Grace - You Died

Hi Everyone,

Below I've selected from quotes from Watchman Nee in his book "The Normal Christian Life."

He is dealing with our need to know that we have been freed from sin's power in our life, and urges us to know we can no longer be overcome by sin because we are dead, and ultimately are alive in Christ.

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

"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.  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 wrong; this is not Christianity.  God's means of delivering us from sin is not by making us strong 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.

"For years, maybe, you have tried fruitlessly to exercise control over yourself, and perhaps this is still your experience; but when once you see the truth you will recognize that you are indeed powerless to do anything, but that in setting you aside altogether, God has done it all.  Such a revelation brings human self-effort to an end."

"So it comes to this, that unless we know for a fact that we are dead with Christ (Nee is citing Romans 6:5-11), the more we reckon the more intense will the struggle become, and the issue will be sure defeat."

"In these verses it is made clear that the death of the Lord Jesus is representative and inclusive.  In His death we all died.  None of us can progress spiritually without seeing this."