“不可贪恋人的妻子。也不可贪图人的房屋,田地,仆婢,牛,驴,并他一切所有的。” - 申 5:21
你渴望什么?当然是一些好东西:一顿美味丰盛的饭菜;一份令人有成就感的工作;与朋友共渡的美好时光,等等。但也许你也有一些罪恶的欲望:婚外性行为,向你的仇敌复仇,想要得到你不该拥有的属于别人的东西。
因为我们是罪人,所以我们有很多欲望是不好的。这就是为什么我们需要律法,向我们显明什么是好的,什么是坏的,或是邪恶的。但这不是律法的目标。律法的最终目标是把我们引向基督。虽然律法责备那些违背律法的人,但法律也将罪人引向基督。
基督完美地遵守了律法,从而完全了律法。因为祂为我们舍了自己的生命,我们可以靠着基督称义,因着耶稣,以清洁的良心站立在神面前。
因此,我们的愿望不再只是遵守律法,而是爱基督。我们现在所渴望的是拥有与祂永远同在的整全的生命。我们渴望与基督同在,并且像祂。律法的最终目的是引导我们的渴望归向神,并靠着圣灵的力量,透过神的爱而活出来。
律法的总纲——尽心、尽性、尽意、尽力地爱神——引导着我们的渴望。当我们找到我们最大渴望的终极对象时,我们就找到了与神同在的平安。
祷告
主啊,感谢你的律法。请用它把我们引向耶稣和你奇妙之爱的生命中。阿们。
罗马书 8:1-4
1如今,那些在基督耶稣里的就不定罪了。
2因为赐生命圣灵的律在基督耶稣里释放了我,使我脱离罪和死的律了。
3律法既因肉体软弱,有所不能行的,神就差遣自己的儿子成为罪身的形状,做了赎罪祭,在肉体中定了罪案,
4使律法的义成就在我们这不随从肉体、只随从圣灵的人身上。
Law, Love, And Desire For God
"You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." - Deuteronomy 5:21
What do you desire? Surely some good things: a tasty, hearty meal; a satisfying, successful job; good times with friends, and so on. But maybe you also have some sinful desires: sex outside of marriage, vengeance on your enemies, wanting things that you can’t have because they belong to others.
Because we are sinners, we have many desires that are not good. This is why we need the law—to show us what is good and what is bad, or evil. But this is not the goal of the law. The final goal of the law is to lead us to Christ. While the law condemns those who break it, the law also directs sinners toward Christ.
Christ obeyed the law perfectly and thus fulfilled it. And because he gave up his life for ours, we can be credited with Christ’s righteousness, standing before God with a clean record for Jesus’ sake.
Our desire then is no longer just to obey the law but to love Christ. What we now desire is to have full life with him forever. We desire to be with Christ and to be like him. The end goal of the law is to direct our desires so that, by the power of the Spirit of God, we live by the love of God.
The sum of the law—love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength—directs our desires. And when we find the object of our greatest desire, we find peace with God.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for your law. Use it to lead us to Jesus and your amazing life of love. Amen.