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  THE THREE STAGES OF THE BELIEVERS' LIFE
  by Watchman Nee
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Summary: The Christian life can be broadly divided into three stages:
the stage of the flesh, the stage of the soul, and the stage of the
spirit.

Topics: "Spiritual Growth", "Stages of Faith"
Scripture References: Romans 8:5, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 5:17

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DESCRIPTION
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Watchman Nee discusses the three stages of a believer's life following
regeneration: the stage of the flesh, the stage of the soul, and the
stage of the spirit. He explains that after being regenerated, believers
may still struggle with sin and doubt their salvation, not realizing
they are still in the flesh. As they grow, they may feel joy and engage
in spiritual practices, mistakenly believing they are spiritual, yet
they remain governed by their emotions. True spirituality is achieved
when the Holy Spirit takes control, allowing believers to live in
accordance with the spirit rather than their flesh or soul. This
progression emphasizes the importance of spiritual maturity in the
Christian journey.

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CONTENT
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When a man believes in Jesus Christ as the Savior who has died for him,
he is regenerated. Regeneration is the initial step in the spiritual
life. Those who are regenerated have received eternal salvation. After a
believer has received the regenerated life, his Christian life can be
broadly divided into three stages. The first is the stage of the flesh,
the second is the stage of the soul, and the third is the stage of the
spirit.

After his regeneration, and for a period of time, a believer may still
lose his temper, become proud, become jealous, or commit other sins.
Because of this, some may begin to doubt whether or not their
regeneration was genuine. They do not realize that, although they have
been regenerated, they are still of the flesh. When they advance
further, they begin to develop an interest in reading the Bible and in
praying and "feel" a new joy in their heart. At this point, the believer
may think that he is already a spiritual Christian. However, he does not
realize that he is still soulish, still living in the idealistic world
of "feeling"! Later, when the Holy Spirit does a deeper work of the
cross in him, he will be enabled not to walk according to himself or his
feelings (being up or down all the time) but to live quietly in the
spirit. Only then can he be considered as being spiritual.

When he is of the flesh, the flesh is his master. When he is soulish,
the soul is his master. When he is spiritual, the Holy Spirit becomes
his Lord in the spirit.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/watchman-nee/the-three-stages-of-the-believers-life/
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