“For the Word of God is living and operating, and sharper than a double edged sword, penetrating to the division of soul and spirit.” Hebrews 4:12 As one reads the Bible, does the soul feel His blade operating, piercing, penetrating, convicting, and discerning the intents of our heart? Does it break our bones to cut through our stubborn will? Does it do more than divide our pride? Does it expose superficial acts? Does God’s Word shine a light on our desire for personal recognition? The living Word is alive and active to do a refining work for God’s glory. Has it purified you to the point of humble submission ?
Watchman Nee wrote that when we reason through God’s commands, we are subject to rebellion, pride or doubt. We are wise to stop our thinking, which is our way, and take it to the gallows. Who are we to question or reason with God? People resist fully submitting to God because of rebellious selfish reasons. Revelation 3:20-22 “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with My Father on His throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says.” Arrest all excuses to delay the wise decision to simply submit, trust, and obey God. Be fully His, Be fully imbued, be fully persuaded. Know your spiritual man, know the role of your spirit, soul and body.
1 Corinthians 1:30 “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.” Jesus lived under God’s authority, He remained fully submitted even as PAINFUL as it was. Jesus chose obedience and submitted to a brutal death on the cross. Jesus did not reason, He did not resist, He turned Himself over to the Romans, He laid down His life, as He gladly submitted to God’s way. Romans 9 clearly states that life and death are God’s choice. Without question, and without giving reason, God gives mercy on who He chooses. “Spiritual Authority.” Surrender.
Therefore, we stand before God humbly in the position of submission. “God do what You will, for I am Your servant.” We do not reason, we submit, and we obey, because we live under God’s authority. God does not need our consent, approval or reasons as to why we may delay our full submission. We humbly return to His Way, so that His Spirit can direct our steps. When the Lord reveals a glimpse of His glory, we are stunned and rightly tremble…
Humbled by Grace we choose to stop reasoning, to SUBMIT to HIS AUTHORITY. To do so, we return to the garden of Eden, to a place where we walk with God without reasonings. God is real, He is who we worship. God is not One to question why, or to be reasoned with. We do not judge God, He judges our hearts to refine us.
1 Corin 2:10 NLT “But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. We have received God’s Spirit so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them, and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” We discern through the Spirit.
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Our Father granted Jesus the right to pass judgment because He is the Son of Man. John 5:26 For God’s purpose, He created us in 3 parts. Spirit, Soul, and Body so we can be in a relationship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Word of God gives great importance on the spirit. We must know what God means by dividing soul and spirit. 1 Thess 5:23 teaches us that we are divided into 3 parts. spirit, soul, and body.
We are a living soul, but it is the Spirit of God that gives us life. Romans 8:16 When God breathed life into man’s body, it became the spirit of man. When the spirit reacted with the body, the soul was produced. Job 33:4 “The breath of the Almighty gives me life.” The Spirit of God speaks in my secret place.
“The Release of the Spirit” was written in 1928, and it was translated into English in 1969. Watchman Nee was a noted Chinese Bible teacher and Christian leader. He began his preaching ministry while still a university student. From 1923 to 1950, Nee founded 200 churches. Starting as small groups meeting in rented houses, these self-supporting congregations became strong spiritually and grew rapidly, continuing to develop after China’s Cultural Revolution. Nee was arrested on false charges in 1952 and found guilty; he was imprisoned for 20 years until his death in 1972. God used him to spread the Truth.
“From Glory to Glory” by Watchman Nee. “The glory of the Lord is not only in His person, but also in His work. Though glory is His dwelling, He divests Himself of glory and takes up a humble fashion as a man. He endures the shame of the cross for fallen mankind, and nowhere does His moral glory shine brighter than on the cross. By means of His finished work, the Lord Jesus is able to bring many sons to glory. Heb. 2:10. It is His prayerful desire that we may behold His glory. John 17:24. And “we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit” 2 Cor. 3.18. Watchman Nee interprets for us what is meant by the phrase, “from glory to glory.” He begins with the name of Jehovah, the glorious name of God, and shows that man’s only sin is falling short of God’s glory.
God spoke and His wisdom was written down for our benefit. A law cannot be altered by prayer. If we put our hand into the fire while we pray, our hand will still be burned. Our prayer cannot change the law. We have to learn to obey God’s law. Do not think that prayer alone will work. If we do not want our hand to be burned, we should not put it in the fire. God deals with us according to law. The inner man can only be released through the breaking of the outer man. This is a law. If the outer man is not broken and pulverized, (crucified) the inner man will not be released. This is the Lord’s way. He has to break us before He can have an outlet through us. We should never challenge this law. Our prayer can not change God’s law. If a man is not broken, the gospel will not go out through him, and God can not use him. Our Submission to God’s law is better than many prayers. A minute of revelation of God’s way is better than an incessant, ignorant pleading for God’s blessings and His help in our works. Lord, “I humble myself before You.” We often long for blessing but avoid, denounce, and run from brokenness. We are wise to humble ourselves under His hand and obey this law. With obedience there is blessing.
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” A man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus. Both Jew and Gentile are people of God through their faith in Jesus. All who are baptized are purified by the Spirit and clothed with righteousness because we have zero capacity to do the right thing without grace. The grace of God covers all our deep deficiencies. We were adopted into the family of God, and He sanctifies us as we yield. Our Father does not consider us a Jew, a Greek, a Canadian, an American, a Chinese, a male, or female. We are all His children. We are one body in Christ Jesus. Jesus came to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons and daughters “in Him”.
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6 Powerful Quotes of Watchman Nee about “Spiritual man”
Here are some of Watchman Nee’s most beautiful quotes about the “spiritual man,” along with Bible references and practical lessons for application in the Christian life:
Scripture Reference: Romans 8:14 – “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are sons of God.”
Practical Lesson: The spiritual man seeks to be led by the Holy Spirit in all daily decisions. This requires cultivating a life of constant prayer and sensitivity to the voice of the Spirit. We must learn to submit our desires and plans to the will of God, asking Him to guide every step of our lives.
Scripture Reference: Galatians 5:16 – “Therefore I say, Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. »
Practical Lesson: A spiritual man makes a conscious choice not to be dominated by his fleshly desires. This involves mastering temptations and living according to the principles of God’s Spirit. This can be expressed in practical actions such as avoiding situations of temptation and seeking to honor God in all areas of life.
Scripture Reference: 1 John 1:3 – “What we have seen and heard declare we to you, that you also may be partakers with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
Practical Lesson: True spirituality is not found in eloquent words or outward actions, but in a deep and intimate relationship with God. It requires spending time alone with Him in prayer, meditation on the Word, and fellowship. The spiritual man has a personal relationship with God that is reflected in all his actions.
Scripture Reference: Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.”
Practical Lesson: Living in the reality of crucifixion with Christ means giving up our personal ambitions, desires, and dreams to fully follow God’s will. It involves setting aside the ego and living according to the values of God’s kingdom, even in times of suffering or sacrifice.
Practical Lesson: Emptying oneself means giving up all pride and self-sufficiency, seeking total dependence on God. This process is essential to allowing the Spirit to fully fill our lives. It includes humility, self-denial, and a constant desire to become more like Christ.
Scripture Reference: James 1:2-4 – “My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Now patience must have a perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
Practical Lesson: Trials are ways in which God refines our character and deepens our faith. The spiritual man accepts them with a spirit of gratitude and trust, knowing that God is using each difficulty to transform him further into the image of Christ. This requires looking beyond the immediate circumstances and trusting God for every step of the way.
Conclusion:
The spiritual man, according to Watchman Nee, is one who lives a life totally dependent on God, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, having an intimate relationship with God, and undergoing profound transformation through the cross of Christ.
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Page 65 of Release the Spirit, Nee was inspired
“Seen and Heard” by James M’Kendrick
A working man saved in a dynamic way in 1881, his whole life changed course. An uneducated miner soon became part of the Holy Spirit’s move to bring the gospel to thousands of people all over the British Isles. His biography is a most inspiring first-hand account of the Christian revival that swept through Scotland, England and Ireland in the 19th century.
Seen and Heard is written not by a clergyman but by a typical working-class man who was willing to pour out all he had in genuine love and care for those whom he preached to.
In his autobiography James M’Kendrick witnesses again and again how the Lord Jesus rescues men and women from the direst of human situations to a life of salvation and joy.
This book is perfect for you if you enjoy reading historical biographies of Christians and missionary biographies, or if you desire to see how God moved in previous generations.
Seen and Heard is a Christian autobiography that was originally printed in 1914 and is now available for the first time as an e-book.
Excerpts from Seen and Heard:
“A band of youths, called the ‘Rowdy Band’, who had fully earned and maintained their title, came down to the fisher quarter of the town with the set purpose of giving trouble and doing mischief. They were more than a match for the police and the law-abiding public, but Almighty God was more than a match for them. As has often happened, they came to scoff, but remained to weep and pray. God saved the ringleader the first night they came, and ere the mission closed most of that band were truly saved—chiefly through their late ringleader’s efforts.”
“People came from Montrose and all around to see the mighty power of God. Fishing was abandoned; everything was given up to the work of the Gospel. Backsliders were restored, Christians greatly cheered and revived, and several hundreds added to the number of the saved. We had never up to that time witnessed such a great and mighty outpouring of the Spirit of God. It was a great joy and encouragement to ourselves and gave us the insatiable desire to see it repeated in every place.”
“I therefore sincerely hope that all who read these pages may be stirred to more faithful, loyal, and loving service for God; and that no circumstances, however adverse, will be allowed to daunt or discourage those who have named His name. Do not, I pray you, ever withhold your hand because of conscious personal inability; but believing in the triune sufficiency of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, go forth and forward, conquering and to conquer, in the all-prevailing name of Jesus Christ our Lord.”
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Many believers do not say that they are saved because they do not understand the basis of salvation. They think that all the misconduct in the past is put on Jesus, but that if one misbehaves after he has believed, he will perish. This is to revert back to the Old Testament position. In the New Testament, one is first given the standing; by faith one is first filled with the new life and then one comes before God with a true heart in full assurance of faith. One does not come to God by doing good. Rather, one comes to God based on the position he has received. This position will never be lost.
Today many do not have the joy of salvation because they are trying to preserve their ongoing salvation with good works. Salvation does not come through a lifetime of labor; that will not save a person. If you ask a genuinely saved person how he is saved, he will definitely answer, “It is Jesus who saves me. I do not have any ability to save myself. It is all from the Lord.” Only this kind of person will always rejoice.
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