加拉太書1:13-17

 

1:13 你們聽見我從前在猶太教中所行的事，怎樣極力逼迫殘害上帝的教會。

1:14 我又在猶太教中，比我本國許多同歲的人更有長進，為我祖宗的遺傳更加熱心。

1:15 然而，那把我從母腹裡分別出來、又施恩召我的上帝，

1:16 既然樂意將他兒子啟示在我心裡，叫我把他傳在外邦人中，我就沒有與屬血氣的人商量，

1:17 也沒有上耶路撒冷去見那些比我先作使徒的，惟獨往阿拉伯去，後又回到大馬士革。

 

¹³ You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. ¹⁴ I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

¹⁵ But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him ¹⁶ to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.

When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. ¹⁷ Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.

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    保羅在此說到自己生命的改變：原本是熱心於猶太的傳統宗教並且是逼迫教會的人，然而上帝竟然樂意將耶穌基督啟示在他心裡，呼召他把主耶穌傳在外邦人中間，使外邦人同享福音的好處！

 

    這是一個很奇妙的生命改變，這一切並不是出於保羅自己，是上帝透過聖靈大大做工，使他可以認識主耶穌就是基督。也因為他自己有這樣的轉變，可以在他所寫給教會的書信中述說聖靈的工作！

 

    因此，上帝的啟示是神學當中很重要的課題，沒有上帝的啟示人是無法信靠主耶穌的，也沒辦法發生生命的改變！也因此，得救的開始是來自上帝的啟示，也就是聖靈不可抗拒的恩典，沒有啟示就無法改變生命來信靠主耶穌！