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The Spiritual Man
One of Nee's best-known classic, this substantial text is, in Nee's own words: "A manual on spiritual life, every point of which can be experimentally proven."
700 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1928
About the author
Watchman Nee
449 books579 followersWatchman Nee (Chinese: 倪柝聲; pinyin: Ní Tuòshēng; Foochow Romanized: Ngà̤ Táuk-sĭng; 1903–1972) was a Chinese Christian author and church leader during the early 20th century. He spent the last 20 years of his life in prison and was severely persecuted by the Communists in China. Together with Wangzai, Zhou-An Lee, Shang-Jie Song, and others, Nee founded The Church Assembly Hall, later which would be also known as the "Local churches" (Chinese: 地方教會). or more commonly as (聚會所) meaning "assembly hall"
Born into a Methodist family, Watchman Nee experienced a religious revival, and joined the Church of Heavenly Peace, Fuzhou in 1920 at age 17 and began writing in the same year. In 1921, he met the British missionary M. E. Barber, who was a great influence on him. Through Miss Barber, Nee was introduced to many of the Christian writings which were to have a profound influence on him and his teachings. Nee attended no theological schools or Bible institutes. His knowledge was acquired through studying the Bible and reading various Christian spiritual books. During his 30 years of ministry, beginning in 1922, Nee traveled throughout China planting churches among the rural communities and holding Christian conferences and trainings in Shanghai. In 1952 he was imprisoned for his faith; he remained in prison until his death in 1972.
Born into a Methodist family, Watchman Nee experienced a religious revival, and joined the Church of Heavenly Peace, Fuzhou in 1920 at age 17 and began writing in the same year. In 1921, he met the British missionary M. E. Barber, who was a great influence on him. Through Miss Barber, Nee was introduced to many of the Christian writings which were to have a profound influence on him and his teachings. Nee attended no theological schools or Bible institutes. His knowledge was acquired through studying the Bible and reading various Christian spiritual books. During his 30 years of ministry, beginning in 1922, Nee traveled throughout China planting churches among the rural communities and holding Christian conferences and trainings in Shanghai. In 1952 he was imprisoned for his faith; he remained in prison until his death in 1972.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
March 2, 2012
This is not a book for what I would call the casual Christian. It takes maturity and commitment to read and understand the content. I started it in October 2011 and found myself stopping at several parts of the book to start a mini-bible study on a certain point. The one thing about the book that I enjoyed the most was that it was based on the Bible, referred to the Bible and pointed you back to the Bible. This is one of those books that will remain a part of my library forever.
June 28, 2012
The most in-depth and comprehensive book on spirituality in existence. Greatest author on Christian spirituality. I had to reread several chapters to fully grasp the meaning, and as I reread it throughout my life, as I grow in my faith, it is amazing how new things stand out to me in the book.
September 19, 2012
This book has taken me the best part of a year to read. It is so deep and insightful that it has to be read in small chunks, digested and absorbed.
"The Spiritual Man" is a very thorough treatment of the way that the human spirit, soul and body interact with God and with the world. Too often we make assumptions about the way that human beings work that are just not right. If we read the Bible closely we find that it is full of references about the way we are made and the way that we fellowship with God. For some reason, though, these teachings just don't have the impact on our thinking that they should.
Although this book dates back to 1968 it is still very useful for pastors, teachers and other Christian leaders.
Watchman Nee (1903–1972) was a Chinese Christian author and church leader during the early 20th century. He spent the last 20 years of his life in prison and was severely persecuted by the Communists in China. During his 30 years of ministry, beginning in 1922, Nee travelled throughout China planting churches among the rural communities and holding Christian conferences and trainings in Shanghai. In 1952 he was imprisoned for his faith, remaining there until his death.
"The Spiritual Man" is a very thorough treatment of the way that the human spirit, soul and body interact with God and with the world. Too often we make assumptions about the way that human beings work that are just not right. If we read the Bible closely we find that it is full of references about the way we are made and the way that we fellowship with God. For some reason, though, these teachings just don't have the impact on our thinking that they should.
Although this book dates back to 1968 it is still very useful for pastors, teachers and other Christian leaders.
Watchman Nee (1903–1972) was a Chinese Christian author and church leader during the early 20th century. He spent the last 20 years of his life in prison and was severely persecuted by the Communists in China. During his 30 years of ministry, beginning in 1922, Nee travelled throughout China planting churches among the rural communities and holding Christian conferences and trainings in Shanghai. In 1952 he was imprisoned for his faith, remaining there until his death.
January 5, 2014
It's a tough read. But it's a must-understand subject: The Christian life in the Spirit vs. a Christian life lived in the flesh. The evangelical church nowadays has mostly forgotten this teaching, and has reduced the "flesh" to mean only outright sinful activities as immorality, debauchery, etc. But that you can actually pray, preach, evangelize and do missions work in the flesh has been forgotten and so we see a lot, I mean a LOT of activity in/by the church, but only very little fruit. Because God hasn't promised to bless our activities (even though they might make for great newsletters), but only the Spirit brings life and accomplishes the purposes of God.
November 8, 2015
In all honesty, I have never read any other book like this one! It is so life changing. It gives you loads of insight into the intangible parts of who we are - the spirit, the soul, the mind, the emotions etc. I still can't believe what I read in The Spiritual Man! I am in awe.
There were lots of highlights and notes I made while reading this book and I know they will be of great value in the times ahead.
Every serious christian should have The Spiritual Man on his shelf.
There were lots of highlights and notes I made while reading this book and I know they will be of great value in the times ahead.
Every serious christian should have The Spiritual Man on his shelf.
October 14, 2011
This is a deep eye-opener book. You have to be spiritually mature in Christ to really understand this. This has definitely matured my walk with God. Only God Himseld imparted this wisdom to Nee.
September 4, 2016
Watchman Nee:
Watchman Nee was a Chinese Christian teacher who lived during the 20th century. Nee published many books; and established churches throughout China. Following the Communist Revolution, Nee was persecuted and imprisoned for his faith and spent the last twenty years of his life in prison.
Nee’s personal library encompassed over three thousand titles on church history, spiritual growth, and Bible commentary. Nee is said to have spent one-third of his income on personal needs, one-third to assist others, and the remaining third on spiritual books. In referring to his literary ministry, Nee remarked:
“After my illness, God made it known to me that the primary purpose of His imparting messages to me was not for explaining the Scripture, nor for preaching the ordinary Gospel, nor for prophesying, but for laying stress on the living way of life… All that I have written has one aim, which is that the reader will, in the new creation, give himself wholly to God and become a useful person in His hands”. –Watchman Nee
Upon the rise of the Chinese Communist Party, in 1949, Christians came under great persecution in China. Nee was arrested in 1952 and sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment with reform by labor. Nee was scheduled for release in 1967, but was detained in prison until his death in 1972.
There was no funeral or even announcement of Nee’s death. His remains were cremated before his family even arrived at the prison. However, before he died, Nee left a piece of paper under his pillow, inscribed with the following words:
“Christ is the Son of God who died for the redemption of sinners and resurrected after three days. This is the greatest truth in the universe. I die because of my belief in Christ”. –Watchman Nee
The Spiritual Man:
Lee published The Spiritual Man in 1928. These three volumes of the The Spiritual Man together encompass over 700 pages. Perhaps partially due to the translation from Chinese, these volumes are somewhat exhaustive, sometimes rambling, and frequently contradictive. There is also much redundancy in Nee’s writing style. Nonetheless, The Spiritual Man is a treasure trove of value, if one is diligent enough to sift carefully through the repetition. It is like sifting through sand to uncover treasure-after-treasure of deep spiritual insight.
I have to characterize Nee’s writing as nothing less than a psychological analysis of the Christian thought processes, which he accomplishes with profuse ramblings and overlapping discussions, which are not infrequently contradictory.
Tripartite Man:
The centerpiece of this writing is Nee’s identification of man as tripartite: spirit, soul, and body, the latter of which Nee often refers to as our “earthly tent”. Nee defines the soul as some combination of spirit and body, the degrees of which vary among people. Spirit is the breath of life that comes from God. Within the Godly man, the spirit acts upon the soul; which, in turn, expresses itself through the body. This process is reversed in the ungodly, which results in someone who is dominated by the flesh, or body.
The Spirit communicates with the spiritual world and the body communicates with the natural world. The soul is a bridge between the spiritual and natural worlds and looms somewhere in between. According to Nee, the question is ultimately: what does our soul love most, spiritual things or bodily and worldly things? Does our soul indeed love the truth or does it take its pleasure in unrighteousness? The spiritual person depends on God and is satisfied with what God has given. The bodily person gravitates away from God and covets those things that are not of God.
The existence of the spiritual world is indisputable. Our soul is in the balance, languishing between the spiritual and natural worlds, bearing free will, like an innocent child with money, being lured by hawkers at a County Fair.
Dying to Self:
When one comes to believe, the Holy Spirit comes to abide in the essence of their spiritual being. Nee is careful to emphasize this is an abiding that begins in the spirit of man, as opposed to the body. We may become a believer in a moment, but the process of denying our body, “denying self”, occurs throughout our life. It is through the Holy Spirit that we are able to daily overcome our bodily self. The flesh wishes to lead man to sin, but the spirit longs to lead man to righteousness.
Many Christians experience the saving grace of God, in affirming their belief, but languish in the subsequent process of “denying self”. Either they assume that it is merely enough to be saved, they lack sufficient spiritual appetite, or they are simply unwilling to bear the price for spiritual advancement. Nee refers to such people as: “over-stuffed babes”. Nee says such people are easily recognized because they sin often, are often selfish, irritable, contentious, vain, unforgiving, and unloving.
The process of “dying to self” is not instantaneous. It involves successive defeats of sin, as we progress to uncovering sins we initially didn’t even know existed. As these sins are systematically taken away, we move more and more deeply into the spiritual life. In Eph. 5, works of the flesh that hinder us are identified as: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealously, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, and carousing. To the extent we are enmeshed in any of these things, we have not fully relinquished our flesh.
Don’t misunderstand, “dying to self” does not mean that we destroy the hands, feet, ears, and eyes of the human body or any of its functions. God wants us to be lucid and ready to do His will. The point is whether our soul’s faculties are regulated by the spirits of this natural life or by the supernatural Holy Spirit. Simply yielding to God by forsaking all that attempts to distract us from God is what is meant by “dying to self”.
Living Water:
We “die to self”, by understanding that through Christ’s death, God has established a vast surplus of forgiveness. This surplus is an unlimited well of forgiveness that flows unceasingly like abundant living water. At any time, we may draw from this well of forgiveness for immediate expropriation of guilt and restitution for our sins! What an amazing gift that is!
We are, in many ways, just like a spoiled child, with a loving parent! And like that child, we ultimately recognize that our parent’s forgiveness stems from their love for us. We forsake sin because we also love the parent and wish to please the parent. We come to love our parent, God, more than the bodily charges that bring us to sin. The infusion of this love, throughout our being, is what allows us to lay aside our sin and “die to self”. Thereafter, we must go to the well of living water daily, for it sustains us. In this way, our body is delivered to become a temple of the Holy Spirit and is at liberty to commune with God and to do God’s work.
The Trap of Self-righteousness:
Along the journey, many become confused in self-righteousness, which, if not destroyed, ultimately leads back to unrighteousness. Self-righteousness seeks to elevate the “self” as capable of performing good without the Holy Spirit, without the necessity of humility, without waiting on God, and/or without praying. It is the process of trying to become “somebody” via self-willed righteousness and ascribing glory to oneself. The self-righteous often believe they possess the truth even though everything they have comes from hearing and mimicking others. In elevating the “self”, they work to establish another righteousness that is outside of Christ, i.e. their own. We must recognize that we possess not a righteousness of our own, but harbor within us the righteousness of God. We must not esteem ourselves better or more righteous than others.
Instead of self-righteousness, God wishes us to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. However, when God actually summons us to service on behalf of the Kingdom, many shrink back. Their spirit seems willing but their flesh recoils. The flesh prefers instead to display its own power as excellent in matters that suit its own tastes. The flesh desires to be seen and admired.
We must walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. We must accept God’s will. If we persist in the Spirit we will accomplish a “dying to self” and we can then say that the life we live is no longer “us” but is Christ that lives within us. Our former self is (symbolically) crucified for the sake of Christ, whom we now follow. Like Christ, we forsake our fleshly existence in favor of our Spiritual existence. If we so live, the Spirit will do holy and wonderful work within us.
The Trap of Sin:
However, the least bit of pride provides the flesh opportunity. We must not be fearful over the possibility that we may lose face before others. We must not be vain-glorious. We must resist tendencies to narcissism. Make no provision for the flesh. Never offer the flesh any ground in your being.
Sin seeks to possess us, to enslave us, and to draw us into obedience to it. Sin endeavors to make the body a puppet for the practice of sin. It is only through the body that sin expresses itself. If we persist in holding on to something that God wants us to relinquish, we give dominion to sin. When the body is dis-employed from sin, the person ceases to be its slave.
Many Christians are captivated by an initial liberation from the influence of sin and fail to realize they are still babes in Christ. With sin momentarily defeated, certain believers enter a new realm in which they view themselves as wholly spiritual, not realizing the immensity of the journey still before them. Even though the sin life has been squelched, the self life still persists. There remain many virtues of God’s nature still to become manifest. Although it has become an unseated sovereign, given the opportunity, sin will spring back. Triumph over sin is only a first step. It is like a door. But triumph over the self is more like a pathway that you walk for the rest of your days.
Following the Holy Spirit:
Upon overthrowing sin we must overcome ourselves. We must learn to obey God. To go where God wants us to go and to do what God wants us to do. We must give God the reins if we wish to continue to develop spiritually. The spiritual man will await God’s will and approach God intently, praying that God’s “will” be done. Fully conscious of his weakness, he petitions God and acts in accordance with Gods promise, counting on the power of the Holy Spirit. Supernatural power is available to us from the Holy Spirit.
Characteristics of Christians Who are Not Following the Holy Spirit:
The author provides a long list of characteristics of those Christians who may have surmounted major sin but are still not yet being lead fully by the Holy Spirit: (1) inordinately curious to know what the future holds, (2) show-offs in fashion, speech, and deeds, (3) love to argue, (4) deceived into believing that knowing something mentally is equivalent to possessing it experientially, (5) are self-righteous, (6) hold tenaciously to their minute opinions, (7) run wild in their conversations, (8) act compulsively, (9) profusely tell others how to act by citing long-windedly analogous incidents from their lives to corroborate their claims, (10) are unpredictable, (11) harbor extreme ups and downs (highs and lows) (12) are governed by their emotions, (13) are over sensitive, (14) easily become intimate with other people and thrive on affection (15) consider themselves special and spiritually stronger than others, (16) when God gives them special experiences they turn to boasting (17) often troubled by outside matters and affairs, (18) lack creative power, (19) like chameleons, they quickly take on the complexion of those around them (20) thrive on sensation (21) see themselves as taking great strides toward the peak of spirituality (22) are extremely talkative (23) have a high propensity to criticize (24) lack the spiritual capacity to be humble (25) leave others with an impression of coldness or hardness (26) not easy to approach or accompany (27) very proud, (28) unwilling to appear inferior (29) crave works to draw attention to themselves (30) have lots of schemes and plans (31) unable to maintain calm in their spirit (32) cannot fulfill God’s orders quietly (33) exude self-sufficiency and superior attitude (34) act hastily, (35) are guided by sudden thoughts that flash through their mind so their words and works are often inappropriate (36) lack spiritual discernment (37) are often deeply attached to their work, (38) love inner circles (39) insist on dominating (40) have difficulty preaching (41) relish using spectacular words and phrases (42) shower others with spiritual teachings, (43) wish to display their knowledge (44) have not yet attained freedom from natural shyness and fear (45) constantly compare themselves to others (46) want to be great and well spoken of, (47) derive great joy in being superior (48) are hurt at heart if others do not esteem them (49) spend great deals of time in self-congratulation when successful.
The above list is obviously long enough to include certain characteristics of all of us. What is vital for believers to see is that their true condition must be exposed to God’s light so they may be liberated into the truthful reality of what they are; and so become untainted by masks of self-illusion and narcissism. To be simply “what we are”: a minute speck of a being among billions, upon a speck of a planet among billions, yet wholly available to be led by God. And if we are so led, our smallness can be unleashed into a powerful spiritual entity that God has nurtured. When a Christian receives from God this true view of his natural self, he may put it to rest, thereby expanding his spiritual being marvelously to fill the place that was once held by masked perception.
Persisting in the Battle Against Sin:
The battle against sin is won or lost in the mind, where it is first fermented. We eliminate sin when we learn to extinguish it from our minds at its first eruption, giving it no foothold in our being. Evil spirits seek to introduce misunderstandings and prejudices. We must not allow self-pity, self-love, or fear of suffering to rule us ahead of God. We must not esteem our physical body more than the Will of God. Any excessive attachment to things is weakness to the enemy. We must subordinate everything to God by our own volitional choice. What we must sacrifice is anything that commands allegiance ahead of God. We must be entirely under the authority of the Holy Spirit. In so doing, we become fit to love in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Forgiveness has mediated our accomplished sin, but we must consider how we move forward. We must move forward in self denial because dealing with our natural inclinations is a constant necessity. Our compass is the Holy Spirit. We must not turn back! Remember Lot’s wife, “whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it”. We must forget our worldly possessions, especially in times of the greatest peril; else we will be compromised by the dark forces. If we take a backward glance, we relinquish ground. We cannot outwardly forsake the world and yet inwardly cling to what we have forsaken. Nothing of this world should move a believer’s heart more than what God is and what God wants. The Bible compares this process of “dying to self” as that of a grain of wheat that falls to the earth and dies, but in its death bears forth a multitude of other grains, imparting life to many.
Spiritual Maturity:
We have to discern and cultivate the presence of the Holy Spirit. When we follow the Holy Spirit, we are lead into a realm more profound than that of mere sensation. When we are released from the world of sensation into the world of the Spirit, we come into rest. It is something that we must experience. It is not something we can simply learn. To understand it mentally is not enough. And once we do experience it, no longer will we dare be independent of God. We surrender fully, but not by compulsion; we do it gladly. We become God’s temple. Our spiritual senses are sharpened and we gain utterance to witness for the Lord. We bear fruit. This is the life of ascension, above disturbance, discerning everything, transparent, devoting time to spend before God, awaiting His guidance.
Spiritual Work:
Spiritual life is for spiritual work and spiritual work expresses spiritual life. It is an experience of an incessant flowing of ones life to others. He who is occupied with the Father’s business and not his own shall find himself perpetually full. One gains by losing self for others and not by hoarding for oneself.
The life within a spiritual man is released by performing spiritual labor. But profit and merit do not serve as the indicators for our work. God chooses His worker. One must be inaugurated by the Lord Himself to undertake spiritual work. It should not be initiated through the persuasion of preachers, friends, or the bent of our natural temperament. Instead of coming to spiritual work, we should be sent to spiritual work. Spiritual service means working by our spirit for the quickening of the spirits of others.
Tasks should be discontinued if they no longer enjoy God’s anointing, become out of current, or create a sluggish, languid feeling. Under these circumstances, another undertaking should be found which flows with the current. Every task should be undertaken joyfully as the overflow of the life of the spirit.
Too often, the Lord’s people get entangled in “organization”, to the detriment of their spiritual life and effectiveness. They become so bound by the organizational environment that they lose the freedom to follow the Holy Spirit! What begins as free choice to do God’s work becomes slavery under the bureaucracy that presses people into a generic form of service. Such bureaucracy can monopolize everything and deflect spiritual work into administrative work, thereby depriving workers of other, more noble, tasks. We must set aside every work that is not appointed by Him. We must recognize and appreciate opportunities for spontaneous ministry initiated by The Holy Spirit in our day to day life, outside the bounds of the administration of others.
Prayer:
Mature prayer is man joining in God’s will by utterance of affirmation. We need to ask for what God wants. We should depend on the movement of the Holy Spirit within our spirit for uttering His prayer. Prayer should originate from God. Negligence in prayer withers the inner man. Nothing can be a substitute for prayer. Prayer is imperative in spiritual warfare. Prayer allows us to first inwardly overcome the enemy and then outwardly deal with him. We must pray incessantly.
THE REVIEW IS CONTINUED IN THE FIRST COMMENT SECTION THAT FOLLOWS
Watchman Nee was a Chinese Christian teacher who lived during the 20th century. Nee published many books; and established churches throughout China. Following the Communist Revolution, Nee was persecuted and imprisoned for his faith and spent the last twenty years of his life in prison.
Nee’s personal library encompassed over three thousand titles on church history, spiritual growth, and Bible commentary. Nee is said to have spent one-third of his income on personal needs, one-third to assist others, and the remaining third on spiritual books. In referring to his literary ministry, Nee remarked:
“After my illness, God made it known to me that the primary purpose of His imparting messages to me was not for explaining the Scripture, nor for preaching the ordinary Gospel, nor for prophesying, but for laying stress on the living way of life… All that I have written has one aim, which is that the reader will, in the new creation, give himself wholly to God and become a useful person in His hands”. –Watchman Nee
Upon the rise of the Chinese Communist Party, in 1949, Christians came under great persecution in China. Nee was arrested in 1952 and sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment with reform by labor. Nee was scheduled for release in 1967, but was detained in prison until his death in 1972.
There was no funeral or even announcement of Nee’s death. His remains were cremated before his family even arrived at the prison. However, before he died, Nee left a piece of paper under his pillow, inscribed with the following words:
“Christ is the Son of God who died for the redemption of sinners and resurrected after three days. This is the greatest truth in the universe. I die because of my belief in Christ”. –Watchman Nee
The Spiritual Man:
Lee published The Spiritual Man in 1928. These three volumes of the The Spiritual Man together encompass over 700 pages. Perhaps partially due to the translation from Chinese, these volumes are somewhat exhaustive, sometimes rambling, and frequently contradictive. There is also much redundancy in Nee’s writing style. Nonetheless, The Spiritual Man is a treasure trove of value, if one is diligent enough to sift carefully through the repetition. It is like sifting through sand to uncover treasure-after-treasure of deep spiritual insight.
I have to characterize Nee’s writing as nothing less than a psychological analysis of the Christian thought processes, which he accomplishes with profuse ramblings and overlapping discussions, which are not infrequently contradictory.
Tripartite Man:
The centerpiece of this writing is Nee’s identification of man as tripartite: spirit, soul, and body, the latter of which Nee often refers to as our “earthly tent”. Nee defines the soul as some combination of spirit and body, the degrees of which vary among people. Spirit is the breath of life that comes from God. Within the Godly man, the spirit acts upon the soul; which, in turn, expresses itself through the body. This process is reversed in the ungodly, which results in someone who is dominated by the flesh, or body.
The Spirit communicates with the spiritual world and the body communicates with the natural world. The soul is a bridge between the spiritual and natural worlds and looms somewhere in between. According to Nee, the question is ultimately: what does our soul love most, spiritual things or bodily and worldly things? Does our soul indeed love the truth or does it take its pleasure in unrighteousness? The spiritual person depends on God and is satisfied with what God has given. The bodily person gravitates away from God and covets those things that are not of God.
The existence of the spiritual world is indisputable. Our soul is in the balance, languishing between the spiritual and natural worlds, bearing free will, like an innocent child with money, being lured by hawkers at a County Fair.
Dying to Self:
When one comes to believe, the Holy Spirit comes to abide in the essence of their spiritual being. Nee is careful to emphasize this is an abiding that begins in the spirit of man, as opposed to the body. We may become a believer in a moment, but the process of denying our body, “denying self”, occurs throughout our life. It is through the Holy Spirit that we are able to daily overcome our bodily self. The flesh wishes to lead man to sin, but the spirit longs to lead man to righteousness.
Many Christians experience the saving grace of God, in affirming their belief, but languish in the subsequent process of “denying self”. Either they assume that it is merely enough to be saved, they lack sufficient spiritual appetite, or they are simply unwilling to bear the price for spiritual advancement. Nee refers to such people as: “over-stuffed babes”. Nee says such people are easily recognized because they sin often, are often selfish, irritable, contentious, vain, unforgiving, and unloving.
The process of “dying to self” is not instantaneous. It involves successive defeats of sin, as we progress to uncovering sins we initially didn’t even know existed. As these sins are systematically taken away, we move more and more deeply into the spiritual life. In Eph. 5, works of the flesh that hinder us are identified as: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealously, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, and carousing. To the extent we are enmeshed in any of these things, we have not fully relinquished our flesh.
Don’t misunderstand, “dying to self” does not mean that we destroy the hands, feet, ears, and eyes of the human body or any of its functions. God wants us to be lucid and ready to do His will. The point is whether our soul’s faculties are regulated by the spirits of this natural life or by the supernatural Holy Spirit. Simply yielding to God by forsaking all that attempts to distract us from God is what is meant by “dying to self”.
Living Water:
We “die to self”, by understanding that through Christ’s death, God has established a vast surplus of forgiveness. This surplus is an unlimited well of forgiveness that flows unceasingly like abundant living water. At any time, we may draw from this well of forgiveness for immediate expropriation of guilt and restitution for our sins! What an amazing gift that is!
We are, in many ways, just like a spoiled child, with a loving parent! And like that child, we ultimately recognize that our parent’s forgiveness stems from their love for us. We forsake sin because we also love the parent and wish to please the parent. We come to love our parent, God, more than the bodily charges that bring us to sin. The infusion of this love, throughout our being, is what allows us to lay aside our sin and “die to self”. Thereafter, we must go to the well of living water daily, for it sustains us. In this way, our body is delivered to become a temple of the Holy Spirit and is at liberty to commune with God and to do God’s work.
The Trap of Self-righteousness:
Along the journey, many become confused in self-righteousness, which, if not destroyed, ultimately leads back to unrighteousness. Self-righteousness seeks to elevate the “self” as capable of performing good without the Holy Spirit, without the necessity of humility, without waiting on God, and/or without praying. It is the process of trying to become “somebody” via self-willed righteousness and ascribing glory to oneself. The self-righteous often believe they possess the truth even though everything they have comes from hearing and mimicking others. In elevating the “self”, they work to establish another righteousness that is outside of Christ, i.e. their own. We must recognize that we possess not a righteousness of our own, but harbor within us the righteousness of God. We must not esteem ourselves better or more righteous than others.
Instead of self-righteousness, God wishes us to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. However, when God actually summons us to service on behalf of the Kingdom, many shrink back. Their spirit seems willing but their flesh recoils. The flesh prefers instead to display its own power as excellent in matters that suit its own tastes. The flesh desires to be seen and admired.
We must walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. We must accept God’s will. If we persist in the Spirit we will accomplish a “dying to self” and we can then say that the life we live is no longer “us” but is Christ that lives within us. Our former self is (symbolically) crucified for the sake of Christ, whom we now follow. Like Christ, we forsake our fleshly existence in favor of our Spiritual existence. If we so live, the Spirit will do holy and wonderful work within us.
The Trap of Sin:
However, the least bit of pride provides the flesh opportunity. We must not be fearful over the possibility that we may lose face before others. We must not be vain-glorious. We must resist tendencies to narcissism. Make no provision for the flesh. Never offer the flesh any ground in your being.
Sin seeks to possess us, to enslave us, and to draw us into obedience to it. Sin endeavors to make the body a puppet for the practice of sin. It is only through the body that sin expresses itself. If we persist in holding on to something that God wants us to relinquish, we give dominion to sin. When the body is dis-employed from sin, the person ceases to be its slave.
Many Christians are captivated by an initial liberation from the influence of sin and fail to realize they are still babes in Christ. With sin momentarily defeated, certain believers enter a new realm in which they view themselves as wholly spiritual, not realizing the immensity of the journey still before them. Even though the sin life has been squelched, the self life still persists. There remain many virtues of God’s nature still to become manifest. Although it has become an unseated sovereign, given the opportunity, sin will spring back. Triumph over sin is only a first step. It is like a door. But triumph over the self is more like a pathway that you walk for the rest of your days.
Following the Holy Spirit:
Upon overthrowing sin we must overcome ourselves. We must learn to obey God. To go where God wants us to go and to do what God wants us to do. We must give God the reins if we wish to continue to develop spiritually. The spiritual man will await God’s will and approach God intently, praying that God’s “will” be done. Fully conscious of his weakness, he petitions God and acts in accordance with Gods promise, counting on the power of the Holy Spirit. Supernatural power is available to us from the Holy Spirit.
Characteristics of Christians Who are Not Following the Holy Spirit:
The author provides a long list of characteristics of those Christians who may have surmounted major sin but are still not yet being lead fully by the Holy Spirit: (1) inordinately curious to know what the future holds, (2) show-offs in fashion, speech, and deeds, (3) love to argue, (4) deceived into believing that knowing something mentally is equivalent to possessing it experientially, (5) are self-righteous, (6) hold tenaciously to their minute opinions, (7) run wild in their conversations, (8) act compulsively, (9) profusely tell others how to act by citing long-windedly analogous incidents from their lives to corroborate their claims, (10) are unpredictable, (11) harbor extreme ups and downs (highs and lows) (12) are governed by their emotions, (13) are over sensitive, (14) easily become intimate with other people and thrive on affection (15) consider themselves special and spiritually stronger than others, (16) when God gives them special experiences they turn to boasting (17) often troubled by outside matters and affairs, (18) lack creative power, (19) like chameleons, they quickly take on the complexion of those around them (20) thrive on sensation (21) see themselves as taking great strides toward the peak of spirituality (22) are extremely talkative (23) have a high propensity to criticize (24) lack the spiritual capacity to be humble (25) leave others with an impression of coldness or hardness (26) not easy to approach or accompany (27) very proud, (28) unwilling to appear inferior (29) crave works to draw attention to themselves (30) have lots of schemes and plans (31) unable to maintain calm in their spirit (32) cannot fulfill God’s orders quietly (33) exude self-sufficiency and superior attitude (34) act hastily, (35) are guided by sudden thoughts that flash through their mind so their words and works are often inappropriate (36) lack spiritual discernment (37) are often deeply attached to their work, (38) love inner circles (39) insist on dominating (40) have difficulty preaching (41) relish using spectacular words and phrases (42) shower others with spiritual teachings, (43) wish to display their knowledge (44) have not yet attained freedom from natural shyness and fear (45) constantly compare themselves to others (46) want to be great and well spoken of, (47) derive great joy in being superior (48) are hurt at heart if others do not esteem them (49) spend great deals of time in self-congratulation when successful.
The above list is obviously long enough to include certain characteristics of all of us. What is vital for believers to see is that their true condition must be exposed to God’s light so they may be liberated into the truthful reality of what they are; and so become untainted by masks of self-illusion and narcissism. To be simply “what we are”: a minute speck of a being among billions, upon a speck of a planet among billions, yet wholly available to be led by God. And if we are so led, our smallness can be unleashed into a powerful spiritual entity that God has nurtured. When a Christian receives from God this true view of his natural self, he may put it to rest, thereby expanding his spiritual being marvelously to fill the place that was once held by masked perception.
Persisting in the Battle Against Sin:
The battle against sin is won or lost in the mind, where it is first fermented. We eliminate sin when we learn to extinguish it from our minds at its first eruption, giving it no foothold in our being. Evil spirits seek to introduce misunderstandings and prejudices. We must not allow self-pity, self-love, or fear of suffering to rule us ahead of God. We must not esteem our physical body more than the Will of God. Any excessive attachment to things is weakness to the enemy. We must subordinate everything to God by our own volitional choice. What we must sacrifice is anything that commands allegiance ahead of God. We must be entirely under the authority of the Holy Spirit. In so doing, we become fit to love in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Forgiveness has mediated our accomplished sin, but we must consider how we move forward. We must move forward in self denial because dealing with our natural inclinations is a constant necessity. Our compass is the Holy Spirit. We must not turn back! Remember Lot’s wife, “whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it”. We must forget our worldly possessions, especially in times of the greatest peril; else we will be compromised by the dark forces. If we take a backward glance, we relinquish ground. We cannot outwardly forsake the world and yet inwardly cling to what we have forsaken. Nothing of this world should move a believer’s heart more than what God is and what God wants. The Bible compares this process of “dying to self” as that of a grain of wheat that falls to the earth and dies, but in its death bears forth a multitude of other grains, imparting life to many.
Spiritual Maturity:
We have to discern and cultivate the presence of the Holy Spirit. When we follow the Holy Spirit, we are lead into a realm more profound than that of mere sensation. When we are released from the world of sensation into the world of the Spirit, we come into rest. It is something that we must experience. It is not something we can simply learn. To understand it mentally is not enough. And once we do experience it, no longer will we dare be independent of God. We surrender fully, but not by compulsion; we do it gladly. We become God’s temple. Our spiritual senses are sharpened and we gain utterance to witness for the Lord. We bear fruit. This is the life of ascension, above disturbance, discerning everything, transparent, devoting time to spend before God, awaiting His guidance.
Spiritual Work:
Spiritual life is for spiritual work and spiritual work expresses spiritual life. It is an experience of an incessant flowing of ones life to others. He who is occupied with the Father’s business and not his own shall find himself perpetually full. One gains by losing self for others and not by hoarding for oneself.
The life within a spiritual man is released by performing spiritual labor. But profit and merit do not serve as the indicators for our work. God chooses His worker. One must be inaugurated by the Lord Himself to undertake spiritual work. It should not be initiated through the persuasion of preachers, friends, or the bent of our natural temperament. Instead of coming to spiritual work, we should be sent to spiritual work. Spiritual service means working by our spirit for the quickening of the spirits of others.
Tasks should be discontinued if they no longer enjoy God’s anointing, become out of current, or create a sluggish, languid feeling. Under these circumstances, another undertaking should be found which flows with the current. Every task should be undertaken joyfully as the overflow of the life of the spirit.
Too often, the Lord’s people get entangled in “organization”, to the detriment of their spiritual life and effectiveness. They become so bound by the organizational environment that they lose the freedom to follow the Holy Spirit! What begins as free choice to do God’s work becomes slavery under the bureaucracy that presses people into a generic form of service. Such bureaucracy can monopolize everything and deflect spiritual work into administrative work, thereby depriving workers of other, more noble, tasks. We must set aside every work that is not appointed by Him. We must recognize and appreciate opportunities for spontaneous ministry initiated by The Holy Spirit in our day to day life, outside the bounds of the administration of others.
Prayer:
Mature prayer is man joining in God’s will by utterance of affirmation. We need to ask for what God wants. We should depend on the movement of the Holy Spirit within our spirit for uttering His prayer. Prayer should originate from God. Negligence in prayer withers the inner man. Nothing can be a substitute for prayer. Prayer is imperative in spiritual warfare. Prayer allows us to first inwardly overcome the enemy and then outwardly deal with him. We must pray incessantly.
THE REVIEW IS CONTINUED IN THE FIRST COMMENT SECTION THAT FOLLOWS
August 2, 2019
This is the 4th or 5th time reading this book and I firmly believe one of the most important I've ever read. It's incredibly useful, but somewhat difficult to read. Not difficult as in-too difficult to comprehend-rather difficult as in it's so truthful it actual hurts.
This book could also be titled 'The right way to be human.'
This book could also be titled 'The right way to be human.'
January 12, 2014
Watchman Nee writes in the Second Preface,
These are important, orienting statements, convictions repeated throughout The Spiritual Man. This is a text that, though often quite reflective, makes sense only as informing a lived Christian faith.
Read as a work of theology or philosophical/theological/biblical anthropology, I find plenty of points of disagreement with Watchman Nee's book. But if I read it devotionally, conversationally, as I would talk with a fellow traveller or co-worker, then I found something different. I'm thankful for what I found.
The Spiritual Man voices one perspective--impinged by history and place, prejudice and culture--on how we cooperate with the Spirit's work of transformation in our lives. And though I live in a different place and have different assumptions, bear different prejudices, something in what he expresses rings true of my experience. He even points out paths I may have overlooked or snares I would have walked into. I am thankful for his perspective and this book.
I desire my readers to understand thoroughly that this work is in now way to be considered on the theory of spiritual life and warfare. I myself can testify that I have learned these truths through much suffering, trial and failure.He goes on later to say,
I deeply sense that only one class of people will actually understand this book. My original purpose was to supply the need of many believers; obviously only those who have need will be able to appreciate the book. Such ones will find here a guidebook. Others will either look upon these truths as ideals or criticize them as inappropriate. According to the measure of his need shall be the believer's understanding of what is written here. Unless the reader has personal need he will not find any problem solved through the reading of these pages.
These are important, orienting statements, convictions repeated throughout The Spiritual Man. This is a text that, though often quite reflective, makes sense only as informing a lived Christian faith.
Read as a work of theology or philosophical/theological/biblical anthropology, I find plenty of points of disagreement with Watchman Nee's book. But if I read it devotionally, conversationally, as I would talk with a fellow traveller or co-worker, then I found something different. I'm thankful for what I found.
The Spiritual Man voices one perspective--impinged by history and place, prejudice and culture--on how we cooperate with the Spirit's work of transformation in our lives. And though I live in a different place and have different assumptions, bear different prejudices, something in what he expresses rings true of my experience. He even points out paths I may have overlooked or snares I would have walked into. I am thankful for his perspective and this book.
February 11, 2020
"The Spiritual Man" is a thorough book on Spirituality. I love how Watchman Nee breaks down the different elements of a person's relation to God and the world around them. He does a great job discussing the tripartite nature of man, including the body, soul, and spirit.
This book richly blessed me and the way I view the spiritual realm. The theology he puts forth is helpful for the believer in relating to the Holy Spirit. I especially loved his writings on Intuition, Communion, and Revelation.
Lastly, Nee does a fantastic job of explaining how the Holy Spirit operates through the renewed will of the believer. In that process, believers are not passive and still have a will, but a choice is given to obey or disobey. This teaching is important. I recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about Spiritual Life.
This book richly blessed me and the way I view the spiritual realm. The theology he puts forth is helpful for the believer in relating to the Holy Spirit. I especially loved his writings on Intuition, Communion, and Revelation.
Lastly, Nee does a fantastic job of explaining how the Holy Spirit operates through the renewed will of the believer. In that process, believers are not passive and still have a will, but a choice is given to obey or disobey. This teaching is important. I recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about Spiritual Life.
Read
January 7, 2009Awesome book.. but; you have to be spiritually ready to deal with yourself in order to understand....
August 16, 2009
An excellent book...very deep and goes into bold details on the spiritual life...not for those not seeking a little more depth...
April 6, 2010
Honestly read it a long time ago. He definitely gave me a new perspective to think about. I remember liking it at the time, but I would have to reread it to get a feel for it again.
September 12, 2010
I read this book 3 times!
February 25, 2013
Should be on the "Required Reading" list for all Christians.
December 12, 2017
Amazing read. Profound.
July 29, 2021
A masterpiece work. The greatest single book on the Christian walk I have ever read. Took me over half a year to finish it. It is that deep and provoking. The work is not an overly academic, wordy, deep-thinker kind of deep, but rather a reflective kind of deep. I had nearly 200 highlighted paragraphs with notes.
Just read it.
Just read it.
June 29, 2017
Great quotes: "How often the intents of the heart are utterly pure and yet the thoughts in the head are confused....lacking spiritual insight...They reject every other truth because these do not blend in with their preconceived notions."
"To have our intellects renewed we must draw near to the cross...Salvation is more than a general vague thing...God wants to renew our minds...Patiently and decisively must the Christian examine every one of his thoughts--but in the light of God. Whatever is ot of Him...must be squeezed or pressed out of his head."
"We should read and memorize more of the Word of God, lest we be unable to find it at the moment of urgent need."
"Salvation has two elements, a cutting off and a uniting with....uniting is with God...a union of life and a union of will....the son who knows his father's heart not only fulfills his duty, but fulfills it with delight."
Nee especially rails against "passivity." Every Christian must with great efforts take action to renew his mind and spirit.
My one critique: Nee so consistently misses the opportunity to endorse the careful study of God's Word that one wonders whether the Bible has any significant role for him in the development of the Spiritual Man? This is a serious defect in the book. There is a lot of wisdom presented, but very little exhortation to immerse oneself in the Word.
"To have our intellects renewed we must draw near to the cross...Salvation is more than a general vague thing...God wants to renew our minds...Patiently and decisively must the Christian examine every one of his thoughts--but in the light of God. Whatever is ot of Him...must be squeezed or pressed out of his head."
"We should read and memorize more of the Word of God, lest we be unable to find it at the moment of urgent need."
"Salvation has two elements, a cutting off and a uniting with....uniting is with God...a union of life and a union of will....the son who knows his father's heart not only fulfills his duty, but fulfills it with delight."
Nee especially rails against "passivity." Every Christian must with great efforts take action to renew his mind and spirit.
My one critique: Nee so consistently misses the opportunity to endorse the careful study of God's Word that one wonders whether the Bible has any significant role for him in the development of the Spiritual Man? This is a serious defect in the book. There is a lot of wisdom presented, but very little exhortation to immerse oneself in the Word.
October 9, 2016
It took me forever to get through this book, not just because it was huge but because I was making notes and underlining every other word and stopping to pray and cry because it's just that awesome. This entire book is based on the understanding of the 3-parts of the human nature (Body, Soul and Spirit) which can be controversial in comparison the idea that humans are only divided into a body and soul/spirit but Nee's arguments can be applied outside of just this. There are a few extremes, for instance when he insists that moments of wasted thoughts such as daydreaming or dissociating are paramount to sin, but for the most part, this book is full of awesome teaching. I would suggest you read "Systematic Theologies" discussion on the topic of the soul/spirit to get a balanced argument, though.
December 31, 2008
Very deep. I like it. I had to really meditate on some of the concepts. The author took the subject material at a grounds-eye view, picking out every little nuance to make a point. Now I love that, but it can get a little old and makes it harder to remember past points to pull everything together to get the main point-hence the meditation part. But it really helped me in my spiritual walk with God.
January 28, 2020
What a journey.
This has been a difficult book to read. It has exposed the weakest parts of me and helped me to see God's truth in each matter.
It's like sifting out the lies that has been embedded in my heart and mind over many years.
Now with clarity I can move forward in life, able to identify that which is not of God or even of myself.
To be vigilant is a Christians stance in life. I thank God for teaching me these essential principles and in turn for setting me free.
This has been a difficult book to read. It has exposed the weakest parts of me and helped me to see God's truth in each matter.
It's like sifting out the lies that has been embedded in my heart and mind over many years.
Now with clarity I can move forward in life, able to identify that which is not of God or even of myself.
To be vigilant is a Christians stance in life. I thank God for teaching me these essential principles and in turn for setting me free.
June 13, 2012
Very insightful. We never stop asking who are we ? And our answer might be either related with the inner world or the outer world, but not the true self. Our flesh , our soul, our spirit are there for us to discover . Watchman Nee, the legendary Chinese pastor in the last century wrote an excellent book .Not easy to follow, but quite inspiring.
July 12, 2016
Must read for every person who is a disciple or has a desire to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. This is a book that will strip you of all pride and bring humility to your spirit when you consider how flawed our nature as humans are and how unable we are to be good except God inspires us to do so.
December 5, 2019
2 Corinteni 4:10,18
[10]Purtăm întotdeauna cu noi, în trupul nostru, omorârea Domnului Isus, pentru ca și viaţa lui Isus să se arate în trupul nostru.
[18]Pentru că noi nu ne uităm la lucrurile care se văd, ci la cele ce nu se văd, căci lucrurile care se văd sunt trecătoare, pe când cele ce nu se văd sunt veșnice.
[10]Purtăm întotdeauna cu noi, în trupul nostru, omorârea Domnului Isus, pentru ca și viaţa lui Isus să se arate în trupul nostru.
[18]Pentru că noi nu ne uităm la lucrurile care se văd, ci la cele ce nu se văd, căci lucrurile care se văd sunt trecătoare, pe când cele ce nu se văd sunt veșnice.
September 21, 2008
long detailed guide on the inner workings of christian habit written in 1920s by Chinese christian, Watchman Nee...not everyones cup of tea as it reads almost like a kung fu manual in its mechanics of discipline..
June 3, 2012
Phenomenal breakdown of spiritual truth. One of the most relevant and practical books i've ever read. Definitely top 3 in the "must read" category if you are to take your faith seriously and have implications beyond the immediate.
February 25, 2013
Reading pieces here and there. Going through with an Orange Highlighter!
Recently splashed orange highlights in the chapters on: Affection & Desire.
Now i am interested in re-tracing how chinese missionary theology was
formed and who helped shaped Watchman Nee's theology in particularly.
Recently splashed orange highlights in the chapters on: Affection & Desire.
Now i am interested in re-tracing how chinese missionary theology was
formed and who helped shaped Watchman Nee's theology in particularly.
April 11, 2016
The book pictured is all three volumes of his work put together. This opinion is regarding the second volume, regarding the spiritual life of a Christ-follower. Overall I find his theological insight very deep and penetrating.
Want to read
December 12, 2008This is book II. I have the 1989 edition.
April 16, 2010
This book rocked my entire universe. Watchmen Nee is truly a blessing from God who's knowledge and wisdom surpasses many. Read it. Study it. Know it.
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