一月二十八日

在基督裡完完全全（西1:28）

你的心中不覺得自己並沒有完全嗎？你每天的生活不都這樣告訴你嗎？你的眼所流的每一滴淚，都是為了“不完全”；你的心所發出的每一聲歎息，都是說“不完全”；你的唇所出的每一句粗話，都訴說“不完全”。你常看你的心，夢想有一個完全時候會來到你裡面。在你悲痛地意識到自己不完全的時候，我要在這裡安慰你一下——你“在基督裡完完全全”。在神的眼中看來“你們在他裡面是完全的”（參西2:10），就是現在你們“在他愛子裡蒙悅納”（弗1:6）。但還有一種完全應當實現，這是一切種子所應有的。我們往前看，有一天信徒的罪汙全被除去，並且要“毫無玷污、皺紋等類的病，乃是聖潔沒有瑕疵的”獻於寶座之前，這不是一件可喜的事嗎？基督的教會那時就必清潔，就是在全智的神眼中也看不出她有什麼污點和污穢，她乃是聖潔而榮耀的。哈特（Hart）說得不錯：“穿上救主的義袍，必像聖者一樣聖潔。”那末，我們就知道、就嘗到、就感出這短短一句話“在基督裡是完全的”裡有極大的喜樂。就是那時我們也不能完全測度出耶穌救恩的高深來。你想到這裡的時候，你的心不感到欣喜雀躍嗎？你雖然烏黑，有一天他能使你成為潔白；你雖然污穢，他能使你清潔。啊！這真是奇妙的救恩！基督使一個蟲變成一個天使；基督使烏黑而不像樣的東西使他得以潔淨，在他的榮耀中無與倫比，在他的榮美中無堪比擬，實在可以與撒拉弗為伍。我的心哪！興起，渴慕這可稱讚的、在基督裡得以完全的真道吧！

January 28

"Perfect in Christ Jesus." --Colossians 1:28

Do you not feel in your own soul that perfection is not in you? Does not every day teach you that? Every tear which trickles from your eye, weeps "imperfection"; every harsh word which proceeds from your lip, mutters "imperfection." You have too frequently had a view of your own heart to dream for a moment of any perfection in yourself. But amidst this sad consciousness of imperfection, here is comfort for you--you are "perfect in Christ Jesus."In God's sight, you are "complete in Him;" even now you are "accepted in the Beloved." But there is a second perfection, yet to be realized, which is sure to all the seed. Is it not delightful to look forward to the time when every stain of sin shall be removed from the believer, and he shall be presented faultless before the throne, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing? The Church of Christ then will be so pure, that not even the eye of Omniscience will see a spot or blemish in her; so holy and so glorious, that Hart did not go beyond the truth when he said--

"With my Saviour's garments on,

Holy as the Holy One."

Then shall we know, and taste, and feel the happiness of this vast but short sentence, "Complete in Christ." Not till then shall we fully comprehend the heights and depths of the salvation of Jesus. Doth not thy heart leap for joy at the thought of it? Black as thou art, thou shalt be white one day; filthy as thou art, thou shalt be clean. Oh, it is a marvellous salvation this! Christ takes a worm and transforms it into an angel; Christ takes a black and deformed thing and makes it clean and matchless in His glory, peerless in His beauty, and fit to be the companion of seraphs. O my soul, stand and admire this blessed truth of perfection in Christ.