1) Q. There are many things taught in the Bible. What is the apostles’ teaching?
A. The apostles’ teaching is the entire speaking of God in the New Testament. The entire New Testament is the apostles’ teaching.
问:圣经教导了许多事。使徒的教训是什么?
答:使徒的教训乃是神在新约中的整个说话。整本新约是使徒的教训。
2) Q. In the Bible there were many apostles. Is the apostles’ teaching only the teaching of the apostles?
A. The word apostles is plural, but the word teaching is singular. The apostles’ teaching is the teaching of the apostles. It is not the teaching only of Peter, of John, or of Paul, but of others as well.
问:圣经里有许多使徒。使徒的教训就只是众使徒的教训吗?
答:“使徒”是复数的,但“教训”是单数的。使徒的教训乃是众使徒的教训,不仅是彼得、约翰或保罗的教训,也是其他一些人的教训。
3) Q. Some Christians highly regard the law in the Bible. How important is the teaching of the apostles?
A. In the New Testament, the teaching of the apostles replaced the law. Acts 2:42 says, “And they were continuing steadfastly in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles.”
问:有些基督徒十分看重圣经里的律法。使徒的教训有何重要呢?
答:在新约里,乃是使徒的教训顶替了律法。行传二章四十二节说:“他们都坚定持续在使徒的教训和交通里。”
4) Q. Does the teaching of the apostles only cover what was taught by the apostles?
A. The teaching of the apostles is the entire speaking of God in the New Testament, first in the Son as a man, then in the Son as the Spirit through the apostles.
问:使徒的教训就只涵盖使徒所教导的吗?
答:使徒的教训乃是神在新约中的整个说话,先在为人的子里,然后借着使徒,在那成为灵的子里。
5) Q. In the New Testament, why doesn’t God speak directly to man?
A. In the New Testament God cannot depart from the principle of incarnation. He must speak through man.
问:在新约,神为什么不直接对人说话?
答:在新约,神不能离开成为肉体的原则。祂必须借着人说话。
6) Q. In the Old Testament, God had a lot of laws for His people. How about in the New Testament?
A. In the Old Testament, the constitution of the kingdom of God was the law, and in the New Testament, the constitution of the kingdom of God is the teaching of the apostles.
问:在旧约,神为祂的百姓颁布了许多律法。那在新约呢?
答:在旧约,神国的宪法就是律法;在新约,神国的宪法乃是使徒的教訓。
7) Q. Paul was one of the leading apostles in the New Testament. Why did some turn away from him?
A. In 2 Timothy 1:15 Paul says, “all who are in Asia turned away from me.” This does not indicate that they turned away from the person of Paul, but that they all turned away from Paul’s ministry.
问:保罗是新约中领头的使徒之一。为什么有人离弃他呢?
答:在提后一章十五节保罗说,“所有在亚西亚的人都离弃了我。”这不是指明他们离弃保罗这个人,乃是指明他们离弃了保罗的职事。
8) Q. Are things about baptism and using wine at the Lord’s table be counted as the teaching of the apostles?
A. Minor things like whether we should baptize people in fresh water or salt water, whether we should use wine or grape juice at the Lord’s table are not counted as the teaching of the apostles.
问:关于受浸和擘饼时葡萄酒的使用,这些的事算不算是使徒的教训呢?
答:次要的事,如到底该将人浸在淡水里还是咸水里,到底擘饼时该用葡萄酒还是葡萄汁,都不算是使徒的教训。
9) Q. Foot-washing and baptism by immersion are mentioned in the New Testament. Aren’t they important?
A. It is true that matters such as foot-washing and baptism by immersion are included in the New Testament, but they are not the basic, intrinsic, central, and elementary thing.
问:新约里提到了洗脚和水浸,这些不重要吗?
答:新约里的确包括洗脚和水浸这样的事,但这些不是基本、内在、中心、基础的事。
10) Q. If the teaching of the apostles is important, what should we do as Christians?
A. We must continue in these two things—in the teaching of the apostles and in the fellowship of the apostles. If we intend to continue in the fellowship of the apostles, we must first continue in the teaching of the apostles.
问:若使徒的教训很重要,那我们作为基督徒该作些什么呢?
答:我们必须持续在两件事里─使徒的教训和使徒的交通。我们若想要持续在使徒的交通里,就必须先持续在使徒的教训里。