Christadelphian Bible Mission--BASIC BIBLE TRUTHS

基督弟兄会圣经传教--基本圣经真理

The Root of all Evil, Bible Advice about Money

一切罪恶的根源，圣经关于金钱的忠告

 

When you have read this leaflet you will know the answers to these questions:

1. What is the root of all evil?

2.     What is a worldly attitude to money?

3.  What should be the Christian's atti­tude to money?

 

当你读了本小册子，你就能明白下列问题的答案：

1.什么是一切罪恶的根源？

2.什么是世俗的金钱观？

3.什么是基督徒的金钱观？

 

1.Money can be Good or Bad

1.钱财既可以是好事又可以是坏事

 

"Money is the root of all evil"—many peo­ple think that this is Bible teaching. But they are wrong! Look up the quotation from 1 Timothy 6:10. This says that "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil". Jesus told us a similar thing: "The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word" (Matthew 13:22). In itself money is not a bad thing. Without it modern life would not be possi­ble. It is money that pays for food and shelter, for clothes and education. Money can help the sick and support the aged. However, money can also do many evil things. It can give a person power over others, making them proud and cruel. It can become a terrible master, making people discontented with what they have, and eager to grasp more of this world's perishable treasures. Money becomes a great evil when it is used wrongly.

“钱是万恶之源”—许多人认为这是圣经的教训。但这种观点是绝对错误的！请阅读一下提摩太前书6:10中的提问。它说“贪财是万恶之根。”耶稣告诉我们一桩类似的事情:“种子撒在荆棘里的，就是人听了道，后来有世上的思虑、钱财的迷惑把道挤住了，不能结实”(马太福音13:22)。钱财本身并不是坏东西。离开钱财，现代生活就瘫痪。吃饭、穿衣、住房和教育都离不开钱。钱财可以用来帮助病人，资助老人。但钱也会带来许多坏事。有钱人权力大于没钱的人，使有钱的人变得高傲和残酷。它会成为一名可怕的主人,使百姓不满现状，急切地攫取天下最易腐烂的财富。如果钱财被误用，就会酿成极恶。

 

2. The Worldly Attitude to Money

2.什么是世俗的金钱观？

 

The worldly person has one aim: to get more money and the things money can buy, in the quickest and easiest way pos­sible. This constant lusting after money and worldly things Jesus calls "covetous-ness"—a word which means 'eagerness to get more'. Gambling, sweepstakes, raf­fles, avoiding income tax, giving short change, workers deceiving employers and stealing—all these are examples of covetousness. These evils are very com­mon because unconverted men and women are naturally selfish.

世人只有一个目标：以尽可能最快最容易的方法得到更多的钱，得到用钱能买到的东西。耶稣把这种不断对金钱和世俗东西的渴望称作“贪婪”—这个词的意思是“盼望得到更多”。赌博、博彩、抽彩、逃税、短斤少两、工人欺骗老板和偷盗—所有这些都是贪婪的例子。这些恶行非常普遍，因为没有归正的男男女女天生自私贪心。

A person who wants to be Godly and contented will resist this desire for worldly things. Jesus said, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses" (Luke 12:15). There are many people who possess fine houses, motor-cars and many attractive things, and yet they are inwardly sick and without that true joy and contentment which Paul says are "great gain". He also says that covetousness is idolatry (Colossians 3:5). He means that the worldly man makes a god of the things he possesses, or wants to possess, and for­gets the one true God.

属灵和知足的人会抵御对世俗东西的欲望。耶稣说：“你们要谨慎自守，免去一切的贪心，因为人的生命不在乎家道丰富”(路加福音12:15)。许多人拥有漂亮的房子、汽车和许多有魅力的东西，然而他们内在的身体不佳，缺乏真正的快乐和满足，就是保罗所说的“大利”。 他还说贪婪就与拜偶像一样(以西结书3:5)。他的意思是说世俗的人把拥有的东西或想得到的东西视为异神，却忘记了惟一的真神。

 

3.    Pride

3.高傲

 

Money is often used—or rather, misused —by people who want to impress others with their own importance. This is a dan­gerous form of pride. Some people spend far more than they ought to spend (more than they can afford to spend) on belong­ings just to show off. They get seriously into debt because they are not content with simpler, humbler things which they can afford. So they are never in a position to help others with their money. Just to show off, such people "fall into many fool­ish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition" (1 Timothy 6:9).

有些人为了影响他人常常使用金钱—或者误用金钱。这是高傲的危险形式。有些支出的钱财远远超出他们的支付能力范围，仅仅是为了显耀自己。他们很快就陷入了债务的泥潭，因为他们不能满足自己能支付的那些简朴的东西。所以，他们决不可能用钱去帮助他人。仅仅为了显耀自己，这些人就“陷在迷惑、落在网罗和许多无知有害的私欲里，叫人沉在败坏和灭亡中”(提摩太前书6:91)。

 

4.    The Christian Attitude to Money

4.什么是基督徒的金钱观？

 

Money which a Christian possesses should be the result of honest labour. The Bible has not one good word for men and women who try to live off other people, or the Church, when they are capable of providing for themselves. "If a man will not work, neither shall he eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Paul writes very sternly to the person who is idle and a busybody. Such a man must learn to "labour, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need" (Ephesians 4:28). The life of Paul is also a witness against those who live off others in the name of religion. Although he was an apostle, he worked hard with his hands as a tentmaker, so that he did not become a burden on those to whom he preached.

基督徒拥有钱财应当是诚实劳动所得。圣经对那些自己能劳动，却要靠他人或教会生活的人并没有好话。“若有人不肯做工，就不可吃饭”(帖撒罗尼亚后书3:10)。保罗还写信严厉批评那个懒惰和好管闲事的人。这类人必须学会“总要劳力，亲手做正经事，就可有余分给那缺少的人”(以弗所书4:28)。保罗的生活还见证了那些以宗教为名靠别人生活的人。虽然他是一名使徒，他作为一名帐蓬制造者勤奋工作，所以他没有成为被传教者的负担。

Money should first be used to provide food and other necessities for the family, and where necessary for the children's schooling, and not on luxuries. Some children have to go hungry because their father spends too much on drink and tobacco, or because their mother spends on expensive clothes and hair setting. Such people sin against God.

首先，钱要用于支付家庭的食物和其它必需品，包括子女上学的必需品，而不是用于奢侈品。有些子女忍饥挨饿是因为他们的父亲喝酒、抽烟花费太多，或者是母亲花钱购买了昂贵的衣服或做发型。这些人在犯罪，在违抗神。

 

5. Giving to God

5.对神的奉献

 

The Jews of Old Testament days gave a tenth of their income for the temple service. This was a kind of income tax to pay the wages of teachers, judges and other necessary people. But over and above this, Godly Jews gladly offered "freewill offerings" when they went to wor­ship. "They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the bless­ing of the Lord your God which he has given you" (Deuteronomy 16:16,17).

旧约圣经时的犹太人把收入的十分之一献给教会事业。这好比是教师、法官和其它普通人员支付工资的税收一样。但除此之外，属灵的犹太人在拜神时还心甘情愿地奉献“礼物”。“在耶和华你神所选择的地方朝见他，却不可空手朝见。各人要按自己的力量，照耶和华你神所赐的福分，奉献礼物” (申命记16:16，17)。

This freewill offering is held up as an example to Christians. Paul urges each believer to set something aside for the service of God, according "as God has prospered him" (1 Corinthians 16:2). On the first day of the week the members of the ecclesia met together to "break bread" (Acts 20:7). It was then that they took up these offerings. This formed a very important part of the communion service. To give like this is one very small way of expressing our thanks to God for His great gift of forgiveness and salvation through Christ. The community cannot work without funds, but these should always be freewill offerings, not compul­sory payments. They should be given gladly by the members, and not begged from those who are not members.

这种自由奉献成为基督徒的榜样。保罗要每个信徒要照自己的进项抽出来留着,“因为神已吩咐他”(哥林多前书16:21)。在每周的第一天教会的会员要聚集在一起“掰饼” (使徒行传20:7)。他们就在那时作奉献。这成了圣餐礼很重要的部分。这么做是为了略表我们对神的谢意，感谢他通过基督赐予我们饶恕和拯救的礼物。教会没有资金无法运转，但它们应该是自觉自愿的奉献，不是强迫支付。它们应由会员高兴地付出，不可向不是会员的人乞求。

 

6.Faithfulness

6.忠诚

 

A true Christian must be absolutely faith­ful and trustworthy in money matters. Only to such men will Jesus entrust the "true riches", that is, everlasting life in God's Kingdom (Luke 16:11). If a pay­ment is due to someone else, the true true disciple will make that payment promptly, and will not conveniently 'for­get'. In regard to debts, the ideal is: "Owe no man anything" (Romans 13:8). The Christian will remember that failure to repay what is owed (unless hard poverty makes it impossible) is considered by God as robbery. A servant or employee is not to "purloin" his employer's things— that is, take for his own use, without per­mission (Titus 2:10). It is often by a right attitude to money, both our own and other people's, that we show how faithful to Christ we really are. It was the mishan­dling of money that led to the downfall of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11).

真基督徒在钱财的问题上必须绝对忠诚和可信赖。只有这样的人基督才会托付“真实的钱财”,即在神的国里的永生(路加福音16:11)。对他人的付款，真信徒应立即支付,而不应顺便“忘掉”。对于债务，理想的做法是“不可亏欠人”(罗马书13:8)。基督徒应牢记不偿付欠债(除非贫困得无法支付) 被神视为抢掠。 仆人或雇员不应“偷窃”老板的东西—即未经许可不能据为己有（提多书2:10）。正确地对待钱财，包括我们自己或别人的钱财方能显示出我们对基督的忠诚。误用钱财导致了亚拿尼亚和撒非喇的灭亡(使徒行传 5:1-11)。

 

7.    A Wonderful Example

7.好榜样

 

When the Lord Jesus wanted to show us a supreme example of how to use money to God's glory, whom did he choose? A millionaire spending huge sums to pro­vide schools and hospitals and libraries? No, a poor widow who gave 2 mites (the smallest coins) as a freewill offering: so small, yet how great—greater than all the other offerings, for it was all that she had. She is a great example to us of someone with the right priorities in her life. She knew that service to God was far more important than worldly wealth.

主耶稣要告诉我们一个最好的例子，说明如何按神的荣耀使用钱财，他选择谁了呢？是百万富翁花巨资建造学校、医院或图书馆吗? 不是，是那个穷寡妇自愿地投下两个小钱(最小的硬币单位)作为奉献: 虽然渺小，但却很伟大—比其它所有一切的奉献都更伟大，因为那是她拥有的一切。她是一个极好的例子，告诉我们在她的生活里什么是应最先考虑的事情。她知道侍奉神比世俗财富重要得多。

 

Please tell us if you would like to know more about Bible teaching and the beliefs of Christadelphians. Would you like：

•   Other leaflets in this series?

•   A booklet Who are the Christadelphians?

•   A monthly magazine Glad Tidings?

•   A Postal Correspondence Course?

Ask your nearest Christadelphians or write to：

CHRISTADELPHIAN BIBLE MISSION c/o 404 SHAFTMOOR LANE BIRMINGHAM B28 8SZ， UK

请告诉我们你是否希望了解更多有关圣经的教义和基督弟兄会的信仰。你是否需要：

•    本系列的其它小册子?

•    一本《谁是基督弟兄会》的小册子?

•    一份《好消息》月刊杂志?

•    一本邮寄的函授教材?

请向距你最近的基督弟兄会索取或写信给：

基督弟兄会圣经传教会

c/o 404 SHAFTMOOR LANE

BIRMINGHAM B28 8SZ，英国