True Faith and Religious Blind Belief

Today, we continue to speak about the words concerning the Flood of Noah.
From Genesis 6:8, we can see that at that time many people served God in their own way: “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” From this verse we can know that their faith was different from the faith of Noah.

The meaning of “Noah found grace” is that he was a sinner, yet he came before God and received the forgiveness of sins. Among all mankind, there is not one who is without sin or without blemish. If there were someone who could say before God that he had never sinned and had lived a clean life according to the Word, then he would be someone who does not need the grace of God because he has no sin. But Noah had many blemishes and was weak and lacking; therefore he came before God, received grace, and became a righteous man.

Noah was no different from the people of his time, yet by receiving the grace of God, he became righteous and walked with God. The problem was that many people at that time believed in and served God in their own way, but their faith was different from the faith of Noah who walked with God. They served God zealously according to themselves and their own thoughts which they believed were correct, but Noah walked with God—receiving God’s guidance and doing things completely beyond their imagination.

No matter how capable the human mind may be, it can never reach the level of God. Because Noah’s thoughts were not his own thoughts, but he followed the leading of God and God’s Word, it was impossible for the people of that time to have thoughts consistent with Noah’s. They could not understand Noah’s zeal in building the ark on a mountain. Though they heard Noah’s words, they regarded him as a fanatic or a madman.

“Must someone who believes in God live like that?” “We also believe in God—God is loving; must we do such things?” People could not understand. They did not receive the leading of God but lived a religious life according to their own ceremonies, procedures, and regulations; therefore they could in no way understand Noah.

Jesus said that His return would be like the days of Noah. The people of Noah’s time while he built the ark, and the people at the time of Jesus’ second coming, will be almost the same. People did not fail to enter the ark because they had no opportunity; and at the return of Jesus, people also will not fail to be saved because they had no opportunity for salvation.

Because they could not understand the difference between the faith they believed to be correct and the faith of Noah, they could not accept Noah’s faith. And such things did not happen only during the days of the Flood. Reading the Bible, we find that those who receive the forgiveness of sins through the Word of God and follow God’s leading—whether in any nation or any age—always have a life and thoughts different from those who merely practice religion outwardly. Therefore, people who live a formal religious life always fail to understand, and even persecute and oppose, those who are led by the Spirit and the Word of God.

It was the same when Jesus was on the earth. Jesus followed the will of God and came to this world to fulfill God’s will. There were many religious people—the scribes and Pharisees—who believed they zealously served God. They diligently read and studied the Old Testament and taught the people, yet they always read the Scriptures according to their own thoughts. They did not realize how evil and mistaken their own thoughts were, did not cast them aside, and carried their own thoughts while reading the Scriptures. Thus, instead of discovering the precious will of God in the Bible, they turned the Scriptures into a book that defended their own ideas. Therefore, holding the Scriptures in their hands, they opposed and persecuted Jesus Christ who fulfilled the will of God.

Why did they persecute and oppose Jesus? Because the Lord said, “My thoughts are not your thoughts.” To discover the true will of God in the Scriptures, we must completely cast away our preconceived religious thoughts and approach the Bible with a heart that longs to discover God’s will. We must remember that in the days of Jesus, it was not those who had never read the Scriptures who persecuted Him, but those who believed they zealously believed in God.

The same was true in the time of Martin Luther, John Wesley, and D. L. Moody. Many people persecuted D. L. Moody, John Wesley, and Martin Luther. These persecutors were not unbelievers, but believers in Jesus. Why do people who believe in Jesus have different thoughts and different denominations? The reason is that when people interpret the Scriptures according to their own ideas, countless different thoughts arise.

To understand the Word of God, the Holy Spirit must first enter our hearts. Only the Holy Spirit can understand the Word of God. To receive the Holy Spirit, our hearts must first be emptied. As long as our own thoughts fill our hearts, the Holy Spirit cannot enter. When we realize that our thoughts are useless and cast them away, we can come before Jesus Christ, have all our sins washed as white as snow by the precious blood of Jesus, and receive the forgiveness of sins through the Word of God. At that time, the Holy Spirit enters our hearts, and we receive the leading of the Spirit.

Because we accept the leading of the Spirit and the leading of God, and not our own thoughts, the people of the world often cannot understand us. Noah looked at the people of his time and felt great sorrow. Destruction was soon to come, yet they knew nothing. Noah prophesied to them, crying out the message of the coming destruction and great flood; yet the people mocked him and called him a fanatic. Believing their own faith to be correct, they had no time or room to examine themselves. Because they blindly believed their faith was right, although they had the opportunity to be saved, they were not saved and perished.

It is the same today. Though many say they believe in God or believe in Jesus, we can see that people blindly go to church, pray, and give tithes. Now, we must escape blind faith and receive the forgiveness of sins in our hearts. Like Noah, who was led by the Spirit of God, we must live a life that receives God’s grace and walks with God.

For a long time, I myself went to church according to religious habit without having received the forgiveness of sins. Though I suffered and longed for the forgiveness of sins, I did not know how sin could be forgiven, and simply repeated a life of repentance. Realizing how evil I was and that I could only go to hell, I wept bitterly. Then one day, God let me understand through the Scriptures how my sins were washed. Words such as, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18) and “Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17) came into my heart by faith.

After all my sins were washed away, I was filled with great joy and preached the message of the forgiveness of sins to others. Some rejoiced after receiving the forgiveness of sins, but others believed their own faith to be the orthodox faith, closed their hearts, and rejected the Word. Seeing people resist the Word caused me deep pain. Judgment was near; Noah had finished building the ark and urged people to enter it, but they would not enter. How painful Noah’s heart must have been! I too felt such a heart.

Are you living a life of faith according to religious habit—going to church and giving offerings? Or have all your sins been forgiven, and like Noah, have you found grace, walked with God, received the promises unknown to men, and become true children of God led by His promises? If you have not yet experienced the forgiveness of sins and have not yet walked with God, then you must realize, “Lord, I am a sinner”—that you are a sinner destined for destruction—and search the Scriptures to see how sin is forgiven.

I hope you will receive the precious blessing of the forgiveness of sins. I hope that unlike the days of Noah—when the ark had already been prepared and yet many still perished—when God’s judgment comes, you may all receive God’s grace and not perish.

 

真正的信仰与宗教的盲信（盲目相信）

 

今天，我们也继续讲一下挪亚洪水的话语。看《创世记》6章8节，我们可以知道，当时有很多人按照自己的方式侍奉着神。“惟有挪亚在耶和华眼前蒙恩。”看这节圣经话语，我们可以知道他们的信仰与挪亚的信仰不同。

说“挪亚蒙恩”的意思是，他是罪人，但走到神面前罪得赦免了。世人中，没有一个没有罪、没有污点的人。假如有人在神面前说自己没有犯过罪，并按照话语洁净地生活了，那么他就是因为没有罪而不需要神恩典的人。但挪亚有很多污点，是个软弱不足的人，所以走到神面前蒙恩，成了义人。

挪亚和当时的众人没有任何区别，但他蒙到神的恩典成义了，成了与神同行的人。问题是，当时很多人都按照自己的方式相信、侍奉着神，却和与神同行的挪亚的信仰不同。他们是本着自己，按自认为正确的想法热心地侍奉着神，挪亚却是与神同行，接受着神的引导，做着他们完全想象不到的事情。

人类的头脑再好使，也达不到神的水平。因为挪亚的想法不是自己的想法，而是接受着神的引导，跟随着神的话语，所以当时的人们的想法不可能与挪亚的想法一致。当时的人们无论如何也理解不了挪亚在山上热心地造方舟的行为，他们虽然听了挪亚的话，却把他当成是狂信徒或疯子来看待。

“相信神的人，一定要那样生活吗？”“我们也相信神，神是慈爱的神，一定要那样做吗？”人们无法理解。他们没有接受神的引导，而是按照自己的仪式、程序和规定过着宗教生活，所以他们无论如何也理解不了挪亚。

耶稣说，他再来的时候，会和挪亚时代相同。挪亚造方舟时的人们，与耶稣再来时的人们，两者的样子几乎一样。人们不是因为没有进方舟的机会，才没进方舟；耶稣再来时，人们也不是因为没有得救的机会，才没得救的。

 

对于自己认为的信仰与挪亚的信仰有什么区别，挪亚时代的人们理解不了，也就无法接受挪亚的信仰。这样的事不只是发生在挪亚洪水时期。读《圣经》就能发现，藉着神的话语罪得赦免、接受神引导的人，不管在哪个国家、哪个时代，他们的生活与想法都有别于形式上过宗教生活的人。因此，形式上过宗教生活的人，总是理解不了、逼迫、敌对着接受神的灵与话语引导的人。

耶稣在世上时也是这样。耶稣遵循神的旨意，为了成就神的旨意来到这世上。当时有很多自认为热心地侍奉神的文士和法利赛人等宗教人。他们热心地阅读、学习旧约《圣经》，并教导着人们，却总是按照自己的想法读《圣经》。他们并没有认识到自己的想法是多么邪恶、错谬，从而扔掉自己的想法，而是带着自己的想法读《圣经》。所以，他们不是在《圣经》中发现神的宝贵旨意，而是将《圣经》变成了悍卫自己想法的书。因此，他们拿着《圣经》，敌对、逼迫了遵行神旨意的耶稣基督。

他们为什么逼迫、敌对耶稣呢？因为耶和华说：“我的意念非同你们的意念。”为了在《圣经》中发现真正的神的旨意，我们必须彻底扔掉我们先入为主的宗教性想法，带着渴望发现神旨意的心对待《圣经》。我们要记住，在耶稣时代，并不是没有读过《圣经》的人逼迫耶稣，而是自认为热心地相信神的人逼迫了耶稣。

马丁·路德、约翰·卫斯理、D·L·慕迪时代也是这样。很多人逼迫了D·L·慕迪、约翰·卫斯理、马丁·路德。这些逼迫的人并不是不相信耶稣的人，而是相信耶稣的人。那么，相信耶稣的人为什么会有各自不同的想法，各自不同的教派呢？原因在于，他们若按自己的想法理解神的《圣经》，就会产生无数不同的想法。

 

要想理解神的话语，圣灵得先进到我们心里才行。只有神的圣灵才能理解神的话语。要想迎接圣灵，得先倒空我们的心。在还有自己的想法的状态下，圣灵没办法直接进来。当明白我们的想法是无益的，并扔掉我们的想法时，我们就能走到耶稣基督面前，藉着耶稣的宝血使所有的罪洗得像雪一样白，藉着神的话语罪得赦免。这时，圣灵就会进到我们心里，我们就能得到圣灵的引导。

我们是接受圣灵的引导，接受神的引导，而不是我们的想法，所以世上的人们往往无法理解我们。挪亚看着当时的人们，感到十分痛心。灭亡很快就临到了，他们却浑然不知。挪亚向人们预言并呼喊着将要来临灭亡与大洪水的消息，他们却把挪亚当成是狂信徒，取笑着他。他们认为自己的信仰是对的，甚至没有时间和闲暇去思考自己的信仰。因为盲目地相信自己的信仰是正确的，所以虽然有得救的机会，他们也没能得救，遭到了灭亡。

如今也是这样。虽然有很多人说相信神、相信耶稣，我们却能发现人们盲目地去教会、祷告、献十分之一。现在，我们要脱离盲目的信仰，使心里的罪得赦，就像接受神的灵引导的挪亚一样，过着蒙神的恩典、与神同行的生活。

 

有很长一段时间，我也曾在没有罪得赦免的状态下，按照宗教习惯去着教会。虽然很痛苦，渴望罪得赦免，却不知道如何罪得赦免，只是反复过着悔改的生活。我认识到我是一个多么可恶的人，只能下地狱，为此痛哭不已。突然有一天，神让我通过圣经话语明白了我的罪是如何洗净的。“你们的罪虽像朱红，必变成雪白。”（赛1：18）“我不再记念他们的罪愆和他们的过犯”（来10：17）等话语凭借信心临到了我心里。

所有的罪被洗净后，我觉得特别开心，向人们传讲了有关罪得赦免的话语。当时，有些人罪得赦免后欢喜快乐，也有些人觉得自己的信仰才是正统信仰，并关闭心门，拒不接受话语。看到人们排斥话语，我感到特别痛心。审判已经临近了，挪亚造好了方舟，规劝人们进入方舟，人们却不进去。看到这些人时，挪亚心里该多么伤痛啊？我也有了这样的心。

大家是按照宗教习惯，过着去教会奉献的信仰生活吗？还是所有的罪都得到了赦免，像挪亚一样，蒙恩与神同行，接受了人们无法知道的神的应许，成为了被应许引导的神真正的子女了呢？假如还没有经历到罪得赦免，还没有与神同行，我们就需要认识到“主啊，我是罪人”，明白自己是一个只能遭到灭亡的罪人，并在《圣经》中查找一下罪是如何赦免的。

希望大家能藉此得到罪得赦免的宝贵祝福。希望不要像挪亚时代那样，虽然造好了方舟，还是有很多人遭到灭亡。希望当神的审判降临时，人们都能蒙到神的恩典，不至遭到灭亡，