DAY 30
掩蓋
雷克-喬納 Rick Joyner
翻譯：Kate
轉載/轉寄 請註明出處：國度禱告網

他們二人的眼睛就明亮了，才知道自己是赤身露體，便拿無花果樹的葉子為自己編做裙子（創世記3:7和合本）

這裡的罪更深一點。正如我們所研究的，亞當和夏娃對罪的第一個反應是他們看自己。以自我為中心是知識樹上的毒藥，它能殺死人。我們被造是為了以神為中心。正如我們在哥林多後書3:18中所讀到的，我們的思維得到更新，我們從罪性中得到解脫的恢復過程，來自於看到神的榮耀：

我們眾人既然敞著臉得以看見主的榮光，好像從鏡子裡返照，就變成主的形狀，榮上加榮，如同從主的靈變成的。

從罪惡中解脫出來，就是要遠離罪惡和自我中心，重新成為以神為中心。我們的目標不是僅僅找出我們在基督裡是誰，而是找出他在我們裡面是誰。前者仍然可以是以自我為中心，儘管它可以摻雜許多良好的動機。

如果我們要改變成祂的形象，我們必須 "敞著臉 "看祂的榮光。帕子是罪性迫使我們穿上的防禦機制，以保護自己。它們是亞當和夏娃犯罪後所做遮蓋物的延伸。罪使我們有自我意識和自我保護，以至於我們害怕別人看到我們的本來面目。這些帕子必須被除去，這樣我們才能看到主的真面目，這樣我們才能彼此真實地相處。

真實是指在真理中行走，與他人相處時不矯揉造作。通過悔罪，這個過程就開始了， "榮上加榮"。我們越是讓帕子、防禦機制被挪去，我們就越能看到祂的榮耀，我們就越能變得像祂。

當我們犯罪時，我們的第一個傾向是掩蓋、隱藏或使罪合理化。當這種情況發生時，死亡就會對我們釋放，它將開始從我們身上耗盡生命。悔改從認罪開始，稱其為罪，並為其承擔責任。

我們若說是與神相交，卻仍在黑暗裡行，就是說謊話，不行真理了。
我們若在光明中行，如同神在光明中，就彼此相交，他兒子耶穌的血也洗淨我們一切的罪。
我們若說自己無罪，便是自欺，真理不在我們心裡了。
我們若認自己的罪，神是信實的，是公義的，必要赦免我們的罪，洗淨我們一切的不義。
我們若說自己沒有犯過罪，便是以神為說謊的，他的道也不在我們心裡了。（約翰一書1:6-10）。

如前所述，對罪的自然反應是隱藏它，假裝沒有罪，或將罪合理化。所有這些反應只會加深罪對我們的控制，並使我們進一步受騙。答案不是掩蓋罪行，而是承認罪行，逃到十字架前尋求寬恕，並從罪行造成的創傷中得到醫治。正如上面的經文所說，我們必須承認我們的罪，才能得到寬恕，然後祂才能洗淨我們。

猶大被稱為 "不可救藥的"，即無可救藥。使他無可救藥的原因不是他背叛了主，而是他上吊自殺。我們可能都背叛過主，因為祂說過，我們既然對祂最小的子民這樣做，就是對祂這樣做。（見馬太福音25:40）。猶大本可以得到寬恕，但他沒有逃到主那裡尋求寬恕，而是試圖為自己的罪付出代價。這樣做，他就得不到主的幫助。我們也是如此，當我們要麼掩蓋我們的罪，假裝它不存在，要麼堅持自己為它付出代價時，我們就得不到祂的幫助。這些都是對耶穌的十字架的侮辱，只有它能為我們的罪付出代價。雅各書3:2說："我們在許多事上都有過失"。

讓我們不要通過試圖掩蓋罪，或 "吊死自己"來回應罪，而是逃到十字架上的神的恩典。耶穌死後為該罪付出了代價。不讓祂為我們的罪付出代價就是拒絕祂的大恩。如果我們要獲得自由，並在所有關係所基於的信任中成長，我們必須信任十字架。

DAY 30
The Cover-Up
Rick Joyner

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked;
and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings (Genesis 3:7).

Here the sin goes a little deeper. As we have studied, Adam and Eve's first response to sin was for them to look at themselves. Self-centeredness is the poison from the Tree of Knowledge that kills. We were created to be God-centered. The restoration process through which our minds are renewed and we are delivered from our sin nature, comes from seeing the glory of God, as we read in II Corinthians 3:18:

But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Deliverance from sin comes from turning away from sin and self-centeredness to become God-centered again. It is not our goal to just find out who we are in Christ, but rather who He is in us. The former can still be self-centeredness, even though it can be mixed with many good motives.

If we are going to be changed into His image, we must behold His glory with "an unveiled face." Veils are the defense mechanisms that the sin nature compels us to wear to protect ourselves. They are an extension of the coverings that Adam and Eve made after their sin. Sin causes us to be self-aware and self-protective to the point where we are afraid for anyone to see us as we are. These veils must be stripped away so that we can see the Lord as He is, and so that we can be real with one another.

To be real is to walk in truth, and to relate to others without pretension. By repenting of sin, the process is begun, which goes from "glory to glory." The more we allow the veils, the defense mechanisms, to be stripped away, the more of His glory we will see, and the more we will become like Him.

When we sin, the first tendency we have is to cover, hide, or rationalize the sin. When this occurs, death is released against us, and it will begin to drain life from us. Repentance begins with acknowledging the sin, calling it what it is, and taking responsibility for it.

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us (I John 1:6-10).

As stated, the natural response to sin is to hide it, pretend there was no sin, or rationalize the sin. All of these responses only deepen sin's grip on us, and open us to further deception. The answer is not to cover the sin, but rather acknowledge it, fleeing to the cross for forgiveness and healing from the wound the sin has caused. As the Scripture above states, we must confess our sins in order to be forgiven, and then He can cleanse us.

Judas was called "incorrigible," or beyond help. What made him incorrigible was not that He betrayed the Lord, but that he hung himself. We have probably all betrayed the Lord because He said that as we have done it to the least of His people, we have done it to Him. (see Matthew 25:40). Judas could have been forgiven, but instead of fleeing to the Lord for forgiveness, he tried to pay the price for his own sin. By doing that, he was beyond the Lord's help. We, too, are beyond His help when we either cover our sin and pretend it does not exist, or insist on paying the price for it ourselves. These are an affront to the cross of Jesus, which alone can pay for our sins. James 3:2 says, "For we all stumble in many ways."

Let us not respond to sin by trying to cover it, or "hanging ourselves," but rather flee to the grace of God at the cross. Jesus died to pay for that sin. To not allow Him to pay the price for our sin is to reject His great grace. If we are going to be free, and grow in the trust that all relationships are based on, we must trust the cross.