We did nothing whatever to save ourselves; we simply laid upon him the burden of our own sin-sick souls. We began our Christian life by depending not upon our own doing but upon what he had done. Until a man does this he is no Christian, for to say, “I can do nothing to save myself, but by his grace God has done everything for me in Christ” is to take the first step in the life of faith. The Christian life from start to finish is based upon this principle of utter dependence upon the Lord Jesus.
— Watchman Nee
From Sit, Walk, Stand (Carol Springs, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1957), 3
Salvation is wrought by Christ. Watchman Nee offers a key insight on the Christian life. We must jettison any notion of performing some good work or cultivating virtue or even sacrificial giving is our end of the deal that must be met for becoming Christians. To think so is wrongheaded. It is when we see that there is nothing can be done to accomplish self-salvation but all that is necessary to save us is accomplished by God through Jesus Christ that we find ourselves in the Christian life.
“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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