【Daily Bread】十字架观点 Through the Cross

我的同事阿唐在办公桌上放了一个8×12吋的玻璃十字架，那是和他同为癌症病患的朋友小裴所赠，为要帮助阿唐以“十字架观点”去看待每一件事。这座玻璃十字架不断地提醒他上帝的慈爱与美意。

That’s a challenging idea for all believers in Jesus, especially during difficult times. It’s much easier to focus on our problems than on God’s love.

这样的观点对每个基督徒都是一大挑战。特别是遭遇困难时，我们很容易就专注于自己的困境，而非上帝的慈爱。

The apostle Paul’s life was certainly an example of having a cross-shaped perspective. He described himself in times of suffering as being “persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:9). He believed that in the hard times, God is at work, “achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen” (vv. 17–18).

但使徒保罗却以“十字架观点”看待人生的遭遇。在遭遇患难时，他形容自己“遭逼迫，却不被丢弃；打倒了，却不至死亡”（哥林多后书4章9节）。他相信纵然处境艰难，但上帝仍在动工，“要为我们成就极重无比、永远的荣耀。原来我们不是顾念所见的，乃是顾念所不见的”（17-18节）。

To “fix our eyes . . . on what is unseen” doesn’t mean we minimize the problems. Paul Barnett, in his commentary on this passage, explains, “There is to be confidence, based on the certainty of God’s purposes for [us] . . . . On the other hand, there is the sober recognition that we groan with hope mingled with pain.”

“顾念所不见的”，并不表示我们应漠视眼前的困难。巴尼特（Paul Barnett）曾在他所写的圣经注释书中指出：“这意味着我们确信上帝的美意，因而心里有把握……但我们也知道，虽然拥有盼望，我们仍会遭遇痛苦。”

Jesus gave His life for us. His love is deep and sacrificial. As we look at life “through the cross,” we see His love and faithfulness. And our trust in Him grows.

耶稣为我们舍命，祂对我们的爱极深，甚至甘愿牺牲自己。若我们能透过“十字架观点”看待人生的各种境遇，就能看见祂的爱与信实，并能更加信靠祂。

4 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

4 我们四面受敌，却不被困住；心里作难，却不致失望； 9 遭逼迫，却不被丢弃；打倒了，却不致死亡； 10 身上常带着耶稣的死，使耶稣的生也显明在我们身上。 11 因为我们这活着的人是常为耶稣被交于死地，使耶稣的生在我们这必死的身上显明出来。 12 这样看来，死是在我们身上发动，生却在你们身上发动。 13 但我们既有信心，正如经上记着说：“我因信，所以如此说话”，我们也信，所以也说话。 14 自己知道那叫主耶稣复活的，也必叫我们与耶稣一同复活，并且叫我们与你们一同站在他面前。 15 凡事都是为你们，好叫恩惠因人多越发加增，感谢格外显多，以致荣耀归于神。16 所以我们不丧胆，外体虽然毁坏，内心却一天新似一天。 17 我们这至暂至轻的苦楚，要为我们成就极重无比、永远的荣耀。 18 原来我们不是顾念所见的，乃是顾念所不见的，因为所见的是暂时的，所不见的是永远的。

Through the cross we see God’s loving payment for our sin. But it teaches us more. Jesus’s suffering also exposed the nature and cruelty of our sin against Him and against humanity. He endured the worst we could do to Him to expose Satan’s lie that our Creator isn’t as good as He says He is. He even suffered unimaginable wrongs to show us how to love those who hurt us.

我们透过十字架看到，上帝因着爱而为我们偿还了罪债，不但如此，耶稣所受的痛苦还揭露罪的本质和残酷，罪恶不只得罪上帝，还会让人受苦。耶稣忍受了我们对祂所做的恶事，从而拆穿撒但的谎言，因它谎称我们的创造主并不像祂所说的那样良善。耶稣甚至承受了难以想像的冤屈，好让我们明白，如何去爱那些伤害我们的人。

What else does God want to teach us about cross-shaped love and what it can do in us and for others?

关于十字架，除了其中所展现的爱，以及在我们和他人身上所成就的事，上帝还要教导我们什么呢？