Only God can transform a sinful soul into a masterpiece of grace.

唯有上帝能使罪人成为蒙恩的人。

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48

所以你们要完全，像你们的天父完全一样。-马太福音5章48节

For years I thought of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7) as a blueprint for human behavior, a standard no one could possibly meet. How could I have missed the true meaning? Jesus spoke these words not to frustrate us, but to tell us what God is like.

有好些年，我将登山宝训 (马太福音5-7章) 视如人类行为的理想范本，一个世人永远也无法达到的标准。唉，我岂能错过其中的真义呢？耶稣说这些话，并非要让我们灰心丧志，而是要向我们显明，祂是一位什么样的上帝。

Why should we love our enemies? Because our merciful Father causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good. Why store up treasures in heaven? Because the Father lives there and will lavishly reward us. Why live without fear and worry? Because the same God who clothes the lilies and the grass of the field has promised to take care of us. Why pray? If an earthly father gives his son bread or fish, how much more will the Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask?

为何要爱仇敌？因为我们恩慈的天父叫日头照好人，也照歹人。为何要将财宝积存在天？因为天父在那里，而且祂会丰丰富富地赏赐我们。为何我们不需要为生活感到恐惧和担忧？因为，上帝不但将野地里的百合花和青草都装饰美丽，祂还应许要看顾我们。为何要祷告？因为连生养我们的父亲都会供应我们食物，我们的天父岂不更将美好的事物，赏赐给那些求告祂的人吗？

Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7) not only to explain God’s ideal toward which we should never stop striving but also to show that in this life none of us will ever reach that ideal.

耶稣的登山宝训不仅阐明我们应该努力达到上帝的理想，同时也告诉我们，世上没有人可以达到这样的完美境界。

Before God, we all stand on level ground: murderers and tantrum-throwers, adulterers and lusters, thieves and coveters. We are all desperate, and that is the only state appropriate to a human being who wants to know God. Having fallen from the absolute ideal, we have nowhere to land but in the safety net of absolute grace.
在上帝的面前，世人都一样，无论是杀人或发怒，奸淫或好色，偷窃或贪心，在上帝的眼中并无区别。当我们意识到自己是无法自救的罪人，才会渴望寻求认识上帝。人类从起初绝对完美的世界堕落之后，唯有接受上帝满有恩典的救赎，我们才有指望。

Dear Lord, I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness.

I believe that You died on the cross

 to pay the penalty for my sin.

You did what I could not do for myself,

and in humility I accept Your gift of grace.

Help me to live a life that is pleasing to You.

主啊，我是罪人，需要祢的赦免。

我相信祢死在十字架上
为我还清罪债，

这是我永远都做不到的事，
我谦卑接受祢所赐的救恩。
求祢帮助我过讨祢喜悦的生活。

整理：于姊妹