The Intruders (Part Two) 谁在入侵 （下）

There are a lot of these rumblings in Corinthians 10:1-11.  Listen underneath Paul’s words and see if you can hear the accusations of the intruders.  You may ask how were the intruders undermining Paul?

《哥林多后书》10章1-11节里有很多滚滚的雷声。看看我们能不能从保罗言语间听出入侵者们的指控。你或许会问，他们是怎么挖保罗的墙角呢？

Let me just point out some of the ways they perceived Paul. For instance, they were saying that Paul was a bad leader.  Oh, he was forceful in writing; but when you met him face-to-face, he was weak and ineffective. You can see this clearly in verse 1 where Paul introduces himself using the intruders’ perception of him.  He is “timid” when in person, but bold when far away. 

让看看他们是从哪些方面认识保罗的。例如，他们说，保罗是个糟糕的领袖。他写信很有力量，一旦见面，他竟是软弱而无果效的人。这一点，第一节里很明显，保罗用那些人看待他的角度介绍自己。他见面时“谦和”，远离时“严厉”。

And while Paul was big on threats, in their minds he was poor on follow through.  He talks about “waging war” in his letters; but when he squares off against you, he is all bark and no bite. He also portrays that he is some kind of authority, some kind of spiritual leader, some kind of apostle; but he offers little tangible proof. 

尽管保罗大话恐吓，但在他们脑海里他是一事无成的人。在信中他讲到“争战”，可他只摆出阵势，却只叫不咬。他还把自己描画成有权柄的人，属灵的领袖和使徒，但是他拿不出一点实际的证明。

To make matters worse, when he does try to prove his authority, he has to rely on his own testimony and those of his close friends.  Where are his letters of commendation from Jerusalem? The intruders have them!  Where is his apostolic power? The intruders have it! 

更糟糕的是，他试图证明自己的权柄，却只能依靠自己的见证，还有他那些好朋友。耶路撒冷的推荐信在哪里？而那些入侵者却有！他的使徒大能在哪里？而那些入侵者却有！

Plus, Paul is rather worldly. Instead of fighting with the power of the triumphant king, he wages war with words and ineffectual arguments that lack punch and pizzazz.  And frankly, when all is said and done, Paul just doesn’t measure up. He doesn’t measure up spiritually. 

而且，保罗此人相当世俗。他不是用得胜君王的大能去战斗，反到用言语和徒劳的争辩去争战，毫无效力和战斗力。坦率地说，这一切的一切都说明，保罗根本就不够格。属灵上他不够格。

Where are his miracles and supernatural acts?  He doesn’t measure up as a teacher. He lacks style and eloquence and wisdom and, frankly, excitement. Compared to these intruders, Paul was rather dull.

他的神迹和超然举动哪里去了？他作导师不够格，他缺少文风和口才，没有智慧。坦率讲，也没有鼓舞。和那些入侵者相比，保罗显得相当无聊。

And he doesn’t measure up as a pastor. Instead of leading and empowering, he only seeks to control and keep people in their place.  And he doesn’t measure up in terms of personality. 

他作牧者不够格，没有带领，也没有赐予大能。他只是一味地控制，不让人们乱动。在个性上讲他也不够格。

Basically, Paul was rather unimpressive; and everyone knows that good pastors are full of charismatic fire, vim and vigor.  Bottom line: in the eyes of the intruders, Paul was weak; and we all know, weakness is not something with which we want to be associated.

基本上，人们对保罗没什么印象。谁都知道，好的牧者充满灵恩的火焰与活力。底线是：在那些入侵者的眼睛里，保罗是软弱的。我们都知道，软弱可不是我们乐于有份的东西。

Now, those of us who know Paul even a little bit, find these accusations ludicrous.  But the church in Corinth was quickly aligning themselves with the intruders in their understanding of Paul. 

如果我们多少了解一点保罗，认为这些指控是无稽之谈。但是，哥林多教会很快就认同了那些入侵者对保罗的看法。

But why? It is simple, really. What Paul taught was so countercultural to Roman society that it made following Jesus hard and required an awkward distance between the disciple of Jesus and the world, while what the intruders taught fit in with their culture perfectly. 

为什么会这样？其实很简单。保罗的教导有悖于当时的罗马文化。他把跟随耶稣弄得很艰难，在作耶稣门徒与世界之间拉出一个窘迫的距离。

What the intruders were teaching made following Jesus attractive. It made it cool. It made it easy. Who wouldn’t want a Christianity where you can do whatever you want without any fear of judgment or criticism?  Who wouldn’t want a Christianity that wasn’t so costly?  Who wouldn’t want a Christianity that promised the good life, the victorious life and the self-fulfilling life?

而那些入侵者的教导完美地适宜当时的文化，让跟随耶稣变得很迷人，很时尚，很容易。人们可以随自己的意愿行事，不用担心审判和批评，这样的基督教谁能不要呢？这样的没有代价的基督教谁能不要呢？一个应许了美好的生活、得胜的生活、自我满足的生活的基督教谁能不要呢？

And wouldn’t following Jesus be much more attractive if it wasn’t so hard? And wouldn’t it be easier to do what God said, if God didn’t say so much? And wouldn’t far more people want to be a disciple of Jesus if it didn’t take so much effort, especially if it didn’t require so much self-denial?

如果跟随耶稣不那么艰难，那不是很迷人吗？如果上帝没那么多话，遵行上帝旨意行不是很容易吗？如果没有这么多的努力，尤其是这么多的自我克制，那不是会有更多的人要作耶稣的门徒吗？

See, these intruders gave the Corinthian church a theological way to have their cake and eat it, too. All they did is twist a few verses out of context, misapply a few promises, misread a few sayings, and presto!

看到了吗？那些入侵者给哥林多教会带来了“即能保存蛋糕，又能品尝蛋糕”的神学观。他们所做的就是跳出语境，曲解几节经文，误用在几个应许上，误读几个句子，像变戏法一样！

They had a Christianity without the cross, without suffering, without sacrifice and without weakness; but sadly, they were also close to having a Christianity without Christ. 

他们的基督教没有十字架，没有苦难，没有牺牲，没有软弱。但悲哀的是，他们的基督教几乎没有基督了。

Dietrich Bonhoeffer knew something of such cheap grace.  He wrote in his The Cost of Discipleship: “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.

潘霍华对这种廉价恩典看得很透。他写到，“廉价恩典宣讲没有悔改的宽恕、没有教会纪律的受洗、没有忏悔的圣餐，没有切身悔改的赦免。

“Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, and grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.  But costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has.

“廉价恩典没有门徒职分的恩典、没有十字架的恩典、没有耶稣基督及其永活和道成肉身。但是，有代价的恩典是藏在地里的财宝；一个人要为它变卖一切所有的。

“It is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.  Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.

“它是必须不断寻求的福音，是必须求要的宝贝，必须叩响的门。这样的恩典有代价，因为它呼唤我们跟随。它是恩典，因为它呼召我们跟随耶稣基督。

“It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner.

“它有代价，因为它要你付出生命。它是恩典，因为它只给出真正的生命。它有代价，因为它咒诅罪。它是恩典，因为它让罪人成圣。

“Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: ‘ye were bought at a price,’ and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us.”

“总而言之，它有代价，因为这代价是上帝儿子的生命:‘你们是重价买来的,’让上帝付出重价的，在我们不可能是廉价的。”

So how did Paul respond to these accusations and lies? Paul will not use the methods, principles, or arguments of his opponents.  He will not “wage war as the world does.” 

那么，保罗是怎么回应这些指控和谎言的呢？保罗不会使用他敌对者的方法、教义和争论。他不会“凭血气争战”。

Instead, he will fight with spiritual weapons that “have divine power to demolish strongholds” so that he may take “every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.”  In other words, he will use weapons like weakness, grace, humility and even death. 

正相反，他要拿起属灵的武器，“以神的大能，攻破坚固的营垒”，要“将人所有的心意夺回，使它都顺服基督。”换句话说，他要用软弱、恩典、谦卑、甚至死亡这样的武器。

Paul is going to sacrifice his image so that Christ may live in him and so that Christ alone may once again, be worshipped in Corinth.  And in so doing, he will show us the way of Jesus. He will show us the way of the cross and he will show us the way of weakness. To be continued. 

保罗要牺牲他的形象，让基督活在他里面。这样，唯有基督在哥林多再次得到崇拜。这样，他要把耶稣的道路展示给我们，要把十字架的道路展示给我们，要把软弱的道路展示给我们。待续。