What does it mean to know God? It means being able to know His joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, and thus know His disposition—this is what it is to truly know God. You claim that you have seen Him, yet you do not understand His joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness and you do not understand His disposition. You also understand neither His righteousness nor His mercifulness, nor do you know what He likes or what He hates. This is not knowledge of God. Some people are able to follow God, but do not necessarily truly believe in God. To truly believe in God is to submit to God. Those who do not truly submit to God do not truly believe in God—this is where the difference lies. When you have followed God for several years, and have knowledge and understanding of God, when you have some understanding and grasp of God’s intentions, when you are aware of God’s thoughtful consideration in saving man, that is when you truly believe in God, truly submit to God, truly love God, and truly worship God. If you believe in God but do not pursue knowledge of God, and have no understanding of God’s intentions, God’s disposition, and God’s work, then you are just a follower who runs around for God and follows whatever the majority does. That cannot be called true submission, much less true worship. How does true worship come about? Without exception, all who see God and genuinely know God worship and fear Him; they are all compelled to bow down and worship Him. At present, while God incarnate is at work, the more understanding people have of His disposition and of what He has and is, the more they will treasure these things and the more they will fear Him. Generally, the less understanding of God people have, the more careless they are, and so they treat God as human. If people really knew and saw God, they would tremble in horror and bow down on the ground. “He that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear” (Matthew 3:11)—why did John say this? Though deep down he did not have a very profound knowledge of God, he knew that God is awe-inspiring. How many people these days are capable of fearing God? If they do not know His disposition, then how can they fear God? If people neither know Christ’s essence nor understand God’s disposition, they will be even less able to truly worship the practical God. If they see only the ordinary and normal outward appearance of Christ, yet do not know His essence, then it is easy for them to treat Christ as just an ordinary man. They may adopt an irreverent attitude toward Him and can cheat Him, resist Him, rebel against Him, and cast judgment on Him. They can be self-righteous and not take His words seriously; they can even give rise to notions, condemnations, and blasphemy against God. To resolve these issues, one must know Christ’s essence and divinity. This is the main aspect of knowing God; it is what everyone who believes in the practical God must enter and achieve.

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