What do those who do not understand the truth rely on when they do things? They rely on human methods, human intellect, and a little human ingenuity. When things get done and completed using these, people become arrogant. They feel they have capital and can brag and flaunt their seniority. This is called lacking reason. In fact, they do not know whether what they have done is actually in accordance with God’s intentions or not. They do not understand, they lack insight. Thus, when something befalls them, such people tend to split hairs. When they make mistakes doing their duty and are pruned, they look for external reasons, blaming this and blaming that. They blame poor circumstances, they blame themselves for not thinking things through at the time. They only look for external reasons; they do not acknowledge that they do not understand the truth, or that they have not grasped the truth principles. Their hearts are negative and filled with misunderstanding of God, and they believe that God has revealed them. Is this really the case? In doing their duty they reveal their corrupt dispositions. They do things without any principles and without any relation to the truth. How pitiful they are. Such people do their duty without submission; they cannot be said to have any loyalty or devotion, and fearing God and shunning evil is even more out of the question. They constantly rely on human methods to do things, and only act and exert effort externally, but ultimately they still fail to understand the truth. Are there changes in the life dispositions of these people? Are their relationships with God normal? Is there any improvement in their submission to and fear of God? (No.) There is no improvement in their lives. There is no change in their corrupt dispositions. They only become more cunning and more devious, using more deceitful means and even growing more arrogant. No matter what they are faced with, they still live by Satan’s philosophy, constantly summing up their experiences and lessons learned, noting where they have fallen and failed, and what lessons they should learn in order to avoid falling and failing again. They always summarize their experiences and lessons like this, not seeking the truth at all. Can one cast off their corrupt disposition while living by Satan’s philosophy? If their corrupt disposition cannot be cast off, can they attain salvation? Failure to understand these matters is dangerous, with no way of entering the right track of believing in God. After so many years of believing in God in such a muddleheaded manner, can they obtain the truth? Can their conscience and reason become ever more normal? Can they live out a normal humanity? (No.) Summarizing experiences and lessons like this and changing one’s behavior might reduce mistakes, but does it count as practicing the truth? (No.) Can this person enter into the truth reality? (No.) Does such a person have a place in their heart for God? (No.) Those who act without regard for the truth, or for God, are disbelievers who are unable to attain God’s salvation! Can you discern people like this?

When someone does something, regardless of whether they are doing their duty or taking care of personal matters, pay attention to where their focus is directed. If they’re focusing on philosophies for worldly dealings, this shows that they do not love or pursue the truth. If a person strives toward the truth no matter what befalls them, if they always reach toward the truth in their contemplation, thinking: “Would doing this accord with God’s intentions? What are God’s requirements? Is doing this sinning against God? Would it offend His disposition? Would it hurt God? Would God loathe it? Is there sense in doing this? Would it disturb or disrupt the church’s work? Would it harm the interests of God’s house? Would it bring shame upon God’s name? Is it practicing the truth? Is it doing evil? What would God think of it?” if they are always pondering on these questions, what is this a sign of? (It is a sign that they are seeking and pursuing the truth.) That’s right. It is a sign that they are seeking the truth, and that God is in their heart. How do those who do not have God in their hearts deal with what befalls them? (They act based on their own intellect and gifts, having nothing to do with God at all, and their actions are especially mixed with their own intentions.) Not only do they mix in their own intentions, but when they act according to their own intentions, they do not examine or reflect upon themselves at all. They make no concessions, sticking stubbornly to their own ways. They do things however they please, do not pray to God, and do not seek the truth. They have nothing to do with God. Is it not easy for such people to do wrong and offend God’s disposition? Is this not incredibly dangerous? What characteristics do people who do not pursue the truth exhibit in their daily lives, both in terms of how they conduct themselves and the dispositions they reveal? (They act rashly and without restraint, look down on others, are especially arrogant and dissolute, and make decisions unilaterally.) Mainly it is these things: They are arrogant, conceited, wantonly rash, dissolute, and unrestrained; they act without reason, doing things however they please, and are always wild and rascally. Without being pruned, they bare their teeth. When faced with being pruned, they are negative, antagonistic, defiant, and rebellious, and their demonic nature is completely exposed. When these people who do not pursue the truth do not do or say anything, they appear to be regular people. But as soon as they do something, their corrupt disposition emerges and it is barbaric and beastly. In the words of God, how are such people described? (“What is revealed in you is not the mischievousness of children who have strayed from their parents, but the beastliness that bursts forth from animals that are out of reach of their masters’ whips” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. What Is Your Understanding of God?).) The dispositions such people reveal can be described as beastly, and they are devoid of normal humanity. If there are such people in a crowd, will you be able to tell them apart? (A little bit.) Those who seek the truth and those who do not are entirely different in how they behave and what they reveal. The clear manifestations of those who do not seek the truth are a lack of reason, a lack of conscience, and acting without regard for the truth principles. They act wantonly and recklessly, and are audacious to the extreme. Those who do not pursue the truth are both pitiful and detestable. They make fools of themselves, bringing no benefit to other people. If they bring no benefit to others, then would God not abhor them? (Yes.) Do they themselves have any awareness of this? (No.) Why do I say they are pitiful? It is because they are like this yet do not even realize it themselves. They lack any semblance of human likeness yet still think they are fine, and still dare to act with impulsive recklessness. Is that not just pitiful? In discerning people, the main thing is to discern whether or not they practice the truth, seek the truth, and accept the truth. This is how you accurately discern them, and see clearly all categories of people.

Are you those who pursue the truth? (We did not pursue it before, but now we are striving for it.) In the past few years, when you did not pursue the truth, did you exhibit the behaviors I just mentioned? (Yes, we did.) When you exhibited those behaviors, did it not pain your heart to live in a state like that? (Yes, we were suffering, but we did not realize it.) It is so pitiful not to realize this! When one does not understand the truth and has no truth reality, that is most pitiful and lamentable. Holding on to these truths, often listening to sermons, yet not obtaining anything and still living within the binds of Satan, acting and speaking without rationality, obviously devoid of humanity—it is so pitiful! Thus, pursuing the truth is of utmost importance! You realize this now, don’t you? (Yes, we do.) It is good that you realize this. What’s worrisome is when people are apathetic and obtuse, and unable to realize it. If one does not pursue the truth and is not aware of it, that’s not such a big problem. What’s most concerning is that one does realize it but nevertheless does not pursue the truth, and is completely unrepentant. This is a deliberate transgression. Those who knowingly transgress and absolutely refuse to accept the truth, are in their hearts intransigent and malicious, and are averse to the truth. Can those who are intransigent be God-fearing? If they do not fear God, can they attain compatibility with God? (No.) What attitudes do those with intransigent hearts have toward God? They are resistant, rebellious, and unrepentant, and they absolutely do not acknowledge that God is the truth. They do not accept the truth and oppose God to the end! What is the end of such people? (They will be punished by God and destroyed.) God does not save those people. Were the 250 leaders mentioned in the Bible intransigent and rebellious people? What became of them in the end? (They were swallowed up by the earth.) That is the outcome. No matter how long someone believes in God, if they do not know the importance of pursuing the truth, if they do not understand the abhorrence and consequences of being averse to the truth, then what will their outcome be? They shall certainly be eliminated. New believers are foolish and ignorant, not yet knowing how to carry out proper tasks or the correct path to walk. That is the pitiable aspect of people. If you have believed in God for several years and can do your duty, yet do not pursue the truth, that is merely laboring. If you can do your duty loyally, willingly labor, do no evil, and cause no disruptions or disturbances, then even if you have not yet pursued the truth, because you can do your duty loyally, God will still not condemn you. But should one understand some of the truth, and realize the importance of pursuing the truth, and yet still not pursue the truth, then salvation shall not be easy for them. At best, they could remain as a loyal laborer. As for those who are unwilling to labor, compete for power and gain, and disturb the church’s life and work, their outcome is sealed. They have already fallen into disaster and are awaiting death. They should prepare for what is to come!