
211009 XZSavoy 18 22
歷史的責任,是不允許謊言成為永恆。

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211010 新福成人主日學:薩維 Savoy 教會設立原則 04:18-22 高阿丹(1658 Savoy Declaration of Faith 薩維信仰告白= SCF (t.ly/HhBg);西敏信仰告白= WCF)參考文獻:1644 Keyes of the Kingdom by John Cotton (KK) (t.ly/dCMk);1648 劍橋平台 Cambridge Platform (CP) (t.ly/BYDC) ;Standards of American Congregationalism (1648, 1680); Westminster Presbyterial Church-Government (PCG) 1658 Savoy DeclarationThe Institution of Churches, and the Order Appointed in Them by Jesus Christ教會制度,以及耶穌基督在教會中所指定的秩序 高阿丹中文翻譯 18-22 條:教會懲戒 18. 鑑於主耶穌基督已經指定並設立了造就(教會)的方式:那些不按照祂指定的規條和律法行事的人(因此在信仰和生活上正式觸犯教會)要按照祂的名和權柄受懲戒(censure)。
每個教會都各別擁有權力(hath power in itself)按照福音所規範的方式和秩序,行使和執行祂(基督)所指定的所有懲戒。
Whereas the Lord Jesus Christ hath appointed and instituted as a means of edification, that those who walk not according to the rules and laws appointed by him (in respect of faith and life, so that just offence doth arise to the church thereby) be censured in his name and authority. Every church hath power in itself to exercise and execute all those censures appointed by him in the way and order prescribed in the gospel. o 參考新福 WCF 30 成人主日學課程: https://archive.org/details/210814-xzwcf-30-1o 懲戒 censure 是主自己「指定並設立」的一個造就教會的手段/方式 a means of edification.o 「不按照祂指定的規條和律法行事」、在信仰/教義和生活/實踐上觸犯教會——懲戒的基準是基督指定的規條與律法 rules and laws. 因此,教會中沒有人能夠聲稱「我說了就算」,也沒有人能夠純粹訴諸「因為你不順服/你沒有聽我的話」而施行懲戒。
教會中的權力和權柄都是基督賜予的,是 ministerial 服事性的,不是任何官員本身就有的。見第七、九條。o 各個教會都有施行懲戒的權力——教會懲戒的權柄在於各個獨立會堂,不在於區會、總會、國家教會、民事政權等。o 問題:教會中誰有這個權力施行懲戒?官員?會員?還是官員與會員?記得在教會中,官員和會員都有權力,是基督賜予之不同的權力就是所謂「權柄之匙 the key of authority」以及「自由之匙 the key of liberty」。o 見 Keyes 第四章。 19. 基督所指定的懲戒,是訓誡和驅逐。
雖然有些罪行只有某些人知道或可能知道,但基督規定,那些知道這些罪行的人首先要在私下告誡犯罪的人:如果是公共罪行,要在所有人面前告誡。或者在私下告誡後沒有修正的情況下,而罪行與教會有關,而犯罪的人沒有表現出他的悔改,他就該受到整個教會以基督的名義、由教會的長老們進行適當的告誡。如果這告誡不能使他悔改,那麼教會就該同意他將被逐出教會。
The censures so appointed by Christ, are admonition and excommunication. And whereas some offences are or may be known only to some, it is appointed by Christ, that those to whom they are so known, do first admonish the offender in private: in public offences where any sin, before all. Or in case of non-amendment upon private admonition, the offence being related to the church, and the offender not manifesting his repentance, he is to be duly admonished in the name of Christ by the whole church, by the ministry of the elders of the church; and if this censure prevail not for his repentance, then he is to be cast out by excommunication with the consent of the church. o 提前5:12, 17; 來13:17o 教會的懲戒 = 訓誡/督責/責備/警戒 admonition +驅逐 excommunication。
o 訓誡的執行模式——面對面、從私下到公開;太18:17-18。o 「那些知道這些罪行的人首先要。。。」——這是教會執行懲戒非常重要原則,尤其在不願意「憑愛心說實話」的華人教會。在華人教會,找「代言人」「打手」去教訓人應該是最令人厭惡的弊病之一了。在私下,知道犯罪的人有責任指出人的罪——不是去找牧師「訴苦」,然後說「不要說是我講的喔」(性侵/家暴等案例另當別論);教會中有人犯罪,作長老的有責任親自指出/糾正人的罪——不是找「身邊的」親信去傳話(這不僅不造就犯罪的人,更剝削「親信」的屬靈生命)。o 公共罪行,在眾人面前告誡。
提前5:20;加2:11, 14犯罪的人,當在眾人面前責備他,叫其餘的人也可以懼怕。 (1 Tim 5:20)後來,磯法到了安提阿;因他有可責之處,我就當面抵擋他 (Gal 2:11)。。。但我一看見他們行的不正,與福音的真理不合,就在眾人面前對磯法說:你既是猶太人,若隨外邦人行事,不隨猶太人行事,怎麼還勉強外邦人隨猶太人呢? (Gal 2:14)o 長老奉基督的名執行教會訓誡 admonish。怎麼懲戒?除了勸說、督責、警告,長老必須護衛主的餐桌 fence the table。
持續犯罪而不認罪的人,就是已經「不按照規矩」和沒有省察/檢視自己的人,就不能領聖餐。林前11:27-29。o 最終極的步驟,就是把人趕出教會——按照 Cotton 的 Keyes (見第四章), 這是長老在會員同意之下執行的。就如只有教會同意之下,人才可加入教會(見上一堂課第17條),驅逐人出教會必須會員同意。Cotton 和 Goodwin 用的例證是法官和陪審團。
o 教會懲戒是屬靈上的懲戒——待他們如「稅吏和外邦人」,但是就如對待任何罪人,不剝奪他們聚會和聽福音的權益;不要與他們往來(林前5:11;帖後3:6, 14-15),但是不要視他們為仇人,反而要待他們如兄弟。
見 CP 14.6:6. Excommunication being a spiritual punishment, it doth not prejudice the excommunicate in, nor deprive him of his civil rights, and therefore toucheth not princes, or other magistrates, in point of their civil dignity or authority; and, the excommunicate being but as a publi- can and a heathen, heathens being lawfully permitted to come to hear the word in church assemblies, we acknowl- edge therefore the like liberty of hearing the word, may be permitted to persons excommunicate, that is permitted unto heathen. And because we are not without hope of his recovery, we are not to account him as an enemy, but to admonish him as a brother.6. 驅逐是一種屬靈上的懲罰,它不會損害被驅逐者的利益,也不會剝奪他的公民權利,因此不會影響到王子或其他行政長官的民事尊嚴或權力。
而且,既然被驅逐者不過是個稅吏和異教徒,異教徒被合法地允許在教會集會中聽道,我們認知被驅逐者有聽道這類的自由,就像允許異教徒聽道一樣。因為我們對他的挽回並非沒有希望,所以我們不應該把他當作敵人,而應該把他當作兄弟來勸誡。o 新福弟兄姊妹必須學習:一個忠實基督的教會就是施行懲戒的教會、教會懲戒對聖徒來說是恩典。20. 所有的信徒都有義務在合適的時機與地點加入各別獨立會堂(particular churches),因此如果人不服從基督治理他們的懲戒規範,就不受允許享受教會的特權。
As all believers are bound to join themselves to particular churches, when and where they have opportunity so to do, so none are to be admitted unto the privileges of the churches, who do not submit themselves to the rule of Christ in the censures for the government of them. o 加入教會就是加入整個教會、完整基督的身體。
只要教會的權益和好處,而不接受基督設立造就教會的規範,等於將基督的身體撕裂。o 信徒≈加入地方教會≈領受教會一切好處,包括懲戒。
o 因此,不是一個基督教會的會員(不論如何認知「會員/成員」身分——不委身/順服在這個教會的牧養之下),按照第20條,我們憑什麼認他為信徒/基督徒(沒有什麼在教會之外「我自己好好愛基督的基督徒」,見此系列第一堂課:https://archive.org/details/210911-xzsavoy-01-06-1; WCF 25: https://archive.org/details/210710-xzwcf-25edited ),他又憑什麼與教會的聖徒一起領聖餐?(這不是指訪客、或長期委身的非會員、或剛加入聚會的弟兄姊妹)。
21. 既然這是基督在犯罪案件中規範的方式,教會成員在履行了他們因犯罪而應盡的義務之後,就不應該擾亂任何教會秩序,或以此為由缺席公共集會或任何規例的施行,而應該在教會程序中等待基督。
This being the way prescribed by Christ in case of offence, no church-members upon any offences taken by them, having performed their duty required of them in this matter, ought to disturb any church-order, or absent themselves from the public assemblies, or the administration of any ordinances upon that pretence, but to wait upon Christ in the further proceeding of the church. o 受懲戒的會員沒有理由不聚會、不團契、不領聖餐、不履行各種職責和義務等。
o 「在教會程序中等待基督」——認知懲戒是基督教會必須忠實基督而施行的,認知自己是在基督教會中受懲戒。 22. 基督在一個獨立教會中設置了懲戒的權力,只對每個教會的各個會員行使。基督沒有賜予給任何宗教會議或大公會議驅逐人出教會的權力,或通過他們的公布的詔令威脅驅逐人出教會,或以任何理由對教會、官員、或他們(牧養)的人進行其他的教會懲戒。這種懲戒只能按照個人在獨立教會的會員身分以及他個人錯失施行。
The power of censures being seated by Christ in a particular church, is to be exercised only towards particular members of each church respectively as such; and there is no power given by him unto any synods or ecclesiastical assemblies to excommunicate, or by their public edicts to threaten excommunication, or other church-censures against churches, magistrates, or their people upon any account, no man being obnoxious to that censure, but upon his personal miscarriage, as a member of a particular church. o 只有各個獨立會堂有權力對其會員施行懲戒。
o 如果懲戒是基督賦予教會官員權力,那麼教會官員只有權力施行懲戒在基督託付給他的人身上。o 這就是長老會與公理會之間最大的分歧:誰能夠施行懲戒?誰能夠驅逐人出教會?