馬太福音28.18-20
2001.6.19修訂
引言
很多人看完馬國棟的《極端!?異端!?「基督教會」"Church of Christ"》 （香港﹕香港基督徒短期宣教訓練中心暨佈道資源供應中心，1997年12月初版） ，誤以為所有叫「基督教會」的都屬「國際基督教會」（International Church of Christ），給「基督教會」，特別是「傳統基督教會」（"mainline" Churches of Christ）帶來極大傷害。雖然馬先生已於修訂版時刪去引錯的資料，但由於他沒有交代初版引錯書搞錯批評對像的事實，令「傳統基督教會」的信徒非常失望。
「國際基督教會」（International Church of Christ）和「傳統基督教會」（"mainline" Churches of Christ）的兩點不同
「國際基督教會」和「傳統基督教會」雖然都認為人必須相信、悔改、承認、受浸才可以得救，但據我了解，「國際基督教會」認為「傳統基督教會」沒有要求受浸者先作門徒，所以國際基督教會認為「傳統基督教會」的浸禮無效。另外，由於「國際基督教會」認為一對一的門徒訓練是聖經的命令，「傳統基督教會」沒有這一套，所以「傳統基督教會」不是按聖經教訓行事。例如「國際基督教會」的Joe Garmon指出"People in the churches of Christ [引者按：指「傳統基督教會」] who have not been discipled first and then baptized are not saved ... We believe those who have left here have left the church--have left the Lord. And we believe the churches of Christ in general do not teach, do not preach, do not believe in--as a matter of fact, oppose--the doctrine of making disciples before baptism. And because of that the vast majority of people in the churches of Christ are not saved."(引自Jerry Jones, What Does the Boston Movement Teach? Vol. I. Bridgeton, MO: Mid-America Book and Tape Sales, 1990), p.28[emphasis mine] [網上版本見http://www.reveal.org/library/theology/wdtbmt/baptism.html] 又例如「國際基督教會」1988 Kip McKean 說: "We need to make it abundantly clear is that every brother in the congregation needs to have a discipleship partner. To not have a discipleship partner is to be rebellious to God and to the leadership of this congregation. I think sometimes we have been too soft, but the example that will be given today, as Scott said, is not just a nice methodology, but it will be based on the relationship of Jesus to the Twelve."(引自Jerry Jones, What Does the Boston Movement Teach? Vol. I. Bridgeton, MO: Mid-America Book and Tape Sales, 1990), p.10 [emphasis mine] [網上版本見http://www.reveal.org/library/theology/wdtbmt/discipling.html]
由於「國際基督教會」認為先作門徒才可受浸以及一對一的門徒訓練是根據馬太福音28.18-20的教訓，我認為要分辨「國際基督教會」和「傳統基督教會」的分別，這是一段極重要的經文，現試分析如下：
馬太福音28.18-20
新標點和合本
18耶穌進前來，對他們說：「天上地下所有的權柄都賜給我了。19所以，你們要去，使萬民作我的門徒，奉父、子、聖靈的名給他們施洗〔或譯：給他們施洗，歸於父、子、聖靈的名〕。20凡我所吩咐你們的，都教訓他們遵守，我就常與你們同在，直到世界的末了。」
American Standard Version
19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
New International Version
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the end of the age.
希臘文版本(United Bible Societies Greek New Testament, 4th Rev. Ed.，以下希臘文經文採自http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~fisher/cgi-bin/gnt?id=0128)
兩個關鍵問題
1. 19節的「奉父、子、聖靈的名給他們施浸」中「他們」（
）是什麼意思？是作了耶穌門徒的人？還是指「萬民」（
）？
2. 19-20節的「作......門徒」、「給...施浸」、「教訓」三者之間是什麼關係？是先後關係：即「作......門徒」→「給...施浸」→「教訓......遵守」？還是「給...施浸」、「教訓」是指作門徒的方法，即受浸、遵守教訓的就是作門徒的意思？
我認為
1. 19節的「奉父、子、聖靈的名給他們施浸」中「他們」（
）是指「萬民」（
）而不是「門徒」。必須指出28.19原文中的「門徒」不是名詞noun，而是動詞verb「作...門徒」，「他們」是代名詞pronoun，所以與「作...門徒」這個動詞無關，而應指名詞「萬民」。雖然「萬民」是中性neuter ，與「他們」masculine的gender 不配合，但正如Dana and Mantey, A Manual
Grammar (New York: Macmillan, 1957) 指出"Sometimes,
instead of direct agreement with the grammatical form of an expressed
antecedent, we have logical agreement, in some instances with actual or assumed
sex rather than grammatical gender. (Mt. 28:19)..."如此，則先作門徒後受浸就不是太28.19的教導了。
2. 「給...施浸」、「教訓」是指作門徒的方法而不是說先作門徒，再給門徒施浸，再教訓他們。按「國際基督教會」的教義，是萬民首先「作門徒」，然後給門徒施浸，再教訓他們，「作......門徒」、「給...施浸」、「教訓」是先後關係，次序不可改變。
但這種看法似乎不合希臘文文法。
（使...作門徒）是Aorist Imperative Second Person Plural，
（給...施浸）和
（教訓）都是Masculine Plural Present Participle Nominative Case。一般學者對「作......門徒」、「給...施浸」、「教訓」三者的關係大致有兩種看法：
a. 「作......門徒」、「給...施浸」、「教訓」是「作門徒」的方法 (means)，例如Daniel Wallace在Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics (Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 1996)指出
及
："they obviously make good sense as participles of means; i.e., the means by which the
disciples were to make disciples was to baptize and then to teach."(p.645)連「國際基督教會」的Tom Jones 也曾明確指出"The grammatical
structure of the sentence is not being taken into consideration. In this
passage 'make disciples' is the main verb and 'baptizing them' and 'teaching
them' are the participles that modify the main verb. In other words baptizing
them and teaching describe how to make disciples. It is incorrect to read
the passage as if it says 'first make a disciple, then baptize him, then teach
him.' There are not three
steps in the sentence that came from Jesus. There is one main
objective--clarified by two other phrases."(引自Jerry Jones, What
Does the Boston Movement Teach? Vol. I. Bridgeton,
MO: Mid-America Book and Tape Sales, 1990), p.29 [emphasis mine] [網上版本見http://www.reveal.org/library/theology/wdtbmt/baptism.html]
b. 不單是方法，例如D.A. Carson說"Similarly baptizing and
teaching are not the means of making disciples, but they characterize
it. ...Indeed, the force of this
command is to make Jesus' disciples responsible for making disciples of others,
a task characterized by baptism and instruction." ("Matthew", in
Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol. 8 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), p.
597. 又例如 G.R. Beasley-Murray在Baptism in the New Testament(UK:
Paternoster Press, 1962)說 "The relationship denoted by
the participle 'baptizing' to the verb 'Make disciples' （
）,therefore, cannot be baldly be stated as instrumental, even if it
expresses more than manner or accompanying circumstances. The truth is that the mystery of God's
redemptive dealings with man by the Spirit of Christ cannot be compressed into
the ordinary rules of syntax, however true it be the latter can shed light on
them"(p. 89)。但必須指出，無論Carson 或Beasley-Murray都沒有說要先作門徒再受浸，反之Carson指出"In any case it would certainly misconstrue the text to
absolutize the division between discipleship and baptism-instruction." (p. 597) 而Beasley-Murray則說 "since the New Testament Epistles do not appear to reckon with
the phenomenon of an unbaptized disciple, how can one become a disciple and
then be baptized?" (p. 88)
"......It is when a hearer believes and is baptized that he becomes
a full disciple; which is the same as saying that a disciple is made such in baptism
by faith."(p. 89) 由此可見不是先作門徒後受浸。
反觀「國際基督教會」的Elena McKean在 December 20, 1987 issue of the Boston Bulletin, "Satan Masquerades As An Angel"一文中說"Too few churches call people to make the decision to be disciples at baptism (Matthew 28:19). Jesus says if you have not done this, your baptism is invalid. "(引自Jerry Jones, What Does the Boston Movement Teach? Vol. I. Bridgeton, MO: Mid-America Book and Tape Sales, 1990), [網上版本見http://www.reveal.org/library/theology/wdtbmt/baptism.html]
這句話有點問題：1. "make disciples" 是耶穌吩囑門徒的命令，是從傳福音者的角度看，而不是從聽福音者的角度看，把馬太福音28.19"make disciples"改為"make the decision to be disciples at baptism"是混淆了傳福音者與聽福音者的角度；2. "Jesus says if you have not done this, your baptism is invalid."這句Elena McKean沒有引用經文支持，因為耶穌根本沒有這樣說過！
請看聖經怎樣說「腓利就開口從這經上起，對他傳講耶穌。二人正往前走，到了有水的地方，太監說：「看哪，這裡有水，我受浸有甚麼妨礙呢？」[有古卷加：腓利說：「你若是一心相信，就可以。」他回答說：「我信耶穌基督是神的兒子。」]於是吩咐車站住，腓利和太監二人同下水裡去，主的靈把腓利提了去，太監也不再見他了，就歡歡喜喜地走路。」（使徒行傳8.36-39） 可見信而受浸是聖經的教導，要受浸者先作門徒（特別是據「國際基督教會」定義的門徒）並沒有聖經根據。
3. 「國際基督教會」對「作...門徒」、「給...施浸」、「教訓」三者的關係的教義在措詞上是有過變化的：
1997
"Jesus came to make disciples. Only disciples will be saved."(Disciple's Handbook (Woburn, MA:Discipleship Publications International, 1997), 11)[網上最新版本也一樣http://www.icoc.org/html/articlesset.html]
1993
Saved=Christian=Disciple" (First Principles (Discipleship Publications International with permission of the Los Angeles Church of Christ, 1993),6)
1991
Randy McKean, Making Disciples (Woburn, MA: Kingdom Media Resources, 1991), 15 完全沒有提及三者的關係. 注意：此書 "Discipleship"一節內容文字與First Principles 幾乎完全一樣，刪去這句有點耐人尋味。
至於"who is a candidate for baptism"
1987
Kip McKean說" who is a candidate for baptism. It is the individual who is
a disciple." (引自Jerry Jones, What Does the Boston Movement Teach? Vol. I. Bridgeton, MO: Mid-America
Book and Tape Sales, 1990), [網上版本見http://www.reveal.org/library/theology/wdtbmt/baptism.html]
1987
Douglas
Jacoby說"Baptism for those
who want to be disciples" (Shining Like Stars, 2nd ed., p.142)
按：我認為把 "Saved=Christian=Disciple" 修改為 "Jesus came to make disciples. Only disciples will be saved." 可能是考慮到 First Principles "Disciples" 其中一句 "Who is a candidate for baptism? -- Disciples" 。因為按邏輯推理，如果 "Saved=Christian=Disciple" ，則 "Who is a candidate for baptism?" 這問句的答案是 "Disciples" ，但由於disciple=Christian=saved，則 "Who is a candidate for baptism?" 的答案也可以是 "saved" 或 "Christian" ，但這又明顯與受浸使罪得赦的教訓有矛盾。至於浸禮是給 "disciple" 還是 "who want to be disciples" 我認為是矛盾的，正如有人指出「醫生」和「who want to be 醫生」是不同的。另外， "Who is a candidate for baptism? -- Disciples" 一句 "Disciples" （眾數），與問句 "Who is a candidate" （單數）好像有點不符，請英語專家指正。
未完待續
-Disciples 與
Christians的意思有實質分別嗎？為什麼要刻意加以區別？會不會是因為 "mainline"
Churches of Christ 主要用
Christian 一名因而刻意迴避呢？其實Restoration Movement 先驅Alexander Campbell 多數用 Disciple 一名，今天的宗派 Disciples of Christ 即由此而來。
-Disciples 用了270+次，Christians用了3次可以證明什麼嗎？
-Disciples 只見於四福音及使徒行傳，完全不見於保羅書信，這說明了什麼？