Watchman Nee
Showing 21 to 40 of 61 articles.
21.) The Believer's Ultimate Attitude Toward The Flesh
GOD'S VIEW OF THE FLESH
WE CHRISTIANS NEED to be reminded once again of God's judgment upon the flesh. "The flesh," says the Lord Jesus, "is of no avail" (John 6.63). Whether it be the sin of the flesh or the righteousness of the flesh, it is futile. That which is born of the flesh, whatever it may be, is flesh, and can never be "unfleshed." Whe ...read more
22.) THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
WHAT is the normal Christian life? We do well at the outset to ponder this question. The Object of these studies is to show that it is something very different from the life of the average Christian. Indeed a consideration of the written Word of God--of the Sermon on the Mount for example-should lead us to ask whether such a life has ever in fact b ...read more
23.) The Christian and Psychic Force
We have already seen how Adam was endued with unusual and astonishing abilities when he was created God. These seemingly miraculous powers fell together with Adam. People who are ignorant tend to think that at his fall Adam lost all of his wonderful powers. But the evidences produced by modern parachology indicate that Adam had not lost his origina ...read more
24.) THE COMMITTED LIFE
THROUGH the period from Adam to Abraham God spoke to men. We are not told, however, that He appeared to them. His first appearance was to Abraham in Mesopotamia (Acts 7. 2). God was there laying claim to a man. This was a fresh move on His part; and here in Canaan is another. In the Flood God had judged the whole world; He had not touched and claim ...read more
25.) THE COVENANT OF GRACE
One striking feature marks the thirteen years that followed Ishmael's birth. Throughout them all God did not speak to Abraham. His record is empty. What we have done on our own, God leaves us to get on with; He does not speak. But when Abraham was 'dead'-dry and old, and could no longer have a son if he wanted one - then, God spoke to him.
The ...read more
26.) The Cross and the Holy Spirit
MANY, IF NOT MOST, believers were not filled with the Holy Spirit at the moment they believed the Lord. What is even worse, after many years of believing they continue to be entangled by sin and remain carnal Christians. In these pages which follow, what we intend to explain regarding how a Christian may be set free from his flesh is based upon the ...read more
27.) The Cross and the Soul
THE CALL OF THE CROSS
ON AT LEAST FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS and recorded in the four Gospels the Lord Jesus called His disciples to deny their soul life, deliver it to death, and then to follow Him. The Lord fully recognizes that this is the sine qua non for any believer who desires to follow Him and to be perfect like Him in serving men and in ob ...read more
28.) THE CROSS OF CHRIST
We have seen that Romans 1 to 8 falls into two sections, in the first of which we are shown that the Blood deals with what we have done, while in the second we shall see that the Cross* deals with what we are. We need the Blood for forgiveness; we need also the Cross for deliverance. We have dealt briefly above with the first of these two and we sh ...read more
29.) The Dangers of Soulish Life
THE MANIFESTATIONS OF SOUL LIFE
THE MANIFESTATIONS OF SOUL life can be separated generally into four divisions: natural strength; self -conceit, hard and unyielding towards God; self-styled wisdom with many opinions and plans; and emotional sensation sought in spiritual experiences. These are due to the fact that the life of the soul is self, wh ...read more
30.) THE DIVIDE OF THE CROSS
The kingdom of this world is not the kingdom of God. God had in His heart a world-system- a universe of His creatingwhich should be headed up in Christ His Son (Col. 1. 16, 17). But Satan, working through man's flesh, has set up instead a rival system known in Scripture as "this world "-a system in which we are involved and which he himself dominat ...read more
31.) THE DIVINE WOUNDING
Issac's life was peaceful, with no strivings. Jacob's way was Issac's long struggle throughout. For Isaac everything went easily; Jacob found even the simplest things presenting difficulties. God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, all three; so we cannot have Isaac without Jacob, nor, praise God, Jacob without Isaac.
We ourselves are in th ...read more
32.) THE ETERNAL PURPOSE
We have spoken of the need of revelation, of faith and of consecration, if we are to live the normal Christian life. But unless we see the end God has in view we shall never clearly understand why these steps are necessary to lead us to that end. Before therefore we consider further the question of inward experience, let us first look at the great ...read more
33.) The Experience of Soulish Believers
THE LIFE OF SOULISH BELIEVERS
THE SOUL VARIES inevitably from person to person. It cannot be stereotyped. Each of us has his particular individuality--a uniqueness which will extend on into eternity. It is not destroyed at our regeneration. Otherwise, in the eternity to come life will be most colorless indeed! Now since there is this variation i ...read more
34.) The Experience of Soulish Believers
THE LIFE OF SOULISH BELIEVERS
THE SOUL VARIES inevitably from person to person. It cannot be stereotyped. Each of us has his particular individuality--a uniqueness which will extend on into eternity. It is not destroyed at our regeneration. Otherwise, in the eternity to come life will be most colorless indeed! Now since there is this variation i ...read more
35.) THE FACE OF GOD
There is one very striking peculiarity about the history of Jacob, namely, that God never preached to him, He only gave him promises.
Jacob was a man who stuck at nothing to accomplish his ends. What should we do with such a man? Surely at least we should exhort him a little, preach to him about his failings. Yet from beginning to end, God never ...read more
36.) The Fall of Man
THE: MAN GOD fashioned was notably different from all other
created beings. Man possessed a spirit similar to that of the
angels and at the same time had a soul resembling that of
the lower animals. When God created rnan He gave him a
perfect freedom. He did not make man an automaton, con
trolled automatically by His will. This is ev ...read more
37.) The Flesh and Salvation
THE WORD "FLESH" is basar in Hebrew and sarx in Greek.
Seen often in the Bible, it is used in various ways. Its most
significant usage, observed and made most clear in Pauls
writings, has reference to the unregenerated person. Speak
ing of his old "I" he says in Romans 7: "I am fleshly" (v.14
Darby). Not merely his nature or a partic ...read more
38.) The Fleshly or Carnal Believer
ALL BELIEVERS could, like Paul, be filled with the Holy Spirit at the moment of belief and baptism (cf. Acts 9.17-18). Unfortunately many still are controlled by the flesh as though not dead and raised up again. These have not truly believed in the accomplished fact of Christ's death and resurrection for them, nor have they sincerely acted upon the ...read more
39.) THE GIFTS, OR THE GIVER?
ABRAHAM had learned that God is Father. This it was that made possible his prayer for Abimelech's household. He knew that neither their troubles nor Sarah's hindered God in the least. He knew that ultimately fruitfulness depended neither on them nor on himself. It was God's gift. He could not have prayed for the people of Gerar if he had still been ...read more
40.) THE GOAL OF THE GOSPEL
For our final chapter we will take as our starting-point an incident in the Gospels that occurs under the very shadow of the Cross-an incident that, in its details, is at once historic and prophetic.
" And while he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster cruse of ointment of spike ...read more