[29-2] What is the faith that Watchman Nee, the Catholic Church, and Paul C. Jong believe in? (John 20:19–23)

How does Watchman Nee believe in John 20:22–23?

          Today, there are countless churches established throughout the whole world, and in them, countless sermons are being proclaimed every Sunday. However, unfortunately, not all churches are preaching the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
They gather in sanctuaries to praise God, read the Bible, and offer prayers, but in reality, at the very center, the Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit—that Jesus was baptized by John, died on the Cross, and rose again—is mostly not proclaimed.

          Regarding John 20:22, where the resurrected Jesus told His disciples to receive the Holy Spirit, Watchman Nee interprets this as the event in which the Lord breathed the Holy Spirit into the disciples as life.
He explains that the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus breathed into them, was an inner and essential work — namely, the ministry of the Spirit who supplies life.
In contrast, he distinguishes the event of Pentecost as an external and dispensational work — the work of power coming from above.
In this way, Watchman Nee explains the Holy Spirit in two aspects, as ‘breath’ and ‘wind,’ and emphasizes the order in which the church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, publicly declares evangelical discernment.

          On the other hand, Paul C. Jong interprets the same passage by connecting it to Jesus’ baptism and the cross, that is, the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit.
He understands this word as the event in which the Lord gave the Holy Spirit as a gift to His disciples, and preaches that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is not a simple experience or spiritual gift, but a gift of salvation given to those who believe in Jesus’ baptism and the blood of the cross.

          Regarding John 20:23, Watchman Nee interprets the authority of the church concerning the remission or retention of sins as the declarative power of the church.
He says that the sovereignty of remission belongs to God, and the church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, merely publicly confirms and declares the state that God has already granted remission.
Furthermore, he explains that this is understood as an ecclesiastical order that discerns and proclaims whether communion is possible and whether one is qualified to participate in the Lord’s Supper, and that the ecclesiastical privilege of an individual arbitrarily granting the remission of sins is not recognized.

          Conversely, Paul C. Jong preaches that the righteous, that is, those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, have been given the power to bring about the remission of people’s sins, meaning the power to testify to the word of the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit.
He sees the medium for this as the proclamation of the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit, and testifies that when one believes this Gospel, remission of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit are actually realized in the believer.

          On the other hand, Watchman Nee, through John 20:22 and 23, emphasized the dual pneumatology of life and power and the declarative authority of the Church, and he saw that the Church bears the role of publicly confirming and declaring, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the fact of the remission of sins already accomplished by God.

          Paul C. Jong interprets the same passage with a focus on the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
John 20:22–23 says, “And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”
He also proclaims that the authority of the remission of sins was given to the Apostles. It shows that the Church has been entrusted with the role of proclaiming and confirming the fact of the remission of sins already accomplished by God as it preaches the gospel.
In Acts 2:38, the gospel of the remission of sins teaches that as the Apostles preached the gospel of the water and the Spirit, those who believed received the Holy Spirit.
Ultimately, the core teaching of this text directly speaks of the resurrected Lord giving the apostles the authority to grant the remission of sins along with the message of the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit.

          Watchman Nee’s interpretation distinguishes the Holy Spirit in John 20 from the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, viewing the former as inner life and the latter as outer power, which harmonizes well with the context of the Bible and verses such as Genesis 2:7 and Acts 1:8. 
Furthermore, he interprets the authority for the remission of sins as the declarative authority of the church, and by connecting this to Matthew 16:19 and 18:18, he presents a balanced perspective that emphasizes the responsibility and order of the church community.

          Conversely, Pastor Paul C. Jong’s interpretation speaks of the truth that the authority to grant the remission of sins and the Holy Spirit are given to those who have received the remission of sins within the framework of the apostles’ faith, which believes in the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit. 
He closely connects this to John 3:5, Matthew 3:13–17, and 1 Peter 3:21. He says this is accomplished through the actual remission of sins and the blessing of receiving the Holy Spirit, which takes place within the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit preached by the apostles. This word is connected with Acts 2:38. 
He also says that the gospel of the water and the Spirit preached by the apostles works together with power.

          Looking at the overall flow of the Bible, these two interpretations can be said to be complementary rather than mutually exclusive.
It is clear in the Bible that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples after the resurrection of Jesus, and at the same time, it is also biblically clear that the outward power of the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost.
Therefore, the dual aspects of the Holy Spirit spoken of by Watchman Nee have sufficient biblical persuasiveness.

          However, at the same time, the remission of sins is not only the declaration of redemption that God has already accomplished, but also an event that actually occurs in the present when the gospel is preached.
In this respect, Pastor Paul C. Jong’s interpretation regarding the apostolic declaration also has biblically valid grounds.

          In conclusion, the Bible testifies to these three facts together: that with the resurrection of Jesus the indwelling of the Holy Spirit began; that at Pentecost the Holy Spirit of power and authority came; and that the Church, under the authority of the Holy Spirit, preaches the gospel, proclaims the remission of sins, and bears the role of confirming it.
Therefore, the difference between the two interpretations is merely a difference in emphasis, and it is the most complete biblical understanding to see them not as distortions of the biblical text but as complementary to each other.

Comparison of Watchman Nee’s and Paul C. Jong’s Views on the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit

          Watchman Nee understood the communion of the Holy Spirit as “fellowship in life.”
He emphasized that the communion of the Holy Spirit is not a mere gift or emotional experience, but a ministry through which the Holy Spirit works within the church community to actually share the life of Christ.

          This core idea is repeated in his writings, such as The Normal Christian Life and The Church Life and Fellowship—namely, the inward working of the Spirit and mutual fellowship within the church.
He viewed “the communion of the Holy Spirit,” mentioned in 2 Corinthians 13:13, as a real fellowship in which the church, as one body, shares life with one another. He explained that the communion of the Spirit not only signifies intimate fellowship with the Lord, but also enables organic unity and communion among the saints.
Through this, the church becomes a community built as the body of Christ within the working of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, for Watchman Nee, the communion of the Holy Spirit centers on an internal and actual union manifested in life and in the order of the church.

          Pastor Paul C. Jong emphasizes the communion of the Holy Spirit as “the fellowship enjoyed by those who have received the remission of sins through the gospel of the water and the Spirit.”
He says that when a person believes in the baptism of Jesus and the blood of the Cross, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them together with the remission of sins, and from that moment, a personal and spiritual fellowship with God begins.
In his sermons and writings, he emphasizes that the communion of the Holy Spirit is not a mere charismatic experience, but a real fellowship that takes place because of the Holy Spirit who dwells in the hearts of those who have received the remission of sins.
This communion of the Spirit is manifested as a spiritual intimacy shared among those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and through this, the saints walk with God, proclaim the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and gain the power to carry out the ministry of the church.
Therefore, for Pastor Paul C. Jong, the communion of the Holy Spirit becomes the actual fruit of salvation and the driving force for the proclamation of the gospel.

          Both of them understand the communion of the Holy Spirit within the greater framework of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the unity of the church community, and they share the commonality of emphasizing it as a life-giving and spiritual fellowship that is deeper than gifts.
However, Watchman Nee emphasizes the communion of the Holy Spirit from an ecclesiological and life-centered perspective, focusing on the church being built as one body by sharing one another’s life in the Holy Spirit.
On the other hand, Pastor Paul C. Jong emphasizes the communion of the Holy Spirit from a soteriological and apostolic perspective, stressing that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit begins when one believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and from that moment, personal fellowship with God and the proclamation of the gospel become possible.

What does Watchman Nee express as the faith to receive the Holy Spirit, and how does Pastor Paul C. Jong speak about the faith to receive the Holy Spirit?

          Watchman Nee did not see receiving the Holy Spirit as a mere emotional experience or the acquisition of external gifts, but understood it as “receiving the Holy Spirit as inner life.”
He emphasized that the faith to receive the Holy Spirit is the faith that accepts the Holy Spirit as the life that Christ, having already resurrected, breathed into His disciples.
He regarded the Holy Spirit of power that came at Pentecost as an external empowerment for ministry, and therefore emphasized the order of first receiving the inner Spirit (life) and then being clothed with the external Spirit (power).
He also believed that the believer must continually have fellowship with the Holy Spirit who dwells within him and maintain the state of participating in the life of Christ.
Ultimately, for Watchman Nee, the faith to receive the Holy Spirit is a “faith of acceptance and obedience” based on the completed redemption of Jesus, and he emphasized that the work of the Holy Spirit is manifested within the actual fellowship of the church community.

          Pastor Paul C. Jong defines the faith to receive the Holy Spirit as “the faith that believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.” He explains that believing that the sins of the world were transferred to Jesus through the baptism He received from John the Baptist, and that those sins were judged through the shedding of His blood on the Cross, is the faith by which one receives the remission of sins.
He says that when one truly believes in this gospel of the water and the Spirit, God gives the Holy Spirit as a gift to dwell within the person’s heart.
Therefore, the faith to receive the Holy Spirit is not relying on one’s own merits or efforts, but by relying on the faith that all sins have already been remitted through Jesus’ baptism and the Cross, one receives and enjoys the Holy Spirit as a gift.
He sees that at this time the remission of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit occur simultaneously, and emphasizes that this faith does not end as a one-time event, but leads to a real and practical faith that proclaims the gospel and lives in the Holy Spirit.

          Both of them understand the faith to receive the Holy Spirit as “accepting by faith the result of the redemption that God has already accomplished,” and they share the common point of emphasizing that it is not based on human deeds or achievements, but on the work of salvation that Jesus Christ has accomplished—namely, the faith grounded in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

However, Watchman Nee emphasizes the order of receiving the Holy Spirit as inner life first and then being clothed with the Holy Spirit of external power, and he explains the faith to receive the Holy Spirit from an ecclesiological and life-centered perspective.
On the other hand, Pastor Paul C. Jong teaches that when one believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them simultaneously with the remission of sins, and he emphasizes the faith to receive the Holy Spirit from an apostolic perspective.

          In conclusion, Watchman Nee conveys the faith to receive the Holy Spirit with a focus on the inner union of life and the church, while Pastor Paul C. Jong conveys it with a focus on the actual remission of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

          Pastor Paul C. Jong defines the “faith to receive the Holy Spirit” as “the faith that believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.”
He emphasizes that when one believes in their heart the fact that Jesus received baptism from John the Baptist and thereby took upon Himself the sins of the world, and that He completed salvation through His death on the Cross and His resurrection, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them.
He explains that receiving the Holy Spirit is not something obtained through repentance, zeal, fasting, or certain experiences, but that when one believes in the already completed Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the Holy Spirit is given as a gift from God.
Through the faith that believes in this Word of the gospel of truth, the remission of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit take place simultaneously, and from that moment, fellowship with God and the communion of the Holy Spirit begin.
He also states that this faith does not end as a one-time event but continues into a present and practical life of proclaiming the gospel of the water and the Spirit and living in the Holy Spirit.

          Both of them share the common point that receiving the Holy Spirit is not the result of human deeds but the result of faith based on the redemption of Jesus Christ.
However, while general evangelical churches distinguish between the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the fullness of the Holy Spirit, that is, the experience of power, Pastor Paul C. Jong teaches that when one believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the remission of sins take place simultaneously.
The two positions show a difference. May you discern your faith through the Word of the Bible.

          To summarize, mainstream churches explain the distinction between the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the filling of the Holy Spirit within the framework of faith transmitted by each denomination: “practicing continuous obedience through faith in the blood of the cross.” On the other hand, Pastor Paul C. Jong states that “believing the Gospel of the water and the Spirit” itself is the truth for receiving the Holy Spirit.

Then, how does Catholicism state that one receives the Holy Spirit?

          The Catholic Church understands the process of receiving the Holy Spirit as a gradual journey that takes place within God’s grace. The first step of that journey is the Sacrament of Baptism.

          According to Catholic doctrine, the first fundamental event of receiving the Holy Spirit is the Sacrament of Baptism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that through Baptism, sins are washed away, one is newly born as a child of God, and the Holy Spirit comes to indwell. It explains that the Holy Spirit dwells within the believer at this time, and the believer becomes a member of the Church, which is the Body of Christ.
In other words, Catholicism teaches that a person enters into God’s grace and receives the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Baptism.
Subsequently, the Sacrament of Confirmation is understood as a sacrament through which the believer receives the Holy Spirit especially strongly. Catholicism views the incident in Acts 8:14–17, where the apostles laid hands on the already baptized Samaritans for them to receive the Holy Spirit, as the basis for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

          The Church explains that through the laying on of hands by the Bishop and the anointing with Chrism, the believer receives the “special gift and power of the Holy Spirit,” and teaches that the grace of the Holy Spirit received at Baptism is more deeply rooted and strengthened through the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Furthermore, Catholicism holds that even after Baptism and Confirmation, the believer’s grace and fellowship with the Holy Spirit are continually renewed and strengthened through the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Penance (Confession), prayer, meditation on the Word, and life in the Church community.
In the Catholic understanding, the Holy Spirit is explained as a grace accompanying the believer throughout their entire life, and it is taught that the relationship with the Holy Spirit is continuously deepened through this.

How does Pastor Paul C. Jong speak about the faith to receive the Holy Spirit?

          Pastor Paul C. Jong consistently emphasizes the faith to receive the Holy Spirit throughout his books and sermons as “the faith that believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.”
He connects John 3:5, John 20:21–23, and Acts 2:38 to explain that the remission of sins through Jesus’ baptism and the Cross is the truth that enables one to receive the Holy Spirit. 
He stresses that the core of the gospel is believing in one’s heart that Jesus took the sins of the world upon His body through baptism by John the Baptist, that these sins were judged on the Cross, and that salvation was completed through His resurrection from the dead.
Therefore, he teaches that the Holy Spirit dwells in those who have received the remission of sins through this “gospel of the water and the Spirit.”
He emphasizes that receiving the Holy Spirit is not earned through human effort, asceticism, emotional experience, or merits such as fasting or repentance prayers. 
Since Jesus already took the sins of the world upon His body through baptism by John the Baptist and completed our salvation by dying on the Cross and resurrecting, he states that the Holy Spirit is bestowed as a gift when a person accepts and believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit in their heart.
He explains that through the faith that believes in this gospel of the water and the Spirit, one receives the grace of the remission of sins, and the Holy Spirit immediately indwells that person, sealing them as a child of God. 
Thus, he states that the faith to receive the Holy Spirit is none other than the faith that believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and the subsequent life is a life lived in the Spirit and dedicated to proclaiming the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

          Pastor Paul C. Jong further explains that those who have received the Holy Spirit preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit and enjoy the communion of the Holy Spirit within the church community. He understands this communion of the Holy Spirit not only as a personal relationship with God but also as a spiritual fellowship among those who believe in the same gospel of the water and the Spirit. 
Through this, he teaches that believers become sharers in God’s grace and the mission of gospel proclamation.

What does Paul C. Jong say about the faith by which peace comes to the heart?

What is the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit that Paul C. Jong preaches?

          Pastor Paul C. Jong, throughout his books and sermons, refers to the “Gospel of the Remission of Sins” as the “Gospel of the Water and the Spirit,” emphasizing that Jesus’ baptism and the event of the Cross were the gospel that actually eliminated the sins of humanity.
He testifies that Jesus received baptism from John the Baptist and thereby took upon Himself the sins of the world, that those sins were judged and punished on the Cross, and that when one believes in the Lord who rose from the dead, salvation and the Holy Spirit come upon the heart.
He teaches that all these works of Jesus are connected as one and that through them the “gospel of the water and the Spirit” has been fulfilled.
He also says that whoever believes this gospel receives the remission of sins, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the peace of God at the same time.
Therefore, through his books he testifies that there are many people today who have heard and believed this gospel and have received in their hearts the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

          The gospel of the remission of sins that Pastor Paul C. Jong preaches goes beyond merely declaring that sins are “forgiven.” He says that because Jesus actually bore our sins through His baptism and was judged for them on the Cross, those who believe are able to receive salvation.
He testifies that it is not by human effort, merit, or repeated prayers of repentance, but that at the very moment one believes in the baptism and the blood of Jesus on the Cross, all the sins of the world are removed.
At that time, the Holy Spirit indwells that heart, and the peace of God settles in the heart of the believer.
He also says that all believers must have the mission to proclaim this gospel of the water and the Spirit throughout the whole world.
When the gospel of the water and the Spirit is preached, those who hear it come to believe, and the remission of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit actually take place in their hearts.
He teaches that this work of salvation through the water and the Spirit is the very work that Jesus Himself accomplished, and that believers must live their lives upon that faith.

          In conclusion, the “Gospel of the Water and the Spirit” that Pastor Paul C. Jong preaches is the true gospel of truth that declares that Jesus actually removed the sins of mankind through His baptism (water), the blood of the Cross, His death, and resurrection. It contains the message that whoever believes this receives the remission of sins and, at the same time, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the peace given by God.

          He says that we must become those who believe in the fact that Jesus Christ received baptism from John and thereby took upon Himself the sins of the world, was crucified and shed His blood, and rose from the dead to become our Savior—so that we may receive the remission of sins, the Holy Spirit, and the blessing of peace in our hearts.
We must receive the blessing of becoming those who realize and believe in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit within the Word of both the Old and New Testaments.

          The Lord did not come to this world to save us from sin only through the blood of the Cross, but rather stated that salvation comes to those who believe the truth that He became our Savior by bearing the sins of the world through the baptism He received from John, dying on the Cross, and resurrecting (Matthew 3:13–17, 1 Peter 3:21–22).
Therefore, we must become those who believe in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit that the Word of God speaks of.

          By relying on the Nicene Creed, which was made by men, one cannot meet the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who is the Lord of the true truth of salvation.
I say this to you all with the assurance that the blessing of salvation given by God comes through the faith that believes in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit. Amen. Hallelujah!
We praise the saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ and give thanks to God by faith.

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