作者：Charles Christian，印度尼西亞
翻譯：鍾林君，中國
一間教會門口掛著一個牌子，上面寫著「完美人士請繞行」，這讓我覺得十分有意思，也提醒我：這個世界上沒有任何一個人是完美的——即便是上教會的人。如果教會只是完美人士才能參加的聚會的話，那裡邊一定空無一人。
然而，我們很多人卻因為教會堆滿了不完美的人而難受。我有朋友就因為對所在教會的一些人感到失望而離開了那間教會。另一個朋友的爸爸，作為所在教會的執事，竟不允許我的朋友參與教會的事情，因為他已經見識了教會的「真面目」，並且覺得大家都是假冒偽善的人，這聽起來實在是讓人憂傷！
當我們剛來到一間教會時，很容易覺得所有人都是愛上帝、彼此相愛並恨惡罪的。但之所以得出這樣的結論，是不是因為我們對這間教會還不了解呢？當我們再靠近一點的時候，我們就會發現真相併非如此。這個世界上並沒有「完美的教會」這樣東西，因為聖經上說人人都犯了罪，虧缺了上帝的榮耀（羅馬書3章23節）。教會是由罪人組成的。是的，我們每一個人，都是有罪的人。
但如果是這樣的話，你可能會想：「去教會的人跟不去教會的人還有什麼區別嗎？」我的回答是「有的」。我覺得教會裡的罪人與其他人不同，主要有以下幾點：
1.教會裡的罪人承認自己是罪人
在路加福音18章9-14節裡，耶穌講了一個關於法利賽人和稅吏的比喻：
耶穌向那些仗著自己是義人藐視別人的，設一個比喻，說：「有兩個人上殿裡去禱告，一個是法利賽人，一個是稅吏。法利賽人站著，自言自語地禱告說：『上帝啊，我感謝你，我不像別人勒索、不義、姦淫，也不像這個稅吏。我一個禮拜禁食兩次，凡我所得的都捐上十分之一。』那稅吏遠遠地站著，連舉目望天也不敢，只捶著胸說：『上帝啊，開恩可憐我這個罪人！』我告訴你們，這人回家去比那人倒算為義了。因為凡自高的，必降為卑；自卑的，必升為高。」
這個比喻中有兩個不同的個體——一個是受人尊重的宗教教師，另一個則是受人排擠的社會邊緣人士。但是除了明顯的社會地位差異外，耶穌想要強調的是他們彼此間迥然不同的態度。稅吏知道並承認自己是個罪人，而法利賽人則將自己看得很高。耶穌讚許了稅吏的態度，並且說他「倒算為義了」。
法利賽人的自以為義使他們無法意識到自己其實「生病了」，並且需要醫生（馬可福音2章17節、馬太福音9章12-13節）。而這也是我們在教會裡的每一個人所面臨的危險——一不小心，我們也可能陷入這樣的思維。
我們是否意識到了自己內在的敗壞，並帶著一顆悔改的心來到主基督面前呢？
2.教會裡的罪人知道要依靠上帝
教會裡的罪人相信上帝，並且知道自己並不能拯救自己——只有上帝能從罪中拯救他們。
我們依靠上帝而活，這就包括將我們最深、最黑暗的掙扎坦誠在上帝面前，並常常尋求祂的供應與原諒。
西班牙16世紀一位名為聖女德肋撒（St. Teresa of Avila）的修女曾經極為真誠地禱告說：「噢，上帝，我不愛你。我甚至連愛你的想法都沒有，但我希望自己可以去渴望愛你（Oh God, I don’t love you, I don’t even want to love you, but I want to want to love you!）。」
我們是否每天依靠上帝而活，並將自己的心傾倒在上帝面前呢?
3.教會裡的罪人每天與罪抗爭
誰對罪都沒有免疫。我們還是會偶爾犯罪，但我們卻不斷地努力去悔改，並抵擋罪。這並不是一場輕鬆的戰役。上帝提醒我們要警醒，因為我們的仇敵魔鬼「如同吼叫的獅子，遍地遊行，尋找可吞吃的人」（彼得前書5章8節）。
只有在我們依靠上帝並與祂緊密同行時，我們才有可能戰勝日常生活中的試探。並且每次跌倒，我們都能依靠上帝的恩典，重新站起來。
我們是否有每天與罪抗爭並尋求上帝的力量去戰勝罪呢？
4.教會裡的罪人知道去愛其他罪人
教會裡的罪人知道上帝也愛其他的罪人，就像祂愛教會裡的每一個人一樣。因為上帝也愛其他罪人，所以我們也要去愛他們。我們不對他們所犯的錯誤指手畫腳，也不對他們視而不見。相反，我們為他們禱告，用愛的方式提醒他們，幫助他們悔改並成為更好的人。
我們像上帝那樣去愛其他人了嗎？
作家Morton Kelsey曾說：「教會不是聖人的博物館，而是罪人的醫院（The church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners）。」事實不就是如此嗎？但是不止如此。因為耶穌所做的，我們已不僅僅是呆在教會裡的罪人，而是教會裡已蒙救恩的罪人。
Church: No Perfect People Allowed
Written By Charles Christian, Indonesia
「No perfect people allowed.」
The sign I saw hanging outside a church intrigued me. It reminded me that nobody in this world is perfect—including those who go to church. If churches were only for perfect people, they would be empty.
Many of us, however, do struggle with the fact that the church is made up of imperfect people. I have friends who have left their churches because of their disappointment with people there. One friend’s father, a deacon in their church, does not even allow her to get involved in church matters, because he has seen the 「true colors」 of people in the church and believes that it is full of hypocrites. Isn’t it sad?
When we are new to a church, it’s easy to think that it has only good people who love God, love others, and hate sin. But could that be because we’re viewing the church from afar? Zoom in a bit closer, and we』d realize that it’s quite different. There is no such thing as a perfect church, because the Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The church is made up of sinners. Yes, every single one of us is a sinner.
But if that’s the case, you may be thinking, is there any difference between who are in the church and those who are not? My answer is yes—I believe the sinners in the church are different because of the following characteristics.
Sinners in the church confess that they are sinnersIn Luke 18:9-14, Jesus told this parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector:
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 「Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 『God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.』 But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 『God, have mercy on me, a sinner.』 「I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.」
Here were two different individuals—one a respectable religious teacher, the other a despised outcast. But beyond the obvious disparity in their social status, it was the disparity in their responses that Jesus wanted to highlight. The tax collector knew and confessed that he was a sinner. The Pharisee, on the other hand, thought highly of himself. Jesus lauded the response of the tax collector, and said that he was 「justified before God」.
The Pharisees』 self-righteousness had blinded them from realizing that they were 「sick」 and in need of a doctor (Mark 2:17 and Matthew 9:12-13). And that is a danger some of us—even in church—may fall into if we’re not careful.
Do we realize the depth of our depravity and come with a repentant heart before the Lord?
Sinners in the church depend on God
Sinners in the church believe in God and know that they are not able to save themselves—only God alone is able to save them.
We live a life of dependence on Him, which includes being honest about our deepest and darkest struggles with Him and regularly seeking him for His provision and forgiveness.
St. Teresa of Avila, a 16th-century Spanish nun, once prayed with great honesty: 「Oh God, I don’t love you, I don’t even want to love you, but I want to want to love you!」
Do we pour out our heart to God and depend on Him daily?
Sinners in the church fight against sin every dayWe are not immune to sin. We still fall into sin, but we make continuous effort to repent and fight against it. This is not an easy battle. God reminds us to be alert, as our enemy, the devil, prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
It is only when we depend on God and keep close to Him that we can defeat the temptations in our everyday life. And whenever we fall, we can—by God’s grace—get up again.
Do we struggle with sin daily and ask God for strength to overcome it?
Sinners in the church love other sinners
Sinners in the church know that God loves the other sinners as much as He loves us. And because God loves the other sinners, we love them too. We don’t judge them of their wrongdoing or neglect them. Instead, we pray for them, remind them in love, and help them repent and become better persons.
Do we love others just as God loves us?
Writer Morton Kelsey once said: 「The church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners.」 Isn’t that true? But let’s not stop there. Because of what Jesus did, we are not only sinners in the church, we aresaved sinners in the church.
*此文章英文原文與中文譯文均由雅米事工編輯後發表，如需轉載，請註明出自「雅米——聽見年輕基督徒的聲音！www.ya-mi.org」
給雅米投稿