What is the secret of Christian living?
The consuming desire of all true Christians is to be like Christ Jesus. Without doubt, such holy ambition is inspired by the Holy Spirit. For it is God's eternal will that all who are called by Him are to be conformed to the image of His beloved Son. Yet how ironical it is that most Christians seem to undergo great frustration in failing to reach that goal. Does God plan it that way or do we fail to know and appropriate the provision of God? Thank God, He never calls without providing. Therefore, it behooves us to enter into the secret of Christian living.
Truth is always simple in nature. This entire secret of Christian living is given in two simple phrases, which are: "in Christ" and "Christ in us."
"As long as you are in Christ, what you are in yourself does not count. If only you are in the bottle, whatever happens to the bottle happens to you. This is the glad tidings. So we declare that the gospel is free grace. Basically, it does not depend on you. If you are in Christ, then all is yours. For all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places have been given to us in Christ Jesus. There is no way for God not to give all these spiritual blessings to us if we are in Christ. He Himself has placed us in Christ; therefore, He cannot withhold any blessing from us. Nothing can be withheld."
Watchman Nee, The Secret of Christian Living
In The Secret of Christian Living, Watchman Nee presents this secret in three parts: in Christ, Christ in us, and the way this applies to daily life. These are messages given mainly from 1934 to 1938 in various cities ofChina. They are more direct, more illustrative and easier to understand. This book can be viewed as a companion volume to Watchman Nee's Christian classic, The Normal Christian Life.
