The Chinese version is after the English one.
中文版本在英文版本下。
I heard a joke, “Can I smoke while praying?” Asked by a smoking guy. The pastor’s response was, “No.” Then he asked, “Can I pray while smoking?” The pastor replied, “Yes.”
Both involve smoking and praying, so why is one allowed while the other is not? The difference lies in whether the sovereignty of the heart is surrendered to God. During prayer, sovereignty belongs to God, and you should not engage in activities that do some harm to your body. But when you are smoking and still remember God, praying to Him in that moment, it makes a different story. God loves such prayers. He doesn’t require us to be a saint before we come before His throne.
It may sound like the path to holiness is not that difficult. Just pray during moments of rebellion, right? However, upon closer examination, you’ll realise that it’s not so simple.
Does Becoming a Saint Lead to Salvation?
According to this logic, when you’re attracted to a lady’s boops across the street, you should pray; when your wife asks if you have impure thoughts and you want to loudly say “no,” you should pray; when your child accidentally drops your iPhone on the floor, and you feel your temper rising, you should pray; when your child scolds you and says, “I learned it from you!” and you want to kick them out, you should pray; when your mother nags you to quit smoking, and you want to roll your eyes at her, you should pray; when your child ranks first in class and you want to show off to others, you should pray; when you discover that your colleague’s child is actually ranked first in the entire grade, and it makes you feel embarrassed about your own child, you should pray…
If you can’t do all of this, does it mean you cannot abide in God’s kingdom and are not God’s people? Is this what it means to become sanctified through faith in Jesus?
Who can, by sheer willpower, allow God to control and govern every minute and second of their lives? If you dare to claim that you can, then I am sorry to say that probably you are blind to your own shortcomings.
It is said in the oriental world that it takes five hundred years of practice just to have a chance encounter with your true love in the next life. So, what kind of practice is required to be in eternal communion with God? It’s simply not possible.
God knows that we are incapable. The author of the Bible’s book of Romans, the Apostle Paul, also said, “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me” (Romans 7:21). He also said, “The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so” (Romans 8:7). This highlights our inherent nature, which cannot draw near to God through our efforts alone. Being unable to draw near to God means that we can only “wander between hell and return to the mortal world,” our inner void remains unfilled, our trauma has limited solutions, and we have no certainty about life and death. (What does it imply saperating from God? Please read “Believing in Jesus is Like Changing Nationality?”)
The Greatest Miracle: From Death to Life
When you see your beloved child fall into the water and is helpless to swim to safety, what do you do? You jump into the water yourself and rescue him. Our God is just like that. He knows that we are beyond help, so He became one of us, and that person is Jesus. Think about it; when you realise that a baby will defecate in their diaper, and even a slight delay in changing it will result in a mess, you’ll understand how incredible it is that God became a human being. God did this.
Maybe you’ve heard something similar: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Have you ever wondered about the connection between Jesus’s birth and our eternal life?
God also knew that this would be difficult for people to understand, so over 1,400 years before the birth of Jesus, He arranged a stunning event as a manoeuvre. You’ve likely heard of it, but you might have considered it just a myth without realising its earth-shattering significance. This event served as a prelude to a greater salvation plan.
At that time, the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. God sent Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, but the Egyptians resisted and refused to let them go. So, God sent plagues upon Egypt, but they still didn’t repent, forcing God to send the final plague—killing the firstborn of all Egyptians.
However, the Israelites and the Egyptians were living in the same land. How could the avenging spirit distinguish between the two groups and not destroy God’s people along with the Egyptians?
So, God instructed Moses to tell the Israelites to slaughter a lamb in each household on that night and to put the lamb’s blood on the doorposts. When God’s fierce wrath swept through the land, it would pass over the houses with the lamb’s blood, sparing God’s people from the plague of death. After passing through this ordeal, the great miracle of parting the Red Sea occurred. This is the first Passover for the Jewish people, a remembrance of how the disaster of slaughter passed over them. Even today, many Jewish people still observe this tradition.
What happened fourteen hundred years later? In the article “Believing in Jesus is Like Changing Your Nationality?” I explained the difference between the two kingdoms. From ancient times to the present, the ruler of this world has been Satan, and people have been living in sin without a choice. The revelation in the Bible is very clear: the ruler of this world is doomed to perish, but what about “His people”? Those whom God loves, do they also have to perish with the ruler?
The contradiction lies in the fact that God’s attribute is love, and He does not want anyone to perish.
At the same time, God’s attributes also include righteousness and holiness, and He cannot bring the citizens of Satan’s kingdom into heaven.
So, He took the most foolish approach in the world—He came down as a human, died on the cross, and paid an extremely heavy price to redeem the slaves (those who labour all their lives and are bound by sin, unable to break free no matter how hard they try) living in this world. He is the “Lamb of Atonement.” We believe in Jesus, we take refuge in Jesus, just like putting the blood of the lamb on the doorposts, allowing us to cross over the finality of eternal death. It’s worth noting that the avenging spirit chose its targets not by bloodline but by whether the household had applied the lamb’s blood. Who can be included in God’s salvation? It’s not based on bloodline or lineage, or even how upright you are; it depends on a person’s choice, whether you choose to be saved or not.
To the world visible to the naked eye, Jesus’ death was that of a political or religious criminal, sentenced to a severe execution.
But in the unseen spiritual world, a profound transformation occurred—the gates of the kingdom of heaven were opened, and God’s people could move from the bitterness of sin and eternal death to God’s kingdom, sharing in the eternal life of Jesus Christ.
Around 1,400 years before the birth of Christ, the Red Sea parted, standing like walls, and the people of God escaped from the bondage of Egypt, passing through the depths of the sea on their way to the Promised Land. This can be likened to our journey from a dark kingdom into the Kingdom of love, peace, joy, satisfaction, and eternal life, all through the sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb.
The parting of the Red Sea was a visible miracle, but the death and resurrection of Jesus, which transformed countless lives, moving them from death to life, was an even greater miracle. The former could be seen with the eyes, while the latter required a spiritual perspective.
Since it is a miracle, it cannot be achieved by human ability or effort. Obtaining a life in Christ is not a result of praying when you remember while smoking, nor is it because you never smoked from birth to death; it is a result of God’s salvation. This is called “grace.” Grace is not what you deserve; it is what you receive even though you are undeserving.
Is it too easy not to have to strive? Then, what qualifies you to believe in Jesus? The Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). When God created humans, He gave us free will. The kingdom of heaven does not forcibly snatch men and women; when we are willing to be saved, we will be saved. It’s as simple as that, so simple that you might wonder, “Is it that straightforward?”
After you’ve said the “salvation prayer” (acknowledging your sins and putting your trust in Jesus), you might wonder, “Am I a Christian now? I don’t seem to have done anything different. If I took a ‘before’ and ‘after’ photo like those beauty centre advertisements, I can’t see any change.”
Not by Our Own Efforts=Too Easy?
You might think it’s easy. Are you sure?
“Confessing Jesus as Lord with your mouth,” do you think it’s easy? Apart from those who were born into poverty and were sold into slavery, apart from ancient Chinese officials who had to call themselves “lackey” to their masters, apart from flattering and ingratiating yourself in the workplace, apart from seeking protection from the underworld boss… When have you seen someone willingly call another person “Lord”?
You would only call Jesus Christ your “Lord” with a certain faith that goes beyond what the eyes can see. You would recognize this “Lord” with a faith that allows you to surrender your position as the master of your own life so that Jesus can be your Lord.
If someone finds it difficult even to say sorry to another person, let alone call themselves a believer in Jesus, don’t make fun of them because they are willing to call Jesus their “Lord,” which is not simple; it’s just that they haven’t been able to live out their faith.
Human nature tends to think that good things are the result of their own wisdom and effort, while bad things are the result of an unjust God. To willingly call Jesus “Lord” is to overturn a self-centred worldview and change your identity from the bottom up, and this process is not simple. Often, when someone believes in the Lord, there are many people behind the scenes praying, asking the Holy Spirit to help them transform.
Once the inner transformation takes place, and you declare it with your free will, in the spiritual kingdom that the naked eye cannot see, you are already marked by the Holy Spirit, and you have entered God’s kingdom.
People often think that things can’t be so “simple” and that they must follow certain rules to become a perfect person or at least appear perfect to be considered divine. Little do they know that often, trying to be a perfect person or appearing perfect is more in line with human sinfulness. The former is still self-righteous, self-exalting, and self-reliant, while the latter is a recognition of one’s own flaws and a willingness to let God take control of one’s life.
Pastor Stephen Tong once said, “When Jesus ascended to heaven, He didn’t bring generals and kings with Him, but rather, He was surrounded by criminals. There has never been anyone with sins too great that God couldn’t save. The mystery of the Gospel lies here— even thieves can enter, so who is there without hope?”
True Transformation
When you are attracted to the woman’s chest across the street, you want to pray; when your wife asks if you have impure thoughts, you want to loudly say “No,” so you pray; when your child accidentally drops your iPhone, your heart flinches, and you want to get angry, so you pray; when your child scolds you and says, “It’s all your fault!” and you think of throwing them out of the house, you want to pray; when your mother nags at you to have another child, and you want to roll your eyes at her, you want to pray; when your child takes first place in the class, and you want to show off to others, you want to pray; when you find out that your colleague’s child is also first in the class, making you feel ashamed of your own child, you want to pray…
Achieving all this isn’t impossible, but it all stems from experiencing Jesus’ great love, letting the Holy Spirit guide our hearts, and not relying on personal willpower to force it. Because the Lord purifies our hearts, heals us with love, and fills us, we can change our nature. At the same time, we deeply understand that even if we are full of flaws, sinful, broken in body and soul, the Lord’s grace never departs. This is the essence of the “Gospel.” If salvation were only for perfect people, it would be a “curse.” We are not “saved” by striving for moral perfection, but by being redeemed from sin and willingly surrendering ourselves to the Lord of all goodness. If we try to climb moral heights through our own willpower, our minds can easily become preoccupied with various moral imperfections, leading to psychological distortions. We may become overly critical and intolerant of others’ shortcomings, losing the loving heart of tolerance. Such individuals may speak of love, but internally harbour sharpness and resentment, which does not attract people to the life of Christ but rather pushes them away. Alternatively, they may suppress their feelings excessively, transforming them into negative energy, which is also unhealthy.
When you are moved to pray, please join me:
Lord Jesus, I thank You for becoming the sacrificial Lamb, dying on the cross and shedding Your precious blood to cleanse my sins, allowing me to leave the kingdom of darkness and enter God’s kingdom. I want to acknowledge You as my Lord and ask You to take control of my life. Please do not leave me, guide me every day, and let me walk in Your ways, receiving blessings throughout my life. In the victorious name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
信耶穌就會變聖人？
有人問牧師：「祈禱時可以吸煙嗎？」
牧師說：「不可以。」
那人又問：「那吸煙時可以祈禱嗎？」
牧師說：「可以。」
同樣是吸煙和祈禱，只是次序不同，為何一個可以、一個不可以？
分別在於心的主權有沒有交給上帝。祈禱時，主權在上帝，你不應去做有害無益的事。但當你正在吸煙，而記起上帝，向祂祈禱，那一刻，主權移交了給上帝，那就可以了。
聽上去，成聖之路也不太難啊？只要在叛逆時祈一下禱便可以了。
可是，細想下去，你會發現這並不可行。
變了聖人才得拯救即是沒有拯救
按這個邏輯，當你被對面馬路的女士的胸部吸引時，你得禱告；當你老婆問你有沒有邪念，你想大聲說「沒有」時，你得禱告；當你小孩不慎把你的 I Phone 丟在地上，個心離一離，然後想大發雷霆時，你得禱告； 當小孩罵你，還說：「都是學你的！」你想扔他出門的時候，你得禱告；當你媽嘮叨你，快些多生一個小孩，你想反她白眼時，你得禱告；當你孩子考獲全班第一，想向人炫耀一下的時候，你得禱告；當你發現你同事的孩子原來全級第一，令你頓感犬子羞家時，你得禱告…
如果你做不到，你就不能常在神的國裡、不是神的子民了——是這樣嗎？信耶穌就是變了聖人嗎？
有誰，能夠憑著意志，每分每秒都讓神駕馭自己、掌管自己？若你敢說你能，那我肯定你的心眼是瞎的。
有說，修行五百年，才能修得來生與心上人擦肩而過；那麼，要怎樣的修行，才能修得與神永遠同在？根本不可能。
上帝深知我們不行，《聖經》羅馬書的作者保羅也說：「我覺得有個律，就是我願意為善的時候，便有惡與我同在。」（羅馬書7章21節）又說：「原來體貼肉體（即體貼罪性）的，就是與神為仇，因為不服神的律法，也是不能服。」（8章7節）點出了靠我們的本性，根本無法憑修行與神相親。不能與神相親，就意味著我們只能「徘徊地獄後折返人間」，內心的深洞無法填滿，創傷的出路有限，對生和死都沒有把握。（不能與神同在意味著什麼，請參上一篇《信耶穌好像更換國籍？》）
最大的神蹟是出死入生
當你看見深愛的孩子掉進水裡，自己沒能力游上岸來，你怎樣做？——你自己跳進水裡，救他上來——我們的上帝就是這樣的一位神。祂深知人的無藥可救，自己降生成人，那人就是耶穌。這不容小覷，當你想到BB會拉屎在尿布上，遲一刻換尿布也會壓得整個小背脊都是糞，你就知道永生的神降生成人是多麼震撼的事。神就是作了一件這樣的事。
也許你也曾聽聞類似的東東：「神愛世人，甚至將祂的獨生子賜給他們，叫一切信祂的不至滅亡，反得永生。」（約翰福音4章16節）不知你可曾問過：耶穌的降生，跟我的永生，有什麼關連？
上帝也知道這件事對於人腦而言太難理解，所以早在公元前一千四百多年，安排了一次震驚國際的預演。這事件，你一定聽過，只是你只當個神話故事來看，沒想到那驚天地泣鬼神的震撼，是為了預告一個更大型的拯救計劃。
那時，以色列人在埃及當奴，上帝透過摩西要帶以色列人出埃及，但埃及態度強硬，不肯放行，上帝就在埃及降災，埃及仍不悔改，迫使上帝降下最後一災——殺長子。埃及全地所有埃及人的長子都要死。
可是，以色列人與埃及人就住在同一片土地上，殺戮的靈如何分辨族民，不會連同上帝的子民一同毀滅？
於是，神叫摩西吩咐以色列人，在那一夜，每家每戶都宰殺一隻羔羊，並把羔羊的血塗在門楣上。當上帝的烈怒行遍全國，一見門楣上有羔羊之血，就越過這一戶，使死亡之災免臨神的子民。過了這一關之後，才有分紅海的偉大神蹟。這就是猶太人的第一個逾越節，記念殺戮的災殃越過他們而去。時至今日，仍有不少猶太人保留著這個傳統。
一千四百年後，又發生什麼事？在《信耶穌好像改換國籍？》一篇，筆者闡述了兩個國度的分別。從古至今，這世界的王就是撒旦，人無可選擇地活在「罪」中。《聖經》的啟示非常清楚，就是這世界的王將要滅亡，但牠的「子民」呢？神所愛的人，是不是都要與牠一同歸於滅亡呢？
矛盾的是，神的屬性就是愛，祂不願意世人滅亡。
但同時，神的屬性也是公義和聖潔，祂不能把撒旦的國民帶進天國。
於是，祂採取了世上最愚蠢的方法——自己降生為人，死在十字架上，以極重極重的代價，買贖了活在此世、被罪捆綁的奴隸（一生勞碌、用盡方法也無法脫離罪的管輍和控制）。他就是「代罪羔羊」，我們相信耶穌、投靠耶穌，就好比將羔羊的血塗在門楣上，使我們越過永遠死亡的終局。值得一提的是，殺戮之靈揀選對象，並不是按血統，而是按該戶有沒有塗羊血。誰得以納入上帝的拯救？不是按血統、按出身，甚至不是你做了幾多好事，乃視乎人的選擇——你是否選擇被拯救。
耶穌的死，在肉眼看得見的世界上，就是一個政治犯，或宗教犯，被判處極刑死了。
但在肉眼看不見的屬靈世界裡，翻天覆地的轉變發生了——天國的門打開了，神的子民可以從苦罪和永遠的死亡中，遷移至上帝的國裡，分享耶穌基督的永生。
公元前一千四百年，紅海分開，矗立成壁，神的子民離開埃及的轄制，從深海中間經過，走向應許之地——就好比我們因著羔羊耶穌的犧牲，從黑暗的國度裡，走向愛、平安、喜樂、滿足、永生的國度之中。
分紅海在當時是令人下巴掉落地上的神蹟；而主耶穌受死、復活，把無數人的生命改變過來，出死入生，是更大的神蹟。前者是肉眼看得見的，後者，則是要用心眼才能看見的。
既然是神蹟，就不是憑人的能力和努力做出來的。獲得屬神的生命，不是因為你在吸煙時會記得祈禱，更不是因為你從出生到老死都不吸煙，而是出於神的拯救。這種不是看你有多棒來決定你獲得多少的，就叫做「恩典」。你應得的不叫恩典，明明不配受而獲得了的，才是恩典。
不用努力=太便宜？
那麼，信耶穌要有什麼資格？《聖經》說：「你若口裡認耶穌為主，心裡信神叫他從死裡復活，就必得救。」（羅馬書10章9節）神造人的時候，給了我們自由意志，天國從不強搶民夫民女，幾時我們願意被救，幾時我們就會被救。就是這麼簡單，簡單到你會不期然的想：「有無咁著數？會否太容易？」
當你跟隨教會人士作了「決志祈禱」（承認己罪，歸信耶穌的祈禱）之後，你可能會疑惑：「我現在是基督徒了嗎？我好像沒有做過什麼呢。如果像『減肥前』和『減肥後』那樣各拍照一張，我好像完全看不出有何不同呢。」
你以為那很容易。你太年輕了。
「口裡認XX為主」，你認為很容易嗎？除了因出身貧賤被賣了作奴隸，除了清朝的官員必須向主子自稱奴才，除了在職場上奉承巴結，除了在黑社會找大佬作靠山，除了為免父母親情緒激動繼續罵個不停，除了笑言給家貓玩弄。。。你何時見有人自願稱另一個人為「主」？
你會稱耶穌基督為你的「主」，你必然憑著一種信心，超越肉眼所見，來認識這位「主」，並且願意把自己在生命中作主的地位讓出，才能讓耶穌作你的主。
若有人，連對人講一句sorry 都覺得很困難，而稱自己信耶穌，你不要取笑他，因為他願意稱耶穌為「主」，這個不簡單，只是他未能活出信仰而已。
人的本性是，好的東西就傾向覺得是自己英明、自己努力獲得的，壞的東西就覺得是上天不公造成的。要甘心稱耶穌為「主」，顛覆從自我中心出發的世界觀，讓自己的身份從底層改換過來，這個過程不簡單。很多時，一個人信主，背後都需要許多人的禱告，讓聖靈幫助他轉化。
而一旦，當內心的轉化，以自由意志宣之於口，在肉眼看不見的屬靈國度，你額上已受了聖靈的印記，你已遷入上帝的國度。
而人，總是覺得事情不會這麼「簡單」，而是要守一些規條，做個完美的人，或做個看似完美的人，才覺得神聖，可與「神」相提並論。
誰知很多時，努力做個完美的人、或看似完美的人，是比承認自己的罪、讓神來掌管自己的生命，更貼近人的罪性。前者仍是自義、自高、自恃，後者才是看透自己的本相，放手讓神在自己的生命中運行。
唐崇榮牧師曾說：「耶穌升天的時候，不是帶將軍和君王，而是旁邊的強盜。歷史上沒有一個人是罪惡太大以至於上帝不能拯救的，福音的奧秘在此，連強盜也能進去，還有誰是沒有盼望的呢？」
真正的轉化
當你被對面馬路的女士的胸部吸引時，你願禱告；當你老婆問你有沒有邪念，你想大聲說「沒有」時，你願禱告；當你小孩不慎把你的 I Phone 丟在地上，個心離一離，然後想大發雷霆時，你願禱告； 當小孩罵你，還說：「都是學你的！」你想扔他出門的時候，你願禱告；當你媽嘮叨你，快些多生一個小孩，你想反她白眼時，你願禱告；當你孩子取了全班第一，想向人炫耀一下的時候，你願禱告；當你發現你同事的孩子原來全級第一，令你頓感犬子羞家時，你願禱告…
做到這樣並非不可能，但一切是源於我們經歷過耶穌的大愛，讓聖靈在心裡驅動我們而行，而不是憑個人的意志勉強為之。因主潔淨我們的心，用愛醫治和充滿我們，使我們能改換性情。同時我們深知，我們縱是充滿瑕疵，罪跡斑斑，身心破碎，上主的恩典仍從不離棄，這就是「福音」，若只救完美的人，便成「禍音」。我們不是「靠」做到完美而獲得救贖，而是因在罪中獲得救贖，而願意把自己「交付」給全善的主。我們若憑自己意志攀往道德高地，心靈很容易為著道德上種種的瑕疵疲於奔命，造成心理上的扭曲，專門看不過眼別人的過失，失去了寬容的愛心。這樣的人，口中滿是仁愛，但內裡充滿了尖刻和不忿，不是吸引人走向基督的生命，只會令人望而卻步。又或是壓抑過甚，轉化為負向的能量，都不健康。
如有感動，請跟我一起禱告：
主耶穌，我感謝祢，成為代罪羔羊，死在十字架上，流出寶血，洗淨了我的罪，使我能離開黑暗的國度，進入神的國度。我願稱祢為主，求祢掌管我的生命。求祢不要離開我，每天引導我，使我常行在祢的道裡，一生蒙福。奉主耶穌基督得勝名字而求。阿們。