The Cross and the Soul

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14.26-27). Now Matthew shows us in the matter of affection how believers ought to choose loving the Lord first rather than one’s family; while Luke signifies what attitude must be maintained towards the love which arises from the soul life – we ought to hate it. Strictly speaking, we are not to love just because the objects of our affection are those whom we would naturally love. Dear and near as parents, brothers, sisters, wives and children are to us, they are listed among the forbidden. Such human love flows from soul life which will cling to its heart desires and will call for love in return. The Lord maintains that such soul life needs to be delivered to death. Though we do not see Him, He wants us to love Him. He desires us to deny our natural love. He wishes to rid us of our natural love towards others so that we will not love with our own love. Of course He wills that we should love others, but not with our natural soulical affection. If we love, let it be for the sake of the Lord and not for their sake. A new relationship comes to us in the Lord. We should receive from Him His love so that we may love others. In a word, our love must be governed by the Lord. Should He desire us to, we must love even our enemies; if He does not ask us to, we cannot love even the dearest of our household. He does not want our heart to be attached anywhere because He wants us to serve Him freely. – Watchman Nee The Spiritual Man, Chapter 4 “The Cross and the Soul”, pp. 180, 181

Here’s a little something to think about over the weekend. I think I’ve been on this topic before, but Nee states it well from his perspective of distrusting the impulses built into our old nature.

I doubt that God very often forbids us loving a spouse, child, or parent – in fact, He gives an explicit command in Scripture that husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the church. Yet, even then, it is stated so as to cause us to realize our lives are not merely lives but legends of God’s grace.