The Holiness of Jesus Christ耶稣基督的圣洁
The promises of the coming of Messiah in the Old Testament became increasingly specific, until it was evident that Messiah must not only be human but divine (see Isaiah 9:6-7; Micah 5:2). As such, He must be holy. And so, when the angel told Mary of the child to be miraculously born of her, a virgin, he said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the*** holy offspring* shall be called the Son of God”** (Luke 1:35, emphasis mine).
旧约所应许到来的弥赛亚的形象渐渐变得明确了，最后可以看到弥赛亚不仅是人，也同时是神（见以赛亚书9：6-7；弥迦书5：2）。因此，他必然是圣洁的。也因此，当天使传报玛丽亚圣子将奇迹般从她——一位童贞女——而生，他说，“圣灵要临到你身上，至高者的能力要荫庇你，因此所要生的圣者必称为神的儿子”(路加福音1：35，斜体为作者所加）。
Throughout the life andminstry of our Lord on the earth, it became increasingly clear this was no ordinary man; indeed, He was more than a prophet and more than a mere man. This was the Son of God. Even the demons had to acknowledge Him as the**”Holy One of God”** (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34). The things Jesus said and did marked Him out as One who stood head and shoulders above any other (merely human) being. Peter was a professional fisherman, but when he obeyed the instructions of the Lord Jesus, the results were awesome. Peter’s response was appropriate:
通过我们的主在地上的生活和侍奉，渐渐可以看得清楚他不是一位普通人；实际上，他也不单是一位先知，也不仅仅是人。他是神子。就是污鬼也承认他是“神的圣者”（马可福音1：24；路加福音4：34）。耶稣的言行标志他是站在任何（仅仅是人）存在之上的神。彼得曾以打渔为业，但当他顺服了主耶稣的教导，却产生了惊人的结果。彼得的回应是恰当的：
8 When Simon Peter saw [that,] he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8).
8 西门彼得看见，就俯伏在耶稣膝前，说：主阿！离幵我，我是个罪人！（路加福音5：8）
When Jesus healed the demon-possessed dumb man, the multitudes marveled, saying,
当耶稣治愈污鬼附体的哑巴，众人都希奇，说：
33 “Nothing like this was ever seen in Israel” (Matthew 9:33).
在以色列中，从来没冇见过这样的事（马太福音9：33）。
When Jesus told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven and then proceeded to heal him, the people could not escape the implications:
当耶稣告诉瘫子他的罪一杯赦免，接着治愈了他，人们不能避免如此的推测：
5 And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But there were some of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your pallet and walk’? 10 But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately took up the pallet and went out in the sight of all; so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this” (Mark 2:5-12).
5 耶稣见他们的信心，就对瘫子说：小子，你的罪赦了。6 冇几个文士坐在那里，心里议论，说： 7 这个人为甚么这样说呢？他说僭妄的话了。除了神以外，谁能赦罪呢？ 8 耶稣心中知道他们心里这样议论，就说：你们心里为甚么这样议论呢？ 9 或对瘫子说你的罪赦了，或说起来！拿你的褥子行走；那一样容易呢？ 10 但要叫你们知道，人子在地上冇赦罪的权柄。就对瘫子说： 11 我吩咐你，起来！拿你的褥子回家去罢。12 那人就起来，立刻拿着褥子，当众人面前出去了，以致众人都惊奇，归荣耀与神，说：我们从来没冇见过这样的事！（马可福音2：5-12）。
When the man born blind was healed by Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees were most reluctant to admit that such a miracle had taken place. The blind man could “see” the implications of what had happened, and he pressed them on his interrogators:
当那位生来就瞎眼的人被耶稣治愈，文士和法利赛人很不情愿承认这样的奇迹发生了。瞎眼的人可以“看见”所发生的事情的含义，他将这看法阐明给他的询问者：
30 The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and [yet] He opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him. 32 Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, He could do nothing” (John 9:30-33).
30 那人回答说：他幵了我的眼睛，你们竟不知道他从那里来，这真是奇怪！ 31 我们知道神不听罪人，唯冇敬奉神、遵行他旨意的，神纔听他。从创世以来，未曾听见冇人把生来是瞎子的眼睛幵了。 33 这人若不是从神来的，甚么也不能做(约翰福音9：30-33）。
The miracles and signs performed during Jesus’ earthly ministry pointed to His holiness, as did the events surrounding His death. The supernatural darkness for three hours and the rending of the veil of the temple (Luke 23:44-45), along with other factors, caused the crowds to go away shaken by what they saw and heard (Luke 23:46-48). One of the criminals crucified beside Jesus gave testimony to His innocence in his last moments of life and asked Jesus to remember him when He entered into* His* kingdom (Luke 23:36-43). One of the soldiers at the foot of the cross also gave testimony to the uniqueness (shall we say “holiness”?) of Jesus:
耶稣早期的侍奉工作中所行的奇迹和征兆指向他的圣洁，就如围绕他的死亡所发生的事情一样。超自然的3小时黑暗和殿里的幔子从当中裂为两半（路加福音23：44-45）
47 Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he [began] praising God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent” (Luke 23:47).
47 百夫长看见所成的事，就归荣耀与神，说：这真是个义人！ （路加福音23：47）。
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up [His] spirit. 51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split, 52 and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:50-54).
50 耶稣对他说：朋友，你来要做的事，就做罢。于是那些人上前，下手拿住耶稣。51 冇跟随耶稣的一个人伸手拔出刀来，将大祭司的仆人砍了一刀，削掉了他一个耳朵。 52 耶稣对他说：收刀入鞘罢！凡动刀的，必死在刀下。53 你想，我不能求我父现在为我差遣十二营多天使来么？ 54 若是这样，经上所说，事情必须如此的话怎么应验呢？（马太福音27：50-54）。
The words spoken tauntingly by the crowds when Jesus was hanging on the cross have even more impact after His resurrection:
耶稣钉在十字架上时群众嘲讽的话在他复活之后就显得更有影响了：
42 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down** from the cross, and we shall believe in Him. 43 HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET HIM DELIVER [Him] now**, IF HE TAKES PLEASURE IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God’” (Matthew 27:42-43, emphasis mine).
42 他救了别人，不能救自己。他是以色列的王，现在可以从十字架上下来，我们就信他。 43 他倚靠神，神若喜悦他，现在可以救他；因为他曾说：我是神的儿子。（马太福音27：42-43，斜体和着重是作者所加）。
I am fascinated by that little word “now.” They defied Jesus to come down from the cross immediately, thus avoiding death. If He would do this, they said, then they would believe in Him. How much more awesome is His rising from the dead! Which was the greater act, to come down from the cross, or to rise up from the grave? Jesus did the greater, and some did believe.
我对于“现在”一词极感兴趣。他们挑战耶稣立刻从十字架上下来，因此可以不死。如果他这样行了，按照他们的说法，他们就信他。难道他从死亡中复活不更加让人敬畏！从十字架上下来，与从坟墓中复活，那一样更加伟大？耶稣做了更大的事情，所以有些人信了他。
The implications of this resurrection are emphatically spelled out by the apostles as recorded in the Book of Acts, whether by Peter or by Paul:
在使徒行传中，不管是彼得还是保罗都特别强调复活的含义：
23 This [Man], delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put [Him] to death. 24 And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. 25 For David says of Him, ‘I WAS ALWAYS BEHOLDING THE LORD IN MY PRESENCE; FOR HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, THAT I MAY NOT BE SHAKEN. 26 THEREFORE MY HEART WAS GLAD AND MY TONGUE EXULTED; MOREOVER MY FLESH ALSO WILL ABIDE IN HOPE. BECAUSE THOU WILT NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES, NOR ALLOW THY HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY’ (Acts 2:23-27, emphasis mine).
23 他既按着神的定旨先见被交与人，你们就藉着无法之人的手，把他钉在十字架上，杀了。24 神却将死的痛苦解释了，叫他复活，因为他原不能被死拘禁。25 大卫指着他说：我看见主常在我眼前；他在我右边，叫我不至于摇动。 26 所以，我心里欢喜，我的灵（原文是舌）快乐；并且我的肉身要安居在指望中。 27 因你必不将我的灵魂撇在阴间，也不叫你的圣者见朽坏。（使徒行传2：23-27，着重为作者所加）。
32 “And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, 33 that God has fulfilled this [promise] to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘THOU ART MY SON; TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN THEE.’ 34 [And as for the fact] that He raised Him up from the dead, no more to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘I WILL GIVE YOU THE HOLY [and] SURE [blessings] OF DAVID.’ 35 Therefore He also says in another [Psalm,] ‘THOU WILT NOT ALLOW THY HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY’” (Acts 13:32-35).
32 我们也报好信息给你们，就是那应许祖宗的话， 33 神已经向我们这作儿女的应验，叫耶稣复活了。正如诗篇第二篇上记着说：你是我的儿子，我今日生你。 34 论到神叫他从死里复活，不再归于朽坏，就这样说：我必将所应许大卫那圣洁、可靠的恩典赐给你们。35 又冇一篇上说：你必不叫你的圣者见朽坏。（使徒行传13：32-35，着重为作者所加）。
Peter and Paul not only proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus from the dead as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Psalm 16:10, they also proclaimed Him to be the “Holy One” of God, whom God would not allow to undergo decay because He was holy. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead not only vindicates Jesus’ claim to be Israel’s Messiah, it demonstrates Him to be the promised “Holy One” of God. The resurrection is the seal of approval on the holiness of Jesus Christ.
彼得和保罗不仅宣讲耶稣的复活成就了诗篇16：10的预言，他们还宣讲他是神的“圣者”，因为他的圣洁，神不会将其灵魂撇在阴间。耶稣从死亡中复活不仅澄清了耶稣是以色列人的弥赛亚，并且也宣示他是被应许的“圣者”。复活是耶稣基督的圣洁的正式封印。
All too often we find ourselves thinking of Jesus now as He once was when He walked on this earth during His three-year public ministry. In truth, His resurrection from the dead changed Him so that He no longer possesses a merely earthly body but now is glorified by His transformed body. His glory and holiness are no longer veiled, so that the description of Jesus in the Book of Revelation is the description of Him as He now is and forever will be. The John who once walked with our Lord and even reclined on his breast (see John 13:23) now falls before Him as a dead man, overcome by His holiness and glory:
经常我们发现自己将耶稣仅仅看作曾经有短暂的3年公开侍奉的那一位。但是，他的复活改变了一切，他不再仅仅是个尘世的肉体，而是通过他已改变的身体得到荣耀。他的荣耀和圣洁不再是蒙着面纱的，所以启示录说他是昔在、今在、以后永在。在耶稣死亡之前曾经和主一同行走，曾经靠在他怀里的约翰（见约翰福音 13：23）现在在他面前匍匐，被他的圣洁与荣耀所征服：
12 And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle. 14 And His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; 15 and His feet [were] like burnished bronze, when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and His voice [was] like the sound of many waters. 16 And in His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 19 Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall take place after these things” (Revelation 1:12-19).
12 我转过身来，要看是谁发声与我说话；既转过来，就看见七个金灯臺。 13 灯臺中间冇一位好象人子，身穿长衣，直垂到脚，胸间束着金带。 14 他的头与髮皆白，如白羊毛，如雪；眼目如同火焰；15 脚好象在炉中煆炼光明的铜；声音如同众水的声音。 16 他右手拿着七星，从他口中出来一把两刃的利剑；面貌如同烈日放光。 17 我一看见，就仆倒在他脚前，象死了一样。他用右手按着我，说：不要惧怕！我是首先的，我是末后的， Isa 41:4; Isa 44:6; Isa 48:12; 18 又是那存活的；我曾死过，现在又活了，直活到永永远远；并且拿着死亡和阴间的钥匙。19 所以你要把所看见的，和现在的事，并将来必成的事，都写出来。（启示录1：12-19）。
The Holiness of God and the Church
(Acts 5:1-16; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34)神的圣洁与教会（使徒行传5：1-16；哥林多前书11：17-34）
The story of Ananias and Sapphira is a familiar one to Christians. In the early days of the church, there was a great concern for the poor. When needs arose, saints would sell some of their possessions and lay the proceeds at the feet of the apostles for them to distribute (see Acts 2:44-45; 4:34-37). Ananias and Sapphira did likewise, but with a divided heart and in a deceptive way. They sold a piece of property but kept back a part of the proceeds for themselves. They gave the remainder of the money to the apostles as though it were the whole amount. When their sin was exposed to Peter, he confronted them, and both of them died. Great fear came upon the entire church, not to mention the rest of the community.
亚拿尼亚和妻子撒非喇的故事在基督徒中广为人知。早期的教会非常重视穷人。当他们有需要的时候，圣徒变卖部分家产，将所得放在使徒的脚下，让他们来分配（见使徒行传2：44-45；4：34-37）。亚拿尼亚和撒非喇也同样做了，但是他们怀有欺心。他们变卖了一些财产但是却没有全部将所得奉献，而是私底下留下部分。他们将余下部分给了使徒，但是说这就是全部。彼得发现了他们的罪，谴责了他们，两人就都死了。全教会和听见这事的人都甚惧怕。
I have always concentrated on the fact that this couple lied, which they did. But in the context of studying the holiness of God, two additional details seem of more import than I had previously thought. First, these two lied to the* Holy* Spirit. Their deception was an offense to God’s holiness. It was also an act which could have had a leavening effect on the church itself (see also 1 Corinthians 5:6-7). Just as the generosity of Barnabas encouraged others to give in the same way, the half-hearted, deceptive act of Ananias and his wife could have adversely affected others in the church by encouraging them to do likewise. Remember that it is now the church that is the dwelling place of God upon the earth. God is holy, and thus His church must be holy as well. The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was an affront to the holiness of God in His church.
我一直很注重这一对夫妻说谎的事情，还有他们的行为。但是通过学习神的圣洁，我发现了以前未曾思考的两个更加重要的细节。首先，两人对圣灵说谎了。他们的欺骗冒犯了神的圣洁。这同时就像坏的酵一样会破坏整个教会（参见哥林多前书5：6-7）。正如巴拿巴斯的慷慨大方鼓励其他人也同样的放弃所有财产，半心半意，采取欺骗行为的亚拿尼亚夫妻将成为其他教会成员的恶劣榜样。请记住现在教会是神在地上的居所。神是圣洁的，因此他的教会必须也是圣洁的。亚拿尼亚和撒非喇的罪就是挑战圣洁的神和他的教会。
Further, Luke includes a comment on the effect the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira had on the church and the community. A great fear came upon the whole church and on all who heard of this (Acts 5:11, 13). Unbelievers were prompted by their fear to keep their distance from the church, and the saints were motivated to keep their distance from the world (as far as its sins are concerned).
然后，路加还加上了亚拿尼亚和撒非喇的死对于教会和其他人的影响的评论。全教会和听见这事的人都甚惧怕（使徒行传5：11，13）。不信者因为害怕而远离教会，圣徒则因此得到激励而远离世界（其中的罪）。
Fear is the response of men to the holiness of God. Thus, the sin of Ananias and his wife was a sin of irreverence, a sin against God’s holiness. But the outbreak of divine holiness which brought about the death of this couple also brought fear on those who heard of this incident.
惧怕是人对于神的圣洁的反应。因此，亚拿尼亚和他的妻子的罪是缺乏敬畏，并干犯了神的圣洁。但是突然爆发出来的神性之圣洁将这对夫妻置于死地还是给那些听见的人带来了恐惧。
A related text is found in 1 Corinthians 11 where Paul rebukes and admonishes the church because of the misconduct of some at the Lord’s Table. The church remembered the Lord by having communion as a part of a meal, just as we see the last supper (the Passover) described in the Gospels. Some were able to bring much food and drink to this potluck dinner while others could bring little or nothing. Some had the luxury of coming early, while others had to come later. Those who brought much and came early did not wish to wait or to share with the rest, so they over-indulged. In the process, some became drunk and disorderly so that the celebration of the Lord’s death was shameful, resembling the heathen celebrations of their pagan neighbors in Corinth.
在哥林多前书11章可以找到有关的经文，那里保罗因为某些人在主的圣餐上行为不轨而指责和劝诫教会。教会通过分享主的身体而和主交通，正如我们在福音书关于最后的晚餐（逾越节）的描述上看到的。有的人可以带来很多食物和饮料，并且在他人基本无力带来食物的时候大肆享用。有的人带着丰盛而奢侈的食物早早的来到，而另一些人则迟到。那些来得早并且带着食物的人不愿意等待他们和分享，所以他们饱食过度。这个过程中，有的人喝醉而失控，所以庆祝主的死的仪式成为一种羞耻，就像哥林多那些异教徒邻居们的异教庆典一样了。
Paul rebuked the Corinthians, not for partaking of the communion in an unworthy state but for partaking of it in an unworthy manner. “Unworthily” in the King James Version is rendered “in an unworthy manner” in the NASB. Both are an accurate representation of the adverb employed in the original text—not an adjective. Most Christians suppose Paul is rebuking the Corinthians for partaking of the bread and the cup as those who are “unworthy” (adjective) of it, rather than realizing he is forbidding the partaking of the bread and the cup in a manner that is unbefitting—“unworthily” (an adverb). No one is ever worthy of the body and blood of our Lord, but we can remember it in a fashion which is worthy and appropriate.
保罗劝诫哥林多人，不是说他们不配参与圣餐礼，而是说他们的态度配不上圣餐。在KJV版圣经中的“不配（Unworthily）”一词在NASB版中翻译为“不配的态度（in an unworthy manner）”。两种翻译都正确反映了原文此处所用的副词而非形容词。大部分基督徒认为保罗责备哥林多人“不配”（形容词）参加圣餐，而没有正确认识到他是禁止他们以“不配的态度”（副词）参加圣餐。没有人配得上主的身体和主的宝血，但是我们可以用一种珍重和感激的态度来纪念主。
Paul further says that when the Corinthians eat the bread and drink the cup “unworthily,” they are guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27), and in so doing they do not “judge the body rightly” (verse 29). He goes on to explain that this kind of conduct at the Lord’s table has brought about the sickness of some and the death of others (verse 30).
保罗进一步说哥林多人擘饼和饮杯是“不配地”，他们干犯了主的身体和主的血（哥林多前书11：27），因此就是吃喝自己的罪了(29节）。他进一步解释说在圣餐礼上的这种行为导致有好些软弱的与患病的，死的也不少（30节）。
As I understand Paul’s words, the sin of the Corinthians at the Lord’s Supper was irreverence. The body of our Lord—His physical body and blood—are holy. He was a sinless sacrifice dying in our place. The body of our Lord is also the church, and it too is to be holy. By conducting themselves in a drunk and disorderly manner at the Lord’s Supper, the church showed a disregard for Christ’s physical body and His spiritual body, the church. This irreverence so offended God He struck some with illness and others with death. Irreverence in worship is both a failure to grasp God’s holiness and an affront to His holiness. Irreverence is a sin of great magnitude with dreadful consequences. The holiness of God requires us to take our worship seriously and not to participate frivolously. This does not mean our worship must be joyless, solemn and somber. It simply means we must regard God’s presence seriously and be very cautious about offending His presence by our irreverence.
我这样理解保罗的话，哥林多人在圣餐礼上犯的罪是不敬畏神。主的身体——他在地上的身体和血——是圣洁的。他作为无罪的献祭代替了我们。主的身体也是教会，同样是圣洁的。在圣餐礼上喝醉和乱行，这个教会显出对基督的物理身体和灵性身体——教会——的漠视。这种不敬冒犯了神，所以他让一些人患病而另一些人死亡。在敬拜时的不尊重态度既代表没有明白神的圣洁的含义也是对神的圣洁的冒犯。不敬是具有可怕后果的重罪。神的圣洁要求我们在敬拜他时保持严肃，不可轻浮。这并不是说我们的敬拜必须不苟言笑，庄严和阴郁。但是我们必须认识到神的临在是严肃的，要谨慎地避免不敬的态度冒犯神的临在。
The Holiness of God
and Contemporary Christianity神的圣洁与当代基督教
The holiness of God is not simply a doctrine to which we give assent. Rather, the doctrine of the holiness of God should guide and govern our lives.
神的圣洁不单单是我们赞同的一个教义。反之，神的圣洁这个教义应该指导和约束我们的生活。
(1) The holiness of God should guide and govern our thinking on “God’s acceptance.” (1) 神的圣洁应该引导我们思考“神的接纳”。 I often hear Christians use the expression “unconditional acceptance.” It seems this term is first applied to God and then to the saints. “God unconditionally accepts us,” they reason, “and so we must accept others unconditionally.” My difficulty is that this is not a biblical expression. Perhaps even worse, it does not appear to be a biblical concept. God does not “accept us regardless” of what we do. Look at the nation Israel. Because of their persistent sin, God said they were no longer His people (see Hosea 1). God did not accept Cain or his offering (Genesis 4:5).* God accepts us only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ* so that even Christians are not unconditionally accepted, regardless of their attitudes and actions. The holiness of God indicates God does not accept what is not holy. In reality, all God accepts from us is that which He produces in and through us. To speak too glibly about unconditional acceptance appears to encourage careless and disobedient living.
我经常听见基督徒提出“无条件接纳”的说法。这个词首先被用于神，然后又用于信徒。“神无条件接纳我们”，他们这样推理，“所以我们也应该无条件接纳别人。”我的诘难是这个说法没有圣经依据。可能更坏的是，这也许就不是一个圣经的概念。神并非不管我们做什么都“无条件接纳我们”。看看以色列民族。因为他们坚持罪恶，神说他们不再是他的子民（参见何西阿书1）。神没有接受该隐和他所献的祭物（创世纪4：5）。*唯有通过耶稣基督的血，神接受我们，*所以即使基督徒也不是不管他们的态度和行为就被无条件接受的。神的圣洁揭示神不会接受那些不圣洁的事物。实际上，神所接受的我们的任何方面的都是他创造并放在我们身上的。过分轻易地说无条件接纳可能会鼓励轻率和不顺服的生活方式。
The church cannot “accept” those who profess to be Christians but live like pagans (1 Corinthians 5:1-13). We must discipline and remove those who refuse to live like Christians. The church is to be holy, and this means purging out the “leaven” from its midst. Let those who emphasize unconditional acceptance ponder these words:
教会不会“接纳”那些自称基督徒但是却像异教徒一样生活的人（哥林多前书5：1-13）。我们必须处罚和开除那些拒绝像一个基督徒一样生活的人。教会是分别为圣的，因此需要将“酵”从中清除。那些强调无条件接纳的人请考虑下面的话：
14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: 15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. 16 ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth’” (Revelation 3:14-16).
14 你要写信给老底嘉教会的使者，说：那为阿们的，为诚信真实见證的，在神创造万物之上为元首的，说： 15 我知道你的行为，你也不冷也不热；我巴不得你或冷或热。 16 你既如温水，也不冷也不热，所以我必从我口中把你吐出去。（启示录3：14-16）。
(2) The doctrine of the holiness of God needs to considered when we speak of accountability. (2) 我们谈论交账的时候应该考虑神的圣洁的教义 The concept of “accountability” has, in my opinion, been imported from the secular world. I am not entirely opposed to accountability, except that the church sometimes speaks more of accountability to men than of accountability to God. Let us not forget to whom we must give account:
我认为“交账”的概念是从世俗世界引入的。我不完全反对交账，但是教会有时谈论交账给人多过交账给神。我们不应忘记我们要交账的对象：
36 “And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36).
36 “我又告诉你们，凡人所说的閒话，当审判的日子，必要句句供出来；”（马太福音12：36）。
17 Obey your leaders, and submit [to them]; for they keep watch over your souls,* as those who will give an account.* Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you (Hebrews 13:17, emphasis mine; see also 1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
17 你们要依从那些引导你们的，且要顺服；因他们为你们的灵魂时刻儆醒，好象那将来交账的人。你们要使他们交的时候冇快乐，不至忧愁；若忧愁就与你们无益了。（希伯来书13：17，强调为作者所加；另见哥林多前书3：10-15）。
12 So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God (Romans 14:12).
12 这样看来，我们各人必要将自己的事在神面前说明。（罗马书14：12）。
4 And in [all] this, they are surprised that you do not run with [them] into the same excess of dissipation, and they malign [you]; 5 but they shall give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead (1 Peter 4:4-5).
4 他们在这些事上，见你们不与他们同奔那放蕩无度的路，就以为怪，毁谤你们。 5 他们必在那将要审判活人死人的主面前交账。（彼得前书4：4-5）。
(3) The holiness of God should govern our thinking about self-esteem. (3) 神的圣洁应该支配我们对自尊的思考。 I was struck by this statement made by a psychologist at the beginning of this century, which is so different from what we are now being told:
“This reverence has been significantly defined by the psychologist William McDougall as ‘