Search
Watchman Nee did not attend a theological school or Bible institute. Most of what he learned concerning Christ, the things of the Spirit, and church history was acquired through studying the Bible and reading the books of spiritual men.
From the beginning of his Christian life, Watchman Nee diligently studied the Bible. The methods he used for Bible study were as follows:
1)A general study of all the books of the Bible consecutively to acquire an overall view.2)The study of a particular book, such as Genesis, Daniel, Matthew, Romans, or Revelation, to probe the depths contained in that part of the Word.3)The study of particular subjects, such as the better covenant, the dispensations, the second coming of Christ, the kingdom, and the rapture, to apprehend the full scope of certain truths.4)The study of single words, such as redemption, forgiveness, justification, reconciliation, salvation, righteousness, and holiness, to learn the basic meaning of certain crucial words.5)The study of types, such as the tabernacle, the altar, the ark, the temple, and the offerings, to get a clear picture of Christ, the church, and spiritual things.6)The study of allegories, such as Sarah and Hagar (Gal. 4:24), Jacob's well (John 4:12-14), and the rivers of living water (John 7:38), to realize the significance of such spiritual matters.7)The study of the parables, such as the seven parables in Matthew 13, the parable of the ten virgins, and the parable of the talents, to understand the depths of these deeper mysteries.8)The study of numbers, such as the numbers three, five, seven, eight, and twelve, to understand their significance in the Scriptures.9)The study of prophecies, such as prophecy concerning Israel, prophecy concerning the church, and prophecy concerning the Gentiles, to understand the truth in the Bible concerning the ages.10)The study of the lives of certain biblical characters, such as Abraham, David, Daniel, Peter, and Paul, to learn from the example of their lives in the Scriptures.11)The study of history, such as the history of Israel and the history of the church, to see how God administrates in His government.12)The study of psalms and songs, such as psalms in the book of Psalms and songs in other books, to learn how to praise and pray.13)A study comparing one portion of the Bible with another similar portion or dissimilar portion.14)A study referring to the original Hebrew or Greek text to acquire the accurate meaning of a certain word or phrase.15)A study using the writings of others to receive their help, inspiration, and balancing point of view.16)A study to acquire knowledge and to receive light from the Bible. He used a special copy of the Bible for making notes and remarks for this purpose. He instructed others to study the whole Bible once a year, reading three chapters of the Old Testament and one chapter of the New Testament daily for this purpose.17)A study for life, to receive daily bread for the spiritual life. For this purpose he used a different Bible without any remarks or notes that he might receive new light for spiritual nourishment. He instructed others to do the same every morning by reading a few verses and digesting them thoroughly while contacting the Lord with a praying spirit.18)A study done by speed-reading, to acquaint himself with the Bible. Around the age of twenty, he read through the New Testament weekly for approximately one year.19)A study done by reading slowly to ponder over certain portions of the Word.20)A study done by memorizing certain crucial verses or portions to store the Word in the heart for constant and instant needs.
By studying the Bible in so many different ways, Watchman Nee became fully familiar with the Word and enlightened concerning the purpose of God, Christ, the church, and the things relating to salvation and life.
Watchman Nee was not only an excellent student of the Bible; he was also a studious reader of spiritual books. He was brilliantly gifted in being able to select, comprehend, discern, and memorize appropriate material. He could easily grasp the points of a book at a glance. Through reading Christian publications, he was not only helped to receive spiritual light and life; he also became knowledgeable regarding church history and Christianity in the Western world. Through Margaret Barber he became familiar with the books of D.M. Panton, Robert Govett, G.H. Pember, Jessie Penn-Lewis, T. Austin-Sparks, and others. He also collected the writings of the Brethren teachers, such as John Nelson Darby, William Kelly, and C.H. Mackintosh. In addition to these he also collected the writings of many others. In the early days of his ministry, he spent one-third of his income for personal needs, one-third for helping others, and the remaining third to buy books. He had an arrangement with some used bookstores in London that whenever they acquired a book for which he had placed an order, it was to be sent automatically. In this way he collected nearly all the classical Christian writings from the first century on. He acquired a collection of more than three thousand of the best Christian books, which included books on church history, biographies and autobiographies of outstanding Christians, and the central messages and commentaries of spiritual writers. When he was twenty-three years of age, his bedroom was nearly filled with books. There were books on the floor and a row of books on either side of his bed, with only a narrow space in the middle to lie down. It was often said that he was buried in books. By reading these books, along with diligently studying the Bible, he not only acquired much learning concerning the content of the Bible; he also became balanced in his views. By such study he was also helped to realize more truths than all his predecessors. This greatly strengthened and enriched his ministry for the Lord's recovery. He picked up all the good, scriptural points from the church fathers' writings through the writings of all the prominent writers of all the centuries down to the present and put them together into his practice of the Christian life and of the church life.
Watchman Nee studied the hymnals of different Christian groups along with the songs and poetry of many authors. He became familiar with ten thousand hymns, songs, and poems. From these writings he also received light and spiritual help.
The help he received from reading books can be classified as follows:
1)He received help concerning the assurance of salvation from the works of George Cutting, a Brethren writer.2)John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and Madame Guyon's biography, along with Hudson Taylor's biography and the writings of other mystics, helped him in the matter of life.3)He was greatly helped on the matter of Christ from the writings of J.G. Bellett, Charles G. Trumbull, A.B. Simpson, T. Austin-Sparks, and others.4)Andrew Murray's book, The Spirit of Christ, was a great help concerning the Spirit.5)The writings of Jessie Penn-Lewis and Mrs. Charles McDonough assisted him in understanding the three parts of man.6)He found George Müller's autobiography enlightening concerning faith.7)Light concerning the matter of abiding in Christ was received from the books of Andrew Murray and the biography of Hudson Taylor.8)He received help on the subjective aspect of Christ's death and on spiritual warfare from the books of Jessie Penn-Lewis.9)The writings of T. Austin-Sparks and others were especially helpful concerning the truths of Christ's resurrection and His Body.10)Concerning God's plan of redemption, Mary McDonough's book by the same title was a great help.11)Light concerning the church was received from the writings of John Nelson Darby and other Brethren teachers.12)The writings of Robert Govett, D.M. Panton, G.H. Pember, and other Brethren writers were helpful in the matter of prophecy.13)The insights of John Foxe, E.H. Broadbent, and others were especially helpful in the matter of church history.14)Watchman Nee especially received help on expounding the Bible and on many other truths, in general, from the writings of Darby and the Brethren.
