人死后,是否还有机会得救?
(2012-09-11 19:18:08)
下一个
今天探讨一个历世历代神学家不断有争议并且没有定论的问题:“人肉体死后,是否还有机会得救?”探讨之前要首先明确基督教信仰的几个要点:1。得救只有一条路,那就是信靠耶稣,此外没有别的路可走;2。得救完全是出自神的恩典;3。 得救对活着的人来讲是一个过程,这个过程是人的自由意志选择与神的恩典同工的过程。耶稣在世上时,行过许多神迹,四福音书里各有记载,其中死而复活的神迹每个福音书里都有。有人可能争论说,【马太】福音,【马可】福音,和【路加】福音里记录了一位管理会堂人的一个女儿死而复活,故而有理由相信1。管理会堂的人信神,他的女儿也信神,所以能得救;2。这里女儿可能是孩子(马可提到12岁),耶稣明确说孩子可以进天国的。【路加】福音还记录了一个寡妇的儿子死而复活的神迹,这里没有提寡妇是谁,她信不信耶稣,但是耶稣却让她的儿子死而复活得救了。【约翰】福音里记录了马大和马利亚的弟弟拉撒路死而复活的神迹,人门可以争论因为“耶稣素来爱马大和她妹子,并拉撒路”【约翰十一5】,但是耶稣在十一章25节到26节提到“耶稣对他们说,复活在我,生命也在我,信我人虽然死了,也必复活。凡活着信我的人,必永远不死” 这里提到“信我的人虽然死了也必复活”,紧接着又强调“凡活着信我的人,必永远不死” 你可以争论死的定义,但是不能否认无论是肉体死还是灵死,神都可以让他们得救。不过圣经里提到的大多是信神的人。圣经里明确告诉我们什么人死后可以得救:信耶稣基督的人;孩子(教父奥古斯丁说只有受洗的孩子,显然是他个人的主观意识)。圣经里也明确告诉我们什么人死后不能得救:听了福音拒绝神的人。 那么剩下的就是没有听到福音的人或者听到了,但是由于传的人没讲清楚等原因的人死后能否得救? 圣经里没有明确的文字,需要神的启示。首先我们要探讨一下人。上帝造人时,给人肉体和灵魂,并且赋予人自由意志。神在不同时期通过不同方式引领失落的人得救,人听到得救的好消息(福音),要用自由意志做选择,即人的灵与神的灵同工。本来人全是偏行己路,耶稣来了用他的宝血遮盖我们的罪,我们才能在灵里与神相通。人的灵与神的灵想通后,不能间断,断了灵魂联系的人生就又回到过去,成了只有肉体的人,人也失去了人生的意义,因为肉体终要毁坏归于尘土,而亡灵是不能相通的,极其孤独,没有安慰。【路加】福音十六章讲的“财主和拉撒路的故事”至少让我们或者活着的人知道:1。肉体的死不是终结,人肉体死后,灵魂长存;2。信神的人死了,灵魂和神在一起,并且有安慰。生前不信神的人死了,灵魂在阴间,这些灵魂之间没有交往。所以有活着不信的人说:反正下地狱的不是我一个人,到时有的是人,不孤单。这是错误的;3。生前不信神的人死后,没有第二次机会了【希伯来书十章26节】:因为我们得知真道以后,若故意犯罪,赎罪的祭就再没有了;4。不信的人看到神迹也不会信;所以活着能做选择是人生的意义之所在。福音核心是:“神爱世人,甚至将他的独生子赐给他们,叫一切信他的,不至灭亡,反得永生。”【约翰三章16节】,再有就是“你们往普天下去,传福音给万民听。”【马可十六章15节】。显然传福音是极其重要的,保罗在【罗马书十章】提到“然而,人未曾信他,怎能求他呢?未曾听见他,怎能信他呢?没有传道的,怎能听见呢?若没有奉差遣,怎能传道呢?如经上所记:『报福音、传喜信的人,他们的脚踪何等佳美。』。。。可见信道是从听道来的,听道是从基督的话来的” 这里保罗似乎是回答当时一些犹太人的一些推辞接受福音的理由,但是结合大使命的信息,我们有理由相信,听到福音的人,无法推委了。神借着传教士,现代科技等等手段将没有听到福音人的范围缩小。希望这段能对听到福音还没有信的人有所帮助;对于已经信的人,传福音,传神的真道,努力学习,幸苦为主做工成了当务之急,不可怠慢。有人听不到福音,会怪罪人。当然神是全知的神,它洞察一切。真没有听到福音,和听到福音但是还不明白,神是全知的。剩下的就是从来没有听到福音的人死后是否还有机会的问题? 如果你说这部分人没有机会了, 请你回答下面的几个问题:1。上帝是不是给每一个人一个得救的机会?(Yes/No)2。上帝是不是既是活人的神,也是死人的神?(Yes/No)3。耶稣是不是肉体和灵的全然死而复活?(Yes/No)这是个神学上不断争议的话题,我们先看看早期的教父们如何认同:Shepherd of Hermas (c.160 A.D.) book 3 ch.16 refers to those who died before Christ and before being baptized. It says apostles and teachers [no mention of Christ] preached it to those already asleep. Justin Martyr (138-165 A.D.) Those who did which was universally, naturally, and eternally good are pleasing to God, they will be saved through Christ in the resurrection equally with the righteous men before them, such as Noah, Enoch, Jacob, and others. Dialogue with Trypho ch.45 p.217. Also, First Apology of Justin Martyr (c.150 A.D.) ch.63 p.184 mentions that those who died are "yet in existence and men belonging to Christ Himself." Also First Apology of Justin Martyr ch.46 p.178 Irenaeus of Lyons (182-188 A.D.) "It was for this reason, too, that the Lord descended into the regions beneath the earth, preaching His advent there also and [declaring] the remission of sins received by those who believe in Him. Now all those believed in Him who had hope towards Him, that is, those who proclaimed His advent, and submitted to his dispensations, the righteous men, the prophets, and the patriarchs, For ‘all men come short of the glory of the God,’ and are not justified of themselves, but by the advent of the Lord," Irenaeus Against Heresies Book 4 ch.27.1 p.499 Irenaeus of Lyons (182-188 A.D.) "And on this account all things have been [by general consent] placed under the sway of Him who is styled the Most High, and the Almighty. By calling upon Him, even before the coming of our Lord, men were saved both from most wicked spirits, and from all kinds of demons, and from every sort of apostate power." Irenaeus Against Heresies book 2 ch.6.2 p.365 Clement of Alexandria: (193-202 A.D.) answers about those who never heard the Gospel. Wherefore the Lord preached the Gospel to those in Hades. Accordingly the Scripture says, "Hades says to Destruction, We have not seen His form, but we have heard His voice." [allusion to Job 28:22] It is not plainly the place, which, the words above say, heard the voice, but those who have been put in Hades, and have abandoned themselves to destruction, as persons who have thrown themselves voluntarily from a ship into the sea. They, then, are those that hear the divine power and voice. For who in his senses can suppose the souls of the righteous and those of sinners in the same condemnation, charging Providence with injustice? But how? Do not [the Scriptures] show that. the Lord reached the Gospel to those that perished in the flood, or rather had been chained, and to those kept "in ward and guard"? And it has been shown also, in the second book of the Stromata, that the apostles, following the Lord, preached the Gospel to those in Hades. For it was requisite, in my opinion, that as here, so also there, the best of the disciples should be imitators of the Master; so that He should bring to repentance those belonging to the Hebrews, and they the Gentiles; that is, those who had lived in righteousness according to the Law and Philosophy, who had ended life not perfectly, but sinfully. For it was suitable to the divine administration, that those possessed of greater worth in righteousness, and whose life had been pre-eminent, on repenting of their transgressions, though found in another place, yet being confessedly of the number of the people of God Almighty, should be saved, each one according to his individual knowledge. And, as I think, the Saviour also exerts His might because it is His work to save; which accordingly He also did by drawing to salvation those who became willing, by the preaching [of the Gospel], to believe on Him, wherever they were. If, then, the Lord descended to Hades for no other end but to preach the Gospel, as He did descend; it was either to preach the Gospel to all or to the Hebrews only. If, accordingly, to all, then all who believe shall be saved, although they may be of the Gentiles, on making their profession there; since God's punishments are saving and disciplinary, leading to conversion, and choosing rather the repentance thorn the death of a sinner;" The Stromata book 6 ch.6 p.490-491 Tertullian (198-220 A.D.) mentions that Christ went to Hades "that He might there make the patriarchs and prophets partakers of Himself." (It does not say whether or not Jesus preached to them though.) A Treatise on the Soul ch.55 p.231. Hippolytus (222-235/6 A.D.) "He [Jesus] who is become the preacher of the Gospel to the dead, the redeemer of souls, and the resurrection of the buried;" Fragment from Commentary on Psalm 19 or 20 p.170. Also ch.7.14 p.189 Origen (225-254 A.D.) "but also, then when He became a soul, without the covering of the body, He dwelt among those souls which were without bodily covering, converting such of them as were willing to Himself, or those who He saw, for reasons known to Him alone, to be better adapted to such a course." Origen Against Celsus book 2 ch.43 p.448 Ambrose of Milan (340-397 A.D.) No opportunity Augustine of Hippo (370-400 A.D.) taught that God gives many (including all unbaptized infants) no opportunity to escape Hell. 5-point Calvinists (1509-1900 A.D) today believe there is no opportunity for many people. 仔细分析可以看出了,基督教合法化(313AD)以前的教父承认有机会;基督教成为国教以后的教父不承认。政教合一以后的腐败现实,和中世纪的宗教黑暗,让我们有理由相信早期门徒时期的教父,因为他们在迫害下宣讲真理,出于真诚的良知。这不是说基督教合法化后教父们不可信,只是他们加上了过多的个人主观思想。从来没听到福音的人,得救的可能性有没有呢?。因为这些人没有“自由意志”做选择了,只有神来做主。就象保罗在【罗马书九章15节】“我要怜悯谁,就怜悯谁;要恩待谁,就恩待谁”。 如果神不恩待这批人,他们也不冤枉。承认有机会不意味着“普世救恩”和“二次机会”;说没有机会得救了,似乎主观意念太强,这种可能性也不大。为什么我们如此关心这部分人呢? 因为:1。 我们有“大使命”的任务在肩上,还有没有听到福音的人,我们需要为主不停工作2。 我们的亲人还有生前没有信主的,我们要快马加鞭,将神的真道讲给他们。3。 我们已经死了的亲属,由于他们没有机会听到福音,我们担心他们下到地狱。但是耶稣基督的全然死而复活,让我们相信神会按它的标准去救赎有心归属它的人,无论他们是肉体死了还是灵魂还没有苏醒,神是全知全能的神。阿门!附上两段有争议的经文:【彼前三19】「他藉这灵曾去传道给那些在监狱里的灵听,」神学家对这段经文的解释颇有争论,任何主观而绝对的结论,都是枉然,我们只能说某种解释比较正确或者说对的概率比较大。在这(灵)里,他也曾去向那些在监管中的灵(复数)宣告他已完成了救赎大工。这是一种解释。如果是宣告,根据上下文它主要是对那些先前信靠神的而今肉体死的人的一种安慰,告诉他们耶稣已经战胜死亡,这对当时受逼迫的基督徒是一个极大的鼓舞。至于去没有去阴间,神是无所不能的,没有时空观念的。它想去哪里就去哪里,丝毫不会影响它的圣洁,公义等道德属性和非道德属性。但是如果我们放下争议,我们至少都认同,在灵里上帝是可以和生前信神的,以及不信神的交流的。彼前四6】「为此,就是死人也曾有福音传给他们,要叫他们的肉体按着人受审判,他们的灵性却靠神活着。」又一段颇有争论没有定论的经文。“死人”可以是肉体死的人,也可以是灵性死的人。肉体死的人好理解,即肉体腐烂归于尘土了;灵性死的人就是指人的灵不与神有交往了,但是灵是永远不灭的。从上下文来看,这里的死人是指生前听了福音并信了,目前肉体死了的人。