Watchman Nee & Witness Lee — Ecclesiology
b1 — The All-inclusive Christ
Church as Body of Christ: The Fulness of Christ
Witness Lee introduces the series’ central theme through the typological relation between the land of Canaan and Christ: the temple and city built on Canaan are types of the church as the fulness of Christ.
“The city and the temple which were built on this land of Canaan are types of the fulness of Christ, which is His Body, the Church. Thus, what we will consider is the all-inclusive Christ, out of which and upon which the fulness of Christ, the Church, is built. Remember well that it is not just Christ and the Church, but the all-inclusive Christ and the fulness of Christ which is His Body, the Church.”
— Witness Lee, The All-inclusive Christ, Ch. 1
Scripture readings: Gen. 1:1-2, 9-12, 26-27, 29; Col. 2:6-7, 16-17; 3:11; Eph. 2:12; 1Cor. 1:30
Temple and City: Kingdom and House of God
Lee describes the typological significance of city and temple as the two central outcomes of possessing Christ:
“The city is the center of God’s authority, God’s kingdom, and the temple is the center of God’s house, God’s dwelling place. The kingdom of God and the house of God are the result of the enjoyment of the land. When the people of God enjoy this land to a certain extent, something comes into existence—the authority of God and the presence of God, or, in other words, the kingdom of God and the house of God.”
— Witness Lee, The All-inclusive Christ, Ch. 1
“If we possess Christ as a piece of land and enjoy all His riches, after a certain extent something will issue forth—the Church with God’s Kingdom, the temple in the city.”
— Witness Lee, The All-inclusive Christ, Ch. 1
“God’s intention revealed in both the Old and New Testaments is that Christ should be the land to us. We have the ground to enjoy all the riches of Christ. God gave us this ground. After a certain amount of enjoyment of His riches, something will issue forth—the Kingdom of God and the house of God, the Church with God’s Kingdom. This is the central thought of God’s eternal plan.”
— Witness Lee, The All-inclusive Christ, Ch. 1
Interpretation: Lee treats the Kingdom of God and the House of God as two aspects of the same outcome — God’s authority (city) and God’s dwelling (temple) — both issuing from the practical possession of Christ.
Building of the Church: Dependent on Christ-Experience
Lee directly links the building of the church to the practical experience of Christ as the all-inclusive reality, with emphasis on Col. 2:7:
“In these days we have been speaking much about the Church and the expression of the Body of Christ. But you and I must realize that if we are not able to take possession of Christ as the all-inclusive One and experience Him, there can never be the reality of the Church. You and I must realize that we have been rooted in Christ as a plant rooted in the soil.”
— Witness Lee, The All-inclusive Christ, Ch. 1
“Colossians tells us that having been rooted, we are being built up in Him with others. If we have no experience of having been rooted in Christ, how can we be built up with others? That is why the building up of the Church among the Lord’s people is almost nil.”
— Witness Lee, The All-inclusive Christ, Ch. 1
“How can there be the real building up of the Church? How can there be the real expression of the Body of Christ? It can only be by realizing and experiencing Christ as everything to us.”
— Witness Lee, The All-inclusive Christ, Ch. 1
Scripture reference: Col. 2:6-7