教会中也有虚伪和丑闻，这说明什么？
There is hypocrisy and scandal in the church. What does this say?
简答 Short Answer
教会不是完美之人的俱乐部，而是需要恩典之人的医院。教会中有虚伪，恰恰证实了圣经关于罪的教导——即使信徒也在持续的成圣过程中。
The church is not a club for perfect people but a hospital for those who need grace. Hypocrisy in the church actually confirms Scripture's teaching about sin — even believers are in an ongoing process of sanctification.
详细解答 Detailed Answer
教会中的虚伪和丑闻确实令人痛心，我们绝不应该为之辩护或轻描淡写。耶稣本人对假冒伪善者的谴责比对任何其他类型的罪人都更严厉（太23章）。
但我们需要认识到，教会从来就不是「完美之人的聚集」，而是「蒙恩罪人的团契」。医院里有病人不说明医学是假的——恰恰说明医院在做它该做的事。教会里有挣扎中的罪人，正说明了福音的必要性。
同时，不要因为少数高调的丑闻就忽视了无数忠心牧师和信徒默默的服侍。全世界最大的慈善网络、救灾机构、教育系统很多都是由教会运作的。我们应该既对教会的软弱诚实，也对教会的美好公正。
Hypocrisy and scandal in the church are genuinely grievous, and we should never excuse or minimize them. Jesus Himself was harsher toward hypocrites than toward any other type of sinner (Matthew 23).
But we must recognize the church was never meant to be a 'gathering of the perfect' but a 'fellowship of redeemed sinners.' Having sick people in a hospital doesn't prove medicine is fake — it shows the hospital is doing what it should. Having struggling sinners in the church demonstrates the necessity of the gospel.
At the same time, don't let a few high-profile scandals overshadow the countless faithful pastors and believers serving quietly. Many of the world's largest charitable networks, disaster relief organizations, and education systems are run by churches. We should be honest about the church's weaknesses and fair about its goodness.
📖 经文引用 Bible Verses
📚 推荐阅读 Related Readings
- •The Reason for God Ch.4 (Tim Keller)
- •Life Together (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)