大使命35

理想社會

每一個世界觀都有其理想社會作為目標。何為基督教世界觀的理想社會？

首先，理想社會必須以神為始，因為我們受造是為了與神建立關係，無論人們如何掩飾或否認，在每個人裡面都有對祂深度的渴望。沒有這層關係，我們的心中就有一個大缺口，生命中深層的渴望無法得著滿足與平安。沒有別的東西可以填補此空缺；因此，在我們的生命和社會中將此居首位是很重要的。

我們與神關係的程度將決定著我們把其他事情做好的程度。毫無疑問的，這一直是人類很大的掙扎，不單是因為有太多的宗教，而且彼此之間充滿分歧與衝突。連基督徒對於誰才能接近神，以及要如何敬拜神上都有許多不同的看法。此掙扎反映出我們離理想社會還很遠，而這又是何其重要。

理想社會的第二要素是我們與人的關係。神宣告第一件『不好』的事就是人獨居，當神這樣說時，人已經有神的陪伴了。許多人認為，也有一些人教導說，所有我們需要實現的，都會在與神的關係裡找到，但神說這並不對。我們與神的關係當然是最重要的，但祂也造我們需要彼此。人被造需要社交，在我們的生活中，我們都需要人。不管我們多想從中逃脫，我們非常需要彼此。

第三，理想社會與受造物之間有著對的關係。神給予人的第一個工作，就是在神將他們放在的園子裡『耕種』，耕種（cultivate）這個字也可以翻成『照料、監督、管理、照顧等』。從一開始，人被造擁有責任感─有一個工作做並有一塊領土來看管和保護。這也是一個健康、平衡、美滿生活的根基。

這是我們身為人蒙召成為與去做的三個基本元素，它是『三股合成的繩子』，當這三樣在一個恰當的平衡，就不易折斷。這些元素將我們的靈、魂、體緊緊綁在一起；因此，當理想社會在對的次序中擁有這些元素時，這社會將看起來像什麼？它將成為上帝的城。

上帝的城正是終極社會，亞伯拉罕因這個異象而離開當時最偉大的人類文明，以及他原來貴族般的生活。他願意去到一個完全陌生的地方，只為了成為神所建造的一部份。這也是從那以後吸引每一個真正客旅願意跟隨的相同異象。

看見這城才是建造我們世界觀的核心目的；一個基督教世界觀是像神一樣來看世界，從將它看為它被呼召要成為的樣式開始。然後我們可以正確評估現在情況如何，我們還需要走多遠才能成為所蒙召的樣式，以及要到達那裡的下一個旅程。

很重要的是，我們以此方式來建造我們的世界觀，先看到神的目的，因為我們的目的是指出世界已偏離其目的，讓它回到正路將帶領我們實現我們的目的。這條正路就是以賽亞書四十章所描述的大道，是我們正在建造為主預備的道路，是為了祂的國度來預備道路。

基督對這世界的看法，是每一個人都成為他們被造的樣式，做他們被造來做的事，並且與神、與人、與自己還有其他受造物在完美的和諧中。這即是教會被呼召來呈現的終極社會，也是神要來國度的預言。在那國度中，這些和諧將真實發生。我們離此有多近？我們要如何到達那境界？這些是每位基督徒都應該問的問題，直到我們擁有答案，直到我們成為這些答案的實際明證。

 (摘自喬納 word for the week, Week35, 2014)

 

The Ideal Society - The Great Commission, Part 35
Week 35, 2014
Rick Joyner

Every worldview has an ideal society as its goal. What is the Christian worldview of the ideal society?

First, the ideal society must begin with God. Because we were created to have a relationship with God, there is deep yearning for Him in all people, regardless of how hard they may try to cover it up or deny it. Without this relationship, we will always have a deep hole in our hearts, a deep yearning, lacking fulfillment and peace in our lives. Nothing else can fill this void. Therefore, making this the top priority in our lives and society is essential.

The degree to which we get our relationship with God right will determine the degree to which we can get anything else right. Without question, this has proven to be a great struggle for mankind. Not only are there many religions, but within each religion there are divisions and conflicts. Christians also have many diverse opinions about who can approach and relate to God and how to worship Him. This struggle reflects how far we are from the ideal and how important this is.

The second aspect of an ideal society is our relationship with fellow human beings. The first thing God declared as “not good” was for man to be alone. God said this when man had God. Many think, and some teach, that all we need for fulfillment is found in our relationship with God, but God said this was not true. Certainly our relationship to God is the most important thing, but He made us to need one another too. Man was created a social being. We all need people in our lives. As much as we may try to escape this, we need one another.

Thirdly, an ideal society has a right relationship to the creation. The first job God gave man was to “cultivate” the garden in which God had placed him. This word “cultivate” could have been translated “tend, oversee, manage, care for, etc.” From the beginning, man was created to have responsibility—a job to do and a domain to watch over and protect. This too is fundamental to a healthy, balanced, fulfilling life.

These are the three basic elements of what we are called to be and do as human beings. It is a “cord of three strands” that, when together in proper balance, cannot be easily broken. These tie together the three aspects of who we are as spirit, soul, and body. Therefore, what will it look like when the ideal society has these in right order? It will be The City of God.

The City of God is the ultimate society. It was this vision that compelled Abraham to leave the greatest human culture of the time and his place in that culture as an obvious member of its aristocracy. He was willing to go to places he did not know to be a part of what God was going to build. This is the same vision that has compelled every true sojourner since.

Seeing this city is the core purpose of building our worldview. A Christian worldview is to see this world as Christ does. This begins with seeing it the way it is called to be. Then we can accurately evaluate the way things now are, how far we need to go to be what we are created to be, and the next step of the journey to get there.

It is crucial that we build our worldview this way, seeing God’s purpose first, because our purpose is to point the world that has gone astray from its purpose back to the right road that will lead to us fulfilling our purpose. This right road is the highway described in Isaiah 40 that we are to build to prepare the way for the Lord, which is to prepare the way for His kingdom.

Christ’s view of this world is one in which everyone is being and doing all they were created to be and to do, in perfect harmony with God, themselves, one another, and the rest of creation. This is the ultimate society that the church is called to demonstrate and a prophecy of the coming kingdom in which this will be true of all. How close are we to being this? How do we get there? These are questions every Christian should be asking until we have answers, and until we become a demonstration of those answers.