In this short Christian classic, Watchman Nee pulls out three words from Paul's epistle to the Ephesians that encapsulate the Christian life. These three words describe a believer's relation to God, man, and Satan. Every believer has been called by God to live a holy life and to stand against the enemy, but the secret to doing both is resting in the accomplished work of Christ.
Key words in Ephesians 1. Our Position in Christ—"SIT" (2:6) 2. Our Life in the World—"WALK" (4:1) 3. Our Attitude to the Enemy—"STAND" (6:11) –p. xi |
This book is a must read for any seeking believer.
Sit
The individual Christian life begins with a man "in Christ"—... when by faith we see ourselves seated together with him in the heavens. –p. 2
For Christianity begins not with a big DO, but with a big DONE. –p. 2
The Christian life from start to finish is based upon this principle of utter dependence upon the Lord Jesus. –p. 3
"Sitting" is an attitude of rest... We only advance in the Christian life as we lean first of all to sit down. –p. 3
To sit down is simply to rest our whole weight—our load, ourselves, our future, everything—upon the Lord. We let him bear the responsibility and case to carry it ourselves. –p. 3
The secret is not in walking but in sitting; not in doing but in resting in something done. –p. 7
God is waiting till you cease to do... When you case doing, then God will begin. –p. 11
Walk
Sitting describes our position with Christ in the heavenlies. Walking is the practical outworking of that heavenly position here on earth. –p. 16
If we only try to do the right thing, surely we are very poor Christians. We have to do something more than what is right.... The principle is that of conformity to Christ. –p. 21
The Christian's secret is his rest in Christ... All who sit can walk... We sit forever with Christ that we may walk continuously before men. Forsake for a moment our place of rest in him, and immediately we are tripped up and our testimony in the world is marred. But abide in Christ, and our position there ensures the power to walk worthy of him here. –p. 23
His walking is not based on his efforts but on God's mighty inward working.... Paul has seen himself seated in Christ; therefore his walk before men takes its character from Christ dwelling in him. –p. 23
Until we are willing for God to work it in, it is useless for us to try to work it out. Often we try to be meek and gentle without knowing what it means to let God work in us the meekness and gentleness of Christ. We try to show love, and, finding we have none, we ask the Lord for love. Then we are surprised that he does not seem to give it to us.... You were wrong in seeking that love as something in itself, a kind of package commodity, when what God desires is to express through you the love of His Son. –p. 24-25
There is no need to exert yourself. Repose in Him. Count upon His life. –p. 26
The operation of His life in us is in a true sense spontaneous... it is without effort of ours. The all-important rule is not to "try" but to "trust," not to depend upon our own strength but upon his. –p. 27
Too many Christians have all the doctrine but live lives that are a contradiction of it. –p. 30
May the Lord teach us that the whole principle of the Christian life is that we go beyond what is right to do that which is well-pleasing to him. -p. 30
Stand
We must know how to sit with Christ in heavenly places and we must know how to walk worthy of Him down here, but we must also know how to stand before the foe. –p. 40
For no Christian can hope to enter the warfare of the ages without learning first to rest in Christ and in what He has done, and then, through the strength of the Holy Spirit within, to follow Him in a practical, holy life here on earth. –p. 40
Two thrones are at war. God is claiming the earth for His dominion, and Satan is seeking to usurp the authority of God. The church is called to displace Satan from his present realm and to make Christ Head over all. –p. 41
The word "stand" implies that the ground disputed by the enemy is really God's, and therefore ours.... Nearly all the weapons of our warfare described in Ephesians are purely defensive. –p. 42
He warred against Satan in order to gain the victory.... Today we war against Satan only to maintain and consolidate the victory which Christ has already gained. –p. 42
Today we do not fight for victory; we fight from victory. –p. 43
Overcomers are those who rest in the victory already given to them by their God. –p. 43
Only those who sit can stand. Our power for standing, as for walking, lies in our having first been made to sit together with Christ. The Christian's walk and warfare alike derive their strength from his position there. If he is not sitting before God he cannot hope to stand before the enemy. –p. 44
We must not ask the Lord to enable us to overcome the enemy, nor even look to Him to overcome, but praise Him because he has already done so; He is victory. –p. 45
"The Christian life consists of sitting with Christ, walking by Him and standing in Him. We begin our spiritual life by resting in the finished work of the Lord Jesus. That rest is the source of our strength for a consistent and unfaltering walk in the world. And at the end of a grueling warfare with the hosts of darkness we are found standing with Him at last in triumphant possession of the field."
–p. 51