8. 若有人教导「自尊」就是福音（如﹕南加州「水晶大教堂」的Robert Schuller），有好的「自尊」就是得救，这种信息简直不是福音。Robert Schuller所教导的，不是基督教！他的教会中可能有信仰纯正的传道同工和会友，可是根据他的著作和他所宣讲的，他的信息不是《圣敬》所教导的。

If someone – such as Robert Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral in Anaheim, California – teaches that self-esteem is the Gospel, that it is the same as salvation, then that message is simply not the Gospel. Robert Schuller’s gospel is NOT Christianity. There may be many godly Christians on his staff and in his congregation, but it does not change the fact that what he writes in his books and preaches from his pulpit is NOT the Bible’s message.

V. 我们的自我认同与别人对自己的评价﹕《圣经》的模式
Identity and What Others Think of Me – A Biblical Model

箴1﹕2-7 Proverbs 1:2-7
“To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth – Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understand obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
申6﹕4-9 Deuteronomy 6:4-9
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

1. 我们应该留意别人对我们怎么想吗？有时候应该，可是我们不应成为惧怕别人的奴隶﹕（一）怕别人会看到真的我；（二）怕别人不接纳我，拒绝我；（三）怕别人会伤害我（感情伤害，身体伤害，性虐待等）。唯一从作惧怕的奴隶释放的方法，乃是首先敬畏上帝！

Should we pay any attention to what others think about us? Sometimes yes, but we should not be enslaved by fear of what others think of us. Many of us are enslaved by three thoughts: (a) others may see the real me; (b) others may not accept me, but reject me; (c) others may hurt me, emotionally, physically, sexually. (Cf. When People Are Big and God is Small, www.prpbooks.com, www.ccef.org.) The only way to become liberated from this three-fold fear and slavery, is to fear God first.

2. 可是很多时候别人对我们的评语是有用的，是我们需要的。上帝创造世界时设立了三个制度﹕婚姻与家庭；工作与社会；安息与敬拜（创1﹕26-2﹕3）。父母亲必须教导儿女敬畏上帝，服从祂（申6﹕4-9），教师（教会）必须教导学生智慧与真知识（守约顺服）；政府必须赏善罚恶（罗13章）。因此上帝所设立的权威会对人发出评判，是他们的责任！

However, what other people think of us, may be very helpful and necessary. God has established several covenant-institutions when he created the world: marriage and family; work and government; and rest and worship (Gen. 1:26-2:3). Parents are to teach their children to fear and obey God (Deut. 6:4-9); teachers are to teach students wisdom and knowledge (“covenant obedience”); the government should reward those who do good, and punish those who do evil (Rom. 13). Therefore, these authority-figures which God has ordained, will make judgments of men, women and children. This is their duty!

3. 一些研究指出很多美国学生不能接受自己的成绩不合格。美国学生比日本学生对自己数学成绩自信，但日本学生数学成绩比美国学生高。这说明什么？美国社会已经被「自尊」的谎言完全渗透，以致人拒绝面对事实。社会教导我们不要顺服权威，不要接受责备。这就是为什么美国在道德和信仰上是破产的，她仅剩下军事，经济和科技的能力罢了！「愚妄人藐视智慧和教教诲。」上帝啊，怜悯！上帝必审判。

Studies show that American students cannot tolerate being told that they have failed a course; U.S. students have better self-confidence about their math and science ability than Japanese students (when actually, Japanese students perform better than U.S. students). This shows that American society is so infiltrated with the lie of self-esteem, that we refuse to accept the truth. Society teaches us not to obey authority, and accept rebuke. This is why American society is bankrupt in morality and religion. (She is only strong in finance, military might and technology.) “Fools refuse wisdom and instruction.” God have mercy! God will judge.
4. 范泰尔称上帝所设立的关系为「代表原则」。人生最基本的原则就是﹕我们的生活，完全在上帝面前（诗篇1391篇）。我们所想、所说、所作的，都在祂面光之中。上帝与全人类立约，作我们的创造主。上帝与信徒们立「恩典之约」，作我们的救赎主，生命的主宰。我们因为属于上帝，我们也彼此归属为肢体，彼此「代表」。我们与上帝立约，我们也彼此立约，成立家庭，学校，教会，社区，国家。

Cornelius Van Til calls these relationships in life “the representational principle,” which is another name for “covenant.” The most fundamental fact in life is: We live our lives in the face of God (Psalm 139). All that we think, say and do, we do in God’s presence. God has made a covenant with all of us – he is our Creator and Lord. God has made a special covenant with believers (the covenant of grace) – he is our Redeemer and Lord (Gen. 17:7). Because we belong to God, we belong to each other as fellow believers. We “represent” one another. We covenant with God, and form the church. We covenant with each other, and form families, schools, churches, communities, and nations.
5. 上帝透过立约告诉我们，我们是谁﹕我们真正的身份（认同）来自上帝（罗8章，弗2-3章）。我们真正的身份（认同）来自如何了解死亡，我们死后到哪里去（林后4-5章）。当我们永恒的去处问题安定了，我们就懂得如何生活，我们就有自己真正的身份，我们有「自信」。我们充满着喜乐，感谢的信，因为「这世界非我家」（来11﹕11-16）。我们的自我认识来自上帝的恩典，为此我们感恩﹕我们一切所有的，我们今天成何等的人，都因为主耶稣基督。

Within the covenant, God tells us who we are – our true identity comes from God (Romans chapter 8, Ephesians chapters 2-3). Our true identity comes from our understanding of death, and where we go after death (I Cor. Chapters 4-5). When the issue of our eternal destiny is settled, then we have our true identity – we have a “strong self-esteem.” We are joyful, we are thankful, because “this world is not my home” (Heb. 11:11-16). Our self-understanding is based on gratitude to God’s grace – all that we have, we owe to Christ.

6. 换言之﹕我们必须舍己，背起十字架，跟随住。这是我们真正的身份。

Another way of putting this is: We are to “deny ourselves, take up the cross, and follow Christ.” This is our true identity.

VI. 罪与救恩﹕究竟福音是什么？
Sin and Salvation – What is the Gospel?

罗8﹕29 Romans 8:29
“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

1. 一位南加州Biola大学的教授说﹕罪就是我们的需要没有满足，或我们没有实现我们的潜能。Biola大学设有Rosemead 心理学院，与福乐神学院的心理学院一样，是相信「融合」心理学与基督教信仰的学府。

A professor at Biola University (La Mirada, California) is quoted as saying that: sin is when our needs are not fulfilled, and when we do not realize our potential. Biola is home to the Rosemead School of Psychology. Like Fuller Theological Seminary’s School of Psychology, Rosemead believes in the so-called “integration” of psychology with the Christian faith.

2. 可是，世俗的心理理论，真的能够与《圣经》的教义「融合」吗？这位教授说的，刚好与《圣经》对罪的定义完全相反！罪是什么？罪是对上帝的反叛！罪是干犯上帝的诫命，或不遵守上帝的吩咐。上帝所禁止的，我们去作；上帝所吩咐的，我们不去作﹕这叫罪！

But can secular theories of psychology become truly “integrated” with the Bible’s teaching? This professor’s words have totally twisted what the Bible teaches about sin. Sin is rebellion against God. Sin is the lack of conformity to, and transgression of, God’s law (Westminster Shorter Catechism). In other words: What God forbids us to do, we do; what God commands us to do, we fail to do. This is sin!

3. 我们往往把「需要」和「欲望」混为一谈。餐厅的侍应若问我﹕「你需要在你的冰淇淋上面再加奶油吗？」我要不要奶油，和我的「需要」完全没有关系！我不需要奶油加在冰淇淋上面，也可以活下去！我们要学习分辨「欲望」和真正的「需要」。

We often confuse our “needs” with “wants.” For example, when a waitress asks me in a restaurant, “Do you need whipped cream on top of your ice cream?” The whipped cream has nothing to do with what I need to exist, to live, to be healthy. It is purely “desire!” We must distinguish between needs and wants.

4. 至于「实现我们的潜能」，我们必须以基督作我们的标准﹕我们的目标是效法基督（罗8﹕29）。

As for “realizing our potential,” we must measure it against Christ (Rom. 8:29). Our “potential” or “goal” in life, is to be like Christ.

5. 救恩是什么？肯定不是「自尊」！救恩乃是罪得赦免，得称为义，作上帝的儿女，承受永生的产业，顺服宇宙的主，在祂国度里（祂国度已临，却未临）。

What is salvation? Not self-esteem! But forgiveness of sins, justification through faith, being adopted as God’s child, being an heir of an eternal inheritance, and submitting under the rule of the King, whose Kingdom has come, and will come in fullness.

VII. 我们怎样走下去？
How Should We Then Live/Counsel?

1. 我们必须审核自己的价值观，自己的信念。要诚实回答﹕你如何回答这三个问题？（一）人是什么？（动物？人是上帝？一堆欲望？一对经历？）（二）人的问题从哪里来？（三）解决人问题的方法（答案）从哪里找？

Examine your own values and beliefs. How do you answer these three questions? (a) What is man? (Is he an animal? Is he God? Is he a bunch of desires? Is he a bunch of experiences?) (b) Where do man’s problems come from? (c) Where do solutions to man’s problem come from?

2. 接受纯正的《圣经》教义装备。辅导员需要好的神学！需要以《圣经》为基础的教义根基。

Equipyourself with sound, Bible-based doctrine (theology). Counselors need theology! Counselors need a firm foundation in a system of Bible-based doctrine.

3. 先接受《圣经》教义的装备，然后才学习世俗心理学与辅导学的理论。

Equip yourself with Bible doctrine before you attempt to understand and learn secular theories of psychology and counseling.

4. 参加《圣经》辅导运动的行列！成为一位真正能从上帝的话劝戒人的工人！请参考下列查询资料。

Join the Biblical counseling movement! Become truly competent to teach God’s Word, and to counsel from Scripture. For further information: Westminster theological Seminary www.wts.edu, Master’s College MA program www.masters.edu, Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation www.ccef.org, National Association of Nouthetic Counselors www.nanc.org, Dr. Jay Adams’ publishing house www.timelesstexts.org, Chinese-language resources www.chinesebiblicalcounseling.net, www.chinesechristiandiscernment.net.
林慈信牧师，中华展望
www.chinahorizon.org
www.ccnci.org 直播网络电视﹕神学教学

张逸萍博士
www.chinesechristiandiscernment.net
www.chinesebiblicalcounseling.net （可听林慈信牧师的圣经辅导课程录音）

  
III. 人性本善？
Is Man Born Good?

弗4﹕24 Ephesians 4:24
“And to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
西3﹕10 Colossians 3:10
“And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
耶17﹕9 Jeremiah 17:9
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick (wicked); who can understand it?”

1. 大部分的心理学理论家都是人本主义者。人本主义基本信念之一，就是﹕人性本善。（他们也相信人是智慧的，人不需要上帝帮助可以获得智慧；人是绝对自由的，等。）这信念符合《圣经》吗？

  Most psychological theorists are humanists. One of the most basic beliefs of “humanism” is that man is good. (Other beliefs: Man is wise and can attain wisdom without God’s help; man is free in an absolute sense; etc.) Is this Biblical?
2. 上帝按照自己的形象创造了人（创1﹕26-28），人本来是公义，圣洁，智慧的（状况一）。可是亚当犯了罪，人类在祂里都堕落了（罗5﹕12-21）。今天人的心是极其邪恶的。我们都死在罪中（弗2﹕1）。这是状况二。唯有圣灵重生我们，我们才被上帝再创造，按照祂的形象，成为1公义，圣洁，智慧的人（弗4﹕24，西3﹕10）。这是状况三。基督徒活在状况三之中，仍然会犯罪，罪是那「另一个律」，住在我们里面（罗7﹕14-25）。
God created man in his own image (Gen. 1:26-28), righteous, holy, and wise (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10). This is the original condition of man (condition #1). But man fell after Adam sinned (Rom. 5:12-21). So man today has a heart which is exceedingly wicked and deceitful. We are dead in our sins (Eph. 2:1). This is condition #2. Only when the Holy Spirit regenerates us, will we become re-created according to God’s image, and are restored to be righteous, holy, and wise (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10). This is condition #3. In condition #3 Christians still sin, sin is “another law” which still dwells in us (Rom. 7:14-25).
3. 上帝所赐我们的一切公义，圣洁，智慧，都是在基督里赐给我们的。因为我们在基督里有分，我们进入到基督里，因此上帝把基督的义归算给我们。我们凭自己一点良善都没有。可是上帝开恩，将基督的义归算给我们（好象刷信用卡一样，算在我们的帐户里）。

All the righteousness, holiness and wisdom which God gives us, He gives us in Christ. Because we are included in, incorporated in, and have a share in Christ, we have Christ’s righteousness counted (imputed) as ours. In ourselves there is no goodness, none whatsoever. But God graciously grants Christ’s righteousness, “charging it” into our account.
4. 任何试图教导人性本善、智慧，而不须靠上帝救赎之恩的，都是谎言。我们这样相信，可能出于好意﹕「噢，我的孩子心底是好的，可是祂在学校顽皮就是啦！」但这是违背《圣经》教导的想法。
Any attempt to teach that man is basically good, and wise, without God’s salvation and transformation in our lives, is a lie. We may have very good intentions when we think this way: “Oh, my child has a good heart. He just behaves badly in school….” – but this is opposite to what the Bible teaches.
IV. 《圣经》论自我判断
What Does The Bible Say About Self-Esteem?

约壹3﹕20-21 I John 3:20-21
“For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God.”
罗12﹕3 Romans 12:3
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

1. 所谓「自尊」是什么？是指我们如何判断自己。很多心理学家教导，我们必须有一个正面积极的自我形象（自尊），很多新纪元邪灵（灵媒）也是这样教导。基督徒辅导员，由「爱家协会」杜博士 (Dr. James Dobson) 带领之下，纷纷成了「自尊」的信仰者﹕没有自尊，不可能生活健康，学业、事业成功，婚姻家庭美满。「自我形象」是万善之源，缺乏好的「自我形象」是万恶之根。究竟《圣经》如何说？

What is self-esteem? It is what we think about ourselves. Many psychologists teach that we must have a positive self-esteem; so do many New Age spiritual mediums. Christian counselors, under the leadership of Dr. James Dobson (Focus on the Family), believe that without a good self-image, we cannot live healthy lives, perform well in school and at work, nor have good family relationships. “Self-image” is the cure-all, the source of all good; without it, we are open to all evils in life. What does the Bible say on the subject?
2. 《圣经》的确教导我们如何看待自己﹕我们应该看别人比自己强（腓2﹕3），我们应该谦卑，为上帝赐我们的恩赐而感恩，不要傲慢等。这些自我判断的思想来自我们的「良心」，或「心」。我们在上文（第一篇）说过，我们有一个「意志」。意思是，我们一切所作的都是「从心发出」。

The Bible does teach us how we should think about ourselves. It teaches that we should esteem others as better than ourselves (Phil. 2:3), for example. We should be humble, give thanks for the gifts God give us, and not become proud and arrogant. All of these thoughts which we think about ourselves come from our “heart” – or our “conscience.” We said in our first presentation that: we have a “will.” Therefore, everything we say and do, we do them “out of our heart.”
3. 「良心」是什么？良心是人的理性作出道德性的判断。这是清教徒对良心的定义。（参﹕巴刻，《敬虔的追寻》，「清教徒的良心」一章。）一个好的（清洁的，正常运作）的良心，按照上帝如何判断我们来判断自己。我们作错事（犯罪）的时候，良心会责备我们。我们作的对，良心会肯定。一个好的良心对自己说﹕「上帝赦免了我的罪，我在上帝面前被称义；上帝继续在我生命作成圣的工作，我继续成圣。」
What is conscience? It is man’s reason making moral judgment. Conscience is talking to ourselves, judging ourselves. (This is the Puritan definition of conscience. Cf. J.I. Packer’s chapter on “The Puritan Conscience,” in A Quest for Godliness, Crossway Books.) A good conscience (a clean conscience, a conscience which operates normally) judges ourselves just like God judges us. When we do something wrong (when we sin), our conscience rebukes us. When we do something right (according to God’s Word), our conscience approves of it. A good conscience thinks, “God has forgiven my sins, I am justified before him; God continues to work in my life to make me holy, I continue to be sanctified.”
4. 我们的良心并非无所不知，也非无误；只有《圣经》是绝对无误！因此基督徒的良心必须学习。我们的良心必须跟随圣灵的带领，从《圣经》学习﹕《圣经》是圣灵默示的书，为了我们的好处！

Our conscience is not all-knowing. Our conscience is not inerrant; it does make wrong judgments. Only God’s Word the Bible is inerrant. Therefore the Christian’s conscience must learn. Our conscience must follow the Holy Spirit’s leading, and learn from the Bible, the book which the Holy Spirit wrote for our benefit!
5. 美国加州「自尊工作小组」的调查报告，和《科学美国》的报导（2005）指出，有积极自尊的人会有淫乱行为（注﹕缺乏自制）；倾向暴力（注﹕缺乏温柔）；倾向傲慢，偏见。有好的自尊，并不一定在学业、事业、人际关系上成功。这是因为我们把一个罪人的自我形象（自我中心的，从「自主」的心思而发的自我认识）当作是正确的自我判断，不考虑自己的罪。我们换假当！我们的心刚硬，我们烙了自己的良心（整个社会如此！）。
The California Self Esteem Task Force report and Scientific American (2005) show that people who have “positive self-esteem” tend to be promiscuous (lack of self-control), tend to be violent (lack of meekness), tend to be arrogant and prejudiced, etc. Good self-esteem is not related to better performance in school, at work, or in relationships! This is because we have taken a sinner’s self-centered “positive self-image” which comes from an autonomous mind and heart – without paying attention to our sin – as the right way of self-judgment. We have taken a lie for the truth. Therefore, our hearts have become hardened; our conscience – an entire society’s conscience – is seared.
6. 因此，新纪元的灵媒教导「自尊」，不足为奇。撒但最喜欢散播谎言，欺骗我们，叫我们从上帝真理之道上偏离。

Therefore, it is not an accident that New Age spiritual mediums teach self-esteem. Satan loves to teach the lie, to deceive us and to divert us from following God’s truth.

7. 教会必须回到《圣经》面前，学习如何使用我们的「良心」来敬畏上帝，爱祂，顺服祂，敬拜祂，为祂而活。

The church must return to the Bible and learn how to use our conscience to fear God, love him, obey him, worship him and live for him.