The Normal Christian Life

The Collected Works of Watchman Nee #33

by Watchman Nee

This great Christian classic unfolds the theme of Christ our Life. Nee reveals the secret of spiritual strength and vitality that should be the normal experience of every Christian. His fresh spiritual insights on the cross and resurrection of Christ have proven a blessing to many.

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction, Faith, Spirituality

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

Watchman Nee (Chinese: 倪柝聲; pinyin: Ní Tuòshēng; Foochow Romanized: Ngà̤ Táuk-sĭng; 1903–1972) was a Chinese Christian author and church leader during the early 20th century. He spent the last 20 years of his life in prison and was severely persecuted by the Communists in China. Together with Wangzai, Zhou-An Lee, Shang-Jie Song, and others, Nee founded The Church Assembly Hall, later which would be also known as the "Local churches" (Chinese: 地方教會). or more commonly as (聚會所) meaning "assembly hall"

Born into a Methodist family, Watchman Nee experienced a religious revival, and joined the Church of Heavenly Peace, Fuzhou in 1920 at age 17 and began writing in the same year. In 1921, he met the British missionary M. E. Barber, who was a great influence on him. Through Miss Barber, Nee was introduced to many of the Christian writings which were to have a profound influence on him and his teachings. Nee attended no theological schools or Bible institutes. His knowledge was acquired through studying the Bible and reading various Christian spiritual books. During his 30 years of ministry, beginning in 1922, Nee traveled throughout China planting churches among the rural communities and holding Christian conferences and trainings in Shanghai. In 1952 he was imprisoned for his faith; he remained in prison until his death in 1972.

Reviews

[Dave Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. God. This is the best book I've ever read--and I absolutely mean that with all the sincerity that I can muster.

This book was so good, in fact, that it made me reevaluate how I rate books. There is absolutely nothing flawed in it. NOTHING. And Nee's message was poignant, timeless, and so powerful that it really affected my life. It changed me. I mean, it's almost unbelievable. His message of grace and of the blood, cross, and life of Christ is amazing. His message on the Holy Spirit--though I'm familiar with many charismatic messages on him--blew me away. The way he described the reliance on the soulish life versus the life of God living through us made me repent to God. His message on the Law of God and God's grace living through us totally upended my notions of God and of my service to him. And the way he ended the book with his points on wasting ourselves for the ministering of Jesus wrecked me. It WRECKED me.

I wish I could give it higher praise. I wish I could put this book in the hands of every new believer and make them read it and understand it.

I can't say enough. I believe I'll have to say "thank you" to Nee when we meet in heaven.

[Jayna Baas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know if I can say this book is life-changing, but it is certainly thought-changing and heart-changing, and that is where true life change starts. It’s so deep and yet so readable, the sort of book that makes me repeatedly think, Yes, that’s it exactly! You mean I’m not the only one who thinks things like that? Not all the applications may fit my situation, especially since this was written quite a while ago and outward demonstrations of inward change often look different in varying times and cultures. But the messages are so often exactly what I need. Why is that? In a word, Jesus. This book is absolutely full of truth that points straight back to Jesus, as all truth must. It takes the focus off myself and my own opinions, thoughts, or experiences and puts it squarely on Christ, where it belongs. It reminds me of what I am without Christ and what it means to be in him. If you have ever found yourself wandering in the mire of feelings-based Christianity, read this book (and the Bible, of course, but this book will point you there). If you have ever found yourself wandering in the mire of works-based Christianity or self-based Christianity, read this book.

Nee follows a careful progression based in the book of Romans, beginning with the absolute efficacy of the blood of Christ for our total salvation and the complete satisfaction of a holy God. From there, he explores the biblical purpose of the Law, what it means to walk in the Spirit, and what it truly is to be, wholly and eternally, in Christ. He drives this truth home in ways that we should all know but so easily forget. The normal Christian life (which is not the same as the average Christian life!) is not one of self-effort. It is living in the truth of our death in Christ, burial in Christ, and resurrection in Christ. It is Christ, the life of God in us.

For me, the beauty of this book is in the way it changes my perspective, taking it off my personal feelings and experiences and reminding me that God’s eternal truth trumps anything I may be feeling or experiencing. That perspective applies to everything from my salvation (an unalterable transaction based on God’s work and not on my own spirituality) to my daily life (serving the Lord in “small” things may be exactly the surrender he wants from me) to the eternal plan of God in creation (redemption was an “emergency measure,” not the sum total of God’s plan). I also love Nee’s exposition of Genesis 2, interpreted with Ephesians 6. I had never thought of Genesis 2 as the only picture of Christ’s death for his bride before sin entered the world. All the other Old Testament pictures of Christ’s death include the sin principle, but it’s amazing to me to see this glimpse of God’s heart when he knew we would fall and need redemption.

As usual, this review would not be complete without a few warnings. Some of Nee’s passages on baptism could be interpreted as teaching baptismal regeneration. Taking these passages in context, I don’t believe that’s what he was teaching at all, but some of the wording could come across that way if misapplied. Also, Nee seems to indicate that God never uses a believer’s natural, pre-salvation talents for his own glory and purposes, even after salvation. I understand the point Nee is making, but I don’t necessarily agree with his conclusion, since only the Spirit of God can enable us to use any talent in a way that pleases him. Lastly, I wish it were clearer which Bible translations Nee employs. My copy of this book has very few attributions for the various versions that might be included, and there are a few verses that I can’t identify a version for at all. I’m not sure if (a) the variance in wording is due to the language differences between East and West, (b) Nee misquoted verses in the transcription of his radio series, or (c) he occasionally makes his own paraphrases without warning. (He occasionally makes his own paraphrases with warning; never my favorite authorial choice, but at least I’m aware of it in those cases.) When it comes to the word of God, I don’t want uncertainty. It’s ironic that that’s my primary complaint about a book that otherwise adheres so closely to scriptural truth.

Caveats aside, I highly recommend this conversational, practical, deeply theological book to every Christian. Will your Christianity look exactly like Nee’s? No. But your Christianity will be stronger for this intense look at the work of Christ and believers’ position in him. Every time I read it, I am convicted by how unwilling I am to truly live out that life—and yet comforted by how completely Christ has secured my redemption.

[Nathanael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am rather biased about this book because I read it during a cross-roads in my life and it influenced me in a way that has only brought joy and fulfillment.

Nee does an incredible job of exploring the scope of what Christ spiritually accomplished in His death, resurrection, and ascension. Having been raised Christian, I knew all the stories and could repeat what Jesus did for us, but most of that was conditioning and I had no personal identification with any of it. Through this book I was able to throw out a bunch of junk and actually have an encounter with the Living God. I don't credit that experience to this book, but this book definitely set it up.

It is theologically sound, very accessible, and practical. The attitudes it encourages WORK and have made my life look and feel much more like the normal Christian life.

[Joe Santone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watchman Nee had a profound understanding of the normal Christian life, which is wholly different from the 'average' Christian life. The normal Christian life consists of realizing and acknowledging the divine fact that Christians were (not will be) crucified with Christ in the first century A.D. In a way that we do not yet understand, God has included us in the death (and resurrection) of His only Son, and by doing has made many sons. The Christian life goes off-track when it forgets these facts or, more often, when the Christian attempts to live by his own will-power. Nee gives the example of the great saint Paul (surely none but the haughty would claim superiority to that titan of the faith) who said, "That which I do not want to do, I do." Paul found that on his own strength he could not properly control himself.

But Paul saw that "we have been crucified with Christ" and if so we shall also rise (or as Nee would put it, are risen) with Him. The Christian life must be a continual outworking of the Spirit of Christ in us, living out the life of Christ in our lives. We must not try to die to our sin but realize that we are in fact already dead to it. We must not try to obey God on our own power (for we will always fail) but to let Him work out our salvation and redemption in us. There is no other way. "For it is no longer I who live, but Christ liveth in me."

[Dana Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

A GOOD BOOK FATALLY FLAWED.

I read this book five times. Underlined and yellowed. Finally the binding went and I relied upon an ebook. As I read more I realized that is just one, often repeated, form of Keswick and Brethren sanctification. Some have called Nee's theology gnostic and that's what appealed to others. We have our own Dalai Lama. We don't have to think. I found the great teacher. To disagree with Nee is immediately labeled as 'unspiritual." Well maybe it is but maybe it isn't.

The key to the normal Christian life and being spiritual is in understanding principles. You repeat, reckon those principles and you become 'normal.' But there are two important elements missing. Christianity is more than having the facts and principles. It is working out our salvation (Phil 2:12). It is a running a race (Gal 5; Phil 2; Heb 12), it is remaining like a soldier and the working hard/cultivatinng like a farmer (2 Tim 2. It is having burdens. It is being a Christian and bearing one another's burdens. It is discerning the truth, and not trusting one teacher, whether that is Paul, Peter or Watchman Nee.

Normally a Chinese Christian pastor teaches and preaches standing up. Nee sat down and did not have a close relationship with anyone in the church. He was seen as 'the teacher.' People found comfort in not using their mind, not questioning what he said, not listening to another Bible teacher. And there's the problem, hubris. He was a good teacher but after The Spiritual Man debacle his teaching was not to be questioned. If anyone in the church in Shanghai or Fuzhou read other authors outside Keswick or Brethren teachings they might have seen what was missing.

"Brother Nee; doesn't the spiritual walk include a struggle with the assist of the loving and godly fellowship/Kononia of the whole church, prayer, and Holy Scriptures?"

That's what Paul repeats in nearly all his letters. It appears in the works of many Christian authors throughout the Christian centuries. But whenever anyone questioned his teachings he would either get angry, or says nothing. In 1936 he wrote about disagreements as the cross he shares with Christ. NOT!

Read The Normal Christian Life. But also read the thoughts and teachings of Eric Lidell, J. I. Packer, John Stott, and even Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Meditate first on Scripture.

If you resond, even disagree with my review I will thank you, consider its wisdom, and NOT consider it suffering.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was raised in the church and have loved Jesus since age six. Nevertheless, I read this book in my mid-twenties and wondered how I had managed as a Christian before it. It's not that Nee is preaching a Gospel we've never heard; it's only that he is uncovering the depth of it in a way that our superficial and shallow culture today tends to neglect.

This is a study through the book of Romans. It is intense and will require slow and thoughtful reading to grasp and appreciate. One could say the material is elementary to the Christian faith; it is - and as such shouldn't be lightly skimmed or assumed any more than one's multiplication table in elementary school.

If you struggle with how to overcome sin or how to understand forgiveness, this especially would be a great book to consider. Don't led the dense nature of the book intimidate you. Read sections, not whole chapters, at a time. This will be worth your time. I'm currently on my third reading of it!

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

“God has only one answer for every human need—His Son, Jesus Christ.”

Nee's classic study of the book of Romans. Published after his death, these lessons were drawn from his lectures in Europe in the 1930s. Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome provides the outline of Nee’s study.

“I need forgiveness for what I have done, but I also need deliverance from who I am. The Blood disposes of our sins, while the Cross strikes at the root of our capacity for sin.”

These lessons are not easily read and absorbed. Readers are advised to proceed slowly. Worth the effort. Nee outlines the foundation and application of Christian living in a straightforward, understandable narrative. Recommend the print, rather than ebook format for referencing and highlighting. (The ebook edition I read was incomplete compared to the print text.)

“Our work for him springs out of our ministering to him. The first thing for us must be the Lord himself, not his work.”

Watchman Nee was a giant of the Christian faith in the twentieth century. His personal story is the stuff of dramas. He died in 1972 under mysterious circumstances while imprisoned by China’s Communist regime on counterrevolutionary charges.

“Living in the Spirit means that I trust the Holy Spirit to do in me what I cannot do myself.”

(Having purchased and read the ebook version of The Normal Christian Church Life, I purchased the hard copy and read it as well. (I bought it because of the frustration trying to find passages for reference and quoting.) Immediately, I noticed how much better this edition was. I haven't done a line for line comparison, but the ebook doesn't seem to include all the text of the hard copy, and it certainly isn't organized as a ready reference.)

[Austin Zhang · Rating 5 out of 5]

"God shows us through His Word that He has only one answer to every human need: His Son, Jesus Christ." ~Watchman Nee

I've been meaning to read this book for a while now and I finally go the chance this year. I did try to read this book, though, a year ago, but nothing really came out of it, so I stopped. But after reading it this year, I was truly amazed by the various aspects that are required of us to live a normal Christian life which just focuses all on Jesus Christ Himself.

Watchman Nee presents the truths of the Bible in a very practical way, including personal experiences that help in understanding them. The book is focused on the aspects of a Christian's living found in the New Testament and portrays them in simpler words, but still holding to the deep meaning behind it. I can say this book has already begun to change my life. Many times after reading, I sometimes just stop and think about what I just read and offer a fresh and new consecration to God after receiving this vision of my normal living.

This book is amazing (to say the least) and would reccommend to any Christian, new or old.

[Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book more stars I would. It spoke to me in ways that I never anticipated and I've fallen in love with Watchman Nee's writings. I will definitely be reading more of his books. I highly recommend this for Christians who are seeking to grow in their understanding of their walk with Christ. There is depth that is understandable; something not always found.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this many years ago and remember enjoying it. This time I have not only enjoyed it, but I have found it rather revolutionary.

Each chapter is a pearl. For example, the last chapter is entitled, 'The Goal of the Gospel' and concentrates on the action of Mary who took the alabaster box of precious 'spikenard', broke it and anointed the Lord. To Judas and even the Disciples this was a terrible waste (should have been sold to help the poor, etc.), but Jesus rebuked them and said that wherever the Gospel is preached what she has done will be remembered.

Why should this story be remembered whenever the Gospel is shared? Nee concentrates on this idea of 'waste'. Can anything given to the Lord be considered waste? We want to be seen to be useful, to be seen to be helping the poor/converting sinners. But for God, whilst He wants us to care for the poor and to change the lives of sinners, that mustn't be our singular aim. Our aim is to worship Him, to bring glory to Him, to bless Him - to waste our lives on Him. By doing so we will not only satisfy God, we will ourselves be satisfied and satisfy the needs of sinners.

It is all part of the realisation that we can do nothing apart from God. We cannot DO anything, He does the work through us and by this He gets the glory. We can boast in nothing but Christ crucified, as Paul points out. Our only action is to pour out everything, the most precious things in our lives before Him and let Him do the rest.

Nee doesn't teach inactivity, but reliance upon God.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book ten stars if I could. I can't think of any book outside of the Bible that has so influenced the way I approach the Christian life. So many of the lessons Nee teaches in this book are lessons that I wish everyone could learn and that I had learned long ago. I can't express what this book has taught me and how it has helped me come to a better understanding of the true meaning of the Gospel and the Christian life.

Nee illustrates his points so well with experiences from his own and other's walks with the Lord. He doesn't hesitate to give two or even three illustrations for a single point and takes his time making sure his meaning is fully comprehended. So often, I felt like I was reading a personal meditation on what the Lord has done in his life. I loved his sincere yet fervent treatment of what it truly means to be a Christian.

I will be returning to this book often, I know. Each chapter could almost be seen as a book in itself. These are the lessons that every Christian need to be returning to over and over again because they're the lessons that we seem to forget most easily. Satan is a master of subtlety, and if we're not careful, he can lead us into leading a counterfeit Christian life that so often passes for the real thing. I've been learning recently, and this book wonderfully confirms that lesson, that the most important lessons of the Christian life are those we've already learned but that need to be learned ever anew and more deeply.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely one of the best books ever on grace and living in freedom. Required reading for every Christian.

[Josiah Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is quite possible the best book on the Christian life that I have ever read. What we believe to be Christianity, what we live out in our lives is only a shallow rendering of what Christ calls us into and Watchman Nee completely disrupts that. I have never felt so spiritually challenged and encouraged to be pulled deeper into relationship with God than while reading this book. If you desire to know what the REAL Christian life is, read this book and understand.

[Trice · Rating 5 out of 5]

examines a truth you've heard a million times and takes it straight to the heart and soul. what a brother to know!

[Bryan Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful, deep book written about the Christian living in Christ, as opposed to living in our own efforts. Heavy emphasis on Romans. Watchman Née was a Christian in China that spent the last twenty years (1950-1970) in prison. He died in prison for his Christian beliefs.

It was difficult to narrow the book down to just a few points. Here are my favorite quotes:

1. p5 - The Blood deals with what we have done, whereas the Cross deals with where we are. The blood disposed of our sins, while the cross strikes at the root of our capacity to sin.
2. p11 - We do not wash and iron clothes that we are going to throw away. The “flesh” is too bad to be cleansed; it must be crucified.
3. p13 - A clear conscience is never based upon our attainment; it can only be based on the work of the Lord Jesus in the shedding of his blood.
4. p19 - The reason why we so readily accept Satan’s accusations is that we are still hoping to have some righteousness of our own.
5. p46 - God’s way of deliverance is altogether different from man’s way. Man’s way is to try to suppress sin by seeking to overcome it; God’s way is to remove the sinner.
6. p51 - Here I feel is the secret: not asking how I can get sap out of the Vine into myself, but remembering that Jesus is the Vine - the root, stem, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruit, all indeed.
7. p52 - If we recognize that fact that we are in, we make no effort to enter. If we had more revelation, we should have fewer prayers and more praises. We spend so much time praying for ourselves just because we are blind to what God has done.
8. p54 - “Knowing this,” says Paul, “that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be in bondage to sin” (Rom 6:6), “Knowing this?” Yes, but do you know it? “Or are ye ignorant?” (Rom 6:3). May the Lord graciously open our eyes.
9. p62 - Those who say “God can” or “God may” or “God must” or “God will” do not necessarily believe at all. Faith always says, “God has done it.”
10. p71 - Because Christ has died; and since “one died for all, therefore all died” (2 Cor 5:14). Whether my experience proves it or seems to disprove it, the fact remains unchanged.
11. p79 - We do not try to produce fruit or concentrate upon the fruit produced. Our business is to look away to him. As we do so he undertakes to fulfill his Word in us.
12. p79 - How do we abide? Look at Christ and see yourself in him. Rest in the fact that God has put you in his Son, and live in the expectation that he will complete his work in you. It is for him to make good the glorious promise that “sin shall not have dominion over you.” (Rom 6:14).
13. p106 - Man’s thought is always of the punishment that will come to him if he sins, but God’s thought is always of the glory man will miss if he sins.
14. p127 - Experience will only come as we rest upon divine facts. God’s facts are the basis of our experience.
15. p140 - The Corinthians problem was that they failed to realize the greatness of the One who had come to make his abode in their hearts. The remedy for their unspirituality was simply to know who he really was that dwelt within.
16. p141 - Christian, do you know, there are resources enough in your own heart to meet the demand of every circumstance in which you will ever find yourself?
17. p162 - God’s righteous demands remain forever, and if I live I must meet those demands; but if I die the Law has lost its claim upon me. It cannot follow me beyond the grave. The all inclusive death of Jesus Christ has forever freed us from the Law.
18. p168 - When you are reduced to utter weakness and are persuaded that you can do nothing whatever, then God will do everything. A drowning man cannot be saved until he is utterly exhausted and ceases to make the slightest effort to save himself.
19. p185 - He is not a retailer dispensing grace to us in packets, measuring out some patience to the impatient, some love to the unloving, some meekness to the proud, in quantities that we take and work on as a kind of capital. He has given only one gift to meet all our needs: his Son Christ Jesus.
20. p193 - Many christians endeavor to drive themselves by willpower, and then think the Christian life a most exhausting and bitter one. The very highest point the will can reach is willpower.
21. p 194 - Why do men use willpower to try to please God? a) They may have never experienced the new birth, in which case they have no new life to draw upon or b) they may have been born again and the life be there, but they have not learned to trust that life. It is a new revelation of what we already have. I feel I cannot emphasize this too much. It is not something fresh from God’s hand, but a new unveiling of what he has already given. It is a new discovery of a work already done in Christ, for the words “made me free” are in the past tense. If I really see this and put my faith in him, there is no absolute necessity for the experience of Romans 7.
22. p197 - But God has never told us to force ourselves to be what we are not naturally; to try, by taking thought, to add to our spiritual stature. “Consider the lillies...they grow.” He is directing our attention to the new law of life in us.
23. p221 - “God hath dealt to each man a measure of faith”, but alone in isolation man can never fulfill God’s purpose. It requires a complete Body to attain the stature of Christ and to display his glory. Oh, that we might really see this!
24. p233 - Every day we are learning these two lessons: a rising up of the life of this One, and a checking and a handing over to death of that other soul-life.
25. p235 - Our subconscious thought is that really we can do it quite well ourselves, even if God does not ask us to do it nor empower us for it. Too often we have been caused to act, to think, to decide, to have power, regardless of him. Many of us Christians today are men with overdeveloped souls. We have grown too big in ourselves. When we are in that condition, it is possible for the life of the Son of God in us to be confined and crowded almost out of action.
26. p240 - Origin determines destination, and what was “of the flesh” originally will never be made spiritual by any amount of “improvement.” The flesh profiteth nothing.
27. p243 - Psalm 36:9 - In thy light shall we see light. The first light is the light which belongs to God but is shed upon us; the second is the knowledge imparted by that light. No turning within, no introspective self-examination will ever bring us to that point.
28. p247 - Light has one law: it shines wherever it is admitted. We may shut it out of ourselves; it fears nothing else. If we throw ourselves open to God, He will reveal.
29. p263 - We shall eventually recognize where the will of God lies, and shall discover there, and there alone, our heart’s true delight.
30. p270 - It is not that you can derive a certain satisfaction from preaching or for doing this work or that work for God, and therefore you do it. No, you do it now because it is the will of God, and regardless of whether or not it gives you conscious joy. The joy you know in doing his will lies deeper than your fluctuating emotions.
31. p272 - When the body becomes our life we live like beasts. When the soul becomes our life we live as rebels and fugitives from God - gifted, cultured, educated, no doubt, but alienated from the life of God. But when we come to live our life in the Spirit and by the Spirit, though we still use our soul faculties just as our physical faculties, they are now the servants of the Spirit; and when we have reached that point God can really use us.
32. p283 - I am afraid we lay too much emphasis on the good of sinners and we have not sufficiently appreciated what the Lord has in view as his goal.
33. p286 - What are we seeking? Do we seek usefulness as the disciples did? Our whole question of “usefulness” to God is in our terms of things that can be measured and put on record. The Lord waits to hear us say: “Lord, I do not mind about that. If I can only please thee, it is enough.
34. p292 - No true work will ever begin in a life without first of all a sense of need being created. But how can this be done? We cannot inject spiritual appetite by force into others; we cannot compel people to be hungry. Hunger has to be created, and it can be created in others only by those who carry with them the impressions of God.

[Carlos Montijo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a pleasant surprise, a very interesting and edifying read. I was under the impression that Nee was an imbalanced Charismatic (he is in some cases) with not much to offer, but he does have some good insights. This book in part is a fairly in-depth study of Romans, which I didn't expect.

There are caveats, to be sure. Nee tends toward extremes when he derives his doctrine from isolated verses without considering the rest of Scripture. He has other tendencies that remind me of liberals like Tim Keller too.

I listened to the audio book and it was hard for me to follow because Nee has quirky arguments I'd never heard before: He seems to argue that Romans 7 refers to both believers in the flesh and unbelievers; that during the supposed rapture, believers who "look back" like Lot's wife did will be left behind; etc. I'll have to review this book more carefully in print. Some of his statements are downright troubling:

"We tried to point out that, just as he had done nothing for his justification, so he need do nothing for his sanctification" (http://www.ccel.org/ccel/nee/normal.v...). If that is so, and since our justification is instant, then why is our sanctification a life-long process? Because God alone accomplished the first without our help, but we have a part to play in the second. Why else does the Bible say to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling"? (Phil. 2:12) Because "it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (v. 13). Because we are sanctified by applying the Word of truth to our lives (John 17:17).

"The Divine purpose in creation and redemption was that God should have many children. He wanted us, and could not be satisfied without us" (http://www.ccel.org/ccel/nee/normal.x...). If the latter is so, then why does the Bible say that "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:24-25) and "if these keep silent, the very stones will cry out"? (Luke 19:40) Because, as Matthew Henry points out, "Pharisees would silence the praises of Christ, but they cannot gain their point; for as God can out of stones raise up children unto Abraham, so he can out of the mouths of those children perfect praise."

Your dog may be an intelligent dog, a well-behaved dog, and altogether a most remarkable dog; but the question is not, Is he a good or a bad dog? It is merely, Is he a dog? He does not need to be bad to be disqualified from being a member of your family; he only needs to be a dog. The same principle applies to you in your relationship to God. The question is not whether you are a bad man or a good man, more or less, but simply, Are you a man? If your life is on a lower plane than that of God’s life, then you cannot belong to the Divine family. Throughout your life your aim in preaching has been to turn bad men into good men; but men as such, whether good or bad, can have no vital relationship with God. (http://www.ccel.org/ccel/nee/normal.x...)

The question is not whether we are human; Adam and Eve had a great relationship with God before the Fall. This completely distorts the biblical picture of God as a just and holy Judge and of man's universal problem--that all are vile, evil, wicked, rebellious sinners, for "There is none righteous, not even one" (Rom. 3:10).

It's nevertheless a worthwhile read. One of Nee's fortes is his ability to use simple yet powerful illustrations. The last two chapters in particular are very good.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure I've read this book before, but can't remember how I felt about it. There are some pretty good points in this book, which mostly centers on the idea that everything we need to live "the normal Christian life" has already been done for us by Christ. It was all accomplished in the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. I have no problem with that. In fact, I pretty much go along with it, and it is a very freeing truth. Once we figure out this basic truth, the problem of trying to live this life becomes much easier. We don't have to live it; rather, we must allow Christ to live it through us.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few areas where, in my opinion, Watchman Nee misses the theological boat. Several times, I was very close to putting the book down and not finishing. The strongest of those times came when I got to page 216 and read these words: "But we must always view redemption as an interruption, an 'emergency' measure, made necessary by a catastrophic break in the straight line of the purpose of God." In other words, Nee is saying that the cross was "plan B." I'm sorry, but I unequivocally disagree with that idea.

Overall, the book is probably worth reading. It's a nice exposition of Romans 6 through 8. But I would certainly recommend caution and not be to quick to blindly accept everything that Nee writes in it.

Grace and peace, friends.

[Brian Eshleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a remarkable author. In the course of his text, he admits to advanced legal training which led secular professors to expect "great things" from him. And yet, he says that when he talked the most unsophisticated folks in rural China, he had to specifically select the simplest word pictures with which to convey spiritual Truth.

His time in this school of God's training shows through in his text and messages method with what he had to teach. He is selling At getting Truth across quietly and simply that the reader is likely not to know that his or her heart is being operated on until he or she is recovering from this skillful word surgeon's treatment.

What I mean when I say that this author's method meshes perfectly with his method is that he spends much of the book challenging that Christians must surrender the areas of our perceived strength and count on Christ to work through those areas in which we know we have weakness or at least no particular talent. So, just as he left behind his legal implements of attack to spread the Gospel, he challenges us to live out our message in exactly those areas in which we are least comfortable and in which we must most consciously rely on Christ if anything beneficial is to happen.

[Logan Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last 30 pages on wasting your life for Christ was exactly what I needed to hear in this season of life. I didn't totally agree with certain analogies or finer theological points at times. But to read of the faith, conviction, and steadfastness of a brother in Christ enduring severe persecution in China was very encouraging. I feel convicted to read more books by Christians from long ago and from places other than the Western world.

Favorite Quote: It will seem as though nothing is happening; as though everything you valued is slipping from your grasp. There confront you a blank wall with no door in it. Seemingly everyone else is being blessed and used, while you yourself have been passed by and are losing out. Lie quiet. All is in darkness, but it is only for a night. It must indeed be a full night, but that is all.

[Dustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that is in a handful of life-changers on my shelf. Watchman Nee so clearly communicates the Gospel message and the effect of Christ's atoning death on the Cross. Before reading, I wouldn't have been able to articulate the Gospel message effectively, but after, I finally felt I had something to stand on.

The book is timeless, a joy to read, easy to understand, and highly recommended to everyone, especially those new to the Christian faith.

I was also ecstatic when I found it for sale for a dollar at the local thrift store. I first read it by finding the pdf and printing off a chapter at a time.

We need Christ's blood to save us from what we've done, and His Cross to save us from what we are.

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on Christianity that I have read so far… I was not expecting it at all, but every page, every chapter was full of light and clarity that pointed me back to the truth of Scripture towards the aim of recognising what Jesus has done, his aim in our salvation, what it means to live by the Spirit and not the flesh, and submitting to him as Lord. In expounding passages from the book of Romans (which I previously glossed over and felt I could not understand them), I am more convicted than ever on those simple and yet profound truths that were staring at me all along but I never fully grasped. Ingesting this book has been so life-giving already but I definitely need to digest this a lot more slowly and allow these truths to shape my life more and more.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books on basic Christianity that I have ever read. Nee methodically goes through Romans 6-8, pointing out the deep truths revealed in these chapters and challenging the reader at every turn. He also has chapters on the Body of Christ, the soul and its part in our walk, bearing the cross daily, and the goal of the Gospel. I found Nee's style and explanations perfect for me. There were so many times that I felt such deep joy while reading, and I attribute that to the truth of the Gospel that he is reminding his readers of. This is definitely one that I will continue to go back and reread over the years.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author spoke to my heart in powerful words on Romans 6-8 and helped me to understand the strength I have in Christ is the source of conquering sin. To live a "normal Christian life" is to live in the Spirit and reckon myself dead to sin. "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with..." Through the power of Christ I can live a righteous life in the Spirit!

[Ragy Nekhela · Rating 5 out of 5]

That book is nearly the greatest book I've ever read. Every true christian should know the facts that are published in this book. It talks about the power of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection in setting us free from being servants of sin, and not our power or will can do that. I recommend every christian to read this book, it will save him from many accusations and wrong feelings from the evil.
the book is named in Arabic as: (ظ„ط§ ط£ظ†ط§ ط¨ظ„ ط§ظ„ظ…ط³ظٹط­ ) by Watchman Nee
Read in 2009

[Dave Borders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is almost too good. It is not an easy read by any means. I usually can only read a paragraph or two before I have to stop and reflect. Watchman Nee was an amazing man as well, as I learned reading a biography. He never answered any of his critics even when they told outright lies about him. He was always confident that God would vindicate him.

Give this book a shot.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

My second time to read this, a few good points and unique view of the Christian life. I think that the first time I read this it seem more profound, perhaps it has something to do with listening to the audio this time around. All in all a very good book.

[Rachel B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book focused on Jesus. Nee teaches what Christ's death and resurrection actually mean for Christians. I really appreciated his acknowledgement, especially toward the end, that the Christian life is not easy, and that God's breaking of us is necessary.

Though I'm sure there are some areas where my theology and Nee's might not meet completely, it's also possible that it's a matter of semantics, since this book was technically written/edited by someone else in the 1950s, based on talks Nee gave in the 1930s, and it was translated, to boot.

[David Blynov · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a challenging, convicting, and revealing read. I have been wrestling with God over many issues these last few months (years, perhaps?), and it seems that, all at once, I have received the answers I have been seeking. This is a great book for people who find themselves in love with Christ yet still seemingly (in great contradiction) remaining within the bondage of sin.

Nee covers the following four aspects of the cross in this book:
(1) The blood of Christ dealing with sins and guilt.
(2) The cross of Christ dealing with sin, the flesh, and natural man.
(3) The life of Christ being made available to indwell, recreate, and empower man.
(4) The progressive manifestation of indwelling Life that is a result of the working of death in the natural man.

4.8/5

"God makes it clear in His Word that He has only one answer to every human need: His Son, Jesus Christ. In all His dealings with us, He works by taking us out of the way and substituting Christ in our place. The Son of God died instead of us for our forgiveness; He lives instead of us for our deliverance. So we can speak of two substitutions: a Substitute on the cross who secures our forgiveness and a Substitute within who secures out victory." (pg. 7).

"There is an inward inclination to sin, a power within that draws to sin. When that power breaks out, I commit sin; I may seek and receive forgiveness, but then I sin once more. So life goes on in a vicious circle of sinning and being forgiven and then sinning again. I appreciate the blessed fact of God's forgiveness, but I want something more than that: I want deliverance. I need forgiveness for what I have done, but I need also deliverance from what I am." (pg. 9).

"The blood deals with what we have done, whereas the cross deals with what we are. The blood disposes of our sins, while the cross strikes at the root of our capacity for sin." (pg. 10).

"When therefore the Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross, He was crucified as the last Adam. All that was in the first Adam was gathered up and done away in Him. We were included there. As the last Adam He wiped out the old race; as the second Man He brings in the new race... We died in Him as the last Adam; we live in Him as the second Man. The cross is thus the mighty act of God which translates us from Adam to Christ." (pg. 38).

"Our old history ends with the cross: our new history begins with the resurrection." (pg. 39).

"Just as we cannot have justification if we have not seen Him bearing our sins on the cross, so we cannot have sanctification if we have not seen Him bearing us on the cross. Not only have our sins been laid on Him, but we ourselves have been put into Him... What is true of your forgiveness is also true of your deliverance. The work is done. There is no need to pray, but only to praise. God has put us all in Christ, so that when Christ was crucified, we were crucified also." (pg. 40)

"To believe that you may get something, or that you can get it, or even that you will get it, is not faith in the sense meant here. This is faith: to believe that you have already got it. Only that which relates to the past is faith in this sense. Those who say, "God can," or "God may," or "God will," do not necessarily believe at all. Faith always says, "God has done it."" (pg. 57).

"The greatest negative in the universe is the cross, for with it God wiped out everything that was not of Himself. The greatest positive in the universe is the resurrection, for through it God brought into being all He will have in the new sphere." (pg. 75).

"There is an old world and a new world, and between the two there is a tomb. God has already crucified me, but I must consent to be cosigned to the tomb. My baptism confirms God's sentence, passed upon me in the cross of His Son. It affirms that I am cut off from the old world and belong now to the new. So baptism is no small thing. It means for me a definite conscious break with the old way of life." (pg. 79).

"To what are we to be consecrated? Not to Christian works, but to the will of God, to be and to do whatever He requires." (pg. 89).

"We cannot expect the Lord to live out His life in us if we do not give Him our lives in which to live. Without reservations, without controversy, we must give ourselves to Him to do as He pleases with us." (pg. 90).

"Do you know that God is asking of you your very life? There are cherished ideals, strong wills, precious relationships, much-loved work, that will have to go; so do not give yourself to God unless you mean it. God will take you seriously, even if you did not mean it seriously" (pg. 91).

"After you give yourself to the Lord, He begins to break what was offered to Him. Everything seems to go wrong, and you protest and find fault with the ways of God. But to stay there is to be no more than just a broken vessel - no good for the world because you have gone too far for the world to use you, and no good for God either because you have not gone far enough for Hum to use you. You are out of gear with the world, and you have controversy with God. This is the tragedy of many Christians" (pg. 91-92).

"The Holy Spirit was poured out because Jesus was exalted. The outpouring of the Spirit has no relation to your merits or mine, but only to the merits of the Lord Jesus. The question of what we are does not come into consideration at all here, but only what He is. He is glorified; therefore the Spirit is poured out. Because the Lord Jesus died on the cross, I have received forgiveness of sins; because the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, I have received new life; because the Lord Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of the Father, I have received the outpoured Spirit. Remission of sins is not based on human merit, but on the Lord's crucifixion; regeneration is not based on human merit, but on the Lord's resurrection; and the enduement with the Holy Spirit is not based on human merit, but on the Lord's exaltation." (pg. 107-108).

"There is nothing stereotyped about God's dealings with His children. Therefore we must not, by our prejudices and preconceptions, make watertight compartments for the working of His Spirit, either in our own lives or in the lives of others. This applies equally to those who require some particular manifestation (such as "speaking with tongues") as evidence that the Spirit has come upon them, and to those who deny that any manifestation is given at all. We must leave God free to work as He wills and to give what evidence He pleases of the work He does. He is Lord, and it is not for us to legislate for Him." (pg. 119).

"For when once we have made the discovery of the fact that we are the dwelling place of God, then a full surrender of ourselves to God must follow. When we see that we are the temple of God, we shall immediately acknowledge that we are not our won. Consecration will follow revelation. The difference between a victorious Christian and defeated ones is not that some have the Spirit while others have not, but that consequently some recognize the divine ownership of their lives while others are still their own masters. Revelation is the first step to holiness, and consecration is the second. A day must come in our lives, as definite as the day of our conversion, when we give up all right to ourselves and submit to the absolute lordship of Jesus Christ... There must be a day when, without reservation, we surrender everything to Him - ourselves, our families, our possessions, our businesses, and our time. All we are and have becomes His, to be held henceforth entirely at His disposal. From that day we are no longer our own masters, but only stewards. Not until the lordship of Christ in our hearts is a settled thing can the Spirit really operate effectively in us. He cannot direct our lives until all control of them is committed to Him." (pg. 124-125).

"But what He requires from us, He Himself carries out in us. The Law makes demands and leaves us helpless to fulfill them; Christ makes demands, but He Himself fulfills in us the very demands He makes." (pg. 140).

"When the Holy Spirit takes things in hand, there is no need for strain on our part." (pg. 156).

"The law of sin and death is there all the time, but God has put another law into operation - the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus - and that law is strong enough to deliver us from the law of sin and death." (pg. 165).

"But God is saying that we should not make redemption to be everything, as though man were created to be redeemed. The Fall is indeed a tragic dip downwards in that line of purpose, and the atonement a blessed recovery whereby our sins are blotted out and we are restored; but when it is accomplished, there yet remains a work to be done to bring us into possession of that which Adam never possessed, and to give God what His heart most desires." (pg. 186).

"I will not take any action without relying on God. I will find no sufficiency in myself. I will not take any step just because I have the power to do so... You lose power to act when you come to know the Lord. The Lord cuts it off, and you find you can no longer act on your own initiative. You have to live by the life of Another; you have to draw everything from Him.." (pg. 200).

"It is easy to become more attached to the gifts of God than to the Giver - and even, I should add, to the work of God than to God Himself." (pg. 226).

"God must bring us to a point - I cannot tell you how it will be, but He will do it - where, through a deep and dark experience, our natural power is touched and fundamentally weakened, so that we no longer dare trust ourselves. He has had to deal with some of us very strangely, and take us through difficult and painful ways, in order to get us there." (pg. 230).

"The idea of waste only comes into our Christianity when we underestimate the worth of our Lord." (pg. 246).

[Jacob Akens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a Christmas gift from someone several years ago, and I can’t believe it took me this long to finally read it.

I just finished this book, and my head is still spinning. I feel like I just took one of the deepest dives into the Scriptures that I’ve ever been a part of.

The biblical concepts that were intricately explained were wonderful, and the various real-life stories that the author shared humbled me and stirred a greater desire in me to “walk in the Spirit”.

This book was excellent.

For my own future notes:

Page 3 - “It is because in the first section it is a question of the sins I have committed before God, which are many and can be enumerated, whereas in the second it is a question of sin as a principle working in me. No matter how many sins I commit, it is always the one sin-principle that leads to them. I need forgiveness for my sins, but I need also deliverance from the power of sin. The former touches my conscience, the latter my life.”

Page 24 - “We need the Blood for forgiveness; we need also the Cross for deliverance.”

Page 26 - “The Blood can wash away my sins, but it cannot wash away my "old man." It needs the Cross to crucify me. The Blood deals with the sins, but the Cross must deal with the sinner.”

Pages 34-35 - “But here is our problem. We were born sinners; how then can we cut off our sinful heredity? Seeing that we were born in Adam, how can we get out of Adam? Let me say at once, the Blood cannot take us out of Adam. There is only one way. Since we came in by birth we must go out by death. To do away with our sinfulness we must do away with our life. Bondage to sin came by birth; deliverance from sin comes by death— and it is just this way of escape that God has provided.”

Pages 46-47 - “Many Christians mourn over their weakness, thinking that if only they were stronger all would be well. The idea that, because failure to lead a holy life is due to our impotence, something more is therefore demanded of us, leads naturally to this false conception of the way of deliverance. If we are preoccupied with the power of sin and with our inability to meet it, then we naturally conclude that to gain the victory over sin we must have more power. "If only I were stronger," we say, "I could overcome my violent outbursts of temper," and so we plead with the Lord to strengthen us that we may exercise more self-control.
But this is altogether a fallacy; it is not Christianity. God's means of delivering us from sin is not by making us stronger and stronger, but by making us weaker and weaker. That is surely rather a peculiar way of victory, you say; but it is the divine way.
God sets us free from the dominion of sin, not by strengthening our old man but by crucifying him; not by helping him to do anything but by removing him from the scene of action.”

Pages 53-54 - The example is given about what would need to happen if a country wanted to completely do away with alcohol. They can’t just outlaw the sale of it, they must shutdown the factories that make it. In the same way, Christ must deal with the sins (products) AND us (the factory).

Page 65 - “Thus we can say that "deliverance from sin" is a more scriptural idea than "victory over sin." The expressions "freed from sin" and "dead unto sin" in Romans 6:7 and 11 imply deliverance from a power that is still very present and very real not from something that no longer exists. Sin is still there, but we are knowing deliverance from its power in increasing measure day by day.”

Page 69 - “Some years ago I was ill. For six nights I had high fever and could find no sleep. Then at length God gave me from the Scripture a personal word of healing, and because of this I expected all symptoms of sickness to vanish at once. Instead of that, not a wink of sleep could I get, and I was not only sleepless but more restless than ever. My temperature rose higher, my pulse beat faster, and my head ached more severely than before.
The enemy asked, "Where is God's promise? Where is your faith? What about all your prayers?" So I was tempted to thrash the whole matter out in prayer again, but was rebuked, and this Scripture came to mind: "Thy word is truth" (John 17:17). If God's Word is truth, I thought, then what are these symp-toms? They must all be lies? So I declared to the enemy, "This sleeplessness is a lie, this headache is a lie, this fever is a lie, this high pulse is a lie. In view of what God has said to me, all these symptoms of sickness are just your lies, and God's Word to me is truth. In five minutes I was asleep, and I woke the following morning perfectly well.”

Page 93 - “If an earthly surgeon can take a piece of skin from one human body and graft it on another, cannot the divine Surgeon implant the life of his Son into me?”

Page 99 - “What is holiness? Many people think we become holy by the eradication of something evil within No, we become holy by being separated unto God.
In Old Testament times, it was when a man was chosen by God to be altogether his that he was publicly anointed with oil and was then said to be "sanctified." Thereafter he was regarded as set apart to God.
In the same manner even animals or material things —a lamb, or the gold of the temple could be sanctified, not by the eradication of anything evil in them, but by being thus reserved exclusively to the Lord. "Holiness" in the Hebrew sense meant something thus set apart, and all true holiness is holiness "to the Lord" (Exodus 28:36, A.v.). I gave myself over wholly to Christ: that is holiness.”

Pages 128-129 - “Some time ago a young man, who had only been a Christian for five weeks and who had formerly been violently opposed to the Gospel, attended a series of meetings which I was addressing in Shang-hai. At the close of one in which I was speaking on the above lines, he went home and began to pray earnestly, "Lord, I do want the power of the Holy Spirit. Seeing thou hast now been glorified, wilt thou not now pour out thy Spirit upon me?" Then he corrected himself: "Oh no, Lord, that's all wrong!" and began to pray again, "Lord Jesus, we are in a life-partnership, thou and I, and the Father has promised us two things glory for thee, and the Spirit for me. Thou, Lord hast received the glory; therefore it is unthinkable that I have not received the Spirit. Lord, I praise thee! Thou hast already received the glory, and I have already received the Spirit." From that day the power of the Spirit was consciously upon him.”

Pages 135-136 - “What happened to R. A. Torrey when the Holy Spirit came upon him after he had been a minister for years? We will let him tell the story in his own words:
"I recall the exact spot where I was kneeling in prayer in my study. ... It was a very quiet moment, one of the most quiet moments I ever knew... Then God simply said to me, not in any audible voice, but in my heart, 'It's yours. Now go and preach?
He had already said it to me in His Word in 1 John 5:14-15; but I did not then know my Bible as I know it now, and God had pity on my ignorance and said it directly to my soul. ... I went and preached, and I have been a new minister from that day to this.
...Some time after this experience (I do not recall just how long after), while sitting in my room one day... suddenly ... I found myself shouting (I was not brought up to shout and I am not of a shouting temperament, but I shouted like the loudest shouting Methodist), 'Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God,' and I could not stop... But that was not when I was baptized with the Holy Spirit. I was baptized with the Holy Spirit when I took him by simple faith in the Word of God."

Page 171 - “Have you discovered that you carry the encumbrance of a lifeless body in regard to God's will? You have no difficulty in speaking about worldly matters, but when you try to speak for the Lord you are tongue-tied; when you try to pray you feel sleepy; when you try to do something for the Lord you feel unwell. You can do anything but that which relates to God's will. There is something in this body that does not harmonize with the will of God.”

Page 173 - “At the time when the Epistle to the Romans was written a murderer was punished in a peculiar and terrible manner. The dead body of the one murdered was tied to the living body of the murderer, head to head, hand to hand, foot to foot, and the living one was bound to the dead one till death. The murderer could go where he pleased, but wherever he went he had to drag the corpse of that murdered man with him. Could punishment be more appalling? Yet this is the illustration Paul now uses. It is as though he were bound to a dead body his own "body of death"- and unable to get free. Wherever he goes he is hampered by this terrible burden. At last he can bear it no longer and cries: "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me?" And then, in a flash of illumination, his cry of despair changes to a song of praise. He has found the answer to his question. "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 7:25).”

Pages 179-180 - “Living in the Spirit means that I trust the Holy Spirit to do in me what I cannot do myself. This life is completely different from the life I would naturally live of myself. Each time I am faced with a new demand from the Lord, I look to him to do in me what he requires of me. It is not a case of trying but of trusting; not of struggling but of resting in him.
If I have a hasty temper, impure thoughts, a quick tongue, or a critical spirit, I shall not set out with a determined effort to change myself, but instead, reckoning myself dead in Christ to these things, I shall look to the Spirit of God to produce in me the needed purity of humility or meekness, confident that he will do so. This is what it means to "stand still, and see the salvation of Jehovah, which he will work for you" (Exodus 14:13).”

Pages 184-185 - “And this is the truth. God will not give me humility or patience or holiness or love as separate gifts of his grace. He is not a retailer dispensing grace to us in packets, measuring out some patience to the impatient, some love to the unloving, some meekness to the proud, in quantities that we take and work on as a kind of capital. He has given only one gift to meet all our need: his Son Christ Jesus.”

Page 203 - “During the cold winter months the man was in the habit of drinking wine with his meals, and he was apt to do so to excess. After my departure, with the return of the cold weather, the wine appeared on the table again, and that day, as he had become accustomed to do, the husband bowed his head to return thanks for the meal—but no words would come. After one or two vain attempts he turned to his wife. "What is wrong?" he asked. "Why cannot we pray today? Fetch the Bible and see what it has to say about wine-drinking." I had left a copy of Scriptures with them, but though the wife could read she was ignorant of the Word, and she turned the pages in vain seeking for light on the subject. They did not know how to consult God's Book and it was impossible to consult God's messenger, for I was many miles away and it might be months before they could see me. "Just drink your wine," said his wife. "We'll refer the matter to brother Nee at the first opportunity." But still the man found he just could not return thanks to the Lord for that wine. "Take it away!" he said at length; and when she had done so, together they asked a blessing on their meal.”

Pages 237-238 - “To test the truth of this, let us take a hypothetical case. Mr. A. is a very good speaker: he can talk fluently and most convincingly on any subject, but in practical things he is a very bad manager. Mr.
B., on the other hand, is a poor speaker: he cannot express himself clearly but wanders all round his subject, never coming to a point; yet on the other hand he is a splendid manager, most competent in all matters of business. Both these men get converted, and both become earnest Christians. Let us suppose now that I call on them both and ask them to speak at a convention, and that both accept.
Now what will happen? I have asked the selfsame thing of both men, but who do you think will pray the harder! Almost certainly Mr. B. Why?
Because he is no speaker. In the matter of eloquence he has no resources of his own to depend upon. He will pray: "Lord, if you do not give me power for this, I cannot do it." Of course Mr. A. will pray too, but maybe not in the same way as Mr. B. because he has something of natural aptitude upon which to rely.
Now let us suppose that, instead of asking them to speak, I ask them both to take charge of the practical side of affairs at the convention. What will happen? The position will be exactly reversed. Now it will be Mr. A.'s turn to pray hard, for he knows full well that he has no organizing ability. Mr. B. of course will pray too, but perhaps without quite the same urgency, for though he knows his need of the Lord, he is not nearly so conscious of his need in business matters as is Mr. A.
Do you see the difference between natural and spiritual gifts? Anything we can do without prayer and without an utter dependence upon God must come from the spring of natural life that is tainted with the flesh. We must see this clearly. Of course it is not true that those only are suited for a particular work who lack the natural gift for it. The point is that, whether naturally gifted or not— and we should praise God for all his gifts— they must know the touch of the Cross in death upon all that is of nature, and their complete dependence upon the God of resurrection. All too readily do we envy our neighbor who has some outstanding natural gift, and fail to realize that our own possession of it, apart from such a working of the Cross, could prove a barrier to the very thing that God is seeking to manifest in us.”

Page 287 - “Several days after Mary broke the alabaster box and poured the ointment on Jesus' head, there were some women who went early in the morning to anoint the body of the Lord. Did they do it? Did they succeed in their purpose on that first day of the week? No, there was only one soul who succeeded in anointing the Lord, and it was Mary, who anointed him beforehand. The others never did it, for he had risen. Now I suggest that, in just such a way, the manner of time may be supremely important to us also, and that for us the question above all questions is: What am I doing to the Lord today?”

[Kayti · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up. Audiobook. Started out a bit slow and simplistic but really ended with some solid and challenging concepts regarding the relinquishment of the soul.