10月1日

標　　題：痛苦的提醒

經　　節：但有些猶太人從安提阿和以哥念來，挑唆眾人，就用石頭打保羅，以為他是死了，便拖到城外。（使徒行傳十四章19節）

神使用許多方法使我們斷念不再犯罪。其中一個方法是為我們安排能提醒我們的事物，使我們永遠不會悖逆祂。在保羅改變信仰成為基督徒之前，他理所當然地自認在神面前是公義的。實際上，保羅根本失去判斷力，他逮捕基督徒並運行判決，好討神喜悅！當保羅看司提反因信仰而殘忍地被謀殺時，他的心是那麼地盲目，不明白神的旨意。當時保羅的心很冷酷，甚至決定要捉拿其他的基督徒。

在新約中，曾記載兩處用石頭打人的事件，值得我們注意的是：一次是打司提反，一次是打保羅。神容許保羅像司提反一樣被石頭打，這是偶然發生的事件嗎？神當然早已赦免保羅當初有分于殺害司提反的行為，然而，神也留給他一個提醒，不叫他忘掉當初因為驕傲自負所犯的錯誤。如果驕傲曾經一度使保羅視而不見神的心意，驕傲可能會再次攔阻保羅。也許保羅「身上的那根刺」，就是被石頭擊打的後遺症。這對保羅和其他人來說，可能是那可怕罪行所造成的後果，也是一個顯而易見的提醒。

神是絕對公義的。祂愛，祂赦免，但祂絕不妥協自己的公義。神獨特地對待每一個人。祂使用我們的經驗，教導我們認識祂。神會赦免我們的罪，也會嚴厲地提醒罪惡醜陋的一面。讓我們感謝神，因祂的大愛，願意提醒我們罪惡在生活中所帶來毀滅性的結果。

Painful Reminders

Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. (Acts 14:19)

God has many ways to deter us from sin. One is to provide reminders for us so that we never take disobedience to Him lightly. Before his conversion, Paul assumed that he was righteous before God. In reality, Paul was so disoriented to God that he arrested and executed Christians in order to please Him! Paul was so blinded to God’s will that when he watched Stephen being brutally murdered for his faith, Paul’s heart was hardened, and he became even more determined to imprison other Christians.

It is significant that there are two occurrences of stoning mentioned in the New Testament—Stephen’s and Paul’s. Was it coincidence that God allowed Paul to be stoned in the same manner as Stephen had been? God had certainly forgiven Paul for his involvement in Stephen’s death, but God also left him with a reminder of what his arrogance had led him to do. If pride could blind Paul to God once, pride could do it again. Perhaps Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was a direct result of this stoning. It may have served as a visible reminder to Paul, and to others, of the terrible consequences of sin.

God is absolutely just. He loves, and He forgives, but He does not compromise His righteousness. God deals with us uniquely. He draws upon our experiences to teach us about Himself. God will forgive us of our sin, but He may provide stark reminders of the ugliness of sin. Let us thank God that He loves us enough to remind us of the destructive consequences of sin in our lives.