使徒行传22:16 /02

作者：谢德华 (©By Edward Short)

Acts 22:16 /02

©By Edward Short

我的朋友也是一位基督教传道人。记得有一天在星期天的敬拜聚会快要结束时，朋友做了报告，说，周四晚上，七点钟，他要开始六个礼拜的课程，专门为了那些正在考虑是不是要成为基督徒的朋友们。课程的目的至少有二：我朋友要把一些基督教和《圣经》的真理教导给那些慕道友，他也要回答他们对基督教的问题。

六个礼拜的课程中，有一课讲解“洗礼”的意义。在我的经验中，连很多非基督徒知道洗礼是进入基督教的门，是基督徒和非基督徒之划分，是耶稣基督的“门徒”和“门外徒”的差别。

其实，我应该说是“差别之一”，因为它不是唯一的差别。但是，说的也是，洗礼是很明显的差别。

《圣经新约》描述的很清楚，教导我们洗礼的重要意义。有一位本来逼迫基督教的犹太人，名叫保罗。当保罗明白了真情，想要成为基督徒时，亚那尼亚向他说：“现在你为什么要耽延呢？起来！求告他的名受洗，洗去你的罪”[使徒行传22:16]。

从这句话里，我们可知洗礼的部分意义。亚那尼亚告诉保罗说，当他受洗，在那时刻，上帝要“洗去你的罪”。保罗已经明白自己逼迫耶稣基督这个行动是错的。原先，保罗毁谤基督徒，把基督徒送去坐牢，同意犹太宗教头头处死基督徒。甚至于，几年之后，保罗回想到他逼迫基督徒的时候，形容自己为“罪魁”或“最坏的一个”人[提摩太前书1:15，和合本和普通话本]。

以下的是保罗自己的记载：“这一点大祭司和全体长老议会可以证实。我从大祭司和长老那里拿到他们给大马士革犹太人同胞的一些信，然后去了那里，以便我去把在那里的耶稣的信徒作为囚犯带回耶路撒冷受到惩罚”[使徒行传22:5]。保罗在路上时，耶稣向他显现，叫他进城，说：“那儿会有人告诉你该做的一切”。果然，不错，亚那尼亚告诉保罗的话包括这一句：“现在你为什么要耽延呢？起来！求告他的名受洗，洗去你的罪”。

保罗接受了亚那尼亚的话，接受了耶稣为他的主，受了洗，洗去了他的罪孽。非基督徒的保罗变成基督徒保罗；“门外”的保罗变为门徒保罗。

我朋友所开的慕道班里，也有人相信耶稣是神的儿子，所以他们也接受了洗礼，成为基督徒。您呢？

One of my friends is also a Christian minister.  I recall one Sunday worship hour, shortly before the service ended, my friend made an announcement.  He said that on Thursday, at 7:00 p.m., he would begin teaching a six-week course of study, especially for those who were considering becoming Christians.  The course would have at least two purposes:  My friend wanted to teach certain truths about Christianity and the Bible, and he also wanted to answer whatever questions anyone present might have regarding Christianity.

The six-week course included one lesson on the meaning of baptism.  According to my experience, even many non-Christians know that baptism is the door by which someone enters Christianity; they know that baptism is the dividing line between Christian and non-Christian, i.e., it is the difference between those who have become disciples of Jesus Christ and those who are still standing on the outside.

Actually, I should say that baptism is “one of the differences,” since baptism is not the only difference.  It is however one of the more visible of the several actions that separate Christian and non-Christian. 

The New Testament portion of the Bible states the importance of baptism very clearly.  Once, there was a Jew who persecuted Christians and whose name was Paul.  When Paul learned the truth however and decided to become a Christian, Ananias told him , “And now, what are you waiting for?  Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name” [Acts 22:16]. 

From this statement, we can know part of the meaning of baptism.  Ananias told Paul that when he was baptized, at that moment, God would “wash your sins away.”  Paul already understood that persecuting Jesus Christ was wrong.  Paul had maligned Christians, sent them to prison and supported decisions by the Jewish religious leaders to kill them.  Years later, as he looked back on his former days, Paul depicted himself as “the chief of sinners” or “the worst of sinners” [1 Timothy 1:15 NIV and Easy-to-Read Version]. 

Here is how Paul described the situation himself:  “as also the high priest and all the Council can testify.  I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished” [Acts 22:5].   When Paul was on the road, Jesus appeared to him and told him to enter the city; Jesus said “There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.”  And that’s exactly what happened!  Included in what Ananias told Paul was the sentence, “And now, what are you waiting for?  Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.”

Paul accepted what Ananias said and accepted Jesus as his Savior; Paul was baptized and his sins were washed away.  The non-Christian Paul became the Christian Paul; he who was outside the gate entered it, and became a disciple of Christ.

Some of those who attended the special class my friend taught, also expressed belief in Jesus as the Son of God, and were baptized into Christ.  How about you?

                                        Rev. Dec. 13, 2005