《路德大问答》第一部分　十条诫

第一条诫

批注：路德用在第一条诫命的时间，比教义问答中任何一部分都长。他解释：认识、信靠与相信真神上帝，至关重要，且无可取代！路德深信，只要能遵守这条诫命，其他的诫命也能遵循。当人与上帝有良好的关系时，自然也会有良好的人际关系。

除了我以外，你不可有别的神。

1这意思是：你当惟独以我为你的神。这是什么意思？我们当如何理解？“有一位神”是什么意思？或者神是什么？2回答：“有一位神”的意思是：我们期盼从他那儿得到一切美善，且他是我们一切苦难的避难所。所以，“有一位神”的意思是，全心信赖与相信他，别无他求。就如我经常所说的，单就内心的信靠与相信，就能造出神和偶像。3倘若你的所信所靠是正确的，那么你的神也就是真的；相反的，若是你信靠的是虚妄且错误的，那么你所拥有的就不是真神。因为信心与神这两者彼此相属〔希伯来书11：6〕。所以我说，你内心所设定与信靠的，实际上就是你的神。

4这一条诫命的目的，是要求我们的内心要有真信心与真心的信靠，而这信心与信靠乃建立在这位独一真神上，且惟独要信靠祂。意思是：“你当注意，让我作你独一的上帝，且别无二心。”换句话说：“无论你有何缺乏，当到我这里来，当寻求我。而且每当你遭受不幸与苦难时，到我这里来倚靠我。是的，我必赐你够用恩典并帮助你不致缺乏。只是不可以让你的心依附并倚靠任何其他的人或事物。”

5关于这一点，我必须更清楚的说明。或许藉一些反例，能使我们了解与明白。许多人认为，当他有了金钱与财产，他就拥有了上帝与一切的丰富。他们倚靠钱财，并以此夸耀，目空一切。6这样的人有一位称为玛门（钞票）的神，就是金钱与财富〔马太福音6：24〕，他将全部心思都放在上面。7这是世上最普遍的偶像。有了钱财就有安全感〔路加福音12：16-21〕，喜乐无忧，仿佛安坐乐园天堂之中。8另一方面，没有钱财的人，总是怀疑与沮丧，好像他从不认识上帝。9在缺乏玛门的情况之下，我们还真找不出有几人依然能振作精神，不卑不亢。这种在乎与渴求金钱的欲望，紧紧缠着我们的本性，直到坟墓。

10所以，同样的，若有人倚靠又夸耀自己拥有绝佳的技能、精明、权力、人缘、友善，以及名誉，他也有一位神，不过不是这位独一真神上帝。你会发现，因为这钱财，使人变得自大、自负与自傲，但是当他们不再拥有或是失去钱财时，就变得沮丧无比，这样的事一直不断重复上演。因此，我再次重申关于这个教训的要点是，人“有一位神”，就有了人心所能完全信赖的。

11此外，请思想，直到如今我们都还盲从于教宗的规定。好比若有人牙痛，他就禁食并要尊荣圣亚波罗尼亚；若有人害怕火灾，他就选择圣罗伦斯（St. Lawrence）作他的保护者；若有人惧怕瘟疫，他就向圣色巴斯田或是圣罗契欧（St. Rochio）发誓许愿。这样令人厌恶的事多不胜数！在各处人人都可选择自己的圣徒，并在苦难的时候呼求他们的帮助。12这些都像是巫师或行邪术之人所做的事，他们崇拜偶像到了无以复加的程度〔申命记18：9-12〕。他们与魔鬼谈条件，好使魔鬼给他们丰盛的财富，或是在爱情的事上帮助他们，保护他们的牲畜，以及收回他们所失去的财产等等。这样的人，就是不将他们的心放在真神上帝身上。既不倚靠上帝，也不希望从上帝那儿寻求什么好处。

13如此，你就能确实了解这条诫命是什么和它所要求的；就是一个人当全心信靠上帝，而不将信心放在别人身上。如你所知，“有”神的意思，并不是用我们的“手”抓住祂，或是将祂放进口袋里，像是把钱放口袋里，又或是将祂锁在箱子里，好像将银器锁在箱子里一样。14相反的，“有”神的意思是，要用“心”抓住祂并紧紧依附祂。15论到我们的心要紧紧依附祂，不是别的，就是要完全地信靠祂。为此，上帝期盼我们，远离其他一切，并吸引我们到祂自己那里〔约翰福音6：44〕。因为惟独祂是永远的良善〔马太福音19：17〕。祂仿佛在说：“无论你先前向圣徒求些什么，或者无论你信靠金钱或是其他别的，如今你可以向我祈求一切。当视我为惟一愿意帮助你，又愿将一切好处丰丰富富地倾倒在你身上的。”

16看哪！这才是真正地尊崇与敬拜上帝，且是上帝所喜悦的，也是祂以永恒的怒气与刑罚作为警告所订定的命令。除祂以外，人的心再没有其他可信靠或安慰的对象，人心不该容许自己与祂分离；反而要为了祂，必须轻看地上的一切并且甘愿失去它们。17另一方面，你就能确实明白和看见，这世界只在乎错谬的敬拜与偶像崇拜。因为从没有任何族群败坏到一个地步，以至于他们从不捏造和保留某些神圣的崇拜。当人要寻求福气、帮助与安慰时，他们就为自己设立专门的神。

18举例来说，异教徒将信赖建立在权力与统治上，就高举朱比特（Jupiter）为至高的神。还有些人想要财富、幸福，或得到满足以及舒适的生活，就高举赫克利斯、墨丘利（Mercury）、维纳斯（Venus），或其他种种的神。另外，怀孕的妇女就高举黛安娜（Diana）或是路齐娜（Lucina）为神等等。所以每个人依据自己心里想要的，设立自己的神。即使在异教徒的心中，“有一位神”的意思，也意味着相信与依靠。19但是他们的错误是：他们所信靠的是虚假与邪恶。他们所信靠的不是这位独一上帝，因为除祂以外，天上地下再也没有其他的真神〔以赛亚书44：6〕。20所以，实际上，他们是以自我发明的想法与梦想创造出自己的神并使其成为偶像。最终，其信靠的就是虚无。21所有的偶像崇拜也都是如此。拜偶像不单单是设立一个肉眼可见的偶像来拜它而已，这崇拜乃由心发出。这心是在谋求其他的东西，它会寻求受造物、圣徒，或是魔鬼的帮助与安慰；它既不在乎上帝，也不倚靠祂并相信祂愿意帮助我们；它也不相信人所经历一切的美善都是从上帝而来〔雅各书1：17〕。

The First Commandment.

Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

1 That is: Thou shalt have [and worship] Me alone as thy God. What is the force of this, and how is it to be understood? What does it mean to have a god? or, what is God? 2 Answer: A god means that from which we are to expect all good and to which we are to take refuge in all distress, so that to have a God is nothing else than to trust and believe Him from the [whole] heart; as I have often said that the confidence and faith of the heart alone make both God and an idol. 3 If your faith and trust be right, then is your god also true; and, on the other hand, if your trust be false and wrong, then you have not the true God; for these two belong together, faith and God. That now, I say, upon which you set your heart and put your trust is properly your god.

4 Therefore it is the intent of this commandment to require true faith and trust of the heart which settles upon the only true God, and clings to Him alone. That is as much as to say: “See to it that you let Me alone be your God, and never seek another,” i.e.: Whatever you lack of good things, expect it of Me, and look to Me for it, and whenever you suffer misfortune and distress, creep and cling to Me. I, yes, I, will give you enough and help you out of every need; only let not your heart cleave to or rest in any other.

5 This I must unfold somewhat more plainly, that it may be understood and perceived by ordinary examples of the contrary. Many a one thinks that he has God and everything in abundance when he has money and, possessions; he trusts in them and boasts of them with such firmness and assurance as to care for no one. 6 Lo, such a man also has a god, Mammon by name, i.e., money and possessions, on which he sets all his heart, and which is also the most common idol on earth. 7 He who has money and possessions feels secure, and is joyful and undismayed as though he were sitting in the midst of Paradise. 8 On the other hand, he who has none doubts and is despondent, as though he knew of no God. 9 For very few are to be found who are of good cheer, and who neither mourn nor complain if they have not Mammon. This [care and desire for money] sticks and clings to our nature, even to the grave.

10 So, too, whoever trusts and boasts that he possesses great skill, prudence, power, favor, friendship, and honor has also a god, but not this true and only God. This appears again when you notice how presumptuous, secure, and proud people are because of such possessions, and how despondent when they no longer exist or are withdrawn. Therefore I repeat that the chief explanation of this point is that to have a god is to have something in which the heart entirely trusts.

11 Besides, consider what, in our blindness, we have hitherto been practising and doing under the Papacy. If any one had toothache, he fasted and honored St. Apollonia [macerated his flesh by voluntary fasting to the honor of St. Apollonia]; if he was afraid of fire, he chose St. Lawrence as his helper in need; if he dreaded pestilence, he made a vow to St. Sebastian or Rochio, and a countless number of such abominations, where every one selected his own saint, worshiped him, and called for help to him in distress. 12 Here belong those also, as, e. g., sorcerers and magicians, whose idolatry is most gross, and who make a covenant with the devil, in order that he may give them plenty of money or help them in love-affairs, preserve their cattle, restore to them lost possessions, etc. For all these place their heart and trust elsewhere than in the true God, look for nothing good to Him nor seek it from Him.

13 Thus you can easily understand what and how much this commandment requires, namely, that man’s entire heart and all his confidence be placed in God alone, and in no one else. For to have God, you can easily perceive, is not to lay hold of Him with our hands or to put Him in a bag [as money], or to lock Him in a chest [as silver vessels]. 14 But to apprehend Him means when the heart lays hold of Him and clings to Him. 15 But to cling to Him with the heart is nothing else than to trust in Him entirely. For this reason He wishes to turn us away from everything else that exists outside of Him, and to draw us to Himself, namely, because He is the only eternal good. As though He would say; Whatever you have heretofore sought of the saints, or for whatever [things] you have trusted in Mammon or anything else, expect it all of Me, and regard Me as the one who will help you and pour out upon you richly all good things.

16 Lo, here you have the meaning of the true honor and worship of God, which pleases God, and which He commands under penalty of eternal wrath, namely, that the heart know no other comfort or confidence than in Him, and do not suffer itself to be torn from Him, but, for Him, risk and disregard everything upon earth. 17 On the other hand, you can easily see and judge how the world practises only false worship and idolatry. For no people has ever been so reprobate as not to institute and observe some divine worship; every one has set up as his special god whatever he looked to for blessings, help, and comfort.

18 Thus, for example, the heathen who put their trust in power and dominion elevated Jupiter as the supreme god; the others, who were bent upon riches, happiness, or pleasure, and a life of ease, Hercules, Mercury, Venus, or others; women with child, Diana or Lucina, and so on; thus every one made that his god to which his heart was inclined, so that even in the mind of the heathen to have a god means to trust and believe. 19 But their error is this, that their trust is false and wrong; for it is not placed in the only God, besides whom there is truly no God in heaven or upon earth. 20 Therefore the heathen really make their self-invented notions and dreams of God an idol, and put their trust in that which is altogether nothing. 21 Thus it is with all idolatry; for it consists not merely in erecting an image and worshiping it, but rather in the heart, which stands gaping at something else, and seeks help and consolation from creatures, saints, or devils, and neither cares for God, nor looks to Him for so much good as to believe that He is willing to help, neither believes that whatever good it experiences comes from God. (Source: https://bookofconcord.org/large-catechism/ten-commandments/ )