A. W. Tozer
(1897-1963)
令人難以置信的基督徒
根據我所聽來的和所讀到的，我相信，許多宗教領袖們目前要將基督教的精神和科學、哲學和每一個自然和理性的東西協和一致的努力，是因為他們不了解基督教的精神而且也不了解科學和哲學。
基督教體系的核心在於基督的十架和它的神性矛盾(譯者注：如愛與公義)。基督教精神的動力呈現於對於墮落人類行為的憎惡，而非與其同流合污。十架的真理就展現在它的對立中。教會的見證，最有效力的在於作宣告而非作解釋，因為福音並非針對理性而是信心。我們對可被證明的東西不需要信心就能接受。信心是來自神的特性而非來自實驗室或邏輯的證明。
十字架蒼勁的矗立於與自然人相對的地位；祂的哲學與未重生的心靈的運作是背道而馳的；所以使徒保羅可以很不客氣地說：對那些要淪亡的人傳講十字架的道是愚蠢的。嚐試在十架的信息和人類墮落的理性之間找到共同點是等同於緣木求魚，如果堅持下去，最可能結果就是一個破損的理性、一個毫無意義的十字架和一個無作用力的基督教。
讓我們把整件事情從學理的高論下到簡單的觀察真正的基督徒，看他如何的實踐耶穌基督和祂的門徒的教導。注意那些對比。
基督徒相信在基督裡他已經死了，但他卻是比以前更活躍而且完全期待永遠的活下去。他在世上走動時已經落籍在天堂，雖然他是生在地上，但是在重生以後，他發現這裡不再是他的家。正如夜鷹，牠在空中的優雅美麗本質，到了地上卻成了笨拙醜陋；所以基督徒在天堂美地所顯現的優點，卻無法適切的適應在他原生的社會裡。
基督徒很快就發現：假如他想在世人中間當個勝利的天堂之子的話，他一定不可以順著人類的一般模式，卻要反其道而行。他把自己擺在險境中或許是穩當的；他不顧性命而保存了生命；假如他想要保全性命反而有失掉生命的危險。他向下走而得到高升；假如他拒絕向下走，他就已經完了；但是當他開始走下去，他是在步步高升。
他在最軟弱的時候最堅強；而堅強時最軟弱。雖然貧窮卻有力量使其他的人富有；但是當他變得有錢以後，他的使人富有的能力就消失了。他把能給的都施捨了以後，他有盡所有；他擁有很多時卻一無所有。
當他感到很卑微時或許經常是最高超的；當他最有罪惡感時是最清白的。當他知道他的無知時他是最聰明的；當他獲得最大量的知識時他知道他懂得很少。他有時藉著無為而有大量的成就；靜止不動而能無遠弗屆。
基督徒自相矛盾的性格一直在顯現出來；譬如：他相信他現在已經得救了，卻還盼望著以後會被拯救而且對未來的救恩滿懷喜樂。他敬畏神卻不懼怕神；在神的面前他感到不知所措和自覺形慚，卻不想到任何地方而寧願選擇神的同在。他知道他已經脫離他的罪性而潔淨了，然而他還是痛苦的意識到從他的肉身裡出不了甚麼好事情。
The current effort of so many religious leaders to harmonize
Christianity with science, philosophy and every natural and
reasonable thing is, I believe, the result of failure to understand
Christianity and, judging from what I have heard and read, failure to
understand science and philosophy as well.
At the heart of the Christian system lies the cross of Christ with
its divine paradox. The power of Christianity appears in its
antipathy toward, never in its agreement with, the ways of fallen
men. The truth of the cross is revealed in its contradictions. The
witness of the church is most effective when she declares rather than
explains, for the gospel is addressed not to reason but to faith.
What can be proved requires no faith to accept. Faith rests upon the
character of God, not upon the demonstrations of laboratory or logic.
The cross stands in bold opposition to the natural man. Its
philosophy runs contrary to the processes of the unregenerate mind,
so that Paul could say bluntly that the preaching of the cross is to
them that perish foolishness. To try to find a common ground between
the message of the cross and man's fallen reason is to try the
impossible, and if persisted in must result in an impaired reason, a
meaningless cross and a powerless Christianity.
But let us bring the whole matter down from the uplands of theory and
simply observe the true Christian as he puts into practice the
teachings of Christ and His apostles. Note the contradictions:
The Christian believes that in Christ he has died, yet he is more
alive than before and he fully expects to live forever. He walks on
earth while seated in heaven and though born on earth he finds that
after his conversion he is not at home here. Like the nighthawk,
which in the air is the essence of grace and beauty but on the ground
is awkward and ugly, so the Christian appears at his best in the
heavenly places but does not fit well into the ways of the very
society into which he was born.
The Christian soon learns that if he would be victorious as a son of
heaven among men on earth he must not follow the common pattern of
mankind, but rather the contrary. That he may be safe he puts himself
in jeopardy; he loses his life to save it and is in danger of losing
it if he attempts to preserve it. He goes down to get up. If he
refuses to go down he is already down, but when he starts down he is
on his way up.
He is strongest when he is weakest and weakest when he is strong.
Though poor he has the power to make others rich, but when he becomes
rich his ability to enrich others vanishes. He has most after he has
given most away and has least when he possesses most.
He may be and often is highest when he feels lowest and most sinless
when he is most conscious of sin. He is wisest when he knows that he
knows not and knows least when he has acquired the greatest amount of
knowledge. He sometimes does most by doing nothing and goes furthest
when standing still. In heaviness he manages to rejoice and keeps his
heart glad even in sorrow.
The paradoxical character of the Christian is revealed constantly.
For instance, he believes that he is saved now, nevertheless he
expects to be saved later and looks forward joyfully to future
salvation. He fears God but is not afraid of Him. In God's presence
he feels overwhelmed and undone, yet there is nowhere he would rather
be than in that presence. He knows that he has been cleansed from his
sin, yet he is painfully conscious that in his flesh dwells no good
thing.
He loves supremely One whom he has never seen, and though himself
poor and lowly he talks familiarly with One who is King of all kings
and Lord of all lords, and is aware of no incongruity不相稱
in so doing. He feels that he is in his own right altogether
less than nothing, yet he believes without question that he is the
apple of God's eye and that for him the Eternal Son became flesh and
died on the cross of shame.
The Christian is a citizen of heaven and to that sacred citizenship
he acknowledges first allegiance; yet he may love his earthly country
with that intensity of devotion that caused John Knox to pray "O
God, give me Scotland or I die."
He cheerfully expects before long to enter that bright world above,
but he is in no hurry to leave this world and is quite willing to
await the summons of his Heavenly Father. And he is unable to
understand why the critical unbeliever should condemn him for this;
it all seems so natural and right in the circumstances that he sees
nothing inconsistent about it.
The cross-carrying Christian, furthermore, is both a confirmed
pessimist and an optimist the like of which is to be found nowhere
else on earth.
When he looks at the cross he is a pessimist, for he knows that the
same judgment that fell on the Lord of glory condemns in that one act
all nature and all the world of men. He rejects every human hope out
of Christ because he knows that man's noblest effort is only dust
building on dust.
Yet he is calmly, restfully optimistic. If the cross condemns the
world the resurrection of Christ guarantees the ultimate triumph of
good throughout the universe. Through Christ all will be well at last
and the Christian waits the consummation. Incredible Christian!
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