May 06, 2011

Book Review

Basic Elements of the Christian Life by Witness Lee and Watchman Nee

This is more like a booklet. It contains 5 small chapters about the basics of a Christian according to Lee and Nee. The five chapters each introduce an element of Christian living.

The chapters are:


  • The Mystery of Human Life

  • The Assurance, Security, and Joy of Salvation

  • The Precious Blood of Christ

  • Calling on the Name of the Lord

  • The Key to Experiencing Christ - the Human Spirit

The authors are right on with the first two chapters but then start to proclaim some things about the blood of Christ that seem a little off to me. In particular apply the blood of Christ to your life and sins. According to the authors, once the blood has been applied to cover your sins, if Satan still bothers you, then you need to talk to Satan and tell him that Christ has covered your sins.


Here is a sample conversation with Satan from page 28. "Satan, I have confessed my sin to God. He has forgiven my sin, and the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed me from it. This uneasiness that I sense right now is not from God; it is from you, and I reject it! Satan, now you must look at the blood of Christ. That blood answers every one of your accusations." I am not so sure striking up a conversation with Satan is a good idea. He is pretty clever and crafty.


In the next chapter, the authors stress the practice of calling on the name of the Lord. This must be done out loud. It is not just merely a prayer, but a shout out to God. Again according to the authors it helps us be saved in a more richer thorough way. I am not sure what they mean by more thorough. You are either saved or you are not.


Therefore after reading through this booklet, I cannot recommend it. The Living Stream Ministry gives out a lot of free books and pamphlets based upon the teachings of Witness Lee and Watchman Nee. I would be very suspect of any of their writings. While I believe some of what they say is biblical, other concepts appear to have been twisted from Scripture.

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