As we follow Jesus Christ, two of the greatest tools we have

to help us grow as believers are: reading the Bible, and

prayer.
作为基督的门徒，帮助我们灵性成长的两大武器是读圣经和祈祷。

However, sometimes reading the Bible can be difficult.

Although the Bible consists of 66 different books written by
many different people, it is one story from beginning to end.
It is the story of God and his relationship with his people.
但是，有时候读懂圣经是很难的。圣经有六十六本书， 由不同的
作者写成，但从头到尾讲的都是一个故事。这个故事讲的是上帝
和他的子民的关系。

Our purpose today is to talk about one of the main themes

that run through the entire bible that can help us to
understand what God is doing in the world. God is still
writing this story today, and we are a part of that story.
我们今天的目的是讨论贯穿整部圣经的一个理念，一个主要的理
念。 理解这个理念可以帮助我们了解上帝在这个世界上所作的一
切。今天神还在继续写着这个故事，我们每个人都是这个故事的
一部分，拥有我们的角色。

There is one main theme that runs through the Bible. And
that is:
God wants to be our God and he wants us to be
his people.

在圣经里贯穿了一个主题，就是
神要做我们的神，他要我们成为他们的子民。

Let's start at the beginning of the story, in Genesis, where

God creates man and woman, and then follow this story
through the bible to the book of Revelation.
让我们从圣经的第一篇创世记上帝创造了男人和女人开始，然后
顺着这个主题过一遍圣经，一直到最后的启示录。

We start with the seven days of creation. God created the

heavens and the earth for his people, so that they would
have a place to live and work and play.
我们从神七天创造世界开始谈起。神为他的子民创造天地，所以
他们有一个生活，工作和游戏的地方。
Each day God creates something new. The first day he
created Light, and said it was good. Then on the second day
he separated the waters and created the sky. Then he
brought forth the land and produced vegetation and trees,
and called that third day good.
每天神都会创造一些新的事物。第一天他创造了光， 说这甚好。
接着第二天，他把空气和水分开，创造了天。第三天他使旱地露
出来，让上面长满了植被和树木，然后说甚好。

On the fourth day he created the sun and moon and stars,
and separated day from night.
第四天他创造了太阳，月亮和星星，把白昼和黑夜分开。

The fifth day, God filled the seas with living creatures and
the air with birds, and commanded them to increase and fill
the seas and the air after their own kind.
第五天，上帝在海水中充满了活物， 在天空中布满飞鸟，要他们
各从其类，生养众多。

God then created the creatures that move along the ground,
and wild animals and livestock on the sixth day. He then
created man and woman and put them in the Garden to take
care of it. But unlike everything else God had created so far,
only man and woman are said to be created in the image of
God.
第六天，上帝在地上造出野兽和牲畜，让他们在大地上奔跑。他
创造了男人和女人，并把他们放在伊甸园里，让他们照看这个花
园。但是与上帝所创造的其他事物和生物不同，只有男人和女人
是按着神的样子创造的。

What does it mean when we ask why God created humans in

his image? I think it means that he had a special plan for
them. He wanted to be their God, and he wanted them to be
his people.
为什么神要按他自己的形象来创造人类呢? 我认为这说明他对人
类有一个特殊的计划。他想成为他们的神，他想成为他们的神，
他想让他们成为他们的子民。

God did not speak humans into existence. 首先不是像创

造其他事物或生物那样，说一句话就成了。
Gen 1 26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our
image, according to our likeness; and let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the
air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the
earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the
earth.” 27 So God created humankind in his image, in the
image of God he created them; male and female he created
them.
創 世 記 1 26 　神说：“我们要照着我们的形象，按着我们的样式
造人；使他们管理海里的鱼、空中的鸟、地上的牲畜，以及全地，
和地上所有爬行的生物！” 27 于是，神照着自己的形象创造人；
就是照着他的形象创造了人；他所创造的有男有女。

Genesis says God formed man from the dust of the earth and
then breathed life into him. When he created Eve he took a
rib from Adam to form her. God gave special attention to
humans. He created them unlike any other living thing on
earth. He created them in his own image. He placed the very
essence of himself into them. He was their God, and they
were his people.
创世记说神用地上的尘土造了男人，然后吹气把生命注入他的身体。
当他创造夏娃时，他取了亚当的一根肋骨来造她。神对人类有特别的
计划。他创造人类的方式与其他任何生物都不同。他按自己的形象创
造人。他把自己的每一个特征都给了人。他是他们的神，他们是神的
子民。
God also created a special place for them to live and had a
special relationship with him. God walked with them and
talked with them in the Garden.

上帝也为他们特别安排了一个地方生活，并和他们保持着特别的
关系。 神与他们在伊甸园中一起行走，和他们讲话。

Humans were free to interact face-to-face with God. God

gave them everything they needed to live. He also gave
them one instruction ― they were not to eat the fruit of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
人可以和神面对面的交流。神给予他们生活一切所需。他也给他
们一个规定― 他们不可以吃智慧树上的分别善恶果。

Gen 3 8 That evening they heard the Lord God walking in the
garden, and they hid from him among the trees.
創 世 記 3 8 天起凉风的时候，那人和他的妻子听见耶和华神在园
中行走的声音，就藏在园子的树林中，躲避耶和华神的面。

It says in this verse of scripture that God was walking around

in the Garden in the evening. Why? He would come into the
garden to look at his work and to visit with Adam and Eve, to
talk to them and ask how they were doing. He enjoyed being
with them. He had a special relationship with them. He had
given them everything they needed for a good life.
在这段经文中我们看到，神在傍晚时分在园中行走。为什么? 他
来园中查看一切并看望亚当和夏娃。 他很喜欢和他们在一起。他
和他们有一种特别的关系。他为他们提供了一切生活所需。

But there were problems on that one day. They had done
something wrong, and now they were afraid of God, and did
not want to visit with him. In fact, they were hiding from him.
Why?
不过那天出了点儿事。他们做错了一些事，现在他们很害怕上帝，
所以他们就不想见他。实际上，他们把自己藏起来了。为什么?
(Here maybe we can ask if anyone knows what had
happened.)
Then Eve met the serpent. He convinced her that God was
hiding the truth from her and Adam. He convinced her to eat
the forbidden fruit. When they ate the fruit, their eyes were
opened. Adam and Eve tried to hide from God. Sin had
entered into the world.
夏娃碰到了蛇。 他说服她说神可能对她和亚当隐瞒真相。他说服她吃
禁果。当他们吃了那果子，眼就开了。罪就进入了这个世界。

This made God very angry and he sent Adam and Eve out of
the Garden. They no longer had the close personal
relationship they once enjoyed with God.
这使神非常生气。他就把亚当和夏娃赶出伊甸园了。他们再也没有以
前那样与神亲密的关系了。
Not only were Adam and Eve sent out from the Garden, but
God cursed the ground as well. Adam and Eve could no
longer enjoy all that God had given them. Now they would
have to work hard all their lives in order to make enough
food to survive. When they planted seeds, the ground would
also produce weeds and thorns.
神不仅把亚当和夏娃赶出了伊甸园，神也诅咒了大地。 亚当和夏娃再
也不能享受神赐予他们的一切。现在他们必须终身劳作才能得食。当
他们种下种子，大地也会长出野草和荆棘。
耶和华

Gen 3 17 And he said to the man, “You listened to your wife

and ate the fruit which I told you not to eat. Because of what
you have done, the ground will be under a curse. You will
have to work hard all your life to make it produce enough
food for you. 18 It will produce weeds and thorns, and you will
have to eat wild plants.
創 世 記 3 17 耶和华　神又对亚当说： “因为你听从了你妻子的
话， 吃了我吩咐你不可吃的那树上的果子； 地就必因你的缘故
受咒诅；你必终生劳苦，才能从地里得吃的。 18 地要给你长出荆
棘和蒺藜来； 你也要吃田间的蔬菜；

The weeds and thorns are not only physical, but they are
also a symbol of their spiritual lives. Because of sin Adam
and Eve became more and more distant from God. Their
spiritual lives produced weeds and thorns. It was unfruitful.
野草和荆棘不仅是物质意义上的，也是精神意义上的。因为罪，亚当
和夏娃离神越来越远。 他们的精神家园也长出了野草和荆棘。野草和
荆棘结不出丰盛的果实。
We read the stories of what happened in the world after
Adam and Eve left the Garden. They had two sons, Cain and
Abel. Cain killed Abel. The world became more and more
sinful.
我们接下来读到亚当和夏娃离开伊甸园后所发生的故事。 他们有两个
孩子，该隐和亚伯。该隐杀死了亚伯。这个世界变得越来越罪恶。
By the time of Noah, the Bible tells us that people would only
think evil things all the time. 圣经告诉我们，在诺亚的时代，当时
的人脑子里想的全是罪恶的事情。
Gen 6 5 When the Lord saw how wicked everyone on earth
was and how evil their thoughts were all the time, he was
sorry that he had ever made them and put them on the
earth. He was so filled with regret that he said, “I will wipe
out these people I have created, and also the animals and
the birds, because I am sorry that I made any of them.” But
the Lord was pleased with Noah.
創 世 記 6 5 耶和华看见人在地上的罪恶很大，终日心里思念的，
尽都是邪恶的。 6 于是，耶和华后悔造人在地上，心中忧伤。 7
耶和华说：“我要把我创造的人，从地上消灭；无论是人或牲畜，
是昆虫或是天空的飞鸟，我都要消灭，因为我后悔造了他们。” 8
只有挪亚在耶和华眼前蒙恩。

God was sorry he created humans and he sent a flood to

destroy the world. Only Noah and his family survived
because they alone chose to obey God. God blessed Noah
and his sons and told them to "be fruitful and multiply and
fill the earth." Soon, the world became populated once more.
but once more, they fell into sin.
神很后悔他创造了人类，所以就发了大洪水毁灭世界。诺亚和他的家
人得救，因为他们选择了顺从上帝。神赐福诺亚和他的儿子，”要他们
多多滋生, 大大兴旺”。很快，世界上的生命又兴盛起来。 但是人又开
始犯罪了。

Then, God called a man by the name of Abraham to leave his

home and travel to a land that God would give him.
創 世 記 12 1耶 和 华 对 亚 伯 兰 说 ： 你 要 离 幵 本 地 、 本
族 、 父 家 ， 往 我 所 要 指 示 你 的 地 去 。 2我 必 叫 你 成
为 大 国 。 我 必 赐 福 给 你 ， 叫 你 的 名 为 大 ； 你 也 要
叫 别 人 得 福 。
1
The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your
relatives, and your father’s home, and go to a land that I am
going to show you. 2 I will give you many descendants, and
they will become a great nation. I will bless you and make
your name famous, so that you will be a blessing.

God promised to bless Abraham and to make his

descendants into a great nation. He also promised that he
will be Abraham’s God and the God of the descendants of
Abraham. God told Abraham:
Genesis 17 7"I will confirm my covenant with you and your
descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is
the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and
the God of your descendants."
然后，神呼招了一个叫亚伯拉罕的人，要他离开自己的家乡，去一个
上帝赐给他的地方。 上帝应许赐福于亚伯拉罕，并且会在他的子孙中
兴起一个伟大的民族。他承诺他会作亚伯拉罕的神，他会作他子孙后
代的神 。神对亚伯拉罕说:
創 世 記 17 7 我要与你，和你世世代代的后裔，坚立我的
约，成为永远的约，使我作你和你的后裔的　神。
Abraham had a son named Isaac. Isaac had two sons ―
Jacob and Esau. Jacob and Esau grew up and had families of
their own. Jacob had 12 sons -- who became leaders of the
12 tribes of Israel. During a time of great famine, Jacob took
his family into Egypt. Egypt saw that the Israelites were
growing in numbers, and began to treat them as slaves.
They lived in slavery for 400 years. But this was still part of
God’s plan to have a people for himself.
亚伯拉罕有一个儿子，名叫以撒。以撒有两个儿子― 雅各和以扫。雅
各和以扫长大后各自有了自己的家庭。雅各有十二个儿子― 他们成为
以色列十二个部落的首领。在一个大饥荒的 年代，雅各和家人搬到了
埃及。埃及人看到以色列人人数越来越多，就开始把他们作为奴隶。
他们在奴隶制度下生活了四百年。不过这个过程是上帝选民计划中的
一部分。
God called Moses to lead the Jewish people out of slavery
into the land that he had promised Abraham many years
before. God told Moses:
Exodus 19 5"If you will obey me and keep my
covenant, you will be my own special treasure
from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth
belongs to me."
上帝拣选摩西, 要他带领以色列民走出埃及， 不再做奴隶，走向
很多年前神应许给亚伯拉罕的那片土地。
19 5 现在你们若是实在听我的话，遵守我的约，你们就必
在万民中作属我的产业，因为全地都是我的。
God gave Moses the Ten commandments and other
instructions on how his people were to live their lives. We
see God at work with the people of Israel. He reminds them
again and again that He wants to be their God, and that he
wants them to be his people.
Lev 26 12 I will walk among you and be your God,
and you will be my people.
神赐给摩西十大戒律及其他的规定，教导他的子民如何生活。我们可
以看出神在以色列民中做工。他一次又一次地对他们说，他要做他们
的神，他们要做他的子民。
利 未 記 26 12 我要在你们中间行走；我要作你们的　神，
你们要作我的子民。
He says that if you are going to be my people, you have a
choice to make: Either obey me or disobey me. Whatever
your choice, there will be consequences for your decision.
神说，如果你想成为我的子民，你必须做出一个选择 : 你可以选择顺
从我，或者选择不顺从我。不管你选择如何，你都要对你的选择负责，
承担选择的后果。

God tells the people what will happen if they choose not to
obey him and to be his people.
神也告诉他的子民，不顺从他，不作他的子民会有什么后果。(读圣经)
Deut 30 19 I am now giving you the choice between life and
death, between God’s blessing and God’s curse, and I call
heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Choose
life. 20 Love the Lord your God, obey him and be faithful to
him, and then you and your descendants will live long in the
land that he promised to give your ancestors, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob.”
申 命 記 30 19 我今日呼天唤地向你们作证，我把生与死，福与
祸，都摆在你面前了；所以你要选择生命，好让你和你的后裔都
可以活着，
20
爱耶和华你的　神，听从他的话，紧靠他，因为那就是你的生
命，你的长寿；这样，你才能在耶和华向你的列祖亚伯拉罕、以
撒、雅各起誓应许要赐给他们的地上居住。”

I think God is asking us the same question today. What

choice will you make? What is your decision? Will you be my
people?
我想神今天还在问我们同样一个问题。你会做出什么选择? 你的决定是
什么? 你愿意做我的子民吗?
After leaving Mt-Sinai we follow God’s people, the people of
Israel, as they wandered in the wilderness for forty years.
They finally reach the land that God promised to give them.
But once they are living in the land, we quickly see that the
people turned away from God.
离开西奈山后，我们看到神的子民，以色列民，在荒野之地生活了四
十年。他们最后到达了上帝赐给他们的那块土地。但是当他们到了那
个地方，很快就开始背离上帝了。
In the book of Judges we can see a cycle of sin and
repentance and then sin again over and over. 在士师记中我们
可以看到以色列人一次又一次先犯罪然后忏悔然后继续犯罪的邪恶循
环。
Judges 3 士 師 記 3
1. Israel sins. 以色列犯罪
7
以色列人行了耶和华看为恶的事，忘记了耶和华他们的　神，
去事奉众巴力和亚舍拉。
7
The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,
forgetting the Lord their God, and worshiping the Baals and
the Asherahs.

2. God sends an enemy country to conquer them and punish

them for sinning against God; 神让敌国攻占以色列，因为他们对
神犯了罪， 神就用敌国的占领来惩罚他们。
8
因此，耶和华的怒气向以色列人发作，把他们完全交在两河之
间的亚兰王古珊．利萨田的手中；以色列人服事了古珊．利萨田
八年。
8
Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel,
and he sold them into the hand of King Cushan-rishathaim of
Aram-naharaim; and the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim
eight years
3. They repent of their sin and cry out to God to save them.
他们向神忏悔，并哀求神拯救他们。
9
以色列人向耶和华哀求的时候，耶和华就为以色列人兴起一位
拯救者拯救他们，就是迦勒的弟弟基纳斯的儿子俄陀聂。
9
But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord, the Lord
raised up a deliverer for the Israelites, who delivered them,
Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.

4. God sends someone to deliver them and they defeat the

enemy who is oppressing them.神派人拯救以色列民，他们打败
了欺压他们的敌人。
10
耶和华的灵临到他身上，他就治理以色列人；他出去作战，耶
和华把亚兰王古珊．利萨田交在他手中，他的能力就胜过了古珊．
利萨田。
10
The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel;
he went out to war, and the Lord gave King Cushan-
rishathaim of Aram into his hand; and his hand prevailed
over Cushan-rishathaim.

5. Finally, there is a time of peace until the judge dies, then

they return to sinning against the God how wants to be their
God. 然后就有一段和平时期，当神拣选的人离开人世后，以色列人又
开始犯罪了。
11
于是国中太平了四十年。后来基纳斯的儿子俄陀聂死了。
12
以色列人又行了耶和华看为恶的事， 耶和华就使摩押王伊矶伦强盛起来，
欺压以色列人， 因为他们行了耶和华看为恶的事。
11
So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz
died. 12 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD,
and because they did this evil the LORD gave Eglon king of
Moab power over Israel.
Later, Israel becomes a nation and God gives them a king.
He chooses David, because he was a man after God’s own
heart.
此后，以色列成为一个国家，神给了他们一个王。他选择了大卫，因
为他是蒙神喜悦的人。

After David dies, all those who became king after him start
to do the same thing, and they sin again and again. God
wants to be their God, but the people act as if they don’t
want to be his people.
大卫死后，他后面的王又开始做同样的事情，他们不断的犯罪。神要
做他们的神，但是人好像不愿作上帝的子民。

The writer of the history of the kings of Israel tells the story
of each of the Kings who ruled, and tells us what kind of King
they were. One kind is mostly good, doing what is right in
the eyes of God, or, 写列王纪的作者告诉我们每个王的故事，告诉
我们他们是什么样的王。 一种王是基本上不错的王，行上帝眼中为正
的事。
列 王 紀 下 15 3 他行耶和华看为正的事，就像他父亲亚玛谢所
行的一切。 4 只是邱坛还没有废去，人民仍在邱坛献祭焚香。
2 Kings 15 3 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord,
just as his father Amaziah had done. 4 However, the high
places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and
made offerings on the high places.
The second kind of king only does evil in the eyes of God. 另
一种王行在上帝眼中为恶的事。
列 王 紀 下 23 32 他行耶和华看为恶的事，好像他的祖先所行的。

2 Kings 23 32 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,

just as his ancestors had done.

God sent enemy countries to attack Israel to punish them for

their sin, but he did not give up on his people. His promise
was still good: he wanted to be their God and he wanted
them to be his people. But he made a new promise, that he
would send someone who would help them to obey God.
上帝派敌国攻打以色列，作为他们犯罪的惩罚，但是他从没有放弃他
的子民。他的承诺依然有效，他要做他们的神，他要人成为他的子民。
但是他立了一个新的约定，他会派一个人来，这个人会帮助他们顺服
上帝。

The prophet Isaiah is one of the prophets who told the

people about God’s promise to help them.
先知以赛亚就是众先知中告诉他们神会派人帮助他们的一个先知。
以 賽 亞 書 11 1 从耶西的树干必生出一根嫩芽，从他的根而出
的枝条必结果子。 2 耶和华的灵必停留在他身上，
Isa 11 1 The royal line of David is like a tree that has been
cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so
a new king will arise from among David’s descendants. 2 And
the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him
(read text)
Israel kept sinning against God, and things were really
getting bad for Israel. God sent the prophet Jeremiah to
Israel to warn them that they were not keeping their part of
the promise to be God’s people. As a result, they were going
to be conquered by an enemy nation.
以色列不停地犯罪，情况变得越来越糟。上帝派先知耶利米去警告以
色列民，告诉他们如果他们不守作神的子民的誓约， 结果会是他们将
被敌国占领。
Although God was going to judge the people for their
disobedience, he also promised that he would do something
to help them to be the people of God. He said he would
make a new covenant with them, and instead of giving them
the 10 commandments written on a piece stone, he would
write his commandment on their hearts.
Jer 31 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my
law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will
be their God, and they shall be my people.
尽管神打算惩罚他的子民因为他们不顺从，他也应许他会帮助他们成
为神的子民。他说他会与他们立一个新的约。
耶 利 米 書 31 33 “但那些日子以后，我要与以色列家所立的约是
这样（这是耶和华的宣告）：我要把我的律法放在他们里面，写
在他们的心里。我要作他们的神，他们要作我的子民 。

But they had to wait for God’s promise to be fulfilled. Finally,

500 years later the time was right, and God sent his son —
Jesus—to be born of a human mother.
Gal 4 4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his
Son, born of a woman, born under the law…

但是他们需要耐心等待神来履行他的计划。最后，过了五百年，当神
的时间到了的时候，神派他的儿子—耶稣—由一个妇人所生，来到人
间。
加 拉 太 書 4 4 但到了时机成熟，神就差遣他的儿子，由女人所
生，而且生在律法之下， 5 要把律法之下的人救赎出来，好让我
们得着嗣子的名分。

Jesus was sent to remind people of what God wanted: He

wants to be our God and he wants us to be his people.
神派耶稣再次告诉助我们: 他要做我们的神，他要我们作他的子民。

In Mark 12, a Jewish leader asked Jesus what was the most
important of the Ten Commandments. This is what Jesus
said:
马可福音第十二章，一位以色列的领袖问耶稣，十诫中最重要的是哪
一条。耶稣回答说

1. 我要作他们的神
馬 可 福 音 12 29 耶稣回答：“第一重要的是：‘以色列啊，你要
听！主我们的　神是独一的主。 30 你要全心、全性、全意、全力，
爱主你的　神。’
Mark 12 29 Jesus replied, “The most important one is this:
‘Listen, Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind and with all your strength.’

God wants to be our God, says Jesus, therefore we must love

him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
神要做我们的神，耶稣说，所以，我们一定要全心全性全意全力爱他。

2. 你们要作我的子民
馬 可 福 音 12 31 其次是：‘要爱人如己。’再没有别的诫命比这两条
更重要的了。”
31
The second most important commandment is this: ‘Love
your neighbor as you love yourself.’ There is no other
commandment more important than these two.”

If we are to be the people of God, we must love our neighbor

as well.
如果我们要作神的子民，我们就一定要爱人如己。

What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? We

can look back at what the prophet Isaiah said to the people
of Israel who were following God only with their lips, but not
with their heart:
我们怎样才能做到爱人如己呢? 我们可以回过来看看先知以赛亚对以色
列民所说的话，这些以色列民只是口头上说跟随主，但他们的心没有
跟随主。
Isaiah 58 5 使人刻苦自己的日子，这样的禁食是我拣选的吗？
难道只是叫人垂头像一根苇子，用麻布和炉灰铺在下面吗？你可
以称这是禁食，为耶和华所悦纳的日子吗？ 6 我所拣选的禁食不
是这样吗？不是要松开凶恶的锁链，解开轭上的绳索，使被压迫
的获得自由，折断所有的轭吗？ 7 不是要把你的食物分给饥饿的
人，把流浪的穷困人接到你的家里，见到赤身露体的，给他衣服
蔽体，不可逃避自己的骨肉而不顾恤吗？
Isa 58 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for
people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s
head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that
what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? 6 “Is not
this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains
of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the
oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share
your food with the hungry and to provide the poor
wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe
them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

To be a people of God, we must act as people of God. Isaiah

offers ways in which to do this: give clothing to those who
need it; give food to those who are hungry, give shelter to
people who have none, free people from prison.
要作神的子民，我们的行为就应该是神的子民的行为。以赛亚教导我
们做如下事项: 把衣物送给衣不遮体的人，把食物送给食不果腹的人，
让无家可归的人有个可以遮风挡雨的地方。

To say it another way, we can show God how much we love

him, and want to be his people, by showing love to our
neighbors.
换一句话说，当我们把爱奉献给别人的时候，我们就可以把好消息带
给他们， 告诉他们上帝爱我们，要我们成为他的子民。

You do not want to be hungry, homeless, in need of clothing.

God says that if you love your neighbor as yourself, do for
them as you want someone to do for you. That is what it
means to love your neighbor as yourself, and to show that
you want God to be your God.
你自己不会愿意食不果腹，不会愿意无家可归，不会愿意衣不遮体。
神说，如果你爱人如己，就应该提供如果你在这种状况下，你希望别
人能给你的帮助。这就是爱人如己的概念。这也是向神表明你愿意他
做你的神。

Not only did Jesus preach the message that God wants us to
be his people, and that he wants be our God, he made it
possible for this to happen.
不仅耶稣传道告诉我们神要作我们的神，神要我们作他的子民， 耶稣
也让这一切变为可能。
羅 馬 書 5 10 我们作仇敌的时候，尚且借着　神儿子的死与他复
和，既然复和了，就更要因他的生得救了！
Romans 5 10 For if while we were enemies, we were
reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more
surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.

• By the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the son

of God, God has brought us into a new relationship with him
因为耶稣在十字架上的献身，以及随后的复活，神与我们建立了一种
新的关系

• It is because of his death that we can have new life as

his people. 因为耶稣的献身，我们获得了新的生命，成为神的子民。

• It is because he was raised from the dead that we can

have power in our lives to be his people. He does this
through the Holy Spirit, which he gives everyone who
believes in Jesus Christ. 因为耶稣的复活，我们在生命中就大有力
量。每一个相信耶稣基督的人，都有圣灵的引导。

I don’t know if you have asked yourself this question, but the
one question that we haven’t answered yet is, “why does
God want us to be his people?”
我不知道如果你是否问过自己这个问题， 我们还没有回答这个问题，
就是，“为什么神要我们成为他的子民?”

Paul wrote a letter to Christians living in the Greek city of

Corinth to warn them about going to pagan temples and
worshipping idols.
歌 林 多 後 書 6 16 　神的殿和偶像怎能协调呢？我们就是永生
神的殿，正如　神说：“我要住在他们中间，在他们中间来往；
我要作他们的　神，他们要作我的子民。” 17 所以，“主说：你们
要从他们中间出来，和他们分开，不可触摸不洁净的东西，我就
收纳你们。” 18 “我要作你们的父亲，你们要作我的儿女。这是全
能的主说的。”
2 Cor 6 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols?
For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will
live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
17 Therefore come out from them, and be separate from
them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will
welcome you, 18 and I will be your father, and you shall be
my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

The reason why they should not go to temples to worship

idols is because God is making his people into a temple
where he can live. The Jewish people believed that God
lived in the Temple in Jerusalem.
他们不应该进异教的庙去崇拜偶像，因为神要把他的子民变成他所居
住的神殿。以色列民以为神住在耶路撒冷的神殿里。

Now, because God lives in Jesus Christ, so he wants to live in

us. All of us together are a temple where God lives. Notice
what Paul says at the end of this verse:
I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and
daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
现在，通过耶稣基督，神就住在我们所有的人的心里。我们所有人聚
集在一起，就是神居住的殿。使徒保罗在这段经文的最后说到，“我要
作你们的父亲，你们要作我的儿女。这是全能的主说的。”

So each of us are a piece that God is using to build his

temple.
我们每一个人都是神用来建造他的神殿的一砖一瓦。

Our job is to keep our part of the temple clean so that God
will want to live there.
我们的工作就是要让神殿干干净净，神会愿意生活在这里。

以弗所书 2 19 这样看来，你们不再是外人和客旅，而是与圣徒一
同作国民，是　神家里的人了， 20 并且建造在使徒和先知的根基
上，基督耶稣自己就是奠基石， 21 整座建筑都靠着他连接配合，
渐渐增长成为在主里面的圣所。 22 你们在他里面也一同被建造，
成为　神借着圣灵居住的所在。
Eph 2 19 Consequently, therefore, you are no longer
strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens of the
saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself
being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, joined
together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom
you also are built up together into a dwelling place of God in
the Spirit.
Finally, in the last book of the bible, we read that God is
bringing time and history to an end. He is restoring
everything back to what it was like in the garden with Adam
and Eve. Notice what he says here:最后，在圣经的最后一本书中，
我们读到神把时间和历史都作了一个终结。他把所有的一切都还原到
世界开始时的那个样子，就像亚当和夏娃生活的那个伊甸园。
启 示 录 21 3 我听见有大声音从宝座那里发出来，说：“看哪！
神的帐幕在人间，他要与人同住，他们要作他的子民。　神要亲
自与他们同在，要作他们的　神。
Revelation 21 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne
saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with
them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself
will be with them;

So we have come completely around the circle to the goal

that God put in place at the beginning of history, and what
he has been working on since the beginning of time.
所以我们可以看到神在一步一步地把我们带回到创世之初他的所设计
好的那个世界， 就是他七天工作所创造的那个世界。

(Talk about the idea of an overview of the bible that will help
us to understand the bible better when we read it, and which
will help us to grow as God’s sons and daughters.
对圣经有个总体的了解会帮助我们读圣经时理解圣经，也可以帮助我
们在神的家庭里的成长。)

33 15 摩西对他说：“你若是不亲自与我们同去，就不要把我们从
这里领上去。 16 人在什么事上可以知道我和你的人民在你眼前蒙
恩呢？不是因为你与我们同去，使我和你的人民可以和地上所有
的人有分别吗？”
Exodus 33 15 Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go
with us, don’t make us leave this place. 16 How will anyone
know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your
people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us
sets your people and me apart from all other people on the
earth.”