Union with God
Typological treatment in the corpus
Nee-Lee place union with God as the ultimate result of God’s redemptive work. Type = separation (godless state); antitype = intimate unity where man becomes one spirit with God, spirit-to-spirit contact.
Biblical Grounding
| Reference | Context |
|---|---|
| 1 Cor. 6:17 | ”But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit” |
| John 17:20-23 | ”That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” |
| Gal. 2:20 | ”I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” |
| Eph. 4:4-6 | ”There is one body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father” |
| John 14:20 | ”On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” |
Typological Interpretation by Author
Watchman Nee & Witness Lee
Nee-Lee emphasize that God’s salvation is fundamentally directed toward union—not juridical accord, but vital mingling. God’s central plan is:
Although we know that God’s desire and intention is to gain a corporate man, having His image, manifesting His glory, and possessing His authority…1
This corporate man becomes possible through individual union. Rebirth produces:
Rebirth causes men to be one spirit-unit with God. God’s Spirit enters the human spirit, so that man becomes one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17). This spirit-unity is not moral equivalence, but a vital and pneumatological connection.2
This one-spirit-being is not abstract mysticism, but practical reality. Christ himself is that union:
Because rebirth gives us the Holy Spirit, it also gives us Christ. Christ dwells in us as our life (Galatians 2:20) and desires his life to be lived out through us (2 Corinthians 4:10-11).3
Type = separation (fallen state); antitype = union (redeemed state). No middle ground.
Related Types
- Incarnation: incarnation (initial God-man mingling)
- Rebirth: rebirth-ty (foundation of union)
- Corporate-Man: corporate-man (collective expression of union)