2025-07-08

Reading for Today:
今日读经：

2 Chronicles 11:1–12:16
历代志下 11:1–12:16
Psalm 80:14-19
诗篇 80:14-19
Proverbs 20:19-21
箴言 20:19-21
Acts 15:1-21
使徒行传 15:1-21

Notes:
注解：

2 Chronicles 12:2–5 Shishak. He ruled over Egypt ca. 945–924 B.C. An Egyptian record of this invasion written on stone has been found, recording that Shishak’s army penetrated all the way north to the Sea of Galilee. He wanted to restore Egypt’s once-great power, but was unable to conquer both Israel and Judah. However, he was able to destroy cities in Judah and gain some control of trade routes. Judah came under Egyptian control.
历代志下 12:2–5 示撒。 他大约在公元前945–924年统治埃及。考古学家曾发现一块记录这次入侵的埃及石刻，记载着示撒的军队一路打到加利利海以北。他企图恢复埃及昔日的强盛，但未能完全征服以色列和犹大。不过，他确实毁坏了犹大的城邑，并在贸易路线中取得了一定控制权。犹大由此落入埃及的辖制之下。

2 Chronicles 12:6,7 humbled themselves. In the face of the Egyptian conqueror, the leaders responded to the word of God through the prophet (v. 5) and repented, so that God would end His wrath worked through Shishak.
历代志下 12:6,7 自卑。 面对埃及征服者，领袖们回应了神藉先知所传的话（5节），悔改认罪，于是神就止息了藉着示撒而来的怒气。

2 Chronicles 12:8 Nevertheless. A fitting punishment arose to remind the Jews of their heritage in relationship to Egypt. This was the first major military encounter with Egypt since the Exodus had ended hundreds of years of slavery there. A taste of being enslaved again to a people from whom God had given liberation was bitter. The message was crystal clear—if the Jews would forsake the true worship of God, they would also lose His protective hand of blessing. It was much better to serve God than to have to serve “kingdoms of the nations.”
历代志下 12:8 然而。 合适的惩罚临到，是为了提醒犹太人与埃及之间的历史。当以色列人出埃及时，神曾救他们脱离了几百年的奴役，这是出埃及后第一次与埃及发生重大军事冲突。再尝被神所救之民奴役的滋味，实在苦涩。信息十分明确——若犹太人弃绝对神的真敬拜，就会失去祂保护的手与赐福。事奉神，远胜于服侍“列邦的国度”。

Psalm 80:17 son of man. In this context, this phrase is primarily a reference to Israel. In a secondary sense, the “son of man” may allude to the Davidic dynasty and even extend to the Messiah, since He is so frequently called by that title in the New Testament.
诗篇 80:17 人子。 在这里，这个词主要是指以色列。从更深一层来看，“人子”可能暗指大卫王朝，甚至指向弥赛亚，因为新约多次称弥赛亚为“人子”。

Proverbs 20:21 gained hastily. This implies an unjust method in gaining the inheritance, so that it will be lost by the same unjust ways or by punishment.
箴言 20:21 急速得的产业。 指透过不公正手段得着产业，因此最后也会因这些不义的方法或因惩罚而失去。

Acts 15:19 we should not trouble. The Greek word for “trouble” means “to throw something in the path of someone to annoy them.” The decision of the Jerusalem Council, after considering all the evidence, was that keeping the law and observing rituals were not requirements for salvation. The Judaizers were to cease troubling and annoying the Gentiles.
使徒行传 15:19 不要难为。 “难为”一词的希腊语意为“把东西扔在别人路上使其难行”。耶路撒冷大会审查各方证据后，确定守律法和遵行礼仪不是得救的条件。主张犹太化的人（犹太教主义者）不该再为难和搅扰外邦人。

DAY 8: Why is the first church council in Acts 15 the most important ever held?
第八天：为什么使徒行传第十五章的第一届教会大会是历史上最重要的大会？

Throughout its history, the church’s leaders have met to settle doctrinal issues. Historians point to 7 ecumenical councils in the church’s early history, especially the Councils of Nicea (A.D. 325) and Chalcedon (A.D. 451). Yet the most important council was the first one—the Jerusalem Council—because it established the answer to the most vital doctrinal question of all: “What must a person do to be saved?” The apostles and elders defied efforts to impose legalism and ritualism as necessary prerequisites for salvation. They forever affirmed that salvation is totally by grace through faith in Christ alone.
在教会历史上，领袖们不断召开会议来解决教义争议。历史学家常提及早期教会的七次大公会议，尤其是尼西亚会议（公元325年）和迦克墩会议（公元451年）。但最重要的一次大会，正是首次在耶路撒冷召开的会议，因为它解决了最关键的教义问题：“人要做什么才能得救？”使徒和长老们坚决反对将律法主义和仪式主义列为得救的前提，他们明确肯定得救全然是“本乎恩，也因着信，只在基督里”完成的。

The Judaizers were false teachers who were self-appointed guardians of legalism. They taught a doctrine of salvation by works through the act of circumcision (v. 1). In answer to this, Peter rose up and gave the first of 3 speeches at the Council that amount to one of the strongest defenses of salvation by grace through faith alone contained in Scripture. Peter began his defense by reviewing how God saved Gentiles in the early days of the church without a requirement of circumcision, law keeping, or ritual—referring to the salvation of Cornelius and his household (10:44–48; 11:17,18). If God did not require any additional qualifications for salvation, neither should the legalists.
主张犹太教化的人是假师傅，自命为律法主义的守护者。他们强调得救必须靠行割礼（见第1节）。对此，彼得在大会上首次发言，成为圣经中关于“仅凭信心、因恩典得救”最有力的辩护之一。彼得首先指出：教会初期，神救了许多外邦人，完全没有要求他们受割礼、守律法或遵行仪式——正如哥尼流一家得救一样（10:44–48；11:17,18）。既然神没有设立得救的其他条件，律法主义者也不该加添要求。

The Judaizers could have argued that Cornelius and the others could not have been saved because they did not meet the legalistic requirements. To thwart that potential argument, Peter reiterates that God gave them the Holy Spirit, thus proving the genuineness of their salvation (v. 8). Peter warns the Judaizers that they are putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples—a description of the law and the legalism of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 23:4; Luke 11:46). The legalists expected the Gentiles to carry a load they themselves were unwilling to bear. “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved” (v. 11). His declaration is a resounding affirmation of salvation by grace through faith alone.
主张犹太教化的人也许会说：既然哥尼流等人没有达成律法的条件，他们就不可能得救。为反驳这种说法，彼得重申：神赐圣灵给他们，显明他们所得的救恩是真实的（第8节）。彼得还警告犹太主义者，他们如此行，就是把轭加在门徒的颈项上——这是指律法和文士、法利赛人那种律法主义的重担（参太23:4，路11:46）。律法主义者要求外邦人承担连他们自己都不愿背负的担子。“我们却信，得救乃是因主耶稣的恩”（11节）。他的宣告，正是“因信称义、因恩得救”的有力肯定。

Additional Resources