The church in Toledo

05/08/2021

Greetings! Your website has some interesting readings. I have a question if you could answer for me please. You have said before that Watchman Nee wrote that the cross is a non-redemptive act in the Glorious Church which shatters the concepts of Christianity. So if Christ’s death on the cross was non-redemptive how does a person get right with God? 
Thank you and God Bless

Thxxxxx

Response:  
 
Dear Thxxxxx,
 
Thank you for reaching out to us! This is a great question for every seeking believer to ask, and we are happy to share from what we have experienced and from the riches we have inherited from many dear saints who have gone before us.
 
We do believe and trust in the Lord’s redemptive death on the cross. The blood redeems us and reconciles us to God. But what is being redeemed and reconciled for? Truly being right with God means we are not only cleansed for our own righteousness, but recovered unto His original purpose for man. As Brother Watchman Nee writes, there is something more than the cleansing of man’s sins that God desires, which is revealed in Genesis when God had a need—a desire—and first created man. In Genesis 1-2, in the time before sin and before the fall of man, we see that man was created to express and represent God (Gen. 1:26-27) and that the church, typified by Eve, was also created as part of God’s ultimate plan (Gen. 2:18-20). Despite the fall of man, God has never forgotten his original plan and made a way to bring us back, recover us, to our original purpose.
 
In the Old Testament, justification for sins was fulfilled by the offerings and sacrifices of the animal life to God. In the New Testament age, however, Christ’s death has met the righteous requirements of God and fully justified man once and for all to make us worthy and acceptable before Him. This redemptive aspect of His cross is both for us to meet our own needs (to be saved from our sins and the slavery of the enemy and the world) and to recover us back to the righteous position we had before the introduction of sin so that we may accomplish the original purpose of our creation (through the non-redemptive, life-imparting aspect of the cross). 
 
So what is the non-redemptive aspect of our Lord’s death? The Glorious Church is an expounding text on the church as she relates to God’s original heart’s desire—a precious piece of revelation by our dear brother Nee, who also served the New Testament ministry in his era. This understanding of God’s original desire uplifts our view of our salvation; in the book, Nee writes that there is more than one aspect of the cross, and it is this aspect that releases life. This non-redemptive aspect deepens and actualizes, rather than defeats, the meaning of the cross:. This non-redemptive aspect deepens and actualizes, rather than defeats, the meaning of the cross:
 
“In the death of Christ there was an aspect which was not related to redemption but to the release of Himself. We are not saying that the death of Christ is not for redemption—we truly believe that it is—but His death involved an aspect which is not related to redemption. This aspect is the releasing of Himself for the creation of the church. It has nothing to do with sin. God is taking something out of Christ and using it to create the church. […] Redemption and the receiving of life are two distinct things. Redemption involves a negative aspect of dealing with our sins. We have sinned and deserve to die; therefore, Christ came to bear our sins. His death accomplished redemption for us. This aspect of His death is related to sin. But there is another aspect of His death which is not related to redemption: It is the imparting of Himself to us so that through His death we may receive life.” 
 
This non-redemptive, life-imparting aspect of His death is altogether related to the producing of the church to fulfill His desire and the original purpose of our creation. In Genesis 2:18-20, we see that God was alone and desired a counterpart, just as Adam was alone and needed a help meet. Who could satisfy this great need? For Adam, only that which came out of his own side, his own rib, could be that satisfaction. For our Lord, only the church could fulfill His heart’s desire—only that which came from Him—from His life—could be suitable as a counterpart. Just as Adam was put into a deep sleep so that Eve could come forth from his side, so our Lord was put into a “deep sleep” on the cross for the church to be produced. When the Lord’s side was pierced, what came forth? Blood and water—blood for redemption and water as the flow of His life. And just as Adam’s sleep happened before sin entered into man (and having no mention of blood), so our Lord’s life-releasing death represents an aspect having nothing to do with redemption of sin, but everything to do with the producing of His counterpart and completion, the church. Eve came out of Adam before the introduction of sin and thus the church was always part of His plan, regardless of man’s fall.
 
We in the church are not simply those who have been forgiven of sins, but also those who have entered into the new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). The Lord in His resurrection became the life-giving Spirit and became the Firstborn among many brothers (1 Cor. 15:45; Romans 8:29)! We are vessels to contain the Lord Himself through His Spirit in our spirit! By containing Him, His very life, we express Him and represent Him on the earth, dealing with His enemy. In this view, we can never remain alone. He desires a Body, knit together, joined together, organic. That’s how He sees man—a corporate Bride! In Genesis 2, we have Eve, built from Adam’s side before sin was. In Ephesians 5, we have the glorious church, being prepared to be presented to Him holy and without blemish. In Revelation 12, we have a woman giving birth to the man-child who will defeat the enemy. In Revelation 21, we have the New Jerusalem, the completion of the mingling of God with man. 
 
What a vision! What a purpose the Lord has for His church! And today we find ourselves as those redeemed saints, restored back to this calling to express Him, to represent Him, and to be His own Body, becoming even His Bride! Today, we are all called together to live in this new creation, to live out this victorious, corporate life of the Body of Christ together, and to be built up together into the Lord’s Bride. Though we do not esteem lightly our redemption, we treasure even more abiding in this flow of life that came from His side. When we see this vision, it is clear that we must shed all our self, pride, doctrine, concepts and opinions to be one in the Body, which satisfies God’s heart and crushes the enemy once and for all at the closing of the age. 
 
Thxxxxx, we are encouraged by your seeking and invite you to consider more these things before the Lord and with your family. Below is a link to the book The Glorious Church by Watchman Nee if you are interested in reading further. 
 
We are here for you anytime. 
 
The church in Toledo
05/12/2021