The Spiritual Man Paperback – September 20, 1968

I recommend this book for every new Christian and every old Christian who knows the Bible by heart

Watchman Nee provides the clearest, easiest to understand and detail explanation of our walk with Christ. His analogies and word pictures are excellent hooks to hang my scriptural concepts on. The Spiritual Man has become my go to Bible Companion. I will immediately reread it to make sure I haven't missed anything. I recommend it to all believers who are serious about following Christ.

If you want to live godly life and could not make it and sill need it, this is what you need! After you read some part you will regret you should found it earlier!

"Many Christians are born again and have participated in the Lord's resurrection but lack the manifestation of the power of the resurrection." (p.51)According the the Scriptures, "a complete person is a tripartite being, a person with a spirit, a soul, and a body." (p.6)Watchman Nee reveals how Scripture teachs us that man is spirit, soul, and body. Nee explains how God created man to join His Spirit with man's spirit (i.e. the eternal center of a man). The spirit is to govern the soul of a man (i.e. thoughts, emotions, will) and then the body. He calls the spirit of a man the "inner man"; the soul--the "outer man"; the body--"the outermost man." Before the inner man is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, a man's spirit is inopperative. His spirit is there, but in fact... it is dead! The soul then tries to function as only the spirit can do. Thus, the soul coupled with the power of sin... produces flesh! Man is then a frustrated being.Nee submits that most Christians live a "mixed" life. Many Christians are unaware of this divine created order of God. Therefore, many believers can not distinguish the difference between the spiritual life and the soulish life; a life powered governed by the spirit and the life ruled by man's own natural life. The Christian life is to be a Spirit-led and a Spirit-driven life. The Holy Spirit has regenerated the spirit of a man and is to continue to be the power that controls and governs him.However, many Christians allow their soul to interfere with the Spirit's work. Again, this produces flesh! The Spirit is hindered from joining with man's spirit while the soul of a man is not in full submission to the Spirit. It is any wonder why many believers live a defeated life. They are trying to produce in their natural life what can only be birthed from the Spirit at work in the spirit.Nee speaks from experience. There is absolutely no way a person can speak on this subject with not having first identified its activity in their own life. Nee wonderfully describes the battle going on in each Christian. Our soul wants to govern, but the Spirit must rule for God to be glorified in us.I have yet to read a book such as this. It has taken me over a year to read volume one in "The Spiritual Man" three-volume series. It's depth into the biblical teaching of the tripartite nature of man and the nature of God is unparalled to any book I know in the past or present.Skimming over the book every time I would pick it up to read again... I saw how Christ had been at work in my life. At first I was overwhelmed by the depth of spiritual meaning and how I was to see this expressed... if ever... in my daily life. I was relieved to find that the Lord was working out my new-found knowledge into spiritual exprience.I know why Nee states in the beginning that "the enemy hates this book." If the Christian can ever apply these spiritual truths to his own life... there will be nothing that stops him from fully expressing Christ's life in the power of his resurrection. What at first may seem like spiritual arrogance... turns out to be a truly humble man writing of deep spiritual things he learned in experience and articulated by the grace of God.Volume one unveils the mystery behind spirit, soul, and body... and teaches readers how to continually be mindful of the diviine order God has set in place for us to walk in Christ's life. If you want to know the true meaning of "denying self" in order that you might know what it is to "take up your cross daily"... then this spiritual masterpiece is for you.I highly recommend that you begin reading this book right away. If I was to recommend reading another Nee book before this one... it would most definitely be The Release of the Spirit by Nee. This book would work as a great precursor into what Nee unfolds in volume one of "The Spiritual Man".I do not see why any believer should wait to read this book. It especially should be read by new believers... lest you learn the Christian life in many errors and needlessly walk in the wrong direction spiritually. The spiritual truths in this book need to be discovered immediately following new birth in Christ. Reading this book sooner than later will save you much heartache and aimless wandering from the divine spiritual order of God.Once you have read Nee's insights into the spiritual order of things... the Word of God will come alive to you in ways never seen before. By the Word of God and the work of the cross... we shall be governed by the Spirit of God!I look forward to reading the next two volumes.I also recommend reading:The Normal Christian Life (Hendrickson Christian Classics)Christ the Sum of All Spiritual ThingsThe Centrality of Jesus Christ (Works of T. Austin-Sparks) Volume OneThe Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the DivineExperiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ (Library of Spiritual Classics, Volume 2)

Indeed, Satan will stop you from reading this book or picking it apart.This book will bless you. Read it.

Good book

A deep read. You must be in a similar journey to really reap the benefits thereof.

This book has affected me more over time than most other books. While I find it a little sloppy because it’s not an academic work, it is full of spiritual insight. This is a very long but classic work. I would encourage readers to first get his book Release of the Spirit. The audiobook is 23 hours long but I’m already on my third time through it, it’s very comforting and full of spiritual instruction.