I

You claim that you have seen God, yet you do not understand His joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness and you do not understand His disposition. You also understand neither His righteousness nor His mercifulness, nor do you know what He likes or what He hates. This is not knowledge of God. When you have knowledge and understanding of God, when you have some understanding and grasp of God’s intentions, when you are aware of God’s thoughtful consideration in saving man, that is when you truly believe in God, truly submit to God, truly love God, and truly worship God.

II

While God incarnate is at work, the more understanding people have of His disposition and of what He has and is, the more they will treasure these things and the more they will fear Him. Generally, the less understanding of God people have, the more careless they are, and so they treat God as human. If people really knew and saw God, they would tremble in horror and bow down on the ground. If they do not know His disposition, then how can they fear God? If people neither know Christ’s essence nor understand God’s disposition, they will be even less able to truly worship the practical God.

III

If people see only the ordinary and normal outward appearance of Christ, yet do not know His essence, then it’s easy for them to treat Christ as just an ordinary man. They may adopt an irreverent attitude toward Him and can cheat Him, resist Him, rebel against Him, and cast judgment on Him. They can be self-righteous and not take His words seriously; they can even give rise to notions, condemnations, and blasphemy against God. To resolve these issues, one must know Christ’s essence and divinity. This is the main aspect of knowing God; it is what everyone who believes in the practical God must enter and achieve.

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