THE FOURTH PART: THE PATHWAY OF THE LORD’S RECOVERY
The Course of the Church
Message Ten—The Truths Recovered by the Ministry of Brother Watchman Nee (2)
Scripture Reading: Rom. 5:6-11; Acts 1:11; Heb. 1:6; 2 Cor. 4:7; 1 John 2:20, 27-28; Acts 2:31-34; 1 Thes. 5:23; Rom. 6:19-22; Col. 3:4; Rom. 8:2; Heb. 7:22; Col. 3:4; Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 21; Eph. 6:10-12
I. The death and resurrection of Christ—Rom. 5:6-11:
A. He saw that Christ’s death has two aspects: the objective aspect, which dealt with our sin, sins, the world, Satan, and the powers of darkness; and the subjective aspect, which dealt with our flesh, our self, and our old man; he also saw that in the death of Christ the old creation was terminated—Rom. 5:6-11.
B. On the positive side, the divine life of Christ was released to germinate the new creation—John 19:34.
II. The ascension of Christ—Acts 1:11; 1 Tim. 3:16; Eph. 1:19-21; Acts 2:36:
A. Christ has ascended into the heavens far above all; neither the gravity of the earth, the demons, the prince of the power of the air, nor all the powers of darkness could either frustrate or detain Him—Eph. 1:19-21.
B. By His ascension He has been made Lord of all—Acts 2:36.
C. He is now engaged in the work of ministering the heavenly life and the very heavens themselves into His people to make them the heavenly people, living a heavenly life on earth—Heb. 4:14-15; 7:26.
III. The coming of Christ—Heb. 1:6; Rev. 22:12; Matt. 24:3, 27, 30, 37-38; 1 Thes. 5:2; 2 Thes. 2:3-8; 2 Tim. 4:8; Phil. 3:20.
IV. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit—1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Cor. 4:7; Rom. 8:9-10; Gal. 6:18:
A. The crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ is now indwelling the spirits of His people as the Spirit of life, making Christ real to them—Rom. 8:9-10; Gal. 6:18.
B. This indwelling Spirit of Christ is both the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of God; the main function of the divine Spirit is to impart the divine life into God’s people, regenerating them, anointing them, sanctifying and transforming them by saturating them with the very element of God—1 John 4:13; John 14:17.
V. The teaching of the anointing—1 John 2:20, 27-28; 3:24:
A. The anointing is the moving and working of the Holy Spirit within our spirit—1 John 2:27; 3:24; 4:13.
B. The anointing teaches us everything from within—1 John 2:27.
C. The law of life replaces the Old Testament law, and the teaching of the anointing replaces the Old Testament prophets—Rom. 8:2; 1 John 2:20, 27.
VI. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit—Acts 2:31-34; 8:14-17; 10:44-48; 19:1-6:
A. Watchman Nee saw two aspects regarding the Holy Spirit: the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for life and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit for power.
B. On the day the Lord rose from the dead, He breathed into the disciples the Holy Spirit for the purpose of imparting life—John 22:22.
C. But on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples; this pouring out of the Spirit was for the purpose of distributing power to the disciples; this second experience of the Spirit is what the Bible calls the baptism in the Holy Spirit—Acts 2:4, 33.
VII. The tripartite man—1 Thes. 5:23; Heb. 4:12; Gal. 5:16, 25; 1 Cor. 2:14-15:
A. In the early years of his Christian life, Watchman Nee came to see that man is composed of three parts: spirit, soul, and body —1 Thes. 5:23.
B. The spirit must be divided from the soul so that believers can walk, live, and work in their spirit and be spiritual men—Heb. 4:12; Gal. 5:16, 25; 1 Cor. 2:14-15.
VIII. Sanctification by faith—Rom. 6:19-22:
A. He received light concerning the holiness teaching of John Wesley and said that what Wesley taught was not really holiness but sinless perfection.
B. While their [the Brethren] teaching on holiness was accurate, it was too objective and consisted merely of a sort of positional change.
C. He taught that sanctification is not merely a positional change, but that it must also be dispositional—Rom. 6:19, 22.
IX. Christ as life—Col. 3:4; Rom. 8:2; Gal. 2:20:
A. To His believing ones Christ is life, and this life is the Spirit of life in their spirit—Col. 3:4; Rom. 8:2.
B. Whatever the believer does must be done out of this inner life; every believer should live by this divine life within—Gal. 2:20.
X. The law of the spirit of life—Rom. 8:2:
A. This divine life has its own law and characteristics, and its function is to regulate and supply us with God’s divine element—Heb. 8:10; Phil. 3:16.
B. It is by this inner law, called the law of life, that we are freed from the law of sin and death and are able to live a righteous and holy life—Rom. 8:2.
XI. The law of sin and death—Rom. 8:2; 7:23-25:
A. To sin and die is a law; this law is in the members of our body and is derived from the evil life of Satan—Rom. 8:2; 7:23-25.
B. But the law of the Spirit of life is more powerful than the law of sin and death and is able to free us from it—8:2.
XII. A better covenant—Heb. 7-22; 8:6, 10:
A. The new covenant which the Lord Jesus enacted for us with His blood is better than the old covenant—7:22; 8:6.
B. The new covenant is according to the law of life, with a priesthood according to the power of an indestructible life—v. 10; 7:16.
XIII. The overcoming life of Christ—Col. 3:4; Rom. 8:37; 5:10:
A. Because Christ has overcome Satan and every negative thing in the universe, His life is an overcoming life—1 Cor. 15:54-57.
B. If we live by Christ, His life overcomes every negative thing for us—Rom. 6:22.
XIV. The calling of the overcomers—Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 21:
A. Because the whole church has become defeated, failing to meet the Lord’s purpose, the Lord has come in to call some of His believers to be overcomers; this is clearly revealed in the seven epistles in Revelation 2 and 3.
B. The whole church has missed the mark, the Lord has sounded His call to those who love Him to overcome the degraded church—2:26-28; 3:5, 12, 21.
XV. Spiritual warfare—Eph. 6:10-12:
A. For the accomplishment of God’s divine purpose in this universe, there is a consummate battle shaping up between God and His enemy, Satan—Rev.12:7-9.
B. This battle involves all of God’s children; if they take sides with Satan, they are rebelling against God; if they take sides with God, they are fighting against Satan—1 Pet. 5:8-9.
C. To fight in this spiritual warfare requires the believer to see his heavenly position—Eph. 6:10-12.
Ministry Excerpts:
THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
The Lord gave Watchman Nee specific revelation concerning the death and resurrection of Christ. He saw that Christ’s death has two aspects: the objective aspect, which dealt with our sin, sins, the world, Satan, and the powers of darkness; and the subjective aspect, which dealt with our flesh, our self, and our old man. He also saw that in the death of Christ the old creation was terminated. This was the negative side of the cross. On the positive side, the divine life of Christ was released to germinate the new creation. In our Lord’s resurrection, His divine life was released to regenerate the believers and make them members of the Body of Christ. From His resurrection the church came into existence, and also in His resurrection the Body of Christ is being built up. It is also in the power of His resurrection that believers are able to bear the cross and, in the fellowship of His sufferings, be conformed to His death (Phil. 3:10). While enjoying the resurrection life of Christ, the Lord’s people are empowered to live a holy and heavenly life while they are walking on this earth. This resurrection is just the resurrected Christ Himself, and the Spirit of Christ is its reality.
THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST
Watchman Nee saw that Christ has ascended into the heavens far above all. Neither the gravity of the earth, the demons, the prince of the power of the air, nor all the powers of darkness could either frustrate or detain Him. These are all now under His feet. By His ascension He has been made Lord of all (Acts 2:36), and also by His ascension all His followers have been brought into the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). His position, His ministry, and His life are now all heavenly. He is now engaged in the work of ministering the heavenly life and the very heavens themselves into His people to make them the heavenly people, living a heavenly life on earth.
THE COMING OF CHRIST
Watchman Nee acquired a clear and thorough view concerning the coming of Christ. He saw that the Lord’s coming (Gk., parousia) has a secret aspect and an open aspect. To the watchful ones, who have been seeking Him and awaiting His return, He will come secretly as a thief (Matt. 24:43; Rev. 3:3) from the heavens to the air before the great tribulation. But to those engrossed in the world, He will come as a flash of lightning (Matt. 24:27, 30) from the air to the earth after the great tribulation. In His secret coming, believers will be raptured to the air; whereas, His open coming will bring judgment to the world on the earth.
THE INDWELLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ is now indwelling the spirits of His people as the Spirit of life, making Christ real to them. This indwelling Spirit of Christ is both the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of God. The main function of the divine Spirit is to impart the divine life into God’s people, regenerating them, anointing them, sanctifying and transforming them by saturating them with the very element of God. Watchman Nee ministered on this matter extensively.
THE TEACHING OF THE ANOINTING
Along with the revelation he received concerning the Holy Spirit, Watchman Nee also received light concerning the teaching of the anointing. The anointing is the moving and working of the Holy Spirit within our spirit. The anointing teaches us everything from within (1 John 2:27). The law of life replaces the Old Testament law, and the teaching of the anointing replaces the Old Testament prophets. It is by the teaching of the anointing that we abide in the Lord.
THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Watchman Nee saw two aspects regarding the Holy Spirit: the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for life and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit for power. On the day the Lord rose from the dead, He breathed into the disciples the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). At that time the Holy Spirit entered into the disciples and indwelt them for the purpose of imparting life. But on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples (Acts 2:4, 33). This pouring out of the Spirit was for the purpose of distributing power to the disciples. This second experience of the Spirit is what the Bible calls the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Most Christians do not see the difference between these two aspects of the Spirit. Watchman Nee, however, received a clear revelation concerning this distinction. Although he never spoke in tongues, he received repeated experiences of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
THE TRIPARTITE MAN
In the early years of his Christian life, Watchman Nee came to see that man is composed of three parts: spirit, soul, and body (1 Thes. 5:23). He came to see that the soul is the personality of man; the body is the outward part of man for contacting the physical world; and the spirit is the inmost part of man for contacting the spiritual world. Since God is Spirit, we must worship and serve Him in our spirit (Rom. 1:9; John 4:24). Believers are regenerated by the Spirit of God in their spirit, the Spirit of God witnesses with their spirit (Rom. 8:16), the Lord Jesus is with their spirit (2 Tim. 4:22), and they are one spirit with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17). The spirit must be divided from the soul (Heb. 4:12) so that believers can walk, live, and work in their spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25) and be spiritual men (1 Cor. 2:14-15).
SANCTIFICATION BY FAITH
Some time prior to 1925, Watchman Nee came to see the matter of sanctification by faith. He received light concerning the holiness teaching of John Wesley and said that what Wesley taught was not really holiness but sinless perfection. Through his study he came to realize that the Brethren surpassed Wesley in their vision of holiness. Yet while their teaching on holiness was accurate, it was too objective and consisted merely of a sort of positional change. The Brethren taught that gold in the world was common, while gold built into the temple was sanctified. As a further example, the Brethren taught that sheep and cattle in flocks and herds were common, but when offered upon the altar, they were sanctified (Matt. 23:17, 19). In addition, the Brethren illustrated sanctification by pointing out that food in the market is common, but food on the table of Christians becomes sanctified with prayer. Watchman Nee pointed out that all these examples refer to an outward change of position, but none involves an inward dispositional change. He taught that sanctification is not merely a positional change, but that it must also be dispositional (Rom. 6:19, 22).
CHRIST AS LIFE
To His believing ones Christ is life (Col. 3:4), and this life is the Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2) in their spirit. Whatever the believer does must be done out of this inner life. Every believer should live by this divine life within (Gal. 2:20).
THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE
The divine life that believers receive from the Lord is in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2). This divine life has its own law and characteristics, and its function is to regulate and supply us with God’s divine element. This is not the mere outward letter of the law but the law of life (Heb. 8:10) enforced by the Spirit of God within us. Watchman Nee received a full revelation concerning this inner law. It is by this inner law, called the law of life, that we are freed from the law of sin and death and are able to live a righteous and holy life.
THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH
Watchman Nee saw from the Scriptures that to sin and die is a law (Rom. 8:2). This law is in the members of our body (Rom. 7:23) and is derived from the evil life of Satan. Every fallen man is under its power. But the law of the Spirit of life is more powerful than the law of sin and death and is able to free us from it.
A BETTER COVENANT
The new covenant which the Lord Jesus enacted for us with His blood is better than the old covenant (Heb. 7:22; 8:6). The old covenant is according to the Old Testament law, with a priesthood according to the law of a fleshy commandment; whereas, the new covenant is according to the law of life, with a priesthood according to the power of an indestructible life (Heb. 8:10; 7:16).
THE OVERCOMING LIFE OF CHRIST
Because Christ has overcome Satan and every negative thing in the universe, His life is an overcoming life. If we live by Christ, His life overcomes every negative thing for us.
THE CALLING OF THE OVERCOMERS
Watchman Nee received revelation concerning the calling of the overcomers. Because the whole church has become defeated, failing to meet the Lord’s purpose, the Lord has come in to call some of His believers to be overcomers. This is clearly revealed in the seven epistles in Revelation 2 and 3. Because the whole church has missed the mark, the Lord has sounded His call to those who love Him to overcome the degraded church.
SPIRITUAL WARFARE
By 1925 Watchman Nee had seen the matter of spiritual warfare. He saw that for the accomplishment of God’s divine purpose in this universe, there is a consummate battle shaping up between God and His enemy, Satan. This battle involves all of God’s children. If they take sides with Satan, they are rebelling against God; if they take sides with God, they are fighting against Satan. All the overcoming believers must realize that they are on the battlefield; they are fighting for God’s divine purpose. To fight in this spiritual warfare requires the believer to see his heavenly position. Ephesians 2 makes it clear that we are seated in the heavenly places, and Ephesians 6 indicates that we are fighting against the powers in the heavenlies. The believers must keep their heavenly position so that they can defeat God’s enemies in the heavenly places. If the believers’ position is on the earth, they are under the enemy, and they lose the position to overcome. (Watchman Nee—A Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present Age, ch. 20)