甚麼是生命？

甚麼是生命？

約一5:12 人有了　神的兒子就有生命．沒有　神的兒子就沒有生命。

約5:24 我實實在在的告訴你們、那聽我話、又信差我來者的、就有永生、不至於定罪、是已經出死入生了。

以上的两節経文，似乎很熟悉，但本週內我卻反覆思量当中的含意！

Shared by Loretta

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甚麼是生命？ 

「生命」- 何謂生命? 牛津字典的解析：the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death. 生命就是能夠生長，繁殖，有活動的能力，會不斷的改，但最終都步向死亡。相信這就是屬世生命、地上的生命。

天父卻要將我們的生命改變，要得著真正的生命﹕「神愛世人，甚至將祂的獨生子賜給他們，叫一切信祂的，不至滅亡，反得永生。」（約三16）

天父要所有相信祂的得到「永遠的生命」–永生是從哪時開始？當每個人信主那一刻，永生就開始了﹕

「信子的有永生；不信子的得不著生命。」(約三36)

「人有了神的兒子就有生命；沒有神的兒子就沒有生命。」(約壹五12)

當我們接受了主耶穌，我們就得到屬天的生命，一個同樣能夠生長，繁殖，會不斷改變的生命, 但最終只是肉體步向死亡，靈卻得享永生。

啟示錄21:1-4「看哪，神的帳幕在人間。他要與人同住，他們要作他的子民。神要親自與他們同在，作他們的神。神要擦去他們一切的眼淚；不再有死亡，也不再有悲哀、哭號、疼痛，因為以前的事都過去了。」

但主耶穌說:「盜賊來，無非要偷竊，殺害，毀壞；我來了，是要叫羊得生命，並且得的更豐盛。」（約十10）我們有沒有將生命的主權完完全全交給耶穌，好讓我們屬天的生命亦得以生長，繁殖，不斷的改變，有著更豐盛的人生。林後五17﹕「若有人在基督裏，他就是新造的人，舊事已過，都變成新的了。」林後四16﹕「所以我們不喪膽，外體雖然毀壞、內心卻一天新似一天。」讓我們每一天都是新造的人，同見證神所賜屬天的生命，將來在新天新地裏再沒有眼淚、死亡、悲哀、哭號、疼痛。

Shared by Yvonne Leung

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甚麼是生命？

「信耶穌、得永生」－這「永生」能使我作門徒嗎？能讓我使人作門徒嗎？

甚麼是「永生」？甚麼是「生命」？

 
My answers for the first 2 questions are positive.  It's because after I have become a Christian & got the 'eternal life'.  I begin to try my best to follow Jesus: adjusting myself to bear the 9 spiritual fruits, studying theological courses & attending Sunday School, joining the Panama missionary trip and so on.  Moreover, as a Christian, I can influence the other brothers & sisters-in-Christ.  To give an example: 7 years before, when one brother-in-Christ knew that I was studying in New York Theological Institute, he took the same course too after one year after me.


To the third question, in my opinion, 'eternal life' is not the life after death. It exists right after I believe in Jesus.  In other words, it takes place in my daily life that I can sense Jesus who is always by my side & I enjoy every moment Jesus gives me, including happiness & sufferings.

To the last question, I think 'life' is given by God who decides how long it is.  Moreover, God has His plan for us.  In other words, we need to live in the way that God what us to be.

Hence, in this way, we can glorify our Lord.
  

Shared by Queenie

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New Life in Christ

Eph 4:20-24 is a very important passage.  It talks about what should be happening with the new life in Christ.  I think the success of the Christian life and of the Christian community hinges on this passage.

However, most people would make the observation that somehow it is not actually happening, at least not significantly.  Christians are just normal people and not much different to non-Christians.  Many observers have reported that churches are not much different to other human organizations.  They are not more righteous nor are they more holy.

On the individual level, we also find that "putting off our old self and putting on the new self" v.22-23  is a process easier said than done.  It seems that for most Christians, the "old self" is still dominant and the "new self" is not coming forth enough.

There is a disparity between "What should be happening?" with "What is happening?".
I think the key to understand this is the word "deceitful" in v.22b.  We are deceived and we are unconscious of it.

A 4-stage model of change should simplify things a little.

Stage 1 - unconscious incompetence

          2 - conscious incompetence

          3 - conscious competence

          4 - unconscious competence

We want the renewal and change in Stage 4, yet we aren't aware to go through Stage 1 and thus can only do a partial job of the works involved in Stage 2 and Stage 3.

Shared by Eric Lau