zhǔ céng xiǎnxiàn , shì yào chúdiào rén de zuì . zaì tā bìng méiyǒu zuì .

6 Fán zhù zaì tā lǐmiàn de , jiù bù fàn zuì . fán fàn zuì de , shì wèicéng kànjian tā , yĕ wèicéng rènshi tā .

7 Xiǎozi men nǎ , búyào beì rén yòuhuò , xíng yì de cái shì yì rén . zhèng rú zhǔ shì yì de yíyàng .

8 Fàn zuì de shì shǔ móguǐ , yīnwei móguǐ cóng qǐchū jiù fàn zuì . shén de érzi xiǎnxiàn chūlai , wèi yào chúmiĕ móguǐ de zuòwéi .

9 Fán cóng shén shēng de jiù bú fàn zuì , yīn shén de dào ( yuánwén zuò zhǒng ) cún zaì tā xīnli . tā yĕ bùnéng fàn zuì , yīnwei tā shì yóu shén shēng de .

10 Cóngcǐ jiù xiǎnmíng chū shuí shì shén de érnǚ , shuí shì móguǐ de érnǚ . fán bù xíng yì de , jiù bù shǔ shén . bú aì dìxiōng de yĕ shì rúcǐ .

11 Wǒmen yīngdāng bǐcǐ xiāng aì . zhè jiù shì nǐmen cóng qǐchū suǒ tīngjian de mìnglìng .

12 Bùkĕ xiàng Gāiyǐn . tā shì shǔ nà è zhĕ , shā le tāde xiōngdi . wèishénme shā le tā ne . yīnwei zìjǐ de xíngwéi shì è de , xiōngdi de xíngwéi shì shàn de .

13 Dìxiōng men , shìrén ruò hèn nǐmen , búyào yǐwéi xīqí .

14 Wǒmen yīnwei aì dìxiōng , jiù xiǎodé shì yǐjing chū sǐ rù shēng le . méiyǒu aì xīn de , réng zhù zaì sǐ zhōng .

15 Fán hèn tā dìxiōng de , jiù shì shārén de . nǐmen xiǎodé fán shārén de , méiyǒu yǒngshēng cún zaì tā lǐmiàn .

16 Zhǔ wèi wǒmen shĕmìng , wǒmen cóngcǐ jiù zhīdào hé wéi aì . wǒmen yĕ yīngdāng wèi dìxiōng shĕmìng .

17 Fán yǒu shìshang cáiwù de , kànjian dìxiōng qióngfá , què sāi zhù liánxù de xīn , aì shén de xīn zĕn néng cún zaì tā lǐmiàn ne .

18 Xiǎozi men nǎ , wǒmen xiāng aì , búyào zhǐ zaì yányǔ hé shétou shàng . zǒng yào zaì xíngwéi hé chéngshí shàng .

19 Cóngcǐ jiù zhīdào wǒmen shì shǔ zhēnlǐ de , bìngqiĕ wǒmen de xīn zaì shén miànqián kĕyǐ ānwĕn .

20 Wǒmen de xīn ruò zébeì wǒmen , shén bǐ wǒmen de xīn dà , yīqiè shì méiyǒu bù zhīdào de .

21 Qīnaì de dìxiōng a , wǒmen de xīn ruò bù zébeì wǒmen , jiù kĕyǐ xiàng shén tǎnrán wú jù le .

22 Bìngqiĕ wǒmen yīqiè suǒ qiú de , jiù cóng tā dé zhaó . yīnwei wǒmen zūnshǒu tāde mìnglìng , jgkgcxíng tā suǒ xǐyuè de shì .

23 Shén de mìnglìng jiù shì jiào wǒmen xìn tā érzi Yēsū Jīdū de míng , qiĕ zhào tā suǒ cìgĕi wǒmen de mìnglìng bǐcǐ xiāng aì .

24 Zūnshǒu shén mìnglìng de , jiù zhù zaì shén lǐmiàn . shén yĕ zhù zaì tā lǐmiàn . wǒmen suǒyǐ zhīdào shén zhù zaì wǒmen lǐmiàn , shì yīn tā suǒ cìgĕi wǒmen de Shènglíng .

Yuēhànyīshū 3 Commentary

Chapter 3

The apostle admires the love of God in making believers his children. (1,2) The purifying influence of the hope of seeing Christ, and the danger of pretending to this, and living in sin. (3-10) Love to the brethren is the character of real Christians. (11-15) That love described by its actings. (16-21) The advantage of faith, love, and obedience. (22-24)

Verses 1-2 Little does the world know of the happiness of the real followers of Christ. Little does the world think that these poor, humble, despised ones, are favourites of God, and will dwell in heaven. Let the followers of Christ be content with hard fare here, since they are in a land of strangers, where their Lord was so badly treated before them. The sons of God must walk by faith, and live by hope. They may well wait in faith, hope, and earnest desire, for the revelation of the Lord Jesus. The sons of God will be known, and be made manifest by likeness to their Head. They shall be transformed into the same image, by their view of him.

Verses 3-10 The sons of God know that their Lord is of purer eyes than to allow any thing unholy and impure to dwell with him. It is the hope of hypocrites, not of the sons of God, that makes allowance for gratifying impure desires and lusts. May we be followers of him as his dear children, thus show our sense of his unspeakable mercy, and express that obedient, grateful, humble mind which becomes us. Sin is the rejecting the Divine law. In him, that is, in Christ, was no sin. All the sinless weaknesses that were consequences of the fall, he took; that is, all those infirmities of mind or body which subject man to suffering, and expose him to temptation. But our moral infirmities, our proneness to sin, he had not. He that abides in Christ, continues not in the practice of sin. Renouncing sin is the great proof of spiritual union with, continuance in, and saving knowledge of the Lord Christ. Beware of self-deceit. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, and to be a follower of Christ, shows an interest by faith in his obedience and sufferings. But a man cannot act like the devil, and at the same time be a disciple of Christ Jesus. Let us not serve or indulge what the Son of God came to destroy. To be born of God is to be inwardly renewed by the power of the Spirit of God. Renewing grace is an abiding principle. Religion is not an art, a matter of dexterity and skill, but a new nature. And the regenerate person cannot sin as he did before he was born of God, and as others do who are not born again. There is that light in his mind, which shows him the evil and malignity of sin. There is that bias upon his heart, which disposes him to loathe and hate sin. There is the spiritual principle that opposes sinful acts. And there is repentance for sin, if committed. It goes against him to sin with forethought. The children of God and the children of the devil have their distinct characters. The seed of the serpent are known by neglect of religion, and by their hating real Christians. He only is righteous before God, as a justified believer, who is taught and disposed to righteousness by the Holy Spirit. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. May all professors of the gospel lay these truths to heart, and try themselves by them.

Verses 11-15 We should love the Lord Jesus, value his love, and therefore love all our brethren in Christ. This love is the special fruit of our faith, and a certain sign of our being born again. But none who rightly know the heart of man, can wonder at the contempt and enmity of ungodly people against the children of God. We know that we are passed from death to life: we may know it by the evidences of our faith in Christ, of which love to our brethren is one. It is not zeal for a party in the common religion, or affection for those who are of the same name and sentiments with ourselves. The life of grace in the heart of a regenerate person, is the beginning and first principle of a life of glory, whereof they must be destitute who hate their brother in their hearts.

Verses 16-21 Here is the condescension, the miracle, the mystery of Divine love, that God would redeem the church with his own blood. Surely we should love those whom God has loved, and so loved. The Holy Spirit, grieved at selfishness, will leave the selfish heart without comfort, and full of darkness and terror. By what can it be known that a man has a true sense of the love of Christ for perishing sinners, or that the love of God has been planted in his heart by the Holy Spirit, if the love of the world and its good overcomes the feelings of compassion to a perishing brother? Every instance of this selfishness must weaken the evidences of a man's conversion; when habitual and allowed, it must decide against him. If conscience condemn us in known sin, or the neglect of known duty, God does so too. Let conscience therefore be well-informed, be heard, and diligently attended to.

Verses 22-24 When believers had confidence towards God, through the Spirit of adoption, and by faith in the great High Priest, they might ask what they would of their reconciled Father. They would receive it, if good for them. And as good-will to men was proclaimed from heaven, so good-will to men, particularly to the brethren, must be in the hearts of those who go to God and heaven. He who thus follows Christ, dwells in Him as his ark, refuge, and rest, and in the Father through him. This union between Christ and the souls of believers, is by the Spirit he has given them. A man may believe that God is gracious before he knows it; yet when faith has laid hold on the promises, it sets reason to work. This Spirit of God works a change; in all true Christians it changes from the power of Satan to the power of God. Consider, believer, how it changes thy heart. Dost not thou long for peace with God? Wouldst thou not forego all the world for it? No profit, pleasure, or preferment shall hinder thee from following Christ. This salvation is built upon Divine testimony, even the Spirit of God.