The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee

Author:Watchman Nee [Nee, Watchman]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Religion, Christian Life, General, Inspirational, Institutions & Organizations
ISBN: 9780842347105
Google: 9fPdiSyh8WgC
Amazon: 0842347100
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Published: 1977-05-31T22:00:00+00:00

In just such a manner God delivers us from one law by introducing another law. The law of sin and death is there all the time, but God has put another law into operation - the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, and that law is strong enough to deliver us from the law of sin and death.

You see, it is a law of life in Christ Jesus -- the resurrection life that in Him has met death in all its forms and triumphed over it (Eph. 1:19,20).

The Lord Jesus dwells in our hearts in the person of His Holy Spirit, and if we let Him have a clear way and commit ourselves to Him we shall find that He will keep us from the old law. We shall learn what it is to be kept, not by our own power, but "by the power of God" (1 Peter 1:5).

The Manifestation Of The Law Of Life

Let us seek to make this practical. We touched earlier on the matter of our will in relation to the things of God. Even older Christians do not realize how great a part will-power plays in their lives. That was part of Paul's trouble in Romans 7. His will was good, but all his actions contradicted it, and however much he made up his mind and set himself to please God, it led him only into worse darkness. Ì would do good', but "I am carnal, sold under sin". That is the point. Like a car without petrol, that has to be pushed and that stops as soon as it is left alone, many Christians endeavour to drive themselves by will-power, and then think the Christian life a most exhausting and bitter one. Some even force themselves to say `Hallelujah!' because others do it, while admitting there is no meaning in it to them. They force themselves to be what they are not, and it is worse than trying to make water run up-hill. For after all, the very highest point the will can reach is that of willingness (Matt. 26:41).

If we have to exert so much effort in our Christian living, it simply says that we are not really like that at all. We don't need to force ourselves to speak our native language. In fact we only have to exert will-power in order to do things we do not do naturally. We may do them for a time, but the law of sin and death wins in the end. We may be able to say:

`To will is present with me, and I perform that which is good for two weeks', but eventually we shall have to confess: `How to perform it I know not'. No, what I already am I do not long to be. If I "would" it is because I am not.

You ask, Why do men use will-power to try to please God? There may be two reasons. They may of course never have experienced the new birth,

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