五月十五日

信靠這人，就都得稱義了。（徒13：39）

信基督的人現在就得稱為義，並非逐漸結出稱義的果子，而是現在。既然稱義是信所結的果子，當人在靠近基督，並接受他作他一切的一切的刹那就得了這義。現在站在神寶座之前的人已經被稱為義了嗎?——因此我們也必像那穿著白衣侍立神前歌唱彈琴的人一樣地被稱為義，這是真確而又清楚的一件事。十字架上的強盜用信眼轉向耶穌的一刹那就被稱為義了，而年邁的、為主勞苦了多年的保羅和那一無所作的強盜一樣的被稱為義。我們今天就在愛子裡得蒙悅納，今天解脫了罪惡，今天就不受神的審判了。這是一種多麼令人嚮往、令人心曠神怡的意思呀！以實各穀的葡萄在我們上了天堂後才能採食，但這是一枝越出牆外的葡萄。這並不是到我們過了約旦河才能吃的那地的出產，而這卻是曠野中的嗎哪，是神在我們行走路程時所給我們的天天的飲食。我們現在——就是現在被赦免；就是現在，罪被除去；就是現在，我們在神的面前蒙悅納，像是從來沒有犯過罪一樣。“現在那些在基督耶穌裡的，就不定罪了。”現在，神的律法中沒有一種罪名，能攻擊他任何一個子民了。“因為耶穌已撤去了有礙於他們的字據。”誰敢再定他們的罪呢?現在已毫無皺紋、玷污等類的罪了，全地的審判者也不會查出他們還有什麼玷污。讓我們現在所享的權利提醒我們現在所當盡的責任。現在，還活著的時候，讓我們都為我們可稱頌的主耶穌使用。

May 15

"All that believe are justified." -- Acts 13:39

The believer in Christ receives a present justification. Faith does not produce this fruit by-and-by, but now. So far as justification is the result of faith, it is given to the soul in the moment when it closes with Christ, and accepts Him as its all in all. Are they who stand before the throne of God justified now?--so are we, as truly and as clearly justified as they who walk in white and sing melodious praises to celestial harps. The thief upon the cross was justified the moment that he turned the eye of faith to Jesus; and Paul, the aged, after years of service, was not more justified than was the thief with no service at all. We are to-day accepted in the Beloved, to-day absolved from sin, to-day acquitted at the bar of God. Oh! soul-transporting thought! There are some clusters of Eshcol's vine which we shall not be able to gather till we enter heaven; but this is a bough which runneth over the wall. This is not as the corn of the land, which we can never eat till we cross the Jordan; but this is part of the manna in the wilderness, a portion of our daily nutriment with which God supplies us in our journeying to and fro. We are now--even now pardoned; even now are our sins put away; even now we stand in the sight of God accepted, as though we had never been guilty. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." There is not a sin in the Book of God, even now, against one of His people. Who dareth to lay anything to their charge? There is neither speck, nor spot, nor wrinkle, nor any such thing remaining upon any one believer in the matter of justification in the sight of the Judge of all the earth. Let present privilege awaken us to present duty, and now, while life lasts, let us spend and be spent for our sweet Lord Jesus.