If from God’s words you do not understand God’s will and the intentions behind His utterances, if you do not understand the aims and results that His words intend to achieve, if you do not understand what His words seek to accomplish and perfect in man, if you do not understand these things, then it proves that you do not yet comprehend the truth. Why does God say what He says? Why does He speak in that tone? Why is He so earnest and sincere in every word He speaks? Why does He choose to use certain words? Do you know? If you cannot say for sure, it means you do not understand God’s will or His intentions, you do not understand the context behind His words. If you do not comprehend this, then how can you gain the truth? Gaining the truth means understanding His will through every word that He says; it means putting God’s words into practice once you have understood them, and allowing God’s words to be lived out by you and become your reality. Only when you have a thorough understanding of the word of God can you really grasp the truth. After merely coming to understand a few letters and doctrines, you think you understand the truth and possess reality. You even say, “God wants us to be honest and we have practiced it.” However, you fail to understand the reason God wants people to be honest, as well as why He wants people to love Him. Actually, God’s purpose in having such requirements of people is to bring about their salvation and perfection.

God expresses the truth for people who thirst for the truth, seek the truth, and love the truth. As for those who concern themselves with letters and doctrines and like to give lengthy, pompous speeches, they will never gain the truth; they are fooling themselves. Such people have an incorrect view of reading God’s words; they twist their necks to read that which is upright—their perspective is all wrong. Some people only know to research the words of God, studying what He says about being blessed and about man’s destination. If God’s words do not fit their notions, they become negative and halt their pursuit. This shows that they are not interested in the truth. As a result, they do not take the truth seriously; they are only capable of accepting the truth of their notions and imagination. Although such people are fervent in their belief in God and try every way they can to do some good deeds and present themselves well to others, they are only doing it in order to have a good destination in the future. Despite the fact that they also engage in church life, eating and drinking of God’s words along with everyone else, they have difficulty in entering the reality of the truth and gaining the truth. There are still others who eat and drink of the words of God, but who merely go through the motions; they think they have gained the truth simply by having come to understand a few letters and doctrines. What fools they are! The word of God is the truth. However, you will not necessarily understand and gain the truth after you read God’s words. If you fail to gain the truth through eating and drinking the words of God, then what you gain will be letters and doctrines. You do not know what it means to gain the truth. You may hold the words of God in the palm of your hand, but after reading them you still fail to understand God’s will, you only acquire some letters and doctrines. First of all, you should realize that the word of God is not so straightforward; the word of God is utterly profound. Without many years of experience, how could you possibly understand the word of God? Even one sentence of God’s words will require your lifetime to fully experience. You read the words of God, but you do not understand God’s will; you do not understand the intentions of His words, their origin, the effect they seek to achieve, or what they seek to accomplish. If you understand none of these things, then how can you understand the truth? You may have read God’s words many times and perhaps you can recite many passages by heart, but you still have not changed at all, nor have you made any progress. Your relationship with God is just as distant and estranged as ever. There are still barriers between you and God, as before, and you still remain doubtful toward Him. Not only do you not understand God, but you give excuses to Him and harbor notions about Him. You resist Him and even blaspheme Him. How could this mean you have gained the truth?

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three