第05个主日 第二部分 释放
第十二问
Q. According to God’s righteous judgment we deserve punishment both now and in eternity: how then can we escape this punishment and return to God’s favor?
按照神的公义审判，我们都当受刑罚，无论今生还是永恒； 那么我们怎样才能逃脱这刑罚并回到神的喜悦中？
A. God requires that his justice be satisfied. [1] Therefore the claims of this justice must be paid in full, either by ourselves or by another. [2]
神要求祂的公义得以满足。[1] 因此，这公义所要求的必须得以完全清偿，无论由我们自己，或是由于另一位。[2]
- Ex. 23:7; Rom. 2:1-11
- Isa. 53:11; Rom. 8:3-4
第十三问
Q. Can we make this payment ourselves?
我们能自己清偿吗？
A. Certainly not. Actually, we increase our debt every day.1
显然不能。 事实上，我们每天都增加我们的亏欠。[1]
- Matt. 6:12; Rom. 2:4-5
第十四问
Q. Can another creature - any at all - pay this debt for us?
有其他任何受造之物可以为我们清偿吗？
A. No. To begin with,
God will not punish any other creature for what a human is guilty of. [1]
Furthermore,
no mere creature can bear the weight of God’s eternal wrath against sin and deliver others from it. [2]
没有。
首先，神不会因为人所犯的罪而责罚其他受造之物。[1]
其次，区区受造之物，没有可以担当神对罪的永恒愤怒并释放其他人的。[2]
- Ezek. 18:4, 20; Heb. 2:14-18
- Ps. 49:7-9; 130:3
第十五问
Q. What kind of mediator and deliverer should we look for then?
那么我们当寻找怎样的中保和拯救者呢？
A. One who is a true [1] and righteous [2] human, yet more powerful than all creatures, that is, one who is also true God. [3]
这位必须是真[1]而义[2]的人，又是比众受造之物更有能力的，也就是说，祂必须也是真实的神。[3]
- Rom. 1:3; 1 Cor. 15:21; Heb. 2:17
- Isa. 53:9; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26
- Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Jer. 23:6; John 1:1