分別為聖

新心教會的「制服」

「你們要聖潔，因為我是聖潔的。」（利未記 11:45）

這是上週日下午晾曬新心教會的「制服」時，腦海閃過的一句經文。

這四件由小而大整齊排列、一片潔白的衣服，看著實在很舒服。然而這是我這輩子，第一次遵守「白色衣服不可以和有顏色的衣服混在一起洗」的洗衣規定。

我回想起下午的情況：在太太提醒我「這幾件要單獨洗，不要跟洗衣籃的衣服一起洗」之前，我就已經動了這個念頭了。這其實違反我「快速省事」的做事原則（反正今天我就打算要洗衣服了，晚上一起洗更省事），可是因為衣服上印著「新心教會」四個字，想到過去白色衣服被我「偷懶的洗」的下場，讓我不太願意它們太快就變成「灰白色」。於是我將這四件衣服丟進洗衣機，單獨清洗。 

是的，我將這四件衣服「分別出來」，因為它們是「潔白」的。 

分別，是特意的揀選，在這當中有我對這四件衣服「特別的心意」。那麼神將我們「分別為聖」的時候，不也是有這樣的心意嗎？這樣看來，能被神所揀選，實在是大大蒙福的事啊！

當然，「分別為聖」後要持守聖潔，並不是一件容易的事，畢竟人的罪性一直誘使我偏離神的聖潔，讓我安於「自以為義」的狀態。就像之前混洗後的白色衣服，在我眼中它仍是「白色」，但其實已經「不潔白」了。

「你們要聖潔，因為我是聖潔的」，這節經文不只是一個命令，它也是人愛神的自我檢視：我是否真心追求神的聖潔？還是我只想做到「比別人更聖潔」就好？我看著這一排潔白的衣服，心中已經有了答案：

「主啊，願我愛你勝過愛我自己，因為我是個不配的人。」

***

<Set Apart / Consecrated>

“Be holy, because I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:45)

This verse came to my mind last Sunday afternoon as I was hanging out New Heart Church’s “uniforms” to dry.

These four garments, neatly arranged from small to large and completely white, were truly pleasant to look at. Yet this was the first time in my life that I had actually followed the laundry rule that “white clothes should not be washed together with colored clothes.”

I recalled what happened that afternoon. Even before my wife reminded me, “These need to be washed separately; don’t wash them together with the clothes in the laundry basket,” the thought had already crossed my mind. This went against my usual principle of doing things quickly and conveniently (after all, I had already planned to do laundry that day, and washing everything together in the evening would have been much easier). However, because the words “New Heart Church” were printed on the clothes, and because I remembered the outcome of my past “lazy washing” of white clothes, I was reluctant to let them become “grayish” too quickly. So I put these four garments into the washing machine and washed them separately.

Yes, I “set apart” these four garments, because they were “white.”

To set something apart is an intentional act of choosing, and it reflects my “special regard” for these clothes. When God sets us apart as holy, does He not have such an intention as well? Seen this way, being chosen by God is truly a great blessing.

Of course, after being “set apart as holy,” maintaining holiness is not an easy thing. Human sinfulness continually tempts me to drift away from God’s holiness, allowing me to remain comfortable in a state of “self-righteousness.” Just like white clothes that were previously washed together with colored ones: in my eyes they are still “white,” but in reality they are no longer truly “clean.”

“Be holy, because I am holy.” This verse is not merely a command; it is also a self-examination of one’s love for God: Do I genuinely pursue God’s holiness, or am I satisfied with simply being “holier than others”? As I looked at this row of spotless white clothes, I already had my answer:

“Lord, may I love You more than I love myself, for I am an unworthy person.”