你非常推崇的奧古斯丁表示:
早期教會的核心關注是信徒必須一生儆醒,堅持信仰到底。因此,信徒是否有把握自己必
然得救,不是他們的關注。奧古斯丁多次表達類似的教導。他在《責備和恩典》(On Rebu
ke and Grace)的第四十章(13.40)指出﹕「沒有人肯定自己的預定和得救。」 “No One
is Certain and Secure of His Own Predestination and
Salvation.”他強調有些人,有信仰的開始,但不能持續到底。[10]奧古斯丁是要強調,
我們一生都需要緊緊跟從神,要常常謙卑,都需要神的恩典。奧古斯丁在第四十二章指出
,有些人有起步的信,但後來離棄神,也因此被神離棄。[11]奧古斯丁在《堅忍的禮物》
(On the Gift of Perseverance)一書指出﹕「所以我們不能肯定有任何人在他在生的時
候,已經得到神所賜堅忍到底這禮物。若果在他死以前跌倒,他當然沒有被保守到底。」
你回答不出來的,奧古斯丁回答了。
[10] “who have not received the gift of perseverance to the end, begin to liv
e in the faith which works by love, and live for some time faithfully and righ
teously, and afterwards fall away, and are not taken away from this life befor
e this happens to them.” http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1513.htm.
[11] “Or they receive the grace of God, but they are only for a season, and d
o not persevere; they forsake and are forsaken. For by their free will, as the
y have not received the gift of perseverance, they are sent away by the righte
ous and hidden judgment of God.” Chapter 42, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers
/1513.htm.
[12] “Therefore it is uncertain whether any one has received this gift so lon
g as he is still alive. For if he fall before he dies, he is, of course, said
not to have persevered; and most truly is it said.”http://www.ccel.org/ccel/s
chaff/npnf105.xxi.iii.iii.html.
原文
http://www.chinesetheology.com/OnceSavedAlwaysSaved.htm
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