Resurrection
In Nee/Lee theology, resurrection of Christ is not only judicial (guilt removed via cross) but vital—the moment when God’s life is released and can operate in believers. It is the fulfillment of the cross’s meaning.
Resurrection as liberation of divine life
Nee/Lee see resurrection and cross in symbiosis:
Through the blood Jesus the Lord shed on the cross, salvation was accomplished. Subsequently, through the resurrection of Jesus the Lord, the life of God was set free.
These two functions:
- Cross (blood) — cleanses from guilt, removes sin
- Resurrection — releases divine zoe-life that can now operate in believers
Without resurrection, the cross would remain incomplete; without the cross, resurrection would lack foundation.
Two functions: death and resurrection
Nee/Lee use bodily analogy (red and white blood cells) to illustrate functions:
The function of death kills and purifies, while [the function of resurrection] supplies nourishment of divine life.
- Death — removes, purifies, cleanses
- Resurrection — supplies, nourishes, feeds
Both are necessary. Only cleansing without nourishment would be empty, dead experience. Only nourishment without cleansing would operate in uncleanness.
Resurrection as power
Nee/Lee emphasize that resurrection is not passive. It is the manifestation of God’s infinite power:
Resurrection is the liberation of God’s life—strength and substance of the new life.
This life is not abstract, not merely removal of sin, but positive—the operation of God’s force that vanquishes death and continues forward:
For the life of God contains the great power of resurrection; it fears no blow, no destruction, no death, and cannot be suppressed by any adverse environment.
Resurrection in the believer
Not only Christ’s historical resurrection, but also mystical resurrection in the believer is theme:
The believer experiences resurrection not once, but continually. Each time God’s life overcomes the suppressing force of flesh, a small resurrection happens.
This is pneumatological, not mystical in Nee/Lee-sense: God’s Spirit makes the power of Christ’s resurrection operative in inner experience.
Source: Watchman Nee & Witness Lee, The Knowledge of Life (Living Stream Ministry, 1973), chapters 3–4, 12–14.