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. All is because of him; nothing is because of me. 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. The Holy Spirit has not been poured out on you or me to prove how great we are, but to prove the greatness of the Son of God.
— Watchman Nee
From The Normal Christian Life (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1961), 81.
Its all Christ and none of me. I believe that encapsulates the goodness of divine grace partaken by every Christian. This is just normal Christian life as Watchman Nee would say. Repentance. Leaving behind the old sinful ways. Exchanging the old sinful ways for the new spiritual ways directed towards God. The metamorphosis into Christ likeness. All of it is grounded in all that Christ gives of Himself to us. Christ’s cross and resurrection provides the hands-on labor that allows the Christian to go on the journey from conversion to glory.
“Watchman Nee” (1903-1972) born Nee Shu-tsu or Henry Nee was a prominent Christian leader from China who was instrumental in the formation of the “little flock,” also known as the Lord’s Recovery or the Local Church. He planted hundreds of churches and advanced the gospel throughout China. He continued ministering even after the emergence of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. But Nee was eventually arrested, falsely condemned, and incarcerated in 1952. He died in custody on June 1, 1972. Watchman Nee’s teachings nonetheless greatly influenced Christianity in China and the rest of the world. Some of Nee’s published works include The Normal Christian Life and Sit, Walk, Stand.
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