Watchman Nee — Hamartology
b8 — The Life That Wins
Sin
“Eight kinds of failure or sin to be seen in Christians. 1. Sins of the Spirit. Pride, jealousy, unbelief, fault-finding, lack of prayer, and an inability to commit oneself to God—all these are sins of the spirit. 2. Sins of the Flesh. There are not only sins of the spirit, there are also sins of the flesh—such as adultery, unrestrained eyes, and unnatural relationships. 3. Sins of the Mind. Their thoughts drift, wander, and are scattered. Some find their thoughts to be unclean or too imaginative or full of doubt or full of curiosity. 4. Sins of the Body. Certain activities centering upon the physical body may be overlooked by the world, but to spiritually sensitive Christians they may nonetheless be sinful. Some pay too much attention to eating or sleeping or hygiene or adornment or life itself. 5. Sins of Disposition. Disposition makes an individual. Everyone is born with a particular kind. 6. No Heart to Keep God’s Word. This too is a sin. How many Christians know that worry is sin? ‘Rejoice in the Lord always,’ declares the Scripture (Phil. 4.4). Worry or anxiety is sin. 7. Failure to Render to God His Due. God demands that we present ourselves—together with our families, businesses and wealth—wholly to Him. 8. Unrepentant of Sins That Require Confession. This is what is meant by the phrase in Ps. 66.18 to ‘regard iniquity in [the] heart.‘” (p. 8-17)
“The life ordained for Christians is one that walks outside of sins.” (p. 22)
Interpretation: Sin is broadly defined—not only outward acts but also inward attitudes (pride, unbelief, worry, love of sin).
Romans 7
“What is meant by being ‘without strength’? It is what is spoken of in Rom. 7: ‘to will is present with me, but to do that which is good is not. For the good which I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I practise’ (vv.18b-19). In other words, the total thrust of Rom. 7 indicates that I am without strength, I cannot do it.” (p. 28)
“The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death (Rom. 8.2). (…) What is meant by being ‘without strength’? It is what is spoken of in Rom. 7. (…) The history of many a Christian is marked by a cycle of resolutions and broken promises.” (p. 28)
“Rom. 7 unveils a hidden flaw in us; which is to say, that we do not approve of what God has done and we do not accept His verdict. Why did God crucify us? When He crucified us with His Son, He was telling us we were absolutely useless and hopeless: that we were beyond repair or improvement.” (p. 56-57)
Interpretation: Rom. 7 describes the Christian who “wills but does not do”—a state of “without strength.” This is not the normal Christian state according to Nee.
Law
“What is law? It is something which always repeats itself. A law acts the same way and produces the same result at any place and under any circumstance. It is a constant phenomenon, reveals a continuous habit, and always ends with the same effect.” (p. 28)
“For some, then, the losing of one’s temper becomes a law. (…) Pride oftentimes acts the same way. (…) In short, we sin till sinning becomes a law.” (p. 28-29)
“Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under law, but under grace (Rom. 6.14). (…) What is meant by being under law? Being under law signifies God requiring man to work for Him. What, then, is being under grace? It denotes God working for man.” (p. 42-43)
Interpretation: “Law” here does not refer to God’s moral law, but a constant habit/pattern of sin that repeats itself.
Old Man
“Our old man was crucified with Him (Rom. 6.6). (…) Unless there is a miracle, none will come into victory. For who among us can overcome sin? The human way is to suppress sin. But when God does the work, He miraculously removes our old man and gives us a pure heart.” (p. 46-47)
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me (Gal. 2.20). (…) It is simply ‘not I’. The life spoken of is an exchanged life. Basically, it is no longer I, for it has absolutely nothing to do with me. It is not that the bad I has become the good I, nor the unclean I has changed to be the clean I.” (p. 36-37)
“There was a sister whose temper was fiercer than most people’s. (…) A crystal lamp was dropped and shattered. Her husband was stunned for fear of a big explosion of her temper. Contrary to all expectations, she quietly said the lamp should be swept up. Her answer was that the Lord had miraculously taken her old man away. Her husband cried out, ‘This is a miracle, this is a miracle!‘” (p. 47-48)
Interpretation: The “old man” is not reformed or suppressed, but miraculously removed by God. This is not a gradual process but an act of God.
Yielding vs. Sin
“Victory is actually a remedial facet to salvation. At the time of our being saved, something was missing—yet not on God’s part; He wants us to have full salvation. Because we are not well saved, we need such a remedial facet, which is none other than the experience of victory.” (p. 32-33)
“Would God save us and let us live on continually sinning and repenting? Shall sin have dominion over us even after we are saved? How opposite both sin and God are to each other. Would God therefore allow sin to remain in us? Never. It is most hateful!” (p. 32)
“Victory is a gift, not a reward. (…) The life that wins which we talk about does not require any effort of yours: ‘thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Cor. 15.57).” (p. 40-41)
“The human way is to suppress sin. But when God does the work, He miraculously removes our old man and gives us a pure heart.” (p. 46)
Interpretation: Suppression of sin is the human way and fails; yielding (moving self out so Christ can live) is God’s way.
Sin-Consciousness
“Too often we believers have a serious misconception—imagining that while salvation comes to us freely, victory depends on ourselves. (…) Just as you are not saved by works, so you do not overcome by works. God has declared that you are unable to do good. Christ has died for you on the cross, and He is now living for you within.” (p. 40-41)
“We realize we cannot be saved by works, yet we reason that for sanctification we must do good works after we are saved. Though you cannot be saved by works, you need to depend on works for victory.” (p. 40)
“1 Cor. 1:30 says that of God are we ‘in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, both righteousness and sanctification and redemption’. (…) God has made Christ to be three things to us: righteousness, sanctification, redemption. (…) Just as you instantly obtained righteousness when you accepted the Lord as your righteousness, so you may immediately obtain sanctification the moment you receive Him as your sanctification.” (p. 44-45)
Interpretation: Sin-consciousness leads to trusting self-effort for sanctification; correct consciousness is that Christ Himself is sanctification (1 Cor. 1:30).