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Posted with the generous permission of Westminster Seminary California
经加州威斯敏斯德神学院慷慨许可发布
When someone begins a statement with “I think God is like…,” I immediately know that this person doesn’t have a clue as to what God is like.
当有人以“我认为神像……”来开头说话时，我立刻就知道这个人对于神是怎样的毫无头绪。
The reason I can say this is because God is an infinite spiritual being, which means that we can know nothing about Him unless He has revealed Himself, which He does through creation and in His Word.
我之所以能这样说，是因为神是无限的灵性存在，这意味着除非祂启示祂自己，否则我们对祂一无所知，而祂藉着创造并在祂的圣言中启示祂自己。
While creation tells us that God is eternal and all-powerful (Rom. 1:20), the creation cannot tell us that God is triune, nor that He sent His eternally begotten Son to save us from our sins.
虽然创造告诉我们神是永恒的并且全能的 罗马书 1章20节 ，但创造不能告诉我们神是三一的，也不能告诉我们祂差遣祂永远所生的儿子来救我们脱离我们的罪。
The knowledge of these things must be revealed to us in God’s Word, in which we find the supreme revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ (John 14:9).
这些事的知识必须在神的圣言中向我们启示，在其中我们在耶稣基督的位格里得着神至高的启示 约翰福音 14章9节 。
This is why when someone attempts to tell us what God is like apart from Scripture — where God chooses to reveal Himself — we can be sure that all they can give us is mere opinion.
因此当有人试图离开圣经来告诉我们神是怎样的 而神选择在圣经中启示祂自己 我们就可以确定他们所能给我们的只不过是人的意见。
And since all men and women are liars (Ps. 116:11), such opinion is apt to be wrong, no matter how sincerely offered (Rom. 1:22–23).
并且既然众人都是说谎的 诗篇 116篇11节 这种意见就很可能是错误的，无论它提出得多么诚恳 罗马书 1章22节至23节 。
This is a fundamental point of Christian theology and serves to establish two critical aspects of our faith.
这是基督教神学的一个根本要点，并用来确立我们信仰的两个关键方面。
The first is the exclusivity of Christianity.
第一是基督教的排他性。
God reveals Himself through His Word.
神藉着祂的圣言启示祂自己。
This revelation involves specific acts of God in human history (such as the exodus from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea and the death and resurrection of Jesus).
这启示涉及神在人类历史中的具体作为 例如出埃及、过红海、以及耶稣的死与复活 。
In addition to God’s acts to save His people from their sins, we have God’s own word of explanation.
除了神拯救祂子民脱离罪的作为之外，我们还有神亲自赐下的解释之言。
An entire nation of hundreds of thousands (Israel) escaping from a captor (Egypt) might be interesting, but it holds no redemptive import until the same God who rescued His people tells us through His servant Moses what this rescue means and how this dramatic event is preparing the stage for God to save His people from their sins (with the coming of Christ).
一个由数十万人组成的民族 以色列 从一个掳掠者 埃及 逃脱，这或许很有意思，但在那拯救祂子民的同一位神藉着祂的仆人摩西告诉我们这拯救意味着什么，并且这戏剧性的事件如何为神借着基督的来临拯救祂子民脱离罪预备舞台之前，它并不具有救赎性的意义。
The same thing holds true for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
同样的原则也适用于耶稣基督的死与复活。
While the Romans were certainly not used to having those whom they crucified come back to life, Jesus’ resurrection cannot be seen for the saving event it was apart from God’s own explanation given in the gospels and the epistles.
虽然罗马人当然不习惯他们所钉十字架的人复活过来，但若离开神在福音书和书信中亲自赐下的解释，耶稣的复活就不能被看作它本是的那拯救事件。
God’s redemptive act and His word of explanation are inseparable.
神救赎的作为与祂解释的圣言是不可分割的。
This means that Christianity is a truth claim.
这意味着基督教是一项真理宣告。
If these things recorded in Scripture truly happened in human history, then Christianity is true, regardless of whether or not someone believes these things to be true.
若圣经所记载的这些事确实发生在人的历史中，那么基督教就是真的，不管是否有人相信这些事是真的。
If these things did not happen, then Christianity cannot be true, and sadly (1 Cor. 15:17), we are still in our sins.
若这些事没有发生，那么基督教就不可能是真的，并且可悲的是 哥林多前书 15章17节 我们仍旧在我们的罪中。
The second important aspect of our faith established by the fact of God’s revelation of Himself in His Word is what is known as the sufficiency of Scripture.
由神在祂的圣言中启示祂自己的事实所确立的我们信仰的第二个重要方面，就是所谓圣经的充足性。
Simply put, this means that the Bible tells us everything we need to know about God and ourselves in order to be saved.
简单来说，这意味着圣经告诉我们一切为要得救而必须知道的关于神和关于我们自己的事。
In Scripture, we find God’s commands (the Law) and God’s remedy for sin (the gospel).
在圣经中，我们找到神的命令 律法 以及神对罪的补救 福音 。
Because we don’t obey them, God’s commands reveal to us that we are sinners in desperate need of a Savior.
因为我们不遵行这些命令，神的命令就向我们显明我们是罪人，并且迫切需要一位救主。
And because the gospel (what God has done in Jesus Christ to save us from our sins) is not revealed in creation, we must turn to Holy Scripture for the answer to the question: “What must I do to be saved?”
并且因为福音 就是神在耶稣基督里为救我们脱离我们的罪所成就的事 并不在创造中启示，所以我们必须转向圣经来回答这个问题 我当怎样行才可以得救。
Therefore, the second question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism is designed to remind us that what we (or anyone else, for that matter) thinks about God really doesn’t matter.
因此，《威斯敏斯德小要理问答》的第二问是为提醒我们，我们 或任何人 所认为的关于神的看法其实并不重要。
What matters is: What does God reveal about Himself in His Word?
重要的是 神在祂的圣言中启示祂自己什么。
How are we to glorify God in our lives and then enjoy the fact that our sins are forgiven in Christ?
我们当如何在生活中荣耀神，并且享受我们在基督里罪得赦免这一事实。
We would never know the answer to this (much less understand the importance of the question) unless these things were revealed by God in His Word.
若不是这些事由神在祂的圣言中启示，我们就永远不会知道这问题的答案，更不用说明白这问题的重要性。
For it is in Scripture, and only in Scripture, that we have the rule to direct us to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
因为唯独在圣经中，并且只有在圣经中，我们才有那引导我们荣耀神并永远以祂为乐的准则。
And that is why when someone begins a statement with “the Bible says God is…,” they’ll have my undivided attention.
这就是为何当有人以“圣经说神是……”来开头说话时，他们会得到我全然专注的注意。
Table of Contents
目录
In the Beginning – God
起初——神
The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible
圣经的默示与权威
The Sufficiency of Scripture
圣经的充足性
The Holy Trinity
圣三一
The Deity of Jesus Christ
耶稣基督的神性
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
圣灵的位格与工作
God’s Attributes
神的属性
Creation
创造
Divine Image Bearers
神形像的承载者
The Covenant of Works
行为之约
The Fall of Adam
亚当的堕落
Election
拣选
The Covenant of Grace
恩典之约
The Incarnation of Jesus
耶稣的道成肉身
Jesus Christ the Covenant Mediator
耶稣基督这约的中保
Jesus as Prophet, Priest and King
耶稣作为先知、祭司和君王
The Death of Christ
基督的死
The Law and the Gospel
律法与福音
The Order of Salvation
救恩次序
Justification
称义
Sanctification
成圣
Good Works and the Christian Life
善行与基督徒生活
Marks and Mission of Christ’s Church
基督教会的标记与使命
The Sacraments
圣礼
Baptism
洗礼
The Lord’s Supper
主的圣餐
The Second Coming
第二次再来
The New Heavens and Earth
新天新地
Thanks to the Westminster Seminary California Blog, the source of this material. Posted with permission.
感谢加州威斯敏斯德神学院博客提供这份材料的来源，经许可发布。
Dr. Riddlebarger is a minister in the United Reformed Churches of North America and recently retired from pastoring Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim, CA.
里德尔巴格博士是北美联合改革宗教会的一位牧师，最近从加利福尼亚州阿纳海姆的基督改革宗教会牧会事奉中退休。
He is also visiting professor of systematic theology at Westminster Seminary California and a frequent contributor to Tabletalk and Modern Reformation.
他也是加州威斯敏斯德神学院的系统神学客座教授，并且经常为Tabletalk与Modern Reformation撰稿。
He has written two books on the end times: A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times, and The Man of Sin: Uncovering The Truth About the Antichrist.
他写过两本关于末世的书：《为无千禧年论辩护：理解末世》以及《罪人：揭开关于敌基督的真相》。
For free resources on this subject visit his blog, The Riddleblog, where he has a plethora of free charts, manuscripts and audio.
关于此主题的免费资源请访问他的博客The Riddleblog，在那里他有大量免费的图表、手稿与音频。