“你们……也受了……割礼， 你们既受洗与他一同埋葬，也就在此与他一同复活。” – 西 2:11-12
神呼召祂的子民与其他民族区别开来（“分别为圣”）。这样，其他民族就能看到这个蒙福的民族，并被吸引来到他们所事奉的独一、真实、慈爱的神面前（创 12:1-3）。
自亚伯拉罕时代起，神的子民就通过割礼（男性，通常是在婴儿时期——创 17:9-14）被分别出来。但这最终导致了早期教会中的一个重大问题，因为主差遣祂被更新的子民（主要是犹太人）把福音带给外邦人，迎接他们加入神的大家庭。那么难道外邦人必须接受割礼才能成为真正的基督徒吗？早期教会最终得出结论：“不是的”。既然神已经藉着圣灵接纳了他们，他们就要藉着洗礼被教会接纳。洗礼，而不是割礼，才是神的子民（犹太人和外邦人）被分别为圣的主要途径。
因此，在今天的教会中，成人和儿童，包括婴儿，在洗礼中被分别为“圣”，就像以色列的成人和儿童通过割礼被分别出来一样。几个世纪以来，教会一直以这种方式实施洗礼，作为神与祂的子民持久立约的标志，迎接信徒家庭中所有的人加入神的大家庭。
祷告
主啊，我们赞美你，在你的大家庭里，无论男女老少，无论来自哪个国家民族，你都接纳欢迎。奉耶稣的名，阿们。
歌罗西书 2:11-15
11你们在他里面也受了不是人手所行的割礼，乃是基督使你们脱去肉体情欲的割礼。
12你们既受洗与他一同埋葬，也就在此与他一同复活，都因信那叫他从死里复活神的功用。
13你们从前在过犯和未受割礼的肉体中死了，神赦免了你们一切过犯，便叫你们与基督一同活过来，
14又涂抹了在律例上所写攻击我们、有碍于我们的字据，把它撤去，钉在十字架上。
15既将一切执政的、掌权的掳来，明显给众人看，就仗着十字架夸胜。
Set Apart
“You were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him. . . .” – Colossians 2:11-12
God called his people to be distinct (“set apart, holy”) from other nations. That way, the other nations could see this blessed nation and be drawn to meet the one, true, loving God (Genesis 12:1-3).
Since the time of Abraham, God’s people were set apart by circumcision (of males, and usually as babies—Genesis 17:9-14). But that eventually led to a major question in the early church, as the Lord sent his renewed people, who were mainly Jewish, to bring the gospel to Gentiles and welcome them into his family. Did Gentiles have to be circumcised in order to be fully Christian? The early church eventually concluded, “No.” Since God was already accepting them through the Holy Spirit, they needed to be received into the church through baptism. Baptism, not circumcision, became the primary way that all of God’s people (Jews and Gentiles) were set apart as holy.
So in the church today, adults and children, including infants, are set apart as “holy” in baptism just as adults and children in Israel were set apart by circumcision. Throughout the centuries, the church has practiced baptism this way as the sign of God’s lasting covenant with his people, welcoming all who are in the households of believers into the family of God.
Prayer
Lord, we praise you that all kinds of people, male and female, young and old, from all nations, are welcome in your family. In Jesus, Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
