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关于天主教和基督教

这是一个历史原因造成的结果。早期基督教并没有天主教和基督教之分。基督徒在罗马皇帝统治的时期还遭受到逼迫。罗马人起初误解基督徒,认为他们是犹太教的一个分支。还误传说他们吃人肉喝人血。公元后六七十年,罗马皇帝尼禄统治的时期,由于他放了一把火。将罗马城烧了个焦头烂额。后来将基督徒作为替罪羊,将这个责任推到他们身上。

但是基督教在这种环境下茁壮成长,信徒也越来越多。后来,公元四世纪,罗马皇帝君斯坦丁大帝信仰基督教,将基督教定为国教。这成为基督教翻身的日子。

成为国教以后的基督教在组织形式上发生了很多的改变,比如有了教堂、金字塔式的圣职人员体系、定出很多的礼仪、教皇等。这些被认为是理所当然的事情结果却成为其自身的弊病。

早期的神职人员是由当时信徒所尊敬的教父们担任,这些人能够胜任。但是谁随着基督教的世俗化,这些职位被当成了一种职业。平民信徒开始只能通过这些人才能接触上帝。这些人成为了特权阶级。甚至可以辖制王权。有了教堂、繁复的礼仪和教皇的大权的基督教已经不是原来从奴隶的信仰发展而来,被压迫的信仰。当这些与我们在教科书上看到的腐败和不公义联系起来的时候,这就构成了基督教的黑暗时期。

就算在这种黑暗时期,基督教也不是没有一点光明。很早就有人注意到世俗化的趋势,并且下决心要与这个趋势对抗到底。一个众所周知的运动是修道院和沙漠教父。这些人想通过离开人群,远离尘世来追求圣洁和上帝。其中也有很多非常好的人和著作。

这种苦修的人们很容易让人想到另一个极端:禁欲主义。其实,这不是基督教的产物,而是原产于希腊文化中的一个学派:诺斯底主义。这个主义曾经和基督教产生激烈的碰撞。曾经被基督教定为异端。但是这个学派所主张的禁欲的思想到后来却在犹太教、基督教中产生了负面的影响。

历史确实非常有趣,它变化无常,常常作弄人。有谁能够从历史的长河中找到真正的智慧?

直到中世纪文艺复兴运动以后,教皇的权利得到了削弱。改革成为可能。其中涌现到历史舞台的有马丁路得和加尔文两个人。其实,在这两个人之前,已经有人跳出来,希望改变基督教当时的现状。但当时都被打成了异端。一个被活活烧死,另一个在被打成异端时已经死了,逃过一劫,但也被从坟墓中挖了出来。

可以想象马丁路得在当时是什么样的人物。到处流亡。他是一个修士,也是一个非常严肃对待自己的人。非常认真地执行当时每一项礼仪和修行。但是他认真地面对自己的内心,他诚实而痛苦地发现,他内心中的恶并不因为修行、礼仪和圣物而被除去。数教堂门口的台阶数并不能使他圣洁。因此他提出了九十五个问题(也是他当时困惑的问题)贴在教堂大门上。给他的同僚牧师们看。期望能够得到解答。在他研究圣经中的一卷书《罗马书》的时候,他发现当时的教会不是按照圣经中的教导运作的。这给了他很大的责任。

当时的圣经一般用的都是拉丁语译本。而拉丁语是受过教育的贵族才能够使用的语言。平民是没有权利解释圣经的。马丁路得为了让所有的人都能够明白圣经,将圣经翻译成德语。这样平民能够接触到圣经。但这触犯到神职人员的特权利益。根据他研究的圣经,马丁路得提出了:
1。人人皆祭司。每个人都可以直接来到上帝面前,而不需要通过中间媒介,如圣母、圣物等。
2。因信称义。每个人是因为信仰上帝,信仰耶稣的救恩而被上帝算为没有罪的。不需要通过行为、功德、或者其他圣人、圣物的帮助才能够被上帝算为没有罪的。

这些严重触犯了当时特权阶级的利益,我们在教科书中看到的赎罪卷被马丁路得定为不合圣经的、异端的。但是由于他的努力,欧洲很多地方都开始重新考虑圣经的教导。开始研究初期教会被压迫时期教会的形态。由此产生了一个新的派别,史称新教或者基督教。而原来的基督教就是天主教(东正教是罗马分裂时期,东罗马为了和西罗马的教皇分庭抗礼而形成的,和天主教的区别并不大)。

宗教改革的另一位人物是加尔文,他是一位思维严谨的人。将圣经的思想系统化后,形成了著名的加尔文神学体系。另外,他还是一位市长。

新教运动的主旨是要回到圣经的权威,来对抗教皇的权威。新教运动在欧洲迅速蔓延,而在天主教看来这是一种背叛。是不能容忍的。然而,随着历史的发展,很多新教的派别在欧洲各国兴起。当英国的清教徒受到英国女王的逼迫而远渡大西洋来到美洲,开始建立他们的新生活时,谁也不会想到这个建立在新教信仰基础上的新欣国家会迅速地发展起来,并对今天的世界构成这么大的影响。

Four Types of People in God’s Eye

In “Bible” Matthew 13:1-23, Jesus talks about soil and the seed. There are four types of soil which Jesus refers to. These four types of soil symbolize the four kinds of people in accept the word of God.

One, a path. “As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.” (verse 4); “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.” (verse 19). When Jesus spoke of the sower, he was referring to God himself, spreading the seeds of the gospel. There are people who indeed hear the message about the kingdom but don not understand it. They have no spiritual grasp of it, and they do not act on it in faith. They do not react. They witness, but they do not understand. To such people, the evil one comes and steals away the message of the kingdom.

Two, a rocky ground. “Some seed fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had not root.” (verse 5, 6); “The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.” (verse 20, 21). These are very emotional kinds of people. They quickly become enthusiastic about what they heard, but they soon become double-minded when they are emotionally upset. Emotional people cannot see the kingdom of God. Emotional people cannot take root in the word.

Three, a thorny ground. “Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.” (verse 7); “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness for wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” (verse 22). People who are like thorny ground have usually rich soil; they are able to do great things. They can produce abundant fruit. However, they are also worrying people. They worry day and night, until they have no time left to let the word grow in the soil of their hearts. The more they worry the more thorns of doubt and thistles of uncertainty grow in their hearts. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Instead of focusing on the words of God, thorny people focus on their worries. They lack the faith to trust and believe in God for the doubts and uncertainties that lie in their hearts.

Four, the good soil. “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—-a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (verse 8 ); “But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (verse 23). This happens whenever someone “hear the word and understands it”. Such a person produces a crop—-a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. The people whose minds are like good soil have a hundred mind toward the word of God. Such a person can understand the meaning of the word. And understanding comes from love. When we love the word of God, we can understand and see the glorious kingdom of God.

Excerpted from Sunday worship service, by David Kim
2006.5.21