Friday, April 26, 2013

A call to personal holiness

DEAR LORD JESUS
In your mercy, you have sanctified our body to be the temple of God.

You desired us to be holy as you are holy. You have purify us to live a holy life.

As obedient children, we want to be made holy and to honour you with our body and to offer them as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to you.

In your faithfulness, strengthen our inner man and help us flee from sexual sins common to man such as our own evil desires of lusts, sinful thoughts, and temptations outside our body, and teach us to exercise self –control to avoid sexual immorality against the body.

We thank you that you have justified us and we invite the Holy Spirit to enable us to be holy and honourable in all we do. We pray that we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear, and will stand firm and not to fall, so that we may not sin against you.

AMEN

 

1 Peter 1:15-16


15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;

16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

那召你们的既是圣洁的,你们在一切所行的事上也要圣洁。因为圣经上记着说:“你们要圣洁,因为我是圣洁的。”


1 Cor 1:2

2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-their Lord and ours:

写信给在哥林多神的教会,就是在基督耶稣里已经被分别为圣,蒙召为圣徒的人,和所有在各地呼求我们主耶稣基督的名的人。基督是他们的主,也是我们的主

Romans 12:1

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.

所以弟兄们,我凭着神的仁慈劝你们,要把身体献上,作圣洁而蒙 神悦纳的活祭;这是你们理所当然的事奉。

2 Timothy 2:19b 21-22

"Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."

然而,神坚固的根基已经立定,上面刻着这样的印:“主认识属于他的人”和“凡称呼主名的人都应当离开不义”。

21 If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

人若自洁,离开卑贱的事,就必作贵重的器皿,成为圣洁,合主使用,预备行各样的善事。

22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

你应当逃避年轻人的私欲,要和那些以清洁的心求告主的人,一同追求公义、信心、爱心、和平。

2 Cor 7:1

1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

以,亲爱的,我们有了这些应许,就应该洁净自己,除去身体和心灵上的一切污秽,存着敬畏 神的心,达到成圣的地步。

1Cor 10:12-13

12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

所以,那自以为站得稳的,应当谨慎,免得跌倒。

你们所受的试探,无非是人受得起的;神是信实的,他必不容许你们受试探过于你们抵受得住的,而且在受试探的时候,必定给你们开一条出路,使你们能忍受得住

James 1:13-17

13 When tempted, no-one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

人被试探,不可说“我被 神试探”;因为 神不能被恶试探,他也不试探任何人

每一个人受试探,都是被自己的私欲所勾引诱惑的。

私欲怀了胎,就生出罪;罪长成了,就产生死亡。

我亲爱的弟兄们,不要看错了。

各样美好的赏赐,各样完备的恩赐,都是从上面、从众光之父降下来的,他本身并没有改变,也没有转动的影子。

1Cor 6:9b 11 13b 18 a

9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Sexual Immorality

12 "Everything is permissible for me"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"-but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"-but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!

16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." 17 But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body.

你们不知道不义的人不能承受 神的国吗?不要自欺,无论是行淫乱的、拜偶像的、奸淫的、作娈童的、亲男色的、

你们有些人从前也是这样的,但现在借着我们主耶稣基督的名,靠着我们 神的灵,都已经洗净了,圣洁了,称义了。

食物是为了肚腹,肚腹是为了食物;但 神却要把这两样都废掉。身体不是为了淫乱,而是为了主,主也是为了身体。

你们要逃避淫乱的事。人所犯的,无论是什么罪,都是在身体以外,唯有行淫乱的,是触犯自己的身体

1Cor 7:2-5

2 But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfil his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

但为了避免淫乱的事,男人应当各有自己的妻子,女人也应当各有自己的丈夫。

丈夫对妻子应该尽他的本分,妻子对丈夫也应当这样。

妻子对自己的身体没有主权,权在丈夫;照样,丈夫对自己的身体也没有主权,权在妻子

夫妻不可彼此亏负,除非为了要专心祷告,双方才可以同意暂时分房。以后仍要同房,免得撒但趁着你们情不自禁的时候诱惑你们。

1 Thess 4:3-7

3 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honourable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no-one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

神的旨意是要你们圣洁,远避淫行;

要你们各人晓得怎样用圣洁尊贵的方法保守自己的身体(“身体”原文作“器皿”);

不要放纵邪情私欲,像那些不认识 神的外族人一样;

谁也不要在这事上越轨,占弟兄的便宜,因为这一类的事,主必报应。这是我们从前告诉过你们,又严严警戒过你们的。

神呼召我们,不是要我们沾染污秽,而是要我们圣洁。

1 Peter 14-16
14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

你们既是顺服的儿女,就不要再效法从前无知的时候放纵私欲的生活。

那召你们的既是圣洁的,你们在一切所行的事上也要圣洁。

因为圣经上记着说:“你们要圣洁,因为我是圣洁的。”