Does the truth you know set you free?

This was my morning read of the day. It was really food for thought, so I thought I'd share it with you.
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"You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," says the LORD in John 8:32.

Brothers and sisters, just consider how many truths have actually made us free?

The Word of God states that the truth shall make us free, but how many times truth is merely a doctrine to us, our eyes have not been opened to see Christ. We may have talked about many doctrines for some 10 years, still we have not seen. We may have listened to them for an equal length of time, and yet again we have not seen.

People may be able to speak on the doctrine of co-death without knowing the power of this death. Or to converse on resurrection life without experiencing its power. If all we talk about is doctrine, we are handling something dead.

Friends, whatever is not Christ living in us or is not Christ as our truth- that is, whatever is done on the basis of a doctrine- is dead work. It has no life, it is not living.

We do not try to remember certain doctrines and act accordingly; it is no longer us who lives but Christ who lives in us. He is our truth and therefore it is living.

A person once felt angered by another brother in Christ. He scolded the latter but later felt condemned for it. So he felt like apologising. But he recalled the incident and felt anger stir up. He still felt he should apologise so decided to write a letter. He should wrote- i feel it is wrong for me to have scolded you. But his anger returned once more as he wrote. He paused and resumed again. During the whole time he wrote, he felt anger in his heart. Even when he posted it, he was still annoyed.

By all appearances this letter looked like one written by a Christian, though we know it was the result of doctrine and not of life. Although he wrote the letter of apology, his heart still remained filled with wrath. Should he meet that brother, he might greet him and shake hands, but inwardly still feel sore about the issue, and so his words to that brother at the meeting are put on not heartfelt or natural.

Do you see the difference? If a thing is done as a result of His shining and working in us, then this thing is living. If ever it be driven by doctrine and not by the LORD it is dead. May we realize that in all spiritual matters, with the LORD it is life, but without the LORD it is death.

- Watchman Nee (this was extracted from the Chinese missionary's series of messages given at mid-week meetings in Shanghai from the time of 1939- 1940.)