無條件的愛　Unconditional Love

【英語部/林恩德報導、姜冠群翻譯】「什麼是世界上最吸引人、最令人嚮往的事情呢?」柯主恩牧師在十月一日早晨第一堂主日這樣問到。一個完全不需要條件的東西---完全免費的禮物，為我們承擔無比羞辱與痛楚；具有醫治與轉化的大能；是的，這樣的禮物並非來自這個世界，而是來自於神；它最大的特質則是饒恕，這個禮物到底是什麼呢?就是基督無條件的愛。

　柯牧師將無條件的愛定義為: 愛我們自己原來的樣子以及愛他人原本的樣子。怎麼愛我們自己呢?不單單只愛自己的長處，更應該接納自己不完美的地方，學習愛自己的真實自我與每一個當下的自己。該怎麼愛他人呢?不應只愛所喜愛的人，更應該倚靠基督的愛去愛我們的敵人；不只愛那些良善、美好與可愛的人，更要愛那些看似邪惡、不良善與不可愛的。另外，要學習接納他人給予的愛，不論這愛的方式是否為我們所喜歡的。許多時候，我們身邊充滿許多的愛，但是我們卻不願意去承認或無法接受這些愛。

　 無條件的愛並不容易，若沒有神在我們生命中，根本不可能達到。若我們單靠充滿罪性的自己，一定是不合格。但是神愛我們至深，祂賜下我們所不配得的恩典，當我們向神求並長住在祂裡面，我們便能擁有這豐盛的恩典─無條件的愛。

【English Fellowship Group/ report by Andrew Mau】  “What is the most attractive, the most desirable thing in the world?”, asked Reverend John Clark to the assembly during the first Sunday service of October 1.  It is something that places no conditions—it’s a free gift.  It is something that is able to stand much humiliation and pain.  It has the power to greatly heal and to transform.  Yet, it is not from this world, but from God.  And it’s greatest quality is forgiveness.  What is it?  It is unconditional love.

　Reverend John Clark defines unconditional love as loving ourselves just the way we are, and loving others just the way they are.  In loving ourselves, we must not only love our good, we need also to accept what is not-so-good in us.  We must learn to totally love ourselves, just the way we are, right now.  In loving others, we love not only our loved ones; we need also, in Christ Jesus, love our enemies.  We love others not only when they are good and kind and loving, we love others also when they are evil and unkind and unloving. Also, we must receive the love of others unconditionally, whether it’s in a way we prefer to be loved or not.  Many times there’s much love around us being given, we are just unwilling to accept and receive it.

　Loving unconditionally is not easy.  Without God in our life, it’s actually impossible.  On our own and in our imperfection, we would definitely fall short.  But God so love us, He has given us favor and blessings we don’t deserve – He has given us the gift of grace.  And the abundant grace of unconditional love would only be ours if we ask it from God and stay in Him.