馬可福音2:1-5

 

2:1 過了些日子，耶穌又進了迦百農。人聽見他在房子裏，

2:2 就有許多人聚集，甚至連門前都沒有空地，耶穌就對他們講道。

2:3 有人帶著一個癱子來見耶穌，是用四個人抬來的，

2:4 因為人多，不得近前，就把耶穌所在的房子，拆了房頂；既拆通了，就把癱子連所躺臥的褥子都縋下來。

2:5 耶穌見他們的信心，就對癱子說：「小子，你的罪赦了！」

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’

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    我們讀完這個故事，是否感覺耶穌被這些人的行為感動，所以才醫治那位癱子？

    很多時候，我們常常把好行為、熱情事奉，當成可以討上帝喜悅，不僅自己這樣做，也鼓勵別人如此行。

    這是因為人常常會受到熱情感染，許多強調「神人合作說」的基督徒，也常常強調藉由行為表現來討上帝喜歡。

    然而就「神恩獨作說」而言，我們要先感受上帝的愛與恩典，我們就會有熱情來服事主，不是我們努力與用心，一切源自上帝，所以我們要把榮耀歸給上帝，不可竊取上帝的榮耀。

    之所以將這兩者列於此，是要讓大家明白信仰的來源是「自己的覺醒」還是「上帝之引導」。然這兩者有先後順序，或是同時進行，但是總有一個起頭，總有一者是早在人尚未受造就有的，就已經預備！