Watchman Nee The Normal Christian Life - The Foundry Christian

139 Pages·2007·0.6 MB·English

by  Watchman Nee

The Normal Christian Life
by
Watchman Nee
About The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee
Title: The Normal Christian Life
URL: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/nee/normal.html
Author(s): Nee, Watchman (1903-1972)
Publisher:
Rights: Copyright Angus Kinnear 1961. Used by permission of Kingsway
Publications, Eastbourne, England.
Contributor(s): Heiko J. Unold (Markup)
LC Call no: BV4501.2
LC Subjects: Practical theology
Practical religion. The Christian life
The Normal Christian Life Watchman Nee
Table of Contents
About This Book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. ii
The Normal Christian Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 1
Preface to the First Edition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 2
Preface to the British Edition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 3
Table of Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 4
The Blood of Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 5
Our Dual Problem: Sins and Sin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 5
God's Dual Remedy: The Blood and the Cross. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 6
The Problem Of Our Sins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 6
The Blood Is Primarily For God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 7
God Is Satisfied. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 8
The Blood And The Believer's Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 9
Overcoming The Accuser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 11
The Cross of Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 14
Some Further Distinctions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 14
Man's State By Nature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 16
As In Adam So In Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 17
The Divine Way of Deliverance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 18
His Death and Resurrection Representative and Inclusive. . . . . . . . . . p. 20
The Path of Progress: Knowing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 22
Our Death With Christ A Historic Fact. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 22
The First Step: “Knowing This...”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 24
Divine Revelation Essential To Knowledge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 25
The Cross Goes To The Root Of Our Problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 27
The Path of Progress: Reckoning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 28
The Second Step: “Even So Reckon...”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 29
The Reckoning Of Faith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 30
Temptation And Failure, The Challenge To Faith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 31
Abiding In Him. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 35
The Divide of the Cross. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 39
Two Creations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 39
Burial Means An End. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 41
Resurrection Unto Newness Of Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 43
Presenting Ourselves to God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 45
The Third Step: “Present Yourselves...”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 45
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Separated Unto The Lord. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 46
Servant Or Slave?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 47
The Eternal Purpose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 49
Firstborn Among Many Brethren. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 49
The Grain Of Wheat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 50
The Choice That Confronted Adam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 51
Adam's Choice The Reason For The Cross. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 52
He That Hath The Son Hath The Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 53
They Are All Of One. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 54
The Holy Spirit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 56
The Spirit Outpoured. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 56
Faith Is Again The Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 59
The Diversity Of The Experience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 61
The Spirit Indwelling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 63
The Treasure In The Vessel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 64
The Absolute Lordship Of Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 66
The Meaning and Value of Romans Seven. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 69
The Flesh And Man's Breakdown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 69
What The Law Teaches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 70
Christ The End Of The Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 72
Our End Is God's Beginning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 75
I Thank God!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 77
The Path of Progress: Walking In The Spirit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 80
The Flesh And The Spirit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 80
Christ Our Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 82
The Law Of This Spirit Of Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 84
The Manifestation Of The Law Of Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 86
The Fourth Step: “Walk... After The Spirit”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 89
One Body in Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 92
A Gate And A Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 92
The Fourfold Work Of Christ In His Cross. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 94
The Love Of Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 95
One Living Sacrifice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 97
More Than Conquerors Through Him. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 100
The Cross and the Soul Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 101
The True Nature Of The Fall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 101
The Root Question: The Human Soul. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 102
Natural Energy In The Work Of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 104
The Light Of God And Knowledge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 106
The Path of Progress: Bearing the Cross. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 111
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The Basis Of All True Ministry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 111
The Subjective Working Of The Cross. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 113
The Cross And Fruitfulness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 117
A Dark Night -- A Resurrection Morn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 118
The Goal of the Gospel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 122
Waste. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 122
Ministering To His Pleasure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 125
Anointing Him Beforehand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 126
Fragrance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 128
Indexes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 131
Index of Scripture References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 131
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The Normal Christian Life
Watchman Nee
“It is no longer I . . . but Christ”
Copyright Angus Kinnear 1961. Used by permission of Kingsway Publications, Eastbourne, England.
The Normal Christian Life Watchman Nee
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
The author of these studies, Mr. Watchman Nee (Nee To-sheng) of Foochow, a true bondservant
of Jesus Christ, placed a great many of us in his debt when, on a visit to Europe in 1938 and 1939,
he set forth so lucidly in his ministry to many groups of young workers and others the foundation
principles of the Christian life and walk.
Several of the addresses forming the material from which this book has been compiled have
already been published independently and have been the means of blessing to many. Others, covering
similar but wider ground, have existed for long in manuscript or note form. It is with the conviction
that their message merits a wider circulation at the present time that I have undertaken the editing
of the available material to form this larger book.
Being deprived of personal contact or communication with the author, I have myself to take
full responsibility for the work of editing. This has involved the bringing together of matter from
a number of sources to form a logical sequence within the framework provided by two of the original
series of studies. Due to the wide variety of this material, including verbatim records of spoken
English addresses, private notes of Bible readings and personal conversations, and a few translations
from the Chinese, liberties, perforce, have had to be taken with the literary arrangement—not, of
course, with the doctrine—making the hand of the editor more evident that I would have wished.
But the privilege of close personal contact with Mr. Nee during 1938, and the help and criticism
of others who enjoyed his ministry or who have worked with him, and who knew him better than
I, have combined, in the few places where interpretation was necessary, to make faithfulness to his
thought the more certain.
Work on this book has been a searching experience. It goes out now wiht the prayer that its
strong emphasis upon the greatness of Christ and upon the finality and sufficiency of His work
may be used of God to bring His children to a place of greater spiritual effectiveness and thus of
increasing value to Him.
Angus I. Kinnear
Bangalore, India
1957
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PREFACE TO THE BRITISH EDITION
A new edition has made possible further revision and occasional slight expansion of the text
with the aid of fresh source material. An index is now provided.
The reader is again reminded that the author’s message in this collected form had its origin as
spoken ministry. It is therefore not wholly systematic. On none of the subjects dealt with is it to be
regarded as exhaustive. It should be approached prayerfully—not as a treatise, but as a living
message to the heart.
Angus I. Kinnear
1958
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The Normal Christian Life Watchman Nee
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Blood of Christ
Chapter 2: The Cross of Christ
Chapter 3: The Path of Progress: Knowing
Chapter 4: The Path of Progress: Reckoning
Chapter 5: The Divide of the Cross
Chapter 6: The Path of Progress: Presenting Ourselves to God
Chapter 7: The Eternal Purpose
Chapter 8: The Holy Spirit
Chapter 9: The Meaning and Value of Romans Seven
Chapter 10: The Path of Progress: Walking in the Spirit
Chapter 11: One Body in Christ
Chapter 12: The Cross and the Soul Life
Chapter 13: The Path of Progress: Bearing the Cross
Chapter 14: The Goal of the Gospel
Scripture quotations are from the Revised Version unless otherwise indicated.
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