标题：Trinity Prologue. 02
年份：2020
尺寸：70.85 x 47.28 cm
Title: Trinity Prologue. 02
Year: 2020
Dimension: 70.85 x 47.28 cm
「Trinity」系列作品序曲第二章。
The 2nd chapter of the Prologue to the "Trinity" series.
如果对圣经有全面的了解，我们会发现，整本圣经其实就是在讲一件事——十字架。
十字架代表了圣经所启示的那位上帝的三个本质：圣洁、公义、爱。
正如三位一体的圣父、圣子、圣灵本为一体、不可分割，圣洁、公义、爱也是上帝不可分割的三大本质——祂无法不圣洁、不公义、不爱，因祂本质即为此。
上帝是绝对的圣洁、公义、爱，以上三点在祂身上都达到了极致且不容任何瑕疵与妥协。
祂是绝对的圣洁——无法容纳任何的不圣洁，哪怕只有一点一滴的不圣洁，就像一杯被一滴污渍污染的清水，无论程度如何、看起来如何，也不再绝对清澈。
祂是绝对的公义——任何不圣洁和罪恶都将被公义审判，因为祂的标准是绝对的圣洁。
基于绝对的圣洁标准，世人都犯了罪，而实行绝对的公义，使得上帝不能对犯罪的人类做到“睁一只眼闭一只眼”或者根据犯罪的程度来施行不同的审判。因为祂是绝对的标准，没有妥协的余地。标准就是标准，标准是没有感情的。正如 1+1=2 是没有感情的，但就是绝对的真理，祂的标准亦如此。对人类而言，问题不是祂的标准不完美，而是祂的标准太完美，完美到没有任何人能够达到，没有一个人能够扪心自问地认为自己是一个绝对完全圣洁的人。
到这一步，我们会认可这样一位上帝的圣洁和公义是正确的，但，却显得不近人情，没有对人性的怜悯，与我们相距甚远且不切实际。因此，面对这样绝对圣洁和公义的上帝，我们天然的反应就是抵挡祂的标准，躲避和拒绝。
可是，上帝还有第三个本质——绝对的、极致的爱。
祂是绝对的爱——祂并非不近人情，相反地，祂不轻易发怒且大有怜悯。祂爱世人，不希望罪人在其绝对的圣洁标准和绝对的正义之下受到审判和灭亡，祂解决问题的方式不是降低标准，标准如果能降低，那标准本身也就不再完美，祂也就不再完美。因此，为了在满足祂自己的绝对圣洁标准和绝对公义的同时拯救人类，他选择让一个圣洁而无辜的人为世人而死，承担世人该受的刑罚，将那位无辜之人的义归给世人，好让世人能够因此得救。
这听起来很不可思议，甚至“荒唐”。
首先，为何要如此折腾、复杂与麻烦？为何不干脆睁一只眼闭一只眼，直接包容世人，让所有人都能够上天堂？
——如果这样，所有正义和圣洁的标准将没有任何意义且不复存在。标准就是标准，正如1+1=2，如果标准可以更改、妥协，正如1+1不再等于2，一切系统都将崩溃，一切罪恶都可以睁一只眼闭一只眼得过且过，那么这个世界将不再存在任何的正义和邪恶，只有一片混乱，或者说最终将充满了邪恶。而祂的本质即绝对的圣洁与公义，祂不能对不圣洁妥协，这与祂的本质不符。祂也可以不这样折腾而直接选择轻松的方式——直接毁灭人类重新创造完美圣洁的人类。然而祂并不愿人类灭亡，反而想让人类得到永远的生命。祂的怜悯与爱心使祂不能眼睁睁看着世人灭亡，因此祂宁愿选择如此“折腾”的方式来拯救世人——是的，祂完全没必要这样做，如果不是因为爱与怜悯。
再者，为何要让一位无辜的人来替世人而死？这样是不是对那位无辜的人太残忍和不公平？
——没错，对那位替世人而死的人来说，这样的刑罚极为残忍、不公。看起来做出这样选择的上帝也并非仁慈，至少祂对那个被祂选为替他人而死的无辜者太过残忍。
最后，既然上帝的标准是绝对的圣洁，人无完人，这个世界上哪有一位绝对无辜的、圣洁的人能够达到上帝的标准、有资格替世人而死？
这些疑问将故事推到了高潮。
按照祂的标准，世界上没有一个人是绝对圣洁、能够替他人而死、将自己的义归给他人。即使有，他的仁慈也不会使如此完美的人遭受如此沉重的不公正和惩罚。
因此，祂做出的选择令人惊讶。
祂让这个宇宙唯一绝对的圣洁——祂的独生子，也是祂三位一体的自身，成为了那个替世人而死的「人」，并亲自承受了人类的罪孽和极大的痛苦。
祂就是耶稣，成为了世人的基督。
「上帝爱世人，甚至将祂的独生子赐给他们，叫一切信他的，不致灭亡，反得永生。」约翰福音 3:16
祂宁愿对耶稣、对其自身不公与残忍，也不愿人类灭亡。要理解这极致的爱，我们需要知道，祂的确完全没必要这样做——拯救世人，对祂而言，甚至比创造宇宙更难。根据圣经的记载，祂创造宇宙，只需要说几句话，然而为了拯救世人，祂却要亲自承担痛苦、替世人而死。然而祂宁愿付出这极大的代价——因为祂就是爱。
爱，透过耶稣替世人而死的「十字架」达到最极致的彰显。
整个宇宙，找不到比这更极致的爱，正如祂其祂两个本质，爱，在祂身上也成为了最极致的爱。祂就是爱的源头，祂，就是爱。
「上帝就是爱。」约翰壹书 4:8
整本圣经的精髓即福音——十字架——爱。
上帝绝对圣洁、公义、爱的三大本质，通过十字架，亦同时达到了最极致的彰显，这也是本系列所探讨和试图表达的核心。无论你是否有信仰以及你的信仰是什么，无论你是否相信上帝，只要你对圣经有全面而正确的理解，你就会发现圣经中所启示的上帝的故事充满了极致的美。
圣经所启示的那位上帝的爱，是如此的不可思议，祂绝对的圣洁和公义是极致的理性，祂绝对的爱又是极致的感性，在宇宙之中找不到比替自己所爱之人而死更加极致和感性的爱。极致的理性和感性同时在祂身上彰显，以无暇的自身替人而死的方式来拯救世人，我在这个「圣洁、公义、爱」的三角形结构和过程之中看到了完美和极致的美感。
If we have a comprehensive understanding of the Bible, we will find that the whole Bible is actually talking about one thing - the cross.
The cross represents the three essences of God revealed in the Bible: holiness, justice, and love.
Just as the Holy Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit of the Trinity are one and indivisible, holiness, justice, and love are also the three inseparable essences of God - He cannot be unholy, unrighteous, and unloving, because of His essences.
God is absolute holiness, righteousness, and love, and the above three essences have reached the extreme in Him without any blemish and compromise.
He is absolutely holy - He cannot contain any unholy, like a glass of clear water contaminated by a drop of stains, even if there is only a drop of it, no matter how it looks, it is no longer absolutely clear.
He is absolute righteousness - any unholy and sin will be judged righteously because His standard is absolute holiness.
Based on the absolute standard of holiness, all people in the world have committed sins, and the implementation of absolute justice based on absolute holiness standards makes God can't turning one eye and closing one eye to sinners or imposing different judgments on the basis of the degree of sin. Because He is an absolute standard, there is no room for compromise. The standard is the standard, and the standard has no emotion. Just as 1+1=2 has no emotion, but it is absolute truth, and so is His standard. For mankind, the problem is not that His standards are imperfect, but that His standards are too perfect, so perfect that no one can reach it, and no one can ask himself/herself and admit that he/she is an absolutely holy person.
At this point, we will recognize that the holiness and justice of such a God are correct, but it does not appear to be close to humanity, has no mercy for human nature, and as far away and unrealistic from us. Therefore, facing such an absolutely holy and righteous God, our natural response is to resist His standards, avoid and reject.
However, God has another essence - absolute and ultimate love.
He is absolute love - He is not without mercy, on the contrary, He is not easy to anger and full of mercy. He loves mankind and does not want them to be judged and perished under His absolute holiness standards and absolute justice. In order to save mankind while satisfying his own absolute holiness standards and absolute justice, He chose to let a holy and innocent person comes to die for the sinners, bear the punishment that the sinners deserve, and ascribe the righteousness of that innocent person to the sinners so that they can be saved.
This sounds incredible, even "ridiculous".
First of all, why is it so troublesome and complicated? Why not just "close one eye" and tolerate the sinners and the world directly, so that everyone can go to heaven?
- If so, all the standards of justice and holiness will have no meaning and cease to exist. The standard is the standard, just like 1+1=2, if the standard can be changed and compromised, just like 1+1 is no longer equal to 2, all systems will collapse, and all evils can be forgiven with one eye closed, then this world will no longer be any justice or evil, there will be only chaos, or eventually will be full of evil. And His essence is absolute holiness and justice, He cannot compromise on unholiness, which is inconsistent with His essence. He really could choose another easy way - directly destroy mankind and recreate perfect and holy mankind. However, He does not want mankind to perish but instead wants mankind to have eternal life. His compassion and love prevented Him from watching the world perish, so He would rather choose such a torturous and complicated way to save the sinners and the world - yes, there is absolutely no need for Him to do this, if not because of love, mercy, and compassion.
Furthermore, why let an innocent person die for the world? Is this too cruel and unfair to that innocent person?
- Absoulutely yes, for the man who died for the world, such punishment is extremely cruel and unfair. It seems that the God who made this choice was not merciful either, at least He was too cruel to the innocent person he chose to die for others.
Finally, since God's standard is absolute holiness, and no one is perfect, how can there be an absolutely innocent and holy person in this world who can meet God's standard and be qualified to die for the world?
These questions pushed the story to the climax.
According to His standards, no one in the world is absolutely holy, capable of dying for others and ascribed to others His righteousness. Even if there is, His kindness and mercy will not make such a perfect person bear such heavy injustice and punishment.
Therefore, the choice He made is just too surprising.
He made His one and only son, which is Himself of His trinity, definitely, the only absolute holiness of the universe, become the man who died for the world and personally bear the punishment and great pain of sin as a human being.
He is Jesus, the Christ of the world.
"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
He would rather be unjust and cruel to Jesus, to Himself, than to the destruction of mankind. To understand this ultimate love, we need to know that He does not need to do this at all - saving mankind is even more difficult for Him than creating the universe. According to the biblical record, He only needed to say a few words to create the universe, but in order to save mankind, He Himself had to bear the pain and die for them. However, He would rather pay the great price - because He is love.
Love reaches its ultimate expression through the "cross" where Jesus died for the world.
In the entire universe, there is no more extreme and completed love than this. Just as His other two essences, love, has become the most extreme and completed love in Him. He is the source of love, and He is love.
"God is love." 1 John 4:8
The essence of the whole Bible is the gospel - the cross - love.
The three essences of God's absolute holiness, justice, and love, through the cross, also achieved the most extreme manifestation at the same time. This is also the core of the discussion and attempts to express in this series. No matter whether you have faith or not and what your belief is, whether you believe in God or not, as long as you have a comprehensive and correct understanding of the Bible, you will find that the story of God revealed in the Bible is full of ultimate beauty.
The love of God revealed in the Bible is so incredible. His absolute holiness and justice are the ultimate rationality and His absolute love is the ultimate sensibility. In this universe, you can’t find a more extreme and sensual love than dying for the one you love. The ultimate rationality and sensibility are manifested in Him at the same time, saving mankind by dying for them with His flawless self. I saw perfection and ultimate beauty in this "holiness, justice, love" triangular structure and process.
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