Sometime before 1925 Brother Nee saw man's three parts. Later, he wrote The Spiritual Man. Among all the Chinese writings of Christians, I do not believe that there has ever been a book written with such a clear vision concerning the spirit, soul, and body of man. The main point of the truth concerning the tripartite man is the human spirit.
Also before 1925 Brother Nee saw the truth concerning sanctification by faith. He pointed out that John Wesley's teaching of holiness was actually not holiness but the desire for sinless perfection, human perfection without any sin. He also pointed out what the Brethren had seen. They pointed out what the Lord said in Matthew 23 concerning the temple sanctifying the gold and the altar sanctifying the gift. The common gold was made holy positionally by changing its position from a common place to a holy one (v. 17). When the gold was in the temple, it was sanctified. The Lord also pointed out that the altar sanctifies the gift (v. 19). The common animals offered on the altar were sanctified. This is a positional sanctification by changing the gift's location from a common place to a holy one. The Brethren also pointed out that the food we eat is sanctified through prayer. This is according to 1 Timothy 4:4-5. The Brethren saw the truth concerning positional sanctification.
Brother Nee went on to show us that sanctification is not only positional but also dispositional. The dispositional change that takes place from sanctification is transformation. In His dispositional sanctification the Lord saturates us with Himself, adding Himself as the new element into our being to transform us into His image.
Through Brother Nee's ministry, we were brought into the vision and experience of the inner life in a rich way. The mystics in the seventeenth century saw something concerning the inner life, but they did not see as much as the Lord has shown us today.
Because of the church's degradation, many Christians have been defeated. Thus, the Lord calls some to be the overcomers. This truth is seen in the seven epistles to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3. In the degradation of the church, the Lord sounds out His call for some of His lovers to be overcomers.