Do you know what knowledge is the key to understanding God’s righteous disposition? There is much that may be said from experience on this topic, but first there are a few main points that I must tell you. To understand God’s righteous disposition, one must first understand God’s feelings: what He hates, what He loathes, what He loves, to whom He is tolerant and merciful, and on what type of person He bestows that mercy. This is one main point. One must also understand that no matter how loving God is, no matter how much mercy and love He has for people, God does not tolerate anyone offending His status and position, nor does He tolerate anyone offending His dignity. Even though God loves people, He does not pamper them. He gives people His love, His mercy, and His tolerance, but He has never coddled them; God has His principles and His limits. Regardless of how much of God’s love you have felt, regardless of how deep that love may be, you must never treat God as you would treat another person. While it is true that God treats people with the utmost intimacy, if a person views God as just another person, as if He were just another created being, like a friend or an object of worship, then God will hide His face from them and forsake them. This is His disposition, and people must not take this issue thoughtlessly. So, we often see words such as this spoken by God about His disposition: It does not matter how many roads you have traveled, how much work you have done or how much suffering you have endured, once you offend God’s disposition, He will repay each of you based on what you have done. What this means is that God treats people with the utmost intimacy, yet people must not treat God as a friend or a relative. Do not call God your “pal.” No matter how much love you have received from Him, no matter how much tolerance He has given you, you must never treat God as your friend. This is God’s righteous disposition. Do you understand? Do I need to say more about this? Do you have any prior understanding of this matter? Generally speaking, this is the easiest mistake for people to make, regardless of whether they understand the doctrines or if they have never before contemplated this issue. When people offend God, it might not be because of one event or one thing they said, but rather because of an attitude they hold and a state they are in. This is a very frightening thing. Some people believe that they have an understanding of God, that they have some knowledge of Him, and they might even do some things that satisfy God. They begin to feel equal to God and that they have cleverly maneuvered themselves into a friendship with God. These types of feelings are terribly wrong. If you do not have a deep understanding of this—if you do not understand this clearly—then you will very easily offend God and offend His righteous disposition. You understand this now, yes? Is not God’s righteous disposition unique? Could it ever be the equivalent of the character or the moral standing of a man? It never could. So, you must not forget that, no matter how God treats people nor how He thinks of people, God’s position, authority, and status do not ever change. For mankind, God is always the Lord of all things and the Creator.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique VII