The truth that man needs to possess is found in the word of God, and it is a truth that is the most beneficial and helpful to mankind. It is the tonic and sustenance that your body needs, something that helps man restore his normal humanity. It is a truth that man should be equipped with. The more you practice God’s word, the more quickly your life will blossom, and the clearer the truth will become. As you grow in stature, you will see things of the spiritual world more clearly, and the more strength you will have to triumph over Satan. Much of the truth that you do not understand will be made clear when you practice the word of God. Most people are satisfied to merely understand the text of God’s word and focus on equipping themselves with doctrines rather than on deepening their experience in practice, but is that not the way of the Pharisees? So how can the phrase, “The word of God is life” be real for them? A person’s life cannot grow simply by reading God’s word, but only when the word of God is put into practice. If it is your belief that to understand God’s word is all that is needed to have life and stature, then your understanding is warped. Truly understanding God’s word occurs when you practice the truth, and you must understand that “only by practicing the truth can it ever be understood.” Today, after reading the word of God, you can merely say that you know God’s word, but you cannot say that you understand it. Some say that the only way to practice the truth is to understand it first, but this is only partially correct, and is certainly not entirely accurate. Before you have knowledge of a truth, you have not experienced that truth. Feeling that you understand something you hear in a sermon is not truly understanding—this is just taking possession of the literal words of the truth, and it is not the same as understanding the true meaning therein. Just having a superficial knowledge of the truth does not mean that you actually understand it or have knowledge about it; the true meaning of the truth comes from having experienced it. Therefore, only when you experience the truth can you understand it, and only then can you grasp the hidden parts of it. Deepening your experience is the only way to grasp the connotations, and to understand the essence of the truth. Therefore, you can go everywhere with the truth, but if there is no truth in you, then do not think of trying to convince even your family members, much less religious people. Without the truth you are like fluttering snowflakes, but with the truth you can be happy and free, and none can attack you. No matter how strong a theory is, it cannot overcome the truth. With the truth, the world itself can be swayed and mountains and seas moved, whereas a lack of the truth can lead to strong city walls being reduced to rubble by maggots. This is an obvious fact.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Once You Understand the Truth, You Should Put It Into Practice

I

The truth that man needs to possess is found in the word of God. A truth that’s most beneficial and helpful to all mankind. It is the nourishing substance that your body requires, a truth that man should be equipped with. It helps restore his normal humanity. The more you practice God’s word, the more quickly your life will blossom. The more you practice God’s word, the clearer the truth becomes.

II

As you grow in stature you’ll see the spiritual world more clearly. You’ll have more power to triumph over Satan. Practice God’s word and you’ll grasp the truth. Most people are just satisfied to merely understand the text of God’s word. Like Pharisees, they focus on doctrines, without experiencing its depth in practice. How can the phrase “the word of God is life” be true for them? Only by practicing God’s word can man’s life truly blossom. It cannot grow simply by reading God’s word. It cannot grow simply by reading God’s word. The more you practice God’s word, the more quickly your life will blossom. The more you practice God’s word, the clearer the truth becomes. The more you practice God’s word, the more quickly your life will blossom. The more you practice God’s word, the clearer the truth becomes.

III

If you think to understand God’s word means to have life and stature, your understanding is warped. Truly understanding God’s word occurs only when you practice the truth. You must understand only by practicing the truth can the truth ever be understood. Only by practicing the truth can the truth ever be understood.

Adapted from The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Once You Understand the Truth, You Should Put It Into Practice