Until people have experienced God’s work and gained the truth, it is Satan’s nature that takes charge and dominates them from within. What, specifically, does that nature entail? For example, why are you selfish? Why do you protect your own position? Why are your emotions so strong? Why do you like those unrighteous things? Why do you like those evils? What is the basis for your liking such things? Where do these things come from? Why are you so happy to accept them? By now, you all have come to understand that the main reason behind all these things is that they contain Satan’s poison. As for what Satan’s poison is, it can be fully expressed with words. For example, if you ask some evildoers why they act that way, they will answer, “Every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost.” This single phrase expresses the very root of the problem. The logic of Satan has become people’s lives. They may do things for this purpose or that, but they are only doing it for themselves. People all think that since it is every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost, they should live for their own sakes, doing everything in their power to secure a good position and what food and clothing they need. “Every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost”—this is the life and the philosophy of man, and it also represents human nature. This statement is precisely Satan’s poison, and when internalized by people, it becomes their nature. Satan’s nature is exposed through these words; they completely represent it. This poison becomes people’s lives as well as the foundation of their existence, and corrupted humanity has been consistently dominated by this poison for thousands of years. Everything Satan does is for itself. It wishes to surpass God, break free of Him, and wield power itself, and to possess all of the things that God has created. Therefore, man’s nature is Satan’s nature. Actually, a lot of people’s mottos can represent and reflect their nature. No matter how people try to disguise themselves, in everything they do and in everything they say, they cannot hide their nature. There are some who never speak the truth and are good at pretending, but once others have interacted with them for a while, their deceitful nature and their utter dishonesty will be found out. In the end, others will come to a certain conclusion: These people never speak a word of truth, and are deceitful people. This statement speaks to their nature; it is the best illustration and evidence of their nature and essence. Their philosophy for living is to not tell anyone the truth, and also to not believe anyone. Man’s satanic nature contains a great deal of philosophy. Sometimes you yourself are not even aware of that and do not understand it, yet every moment of your life is based on it. Moreover, you think that this philosophy is quite correct, reasonable, and not mistaken. This is sufficient to illustrate that Satan’s philosophy has become the nature of people, and they are living in complete accordance with Satan’s philosophy, and do not rebel against it in the slightest. Therefore, they are constantly revealing a satanic nature, and in all regards, they constantly live by satanic philosophy. Satan’s nature is man’s life.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. How to Walk the Path of Peter