誠信
雷克-喬納 Rick Joyner
翻譯：Kate 2022.6.3
轉載/轉寄 請註明出處：國度禱告網

最近，我感到必須要讀一讀邦聯將軍羅伯特李的回憶錄。他被認為是有史以來最偉大的軍事領導人之一，也是這個國家人格最真正高尚的人之一。在許多方面，他表現出非凡的親切感和高尚的品格，這實際上使他在南北戰爭後在北方幾乎和在南方一樣受到喜愛。他被認為是他那個世代真基督徒之一，然而他生活中有一些深刻的不一致之處，我還沒有看到他的任何傳記作者對這些不一致之處進行處理。這些與他所宣稱的信仰不一致的地方可能造成了數萬人的死亡，更不用說蹂躪一個國家。我們難道不應該至少試著去理解嗎？

我提出這些問題不是為了詆毀李將軍。他確實是一個了不起的領袖和人物。即便如此，我相信同樣的不一致，實際上是矛盾，今天在教會和我們的國家中造成了巨大損害。如果我們不理解它們，它們將繼續蹂躪我們。

李將軍在內戰前的兩篇著作突出了他行為的不一致性。在其中一篇中，他提出了被認為是有史以來關於奴隸制的罪惡的最清晰、最簡潔、最有力的論據之一。在第二篇文章中，他對南方各州脫離聯邦後可能出現的罪惡和悲劇做了同樣的論述。然而，他是為他明顯認為是巨大罪惡的事物而戰的一方中最有效的戰士。這怎麼可能發生呢？為什麼我們這麼多譴責奴隸制罪惡的開國元勳卻擁有奴隸？一個如此譴責奴隸制為"大害"之一的人，怎麼會為擁有奴隸的權利進行如此英勇的爭戰？

在李將軍的案例中，他所宣稱的信仰與行動之間發生了矛盾，因為他說他不能拿起武器反對他的家鄉維吉尼亞州。這似乎是一種高尚的忠心，但當這個州在為維護他認為是邪惡的事物而戰時，這種忠心是否高尚？忠於他的州而不忠於他在美國軍隊中擔任軍官時曾發誓要捍衛的聯邦，這樣做對嗎？許多其他在內戰中站在南方一邊作戰的人，也宣佈自己反對奴隸制和分離主義。他們怎麼能為自己不相信的事物如此努力地戰鬥？我們又是如何做到的呢？

會不會是同樣的事情迫使人們為他們的教派或其他機構而戰，即使這些機構與聖經中的一些基本真理相衝突，有時還與基督的本質相衝突？司布真曾經宣稱，每一個願意讀聖經的人，都能找到十個為聖經而死的人！這種基本的虛偽會不會這種基本的虛偽會不會是現在基督身體裡內戰肆虐的原因？

忠心是一個好的和高尚的特性，但我們決不能讓我們對機構、團體（如兄弟會）或一個人的忠心，掩蓋了我們對主耶穌本身或對聖經中的真理原則的忠心。我們避免這種情況的基本方法是不向任何組織或團體宣誓效忠，因為這可能導致與我們對主和祂的真理的忠心發生衝突。

誠信意味著 "完整"，是我們的信仰和行動之間的一致性。主的話語和祂的行動之間的這種一致性，正是祂本性的基本。這也應該是祂所有真正追隨者的基本性質。這是我們的本性嗎？在我們自己的生活中，衝突可能出現在哪裡？

李將軍沒有能力看到祂所宣稱的信仰和行動之間的衝突，這使成千上萬的年青人付出了生命的代價，因為正是他的天才使戰爭延長數年，超過聯邦取得勝利的時間。在我們的生活中，這樣的二元對立可能沒有那麼大的代價，但總是有代價的。我們可能要到永恆才知道，如果福音的使者的生活更完整地反映了福音的信息，那麼有多少人可以接受福音的真理。

Recently, I felt compelled to read the memoirs of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee. He is considered to be one of the greatest military leaders of all time, as well as one of the most truly noble in character to have been produced by this country. In many ways, he demonstrated remarkable graciousness and nobility of character, which actually caused him to be almost as beloved in the North as he was in the South after the Civil War. He was regarded as one of the truly Christian men of his time, yet there are some profound inconsistencies in his life that I have not yet seen addressed by any of his biographers. These inconsistencies with what he claimed to have believed probably caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people, not to mention the ravaging of a nation. Should we not at least try to understand them?

I am not bringing these issues up to defame Robert E. Lee. He was truly a remarkable leader and person. Even so, I believe the same kind of inconsistencies, which are actually contradictions, are today doing great damage within the church, and within our nation. They will continue to ravage us if we do not understand them.

The inconsistencies in Robert E. Lee's actions are highlighted by two of his writings before the Civil War. In one, he gave what must be considered one of the most articulate, concise, and powerful arguments ever written on the evils of slavery. In the second, he did the same for the potential evils and tragedies that would follow the secession of the Southern states from the Union. Yet, he was the most effective warrior on the side that fought for the very things he obviously believed to be great evils. How could this happen? How was it that so many of our founding fathers, who decried the evils of slavery, owned slaves? How could a man who so decried this as one of the "great evils," fight so valiantly for the right to have slaves?

In Robert E. Lee's case, the contradiction between his stated beliefs and his actions happened because he said he could not take up arms against his native state of Virginia. That may seem like a noble loyalty, but is it noble when that state was fighting to preserve something he believed to be evil? Was it right to be loyal to his state and disloyal to the Union that he had sworn an oath to defend when he was an officer in the United States Army? Many others who fought on the side of the South in the Civil War, also declared themselves to be against slavery and secession. How could they fight so hard for the things they did not believe in? How do we?

Could it be the same thing that compels people to fight for their denomination, or other institutions, even when those institutions are in conflict with some of the basic truths of the Scripture, and at times the very nature of Christ? Spurgeon once declared that he could find ten men to die for the Bible for every one who would read it! Could this basic hypocrisy be the cause of the civil wars now raging within the body of Christ?

Loyalty is a good and noble characteristic, but we must never let our loyalty to an institution, to a group (such as fraternal orders), or a person, eclipse our loyalty to the Lord Jesus Himself, or to the principles of truth found in the Scriptures. The basic way we can avoid this is not to make vows of allegiance to any organization or group that could lead to a conflict with our allegiance to the Lord and His truth.

Integrity means "to be whole," consistency between our beliefs and our actions. It is this consistency between the Lord's Word and His actions that is basic to His nature. This should also be basic to the nature of all of His true followers. Is it our nature? Where might the conflicts be in our own lives?

The inability of Robert E. Lee to see the conflict between his proclaimed beliefs and his actions cost untold thousands of young men their lives, since it was his genius that prolonged the war for years beyond what it would have otherwise taken for the Union to prevail. Such a dichotomy in our lives may not be that costly, but there is always a cost. We may not know until eternity just how many would otherwise have been able to receive the truth of the gospel, if its messengers' lives reflected its message with more integrity.