sapphireslinger

"Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32‭-‬33 NASB)

凡在人面前認我的，我在我天上的父面前也必認他； 凡在人面前不認我的，我在我天上的父面前也必不認他。 （馬太福音 10:32‭-‬33 CUNP-神）

We often think about not being afraid to die for Christ, when a shooter is asking if one is a christian, for instance.

我們常常認為自己不怕為基督死，例如，當有槍手問我們是否是基督徒的時候。

But we don't think about how we deny God in laziness and apathy, when we read books that deny God and then never pick up the Bible to give God equal time to defend himself.

但當我們讀否認神的書、且從不拿起聖經來讓神有同等的時間去為自己辯護時，我們卻不認為怠惰與漠不關心已經讓我們否認神。

A person might think he'd never be such a coward as to deny Christ at gunpoint. But at bookpoint he long ago surrendered, when he stopped caring about giving God a chance to answer and no longer reads God's Word.

人可能認為他永遠不會做一個在槍口下否認基督的膽小鬼；但當他不再在乎給神機會回應、不再讀神的話時，在「書口」下，他很早就已經投降了。

Especially when one has already given allegiance to Christ. If God does not exist, or Christ was deluded, then that is one thing. But when allegiance has been pledged, then the least that Christ deserves is a chance to answer his accusers in his Word.

特別是當他已經表示效忠基督時。如果神不存在，或耶穌是被騙的，那也就算了。可是如果已經宣誓效忠基督的話，至少應該給基督一個用自己的話語對控告他的人辯白的機會。

It's like denying God by gag order. Gag orders can be used unfairly to tie the hands of whistleblowers from presenting their cases. And we gag God when we give ear to opposing messages without also giving ear to God's defense.

這好比靠禁言令來否認神。禁言令可以被不正當地用來約束吹哨者，不讓他們說出實情。當我們只聽反方的訊息、卻不也聽聽神的解釋時，我們就是塞住了神的嘴、不讓他發言。

He put his defense into a single unchanging book. It shouldn't be that hard to reread it in the light of every new argument.

神把為自己的辯白放進唯一的一本書裡，這本書是不會變的。當碰到每一個新論點時，重讀那本書應該沒那麼難。

If after weighing both sides you judge God to be wrong, that may mean either that...

如果在權衡雙方後你判斷神是錯的，這可能表示：

1. The God side IS wrong.

1. 神真的是錯的，或者

Or it is also possible that...

2. It may mean only that your evaluation faculties were not up to the job at the time.

2. 可能只是你當時的評估能力並不能勝任評估這項工作。

But at least this way you tried to be fair and not prejudiced.

但這樣，至少你有試圖對雙方公平，沒有偏見。

Can you suggest a better way for me to have translated this? Leave a comment. Thanks to my sister Ling for collaborating on this translation.