Watchman Nee & Witness Lee — Christology
b2 — The Economy of God
Incarnation and the Two Natures
Lee describes the incarnation as a mingling of the divine and human natures:
“The second element, His incarnation, is the mingling of His divine nature with the human nature. Through His incarnation He brought God into man and mingled the divine essence of God with humanity. In Christ there is not only God, but also man.” — The Economy of God, ch. 1, p. 11
“The Father was pleased to combine His own divinity with humanity in the Son. Through the incarnation of the Son, the unapproachable Father is now approachable to man.” — The Economy of God, ch. 1, p. 10
“Just as blue was added to the handkerchief, so the human nature was added to the divine nature, and the once separated natures have become one.” — The Economy of God, ch. 1, p. 11
Interpretation: Lee uses the term “mingling” rather than the classical Chalcedonian “hypostatic union.” The phrasing that the two natures “have become one” raises tension with the Chalcedonian formula that the natures remain unconfused and unmixed.
Seven Elements of Christ
The central christological structural motif of ch. 1 is that Christ bears seven elements within Himself, added through His redemptive history:
“There are seven basic elements that make up this wonderful Person, six of which were added through His history.” — The Economy of God, ch. 1, p. 11
The seven elements (pp. 11-12):
- The divine nature — God’s divine essence and nature
- Incarnation — the mingling of His divine nature with the human nature
- Human living — 33.5 years on earth with daily and suffering experiences
- Death — His effective death working as a killing power
- Resurrection — resurrection life mingled with His humanity
- Ascension — transcendent power over all principalities and powers
- Enthronement — as Head of the universe, Lord of lords and King of kings
“We need to remember, then, the seven wonderful elements that are in Him: the divine nature, the human nature, the daily human life with its earthly sufferings, the effectiveness of His death, the resurrection power, the transcendent power of His ascension, and the enthronement. All these elements are mingled in this one marvelous Christ.” — The Economy of God, ch. 1, p. 12
Resurrection — Christ Retains His Humanity
Lee makes an explicit statement about the permanent humanity of Christ after His resurrection:
“After His resurrection, Christ did not put off His manhood to become solely God again. Christ is still a man! And as man He has the additional element of resurrection life mingled with His humanity.” — The Economy of God, ch. 1, p. 12
Interpretation: This is a direct assertion of the permanent glorification of Christ as man — resurrection does not end the two-nature doctrine but enriches the human nature with resurrection quality.
Ascension and Enthronement
“By His ascension to the heavens, He transcended over all enemies, principalities, powers, dominions and authorities. All are under His feet. Mingled with Him, therefore, is the transcendent power of His ascension.” — The Economy of God, ch. 1, p. 12
“Christ, the man with the divine nature, is enthroned in the third heaven as the exalted Head of the whole universe. He is in the heavenlies as the Lord of lords and the King of kings.” — The Economy of God, ch. 1, p. 12
The Death of Christ
The death of Christ is contrasted with the death of Adam and presented as liberating:
“The death of Adam enslaved us to death, whereas the death of Christ released us from death. Although the fall of Adam brought many evil elements into us, the effective death of Christ is the killing power within us to slay all the elements of Adam’s nature.” — The Economy of God, ch. 1, p. 11
Interpretation: Lee’s soteriology of Christ’s death is pneumatological-participatory in character: the death works in the believer through the Spirit, not primarily as juridical substitution.
Christ as Life-Giving Spirit
A central pneumatological statement with christological implications:
“The last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45). “Now the Lord is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:17). — The Economy of God, ch. 1, p. 14; ch. 2, p. 20
Lee connects this to the new state of the Spirit after Christ’s resurrection and ascension:
“The Holy Spirit, after the Lord’s ascension, is no longer the same as the Spirit of God in the Old Testament times. The Spirit of God in the Old Testament had only one element—the divine nature of God. […] Today, however, under the New Testament economy all the seven elements of Christ have been placed in the Spirit, and as such this all-inclusive Spirit has come into us.” — The Economy of God, ch. 1, pp. 13-14
Interpretation: This is the all-inclusive Christ motif — Christ is not only historically active but also pneumatically present, bearing all redemptive-historical elements in the Spirit.
Christ as Isa. 9:6 — Child and Father
In ch. 5, Lee cites Isa. 9:6 christologically:
“As a child born to us, He is called the Mighty God; and as a son given to us, He is called the Everlasting Father (or the Father of Eternity).” — The Economy of God, ch. 5, p. 47 (referencing Isa. 9:6)
Lee comments: “If the child is not the Mighty God, how could the child be called the Mighty God?”
Interpretation: Lee uses Isa. 9:6 to argue for the unity of the three Persons in the one Christ — a modalist-leaning argument that puts pressure on the classical distinction of Persons.
Completion of the Redemptive Work
“The Triune God has completed everything—the creation, the incarnation and the life and sufferings on earth; He has gone into death and passed through death; He has resurrected, ascended into heaven, and has been enthroned. Everything has been attained by the wonderful Triune God, and all these realities are in the Holy Spirit, who has come into us.” — The Economy of God, ch. 4, p. 39