《比利时信条》第十四条 论人的受造与堕落，以及人无力行真善

《比利时信条》第十四条 论人的受造与堕落，以及人无力行真善

　　我们相信神用地上的尘土造人1，且按照祂自己的形像和样式造人，就是良善，公义和圣洁2。那时，人在凡事上都能够合乎神的旨意。但是，当人处在崇高的地位时，他既不感恩也不看重自己的尊荣，反而听从魔鬼的话，放任自己去犯罪，因而遭致了死亡和咒诅3。他干犯了从神领受的生命的律法，因犯罪而与神远离，就是远离了那赐生命的神；于是他的本性完全堕落败坏。因这一切，他使自己的肉体和灵魂都受到了死亡的刑罚4。

　　由于人变得邪恶和乖僻，在一切所行之事上的败坏，他就失去了一切从神而领受的美好恩赐5。他只残存了一小部分痕迹，而这足以使人对罪恶无可推诿6。因为在我们里面的光已经变为黑暗7，正如圣经所教导我们的，“光照在黑暗中，黑暗却不接受光” （约1:5）；使徒约翰在此称人为黑暗的。

　　因此，我们拒绝一切与圣经相悖的关于人的自由意志说法，因为人已经成为罪的奴仆，若不是从天上所赐的，人就不能得什么。基督既说：“若不是差我来的父吸引人，就没有能到我这里来的”，谁还敢自夸说自己能行任何的善呢？当人明白“体贴肉体的，就是与神为仇”，他还能为自己的意志洋洋得意吗？“属血气的人不领会神圣灵的事”，那么他的知识还值得一提吗？简而言之，当一个人意识到“并不是我们自己能承担什么事，我们所能承担的，乃是出于神”（林后3:5），谁还敢向神强嘴呢？因此使徒说的是千真万确的：“你们立志行事，都是神在你们心里运行，为要成就他的美意”。因为若不是出于基督，没有人的悟性或意志能与神的旨意相符合；正如基督所教导我们的，“离了我，你们就不能作什么”（约15:5）。

　　 1.创2:7; 创3:19; 传12:7.
　　 2.创1:26, 27; 弗4:24; 西3:10.
　　 3.创3:16-19; 罗5:12.
　　 4.创2:17; 弗2:1; 弗4:18.
　　 5.诗94:11; 罗3:10; 罗8:6.
　　 6.罗1:20, 21.
　　 7.弗5:8.

英文对照：

　　We believe that God created man of dust from the ground and He made and formed him after His own image and likeness, good, righteous, and holy. His will could conform to the will of God in every respect. But, when man was in this high position, he did not appreciate it nor did he value his excellency. He gave ear to the words of the devil and wilfully subjected himself to sin and consequently to death and the curse. For he transgressed the commandment of life which he had received; by his sin he broke away from God, who was his true life; he corrupted his whole nature. By all this he made himself liable to physical and spiritual death.
Since man became wicked and perverse, corrupt in all his ways, he has lost all his excellent gifts which he had once received from God. He has nothing left but some small traces, which are sufficient to make man inexcusable. For whatever light is in us has changed into darkness, as Scripture teaches us, The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it; where the apostle John calls mankind darkness.

　　Therefore we reject all teaching contrary to this concerning the free will of man, since man is but a slave to sin and no one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven. For who dares to boast that he of himself can do any good, when Christ says: No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him* Who will glory in his own will, when he understands that the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God* Who can speak of his knowledge, since the unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God* In short, who dares to claim anything, when he realizes that we are not competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but that our competence is from God* Therefore what the apostle says must justly remain sure and firm: God is at work in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure. For there is no understanding nor will conformable to the understanding and will of God unless Christ has brought it about; as He teaches us: Apart from Me you can do nothing.