13:5 你們總要自己省察有信心沒有,也要自己試驗。豈不知你們若不是可棄絕的,就有耶穌基督在你們心裡嗎?
13:6 我卻盼望你們曉得,我們不是可棄絕的人。
13:7 我們求上帝,叫你們一件惡事都不做;這不是要顯明我們是蒙悅納的,是要你們行事端正,任憑人看我們是被棄絕的吧!
13:8 我們凡事不能敵擋真理,只能扶助真理。
13:9 即使我們軟弱,你們剛強,我們也歡喜;並且我們所求的,就是你們作完全人。
13:10 所以,我不在你們那裡的時候,把這話寫給你們,好叫我見你們的時候,不用照主所給我的權柄嚴厲地待你們。這權柄原是為造就人,並不是為敗壞人。
5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test
yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course,
you fail the test? 6 And I trust that you will discover that we have
not failed the test. 7 Now
we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see
that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though
we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but
only for the truth. 9 We
are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you
may be fully restored. 10 This is why I write these things when I am
absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the
authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.
**************
保羅清楚上帝賜下權柄的目的:「我不在你們那裡的時候,把這話寫給你們,好叫我見你們的時候,不用照主所給我的權柄嚴厲地待你們。這權柄原是為造就人,並不是為敗壞人。」
這是懂得權柄的功用的人說的話,知道權柄是要使人得建立成為基督的精兵,成為完全的人,使人活出基督的樣式!而不是用權柄來高抬自己,剷除自己不喜歡的人,把人從教會中棄絕,讓人離開教會!記得從前曾經有一個基督徒團體,以權柄為名將一些愛主有恩賜的弟兄姊妹驅趕出去。這些被驅趕出去的人,另外建立一些基督徒團體造就了許多愛主的弟兄姊妹。可見,這些自以為有權柄的人,沒有保羅的心志,用權柄造就人而不是敗壞人!
求主保守,讓教會的治理者,不是用權柄來傷人、敗壞人,扛抬自己的地位!而是要用權柄來幫助人離開惡事、歸向上帝,來使人因得輔導而完全,成為主所喜悅的僕人!