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Jesus’ Love In Chinese Characters
JESUS’ LOVE IN CHINESE CHARACTERS
Finding Jesus this CNY
BE BLESSED THIS CNY
Jesus' love in Chinese characters
Many of us might think that Jesus is a God only for westerners or those who are more “English-educated”. Through this simple presentation, we hope you might see that Jesus loves the whole world — including the Chinese people. He has left a trail of clues in our language to show us that.
Traditional Chinese characters, unlike the English alphabet, were made up of pictures and symbols. It was the perfect and ideal vehicle to tell stories of God’s love. As we explore the meaning behind these Chinese characters, may you be encouraged to know He loves you and wants you to know and respond to His love for you.
从汉字看耶稣的爱
许多人可能认为耶稣是只为西方人或那些受过“西方教育”的人所相信的神。透过这个简单的介绍，我们希望你能看到耶稣如何爱全世界的人——也包括了中国人。祂在我们的汉字中留下了线索，以展示祂的爱。
与英文字母不同，繁体汉字是由图片和符号组成的。它是讲述上帝之爱的完美和理想的工具。当我们在探索这些汉字背后的含义时，愿你得到鼓励并了解到祂对你的爱，也希望你对祂的爱作出相对的回应。
HERE ARE FIVE CHINESE CHARACTERS THAT TELL THE STORY OF GOD’S LOVE FOR US.
以下的五个汉字告诉你神对我们的爱之故事。
造 (Zào) – Create
This character 造 (Zào) means “Create”. It is made up of two parts. The first part 告 means “Speaking words” and the second part 辶 means “Moving”.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1:1-2)
The Bible tells us that in the very beginning, God’s Spirit was moving over the earth. He created the universe and all that is in it with the spoken Word.
造（Zào）
造（Zào）这个字的意思是“创造”。它由两部分组成。第一部分‘告’的意思是“说话”，第二部分辶的意思是“动”。
『起初， 神创造天地。地是空虚混沌；深渊上一片黑暗； 神的灵运行在水面上。神说：“要有光！”就有了光。』（创世记 1:1-3）
圣经告诉我们：起初，神的灵在地上运行。祂用口述的话语创造了宇宙和其中的一切。
福 (Fú) – Blessed
The second character 福 (Fú), comprised of four other characters, is an iconographic record of the blessedness of man. Blessed is one (一口) who walked with God (神，礻) in the garden (田).
God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)
God’s heart has always been to bless us! God created the first man, Adam, in the Garden of Eden. Adam was created in God’s image and appointed as keeper of the garden. God walked and talked with him in perfect relationship. Blessed is the one (一 口) who walked with God (神) in the garden (田). That was the true blessing and happiness that man had at the beginning.
But we just need to take one look at the world around us to see that things are no longer that way. Instead of blessing, there is pain and war. Not only has our perfect relationship with God been broken, our relationships with each other are also broken.
福（Fú）
第二个字 福（Fú），由四个字组成，是人类对福祉的图像记录。在园（田）与神（神，礻）同行的（一口）有福了。
『 神看他所造的一切都很好。』（创世记 1:31）
神的心意一直都是要祝福我们！神在伊甸园中创造了第一个人亚当。亚当是按照 神的形象被创造的，并赋予看守园子的使命和责任。在完美和谐的关系中， 神与他同行并交谈。在花园（田）中与 神（神）同行的人（一口）有福了。那是人类被造之时所拥有的真正的福气和幸福。
但我们只需要看看周围的世界，就会发现事情不再一样了。不但没有了祝福，还有痛苦和战争。不仅破坏我们与 神之间的完美关系，人与人之间的关系也被破坏了。
魔 (Mó) – The Devil
The third character is 魔 (Mó) “The Devil”.
This is a grim reminder of the first introduction of the devil in the Bible.
Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1)
He had a part to play in the fall of mankind. It is apparent that 鬼 (Guǐ) Satan is in the midst of two 木 (Mù) trees. The two trees in 魔 refer to the ‘Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil’ and the ‘Tree of Life’ that were in the Garden of Eden. God had given Adam and his wife, Eve, the freedom to eat from any tree in the garden except for these two trees. This command was for their own good, so that the blessedness they enjoyed with God would be preserved.
But Satan sowed doubt in Eve’s heart, and she and Adam chose to disobey God. That disobedience, which the Bible calls sin, brought death to mankind. Sin separates Man from God.
But our God is a God who saves!
魔（Mó）
第三个字是魔（Mó）
这是圣经第一次对魔鬼介绍的严峻提醒。
『在耶和华 神所造野地所有的活物中，蛇是最狡猾的。蛇对女人说：“ 神真的说过，你们不可吃园中任何树上的果子吗？”』（创世记 3:1）
它在人类的堕落中扮演了一个至关重要的角色。明显地，鬼（Guǐ）即撒旦在两棵木（Mù）即树中间。魔字中的两棵树指的是伊甸园中的‘分别善恶树’和‘生命树’。除了这两棵树以外的任何树上的果子，神都已经赐给亚当和他的妻子夏娃当食物，他们可以自由、随意地吃。这个命令是为了他们的好处，以确保他们能继续享受 神的祝福。
但是撒旦在夏娃的内心种下了怀疑，她和亚当选择了不顺服 神。圣经称之为罪，不顺服给人类带来了死亡。罪使人与神分开。
但我们的 神是拯救之神！
船 (Chúan) – Boat
The fourth character is 船 (Chúan).
In the famous Bible account of Noah and the Flood, God gave us an example of His saving love for those who put their hope in Him.
On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark…then the Lord shut him in. (Genesis 7:13,16)
The eight persons (八口) were Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives. They showed their trust and hope in God by building a vessel (舟), the ark, and entering it as God had commanded them to. By so doing, they were saved from the flood, which destroyed all the evil in the world at that time.
Today, our loving Father-God gives us a way to accept His love and put our trust in Him.
船（Chúan）
第四个字是船（Chúan）。
在著名圣经故事“挪亚和洪水”的记载中，这是神 对那些把希望建立在祂救赎之爱的人的一个真实例子。
『就在那一天，挪亚带着他的儿子闪、含、雅弗，以及他的妻子和三个儿媳，一同进了方舟。。。耶和华跟着就把方舟关起来。』
（创世记 7:13,16）
八口是指挪亚、他的妻子、他的三个儿子和他们的妻子。他们建造了一艘船（舟），即方舟，并按照 神的吩咐进入其中，借此表明他们对上帝的信靠和盼望。如此一来，他们就从洪水中得到了拯救，洪水摧毁了当时世界上所有的邪恶。
今天，慈爱的父神给了我们另一种方式来接受祂的爱并相信祂。
義 (Yì) – Righteousness
義 is the traditional form of 义 which means ‘Righteousness’. The top half of the character is 羊 (Yáng) “Lamb” and the bottom half of the character is 我 (Wǒ) “I”.
You were ransomed . . . not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb. (1 Peter 1:18-19)
As Christians, we believe that Jesus the Lamb 羊 (yang), died for us. Jesus is the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). This character 義 (Yì) tells us just that! In fact, the character 我 (Wǒ) or ‘I’ is made up of two characters, namely “hand” and “spear”. Thus, we can see that this character as a whole depicts the Lamb that was speared by man’s hand.
The 羊 (yáng）in the upper half of the character also provides a covering for 我 (wo) me in the lower part of the character. I am made righteous under the Lamb — the Lamb who covers me made me righteous.
Today, you can have full assurance that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for you! Read on to find out how you can receive this free gift.
義（Yì）
義是义的繁体字，意为“公义”。上半部分是羊（Yáng），下半部是我（Wǒ）『。。你们得赎，。。。不是凭着能坏的金银等物，而是凭着基督的宝血，就像无瑕疵无玷污的羊羔的血。』
（彼得前书 1:18-19）
作为基督徒，我们相信羔羊耶稣（羊）为我们而死。耶稣是除去世人罪孽的羔羊（约翰福音 1:29）。“義” (Yì)字的组成正符合了这个意义。事实上，我（Wǒ）这个字是由“手”和“枪”两个字组成的。由此可见，这个字整体描绘的是人手所刺的羔羊。
字上半部的羊（yáng）也为字下半部的我（wo）提供了遮盖。我在羔羊之下成为义人——遮盖我的羔羊使我成为义人。
今天，你可以完全相信 神爱你，并为你预备了一个美好的计划！请继续阅读下文以了解如何获得这份免费礼物。
HOW DO I BECOME A CHRISTIAN?
receiving Jesus
If you want to receive Jesus into your life to be your Lord and Saviour, here’s how to do so:
Acknowledge you’re a sinner who needs God
Admit sincerely from your heart that you have sinned against God, and there’s nothing — no good works or accomplishments — that you can do to earn salvation
Believe in Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross
Trust that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you, took your punishment for sin, and you are now forgiven.
Confess Jesus Christ as Lord & Saviour
You can say this prayer below to tell God what’s in your heart. He doesn’t just hear your words; He hears what’s in your heart.
Dear Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that You died to take the punishment for my sin, and that You rose from the dead and are alive today. Thank You for loving me, saving me and giving me new life. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. From now on, help me to know You, love You, and follow Your plan for my life. Amen!
如何成为基督徒 - 接受耶稣
如果你想接受耶稣进入你的生命，成为你的主和救主，请按照以下的步骤：
承认你是一个需要上帝的罪人
真诚地从心里承认你得罪了神，没有任何好行为或成就——无法做什么使你可以赢得救恩。
相信耶稣基督在十字架上所完成的工作
相信耶稣基督为你被钉死在十字架上，承担了你所有罪的惩罚，你现在已经被赦免了。
承认耶稣基督为主和救主
你可以借着下面的这个祷告，告诉 神你的心声。祂不只是听到你所说的话；祂也知道你内心的想法。
亲爱的主耶稣，我承认我是一个罪人，我无法拯救自己。我相信你为我的罪而死，你从死里复活，今天仍然活着。谢谢你爱我，拯救我，赐给我新的生命。我愿意接受你作我的主和救主。从现在开始，帮助我更认识你，爱你，并遵行你对我生命的计划。阿门
如果您已作了这个祷告，或者您对耶稣或基督教有任何疑问，请留言以便我们与您联系并在日后为您提供帮助。我们邀请您加入我们下一轮对基督教的探索 —— 一个包涵了 7 次的课程，来帮助您发现耶稣是谁以及如何与祂建立真正的关系。
If you’ve prayed the prayer, or if you have questions about Jesus or Christianity, drop us a message so we can connect with you and help you in your next steps. We invite you to join us in our next run of Christianity Explored — a 7-session course to help you discover who Jesus is and how you can have a right relationship with Him. Do join us for our services too!