The shocking Gospel that you may have missed

If you have totally failed to live the "Christian Life". If you have failed to resist sin, failed to experience true peace, joy and righteousness I have the great news for you ever!!!

This was written by Watchmen Nee

At the beginning of our Christian life, we saw how the Lord Jesus bore our sins on the cross so that by His death we were delivered from death, our sins were forgiven, and we were condemned no more. Today Paul tells me that because Christ lives in me, I am delivered from living. The meaning here is simple: since He lives in me, I no longer need to live. As He died on the cross for me, so now He lives in me in my place. This is the secret of victory. This is Paul's secret. He does not say, "I hope I will not need to live," or, "I hope I can let Him live." He just says, "No longer live I, for I have let Him live. Now it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me."

Today Paul tells me that because Christ lives in me, I am delivered from living.

The gospel delivered to you today is that you do not need to live. God has exempted you from living. This, indeed, is a great gospel.

As it is good news that we need not die, so it is good news that we need not live. For a person to strive to live as a Christian is really an exhausting, impossible task. To ask an impatient, ill-tempered, proud person to live humbly will soon wear him out; he will be worn out by trying to be humble. No wonder the man in Romans 7 was tired! "For to will is present with me, but to do that which is good is not." To daily will to do good, yet daily be unable to do it-how very tiring this is. Then one day the gospel is preached to him, telling him that the Lord does not expect him to do good. Oh, this is a great gospel. The Lord does not require you to do good, neither does He want you to will to do good. He wants to come and live in you. The issue is not whether there is any good, but who does the good.
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Let this glorious truth sink into you NOW!!

Here it is again

Today Paul tells me that because Christ lives in me, I am delivered from living.

The gospel delivered to you today is that you do not need to live. God has exempted you from living. This, indeed, is a great gospel.

Galatians 2:20 is a powerful scripture and revelation of the true nature of the life of a Christian, that we have been crucified with Christ, and now it is Christ in us living His life in us and through us, and now we are living this life by the faith of the Son of God.

Christ is the life of a Christian.

"For me to live is Christ.”

After you have overcome and stopped sinning for a week, two weeks, three weeks, or even four or five weeks, you think that you have become good, that you have changed, and that you have matured. You may begin to appreciate yourself and boast in yourself. Therefore, God will give you a test and make you fail so that you will realize that you have not changed at all. If you can endure anything, it is not because you have changed but because you are exchanged. The Lord has endured in your place. If you think that you are changed, you will surely fail. You have to realize that if there is any endurance in you, it is Christ who is enduring for you. If there is any meekness in you, it is Christ who is being the meek One for you. If there is any holiness in you, it is Christ who is your holiness. No matter how long you have overcome, you are still you; you will always be you, and you will never change. Watchman Nee will always be Watchman Nee. After fifty years, he will still be Watchman Nee. Once grace leaves, the only thing that is left is just Watchman Nee. I thank and praise the Lord that victory is Christ and that it has nothing to do with me. I can still sin; I have not changed at all.

THE MEANING OF THIS LIFE - AN EXCHANGED LIFE, NOT A CHANGED LIFE

Brothers and sisters, victory has to do with an exchanged life, not a changed life. Victory does not mean that one is changed, but rather that one is exchanged. We are very familiar with Galatians 2:20, which says, "I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith in the Son of God." What does this verse mean? It means that our life is exchanged. Our life is no longer in the realm of "I"; it has nothing to do with us anymore. It is not an evil "I" being changed into a good "I," or a filthy "I" being changed into a clean "I." It is to be "no longer I." The greatest mistake we make today is to think that victory involves progress and that defeat involves the absence of progress. This is why we think that everything will be well if we do not lose our temper or if we have an intimate fellowship with God. We think that if we have these things, we will overcome. But we have to remember that victory has nothing to do with us. We play no part in this victory.

I was asking God what to preach. After a few failed attempts at a message, God told me on Saturday evening: "leave it, I will wake you up after midnight and let you know."
So He woke me up in the early morning hours and brought this verse you both shared to my mind.
Later, when I got up in the morning, the thoughts were flowing as if the Spirit dictated them. I used to preach with notes but I felt they easily become a straitjacket and hinder the wind that blows as He will. So I just took the verse and no other notes. It was such a liberating experience to deliver a message that I had received but not forged by myself. It is in German though.

Thanks a lot Mike and Vern!

I believe Gal 2:20 is not a promise for all Christians. It is a state that Paul has attained in his spiritual walk. It can be considered as a promise only when we attain to that state. The verse starts with saying, 'I have been crucified with Christ Jesus'. This means he has completely yielded his 'I' or self will to Christ. Now Christ through the Holy Spirit is living the His life inside Paul. If we miss the first condition and just take the 2nd part of the verse as a promise and apply to all believers then we are under a great error. For example when we sin is it Christ sinning then since it is no longer we who live? But when we yield our will to Christ and take up his cross, then we let Christ live his resurrected life inside us. Without out this yielding there is no promise of Christ living. He does not force His life inside us.

Many of Watchman Nee's writings are fordged by Witness Lee group. So one needs to be careful in reading his writings and make sure they are old publications that were published in 1950s of 60s.

I am going to the window and I am going to open it and stick my head out and yell "I'm mad at these lies, and I'm not going to take them anymore!

I do not fight these lies nor do I struggle with them they are just lies and I am not taking them because they do not belong to me.

Lie - I have two dogs within me in me - a white dog and a black dog and the one I feed the most wins. NO! That is the old nature - the black dog was killed by God in Christ on the cross and if I ever think I hear it barking at me I know it can not be.

Lie - I have two minds - NO! I've got God's mind. I've got God's wisdom - right Now - nothing to wait for or acquire

Lie - Sometimes I am in the Spirit and sometimes I am in the flesh. NO! I am always in the SPIRIT 24 hours a day.

Lie - I do not have enough faith - NO! I Live by Christ's faith inside of me. His faith is mine - no separation.

Lie - I can get outside of Christ. No! Jesus Christ is my life and no other life exists so just impossible.

Lie - I always come up short. NO! The law will make me think that but the law does not and can not ever define me. Jesus Christ is ALWAYS connecting me to the father. He is my CONTINUOUS CONNECTION to my Dad.

Lie - God is displeased with me. No! I am always His BELOVED SON IN WHOM HE IS WELL PLEASED. I don't mistake chastisement for punishment. I Never say that my loving Father punishes me. Yes I may need correction - Him teaching me lessons which I am always glad to have learned.

Lie - I am self centered! NO! Before I was born again I HAD TO BE self centered - But now I am under a new motivation, new management. I've got a new Person Living inside me as me! I used to be Mr. Self-centeredness! I could only be what the person inside me was. Therefore I can't be Mr. Self-centeredness." I may slip into an area like that but I can't live in it. I can't be self for self ever again because I have been born of God's Spirit. Now the love of God is shed abroad in my heart." I am under the 'boss Christ' now. I used to under 'boss Satan' but now I am under 'boss Jesus. This is now an actual fact that I count on.

All these lies and others like them I don't 'take' them. I cast them out and reject them totally fully knowing that I am not and can never be these things. IMPOSSIBLE. I do not fight it as if sometimes If have faith, and other times act as if I don't have faith. Now, I AM The faith. The other is just an invasion of what I am not I do not have to take it. Advice, reason, appearances may cause me to hesitate, but I don't take them. That's the unified mind operating with in me which overcomes the other by affirmation of faith - "I'm not taking that!" Not that I struggle against it - I'm not that. That has gone out in that old 'doubts line'. It has gone out in Christ, the Cross, and the crucifixion of Christ. I died to being that kind of person - I have to find my own way, and scheme my own - No - I died to that one! So I'm not answering the lies by fighting. I am answering these by saying, "It isn't there - It can not be there." Now I come back. I do not see the other, I don't see evil, I don't see questions. I just don't see them.

Gal. 2:20 says, "I am crucified with Christ, yet not I," No, "nevertheless, I live, yet not I," because it isn't me. My living self is not I. Get it? "I am crucified with Christ." I am not in my old relationship. Now I am no longer "I" stumbling about here. "I live, no I don't, Christ lives in me." That's the replacement, an exchange of lives. Now I do not need to live. God has exempted me from living or even tying to live because Christ lives in me and I am delivered from living. That means my real I now is the Living Deity of Jesus Christ - the Person living in me. Now, you see, if I get that, I see I have been disillusioned about this false idea of self running itself, if I get that now I am under a new life, I begin to be free, because I begin to be myself because I am really not I - I am really Christ in me.

Now you are coming to a new thing. "I'm crucified with Christ," (out) "I live, no I don't live, Christ lives in me." I have changed over from wrong self in Satan to - not I but Christ. Then I come back to the right self - I now live in the flesh and I live it by the recognition that is not just me. An exchange has taken place and now Christ is my life and no other life exists. Faith is always substance by recognition "of the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me." This has given me a new concept toward God. He's my Father! He's Daddy. All the bondage is out. I Dare to believe that I am free to be myself and God is now operating through me and operating in me! Now cast out, throw them away and reject all lies and speak the truth!!

If you are concerned about doing right and avoiding wrong then are caught up by this outward law system as if you're an independent person running your life. You need to repent from that mindset and see that your old self is totally dead to sin and the law. The knowledge of good and evil got them kicked out of the garden. It is impossible to use that system to get back in.

Kick out this business of 'you yourself' and 'right and wrong" if you have this mindset then the law can 'talk' to you. Cast out this self business and have NOTHING to do with it. I am no longer an independent self; cast it out! I recognize and put it that way because you're no longer an independent self to which law can say this and that to. NOW - Stand fast in the liberty for which Christ has made you free! In other words, stand fast in what we just read in Galatians 2:20 - the liberty by which Christ has made you free is that Christ in you is your freedom! You are really Christ, not yourself. Your real I - I live, no I don't, Christ lives in me. Now that's freedom because Christ is everything!

Do not forget it was the Lies that the Israelite's took and received that prevented them from entering the promised land. Be like Caleb and boldly state the REAL TRUTH. You can do that now!!! Cast out the lies and embrace the TRUTH!! They embraced the lie which was unbelief - not that they did not believe - they chose to believe in the lie and rejected the truth.

As you are reading this The Holy Spirit is opening your eyes to the truth of this GOSPEL that you no longer have to attempt to live the Christian life. That is impossible because you were never designed to do that. Now the Living Deity of Jesus Christ is dwelling within you and is the only you that exists. Maybe you have seen giants that appear impossible to deal with. It may be physical, spiritual, a besetting sin that has held you captive for many years or it could be demonic. It does not really matter. That giant is just a grasshopper that has nothing to do with Christ. Now you have a choice to make are you going to embrace the lie or change your mind and repent by embracing the truth? It is time to boldly stand up and yell ”I'm not going to take these lies anymore!” You can do it NOW!!!

Gal 2:20 is not a promise - It is a unchangeable divine fact.

If Paul saying 'I have been crucified with Christ' (Gal 2:20) is not his testimony but a fact or truth or promise applicable for everyone then why are we not consider the same Paul saying 'I have finished the race' (2 Tim 4:7), as applicable to all? Which means we are picking and choosing one as a fact and another as a testimony! There is no truth or consistency in our Bible interpretation.

Like CS Lewis said, "If you look for truth,” Lewis writes, "you may find comfort in the end: If you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth. One who seeks God and His word for the truth will only find comfort, but the one who searches the scripture to find comfort about his sinful condition will only be deceived by the same Bible!

Hi brother Vern,

The phrase "I am cruicified with Christ" is in the aorist tense. That means it is an event in the past that may and in this case does still endure into the present.

Paul wrote

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

So our life in the flesh still continues, but in faith to the son. Faith is a gift but also an act on my side that needs to be exercised 24/7 to attain continuous victory.

Philippians 2:12
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Diligence is needed!
2 Peter 1:4-8
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lobet den Herrn Bruder !

Danke Gott für die Salbung des Heiligen Geistes

Mike, you can only "speak in tongues" if someone can interpret ;);)

"Praise the Lord Brother !
Thank you God for the anointing of the Holy Spirit."

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. Roms 6:6

Knowing this

Now I have to observe, I trust I’m not cynical, that in many places where Paul says "you know” or "knowing” or other words like that, I have to say frankly the majority of contemporary Christians don’t know. Quote - Derek Price

Our old man was crucified with Him - the old nature that is born into every descendant of Adam.

Freed from sin

For he who has died has been freed from sin. Rom 6:7

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him Rom 6:7

Alive with Christ...

Old man and flesh are 2 different things. Old man is the person who wants to sin and his nature is to Sin. But when we are born again the old man dies and we become a new creation in Christ. But the old flesh is still alive in us. Flesh still tempts us to sin. We need to put our flesh to death every single day by taking up the cross.

That is why when we are born again we get a new nature that does not want to sin.

If our flesh is also dead then why is Paul telling -
Gal 5:16 - So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

The evil desires of the flesh are still well alive in us but we got a new nature that does not want to satisfy this evil desires of the flesh.

The new man still needs to be fed everyday and kept strong in Christ else he can be defeated with sin originating from our flesh.

Amen!
Indeed it is as you say, and that dear brother is why grace (His divine influence) is so vital in order to keep step:))
While I do understand what brother Vern is saying,.. there is a sincere appreciation for you parsing this out because the distinction is there and you articulated it clearly 🙏🏻

I agree- there needs to be balance in this.

Rom. 6:11, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Reckoning is a banking term. Lets say that someone tells you that they just deposited 1 million dollars into you bank account. Yes- you get all excited and go to the bank counting on the fact that it is there and withdraw some money. Please note that reckoning - does not put the money there. No amount of reckoning can make it true. You reckon and count on it because you know it is already an existing fact. If it was not an existing fact you could never reckon it to be so - IMPOSSIBLE.

There are two things we must realize that we are told to reckon. The first thing we need to realize and know is the fact that we are NOW DEAD INDEED UNTO SIN. Now this is an unchangeable divine fact that was already done for us by Christ on the Cross. The scripture plainly states that when He was crucified we were crucified WITH HIM. When He died - We died. 2 Cor. 5:14-15, "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

The second part is realizing and knowing that we are NOW alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. If you missed what I posted before about this please read it here.

https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=63449&forum=36

Now the all important thing is that you get that, first. You reckon yourself dead unto sin. Get that! Get that clear. Now the next step is for you to make it clear that you are alive unto God through our Lord Jesus Christ. That is a relationship but now it is not a just a relationship, it is union with God and Christ. It is replacement. It isn't just a relationship unto God through Lord Jesus Christ. It is a replacement. Christ has taken me over. That is a deeper thing.

Some of you can't quite get that yet, because you have this false concept, "I'm my own person - a kind of independent person," which is a lie. "You are dead to the law" because if you are there, the law shouts at you, and it shows that you're not in union. The law is there while I think I'm and independent person - or under Satan. That's the law. It tells you, you shouldn't be that! So while you are under the law you are under a false illusion. As long as you believe that you are under law it will shout at you because you think you are independent.

Gal. 5:1, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." Now this is our liberty. We're delivered from being controlled by this old self - that quality of self-centeredness. And we have in its place the Spirit of Self-giving love. And we operate from that basis! You only begin to get deliverance when you affirm those things. The boldness is easy for to see but some of us are so confused. We don't dare to affirm these things but we've got to affirm them.

If you affirm your union with Christ and if you affirm that you'll never sin again, because sin is the principle of self and you'll never do that again because . You may slip into sin. You affirm that. You find that what you settle into is reality, and then you don't get bothered by the sins because when you slip you say, "OK, I slipped, but I'm not geared to that again. I just slipped." And come back. That's all. You learn something of this liberated life

You will only begin to get deliverance when you affirm those things. The boldness is easy you as you see this truth and you need to speak it out with boldness. As you take this truth in yourself it will settle within you and then this truth actually takes you over without effort. Now I must make your part clear - you must take the truth, embrace the truth, eat the truth and make it yours. GOD DOES NOT DO THAT FOR YOU - YOU MUST DO IT. Be bold and say "I am going to take it THIS TRUTH and therefore I'll take it by speaking a word of faith knowing I am strong in faith. I give glory to God because I am fully persuaded that what He has said He is able also to perform it in me NOW." By doing this I have totally conformed myself to God's truth. This completely destroys and totally delivers me from any false idea of any self-reliance. Yes you MUST TAKE IT as belonging to you. Faith sees it and just takes it - receives that truth as the existing reality.

This is the requited mixing of our faith that all but two did not do. " For, indeed, we have had the gospel preached to us, even as they also; but the Word did not profit those hearing it, not having been mixed with faith in the ones who heard." Look what Caleb said "The land we passed through and explored is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and He will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not be afraid of the people of the land, for they will be like bread for us. Their protection has been removed, and the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them!"

So now go to the window and open it and stick you head out and yell, "I'm crucified with Christ, I live, no I don't live, Christ lives in me." I have changed over from wrong self in Satan to - not I but Christ. I now live in the flesh and I live it by the recognition that is not just me. An exchange has taken place and now Christ is my life and no other life exists. Christ is the author and finisher of my Faith and I now live by HIS faith - the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me. I am now under new management and I have a new operating system. I know that God He's my Father! He's Daddy. All my old bondage is out. I dare to believe that I am free to be myself and God is now operating through me and operating in me!"

The way I understand it is that these truths, "I am dead to sin", "I no longer live but Christ lives in me", etc. are POSITIONAL truths that are indeed 100% true of our newborn spirit man. But just like the Israelites entering the Promised Land, they did in fact own by way of title deed granted by God the Promised Land but in order to enjoy the blessing they had to go and POSSESS the land by faith with God going before them and empowering them to conquer. This faith was very much an active responsibility they had to do or perhaps "step out into" by way of conflict with the opposing darkness that prevented them entry. It was not just some mental assent thing and *poof* it's done. And again, when they did their part in active faith, God's power showed up and made good their possession and overcoming.

-Daniel

The way I understand it is that these truths, "I am dead to sin", "I no longer live but Christ lives in me", etc. are POSITIONAL truths that are indeed 100% true of our newborn spirit man. But just like the Israelites entering the Promised Land, they did in fact own by way of title deed granted by God the Promised Land but in order to enjoy the blessing they had to go and POSSESS the land by faith with God going before them and empowering them to conquer.

This is exactly my understanding as well. If we take your example of Israel possessing the promise land by faith, we can read in Jeremiah that the false prophets secured Israel by giving them a false hope that the promise land is a title deed granted by God and they do not need to go as exiles to Babylon. But God had other plans and he gave them as exiles. Going as exiles is contrary to the promise of God but that is the word of God that Jeremiah spoke in contrast to the false prophets who gave false hope but based it on God's promise.

Even today I can see the same parallel. All this false hope given using NT promises like "you no longer live and CHrist is living inside you" ( Gal 2:20) to unrepentant believers, just like false prophets in Jeremiah's time did.

When we take any promise of God and ignore the condition then we believe and preach a false hope.