To see if someone believes in God with true faith, the most important thing is to observe their attitude toward God. If they treat God with a heart of fear and submission toward God, then they have true faith in God. But if they have no fear or submission toward God, then they do not have true faith. What attitude should people have toward God? They should fear and submit to Him. Those who can fear God are capable of seeking and accepting the truth. Those who can submit to God are capable of caring for God’s will; they strive to satisfy God in everything they do. Anyone who pursues the truth possesses these two qualities. Those without a heart of fear or submission toward God are certainly not pursuers of the truth.

Just how should pursuit of the truth be practiced? Do you experience God’s work in the daily performance of your duty? Have you prayed to God when faced with problems, and can you resolve them by seeking the truth? This relates to the issue of life entry. When you reveal your corruption while performing your duty, are you able to self-reflect and resolve the problem of your corrupt disposition according to God’s words? If you cannot practice and experience it this way, then it has nothing to do with believing in God. No matter what duty you are performing nor what you are doing, you must try to fathom which aspects of God’s words are involved, as well as your own thoughts, opinions, or incorrect intentions, all of which are parts of man’s state. What does man’s state include? It includes people’s standpoints, attitudes, intentions, and views, as well as some satanic philosophies, logic, and knowledge—and all these things, in brief, are related to people’s usual modes and methods of action and treatment of others. When faced with a situation, one must first examine what their view is—this is the first step. The second step is to examine whether that view is correct. How, then, should one determine whether their view is correct or not? It is determined once with God’s words, and again according to the principles of the sort of situation in question. For instance, the work arrangements, interests, and rules of God’s house, as well as the explicit words of God—use these things to determine whether a view is correct. They are the standards of measurement. Do you examine your views when faced with a situation? Regardless of whether you can actually identify them or not, the first step is that you must practice this way. No matter what it is that people do, they all have a certain view about it. How is this view formed? It is how you see the situation, what you base your perspective on, how you plan to handle it, and what you base your method of handling it on. These are all part of your view. For instance, what do you think of humankind’s corruption? What is your perspective based on? How do you approach this issue? These all touch upon one’s views on matters. This is also true of one’s view on a matter; regardless of the situation, everyone has a view behind their attitude and method of handling every matter. This view will guide and govern how they act. And it is the origin of this view that determines whether it is right or wrong. For instance, if your view is based on satanic philosophy and logic, and the intention behind your speech is to gain fame and pride, to let more people know and understand you, remember and approve of you, then this is your starting point for taking action. If you have a wrong intention like this, then the views and methods that arise from it will surely also be wrong and definitely not accord with the truth. When you generate wrong views, attitudes, and methods, can you identify them? If you can evaluate their rightness or wrongness, then you meet a basic condition for satisfying God’s will; but this is not the absolute condition. What is the absolute condition? When you’ve evaluated that your views are wrong, when you have incorrect intentions and personal plans and desires, what can you do to not act according to these wrong views? This requires letting go of your incorrect intentions and views, and, at the same time, seeking the truth. Knowing full well that your views are incorrect, that they conform neither to the truth nor to God’s will, that God detests them, you should therefore rebel against them. What is the purpose of rebelling against the flesh? It is to do things according to God’s will, to do things that conform to the truth, and thereby being able to practice the truth. However, if you are unable to rebel against your mistaken views, then you cannot put the truth into practice or live out the truth reality; this means that what you understand is only doctrine. The things you speak about can’t constrain your behavior, guide your actions, or correct your mistaken views, which further proves it is mere doctrine. Therefore, the first step is to examine your views. The second step is to gauge the rightness of those views: Mistaken views must be rebelled against and discarded; correct views must be adhered to and upheld. Where does the difficulty lie for you now? On the one hand, you very seldom examine yourself, it is not a habit for you. On the other, even when you do examine yourself, you don’t know whether your intentions and views are correct or not. They seem both correct and incorrect to you, so in the end you are left feeling befuddled and confused, and do things your own way—this is one type of situation. What other situations are there? (Sometimes I do identify my own intentions and views, and I desire to rebel against them, but I cannot overcome my corrupt disposition. So I compromise, making up reasons and excuses to accommodate myself. I fail to practice then, and feel regretful afterward.) This is lacking the heart to submit to the truth and love the truth. If one’s heart bears a great love for the truth, they will often be able to overcome some of their wrong intentions and views, and be able to rebel against them. Of course, there are some special circumstances where most people find it difficult to overcome. It is normal if you also have not overcome. But if most average people can overcome, but you find it very difficult, what does this prove? It shows that your love for the truth is not great, and practicing the truth is just not that important to you. What is important to you? Persisting with your own views, putting your own mind at ease, satisfying your own desires—these are what matter to you. Meeting God’s requirements, practicing the truth, satisfying God’s heart, and submitting to God—none of these are important in your heart. This reveals your inner intentions and the views you pursue.

What does a person’s state primarily consist of? (Their intentions, standpoints, and views.) Their state primarily includes these things. What is most common in people’s states? It appears frequently in people’s hearts when they encounter something, and it is something they can consciously recognize in their thoughts—what would you say it is? (Their intentions.) That’s right. Intentions are a clear part of people’s state, and one of the most common; in most matters, people have their own thoughts and intentions. When such thoughts and intentions occur, people think them legitimate, but most of the time they are for their own sake, for their own pride and interests, or else to cover something up, or to satisfy themselves in some way. At such times, you must examine how your intention came about, why it was produced. For example, God’s house asks you to do the work of cleansing the church, and there is one individual who has always been perfunctory in their duty, always looking for ways to slack off. According to principle, this person should be cleansed away, but you have a good relationship with them. So what kinds of thoughts and intentions will arise in you? How will you practice? (Acting according to my own preferences.) And what produces these preferences? Because this person has been good to you or has done things for you, you have a good impression of them, and so at this time you want to protect them, and to defend them. Is this not the effect of feelings? You feel emotional toward them, and so take the approach of “While the higher authorities have policies, the localities have their counter-measures.” You’re double-dealing. On the one hand, you say to them, “You must try a little harder when you do things. Stop being perfunctory, you have to suffer a little hardship; this is our duty.” On the other, you reply to the Above and say, “They have changed for the better, they are more effective now when they perform their duty.” But what you’re actually thinking in your mind is, “This is because I worked on them. If I hadn’t, they’d still be like they were.” In your mind, you’re always thinking, “They have been nice to me, they can’t be cleared out!” What state is it when such things are in your intention? This is harming the work of the church by protecting personal emotional relationships. Does acting in this way accord with the truth principles? And is there submission to your doing this? (No.) There is no submission; there is resistance in your heart. In the things that happen to you and the work you are supposed to do, your own ideas contain subjective judgments, and here emotional factors are mixed in. You are doing things based on feelings, and yet still believe that you are acting impartially, that you are giving people the chance to repent, and that you are giving them loving assistance; thus you do as you wish, not as God says. Working in this way is selling the work short, it reduces effectiveness, and harms the church’s work—which is all the outcome of acting according to feelings. If you do not examine yourself, will you be able to identify the problem here? You never will. You might know that it is wrong to act in this way, that this is a lack of submission, but you think it over and say to yourself, “I must help them with love, and after they have been helped and they get better, there will be no need to clear them out. Does God not give people the chance to repent? God loves people, so I must help them with love, and I must do as God asks.” After thinking these things, you do things your own way. Afterward, your heart feels at ease; you feel that you are practicing the truth. During this process, did you practice according to the truth, or did you act according to your own preferences and intentions? Your actions were wholly according to your own preferences and intentions. Throughout the whole process, you used your so-called kindness and love, feelings, and philosophies for worldly dealings to smooth things over, and you tried to walk the fence. It seemed like you were helping this person with love, but in your heart you were actually constrained by feelings—and, fearing the Above would find out, you tried to win them over with compromise, so that no one was offended and the work got done—which is the same way that the unbelievers try to walk the fence. In actuality, how does God appraise this situation? He will classify you as one who does not submit to the truth, who often adopts a scrutinizing, analytical attitude toward the truth and God’s requirements. What role does your intention play when you approach the truth and God’s requirements using this method, and when you perform your duties with this attitude? It serves to protect your own interests, your own pride, and your interpersonal relations without any regard for God’s demands, nor having any positive impact on your own duties or the church’s work. Such a person is living entirely by philosophies for worldly dealings. Everything they say and do is to safeguard their own pride, feelings, and interpersonal relations, yet they have no genuine submission toward the truth and God, nor do they make any attempt to declare or own up to these problems. They feel not a shred of self-reproach and remain wholly ignorant as to the nature of the problems. If people lack God-fearing hearts, and if God has no place in their hearts, then they can never act on principle no matter what duties they are performing or what problems they are dealing with. People living within their intentions and selfish desires are incapable of entering the truth reality. For this reason, if they encounter a problem, and they do not examine their intentions and cannot recognize where their intentions are erroneous, but instead they use all kinds of justifications to manufacture lies and excuses for themselves, what happens in the end? They do quite a good job of protecting their own interests, pride, and interpersonal relationships, but they have lost their normal relationship with God. Some people have believed in God for a long time, but when asked to fellowship on some of their personal experience, they have nothing to say, they cannot share any experiential testimony regarding their dispositional change. What is the reason for this? They very seldom examine themselves, and they very seldom practice according to truth principles. They prefer instead to walk their own path, living within a corrupt disposition, their actions guided by their own intentions, views, desires, and plans, all the while remaining unrepentant. It is God they believe in, and God’s words to which they listen; it is the truth that they receive, and also the truth which they fellowship and preach—but what is it they actually practice? They practice only according to their own intentions and imaginings, not according to God’s demands. So, what is their attitude toward God’s words? How do they treat God’s requirements? In which aspect of experiencing God’s work should people most be conscientious? How they should experience God’s words and practice the truth—this is the most crucial issue. If someone, after hearing God’s words and listening to sermons, does not go and put them into practice, are they really believing in God? Are they really experiencing His work? Why are they not being conscientious where they should be? Why do they doubt God and doubt His words when they should be practicing the truth? “Why does God have these demands? Do they align with His words? Is God still love if He makes demands like this? Having these demands doesn’t seem like something He would do, right? I can’t accept it. God’s demands are rather inconsiderate, they go much against human notions and imaginings.” Tell Me, can one who weighs matters like this be able to accept the truth? (No.) This is not the attitude of accepting the truth. Gauging and approaching God’s demands with this attitude and these intentions—is this opening or closing one’s heart to God? (Closing.) It is not an attitude of acceptance, but one of resistance. In regard to God’s demands, such people first scrutinize and some of them even sneer: “God hasn’t interacted much with the brothers and sisters of the church; He doesn’t know the church’s affairs. Isn’t the house of God handling things a bit too dogmatically? This is not how we do things. We do things based on the brothers’ and sisters’ situations, affording them opportunities. And besides, God incarnate should be understanding of human weakness! If He won’t be considerate, we will. There are some things God does not show consideration for, but we will.” What kind of attitude are they adopting? It is an attitude that resists, judges, and condemns. They subject matters to scrutiny and then cast their judgment. And how do they judge? They say: “In any case, God is righteous, and it’s God I believe in, not a human. God scrutinizes people’s innermost hearts.” What does this mean? (They deny the God incarnate.) That’s right. In their hearts, they deny the Christ, implying that the Christ’s words don’t necessarily represent God. Wherever the Christ’s actions and words contradict or contravene their own interests, intentions, and views, they deny God. “Anyway, it’s God I believe in, and God is righteous. He scrutinizes people’s innermost hearts.” What are these statements? Are they judgments? What is the nature of these statements? (Blasphemy.) To talk about people behind their backs is judgmental. To talk about God behind His back is not merely judgmental; it is blasphemy. Can people who are capable of blaspheming God be true believers? Are they people with conscience and reason? Are they people God will save? These people are purely Satan’s lackeys, they are evil people, and they should be rejected and cast out.

In the churches, are there manifestations of commenting about God and judging His work? They aren’t prevalent, but they certainly occur, because in any church there exist some nonbelievers and evil people. Now, in specific circumstances, could this type of state arise in the hearts of those who genuinely believe in God? If things like judgment, resistance, and blasphemy arise in you, what is your internal response? Are you able to grasp the severe nature of the problem? For instance, let’s say you’ve never married, but you’re in an appropriate environment and you meet a nice potential partner that you’d like to date. Although you’ve previously promised God that you’ll dedicate your entire life to Him and not seek a partner, in your heart you still have a good feeling about this person, so you decide to date them. But after dating you discover there are many obstacles, and you realize dating them is not appropriate, that God does not allow it. You want to give them up, but you cannot let go, so you pray to God and curse and rebel against yourself, and in the end the two of you do break up. After the breakup, you are in immense mental anguish. This is normal. This is the normal weakness of humanity. But you mustn’t complain about God. Could most people go through this experience and be able to not complain about God? Most could not, and this reflects their attitude toward the truth and God. What erroneous thoughts must one have to complain about God in a situation like this? (If I didn’t believe in God, I’d be able to find a partner.) Is a thought like this a large problem? They somewhat don’t want to believe in God, they want to give up. They think: “Why did I have to choose the path of believing in God? Not believing in God would be great, I could do whatever I wanted. It’s not easy finding such a suitable partner; if I pass them up now, I’ll soon be too old for anyone to want me. Should I never try to find someone again? Is this how I’ll spend the rest of my life?” Negative, regretful thoughts rear their head, even to the point where this person doesn’t want to believe anymore. These are manifestations of rebelling against and betraying God. But this is not the most serious. Which thoughts are more serious than this? Have you experienced this kind of thing? (No.) Not having experienced it is really quite dangerous. Those who have experienced such things are able to see certain aspects of them clearly; they are relatively safer, although it’s not an absolute guarantee. The temptation faced by those without such experiences is not trivial. They must be vigilant, for any lapse in vigilance and they will succumb to temptation! Some people ponder: “It is good to be born in the last days and be chosen by God. What’s more, I’m young, with no family entanglements, leaving me free to do my duties—this is God’s grace. It’s too bad there’s just one downside, which is that even if I meet a suitable partner, I can’t pursue them or get married. But why can’t I look for one? Is marriage a sin? Aren’t there many brothers and sisters with spouses and children? And don’t they believe in God too? Why is it that I’m not allowed to seek a partner? God is not righteous!” Their judgment of God and dissatisfaction with Him emerge. They make up their minds that this is all God’s doing, that it all comes from God, so they resent Him and vent their complaints: “God is so unfair to me! He is so inconsiderate! Other people can marry, why can’t I? Other people can have children, why can’t I? God gives other people this opportunity, why doesn’t He give it to me?” Complaints and judgments emerge. What state is this? (A resistant, oppositional state.) Resistant, dissatisfied, reluctant. There is not the slightest intention of accepting or submitting to what God is doing; they just wish He would do otherwise. Nevertheless, they are still reluctant to choose to get married, fearing that if they got married and had entanglements, they wouldn’t be as free and wouldn’t be able to perform their duty well anymore, thus preventing them from later being saved and entering the kingdom of heaven. What would they do with such regret then? Actually, this is the path you choose yourself. God grants humans free will. You can choose, whether you want to find a partner and get married or pursue the truth and salvation. This is entirely a personal choice; whether or not you choose correctly bears no relation to God, so why do you complain about Him? Why do you complain that He is not righteous? Why do you have so many complaints? (Because my own interests were not satisfied.) When it touches upon your own interests, you become dissatisfied inside. You feel you’ve suffered a loss, so you blame God and even look for reasons to vent. What kind of disposition is this? (A malicious one.) This is maliciousness. Blaming God, complaining that He is not righteous, and complaining that His arrangements are unsuitable whenever one’s own interests cannot be satisfied—this is a disposition that is malicious and intransigent, and unloving of the truth. How do these states and thoughts arise in people? If it weren’t for these situations, would these things still arise and be revealed? (No.) When you are not facing such a situation, your relevant interests will not clash with God’s demands and your interests will not in any way be compromised, so you think your love and pursuit of God are better and stronger than everybody else’s. But when you are faced with this situation and your interests become involved, you cannot let go of your interests, so you complain about God. What can be seen from this issue? What is it that frequently causes people to complain about and judge God? (When their own interests are not satisfied.) When it touches upon their own interests, when their own intentions, desires, and plans cannot be met, people resist, judge, and complain about God, and may even blaspheme. In fact, judgment itself is a type of resistant state; blasphemy is even more serious. When their interests are harmed, the more they think about it the angrier they get, the more dissatisfied they become, and the more they feel wronged. They begin to resist, and with these thoughts in their mind, complaints come spilling from their lips and they start to judge. This is a sign of opposing God.

What are some concrete manifestations of a person’s resistance to God? (Not doing one’s duty diligently; being perfunctory in their duty.) This is one aspect. Before, this person could devote 70 percent or 80 percent of their energy to performing their duty and devote themselves to whatever they were doing, but now they harbor thoughts about God, and feel they haven’t received God’s blessings or grace despite performing their duty. Aside from judging God as unrighteous, there is also reluctance in their heart, so they only put in 10 percent or 20 percent of their effort when performing their duty, acting in a completely perfunctory manner. This is a type of resistant behavior caused by a rebellious state. What else is there? (Reckless abandonment.) How does this manifest? For instance, let’s say someone, when acting as a group leader, used to wake up at 5 a.m. for an 8 a.m. gathering in order to pray, engage in spiritual devotions, and prepare. Then they would record the content to fellowship at the gathering. They had a serious attitude toward performing duty, devoting themselves to it fully. After being pruned one time, however, they started to ponder: “What’s the point of getting up early? God doesn’t see it, and nobody praises me for it. There isn’t a single person who says I do my duty loyally. Besides, I’m always being pruned despite my hard work. And I haven’t received God’s approval either; it seems that even future rewards are now at risk.” So at the next gathering they don’t prepare in advance or fellowship enthusiastically, and they stop keeping records. What attitude is this? (An irresponsible one.) They are irresponsible and perfunctory, and no longer want to devote all their heart and strength. Why are they like this? There is something inside them causing trouble. They resist and contend with God, thinking: “Your pruning me has made me uneasy, so this is just how I treat you. I used to devote all my heart and mind, but God didn’t approve of me. God treats people unjustly, so I won’t do my best to perform my duty anymore!” What disposition is this? Their beastliness is showing; in their heart they deny God’s righteousness, deny that God scrutinizes man’s innermost heart, deny that God truly loves man, deny God’s essence, and treat God solely on the basis of their own notions. What behaviors arise from treating God this way? Carelessness, reckless abandonment, and irresponsibility, as well as complaints and misunderstandings. They will even spread their notions, instigating others: “Believing in God doesn’t ensure you will receive blessings. And what blessings, anyway? Has anyone seen them? We’re all walking the path of Paul; how many of us can be like Peter? Good luck getting made perfect by God.” What is it they are spreading? Their judgment and notions of God, as well as their dissatisfaction with Him. What is the nature of this behavior? Is it confrontational? (Yes.) Why can they be so confrontational? Because the views they hold are incorrect. They misunderstand God’s attitude toward people, His requirements for them, and His approach toward them—they lack understanding of these things. When God works in them, they cannot accept and submit, nor can they seek the truth. What is it that ultimately arises because of this? Resistance, judgment, condemnation, and blasphemy. Everyone with a corrupt disposition will naturally display these; the only difference is to what extent. It is absolutely not the case that only evil people behave this way. Would you agree? (Yes. Everyone who does not pursue the truth behaves this way.) That’s right. People who do not pursue the truth and those with a venomous humanity all exhibit and reveal these traits to varying degrees. Those who are relatively genuine seekers will also generate abnormal states when something undesirable happens to them, but they can turn themselves around by praying, examining themselves against God’s words, and seeking the truth. After turning themselves around, there will be repentance, allowing them to stop misunderstanding God and develop some submission. Although this submission sometimes has some impurities, is somewhat forced, or falls somewhat short of the standard, as long as they are willing to submit and can put even a bit of the truth into practice, they will gradually gain clarity about all aspects of the truth. But if you have no desire to submit whatsoever, and even after examining yourself and realizing this problem you do not seek or accept the truth—much less accept the way God treats you—then there will be trouble. What consequences will this produce? You will voice complaints, recklessly cast judgment, and speak without restraint, lacking all trace of a God-fearing heart. In milder cases, you’ll complain at home and smash tableware to vent your anger. You’ll be estranged from God, and unwilling to come before Him and pray. In more severe cases, you will spread your negativity and notions when seeing the brothers and sisters, causing disruptions and disturbances. If you still do not repent then, you will likely provoke their indignation, and you will be cleared out or expelled from the church.

When different things happen to people, there are all sorts of manifestations in them that show the difference between good humanity and bad humanity. So what are the criteria for measuring humanity? How should what kind of a person someone is, and whether or not they can be saved, be measured? This depends on whether they love the truth and whether they are able to accept and practice the truth. People all have notions and rebelliousness inside them, they all have corrupt dispositions, and so will encounter times when what God asks is at odds with their own interests, and they have to make a choice—these are things that they will all often experience, nobody can avoid them. Everyone will also have times when they misinterpret God and have notions about God, or when they have complaints about Him and are resistant or rebellious toward Him—but because people have different attitudes toward the truth, the way they approach it is different. Some people never speak of their notions, but seek the truth and resolve them on their own. Why do they not speak of them? (They have a God-fearing heart.) That’s right: They have a God-fearing heart. They are afraid that speaking them up will have a negative effect, and they merely try to resolve this in their heart, without affecting anyone else. When they encounter others in a similar state, they use their own experiences to help them. This is being kindhearted. People who are kindhearted are loving toward others, they are willing to help others solve their difficulties. There are principles when they do things and help others, they help others fix problems in order to benefit them, and they say nothing that is not of benefit to them. This is love. Such people have a God-fearing heart, and their actions are principled and wise. These are the criteria for measuring whether people’s humanity is good or bad. They know that negative things are of no benefit to anyone, and that these things will affect others if they speak of them out loud, so they choose to pray to God in their hearts and seek the truth for a resolution. No matter what kind of notions they have, they are able to approach and address them with a heart of submission to God, and then achieve understanding of the truth, and ability to submit to God absolutely; in this way, they will have fewer and fewer notions. But some people have no reason. When they have notions, they love fellowshipping them with anyone and everyone. But this doesn’t solve the problem, and makes others have notions—and does this not harm them? Some people don’t tell the brothers and sisters when they have notions; they fear that others will be able to tell they have notions, and use this against them—but at home, they speak without compunction, they say whatever they want, treating the unbelievers in their family like the brothers and sisters at church. They don’t give any thought to what kind of consequences doing so will have. Is this acting according to principle? For example, among their relatives there may be those who believe in God and those who don’t, or those who half believe and are half skeptical; when they have notions, they spread them among family members, with the result that all of these people are dragged down with them, and start having notions and misunderstandings about God. Notions and misunderstandings are inherently pestilential, and once they spread, people who can’t tell them for what they really are can come to harm. Muddled people, in particular, are liable to become even more muddled after hearing them. Only those who understand the truth and are capable of identifying them are able to reject these adverse things—things that are notions, negativity, and misunderstandings—and be protected by God. Most people are devoid of such stature. Some can sense that these things are wrong—which is already quite impressive—but they can’t tell them for what they are at all. Therefore, when there are those who often spread notions and negativity, most people will be disturbed by these adverse things, and become weak and negative. This is certain. These negative, adverse things have tremendous power to mislead and harm new believers. Toward those who already have a foundation, they have little effect; after a time, when such people understand the truth, they will turn themselves around. But once new believers who lack a foundation hear these adverse things, they will easily become negative and weak; those who do not love the truth will even retreat and stop believing in God; those evil people may even spread notions and disturb the work of the church. What kind of people are those who spread negativity and notions without compunction? They are all evil people, they are all demons, and they shall all be revealed and cast out. Some people say: “I don’t spread these things to strangers; I just talk about them at home.” Whether you talk about them outside or at home, the nature of the matter is all the same. That you can speak about them at home means you have notions and misunderstandings about God. Being able to say these things out loud proves you do not seek or love the truth. You have not sought the truth to help you dispel these notions, nor do you plan to give them up, so no matter who you speak to, the nature of your speech remains the same. And there are some people who spread their notions everywhere they go, and with whomever they meet. For instance, let’s say someone gets sent home because they caused disruptions and disturbances while doing their duty. When asked why they were made to go home, they reply: “I’m just naturally frank. I say what’s on my mind. I slipped up and talked about some of the bad things I used to do; when the leaders and workers heard about this, they labeled me an evil person and sent me home. You all should learn from my experience; you can’t speak recklessly in God’s house. God says to be honest, but you have to consider your audience. It’s okay to be honest with your family, but try being honest with outsiders and you’ll suffer losses. Didn’t I just suffer a loss because of it? Take this as a lesson.” Some people, after hearing this, will mull it over: “This kind of thing happens in the house of God? I guess we’d all better be careful with our words from now on!” Aren’t these people muddleheaded? God has spoken so much, yet after listening for over a decade, they can’t remember a single sentence—but an evil person says one thing and they remember it firmly, planting it in their hearts, and thereafter become wary in their speech and actions. They have been misled and poisoned. Why is it they can be poisoned? In one sense, their caliber is poor, and they are too muddled, unable to discern other people’s speech and behavior, and lack a stance of their own. They do not understand the truth and are unable to uphold it. In another sense, they have no faith in God and fundamentally do not understand the way He treats people. Because of all this, they can be misled by others. They too are certainly not good people, able to embrace the words of a devil. What intentions and goals does the devil have when spreading notions? They want everyone to sympathize with them. They’d be overjoyed if everyone were complaining about God. Is this not someone who causes disruptions and disturbances? Aren’t they blindly stirring up trouble? How should such people be handled? Does it even need to be said? Cleanse them away from the church immediately; do not let them stay for even one more day. Evil people like them remaining in the house of God will only result in disaster; they are a hidden danger, a ticking timebomb. The best course of action is to cleanse them away. Let them believe however they want to believe outside the church—that has nothing to do with the house of God. Such people are the most insidious and are beyond redemption. Tell Me, who in God’s house has ever been sent away because of a momentary slip of the tongue? Who has ever been made to leave for being an honest person and openly recognizing themselves? The house of God is always doing the work of cleansing the church, and who are those that get cleansed away? It is all those evil people, antichrists, and nonbelievers, who consistently do not perform their duties well, and who even do evil and cause disturbances. Not a single person has ever been disposed of because of a momentary transgression or a momentary revelation of corruption, much less has anyone been cleansed away for practicing the truth so as to be an honest person. This is accepted fact. Some people say: “Those who pursue the truth are a minority in the church. People who do not pursue the truth make up the majority. If the majority were cleared out, who would render service? If the majority were cleared out, how many people could still be saved?” This is not the right way to think. As was said long ago, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” It is because humankind is so deeply corrupt that people who love the truth are so few. It is not a great number of people that God wants, but people of excellence. Those who remain in the house of God are those who can listen and submit, who can safeguard the work of God’s house; most of them are people who can accept the truth. Some people have poor caliber and might not understand the truth, but they are able to listen, submit, and refrain from wrongdoing, so such people may be retained to render service. Those who manage to stay among the service-doers are all loyal. No matter what the service, they do not complain; they are people who listen and submit. Those who do not listen or submit, wouldn’t they just cause disturbances if they remained? Even if they do render a bit of service, they always need supervision; the moment they are not watched, they could commit wrongdoings and create problems. Such people’s service does more harm than good. Service-doers like this must be cleared out, otherwise God’s chosen people will be disturbed, as will church life. If evil people are not cleared out from the church, God’s chosen people will truly come to harm and be ruined. Thus, the only way to guarantee that God’s chosen people can experience church life undisturbed is to clear evil people out; this is the only way to ensure God’s chosen people enter the right track of believing in God and attain salvation. Clearing evil people out is fully in accordance with God’s will.

There is a type of person who is loving and tolerant toward everyone, and willing to help anybody. The only thing they are not interested in is the truth. They are always opposed to God and irreconcilable with Him. They are die-hard enemies of God. What kind of person is this? They are nonbelievers and devils. Devils are the ones who are averse to the truth the most and hate the truth the most. So long as something involves the truth, or what God says or demands, not only do they not accept it, but they doubt it, they are resistant to it, and they spread their notions about it. They also do many things which are detrimental to the church’s work, even publicly clamoring against God when their personal interests have been hurt. People like this are devils; they are people who hate the truth and hate God. Within every person’s nature is a disposition which hates the truth; therefore, everyone has an essence which hates God. The only difference is the extent of this hate, whether it is mild or severe. Some people are capable of doing evil to oppose God, while others just reveal a corrupt disposition or negative emotions. So why are some people capable of hating God? What role do they play? They are able to hate God because they have a disposition which hates the truth. Having this disposition means that they are a devil and an enemy of God. What is a devil? Devils are all those who hate the truth and hate God. Can devils be saved? Absolutely not. While God saves mankind, many people will rise up and oppose Him and disturb the work of the house of God. People like this are devils. They can also be called living demons. In churches everywhere, anyone who disturbs the work of the church is a devil and a living demon. And anyone who tyrannizes the church and does not accept the truth to any degree is a living demon. Therefore, if you correctly identify which people are living demons, you must act quickly to clear them out. If there are some people whose behavior is typically very good, but on occasion their state is bad, or their stature is too small and they do not understand the truth, and they do something which causes disruptions and disturbances but it is not a habit of theirs and they are not this sort of person by nature, then they can remain. Some people’s humanity is not very good; if someone offends them, they will never let it go. They will argue with that person endlessly, showing no mercy when they feel justified. Yet, these people have one merit, which is that they are willing to render service and endure hardship. People like this can remain for the time being. If these people frequently do evil and disturb the church’s work, then they are of devils and Satan, and they absolutely cannot be saved. That is one hundred percent certain. People of this sort must be cleared out from the church; they absolutely cannot be allowed to stay. Why must they be cleared out? On what basis are they cleared out? Some are cleared out to give them a chance to repent, to teach them a lesson; others are cleared out because their natures have been seen for what they are, and they cannot be saved. So you see, people are just different from one another. Some who have been cleared out, despite their extreme negativity and darkened heart, have not abandoned their duty, and continue to perform it—they are not of a state with people who do not do their duty at all after being cleared out, and the paths they take are not the same. What is the inner state of those who continue to do their duty after being cleared out? What do they pursue? This is different from those who do not perform their duty. If you cannot discern it, it means your caliber is poor, you lack spiritual understanding, and you cannot do the work of the church. If you can see the difference, you will treat them differently. Where lies the difference between these two types of people? What is the difference in the paths they walk? What is the difference in their attitude toward performing duty? Can you discern these things? (Some people can continue performing some duties after being cleared out, indicating they still have some conscience. Perhaps they also feel they cannot be saved anymore, but they think: “I believe in God. I am certain that this God is the Creator. Even though the church has cleared me out, I must still believe in God. I am still a created being, and I acknowledge my Creator.” They still have this bit of conscience at work within them. If they don’t even do their duty after being cleared out, and don’t even believe in God anymore, they betray themselves as a nonbeliever.) Who would like to speak next? (Perhaps some people can continue to perform their duty after being cleared out because in their heart they already realize that they owe God for the things they did before, and wish to make amends. But if someone stops doing their duty after being cleared out, it shows they weren’t doing their duty to satisfy God, but were trying to make deals with God in the hopes of receiving blessings. And after determining that they wouldn’t receive any blessings, they didn’t see the need to continue performing duty, so they stopped rendering service.) Of these two types of people, which one has some conscience? (People who still do their duty after being cleared out.) The type who continues their duty still has some conscience and a baseline for being a person. As a human, regardless of how God treats them and whether God wants them, they are still a created being of God. They cannot escape God’s hand; wherever they go, they are still a created being, so they must still do their duty. This shows they have conscience and a baseline for being a person. Moreover, no matter where they go, at the very least they can admit they believe in God and acknowledge God’s existence. It is this faith in their heart that enables them to perform their duties. This type of person really does have some faith, and may be capable of repentance. As for those who stop performing their duties after being cleared out, what they’re thinking is, “If God doesn’t want me, I won’t believe in God anymore. My belief is useless anyway.” They stop believing and deny God’s existence, and even abandon their baseline for being a person, negating everything they did before. Such people lack conscience and reason, and that is where the difference lies between these two types. Tell Me, does God know this? He knows it all too well. He created all things, He can scrutinize all things and reigns sovereign over them all. Those nonbelievers who lack conscience think, “Where is God? How come I haven’t seen Him? So who cares if the church cleared me out? I can live wherever I go all the same. You think I can’t go on living just because I left You? Not performing my duties gives me even more freedom!” This is their attitude, which reveals them as a nonbeliever, and it proves clearing them out was right. Nonbelievers like this should be cleared out—good riddance to them. People who have faith in God react differently if they are cleared out. For example, after being cleared out, some people might say, “I cannot live without doing my duty. I cannot live without believing in God. I can’t go on without God. No matter where I go, I’m in God’s hand.” So they continue doing their duty. It is not blind belief or stupidity that leads them to this choice; it is because they are governed by these thoughts that they can perform their duty like this. They also have grievances and notions, and some complaints, but why is it they can still perform their duty? Because there is still some conscience at work within their humanity. Those without the function of conscience can refrain from doing their duty and believing in God. This is the difference. People do differ from each other; there are differences among everyone. At pivotal moments, whether or not someone has conscience and reason can determine and affect so many things.

Just now I fellowshipped on the intentions in one’s state. Next I will fellowship on standpoint and attitude. Whether it’s an aspect of terminology or an aspect of the truth, there are many details involved here; it’s not as simple as the surface-level words or sentences spoken. If you limit your understanding to a word, a concept, or the literal meaning of some sentences, it will only ever be a type of doctrine. However, if you integrate and compare these literal phrases or sentences with actual states and the ideas, views, or methods people reveal in their real lives, you will be able to discover many of your own problems. Some problems contradict the truth. Others seem to be in alignment with doctrine, they seem to conform to regulations and human ideas and methods, but in actuality they do not conform to the truth or to God’s will. For example, some of the views and standpoints people have conform only to human notions and imaginings, but not the truth principles. If they are not measured and discerned according to God’s words, they will be able to pass muster among people. But once checked against God’s words, human thoughts and views become fallacious things, they become negative things. What other problems have you discovered? (God, I’m thinking of ideas and views from traditional culture like “being filial to one’s parents” and “being a good wife and loving mother,” which people see as being right and proper, but which, from a truth perspective, do not conform to the truth.) They do not conform to the truth. This means they go against God’s intentions. For example, some people can show filial devotion to their parents or be a good wife and loving mother—in terms of their behavior and performance, there doesn’t seem to be a problem here; but can they submit to God? Can they accept the truth? Just displaying these two behaviors outwardly is not a problem; but in terms of evaluating their nature essence, do they have any submission in the way they treat God? Are they able to accept the truth? If there are problems with these two aspects, will they be able to attain salvation? They certainly will not. So, even though these two behaviors appear as merits, they cannot represent a person’s essence. No matter how much someone is filial or a good wife and loving mother on the surface, it does not mean they are one who submits to God, much less does it mean they are one who has broken free from Satan’s influence. There is not any relation between these two merits of theirs and the truth. Therefore, someone possessing these two merits is definitely not a person whom God approves of, and they fall far short of the standard of a righteous person. The hearts of corrupt humans are brimming with Satan’s philosophies. They all like receiving the praise and approval of others. They all like maintaining their interpersonal relations to protect themselves. They all like standing out and showing off to make others look up to them. Living based on these satanic philosophies all starts from a certain point of departure. What is the goal this starting point aims to achieve? (To have people praise them as good individuals and say they are loving and considerate, so that people will support and approve of them.) Living by Satan’s philosophies, people harbor a type of notion and imagining: “The good are rewarded” and “The good have peaceful lives.” Yet none can say clearly just what “The good are rewarded” and “The good have peaceful lives” mean. On the contrary, seeing that good people do not live long while bad people do, none can really perceive the root cause of this state of affairs. But there is one commonly accepted rule among people that remains constant: “Good is repaid with good, and evil with evil.” God recompenses each individual based on their own deeds. This is preordained by God, and nobody can change it, yet not many people recognize this. So, is it easy for people to change when they live according to satanic philosophies? (No.) Why not? (These philosophies have become their law of survival. Without seeking the truth and without being able to discern these notions, it is difficult to change.) It’s not so simple. Actually, when facing situations with these intentions and actions, if you say you feel nothing, that’s not right. For unbelievers, not feeling anything is normal because they live entirely according to satanic philosophies and laws. They consider these things valuable and don’t think they are wrong. Now, you have all believed in God for such a long time and listened to so many sermons; deep down, you should have an assessment of these things. Are they right or wrong? You should be able to recognize that these things are wrong; your attitude toward them should be negative, not affirmative. So why can’t you let go of them despite knowing full well they are wrong? Where does the problem lie? (We are too selfish and despicable, and are unwilling to rebel against the flesh. When confronted with something, we don’t think about satisfying God and give little consideration to the interests of God’s house, instead only considering our own interests. We cannot rebel against our inner intentions.) Not willing to rebel against the flesh—this is one aspect. When it comes to major interests, you feel distressed and anguished, and can’t let go. So, in the interpersonal interactions of your daily life that don’t involve major interests, have you ever examined these satanic philosophies and laws? Have you sought the truth to resolve them? Have you changed at all? (Some things I examine, and what I recognize, I try to change. But often, I don’t treat it as a serious matter and don’t examine it.) Then it’s not easy to change. Your every movement, every word and action, even your glances are all revelations of a corrupt disposition, all governed by a corrupt disposition. If you still do not seek the truth to resolve these issues, it will be very difficult to receive salvation. If you think it takes tremendous effort and energy to rebel against the flesh, as if it requires you to split your personality in two, then you’ve got trouble; it will not be easy to change. If you can examine yourself and seek the truth—starting from everyday life, from your every word and deed, and especially in those matters which touch upon fame, gain, and status—and if you can rebel against your own flesh, you will be able to make some changes. Now, you all find it difficult to relinquish these philosophies and laws of Satan; in your daily lives, then, has there been any genuine change in these views or behaviors and actions that don’t align with the truth? (Sometimes when I speak or act, I recognize that I have incorrect intentions and want to correct them. After praying, I understand God’s will and can put it into practice, but after doing so I discover that the intentions behind my actions have not actually been resolved, it’s only my outward methods that have changed. For example, if I lie to protect my own interests, after realizing this I’ll immediately rebel against the flesh and open up and lay myself bare to others, saying, “My intention when speaking just now was not right. I was being deceitful.” But the next time I encounter a similar situation, that intention will still exert its control over me and I’ll want to protect my own interests and lie. That intention seems so deeply rooted; it resurfaces again and again in my heart.) So, where does this intention to satisfy your own interests come from? It is the product of your corrupt disposition. The intentions produced by various corrupt dispositions are all different in nature; some are wicked in nature, some are vicious, some are absurd, some are ludicrous, and some are intransigent. Each has its own nature. Thus, it is very normal for the same intention to be produced in different situations, because the corrupt disposition inside you does not change. If this one disposition could produce different intentions in different situations, that would cause people so much trouble and throw their minds into chaos! Even just one kind of intention can be hard to resolve, requiring a lengthy period of transformation; if one disposition produced many kinds of intentions, then that would be even more difficult to change. You need to constantly work on a single kind of intention, handling and resolving it in different situations and circumstances, and among different people, events, and things. This is doing battle with one aspect of a corrupt disposition. Some people grow anxious and even conclude that they are incapable of change after losing a few battles. Being anxious is no use; a corrupt disposition cannot be changed in an instant. You might think that rebelling against the flesh once or twice should bring about some changes, but later you find that you still always reveal corrupt disposition, and you don’t understand why. This indicates that you lack an understanding of the process of dispositional change. Changing a disposition is no simple matter. It won’t suffice if your understanding of the truth is too shallow. When you truly recognize the essence of your corrupt disposition, then you can completely rebel against it. Practicing the way you do now, although you will still reveal your corrupt disposition when you encounter situations, it cannot be denied that you have already changed. At the very least your corrupt disposition reveals itself less, and you have much fewer intentions and adulterations. You don’t speak with as much hypocrisy and dishonesty now; instead, you often speak from your heart and tell the truth. This indicates that you have already changed. But you might think, “There’s only been a change in my practice and methods. My intentions remain unchanged, so I haven’t really changed at all, have I? Does this mean I’m beyond salvation?” Are these thoughts correct? (No.) They are distorted thoughts. Changing your disposition requires experiencing many processes; it is correct that your practice and methods change first. As for people’s inner intentions, they can only be changed by seeking the truth to resolve them. Being able to change in terms of practice and method proves that someone has started to transform. If you persist in seeking the truth to resolve your human intentions and adulterations, your corrupt disposition will reveal itself less and less. If you have come to know God, have a God-fearing heart, and can submit to God, that proves your life disposition has already undergone a change. This is the right way to look at things. If your way of practicing is correct, and you are able to practice the truth and act with some principle, that means you’ve already changed. It is wrong to believe you haven’t changed at all just because you sometimes still reveal your corruption. You might say, “Then why does my old problem of revealing corruption still recur? This proves I haven’t changed.” This is the wrong way to look at things. The problem of revealing corruption cannot be thoroughly resolved after only a few years of experience. It requires long-term persistence in practicing the truth to thoroughly resolve. The decrease in the revelations of your corruption is enough to prove there has already been change in you; to say there hasn’t been any change at all is inconsistent with the actual situation. You must be clear about this in your hearts, you cannot have a distorted understanding. Attaining salvation by experiencing God’s work is a long-term endeavor that absolutely cannot be achieved in only a few short years. You must have this awareness.

Just now we fellowshipped on standpoints, intentions, and attitudes. Standpoints determine attitudes, don’t they? Indeed, standpoints and views do determine people’s attitudes. Similarly, your view when you encounter a certain circumstance or situation depends on where you stand. If you do not stand with God but stand on the side of man, seeking to maintain your interpersonal relations, then your views and methods will surely all serve to protect and secure your own interests and pride, and to leave yourself a way out. But if your standpoint is to protect the interests of God’s house, to perform your duty well and exert your loyalty, then your attitude will be to practice according to the truth in every situation, to perform your duty well, to exert loyalty, and to accomplish God’s commission—all these elements are aligned. When, in your fellowship together, you do not fellowship about the doctrines you have heard or remembered, or the spiritual theories you have grasped, but are able instead to fellowship about your own recent states, about the ways in which your views and standpoints on some event have undergone change and you have been informed by new discoveries and new understandings, about things of yours that are contrary to God’s requirements and the truth, then, at such time as you are able to fellowship such things, you will have stature. If you have never examined any aspect of your views, standpoints, intentions, and thoughts, or if, having examined them, you are unable to tell if they are right or wrong, and your accounting of them is muddled, then, were you act as a leader of the church, with what would you water others? (Words and doctrines.) It seems to Me that you would water others not only with words and doctrines, spiritual theories, and theological knowledge, but also, perhaps, with your distorted views and your personal notions and judgments of God, and, more than that, with your one-sided views and understandings of God, in total discord with God’s words and demands. And what happens to everyone brought up under such leadership? They become able only to speak on words and doctrines. If God wanted to do some testing and purifying work in them, their not resisting it would be a satisfactory outcome; they would be quite incapable of treating it correctly, much less genuinely submitting to it. What does this show? It shows that what you instill in others is notions and imaginings. If others have not increased their understanding and diminished their misunderstandings of God due to your watering and leadership, then how has your performance of your duty been? Have you done it adequately or inadequately? (Inadequately.) Are you now able to determine which parts of the work you do and which of the truths you fellowship are genuinely helpful and bring benefit to people, not only resolving their negativity and their notions and misunderstandings of God, but also allowing them to have a true understanding of God and a normal relationship with Him? If you can achieve these results in your work, then you are able to do practical work and perform your duty adequately. If you are unable to perform this work, then just what have you been doing within the church? Are you able to gauge which parts of the work you’ve done and which of the words you’ve spoken have been truly beneficial and edifying for God’s chosen people? Are the work you perform and the words you say identical to what Paul did—merely speaking of spiritual theory, bearing witness to yourselves and showing off—or are they perhaps even more overt and obnoxious than what Paul said? Can you measure that? If you really can measure it, then you’ve truly made progress. For example, a person, having believed in God for only one or two years so far, has notions and misunderstandings about God that affect the performance of their duty, so you persistently tell them, “You must love God. You can’t be without a God-loving heart. You have to learn how to submit to God, you can’t have personal demands and desires.” But this is not where the problem lies with them; actually, it’s because someone who believed in God for many years got expelled, and the new believer didn’t grasp this person’s essence, so they developed misgivings about how God’s house handled this matter. They have misgivings, so it is these misgivings you must resolve. It’s not that they don’t want to perform their duty, or that they want to slack off or can’t endure hardship, and yet you’re always telling them, “Young people should be able to endure hardship and be diligent, and have perseverance.” These words are correct, but they don’t fit this person’s state, so they remain uninspired after listening. Resolving misunderstandings about God cannot be done by just speaking some doctrines; you must understand the facts and clarify the root cause. This is what’s known as getting to the bottom of the matter. Only by figuring out what’s really going on and seeking the truth to resolve the matter can the problem truly be solved. You might probe them: “How are you misunderstanding? What misunderstandings do you have? God is so good to you and cares for you so much, and you still misunderstand Him; you lack conscience!” But this cannot resolve the problem; this is exhorting and lecturing, not fellowshipping the truth. What should be said to really fellowship the truth, then? (Help them believe that God is righteous. Say: “Even if you can’t see through the person who got expelled, you should maintain a submissive heart. When you understand the truth, you’ll naturally see through that person.”) This is quite a good method, it’s the simplest method; it can resolve some of the problems even if it doesn’t explain everything. Tell Me, what are people generally thinking when misunderstandings arise in them? Why did it make them feel bad? Because it touched upon their own interests; they put themselves in the other person’s shoes and thought about how it could affect themselves: “They still got expelled even after believing in God for so many years. I haven’t believed in God for as long as them; will God not want me too?” This misunderstanding arises in them. This is a misunderstanding of God’s righteous disposition and the way He treats people. How should these two misunderstandings of God be resolved? When someone has developed a misunderstanding of God, what is the nature of this misunderstanding? Is it an affirmation of God’s work, or a questioning of it? (A questioning of it.) Is this questioning correct or incorrect? First of all, it is incorrect. So, will your rationality enable you to recognize that you’ve developed a misunderstanding about God, and that this kind of behavior, attitude or state of yours is incorrect? If you possess this rationality, you will be able to clearly realize that you are wrong and that God is certainly right. With this foundation, you will be able to easily accept whatever truth is fellowshipped next. But if you subconsciously think, “What God does may not necessarily be correct. God also has areas where people could find fault. God also makes mistakes and treats people unfairly; His inconsiderateness toward people is unfair”—if these thoughts can arise within you, does that mean you subconsciously affirm or deny what God does? (Deny.) You deny what God does. Then do you subconsciously believe your misunderstanding of God is correct or incorrect? If you subconsciously believe you are correct, then this is a problem, one which no amount of fellowshipping on any aspect of the truth could address. Of these two types of views, these two types of subconscious mindsets, which type places yourself in the position of a created being, one that acknowledges that the Creator is the Creator, man is man, and God is God? (The first type.) And the second type? Can someone with this second type of view accept the fact that God is the Creator? (No.) How is this exhibited? What gives it away? They do not maintain an attitude of belief, submission, and acceptance toward God; they instead harbor an attitude that is always watching, scrutinizing, analyzing, and dissecting. They regard all that God does from a position of equal standing with Him. So when they suddenly discover that God has done something that doesn’t align with their own notions and imaginings, they dare to try to gain leverage against God, judge God, and condemn God. They are not treating God as God, but as a man, aren’t they? They dare try to hold leverage against God, find fault with and judge Him—is this speaking from the position of a created being? (No.) When someone has misunderstandings about God, they should understand that the things God does are unfathomable. As a created being, man has no justification or qualification to criticize and judge God. When this happens, how should you fellowship with such a person? You have to say this: “You have misunderstandings about God, which is wrong in itself. No matter what God did that didn’t align with your notions, you should have a God-fearing heart. If you can’t understand something, don’t blindly make judgments and condemnations; you should pray to God and seek the truth. Because we are people, corrupt humans, and we can never become God. Even if we received and understood every truth that God expressed, we would still just be corrupt humans, and God will always be God. Even if we do attain the truth and are made perfect by God, if God doesn’t like us and wants to destroy us, we still mustn’t utter complaints—this is what a created being should submit to. If something so small still causes us to have notions about God and judge Him, that just proves how corrupt, arrogant, wicked, and without reason we humans are. First of all, we’ve never placed ourselves in the position of a created being and then treated the Creator that way; this was the first mistake. The second mistake is that we’re always watching God, thinking of ways to gain leverage against Him, and then observing, scrutinizing, and analyzing—this is even more wrong. Not only do we not believe in God and not accept or submit to the truth; we stand on the side of Satan and act as its accomplice, joining forces with it to clamor against God, to compete with and confront God—this is not what a created being should do. What God is doing now, regardless of whether people think it is right or wrong, regardless of which aspect of the truth it conforms to, and regardless of how it matches up with God’s righteous disposition, none of that has to do with us. We are created beings; what should our responsibilities, obligations, and duties be? To unconditionally submit and accept. If we believe we are created beings, that whatever God does is right, and if we must accept it regardless of whether we feel it benefits, deprives, harms, or hurts us, then this is called submission, this is called having a God-fearing heart. This is what a true created being should be like. How do we compare to Abraham, to Job, to Peter? We fall far short of them. If we talk about qualifications, we have no qualifications to speak to God, no qualifications to have misunderstandings about God, and no qualifications to appraise or judge a single thing that God does.” People will of course not enjoy hearing that they don’t have any of these qualifications, but this is what you must say to corrupt human beings because they cannot be reasoned with. Daring to talk about qualifications and justifications with the Creator—is this not arrogance and self-righteousness, and imperviousness to reason? Therefore, only by speaking in such a blunt manner can they understand; fellowshipping like this can resolve some problems.

Those who genuinely submit to God and genuinely accept the truth should not develop misunderstandings about God, nor should they attach their appraisal or judgment to anything God does. In the Age of Law, God said He would give Abraham a son. What did Abraham say to that? He said nothing—he believed what God said. This was Abraham’s attitude. Did he make any judgment? Did he scoff? Did he do anything furtive? He did not, nor did he engage in any petty maneuvering. This is called submission; it is called keeping fast to one’s place and one’s duty. As for his wife, Sarah—was she not different from Abraham? What was her attitude toward God? She questioned, scoffed, disbelieved—and she judged, and she engaged in petty maneuvering, giving Abraham her handmaiden as a concubine, doing such an absurd thing. This came from the will of man. Sarah did not keep fast to her own place; she doubted the words of God and did not believe in His almightiness. What was the cause of her disbelief? There were two causes and contexts. One was that Abraham was by then quite old. The other was that she herself was also quite aged and unable to bear children, so she thought, “This is impossible. How will God accomplish this? Isn’t this absurd? Isn’t this like trying to play a trick played on a child?” She did not accept or believe what God said as the truth but took it as a jest, thinking that God was joking with people. Is this the right attitude? (No.) Is this the attitude with which one should treat the Creator? (No.) So did she keep fast to her place? (No.) She did not keep fast. Because she took God’s words in jest and not as the truth, and because she did not believe what God said or what He was going to do, she acted absurdly, causing a series of consequences, all of which came from the will of man. In essence, she was saying: “Can God do this thing? If He cannot, I must take action to help fulfill these words of God.” Within her, there were misunderstandings, judgments, speculations, and questions, all of which constituted rebellion against God by a person with a corrupt disposition. Did Abraham do these things? He did not, and so this blessing was bestowed on him. God saw Abraham’s attitude toward Him, his God-fearing heart, his loyalty, and his genuine submission, and God would deliver a son unto him that he would be the father of many nations. This is what was promised to Abraham and Sarah benefited unexpectedly from it. Submission is therefore very important. Is there questioning within submission? (No.) If there is, does it count as true submission? (It doesn’t.) If there is analysis and judgment within it, does it count then? (No.) And if one tries to gain leverage? It counts even less then. What, then, is manifested and revealed—and what is the behavior—within submission that fully proves it to be true? (Belief.) True belief is one thing. One must correctly understand what God says and does, and confirm that all God does is right and the truth; there is no need to question it, nor to ask others about it, and there is no need to weigh it up or analyze it in one’s own heart. This is one aspect of the content of submission, believing that everything God does is correct. When a person does something, one may look at which person did it, what kind of background they have, whether they’ve done any bad deeds, and how their character is. These things require analysis. If, on the other hand, something comes from God and is done by Him, you must cover your mouths at once and harbor no second thoughts—do not question it and do not raise queries, but accept it in its entirety. And what is to be done next? There are some truths involved here that people do not understand, and they don’t know God. Although they believe it is God’s doing and are capable of submission, they don’t genuinely understand the truth. What they understand still has somewhat of a doctrinal nature, and they are unsettled at heart. At such times, they must seek, asking, “What truth is there in this? Where is the error in my thinking? How did I become distanced from God? Which of my views are in conflict with what God says?” Next, they should seek after these things. This is an attitude and practice of submission. There are those who say they are submissive, but when something later befalls them, they ponder, “Who knows what God does? We created beings can’t interfere. Let God do whatever He wants!” Is this submission? (No.) What kind of attitude is this? It is an aversion to taking responsibility; it is a lack of concern for what God does and cold indifference toward it. Abraham was able to submit because he observed the principles, and he was resolved in his belief that what God said must be done and must be fulfilled—he was 100 percent certain about these two “musts.” He therefore did not question, he did not make any assessment, nor did he engage in any petty maneuvering. That is how Abraham behaved in his submission.

It was a blessing that Abraham obtained from God. He didn’t raise any doubts, and didn’t mix human will into anything he did. The situation Job encountered, however, was markedly different from Abraham. What was different about it? What Abraham encountered was a blessing, it was a good thing; at nearly 100 years old, he was childless and hoping for a child when God promised to give him a son. How could he not be happy? He was certainly willing to submit. But what Job encountered was misfortune; why was he still able to submit? (He believed in his heart that everything was God’s doing.) This is one aspect. There is another, oftentimes people can submit when they aren’t subjected to too much suffering, and they can submit when God bestows blessings; but when God takes away, it is not easy for them to submit anymore. As for Job, what kind of view did he have, what kind of rationality did he possess, what truths did he understand, or what aspect of understanding of God did he have for him to be able to accept and submit to that misfortune? (He believed that everything God does is good. He believed in his heart that everything he had was given by God, not earned by his own labor—God’s taking it away is also His authority. He possessed this kind of rationality, so he was able to accept and submit.) If people believe everything God does is good, it’s easy for them to submit. But is it still easy to submit when it seems that everything God does brings misfortune to people? Which is more indicative of genuine submission? (Still being able to submit when it seems that everything God does brings misfortune to people.) So what kind of rationality and truth did Job possess to be able to accept that misfortune? (Job truly treated God as God. He understood that God isn’t just the One who bestows blessings and grace—even when He takes away, He is still God; he also understood that even if one meets with calamities, it is because God allows it. No matter what God does, He remains God, and humans should always worship Him.) Mainly it is that Job had some understanding of God, and assumed his position well. He recognized that the essence of God will not change because external people, events, and things change; that God’s essence is always and forever God’s essence, it is unchanging. It’s not that if God bestows blessings upon people, He is God, and that if all He does is bring calamity to people, inflict suffering and punishment upon them, or destroy them, His essence changes and He ceases to be God. God’s essence never changes. The essence of man doesn’t change either; that is, man’s status and essence as a created being will never change. Even if you can fear God and know Him, you are still a created being; your essence does not change. God put Job through such immense trials, yet Job was still able to submit and did not complain. Besides having some knowledge of God, what was his greatest strength that enabled him to submit and refrain from complaining? It was that he knew that humans will always be humans; however God treats them is completely correct. To put it plainly, however God treats you is how you should be treated. Doesn’t this explain things? Do not demand how God should treat you, what blessings He should give you, or what trials He should put you through and what significance His work should have on you. You cannot demand these things, making these demands is unreasonable. Some people, during times of peace and security, say that whatever God does is good, but then they cannot accept it when something happens that isn’t in line with their notions. This must be resolved with the truth. What is this truth? It is standing firm in your own position; however God treats you is deserved and without error. No matter how God treats you, He is still God; people should not make demands of Him. Do not evaluate God’s correctness, and do not evaluate the reasons, goals, or significance of His actions. These things do not need your evaluation. Your responsibility and duty is to stand firm in your position as a created being and let God orchestrate as He will. That is the right way. This is easy to say but difficult to practice; and yet people must understand this truth. Only by understanding the truth can you have genuine submission when something befalls you.

Some people, having believed in God and listened to sermons up to now, think: “Job could submit to the trials God gave him because Job knew that everything comes from the hand of God. However many cattle and sheep, or however much property, wealth, and progeny one has, it is all bestowed by God—it is not up to people. People are like slaves before God, they must endure however He treats them.” They use this sort of negative attitude to know God; is knowing God in this way correct? It is certainly not correct. What would be an accurate way to know God then? (People are created beings, and God is forever God. No matter how God acts, people should just let God orchestrate them as He wishes.) That’s right. Do not demand that God should act a certain way. Do not demand that God should spell everything out for you in fellowship. If He doesn’t make it clear, you shouldn’t contend with God, thinking you have a reason. This is wrong. It is extremely arrogant and self-righteous, and greatly lacking in conscience and reason; this is not what a created being should say. Even Satan doesn’t dare speak to God in such a hysterical manner—you are a corrupt human being, how could you be even more arrogant than Satan? Just what position should people assume when speaking to God? How should one understand this matter? Actually, Job’s statement, “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” already clarifies why he was able to submit to God, and there is truth to be sought within it. Did he express any complaints or grievances when he made this statement? (No.) Was there any ambiguity or negative implications? (No.) Definitely not. Job ultimately realized through his experiences that how the Creator treats people is not for people to decide. This might sound a little unpleasant, but it is a fact. God has arranged everyone’s fate for their entire life; whether you accept it or not, it’s a fact. You cannot change your destiny. God is the Creator, and you should submit to His orchestrations and arrangements. However God acts is correct because He is the truth and He is the Sovereign over all things, and people should submit to Him. This “all things” includes you, and it includes all created beings. Whose fault is it, then, that you always want to resist? (It is our own fault.) It is your problem. You always want to find reasons and seize leverage; is this right? You always want to receive blessings and benefits from God; is this right? None of it is right. These views represent an incorrect knowledge and understanding of God. Precisely because your view of believing in God is incorrect, you will inevitably clash, contend with, and oppose God whenever you face some situation, always thinking, “It is wrong of God to do this; I can’t understand it. Everyone would protest His doing it that way. It’s not like God to do that!” But this matter is not one of what God is like; whatever God does, He is still God. If you lack this reason and this understanding, always scrutinizing and making deductions when things befall you each day, the result will be that you will only contend with and oppose God at every turn, and you won’t be able to break out of this state. But if you have this understanding and you can take the position of a created being, and when you encounter situations you compare yourself to this aspect of the truth and practice and enter into it, then your inner fear of God will increase over time. Unconsciously, you will come to feel: “It turns out that what God does is not wrong; what God does is all good. People do not need to scrutinize and analyze it; just put yourself at the mercy of God’s orchestration!” And when you find yourself unable to submit to God or accept His orchestrations, your heart will feel rebuked: “I haven’t been a good created being. Why can’t I just submit? Isn’t this making the Creator sad?” The more you desire to be a good created being, the more your understanding and clarity of this aspect of the truth grows. But the more you think of yourself as someone significant, believing that God should not treat you this way, that He should not admonish you in that manner, that He should not prune and orchestrate you that way, then you’re in trouble. If you have many demands of God in your heart, if you feel that there are many things God should not have done, then you’re heading down the wrong path; notions, judgments, and blasphemy will emerge, and you’re not far from doing evil. When people who don’t love the truth hear God’s words, they start to analyze and scrutinize, gradually giving rise to doubts and mockery. Then they start to judge, deny, and condemn—this is the result. There are far too many people who treat God this way, all of which is caused by their corrupt disposition.

Some people always think, “I am a person. It is true that God is the Creator, but He must respect and understand me, He must love and protect me.” Is this view correct? God has the final say in how He loves people. God is the Creator; how He treats created beings is His business. God has His principles and His dispositions; it is useless for people to have demands. They should instead learn how to understand God and submit to Him, this is the reason people ought to possess. Some people say: “God is too rude to people. Doing things like this is not loving people. He doesn’t respect people or treat them as humans!” Some people are not humans, they are devils. Any way of treating them is acceptable; they deserve to be cursed and are unworthy of respect. There are those who say, “I’m a pretty good person; I haven’t done anything to resist God, and I’ve suffered a lot for Him. Why does He still prune me so? Why does He always neglect me? Why doesn’t He ever acknowledge me or elevate me?” Still others say, “I’m a simple and guileless person; I’ve believed in God since I was in the womb, and I still believe in Him now. I’m so pure! I left my family and quit my job to expend myself for God, and I thought how much God loved me. Now, it seems that God does not love people so much, and I feel left out in the cold, disappointed and dismayed with Him.” Isn’t this troublesome? What are these people doing wrong? They have not remained in their proper place; they do not know who they are, and they always think that they are someone significant, whom God should respect and raise up, or treasure and cherish. If people always have such misconceptions, such distorted and unreasonable demands, it is very dangerous. At the very least, they will be loathed and hated by God, and if they don’t repent they are at risk of being cast out. So what should people do, how should they know themselves, and how should they treat themselves so as to conform to God’s requirements, resolve these difficulties, and let go of their demands of God? Some people are arranged by the house of God to be leaders, and they are particularly enthusiastic. After they work for a while, it is discovered that they can do some outside tasks well enough but can’t handle problem-solving—they cannot fellowship the truth to resolve issues, so their leadership role in the church is replaced. Isn’t this very appropriate? But they start to argue and complain, saying, “Those false leaders and antichrists didn’t perform their assigned jobs well; all they did was cause disruptions and disturbances. They should indeed be replaced and cast out. But I haven’t done anything bad; why am I also being replaced?” They feel a bit upset. Why is that? They feel that since they didn’t do anything bad, they should still be a leader and should not be replaced. They feel the house of God has been very unfair to them. Their heart is full of complaints and resistance, and notions about God arise in them, leading to inner imbalance: “Was it not said that there are principles for the election and elimination of leaders? It seems to me that there is no principle to what happened, God has made a mistake!” In short, so long as God does something that harms their interests and hurts their feelings, they start picking fault. Is this a problem? How can this problem be solved? You must recognize your own identity, you must know who you are. No matter what sort of gifts or strengths you have, nor how much skill or ability you have, nor even how much merit you have earned in God’s house, nor how much you have rushed about, nor how much capital you have accrued, these things are as nothing to God, and if they seem important from where you stand, then have there not arisen misunderstandings and contradictions between you and God? How should this problem be resolved? If you desire to shrink the distance between you and God and resolve these contradictions, how should this be done? You have to deny those things you think are right and to which you cling. In doing so, there will no longer be a distance between you and God, and you will stand properly in your station, and you will be able to submit, able to recognize that all God does is right, able to deny yourself and let go of yourself. You will no longer treat the merit you have earned as a sort of capital, nor will you try any longer to set conditions with God, or make demands of Him, or ask Him for reward. At this time, you will no longer have difficulties. Why do all man’s misconceptions of God arise? They arise because people cannot measure their own capabilities; to be precise, they do not know what sort of things they are in God’s eyes. They rate themselves too highly and estimate their position in God’s eyes too highly, and they see what they consider to be a person’s worth and capital as the truth, as the standards by which God measures whether they will be saved. This is wrong. You must know what kind of place you have in God’s heart, and that however God treats you is appropriate. You ought to know this principle, and then you’ll conform to the truth and accord with God’s views. You must possess this reason and be able to submit to God; regardless of how He treats you, you must submit. Then there will no longer be any contradictions between you and God. And when God again treats you in His manner, will you not be able to submit? Will you still contend with and oppose God? You will not. Even if you feel some discomfort in your heart, or you feel that God’s treatment of you is not as you would wish and you don’t understand why He would treat you that way, nevertheless, because you already understand some truths and possess some realities, and because you are able to stand fast in your position, you will no longer fight against God, which means that those actions and behaviors of yours that would cause you to perish will cease to be. And will you not then be safe? Once you are safe, you will feel grounded, which means you have begun to walk the path of Peter. You see, Peter believed in God for so many years, groped his way for so many years, and suffered so much. It was only after experiencing many trials that he finally understood some truths and possessed some truth realities. And as for you all now, I’ve spoken so much, explained everything clearly—it’s tantamount to getting things served on a platter, isn’t it? You’ve attained so much without going down any detours; you’ve all gotten quite the bargain. So why do you still know no contentment? You should not have any additional demands.

What have we primarily fellowshipped on today? One aspect is regularly paying attention to examining the various aspects of your state, and then analyzing them to know whether they are right. The other aspect is resolving the various misunderstandings of God that arise in you. When you have misunderstandings of God, there are intransigent, biased elements in you that will prevent you from seeking the truth. If your misunderstandings of God are removed, you will be able to seek the truth; if they are not, there will be a feeling of estrangement in your heart, and you will pray in a perfunctory way; this is cheating God, and He will not listen at all. If you have misunderstandings of God, creating distance and estrangement between you and Him, and your heart is closed to Him, then you won’t want to listen to His words or seek the truth. No matter what you do, it will just be going through the motions, disguising yourself and being deceptive. When man’s misunderstandings of God are resolved and he has stepped past this hurdle, he will regard each of God’s words and requirements with sincerity, and come before Him in earnest and with an honest heart. If, between man and God, there is contradiction, distance, and misunderstanding, then what role is man playing? It is the role of Satan, and it is in opposition to God. What consequences result from opposing God? Can such a person submit to God? Can they accept the truth? They cannot. If they cannot do any of these things, then that person will have end up with nothing, and the changes in their disposition will come to a standstill. Therefore, when one examines one’s various states, in one regard it is done to know oneself, while in another regard, it necessitates a focus on examining what misunderstandings one has of God. What do these misunderstandings entail? Notions, imaginings, delimitations, doubts, scrutiny, and speculations—primarily these things. When a person has these within them, they misunderstand God. When you are caught up in these states, a problem arises in your relationship with God. You must seek out the truth at once to resolve it—and resolve it you must. Some think, “I’ve developed a misunderstanding of God, so I can’t perform my duty until I resolve this issue.” Is this acceptable? No, it is not. Do not put off performing your duty, but perform your duty and resolve your issue at the same time. As you perform your duty, your misunderstanding of God will start changing for the better without your realizing it, and you will discover where your problem originated and how serious it is. Someday, you may be able to realize, “Man is a created being, and the Creator is forever my Lord; the essence of this does not change. Man’s status does not change, and neither does the status of God. No matter what God does, and even if all mankind sees what He does as wrong, I cannot deny what He has done, nor can I deny that He is the truth. God is the highest truth, eternally inerrant. Man should hold fast to his proper position; he should not scrutinize God, but accept God’s orchestrations and accept all of His words. All God says and does is right. Man should not make various demands of God—created beings are unqualified to do so. Even if God were to treat me as a plaything, I should still submit, and if I do not, that is my problem, not God’s.” When you have experience and knowledge of this aspect of the truth, you will truly enter into submission to God, and you will have no more major difficulties, and, whether you are performing your duty or practicing various aspects of the truth, many difficulties will be resolved. Submission to God is the greatest truth, it is the most profound truth. Many times, when people are faced with various difficulties, when there are various obstacles, or when they encounter something they cannot come to terms with, what is the cause? (They are not standing in the right position.) They are standing in the wrong position. They have misunderstandings of God; they want to scrutinize God and do not want to treat Him as God; they want to deny God’s correctness; and they want to deny that God is the truth. This implies that man does not want to be a created being, but would like to be on equal footing with God, to find fault with Him. This will cause trouble. If you can fulfill your duty properly and hold fast to your place as a created being, then essentially no resistance to what God does will arise in you. You may have some misunderstandings, and you may have some notions, but, at the least, your attitude will be one of willingness to accept God’s orchestrations, and you will be coming from a place of willingness to submit to God, so no resistance to God will arise in you.

Although Job had faith, did he know what was going on at first when God’s trials came upon him? (No.) Humans do not have the faculty to directly penetrate the spiritual realm; Job knew nothing about what was happening there—he was completely unaware of anything. So, when God’s trials came upon him, he was certainly bewildered, thinking, “Oh, what is going on? Everything was so peaceful, why did this suddenly happen? Why did I suddenly lose all my livestock and possessions?” He was bewildered at first, but bewilderment was not equivalent to having misunderstandings of God, bewilderment was not equivalent to not being able to understand what God was doing. It was just that everything happened so suddenly; Job didn’t have any foreknowledge, nor did anyone give him prior notice—he was wholly unprepared. However, this doesn’t mean he would make the wrong choices or take the wrong path, or that he couldn’t submit. So, what did Job do next? He surely calmed his heart and seriously reflected on his actions, and he prayed to God. After a few days of seeking, he came to a conclusion: “Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:21). Job making this statement represents his view and the path he walked. Although Job was initially bewildered when the trials came upon him, he knew that it was God’s doing and not of human will. Without God’s permission, no one could touch what God had given to people, not even Satan. On the surface, Job seemed to have some misunderstanding of what God was doing; he didn’t know why this was happening to him or what God meant by it. He did not fully understand, but his misunderstanding was not a denial or questioning of what God was doing; Job’s misunderstanding was the sort that God finds permissible. Following this, he quickly realized that Jehovah God intended to take away everything he had, and that what God was doing was right; he promptly knelt down to accept it. Can ordinary people reach this level? They cannot. Regardless of how bewildered Job was at the time, or how long it took for him to kneel down and accept all that had come upon him, his attitude was always to stand in the position of a created being. Faced with these events, he didn’t say, “I’m wealthy and have so many servants, how can these things be taken away just like that? I need to tell my servants to get them back immediately.” Did he do that? He did not. He was clear in his heart that this was God’s doing, and man couldn’t do anything about it. To get involved would mean opposing what God had done and opposing all that had come upon him. He did not utter a single complaint at that time, nor did he judge what was happening or interfere to try to reverse everything. He simply waited and quietly observed how things would unfold, seeing what God would do. From beginning to end, what Job did was to hold fast to his proper place, that is, he held fast to the place of a created being. This was his performance. Although Job was somewhat bewildered when these events came upon him, he was able to seek and acknowledge that all the Creator did was right, and then he submitted. He did not avail of human methods to resolve the issue. When the bandits came, he let them seize what they might; he did not act on his impetuousness to fight with them. In his heart he thought, “Without God’s permission, they couldn’t seize anything. Now that they’ve taken everything, it is clear that God allowed it. Any human intervention would be useless. People cannot act on their impetuousness, they cannot intervene.” Not intervening does not mean he was tolerating the bandits; it wasn’t a sign of weakness or fear of the bandits. Rather, it was that he dreaded the hand of God and he had a God-fearing heart. He said, “Let them take it. After all, these things were given by God.” Isn’t this what a created being should say? (Yes.) He did not have any complaints. He did not send anyone to fight or get his things back or protect his things. Isn’t this a genuine manifestation of submission to God? (Yes.) He could only do this because he had a true understanding of God’s sovereignty. Without this understanding, he would have resorted to human methods to fight and retrieve his things, and how would God have viewed this? This is not submitting to God’s orchestrations. It lacks understanding of the things done by God’s hand, and believing in Him all these years would have been in vain. Being happy when God gives but resentful when He takes things away, feeling reluctant and wanting to seize them back by force; not being content with what God is doing, not wanting to lose these things; only accepting God’s rewards but not His deprivations; not wanting to submit to the orchestrations of God’s hand—is this acting from the position of a created being? (No.) This is rebelliousness, it is opposition. Don’t people often exhibit these behaviors? (Yes.) This is the complete opposite of what Job did. How did Job express that he could fear Jehovah in the position of a created being, submit to and accept God’s trials, and accept what God bestowed upon him? Did he cry out? Did he complain? Did he use all sorts of human means and methods to get everything back? No—he allowed God to take away freely. Isn’t this having faith? He had true faith, true understanding, and true submission. Not one of these things is simple; they all require a certain amount of time to experience, seek, and embrace. Job could only exhibit these manifestations once he had a certain level of understanding of the Creator. What did Job say in the end? (“Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:21).) And what was it that Job’s wife said? “Curse God, and die” (Job 2:9). What she meant was, “Stop believing. If it was really God you believed in, why are you facing calamity? Isn’t this retribution? You didn’t do anything wrong, why is this happening to you? Maybe your faith is incorrect?” How did Job respond to his wife? He said: “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks” (Job 2:10). Job said his wife was foolish; that she did not have true faith and understanding in God, which was why she could speak words of defiance against God. Job’s wife did not know God. When such a major thing happened that was obviously God’s doing, she astonishingly could not recognize this, and even advised Job, saying, “You’ve taken the wrong path. Stop believing and abandon your God.” What an infuriating thing to hear! Why did she urge Job to abandon God? Because she had lost her property and could no longer enjoy its uses. She had gone from a rich woman to a pauper with nothing to her name. She was discontent with God’s deprivation, so she told Job to stop believing, the implication being: “I don’t believe anymore, and neither should you. A perfectly good household has been stripped away, leaving us with nothing. In the blink of an eye, we’ve lost everything, our riches turned to poverty. What’s the point of believing in such a God? Stop believing!” Aren’t these foolish words? This was how she performed. Did Job listen to her? He did not; he was not misled or disturbed by her, nor did he accept her views. Why not? Because Job adhered to one statement: “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10). He thought, “All of this is exceedingly normal. However God acts is right; people should just accept it. People should not believe in God only to seek blessings. I’ve enjoyed God’s blessings for so many years without doing anything for God—now is the time to bear witness to Him. That which God takes away is His, He may take it whenever He likes. People should not have demands, they should just accept and submit.” So, should you receive blessings from believing in God? Is this how it ought to be? When one can fully grasp this matter, then they will have faith.

Whatever the Creator does is right and is the truth. No matter what He does, His identity and status do not change. All people should worship Him. He is humanity’s eternal Lord and eternal God. This fact can never be changed. People cannot just acknowledge Him as God when He bestows gifts upon them, or not acknowledge Him as God when He takes things away from them. This is man’s erroneous view, not a mistake in God’s actions. If people understand the truth, then they will be able to see this clearly, and if, deep down, they are able to accept that this is the truth, then their relationship with God will become more and more normal. If you say you acknowledge that God’s words are the truth, but when something happens you do not understand Him, and you even blame Him and are not truly submissive to Him, then it is meaningless when you say that you acknowledge that God’s words are the truth. The most important thing is that your heart should be able to accept the truth, and that no matter what happens, you should be able to see that God’s actions are right, and that He is righteous. This is the kind of person who understands God. There are many believers who focus only on understanding doctrine. They acknowledge spiritual theory, but when something befalls them, they do not accept the truth, and they do not submit. These are hypocritical people. The things you usually say are all correct, but when something happens that does not line up with your own notions, you are unable to accept it. You argue with God, thinking that God should not have done this or that. You cannot submit to God’s work, and do not seek the truth or reflect on your rebelliousness. This means you are not submissive to God. You always like to argue with God; you always think that your arguments are superior to the truth, that if you could take to the stage to share them, many people would support you. But even if many people support you, they are all corrupted humans. Are the supporters and the supported not all corrupt humans? Do they not all lack truth? Even if all humankind supported you and opposed God, God would still be right. It would still be humanity who was wrong, who rebelled against and resisted God. Is this just an expression? No. This is a fact; it is the truth. People must frequently ponder and experience this aspect of the truth. God has done His work in three stages, and at each stage there were many people who opposed it. Like when the Lord Jesus came to do His work of redemption, the whole of Israel rose up against Him. But now, humanity has billions of people who all acknowledge the Lord Jesus as the Savior. His believers are spread all throughout the world. The Lord Jesus has already redeemed all humanity. This is a fact. No matter which country’s people want to deny this, it is of no avail. No matter how corrupt humans evaluate God’s work, God’s work and the truths that God speaks are always right and correct. No matter how many people in the entire human race rise up against God, it is futile. Everything God does is correct; He does not make even the smallest mistake. Because corrupt humans have no truth and are completely unable to see the significance and essence of God’s work clearly, nothing they say is in line with the truth. Even if you were to summarize all the theories of humanity, they still would not be truth. They could not outweigh any one of God’s words, or any word of the truth. This is a fact. If people do not understand this, then they must slowly experience it. What is the prerequisite to this experience? You must first acknowledge and accept that God’s words are the truth. Then, you must go on to practice and experience them. Before you know it, you will discover that God’s words are the truth—this is absolutely correct. At that point, you will start to cherish the words of God, place importance on pursuing the truth, and will be able to accept the truth into your heart, and make it your life.

September 10, 2018