JOBIE's Life 生活札記

重新分享我在2011年读过的一本书《You Can Change》by Tim Chester

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在英国读了一些真的很好很好很好的书，学习到很多，在这里想要跟大家分享。 在英国的两 年，其实经历到最多的好像是跟罪的搏斗，以前曾经认为是‘大家 都会犯的罪’，也变得特别的敏感，想要改变，却发现我好像是罪的奴隶，每一次都输。这本书《You Can Change》提醒我很多神的能力，恩典，还有很多很实用的对策，所以希望慢慢和大家分享。我只把我觉得是重点的记录下来，还有英文的表达和中文的有点不 同，有些句子太难翻译的话，我就直接用英文。希望大家用心看完，彼此分享，一起学习。

第一章：What would you like to change? 你想要改变什么？

1. The New Testament sometimes says we should be like God and sometimes says we should be like Christ. It's because Christ is the true image of God.

新约有时说我们要像神，有时又说我们要像基督，那是因为基督就是神本体的真相。

2. The word 'holy' means 'set apart' or 'consecrated'. For Jesus, holiness meant being set apart from, or different from, our sinful ways. It didn't mean being set apart from the world, but being consecrated to God in the world.

圣洁的意思是从罪恶中分别出来。

3. Jesus is the perfect person, the true image of God, the glory of the Father. And God's agenda for change is for us to become like Jesus.

唯有耶稣是完美的人，神本体的真相，而神对我们的改变计划就是要我们更像耶稣。

4. However, trying to imitate Jesus on its own only leaves me feeling a failure. The great news is that Jesus is not only my example, but also my Redeemer.

然而，考着自己试着模仿耶稣只会让自己感到更加挫败，好消息是耶稣不只是我们的模范，也是我们的救赎者！

5. Moral effort, fear of judgement and sets of rules can't bring lasting change. But amazing things happen when we 'turn to the Lord'. On our own, we can't be the people we want to be. We're trapped by our emotions and desires. But when we turn to the Lord, Jesus sets us free through the Spirit.

道德上的努力，害怕审判，律法不能带来永久的改变，只有当我转向耶稣。考着自己我们不能成为我们想要成为的人。我们会被自己的欲望感受牵制，但当我们转向神，神的灵会释放我们。

第二章：Why would you like to change? 为什么你想改变？

 1. You would like to change  我想改变因为

(A) to prove myself to God 我要向神证明自己

The problem is that we seem to be hard-wired to think we must do something to make God favourably disposed towards us.

我们的问题在于我们认为我们必须要做些什么让神喜悦我们。

God can't love you more than he does now - no matter how much you change your life. And God won't love you less than he does now - no matter what mess you make of your life.

神不能爱你比现在更多，不管你多努力尝试想改变自己的生命；神也不会爱你比现在更少，不管你的生命有多糟糕。

(B) to prove myself to other people 向别人证明自己

Instead, we should be comparing ourselves to Jesus, finding we fall a long way short of God's standards, and discovering that we desperately need a Savior.

与其向别人证明自己，我们应该跟耶稣比较，发现其实自己和神的标准还差得远，

(C) to prove myself to myself 向自己证明自己

What I feel when I sin is the offense against me and my self-esteem, not the offense against God.

2. What's wrong with wanting to change so that we can prove ourselves to God or people or ourselves? It doesn't work. We can never change enough to impress God. Trying to impress God, others or ourselves put US at the centre of our change project. It makes change all about MY looking good. It is done for MY glory.

为了向神，别人或自己证明自己的改变是没有果效的。我们永远不能改变足够来取悦神。这样的改变计划只是把自己放在中心，如何改变让自己感觉更好，为的是自己的荣耀。

3. It is pretty much the definition of sin. Sin is living for my glory instead of God's. Sin is living life my way, for me, instead of living life God's way, for God. Pharisees do good works and repent of bad works. But gospel repentance includes repenting of good works done for wrong reasons. We need to repent of trying to be our own saviour.

这其实就是罪。罪就是活在自己的荣耀，而不是神的荣耀，罪就是根据自己的方式生活，而不是行在神的旨意里。法利赛人也做善工，也为恶行痛悔，但是圣经的教导包括为了错误的出发点而行的善事痛悔。我们应该为着想要成为自己的救主而悔改。

4. We want to justify ourselves -- to demonstrate we're worthy of God or respectable in the eyes of other people. But we're justified through faith in what Christ has done. When you feel the desire to prove yourself, remember you're right with God in Christ. You can't do anything to make yourself more acceptable to God than you already are. Your identity isn't dependent on your change. You're a child of the heavenly king.

我们想要证明自己是讨神喜悦的，在别人眼中是值得尊敬的，但是事实是我们已经被耶稣所成就的，透过信心，称义了！当你想要证明自己时，记得你已经被神接纳，你不能再做些什么让自己比现在更被神接纳，你的身份不在于你的改变，而在于你是天父的孩子。

5. When we try to prove ourselves by our good works, we are saying that the cross wasn't enough. We don't do good works so that we can be saved; we are saved so that we can do good works.

每当我们想要藉着善行或自己的改变证明自己时，我们其实是在说十字架不足够。我们不是为了得救而做善事或改变，我们是已经得救了所以可以做善事和改变。

6. The essence of holiness is not new behaviour, activity or disciplines. Holiness is new affections, new desires and new motives that then lead to new behaviour.

圣洁的意义不在于新的行为举止，而是新的动机欲望，所带来新的行为。

7.  When you aim to prove yourself, your focus will be the consequences of your sin rather than hating the sin itself and desiring God in its place. Many people change their behaiour, but their motives and desires are still wrong so their new behaviour is no more pleasing to God than their old behaviour.

当你想要证明自己，你的焦点变会在恨恶罪所带来的后果，而不是恨恶罪本身，和想要把神放在第一位。很多人改变了不好的行为，但他们改变的动机错误，因此他们新的行为其实也没有比旧的行为多讨神喜悦。

8. The Bible talks about our new identity and provide us with strong motives for change. (A) You are a child of the Father (B) You are the bride of the Son (C) You are the home of the Holy Spirit

圣经提醒了我们的身份，并提供我们动力去改变，我们是神的孩子，是基督的新娘，是圣灵的居所

9. Our motive for change: To enjoy the freedom from sin and delight in God that God gives to us through Jesus

我们改变的真正动力：享受不被罪捆绑的自由，和神藉着耶稣给我们的在神里面的喜乐

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Reflection:

- Sin promises fun and excitement but it delivers pain and tragedy.

罪承诺刺激与享乐，但他带来痛苦与不幸

- Sin promises freedom but it delivers slavery and addiction.

 罪承诺自由，但他带来奴役与成迷

- Sin promises life and fulfillment but it delivers emptiness, frustration and death.

 罪承诺成就感，但他带来空虚，焦虑和死亡

- Sin promises gain but it delivers loss.

 罪承诺得着，但他带来失去

- Sin promises that we can get away with it, but the fact is, we don't.

罪承诺我们一定能离开他，但是事实是我们不能

 常常把罪的谎言记下，在面对试探诱惑的时候可以揭下他的面具，之后再跟大家继续分享！！