The Knowledge of Life

by Witness Lee

The Knowledge of Life

Genres: Christian

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Witness Lee (李常受, pinyin Lǐ Chángshòu) was a Chinese Christian preacher associated with the Local Churches movement and the founder of Living Stream Ministry. He was born in the city of Yantai, Shandong Province, China, in 1905, to a Southern Baptist family. He became a Christian in 1925 after hearing the preaching of Peace Wang and later became a close coworker of Watchman Nee. Witness Lee moved to Taiwan in 1949 as the Communists were advancing in mainland China. During the 1950s, his ministry extended throughout Southeast Asia and in 1962 Lee moved to the United States, relocating the base of his ministry to Southern California. He gave his last public conference in February 1997 at the age of 91. Many of Lee's spoken messages have been published in over 400 books and translated into more than fourteen different languages. Lee's major work is Life-study of the Bible, comprising over 25,000 pages of commentary on every book of the Bible from the perspective of the believers' enjoyment and experience of God's divine life in Christ through the Holy Spirit. Lee was also the chief editor of a new translation of the Bible entitled the Recovery Version.

Reviews

[Reese Walling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presented a clear, biblical, thorough understanding of what life is and how life works, operates, grows, and can be experienced by a Christian. The first part explains what most people would be confused about considering such a book, namely, what is life? What does it mean to experience life? Witness Lee makes the point that there is only one life in the Bible (1 John 5:12), and that life is actually a person: the flowing Triune God Himself (Rev. 22:1; Jn. 1:4; 11:25; 14:6). This Life is first experienced by a believer at the time of his regeneration, by which he gains the very life of God, the Holy Spirit of God, the law of life, the anointing, a new heart, a new spirit, and many other wonderful things that are all interrelated and mysterious. The rest of the book is an explanation on the things mentioned, with specific emphasis on what Paul calls the "law of the Spirit of life" (Rm. 8:2) and the inward knowledge. Witness Lee makes the mysterious, mystical, and spiritual understandable to the believer who desires to experience a living God. This book will help any Christian who has experienced life at regeneration and desires to understand and experience this life more and more.

[Andy Febrico Bintoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically this is a soteriology book according to brethren doctrine.
The author first argue that only the life of God is life, and other lives are not counted as life, because only the life of God is divine and eternal. The explanation continued with the doctrine of regeneration. God’s deliverance does not make us good men but life-men. There are all together three classes of man in the universe: God-men, good men, and evil men. God’s deliverance is not to make us evil men or good men, but life-men. After that, our life must grow.

[Esther Hong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Systematic. Helpful for pursuit of growth in life. Ch 10-14 - gem.

O Jesus Christ, grow Thou in me, and all things else recede;
My heart be daily nearer Thee, from sin be daily freed.

[Edgar Hovhannisyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure chef-d'oeuvre full of unveiling! It's a must read for every seeking believer in the Lord.