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An Open Letter Concerning the Lord’s Recovery

By Justyn M.

When the Local Church elders met with me in Manila in October 2002 to
request the removal of my research works about Witness Lee and the Lord’s Recovery, I
did not give in to their threat of litigation. One of them mentioned the Lord’s Recovery
might sue me for libel. At the back of my mind I mused, “Our country’s judicial body
has no time anymore for this ‘religious’ litigation. In fact, there is nothing libelous in
my research material. It’s purely to unveil their heretical doctrines and not to attack or
lambaste the personality of their founder Witness Lee. I believed our local judicial body
will never entertain such religious protest. I thought, if that ever happens, then I have
the advantage of informing the Filipino people that they are truly a cult of Christianity.
If they are successful in the west, I believe they will not receive the same outcome here
in our country. After all, we are a free nation who loves to engage different people in
religious discussion.

One of the Local Church elders also reasoned to this effect: “How come the
largest Christian organization in the Philippines embraced us as brothers, and you
cannot extend the same offer to us?” I asked, “Does the head of that organization know
Witness Lee believed Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one person? Sure, I would like to sit
down with him so I can show proofs that Witness Lee was truly a modalist (‘Oneness’)
and not an orthodox Trinitarian.” He immediately became silent and did not want to
pursue such dialogue anymore.

Even though Hank Hanegraaff, Gretchen Passantino, and the Fuller Theological
Seminary have endorsed this group as “orthodox,” the believers around the world must
still consider the careful and honest research and opinions of the majority of Christian
scholars and apologetics researchers concerning the theology of Witness Lee and the
Local Churches. Try reading the booklet of Witness Lee titled The Organism of the
Triune God in the Organic Union of His Divine Trinity, because there he plainly stated:

“Our organic union with the Lord is also in the Spirit. Christ and the Spirit
are not two separate persons. They are one person. This is a divine mystery that
is beyond human understanding. Christ is the Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor.
3:17). The One who did on the cross, resurrected from the dead, and ascended
to the heavens is Christ. But this Christ enters into us as the Spirit. When we
call ‘O Lord Jesus,’ the Spirit gets into us.’”1

Let me hear Hank, Gretchen, and the Fuller Theological Seminary people declare
this same statement that Witness Lee believed: “Christ and the Spirit are not two
separate persons. They are one person.” Let’s see them explain if that very statement is
orthodox Trinitarianism without beating around the bush. My plea to Hank and
Gretchen is not to justify the obvious heresies. The Lord’s Recovery people are playing
with theological words, and unfortunately our brothers and sister fell for it. Dr. Warren

Ref. Church Recovery, 1002, Copyright ©2009 by TheBereans.Net 1

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W. Wiersbe explained:

In 2 Peter 2:3, Peter pointed out that the false teachers used “feigned words.”
The Greek word plastos, from which we get our English word plastic. Plastic
words! Words that can be twisted to mean anything you want them to mean!
The false teachers use our vocabulary, but they do not use our dictionary.2

Yes, the Lord’s Recovery people may use the word Trinity, but their “Trinity” is defined
differently to suit the ancient heresy of modalism. Whether local Church leaders admit
it or not, Witness Lee is still a false teacher in light of the Scriptures’ teaching and a
“Oneness” teacher in the assessment of numerous conservative evangelicals.

End Notes

1
Witness Lee, “The Organism of the Triune God in the Organic Union of His Divine Trinity,” (Anaheim:
Living Stream Ministry, 1988), p. 21.
2
Warren W. Wiersbe, “Be Alert,” (Eastbourne, England: Victor, 2005), p. 38.

Ref. Church Recovery, 1002, Copyright ©2009 by TheBereans.Net 2

Visit: www.TheBereans.Net Contact: justyn@thebereans.net