Relevant Words of God:

God’s saving of man is not done directly by means of the Spirit and with the identity of the Spirit, for His Spirit can neither be touched nor seen by man, nor can man draw near. If He tried to save man directly as the Spirit, man would be unable to receive His saving grace. If God did not put on the outer shell of a created human being, there would be no way for man to receive this saving grace. For man absolutely has no way of approaching Him, just as no one was able to go near the cloud of Jehovah. Only by becoming a created human being, that is, only by putting His Way into the flesh that He is about to become, can He personally work the Way into all who follow Him. Only then can man personally hear and see His Way, and also gain His Way, and by this means come to be fully saved. If God did not become flesh, no one of flesh and blood would be able to receive such great saving grace, nor would a single person be saved. If the Spirit of God worked directly in the midst of mankind, all humanity would be struck down, or, with no way of coming into contact with God, they would be completely taken captive by Satan.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)

God enters upon a new stage of work in the last days. He will reveal even more of His disposition, and it will not be the mercy and lovingkindness of the time of Jesus. Since He has new work to do, this new work will be accompanied by a new disposition. So, if this work were done by the Spirit—if God did not become flesh, and instead the Spirit spoke directly through thunder so that man had no way to have contact with Him, would man be able to know His disposition? If it were solely the Spirit that did the work, then man would have no way of coming to know God’s disposition. People can only behold God’s disposition with their own eyes when He becomes flesh, when the Word appears in the flesh, and He expresses His entire disposition through the flesh. God really and truly lives among man. He has form and image; man can actually engage with His disposition, engage with what He has and is; only in this way can man truly come to know Him.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Vision of God’s Work (3)

The work of the flesh entails quite a large number of difficulties, and the flesh cannot possess the same great identity as the Spirit, He cannot carry out supernatural deeds like the Spirit, much less can He possess the same authority as the Spirit. Yet the essence of the work done by this unremarkable flesh is far superior to that of the work done directly by the Spirit, and this flesh Himself is what all people need. For those to be saved, the use value of the Spirit is far inferior to that of the flesh: The work of the Spirit is able to cover the entire universe, across all mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans, yet the work of the flesh more effectively relates to every person with whom He comes into contact. What is more, God’s flesh with tangible form can better be understood and trusted by man, and can further deepen man’s knowledge of God, and can leave upon man a more profound impression of the practical deeds of God. The work of the Spirit is shrouded in mystery; it is difficult for mortal beings to predict, and even harder for them to see, and so they can only imagine things about it based on nothing. The work of the flesh, however, is normal and practical, and possessed of rich wisdom, and is a fact that can be personally seen by the eyes of mortal man; man can personally appreciate the wisdom of the work of God, and has no need to employ his bountiful imagination. This is the accuracy and practical value of the work of God in the flesh. The Spirit can only do things that are invisible to man and difficult for him to imagine, for example the enlightenment of the Spirit, the moving of the Spirit, and the guidance of the Spirit, but for man who has a mind, these cannot provide any clear meaning. They can only provide a moving, or a roughly similar meaning, and cannot give an instruction with words. The work of God in the flesh, however, is greatly different: It involves the accurate guidance of words, and there are clear intentions and clear required goals. And so man does not need to grope around, or employ his imagination, much less make guesses. This is the clarity of the work in the flesh, and His work is vastly different from that of the Spirit. The work of the Spirit is only suitable for a limited scope and cannot replace the work of the flesh. The precise goals required of man through the work of the flesh, and the practical value of the knowledge that man obtains through this work, far surpass the preciseness and practical value of the work of the Spirit. For corrupt people, only work that provides accurate words and clear goals to pursue, and is visible and tangible, is the most valuable kind of work. Only realistic work and timely guidance are suited to man’s tastes, and only practical work can save man from his corrupt and depraved disposition. This can only be achieved by the incarnate God; only the incarnate God can save man from his old corrupt and depraved disposition. Although the Spirit is the inherent essence of God, work such as this can only be done by His flesh. If the Spirit worked single-handedly, then it would not be possible for His work to be effective—this is a plain truth. Most people have become the enemies of God because of this flesh. However, when this flesh concludes His work, those who are against Him will not only cease to be His enemies, but on the contrary will become His witnesses. They will become the witnesses that have been conquered by Him, witnesses that are compatible with Him and inseparable from Him. He shall cause man to know the importance of the work of the flesh to man, and man shall know the importance of this flesh to the meaning of man’s existence, shall know His practical value as concerns the growth of man’s life, and, even more so, shall know that this flesh will unexpectedly become a living fountain of life from which man cannot bear to part. Though the incarnate flesh of God is far from matching God’s identity and status, and seems to man to be incompatible with His actual worth, this flesh, who does not possess the inherent image of God, or the inherent identity of God, can do the work that God’s Spirit is unable to do directly. Such is the inherent significance and value of God’s incarnation, and it is this significance and value which man is unable to comprehend and acknowledge. Though all mankind look up to God’s Spirit and look down on God’s flesh, irrespective of how they view or think, the practical significance and value of the flesh far exceed those of the Spirit. Of course, this is only with regard to corrupt mankind. For everyone who seeks the truth and longs for the appearance of God, the Spirit’s work can only provide moving or inspiration, and a sense of wonder that this work is marvelous, unfathomable, and unimaginable, and a sense that it is great, transcendent, and admirable, yet also unattainable and unreachable to all. Man and the Spirit of God can only look upon each other from afar, as if there were a great distance between them, and they can never be alike, as if man and God were separated by an invisible divide. In fact, this is an illusion given to man by the Spirit, which is because the Spirit and man are not of the same kind and shall never coexist in the same world, and because the Spirit possesses nothing of man. So man does not have need of the Spirit, for the Spirit cannot directly do the work most needed by man. The work of the flesh offers man practical objectives to pursue, explicit words, and a sense that He is practical and normal, that He is humble and ordinary. Although man may be afraid of Him, for most people He is quite approachable. Man can behold His face, and hear His voice, and he does not need to look upon Him from afar. This flesh feels near to man, not distant, or unfathomable, but visible and accessible, for this flesh is in the same world as man.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Corrupt Mankind Is in Greater Need of the Salvation of the Incarnate God

What man has achieved now—his present stature, knowledge, love, loyalty, submission, and insight—these are results attained through the judgment of the word. That you are able to have loyalty and to remain standing until this day is attained through the agency of the word. Now man sees that the work of God incarnate is indeed extraordinary, and there are many things in it that cannot be attained by man, and that are mysteries and wonders. Therefore, many have submitted. Some have never submitted to any man since the day of their birth, yet when they see the words of God this day, they fully submit without noticing they have done so, and they do not venture to scrutinize or say anything else. Humanity has fallen under the word and lies prostrate under the judgment of the word. If the Spirit of God spoke directly to man, mankind would all submit to the voice, prostrating themselves without God needing to expose man with His words, much in the way that Paul fell to the ground in the light on the road to Damascus. If God continued to work in this way, man would never be able to come to know his own corruption through the judgment of the word and thereby attain salvation. Only through becoming flesh can God personally deliver His words into the ears of each and every human being, so that all who have ears may hear His words and accept His work of judgment by the word. This is the true result achieved by His word, not the Spirit becoming manifest to overwhelm man with fear. It is only through this practical and yet extraordinary work that the old dispositions of man, hidden deep within for many years, can be fully exposed, so that man may recognize them and experience change. These things are all the practical work of God incarnate, in which He speaks and executes judgment in a wholly practical manner, and then achieves the results of judgment upon man by the word. This is the authority of God incarnate and the significance of God’s incarnation. It is done to reveal the authority of God incarnate, to reveal the results achieved by the work of the word, and to reveal that the Spirit has come in the flesh and demonstrates His authority through judging man by the word. Although His flesh is the outer shell of an ordinary, normal humanity, it is the results His words achieve that show to man He is full of authority, that He is God Himself, and that His words are the expression of God Himself. By this means all humanity is shown that He is God Himself, that He is God Himself who became flesh, that none may commit an offense against Him, and that no one can surpass His judgment by the word, and no force of darkness can prevail over His authority. Man’s submission to Him is all due to the flesh in which He is incarnated, it is all due to His authority, and due to His judgment by the word. The work brought by His incarnate flesh is the authority that He possesses. The reason why He becomes flesh is because the flesh can also possess authority, and He is capable of carrying out work in a practical manner among mankind, in such a way that it is visible and tangible to man. This work is much more practical than the work done directly by the Spirit of God, who possesses all authority, and its results are also apparent. This is because God’s incarnate flesh can speak and work in a practical way. The outer shell of His flesh holds no authority, and can be approached by man, whereas His essence does carry authority, but His authority is visible to none. When He speaks and works, man is unable to detect the existence of His authority; this facilitates Him in doing His practical work. All this practical work can achieve results. Even though no man realizes that He holds authority, or sees that no offense may be committed against Him, or sees His wrath, He achieves the intended results of His words through His veiled authority, His hidden wrath, and the words He openly speaks. In other words, through His tone of voice, the sternness of His speech, and all the wisdom of His words, man is utterly convinced. In this way, man submits to the word of God incarnate, who seemingly has no authority, thereby fulfilling God’s aim of saving man. This is another aspect of the significance of His incarnation: to speak in a more practical way, to allow the reality of His words to achieve its results in man, and to allow man to witness the might of the word of God. Therefore, were this work not done by means of the incarnation, it would not achieve the slightest results and would not be able to fully save sinful people. If God did not become flesh, He would remain the Spirit who is both invisible and inaccessible to man. Man being a creature of flesh, he and God belong to two different worlds and are possessed of different natures. The Spirit of God is incompatible with man, who is of flesh, and there is simply no way of establishing relations between them; man, meanwhile, is incapable of turning into a spirit. This being so, the Spirit of God must become a created being in order to do His original work. God can both ascend to the highest place and humble Himself to become a created human being, doing work among mankind and living in their midst, but man cannot ascend to the highest place and become a spirit, and even less can he descend to the lowest place. This is why God must become flesh to carry out His work. It is just as, during the first incarnation, only the flesh of God incarnate could redeem man through His crucifixion, whereas there would have been no way for the Spirit of God to be crucified as a sin offering for man. God could directly become flesh to serve as a sin offering for man, but man could not directly ascend to heaven to take the sin offering that God had prepared for him. This being so, all that is possible would be to ask God to run back and forth a few times between heaven and earth, not to have man ascend to heaven to take this saving grace, for man had fallen and, moreover, man simply could not ascend to heaven, much less obtain the sin offering. Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to come among mankind and personally do the work that simply could not be accomplished by man. Every time God becomes flesh, it is out of absolute necessity. If any of the stages could have been carried out directly by the Spirit of God, He would not have submitted to the complaints and indignity that came with being incarnated.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)

Because the one who is judged is man, man who is of the flesh and has been corrupted, and it is not the spirit of Satan that is judged directly, the work of judgment is therefore not carried out in the spiritual realm, but among man. No one is more suitable, and qualified, than God in the flesh for the work of judging the corruption of man’s flesh. If judgment were carried out directly by the Spirit of God, then it would not be all-embracing, and, moreover, man would have difficulty accepting this, for the Spirit is unable to come face-to-face with man. Just in light of this point, the effects would not be immediate, much less would man be able to behold with greater clarity the disposition of God which must not be offended. Satan can only be fully defeated if God in the flesh judges the corruption of mankind. God in the flesh is also a person with normal humanity, yet He can directly judge the unrighteousness of man; this is the mark of His innate holiness, and of His singularness. Only God is qualified to, and is in the position to, judge man, for He is possessed of the truth, and righteousness, and so He is able to judge man. Those who are without truth and righteousness are not fit to judge others. If this work were done by the Spirit of God, then it would not mean victory over Satan. The Spirit is inherently loftier than mortal beings, and the Spirit of God is inherently holy, and triumphant over the flesh. If the Spirit did this work directly, He would not be able to judge all of man’s rebelliousness and could not reveal all of man’s unrighteousness. For the work of judgment is also carried out through man’s notions about God, and man has never had any notions about the Spirit, and so the Spirit is incapable of better revealing the unrighteousness of man, much less of thoroughly exposing such unrighteousness. The incarnate God is the enemy of all those who do not know Him. Through judging man’s notions about Him and their opposition to Him, He exposes all the rebelliousness of mankind. The effects of His work in the flesh are more apparent than those of the work of the Spirit. And so, the judgment of all mankind is not carried out directly by the Spirit but is the work of the incarnate God. God in the flesh can be seen and touched by man, and God in the flesh can completely conquer man. Man progresses from opposing Him to submitting to Him, from persecuting Him to accepting Him, from having notions about Him to knowing Him, and from rejecting Him to loving Him—these are the effects of the work of the incarnate God. Man is only saved through the acceptance of His judgment, man only gradually comes to know Him through the words of His mouth, man is conquered by Him during his opposition to Him, and he receives the life supply from Him during the acceptance of His chastisement. All of this work is the work of God in the flesh, and not the work of God in His identity as the Spirit. The work done by God incarnate is the greatest work, and the most profound work, and the crucial part of the three stages of God’s work is the two stages of the work of incarnation.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Corrupt Mankind Is in Greater Need of the Salvation of the Incarnate God

The greatest strength of His work in the flesh is that He can leave accurate words and exhortations, and His precise intentions for mankind to those who follow Him, so that afterward His followers can more accurately and in more practical terms pass on all of His work in the flesh, and His intentions for the whole of mankind, to those who accept this way. Only God in the flesh working among man truly makes God’s being together and living together with man a reality, and fulfills man’s desire to behold the face of God, witness the work of God, and hear the personal word of God. The incarnate God brings to an end the age when only the back of Jehovah appeared to mankind, and He also concludes the age of mankind’s belief in the nebulous gods. In particular, the work of God’s last incarnation brings all mankind into an age that is more realistic, more practical, and more beautiful. This work not only concludes the age of law and regulations but, more importantly, it makes known to mankind the God who is practical and normal, who is righteous and holy, who unlocks the work of the management plan and who demonstrates the mysteries and destination of mankind, who created mankind and brings to an end the management work, and who has remained hidden for thousands of years. This work brings the age of nebulousness to a complete end, it concludes the age in which the whole of mankind wished to seek God’s face but was unable to, it ends the age in which the whole of mankind served Satan, and it leads the whole of mankind all the way into a completely new era. All this is the outcome of the work of God in the flesh in place of God’s Spirit. Only when God works in His flesh, do those who follow Him no longer seek and grope after those things which seem to both exist and not exist, and cease to guess at the intentions of the nebulous gods. When God spreads His work in the flesh, those who follow Him shall pass on the work that He has done in the flesh to all religions and denominations, and they shall disseminate all of His words to the ears of the whole of mankind. All that is heard by those who receive His gospel shall be the facts of His work, and shall be things personally seen and heard by man—it shall be facts and not hearsay. These facts are the evidence with which He spreads the work, and they are also the tools that He uses in spreading the work. Without the existence of facts, His gospel would not spread across all countries and to all places; without facts but only with man’s imaginings, He would never be able to do the work of conquering the entire universe. The Spirit is impalpable to man, and invisible to man, and the work of the Spirit is incapable of leaving for man any more evidence or any more facts of God’s work. Man would never behold the real face of God, he would always believe in a nebulous god that does not exist. Man would never behold the face of God, nor would man ever hear words personally spoken by God. Man’s imaginings are, after all, empty, and cannot replace the true face of God; the inherent disposition of God, and the work of God Himself, cannot be impersonated by man. The invisible God in heaven and His work can only be brought to earth by God becoming flesh and coming among man to personally do His work. This is the most ideal way for God to appear to man, and for man to see God and come to know the true face of God, and it cannot be achieved by a non-incarnate God.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Corrupt Mankind Is in Greater Need of the Salvation of the Incarnate God