罗马书6:4；约翰福音3:3

作者：谢德华 (©By Edward Short)

Romans 6:4; John 3:3

©By Edward Short

耶稣基督在世的时候，曾经告诉一位名叫尼哥底母，“人若不重生，就不能见神的国”[约翰福音3:3]。当时，尼哥底母听不懂耶稣在讲什么，但是以后，“重生”变成基督教很重要的基本教义。

《圣经》的罗马书六章四至五节形容基督教“重生”这件事情，如下：“所以我们藉着洗礼归入死，和他一同埋葬，原是叫我们一举一动，有新生的样式，像基督藉着父的荣耀从死里复活一样”。换句话说，张三想要“重生”，他就要受洗。这句话假设张三明白耶稣基督的真理，相信耶稣，已经闭门思过而下了决心要改邪归正，转向耶稣。下一步，张三要受洗。受洗就让张三与耶稣一同埋葬，所以当他从水里上来，他就“重生”了。

从水里上来以后呢？我们的经文说的很清楚：“叫我们一举一动，有新生的样式，像基督藉着父的荣耀从死里复活一样”。受洗重生以后，张三就要有新的生活方式。过去骂人；现在不骂人。过去偷懒；现在用功。过去过一个以自己为中心的生活；现在过一个以神为中心，以别人为中心的生活。以前他夸讲自己；受洗重生归入耶稣以后，荣耀神。所以《圣经》给张三立下既新又高的标准；是什么呢？“是叫我们一举一动，有新生的样式”。换句话说，成为基督徒以后，就要开始活出耶稣的真理来，活出耶稣的爱来，要改过自新。

耶稣所说的一个比喻，浪子回头的故事，浪子醒悟过来了，想到父亲家有粮食，有爱，他就回家了。没想到父亲在门口等待着他。一见到他就拥抱他，为他开了宴会，请客加菜，欢迎儿子回了家。儿子完全改过自新，接受了父亲的爱和原谅。

今天，您和我，转向耶稣，闭门思过，悔改。我们接受洗礼，与耶稣基督一同埋葬复活，让神的恩典拯救我们，赐给我们新的生命。在此我们就重生。重生以后，生命要改变，“叫我们一举一动，有新生的样式”。

朋友，欢迎您如此行。

While Jesus was on earth he spoke with a man named Nicodemus and told him, “…no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” [John 3:3, NIV].  Nicodemus didn’t understand what Jesus meant, but years later “rebirth” became an important element of Christian teaching. 

The book of Romans describes the concept of “rebirth” as it’s used in Christianity.  “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ Jesus was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” [Romans 6:3-5, NIV].  In other words, if someone wants to be “reborn” he should be baptized.  My statement assumes that the person understands the truths of Jesus Christ, believes in Jesus, has done a lot of introspection and has decided to turn toward Jesus by giving up evil and doing good.  The next step is that he should be baptized.  In baptism, he will be buried with Jesus and so when he comes up out of the water he will have been “reborn.”

What about after baptism?  Our Scripture is quite clear: "just as Christ Jesus was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”  After a person is baptized (reborn), he should live a different kind of life. He used to speak unkindly to people; now he doesn’t.  He used to be lazy; now he’s industrious.  He used to think the world revolved around him; now he knows it revolves around God.  He sees that the world has people in it other than himself.  He used to brag about what he had done; after baptism into Jesus, he lives for and praises God.  The Bible gives this person a high purpose for himself, what the Bible simply calls “a new life.”  In other words, after he becomes a Christian, he starts all over and the teachings and love of Jesus will be evident in everything he does. 

Remember the parable of Jesus, the one about the sinful son who turned his life around?  When this prodigal son came to himself and thought about his father’s home, he knew there was food there and he remembered there was love there; so he went home.  What he didn’t realize was that his father would be standing at the door waiting for him.  His father greeted him with a hug and threw a party in his honor, invited guests and had a feast and welcomed his son back home.  The son changed completely, and he accepted his father’s love and forgiveness. 

Today, in the privacy of our hearts, you and I turn toward Jesus; we think about our lives and repent of our sins.  Then we want to be baptized.  In baptism we participate in the burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and allow the grace of God to save us and give us new life.  We’re reborn.  After our new birth, everything changes and we “live a new life.” 

I hope you’ll take this step very soon.

May 25, 2005, rev. Sept. 26, 2005    ES/ OKDB