Recently, we have fellowshipped on some manifestations related to conscience and reason that indicate an absence of humanity, right? (Yes.) By listing some negative examples, we exposed some manifestations of people not having conscience and reason in their humanity. So, through fellowshipping on these negative examples, have you learned what manifestations people with conscience and reason should possess in their lives? (Through God’s fellowship on some manifestations of people not having conscience and reason, I have come to understand that people with normal humanity should have a sense of shame, and that when things happen to them they should be able to think about and approach them rationally.) Who else has something to add? (Through God’s fellowship, I have come to understand that non-humans have manifestations of intransigence and obstinacy, whereas people with normal humanity can discern right from wrong and know what’s correct and what’s incorrect; they can accept positive things, and they view people, events, and things in a relatively objective and rational way. Moreover, they have a sense of shame; when they do something wrong, they can admit their mistakes, promptly correct them, and repent.) Simply put, it basically comes down to these things. In one respect, those with conscience and reason are able to treat people, events, and things correctly, and can also evaluate and view people, events, and things objectively. In another respect, they also have a sense of shame, and do things based on their conscience and reason. Since we’re talking about conscience and reason, let’s talk about the specific character that people should possess in their conscience, and that people should manifest. We have said before that people with conscience possess two qualities: One is uprightness, and the other is kindness. That is to say, aside from being able to discern right from wrong, and knowing what’s correct and what’s incorrect, someone who possesses the attribute and characteristic of conscience and reason is, at the very least, an upright and kind person. There are details to this uprightness and kindness. It doesn’t refer to outwardly seeming quite straightforward, or appearing to not be evil, not engaging in any obvious behaviors of committing evil or doing bad things—it does not refer to these outward manifestations that people think of in their notions. Rather, it means having some manifestations that accord with the essence of uprightness and kindness in specific situations.

First, let’s talk about uprightness and kindness. The primary manifestations contained within conscience are uprightness and kindness. Let’s look at this first in terms of self-conduct. How can one tell whether a person is upright and kind from how they conduct themselves? Usually, people with conscience have a boundary for their self-conduct; what this means is that in their hearts they have a standard for how they conduct themselves. For example, when interacting with others, they do not take advantage of them. Is this a standard for self-conduct? (Yes.) Not taking advantage of others when interacting with them is a basic standard for self-conduct. People with conscience and reason have a boundary for how they conduct themselves, handle matters, and interact with others, which is not taking advantage of people. Whether they’re interacting with someone poor or someone rich, they do not take advantage of them. They think, “Other people’s money is theirs. No matter how poor I am, I can’t take advantage of them.” If they are short of money or need help, even if they see that someone else is wealthy, they will absolutely not take advantage of them. If someone helps them, they will find a way to repay them, and will absolutely not just leave it at that. For example, if someone treats them to a meal, they will look for an opportunity to treat them back, or do their best to help when the other person is in need. They believe that only by conducting themselves in this way can they feel at ease in their hearts. You see, isn’t this having a boundary for one’s self-conduct? (Yes.) This is also a standard for self-conduct. People with conscience can achieve this. If they owe someone money or a favor, they always feel a nagging in their hearts, and will be constantly looking for opportunities to repay that person. They might repay them with money or material things, or they might help to the best of their ability when that person encounters some difficulty. Only in this way can they feel at peace and not indebted in their hearts. If they don’t get an opportunity to compensate that person or don’t have the ability to repay them, they will forever feel a sense of indebtedness toward them. When they see that person, they’ll always feel they can’t look them in the eye, and they won’t be able to eat or sleep with peace of mind. The weight will only be lifted from their shoulders, and their hearts will only feel at ease, when they have finished compensating that person. Only people like this are those who possess conscience, reason, and a sense of shame. If you interact with this type of person, they will absolutely never owe you anything, and you won’t always be their creditor. Isn’t this a manifestation of having a conscience? (Yes.) Not taking advantage of others is the boundary people of this sort have for their self-conduct, and it can also be said to be a principle of their self-conduct. They simply must act this way; if they don’t, they will feel uneasy in their hearts and will always have a sense of self-accusation. Is this a manifestation of the uprightness or kindness of conscience? (It’s uprightness.) Uprightness is a bit more prominent here. Is there also kindness in it? (There is also kindness in it—not wishing to take advantage of others, and not wishing to cause others to suffer harm or loss.) There is an element of kindness in not wishing others to suffer a loss. So does this principle of their self-conduct have anything to do with their personality? (No.) Does it have anything to do with what they were taught by their family or by society? (No.) Does it have anything to do with whether they’re poor or rich? (No.) Does it have anything to do with their insight? (No.) There is only one thing that’s important, which is that it has to do with their conscience and reason, and it has to do with their classification. It’s only because they possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness within their humanity, and the conscience and reason of humanity, that they conduct themselves in this way. It is not the result of human education. Even if parents do teach their children, they can only teach them some doctrines for self-conduct—parents cannot change their children’s nature essence, and they are absolutely incapable of getting their children to do things based on conscience and reason. So this principle of self-conduct basically comes from their humanity. That they have this kind of principle and boundary for their self-conduct is not the result of the influence of another person; it comes entirely from their own nature essence, and from their conscience and reason. Therefore, if a person possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness, then, in their daily life and in the course of conducting themselves and handling matters, whether they’re rich or poor, whether they have insight or not, whether it’s their personality to be fast and efficient or slow and unhurried, irritable or gentle—none of these things are important. What is important? It is that they have a boundary for their self-conduct; they have a boundary or a basic principle for their self-conduct, which is not taking advantage of others. This “not taking advantage of others” means not wishing to take advantage of others, and never taking advantage of others. This boundary and principle of self-conduct comes from their humanity; it arises because of the qualities of their humanity. Therefore, the fact that they have such a principle of self-conduct is inextricably linked to their conscience and the uprightness and kindness of their humanity. That is to say, only if a person possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity will they have the principle of self-conduct of not taking advantage of others; this principle arises from the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity. Tell Me, aside from being upright and kind, do people with qualities of humanity have feelings of shame and a sense of shame? (Yes.) They would rather suffer a loss themselves than take advantage of others. If they take advantage of someone, they will always feel they owe them something. Whenever they see that person, they will feel like they’re a lesser human; they will feel ill at ease and unsteady in their hearts, and will always want to look for opportunities to make amends. If they borrow money from someone else and haven’t fully repaid it, they’ll feel uneasy in their hearts. Even if someone unintentionally brings up the matter, they’ll feel their face burn, and feel embarrassed and even restless. If someone speaks a bit more harshly about this matter, they’ll wish that the ground would swallow them up, truly feeling too mortified to face anyone. Are these manifestations of having feelings of shame? (Yes.) These are all manifestations that people with qualities of humanity exhibit, prompted by their conscience. If this type of person owes a debt or a favor, they feel uneasy in their heart, as if they have done something shameful. They often feel condemned by their conscience, and they try every possible means to repay the other party. Some work several jobs; some sell their most beloved possession; some sell off their family assets; and some even get sick but are unwilling to spend money to see a doctor—they would rather suffer poverty and exhaustion themselves to save money and quickly repay their debts. Some people do not understand this, and say, “If anyone else earned money like you do, they would have bought a car and a house a long time ago. You use all your money to repay your debts, living a hard life yourself—isn’t that way too foolish? If you don’t have the ability to repay the money, then just don’t repay it.” But they think, “How could I conduct myself like that? To conduct myself in that way would be so lacking in conscience—would I still be a human then? Spending other people’s money to live a good life—is that any different from spending dirty money? Could my conscience be at peace? Claiming what belongs to others is so despicable and filthy! It wasn’t easy for them to earn their money. They already did me a huge favor by lending me money back then, and I am endlessly grateful for it; I must pay them back quickly. In conducting oneself, one must act with conscience and be trustworthy; one can only feel at ease spending money they earned themselves. Not taking advantage of others and not owing people—this is the most basic boundary for one’s self-conduct.” You see, people with conscience possess the most basic, correct principle for doing things. Although there is still a great distance between the goals they set for their self-conduct and the truth principles, as far as self-conduct goes, this type of person’s principle of self-conduct of not taking advantage of others is enough to show that they possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity. When it comes to the matter of taking advantage of others or owing debts, it can be seen from the principle of self-conduct that these people speak of that they are relatively upright and kind. They do not use twisted reasoning or act unreasonably. They say, “That person extended a helping hand to lend me money when I was going through the toughest time; this was already a huge favor. If I can repay that money, I should do so right away.” Isn’t this a manifestation of conducting oneself with uprightness? (Yes.) At the very least, they have a spirit of righteousness, and their humanity is not evil. Meanwhile, how do evil people think? “Who told you to lend me the money back then? Couldn’t you just have not lent it to me? You were willing to lend it. If I don’t want to repay it, I won’t. I’ll use your money to do business and make a big profit; you’ve got money to spare anyway. Besides, once the money is in my hands, it’s mine, and I can spend it however I want. As for whether I repay it, that depends on my mood. When I have money, I’ll repay you if I’m in a good mood—you can consider that an unexpected gain. If I don’t repay you, there’s nothing you can do about it; I didn’t write you an IOU, so even if you sue, you won’t win.” This is the mentality of evil people. Is this not unreasonable? (Yes.) The way evil people think is the exact opposite of how upright people think. The thinking of upright people is very upstanding. In the words of nonbelievers, they’re understanding and reasonable, they’re considerate of others in all respects, and they value affection and righteousness, being sensible, and humanity. They do not act unreasonably, and do not use twisted reasoning. This is uprightness. And how do upright people think? “It wasn’t easy for them to earn their money. Even if they have a lot of money, it’s theirs, it’s not for you to use. Their lending it to you was a favor; once you owe someone something, you have taken on a debt, and you then have a responsibility and obligation to repay it.” You see, isn’t the way they think upstanding? Are they not sensible? Are they not understanding and reasonable? (They are.) This is a manifestation of uprightness. If a person has the quality of uprightness in their humanity, this is how they’ll think. They will be understanding and reasonable, and sensible—this is a manifestation of having humanity. A manifestation of not having humanity is acting like an evil person: acting unreasonably, refusing to see reason, running amok, being bossy and domineering, always using twisted reasoning, not even understanding the reasoning of humanity, and completely failing to be understanding and reasonable, and thus even more so failing to rise to the level of practicing the truth. People who possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity are understanding and reasonable; the things they say are very fair and reasonable, have a human touch, and hold water. Only such people possess the conditions for accepting the truth. Upon hearing God’s words, only people with such qualities of humanity feel, “God’s words are so right, this is truly the truth! This is how people should conduct themselves. People should have a boundary for their self-conduct. People with conscience and reason should treat others this way, and they should conduct themselves and handle matters this way. God’s words are so right!” You see, the qualities of uprightness and kindness within their humanity give them the basic conditions for accepting the truth, allowing them to say Amen and accept the truth after hearing it, without feeling resistant, repelled by it, or rejecting it. They feel that God’s words are right, completely in line with the needs of normal humanity, able to satisfy the needs in people’s hearts, and what people with normal humanity should possess, and that only the truth can satisfy them and enable their humanity to improve. Therefore, only people who possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity can thirst for the truth, can know that God’s words are the truth when they hear them, can then accept the truth in their hearts, and can practice the truth once they understand it.

In the principle of self-conduct of not taking advantage of others, the qualities of humanity a person clearly manifests are uprightness, kindness, and a sense of shame. Of course, aside from not owing favors or money, people with conscience and reason display another manifestation of not taking advantage of others, which is that when other people take advantage of them and they suffer a loss, they do not hold it against them, and sometimes they can even give things to others without being asked. If someone keeps bringing up the matter of repaying their debt, these people feel embarrassed: “You keep bringing this up, as if I’m pressing you to repay your debt. Actually, I never intended to do that. You can repay it whenever you have money; if you don’t have money and owe me forever, that’s fine too. If you insist on not paying me, I won’t demand repayment from you. If you can repay it, do so; if you can’t, I’ll treat it as a charitable donation.” You see, they also have this kind of manifestation, and this boundary for their self-conduct. Suppose that someone asks to borrow something that is very important to them and that they treasure highly. Even if they are not very wealthy, when the other person says they want to borrow it, they think, “They must be in a difficult situation to be asking to borrow something from me, so I should lend it to them.” For example, say that during the busy farming season, someone asks to borrow their vehicle. They need the vehicle themselves, and if they lend it to that person, their own work will be delayed. However, because they are kind in terms of their humanity, they still lend it out, just telling the person to return it quickly once they’re done using it. A couple of days later, the person returns the vehicle, but it’s damaged and hasn’t been repaired, so they have to repair it themselves. They feel a bit irritated, but they’re not too angry, thinking to themselves, “Forget it, we’re neighbors and we see each other all the time; I won’t hold it against them.” This is how magnanimous they are in how they treat people; even when they suffer a loss, they don’t fuss over it. Although everyone is human just the same, people’s principles and boundaries for their self-conduct are different. Some people can give charitably, while others not only cannot do this, but also want to take advantage of others. Although this type of relatively upright and kind person feels a bit irritated after suffering a loss, they don’t go and get into an argument with the other party, nor do they quarrel with them or demand compensation; they just exercise forbearance like this. If they need to go out to attend to something and borrow someone’s vehicle, after using it, they wash it and fill up the gas tank. When they return it to the owner, the vehicle is not damaged at all, and they also compensate the owner at the highest daily rental rate for this kind of vehicle. They won’t make the person feel taken advantage of. They think that this is what they ought to do. Some people say, “Does this type of person just care about their pride?” For members of corrupt humankind, how many can reach this level just for the sake of their pride? Nonbelievers often say, “How much is one’s pride worth?” and “How much is conscience worth?” No one would whip out their wallet just to keep up appearances or to make others think they have conscience and humanity. To every person, material things and money are more important than life itself. Saying something nice, respectable, or insincere and flattering for the sake of keeping up appearances is something that people are capable of doing, but it’s not easy to actually part with one’s money to help others—very few people can do that. Only those who possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity can achieve this. Such people do things based on the principle of “I would rather suffer a bit of a loss than take advantage of you.” If they don’t act this way, they feel bad about it at heart. Often, when this type of person borrows something, not only do they not take advantage of the lender, but sometimes they even end up paying extra out of their own pocket. For example, when they borrow someone’s vehicle, they refuel it and wash it, and finally compensate the owner at the highest daily rental rate for that kind of vehicle. Calculating it this way, doesn’t it turn out to be more expensive than if they had just rented a vehicle themselves? (Yes.) When they return the vehicle, if the owner gives it a few good looks and inspects it a couple of times, the borrower feels uneasy inside, worrying that the owner might spot some places where the vehicle is damaged and demand compensation. Finally, after checking it, the owner says that there aren’t any problems, is quite satisfied, and also mentions that they can borrow the vehicle anytime they want in the future. Only then do these people feel at ease in their hearts, thinking, “Ah, they trust me; that’s all I need to hear!” You see, what do they seek in how they conduct themselves? They do not seek to take advantage of others; they only seek to conduct themselves with credibility, and to not be looked down upon by others. Tell Me, is one able to act this way because they care about their pride, because they’re cowardly, because they’re poor and lack ambition, or because they’re afraid of being looked down upon? It’s not because of any of these things. The most basic principle for interactions with others that a person with a conscience possesses is to not take advantage of other people. What they seek is peace of mind. Even if they suffer a loss themselves or live a hard life because of it, they do not blame others or seek to settle scores with them. They only seek to do right by their own conscience and to not owe anyone anything. Whatever they do, they feel that they must act in such a way that they don’t feel guilty, that their conscience doesn’t accuse them, and that they don’t take advantage of anyone; they don’t do anything that leaves them indebted to people and causes people to criticize them behind their back. They can act this way not because they’re poor, or because they have a weak personality, much less because they’re vain; rather, it is the qualities of their humanity—uprightness and kindness—that drive them to do these things. Especially when it comes to the matter of not taking advantage of others when interacting with them, they behave in a particularly kind and upright manner.

Suppose that someone is under financial strain, and when they come into contact with someone who’s well-off, that person gives them some things they no longer use at home as an act of charity. The recipient thinks to themselves, “The fact that they gave me these things means they don’t look down on me; they’ve done me a favor. So how should I repay them? I can’t afford high-end gifts—all I’ve got are fresh vegetables from the field, and eggs laid by our free-range chickens at home. They might not care much for these things, but they are the best us poor folk have, the most presentable things we can offer. I’ll give them some so they can have a taste of something fresh; this is also a token of my appreciation.” The well-off party was actually giving them things that they themselves have no use for, but the recipient was able to comprehend the matter correctly. They would not say, “You gave me things you don’t use and don’t care for—isn’t this just brushing me aside like a beggar? Would you still have given those things to me if you did use them? Why didn’t you give me the nice things you own?” A person who truly has conscience and reason would not think this way. They’d just think, “The fact that they gave me these things means they don’t look down on me.” Even if other people make some unpleasant remarks and they feel a bit upset inside, they can still treat the matter correctly and they do not try to argue their own case; furthermore, they are able to compensate their benefactor with what they consider to be the nicest things they have, based on their own family situation and financial conditions. You see, their principle for interacting and dealing with others is to not take advantage of them. Although this principle doesn’t seem remarkable, and it is a commonplace truism that most people have grown accustomed to, not everyone can adhere to it, nor does everyone view it as the most basic principle of self-conduct—much less is it something everyone values. People who are truly upright and kind highly value not owing people or taking advantage of them when associating and interacting with others. Regardless of whether they are enjoying a comfortable life or suffering poverty, what they seek in their self-conduct and handling of matters is peace of mind, and freedom from the accusations of their conscience. Only people of this sort seek to conduct themselves in that way. No matter what era or what kind of social environment they’re in, or what group of people they are among, those who can conduct themselves in this way do so because they possess the qualities of uprightness, kindness, and knowing shame within their humanity. Conversely, if someone does not possess these qualities within their humanity, they won’t have a boundary for their self-conduct, and even if they do, they will not be able to maintain it. What is the reason they cannot maintain a boundary for their self-conduct? It’s mainly because they do not possess the qualities of uprightness, kindness, and feelings of shame in their humanity. Some people say, “Can’t people like this maintain a boundary for their self-conduct some of the time?” They can in special circumstances. Sometimes they do seem able to maintain a boundary; those are special circumstances. Sometimes they manage to not take advantage of others or owe them because the circumstances aren’t right, or because they can’t find a suitable opportunity. For example, if they borrow things or money and don’t return them, there will be consequences: They will bear the condemnation of public opinion or be held legally accountable, people will criticize them behind their backs, or they might even be unable to stay in their village, hamlet, or community. They refrain from doing this only because they’re compelled to and have no way around it; it’s out of helplessness that they grudgingly repay their benefactor or temporarily refrain from taking advantage of them. However, this type of person who cannot maintain a boundary for their self-conduct never acts like this proactively, because they simply do not possess such qualities as uprightness, kindness, and a sense of shame in their humanity. By contrast, the type of person who can truly refrain from taking advantage of others does so proactively, and it is something they naturally reveal, or they themselves have established this kind of principle and boundary for their self-conduct. Obviously, the fact that they have this kind of principle for their self-conduct is a natural revelation that comes from their conscience and reason, and this natural revelation is entirely based on them possessing the qualities of uprightness and kindness; they’re not influenced by others, nor are they compelled by their environment. It’s just something that they naturally reveal, that their humanity needs, and that their inner world needs. This is an adequate basis to say that this type of person innately possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity. If they do not act this way, they won’t be able to square it with their conscience, and they will feel uneasy inside; they’ll feel too ashamed to live and too mortified to be seen. As a result, they conduct themselves in this way very naturally. Tell Me, do you think this principle of self-conduct of not taking advantage of others is important? (Yes.) Not taking advantage of others seems to be a basic principle of self-conduct which is very unremarkable, but it is an important marker that reflects what kind of qualities someone has in their humanity. Is this not so? (It is.)

People who do not take advantage of others display another kind of manifestation. For example, say that a relatively well-off person offers them something they have to spare or have lying around. Feeling that they cannot take advantage of others without giving something back, and not wanting to owe anyone a favor, they say, “I don’t really need it right now, but thank you for your kindness.” Do you think that people are greedy? When people see nice things, do they like them and want to enjoy them? Everyone likes and wants to enjoy them, but there are differences between people. For example, most people like to use name-brand computers that are of good quality, fast, and have a sharp picture. Some people don’t have the money and can’t afford one, so they always want to take advantage of others. When they see that someone uses a name-brand computer, they frequently ask to borrow it, and even use it without the owner’s permission or when the owner is not there. When the owner needs to use it, they even make excuses and have the owner use their computer instead. The owner, seeing that they’re just going to keep using it and not return it, has no choice but to buy another one. Just like this they seize the original owner’s computer, without feeling the slightest reproach from their conscience. Does such a person have humanity? Do they have a conscience? (No.) Are they an upright and kind person? (No.) An upright and kind person would absolutely not do such a thing. Suppose that someone else buys a new computer and, seeing that this upright and kind person is using a slow computer, offers them their old one. The upright and kind person feels that accepting it would be taking advantage and refuses. The other person says they can just pay them a few dozen yuan for it, but the upright person knows that this is clearly an act of charity, and feels that they cannot take advantage of this. So they think of ways to save up money, figuring that even if they save up a few hundred yuan to buy it, that would be considered buying it at a depreciated price. If the other person refuses the money, then they do not agree to the offer; they absolutely will not accept handouts. Tell Me, are they being stubborn? Nonbelievers say this kind of person is stubborn and uncompromising, but a merit in terms of the qualities of humanity is reflected within this unwillingness to compromise. What merit? They believe that no matter the circumstances, they must maintain their principles and boundaries for their self-conduct; only then can they have peace of mind and feel grounded. They think that if they were to take advantage of others, that would be unfair and they wouldn’t be able to bring themselves to face them, and that if they were to use other people’s things, it would make them feel uneasy, their face would get hot, and they would feel uncomfortable inside. Some people say, “But the other person is willing to let them use it.” Does the other person being willing mean it wouldn’t be taking advantage of them? Even if the other person is willing, it would still be taking advantage of them. Taking advantage is always taking advantage; the nature of it doesn’t change because of the other person’s willingness—the essence remains the same. They think, “Buying such a good computer for a few dozen yuan would clearly be taking advantage of them. I absolutely cannot accept it. If I save enough money, I’ll buy it. If I can’t, I’ll just use my own old computer, simply for the peace of mind.” You see, isn’t this a boundary for their self-conduct? (Yes.) They can maintain this boundary under any circumstances. Someone wants to give them something so great, they have the chance to land something this good—the way that nonbelievers see this is: “You’re a fool if you don’t take it. Not taking advantage would be a waste!” But they don’t think so. They believe that this isn’t being a fool, and that they cannot deceive themselves—taking advantage is taking advantage. They think that if they did take advantage, then they would feel uneasy at heart, not be able to live comfortably, and feel ill at ease using the computer, and that they cannot conduct themselves in that way. You see, they will not cross this boundary for their self-conduct—isn’t this conscience at work within them? (Yes.) They possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity, and their conscience serves its function, so they are able to maintain this boundary. That is to say, the reason they can maintain this boundary is that their conscience constantly serves its function, giving them awareness, and making them feel, “Doing that is wrong, doing that is inappropriate. I cannot do that.” Their conscience constantly prompts, restrains, and regulates them, allowing them to maintain a boundary for their self-conduct. In the end, perhaps they can afford to buy what was offered and then they use it, or perhaps they can never afford it and it gets used by someone else, in which case they don’t feel upset. At the very least, in this matter, they have maintained this boundary and principle for their self-conduct. A person with the qualities of humanity establishes principles and boundaries for their self-conduct, and they maintain them constantly. Even if they encounter a situation that involves their interests and they feel tempted at the time, their conscience will constantly prompt and restrain them. In the end, even if others think that this person’s interests were harmed or that the advantage was taken by someone else, and this person might feel a bit upset or disgruntled for a moment, because of the function of their conscience, their heart will quickly settle down. They will ponder, “It’s always better to not take advantage of others. At least I have peace of mind, and do not feel accused by my conscience.” This is what they seek. This is the function conscience serves in people: It constantly regulates and restrains them, allowing them to make the right choices. In the face of one’s own interests, morality, or even some temptations, one’s conscience will constantly restrain, regulate, and correct their behavior. Ultimately, in the vast majority of cases, people with qualities of humanity will choose to forsake their own interests to gain peace and tranquility for their conscience. Under special circumstances, some of these people also have times when they cross the boundary of their conscience, but what this follows is the accusation and uneasiness within their conscience; some even carry this uneasiness and guilt with them for the rest of their lives. This is the function of conscience. That is to say, people with the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity will occasionally make mistakes, and will also, under special circumstances, cross the boundary of their humanity and violate the principles of self-conduct they have established for themselves. But the consequence of this is that they will suffer the condemnation of their conscience. If they can’t find an opportunity to make amends for this, or their circumstances do not allow it, they will live with inner accusation, uneasiness, self-reproach, and guilt. These are normal manifestations possessed under all circumstances by a person who possesses conscience and reason, and possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity.

These manifestations of people who possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness are, from the perspective of humanity, relatively ordinary and commonplace, not lofty or supernatural, nor exactly noble, and in the eyes of man, just mean that someone has a bit of integrity and lives with a bit of dignity. However, in God’s eyes, the qualities of uprightness and kindness within humanity lived out by such people are precious. Because this mankind reveres wickedness, and no one cares about conscience or reason, people who are upright and kind are ostracized in society. The basic principles of self-conduct that they abide by and live out are mocked, despised, and condemned by the masses of society. How do people mock them? (People say they are fools, inflexible, and dim-witted.) That is exactly how it is. In this society, people with normal humanity are mocked, ridiculed, despised, and condemned by others; they cannot gain other people’s acknowledgment, nor their approval. If you always stick to your principles of self-conduct within a group of people, you live a very exhausting life. Every day, no matter what you encounter, you feel stifled and incensed, and you ponder, “What’s wrong with me conducting myself this way? Why do others mock me? People always say, ‘How much is conscience worth?’ Conscience is the most precious thing. Is someone even human if they don’t have a conscience?” People like you are objects of mockery and ostracism among any group of nonbelievers; no one approves of you, and no one takes your side. You are upright and stick to principles in your self-conduct, and people say, “Can sticking to principles pay the bills? Will sticking to principles earn you the appreciation of the higher-ups? Will everyone approve of you if you stick to principles? If you stick to principles in this society, you’re the biggest fool around; you’ll be kept down, and end up with no way to make ends meet!” So you ponder: “What’s wrong with me sticking to principles? Why is it that being an upright and kind person gets me mocked, ostracized, and kept down?” Ultimately, you conclude that humans are rotten to the core, that there isn’t a single good one among them, that they’re all devils and Satans! You say that you conduct yourself with a clear conscience, that you want to conduct yourself in a dignified and upright manner, want to handle everything by the book, and rely on your own skills to make a living without resorting to doing anything crooked, but by conducting yourself in this way, you’re prone to being pushed around in society; people can make short work of you with just a bit of maneuvering. No matter what skills you have, you are ostracized and suppressed. You feel that there’s no place to argue one’s case in this human world, and that living like this is too suffocating. Living among these people is not like being in a vast dyeing vat but in a meat grinder—you’ll be ground to death alive. Even if you don’t get ground to death, you’ll die of exhaustion, going against your will every day of your life in a state of physical and mental fatigue, each word you say and every thing you do a betrayal of your own will. Walking a constant tightrope like this, you are still mocked as a fool and as someone who’s inflexible, who doesn’t know to give gifts to their higher-ups or build connections with their colleagues. You conduct yourself based on the principle of not taking advantage of others, yet other people try every possible means to take advantage of you, and you can’t even avoid it. You end up doing plenty of work, but the higher-ups don’t notice you, with all the credit being snatched away by others. After you come to believe in God, you see that there is fairness in God’s house, that God is righteous, and that even if some people act unjustly, there is truth in God’s words, there is righteousness in God’s words, God has a righteous disposition, and it is the truth and righteousness that hold power in God’s house. You say: “So, good people can prosper in God’s house. I can open my heart and speak all the words I’ve been holding in. I can put whatever strengths and talents I have to use. Living in God’s house is truly peaceful and joyful; I will never again be suppressed and ostracized by other people. It’s so wonderful to believe in God and come to God’s house! If I didn’t believe in God, I’d be living like a walking corpse and the longer I lived, the more exhausted and agonized I’d feel; I wouldn’t be able to find a direction in life, my heart would grow dim, and I wouldn’t be able to see the light or the future. It would really be painful!” Before people like this come to believe in God and gain the truth, they feel that they have no path in life and that their future is bleak and devoid of light. After suffering some setbacks and failures, and experiencing many hardships, they not only doubt their life, but even more so feel that there’s no point in living. They feel even death would be preferable to living among such people and living in such a world! People do not even live as happily as the birds in the sky, nor as freely as the fish in the sea—at the very least, birds can chirp when they want to, fly in the sky without any hindrances, and have their own piece of pristine land. People living in this world do not even have the right or freedom to speak truthfully; they live every day wearing a mask, and can only say things they do not want to say, going against what they really feel inside—they have no choice but to say such things, but they feel disgusted once they do. Why does living have to be so difficult? People of this sort feel disgusted looking at the faces of those around them, with a sense of repulsion and loathing in their hearts, but they cannot avoid or steer clear of them, and still have to mingle with them too. Sometimes they entertain the idea of just muddling along like this in order to sustain themselves and support their families, but still can’t resign themselves to do so. They feel that people have got to pursue something meaningful in life, that they’ve got to live out a human likeness, tell the truth, and uphold a boundary for their self-conduct, and that this is the very least people should achieve. They feel that if a person cannot even achieve this, then they aren’t human. But with no path to walk, they’re helpless, and can only muddle through life in a confused and dazed manner, just barely getting by. Especially when they encounter some difficulties and are at the end of their rope, they feel intensely tormented inside: “Why do we live? Is it just to tell lies every day, and to mingle with these people who do not even resemble humans and just muddle along waiting for death? Since I will die sooner or later anyway, rather than muddling along waiting for death, I might as well just die now and be free of it all sooner.” Although people want to be free of it all, it’s very rare that anyone dares to act on this; they worry that if they die like this, they’ll have no way to answer to their parents and loved ones, and they also have misgivings in their hearts: “Will dying like this really free me? If it truly frees me, that would be good, but if it doesn’t, that would be even worse.” Thus, people struggle in pain like this. This is just how pitiful those who have not gained the truth are. People feel that there is always hope and something to look forward to in living, but deep down in their hearts, they feel that these things are becoming increasingly vague and distant. The more vague and distant people feel these things to be, the more they struggle and suffer in their hearts. Such people all hope to maintain the boundary of their conscience and their principles of self-conduct, and to not live in a way that goes against their will. They don’t make stringent demands of themselves, nor do they set very high goals for their lives—they do not seek great fortune and high rank, but only to live with peace of mind. Yet they cannot even adhere to such simple principles and such a simple boundary for their self-conduct, so they live like walking corpses every day, feeling greatly exhausted. This exhaustion is not physical fatigue, nor is it the pain brought by illness, but an exhaustion of both body and mind. This exhaustion is a sense of heaviness brought about by the sinking of their hearts; it weighs on their hearts like a boulder, making them feel pent up and pained inside. But then, they still have to face life and all kinds of people, events, and things, so they just brace themselves and keep going day after day, passing their days amid hardship, living an extremely painful life. Some people want to go watch Peking opera. They see that the plots in Peking opera are all about the protagonist’s life being difficult and full of bumps and setbacks, with the performer finally crying out at the end, “What suffering...” and those who have pain in their hearts resonate with this. Why do they resonate with it? Because the performer is voicing what is in their hearts. If you live by your conscience, living in this world is not easy and gets you nowhere; you will run up against walls, suffer setbacks, and be tormented at every turn. If you try to be a bad person, an evil person, or a wicked person, you’ll get on well wherever you go, not hitting any snags. If you are an upright and kind person, and you possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in your humanity, then even if your uprightness and kindness become polluted or even tainted and contain some adulterations after you experience various things in society, the qualities of uprightness and kindness in your humanity will never change, and no one will be able to change them. Even if you no longer dare to tell the truth or uphold the principles and boundaries for your self-conduct, deep down in your heart you will long to tell the truth, to uphold your principles for self-conduct, to maintain the boundary of your conscience, and to gain a sense of inner peace and tranquility.

After this type of upright and kind person comes to believe in God, God’s house—the church—is for them a place of purity and stillness, as well as a place where their heart can find peace and liberation. Of course, it can also be said that it’s a place where they can pursue the realization of their life aspirations, and a place that enables them to see light in their life and no longer feel lost in terms of how they should orient their self-conduct. So, for someone with conscience and reason, God’s house is their true home. This home is not a home in the fleshly or material sense; rather, it is a safe place where they can believe in God and submit to Him with a heart that is simple, laid bare, and open. It can also be called a safe haven. How does the saying go? God’s house is a harbor where upright and kind people who possess qualities of humanity can moor themselves. That is, this is where they can drop their anchor; they don’t have to rush about anymore, and are able to accept the truth and find their direction and path in life, so that their hearts are content. Thus, a true human being only feels truly content at heart when they come to God’s house; a person with conscience and reason only feels that they’ve found their true home, a place that allows their heart to gain peace and tranquility, when they return to God’s house and return before the Creator. Although their aspirations for their self-conduct and the principles by which they conduct themselves are a far cry from practicing the truth, at the very least, they feel that in God’s house and in the church, their heart has gained peace and solace. This is the difference this type of person feels between being in God’s house and being in the world; it is a difference in their heart. Therefore, when this type of person comes to God’s house, their heart gains solace and peace; they feel that only God’s house is the place where they can pursue their direction in life, and is also the environment they are most in need of, and, of course, the place they yearn for. They love it here, and are willing to live and conduct themselves in this kind of environment; of course, it is their personal wish to do so. In terms of this personal wish of theirs, the environment of God’s house, the way God works, God’s requirements of people, and all other aspects are already enough to satisfy the needs of their humanity, so they pursue the truth with peace of mind and practice according to God’s requirements. Therefore, whether a person can pursue the truth depends entirely on their humanity. Only if their humanity possesses the qualities of kindness and uprightness, if they love fairness and righteousness, if they love coming to God’s house and gaining inner peace and tranquility, or if their heart has gained complete solace after coming to God’s house and coming before God, can they settle down to listen to, accept, and submit to God’s words; only then can they settle down to pursue the truth and to be a proper created being. That is to say, only when a person comes to the environment of God’s house and their heart gains solace, and understanding the truth makes their heart feel fulfilled, and the life aspirations and goals they pursue are realized—only under these basic conditions do they have the opportunity to pursue the truth. This is a specific manifestation of those who possess qualities of humanity. Of course, when it comes to pursuing the truth, whether someone possesses qualities of humanity is very important. If one does not possess qualities of humanity, they basically do not satisfy the conditions for pursuing the truth.

Let us now talk about other manifestations of uprightness and kindness in people’s humanity. I just said that people who possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity establish a basic principle for their associations and interactions with others, and in how they conduct themselves and handle matters—not taking advantage of other people. Of course, this is also the boundary for their self-conduct. In addition to not taking advantage of others, this kind of person has another manifestation: They are willing to sympathize with and help other people, and they’re also willing to give to them. In the eyes of others, people like this are a bit foolish—they’re too kindhearted, they easily trust and take pity on others, and, despite not being well off themselves, they like giving. They like to stand up against injustice; when they see someone facing difficulties, they do not stand idly by or pretend not to see, but proactively try to help. Even if they don’t have the ability to help, they still have good intentions. When they see someone facing difficulties, they feel that if they don’t extend a helping hand, they wouldn’t be able to square it with their conscience. Even if the other person doesn’t ask for help, they still feel they should help them. After the other person receives their help, they merely say thanks and leave it at that, but the upright and kind person doesn’t mind; later on, when someone else is truly facing difficulties, they’ll still help them all the same. This seems a bit ignorant or foolish to people; others advise them to stop doing acts of kindness, telling them they should at least earn a debt of gratitude when they help people. Upon hearing this, they ponder: “We should get debts of gratitude out of helping people? How much effort does it take to lend a hand? Why make things so convoluted?” This is just how uncomplicated they are; they’re simply willing to help others. Tell Me, do you think being willing to help others has anything to do with a person’s humanity? (Yes.) They really do not seek any kind of recompense. In this world, is there anyone who’s free of desires and wants? (No.) Then how can this kind of person help others without seeking anything in return? For most people, what are the special circumstances that need to be in place, or what must their relationship with someone be like, in order for them to help that person? One is the closest kind of relationship—being related by blood. In addition, the person they help must be a capable person, or there must be some advantage to be gained from helping them, with only benefits and no drawbacks for themselves. These are the only scenarios. Aside from these scenarios, who would help others for no reason? To put it accurately, they don’t help others gratuitously; there must be some benefit to be gained. Even if there isn’t an immediate benefit, there still must be some long-term one. In any case, they only help when they can gain something from it. Now, as for the people who are willing to help others, setting aside how much help they give or whether the thing they help with has any value—whether it’s something major or something trivial—where does their willingness to help others come from? Does it have to do with their humanity? (Yes.) Which aspect of humanity does it relate to? (Kindness.) It has to do with kindness; when people possess the quality of kindness in their humanity, they are willing to help others. For example, let’s say they see a brother or sister become negative and weak. Actually, they’re not a church leader themselves, and only have an ordinary relationship with this brother or sister, but when they see them being negative and weak, they feel upset and have a burden in their hearts. It won’t sit right with them if they don’t help, and they think, “Although my own stature isn’t great and I don’t understand many truths, it’s still good for me to try to fulfill my obligations. Maybe after hearing what I say they’ll be able to reflect on themselves and stop being negative—wouldn’t that be good?” So, if someone becomes negative and weak—unless it goes unnoticed by them—once they do notice it, they look for an opportunity to fellowship with that person. If they cannot fellowship clearly themselves, they find a passage of God’s words to fellowship with them. In short, through a combination of exhortation, guidance, and reading God’s words to the person, the person eventually understands God’s intentions, is no longer negative, and can do their duty normally, which gives the kind person a sense of satisfaction. They simply cannot bear to see people being negative and slacking off, or in pain and suffering; they just want to comfort and support them. If the other person remains negative, they feel they should fulfill their responsibility. When, thanks to their advice and guidance, that person is no longer negative, they feel great happiness inside, and feel that conducting themselves in this way is quite good. They don’t seek any benefit; it’s just that, when they are able to help someone, not doing so would leave them feeling uneasy, and would grate on their conscience. Tell Me, do you think this grating on their conscience and this sense of unease are manifestations and revelations of qualities of humanity? (Yes.)

Some people tend to sympathize with others. Of course, if looked at from a certain perspective of humanity, this might also be a human weakness, as they may sometimes sympathize with and help evil people, but they cannot change this weakness. After they help an evil person, the evil person pulls through and prospers, but still looks down on and ignores the one who helped them. They feel upset inside, saying, “Why are they like this? Back when they were down and out and reached out for my help, I sympathized with them and helped them—but now that they’re prospering and living a good life, they ignore me.” In their hearts, they cannot make sense of this; they cannot see through to the essence of evil people. After a while, if another evil person asks for their help, they might still sympathize with them, but they will first see whether this person is evil. If the person is not that detestable and is quite pitiable, they’ll still feel sympathy for them. When they see some brothers and sisters who do their duty full-time but whose families are poor and are facing difficulties in life, they think, “They can still do their duty despite being so poor—now that’s a good person! I myself live a life of wealth; if I don’t help them, I’ll feel like I’ve not done right by them. I ought to give to them and help them out, so they can buy some clothes or daily necessities.” You see, they are kindhearted; when they see people experiencing difficulties, they cannot help but feel sympathy for them and help them. In any group, there are good people, evil people, and also ignorant people. Good people are able to give and help others, evil people are capable of doing all kinds of evil things, and the various ignorant people are always being used and ordered about by others, and might do all kinds of stupid things; they are ignorant to all varying degrees. In short, there are all kinds of people. People who possess qualities of humanity tend to sympathize with others. They always see others as pitiable, they can always see what is pitiable about people, and they can always see where people are worthy of sympathy; their conscience has an element of gentleness to it. That is, when they see someone facing difficulties, encountering painful situations, or being pushed around by evil people or treated unfairly, they become indignant inside and feel sympathy for such people; they always have a sympathetic heart. In fact, their own circumstances may not be much better than others’, and they may not necessarily be pushed around any less, but because they have kindness in their humanity, they can never help but sympathize with others. When people face difficulties or suffer pain, they do not stand idly by or ignore them. At times, influenced by the social environment—seeing that people care only about themselves while ignoring their fellow man—they will want to refrain from helping people, but they always fail; when they see a poor person who’s unable to get a meal, after going back and forth in their mind they still end up helping them. For example, suppose someone comes down with a severe cold—coughing, sneezing, and running a high fever. Some people are afraid of catching it, so they stay far away. Kindhearted people, on the other hand, cannot help but show concern for them: “You caught a cold; have you taken any medicine?” If the person has no money for medicine, they’ll spend their own money to buy it for them. You see, when a kindhearted person sees that someone is ill and suffering, they don’t stand idly by. That is, when people are facing difficulties, when they’re confronted with suffering or difficult predicaments, people with qualities of humanity can always sense it, and can always realize that they need help. They’re in the same environment as everyone else, but they’re particularly sensitive to things that others cannot feel. Why is this? It’s just that people’s hearts are not the same. People who lack a human touch do not inquire no matter how much pain others are in, as if they can’t perceive it. People who do have a human touch, because there is an element of kindness to the qualities of their humanity, always can’t help but feel sympathy for those around them experiencing pain and difficulties, and then, governed by their conscience, extend a helping hand—you couldn’t stop them even if you tried. They do not do this expecting others to remember their kindness, nor in the hope that they’ll highly praise their humanity and their character; they just have the willingness to do so, and doing it gives them a sense of internal groundedness. These are thoughts and behaviors that arise from the qualities of humanity; no one can change them and no one can restrict them. The things they do, or the ways they conduct themselves and the principles by which they do so, are purely natural revelations of normal humanity. These natural revelations of humanity come entirely from their hearts. They act this way willingly; no one instructs them to, and they’re not chasing some benefit. They’re simply willing to do so, and only doing such things gives them peace of mind; if they don’t do them, they feel uneasy inside. Even when they encounter an evil person who’s facing difficulties, they know they shouldn’t help evil people, but they also think, “Am I growing cruel?” Even if they don’t help this evil person, their sympathy remains unchanged, and will naturally reveal itself again in a suitable environment and with the right people. This is a quality of humanity. Qualities of humanity are innate, and of course they may also be revealed anytime and anywhere; they are very natural, very pure, and very simple. Therefore, when someone possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity, it doesn’t come from what their parents or society taught them, nor is it influenced by any environment; these are the inherent qualities of one’s humanity.

Some people like to give. Do you think people who like to give must also be wealthy? Must they be people who have weathered life’s many storms and become disillusioned with the mortal world? Must they be people who have enjoyed all the wealth and splendor of the world—and seen through it all—and come to regard the enjoyment of material things with indifference? Must they be people whose personalities are relatively carefree and magnanimous? No, they needn’t be like this. Among the people who possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity, there is a type of person who lives a particularly frugal life. If they drop a grain of rice while eating, they have to pick it up and eat it, unable to bear the thought of wasting it. They use only a little water when brushing their teeth and washing their face. When their clothes get old, they can’t bear to throw them away; they give them a wash and keep wearing them. When buying things, they plan and budget carefully, buying cheap things as long as the quality is acceptable. Since this type of person is so frugal, does this mean they’re stingy? (No.) This type of person is particularly frugal when it comes to themselves, but they’re not stingy when it comes to others. For example, when they see someone leading a difficult life, they give them some things of their own, such as clothing or appliances. Some people say, “Are they some kind of charitable pauper?” That’s not it—they just feel that others are quite pitiable, so they always want to help them. In fact, they themselves are not well-off or wealthy, and they’re not after something when they provide relief to others. They just have this kind of humanity; they love helping others, and this is also their principle for how they conduct themselves. Is this also a quality of humanity? (Yes.) This kind of person’s basic principle for treating others is to help when they ought to help, and to sympathize when they ought to sympathize. When other people are facing difficulties, they will offer their love and use practical actions to help them; when others lack things, they give their own things to them. Within their qualities of humanity, there is always such a willingness; these thoughts can always arise in them, or they can always feel the pain of those around them who need help and sympathy. Is this conscience at work within them? (Yes.) Such a quality of humanity is not determined by personality, but is due to the function of conscience. Thus, they have this mentality—or this quality of humanity—of being willing to help others. When people need help and ask them for it, not only do they feel sympathy, but they also sincerely help; even if it takes up some of their time and they have to give some things to them, they are willing. This willingness is, at the very least, based on the kindness in one’s humanity. If one has no kindness in their humanity, for one thing, they will not have the subjective willingness to help others, and for another, they will not feel sympathy when asked for help, nor will they help people sincerely. If someone doesn’t have this sincerity, they’ll just go through the motions and be perfunctory with you. They’ll grudgingly do a little bit out of regard for face or out of politeness, or because they’re driven by a certain interest of theirs; otherwise, they fear that one day they might be under your command, or that one day you might be of use to them—they can reconcile themselves to helping you for any number of reasons. For someone whose humanity truly has the quality of kindness, however, they’re not passive in how they help people, much less, of course, are they unwilling or reluctant; rather, this willingness inherently exists within the qualities of their humanity. They help others willingly, sincerely, and proactively. For example, suppose you need their help with something. When you ask them for help, they will feel great sympathy for you, and will help you out with great enthusiasm, sincerity, and willingness. It may be that you entrust them with handling something for you, or with passing a message on for you, or it may be that there’s some item you need—regardless of what kind of help you need from them, in short, they’ll treat this matter with sincerity, earnestness, seriousness, and responsibility.

People who possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity are very serious and responsible when others entrust them with handling things. For example, if such a person goes into the city to take care of something, and someone else asks them to help buy some medicine, while they’re buying it they ponder: “Should I get Western medicine or Chinese medicine? Western medicine works fast, but it irritates the stomach. Maybe they’ll have side effects if they take it? In that case, I’ll ask if there’s any Chinese medicine that’s relatively effective and doesn’t irritate the stomach.” You see, they consider things very carefully. When someone who’s responsible and has the quality of kindness agrees to help another person handle something, they will help them choose the things they need in a way that’s sincere, serious, and responsible. It may be that they’re not that serious when handling their own matters, and when buying things they just buy whatever seems okay, but when handling matters for others, they’re particularly attentive and particularly responsible. They think to themselves: “Since they entrusted this matter to me, it means they think highly of me; I’ve got to take care of things properly for them. Moreover, this isn’t anything difficult. It’s as easy as lifting a finger. I have to make sure they’re satisfied with what I do. But I don’t know what kind of medicine is right for them, and they’re in a hurry to buy the medicine to treat their illness, so I’ll just buy a bit of both Chinese and Western medicine for them.” After they buy the medicine and bring it back, the other person chooses the medicine that just happens to be the kind they need. You see, they put their heart into what they do and do it seriously, so the matter is handled quite consummately. But with someone who’s irresponsible and doesn’t possess the quality of kindness, if you ask them to help buy medicine, they will also agree, but after going to the pharmacy, they just randomly buy some medicine that matches the illness and then come back. You ask them how much of the medicine to take each day and if there are any contraindications, and they say, “I don’t know. Read the instructions yourself. Anyway, I went and got the medicine for you.” At length, the Western medicine they bought cannot be taken by people prone to allergies, which you just happen to be. So the medicine was bought for nothing, and you still have to make a trip yourself to buy different medicine. They didn’t get the matter taken care of, and you even owe them a favor now too. Are you happy inside? (No.) How was the handling of this matter? It wasn’t handled well. You entrusted the wrong person; you didn’t find the right person. You have to find someone who possesses the qualities of humanity. If such a person is hard to find, then when you entrust someone to help buy medicine, you have to give them a few more instructions and explain things clearly. If you didn’t give them instructions, and the person you entrusted is someone who has no humanity, then this matter definitely won’t be handled well; not to mention wasting money, you’ll also owe them a favor. If you find someone who possesses humanity, they will do everything in their power to get this taken care of for you. Because they have a heart of sincerity and can take responsibility, and they possess the quality of kindness in their humanity, when they handle matters for you, they can look out for you and consider things for you, buying the things you need at a reasonable price. By contrast, someone without qualities of humanity will just go through the motions and be perfunctory with you when handling something for you. They’ll talk a good talk, but when handling the matter, they won’t ask about the price at all, nor will they shop around; they’ll just randomly buy something for you. If you don’t compare these two kinds of people, it seems as though they can both get things taken care of. However, people with qualities of humanity can leave you satisfied when they handle something for you. They have the manifestations of humanity; they can satisfy your needs and consider things for you. They have this kind of sincerity. This proves that they are kind, are true human beings, and are worthy of your entrustment. On the other hand, when you entrust someone without qualities of humanity to handle something, they won’t handle it well. Even if they occasionally take care of things okay, they don’t do it with sincerity—it’s just a fluke. You say: “That medicine was good stuff. I got better not long after taking it.” It would have been fine if you hadn’t said this, but now that you have told them this, your debt of gratitude toward them grows larger. It’s obvious they went to take care of something for themselves, yet they still have to tell you, “See? I made a special trip just for you.” They’ll ask you for a favor, and you won’t be able to repay this meager debt of gratitude for the rest of your life; you’ve basically become ensnared by an evil demon. Someone with humanity, however, will not ask you for favors no matter how well they handled some matter for you. When you express your thanks to them, they say, “It was nothing special. It was on my way.” You see, they only tell the truth. In actuality, they already did a great job and helped you out a lot. Even the people closest to you might not treat you this way, but a person with qualities of humanity can do what even your loved ones cannot. They handle the matter quite well and don’t seek anything in return. You always feel you owe them a favor, so you give them some fruit or something else from time to time, and you always keep them in mind when something good pops up. But they don’t think of it as anything major in their head, feeling that helping you get something done required practically no effort on their part, and was a very normal thing to do. They also tell you that if there’s anything you need help with in the future, they’ll still help. You see, are there not differences between people? (Yes, there are.) Let Me tell you, people with humanity possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness, and no matter when, people of this sort are the most reliable. Only people like this are trustworthy, because they have a boundary for their actions. The reason they have a boundary for their actions is that they possess such qualities of humanity as uprightness and kindness.

When it comes to people who don’t have qualities of humanity, even if it’s someone you’ve never offended, as long as you do something that involves their interests, they will look for an opportunity to take revenge on you. By contrast, when it’s someone who does have qualities of humanity, even if you’ve hurt them before, or even harmed their interests, they will absolutely not hate you or take revenge on you. Even if they have somewhat of a bad attitude when speaking to you, or their words sound a bit harsh, or they lecture you a bit, these are normal manifestations stemming from humanity—they will absolutely not endlessly try to get revenge or forever hate you like an evil person would. What is this based on? It’s based on the boundary they have for their self-conduct. Precisely because they have conscience and reason, and possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity, they will never overstep their boundary for their self-conduct. If anyone offends them, even if they want to take revenge, their conscience absolutely won’t let them. If they feel mad, they’ll just say some angry words to vent a bit, and that will be that—they absolutely will not do anything to get revenge. This is the quality of a person with humanity. You see, even when some people haven’t been offended, they still want to torment others; they want to vie and fight with them, always wondering how to scheme against them behind their backs. This is also a quality of humanity—it’s the quality that evil demons and evil devils have in their humanity. Conversely, someone who possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity cannot bring themselves to torment others. If they were to do such things, their conscience would reproach and discipline them. Even if God doesn’t discipline them, the Holy Spirit doesn’t reproach them, and the brothers and sisters don’t reproach them, their conscience is keeping them in check. When a person is restrained by their conscience, they don’t go overboard in their actions, and they have a boundary for what they do. Even if you offend them, hurt them, or even do something that goes too far, they won’t want to have it out with you. At worst, they’ll just avoid you and ignore you, and won’t associate with, interact with, or work with you. But they will absolutely not harm you or try to do you in; they will not scheme against you behind your back or use tactics to entrap you—they absolutely won’t do such things. Look and see which of the people around you are people of this type—these are good people of the highest quality. You can feel absolutely at ease interacting with them. Even if you hurt them to the point that they’re utterly devastated, at most they will hate you inside, not want to pay you any mind anymore, and never be friends with you, but they won’t scheme against you, nor will they look for an opportunity to take revenge on you, much less say, “It is never too late for a gentleman to take his revenge.” This is true uprightness and kindness. Being able to achieve this is absolutely not something that can be faked; this is a true quality of humanity. Only a person who possesses qualities of humanity will have the correct principles and boundaries for their self-conduct. As you interact and associate with them, you will be able to see these behaviors and manifestations in them, as well as these natural revelations of their humanity.

Because people’s classifications are different, their reactions to various things are different as well. You see, when those evil people, those reincarnated from devils, take advantage of others, what is their reaction if someone exposes them? They will say, “Who doesn’t take advantage of others? Aren’t advantages there to be taken? What’s wrong with taking a little advantage? If there’s an advantage to be taken and you don’t take it, aren’t you a fool and a jackass?” This is the logic of a bandit. They have no awareness of conscience in their hearts, no sense of shame, and no feelings of shame. Because they have no conscience, they have no standard for evaluating the issue of taking advantage of others. Their principle is that advantages are meant to be seized, and once you’ve seized them, they are yours. Not seizing them would be a waste, and makes you a fool. Is this not the logic of a bandit? And how do people reincarnated from animals view the issue of taking advantage of others? If you tell them, “What you’re doing is taking advantage—it’s not good to take advantage of other people, and it’s not good to owe them something,” what do they think? “This advantage belongs to me. I don’t owe them anything if I take advantage of them. What’s wrong with taking advantage? Being able to take advantage is a skill; if you don’t have the skill, you will lose out.” This is the logic of a scoundrel. They have no boundary, no sense of shame, no feelings of shame, much less any feeling of conscience. They have no standard for judging anything. Even if you tell them what the correct standard is, they don’t consider it a standard, and don’t know that this standard is correct. They do not have the rationality of a normal person and cannot tell what’s correct from what’s incorrect. They spend all day in a haze; nothing you say can give them clarity or make them understand. They are just muddleheaded people. However, people with conscience and reason possess qualities of humanity. If they unintentionally take advantage of someone and you point it out to them, they’ll get flustered inside and become flushed: “Did I take advantage of them? How did I not realize it? And to have it pointed out by someone else—how embarrassing!” They will say, “However much I took advantage of them, I must pay them back in full—I could even add some interest.” They have to find a way to salvage the situation. They are unwilling to have a reputation for loving to take advantage of others. If they did, they would feel utterly disgraced. Therefore, once someone actually points out their problem, they will not try to justify themselves—they will not say, “I didn’t take advantage of them, nor did I want to.” They will not use this kind of scoundrel’s logic to argue and justify themselves. Because they have an element of uprightness in them, once someone brings it up, they will face it correctly, do everything possible to make up for it and compensate the other party, and will never do this kind of thing again; if they do, they’ll give themselves a smack on the face. They feel that it’s mortifying to have what they did exposed by someone, and to have people now criticize them behind their backs and berate them to their face. They have nowhere to hide their shame, and wish they could find a hole in the ground to crawl into; they’d rather their whole life had passed without this kind of thing happening. Because they have conscience, they feel shame in their hearts after taking advantage of others. They’re too embarrassed to justify themselves, feeling that what they did is too shameful, so they’re left speechless, with nothing to say in their defense; they only want to compensate the other party. People like this are different from evil people and devils. No matter how shameful the things devils do are, they feel no shame. When people with qualities of humanity hear of such things, they immediately become flushed: “So many people know about this; how humiliating!” They feel embarrassed and utterly disgraced, and particularly upset and uneasy in their hearts. You see, deep in their hearts, people of different classifications have different views and attitudes toward the same issue. Because of differences in the qualities of their humanity, various kinds of people have different attitudes toward the same issue. If one has feelings of shame, it proves they also have a sense of shame, which in turn proves they possess qualities of humanity. Conversely, if one has no sense of shame, and after committing evil acts and doing shameful things they try to argue in their own defense, or even refuse to admit what they did and play dumb, they are a person without qualities of humanity. People who don’t have qualities of humanity are, at the very least, not upright and kind people; they have no humanity or reason, and are unworthy of being called human. When evil people and devils do bad things and commit evil acts, and their enemies wag their fingers and hurl insults at them, they insult them right back, feeling perfectly justified in doing so. They even do everything possible to justify and defend themselves, expressing twisted reasoning as if it were actually sound reasoning, running their mouths audaciously and talking incessantly—they’re simply impervious to reason and utterly shameless! As for people reincarnated from animals, when they take advantage of other people and are criticized for it, they feel wronged inside, and they also do everything possible to come up with excuses and reasons. When justifying themselves, they also speak with a glib tongue and talk on and on, and, like evil people, they also have no feelings of shame. Because they are animals with no awareness of conscience, spending all day in a haze and unable to distinguish right from wrong in any matter, they thus have no awareness when it comes to this kind of thing; they give some specious excuses to try to gloss over what they did, and then they feel it’s settled. They don’t think this is a problem with their self-conduct; they think that as long as they provide enough excuses and reasons, they can evade responsibility and no one will know about what they did. They will deceive themselves, thinking, “It’s already over with. I never did that kind of thing, I never made that mistake. Don’t think I’m a bad person. I for one am not someone who takes advantage of others. Look how goodhearted and kind I am, and how understanding of others I am!” You see, this is someone who’s muddleheaded. It’s only the people who possess qualities of humanity that are particularly sensitive to issues like this which involve dignity. Even if no one knows what they’ve done, if they realize it themselves, they will feel uneasy and guilty inside, and even feel as if people are watching them. If a few people who are quite familiar with them actually find out about what they did, they will feel even more uneasy and will be too ashamed to try to justify themselves. They will do everything possible to quickly make up for it, and will never do this kind of thing again, finding it far too embarrassing! These are the different manifestations of the three classifications of people in the same matter.

We just mentioned that people with qualities of humanity usually have principles in how they treat others. When they report on or provide information about someone’s situation, or when they take stock of someone, they can view and treat them based on their upright and kind humanity. Even if they do not understand the truth, they still have some basic boundaries. For example, they will evaluate an average person like this: “They haven’t done anything bad. They live a decent life. They’re an ordinary person in the world, and can be considered a guileless person.” You see, they will correctly evaluate the average person based on their own conscience. They can even correctly treat and evaluate those who have offended them, hurt them, or harmed their interests in the past. This even more so reveals the qualities of uprightness and kindness these people have in their humanity. That is to say, they can correctly evaluate the average person—if they’re good they’re good, and if they’re not good, that’s how they call it too. If asked to tell lies, they cannot do it; they feel doing so would be going against their will. They just tell it how it is and call a spade a spade. They can also act according to this principle toward people who have offended them. Even if there is someone they dislike or feel repulsed by, if they are required to report on or evaluate that person, they would rather not take a stance, saying, “I’m afraid that my evaluation of this person would not be objective because I have personal grievances and grudges against them, so I abstain. You can assess them based on everyone else’s evaluation of them.” This is what people with qualities of humanity are basically able to achieve. In particular, when someone with status can still treat others fairly, that reveals the qualities of their humanity even more. How they treat people when they have status is what can truly allow others to see clearly just whether they possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity. When someone doesn’t have status, they seem able to treat people fairly, and their evaluations of them are relatively objective. This in itself might not indicate anything—when they have status, see how they treat those who have offended them or hurt them, and how they treat those who have previously excluded them or even intentionally suppressed them. Because people who truly have qualities of humanity possess uprightness and kindness in their humanity, when they have status, they can correctly treat those who have offended them, hurt them, or even intentionally suppressed them in the past. It may be that when they do not understand the truth, they cannot treat people according to the truth principles with complete exactitude, but they also have their own boundaries and principles in how they treat people. For example, in the church, if the other brothers and sisters elect a certain individual as a candidate or as a leader, and this person happens to be someone who has offended them before, they absolutely will not intentionally interfere with or hinder the election upon seeing that the brothers and sisters all say this person is not bad and has changed. They may not like this person very much personally, but if God’s house uses this person and the brothers and sisters elect them, they will handle matters by the book and act according to principles, under circumstances where they haven’t completely seen through this person. They will absolutely not treat this person unfairly because they have personal grievances with them, nor will they intentionally push them around or torment them. Occasionally, due to their corrupt dispositions or the weakness of their humanity, they might—under special circumstances—verbally pick on them with things that shouldn’t be said, because everyone has corrupt dispositions and no one is flawless. However, they can uphold basic principles; that is, they will not go after, suppress, or take revenge on people they have enmity with just because they themselves have status. If this sporadically does happen, their conscience will accuse them afterward, telling them, “It was wrong for you to do this. Now that you have status, you used the power you wield to take revenge on those people—this is inappropriate!” They will reflect on themselves, their conscience will accuse them, and on top of this their reason will restrain them from suppressing other people and taking revenge, and will regulate their behavior, constantly reminding them, “That’s inappropriate.” Thus, they will be measured in their speech, and won’t go overboard in the things they do. These are some basic manifestations of people with the conscience and reason of normal humanity in how they treat others. Even if they do temporarily want to act on their mood to target people they have grudges with or who harmed them in the past, and even if other people would find it totally reasonable for them to take revenge now, they’re still measured in what they do, and they have a boundary, which they absolutely will not overstep. If they could overstep their boundary and madly take revenge, they wouldn’t be someone who possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity. Precisely because they have the weaknesses of humanity and they live within normal humanity, they also feel hatred and rage toward those who have hurt them, and also want to take revenge. However, because their humanity possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness, and they’re restrained and regulated by their conscience and reason, when they want to take revenge on someone, they will be reproached by their conscience and controlled by their reason, thinking to themselves, “Forget it. That would be inappropriate. What they did before didn’t really hurt me, and even if I take revenge on them now, it won’t resolve any problems.” They will use rational means to exert control and keep themselves in check, while also persuading themselves and bringing themselves around. If, on top of that, they also understand some truths, then their behavior in this regard will become even better and conform more to the truth principles. In short, when it comes to how they treat others, they will reveal the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity from time to time, and will often reveal some thoughts and behaviors that are guided by qualities of humanity. What you often hear them say is: “Forget it. If I stoop to their level, wouldn’t I be just like them? Besides, what happened is in the past. We’re all adults—is there any point in going tit for tat like this?” They will have some thoughts and views stemming from qualities of humanity to restrain them. Of course, it’s also that their thoughts and views arising under the guidance of their conscience and reason are constantly regulating, restraining, controlling, and curbing their words and actions. Afterward, those thoughts of taking revenge on others which overstep the bounds of reason will grow fainter and fainter in their hearts. Under the constant correction of conscience and reason, coupled with pursuing the truth and becoming increasingly mature with age, the thoughts and actions of those who possess such qualities as uprightness and kindness in their humanity will—as these people pursue the truth—increasingly tend toward the positive, increasingly conform to the truth principles, and become increasingly regulated. That is, through this process, people will gradually let go of hatred, let go of grievances, and let go of various personal problems produced by their own narrow-minded thinking. If one is merely governed and restrained by conscience and reason, they can only simply let go of hatred and grievances, and give a simple, “Forget it, it’s in the past.” But, if one can pursue the truth and understand the truth, they won’t be limited to simply letting go and letting things pass and be done with; rather, they will be able to apply the truth principles and, driven by conscience and reason, live more correctly, handling these issues and treating those they had various grievances with in the way that God teaches. Therefore, only if one has basic principles for treating others, and on this foundation also understands the truth, can they gradually enter the truth reality and come to practice according to the truth principles.

The principles by which people with conscience and reason treat others are restrained by the qualities of uprightness and kindness within their humanity. So, people who do not possess these qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity have no principles in how they treat others. You see, when some people have no status, if anyone hurts them or looks down on them and taking revenge is beyond their ability, they appear very docile, as if the way they conduct themselves is quite magnanimous, and you might feel they’re quite good, and will have never seen them take revenge on anyone who’s offended them, but this cannot determine what attributes their humanity actually has. You should look at how they treat people—whether they can treat people fairly, whether they can treat those who have offended them in the past based on conscience and reason, and whether they can have principles in treating people—when they have status, control over the discourse, and decision-making power. This tells you what someone’s classification actually is. People without qualities of humanity pretend to be very well-behaved when they have no status. When taking revenge on others is beyond their ability, they don’t dare seek it out, but in their hearts they remember every slight. Their minds are full of hatred, full of revenge, and full of ways to torment and scheme against people. They will bide their time and look for opportunities to take revenge, waiting to see those who offended them in the past meet their downfall. Once they have status, and when they have consolidated this status, their attitude toward those who have offended them in the past or who are at odds with them is completely different from the attitude people with conscience and reason would have. They simply must take revenge, and will rack their brains for ways to do so. They will absolutely not let go of their hatred, nor will they let go of any grievances. They will absolutely not be like people with qualities of humanity, who would say, “Forget it. So many years have passed. I’m getting on just fine, and what they did didn’t really hurt me. Besides, what would taking revenge achieve?” They will absolutely not say “Forget it;” in their hearts they’ll be keeping score. When they have status, they say, “Did you think I forgot my hatred? You offended me, hurt me, and suppressed me before—did you think it was just water under the bridge now? That’s impossible! I have status now; things are different from before—how could I not take revenge on you? I’m going to use the power I wield to show you what I’m capable of, to let you know that I’m no ordinary person!” Their inner world is full of hatred, and their minds are full of ways to take revenge and ways to turn defeat into victory, trying to make it so no one forgets how formidable they are, and so people no longer push them around like before but instead fear them. You see, isn’t this type of person different from someone with qualities of humanity? (Yes.) What are they constantly mulling over in their head? “I’ll show you how formidable I am. I’ll show you I’m not one to be trifled with. I’ll make it so you get scared whenever you see me, and make it so you never dare to push me around again!” Tell Me, do you think they can act on these thoughts? (Yes.) They certainly can. Their heart is filled with hatred, and what’s more, their classification is that of a devil, and they have no standard by which to measure whether thinking this way is right or wrong. When they think this way, they don’t have conscience and reason to restrain them—nothing can restrain or regulate them. While these wicked, vicious things constantly swell and overflow within them, they’re also constantly scheming and looking for opportunities to do the things they want to do. Now they have status—their opportunity has finally arrived. Tell Me, do you think they will relent? They will absolutely not relent. They will seize this opportunity and use the power they now wield to turn all their thoughts into reality, making those who hurt them in the past and their enemies fear them, showing them all how competent and capable they are, making these people all admire them in their hearts, and making it so they have status in their hearts. The next thing they’ll do is embarrass these people, and use words and actions to suppress and go after them. They’ll look at who offended them in the past and ponder, “I’ve got to send them away to preach the gospel in the most arduous, dangerous place there is. If they don’t want to go, I’ll prune them. If they still don’t go after that, I’ll discredit them and expel them! And anyone who speaks up for them will meet the same end!” Some people offended them in the past, and have now been chosen as leaders, but are still their subordinates. They ponder, “What sermon can I preach to completely quash their prestige? If they behave well and listen to me in all matters, I’ll start them on a clean slate. But if they’re disobedient, find me repellent, and are dissatisfied with me, and even want to report my problems, I’ll have to show them a thing or two! I’ll do everything possible to make the brothers and sisters remove and dismiss them, and make it so they can never turn things around! I’ll send them away to a farm to work the land or raise pigs. If they still don’t listen, I’ll find the most dangerous place for them to go and do their duty, where they could be arrested by the police at any time!” Just entertaining such thoughts is already very serious; it’s already crossing boundaries. That they can think this way already proves that they don’t really have any conscience or reason. And if they can actually do these things, then on top of not having conscience and reason, they also have the element of a demonic nature within them. Their heart isn’t just devoid of humanity, but also contains a demonic nature. Are they not a devil? When this type of person has no status, they’re quite good at disguising themselves and putting up with things. They’ve mastered “sleeping on brushwood and licking gall.” They’ve learned from the phrases “It is never too late for a gentleman to take his revenge,” and “You’ve got a chance so long as you’re still alive,” as well as “A prime minister’s heart is big enough to sail a boat in.” They have disguised themselves until now, and finally, their true colors are laid bare. What sort of wretch are they? They’re not a human, they’re a devil. Go ahead and see which people are well-behaved when they don’t have status, but immediately seem like different people as soon as they get it. They quickly inquire about the whereabouts and situations of anyone who has offended them, and what duties they’re currently doing. Then, they look for opportunities to start trouble with these people and blow their issues out of proportion, going after these people to the point that they become docile and surrender to them, at which point they believe the church’s work has been done well. People like this are evil demons and must be quickly dismissed. If they’re not dismissed, you’ll suffer along with the others—sooner or later they’ll go after you too.

What kind of person should be elected as a church leader? For one thing, they should have a burden for doing their duty and be of sufficient caliber. For another, their humanity should be upright and kind, and they should be able to treat people fairly. When they didn’t have status, there were actually some brothers and sisters who had offended them or been at odds with them, but after becoming a leader, they can treat these people correctly, promoting them when they should be promoted, and using them when they should be used. Some people tell them, “That person spoke ill of you before,” but they can let it go. They prioritize the work of God’s house, saying, “God’s house is in need of people right now. If they’re suited to doing this duty, we should use them.” No matter who tries to sow discord, they are not influenced by it. Even if it’s the person who treated them the worst, if this person conforms to the principles of God’s house for using people, the leader will use them as necessary. Leaving aside whether such a person is considerate of God’s intentions, or what their caliber is like, or whether they can do the work well, just in terms of people’s classifications, they are absolutely a true human. They can treat people fairly, especially those who have been at odds with them, or those who have suppressed them, hurt them, or even insulted them or pushed them around in the past—they can treat them all correctly and fairly. That’s enough for us to say that this person is sufficiently upright and kind; they conform to the principles and satisfy the conditions for being made perfect by God. Some people say, “Then is this person someone who pursues the truth? If they don’t pursue the truth, wouldn’t they be unable to treat people this way?” Is this correct? Tell Me, even if someone doesn’t pursue the truth, so long as they naturally possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity, will they be able to have a basic principle in how they treat people? (Yes.) When they have status, will they be able to let go of personal grievances, not hold past wrongs against people, and not treat people based on their personal grievances? They will be able to achieve this. If you cannot achieve even this, how can you even hope to practice the truth and submit to God’s words? If even this is beyond you, you are not an upright and kind person; it could also be said that you are not a person who possesses qualities of humanity—you are not human. If you’re not human and have no conscience or reason, where do you get off trying to pursue the truth? If you do not meet the basic conditions for submitting to God’s words and pursuing the truth, you cannot gain the truth and are unworthy of being called a human. If you cannot treat people fairly, can you love the truth? Can you practice God’s words? If you cannot even let go of minor personal grievances, and you can take revenge on anyone who is detrimental to you or who has offended you before, and you do not even have any standards of conscience and reason, will you be able to practice God’s words? There’s no way! Therefore, when electing a leader, you should first look at how a person treats others; this is one of the standards for measuring whether someone has qualities of humanity. That is, no matter who has offended them in the past, they do not hold grudges, and they’ve never taken revenge on anyone, and they remain the same even after gaining status. It may be that they will act superior, have a bit of a desire for status, or enjoy the benefits of status, but they use those who have offended them in the past as needed, and interact with them as they should—perhaps in their heart they remember those grudges, but they don’t do anything retaliatory. This is something that anyone without qualities of humanity cannot achieve; beasts cannot achieve it, and devils even less so. Only people who possess conscience can achieve it. When people with conscience do anything, their conscience prompts them and regulates their behavior from within, and their reason restrains their impulses and impetuousness; even more so, it restrains and regulates their irrational thoughts and behaviors. Even if they have status, they will not do things to take revenge on others. This is a clear sign that someone has qualities of humanity. Look at the people around you—whoever is like this is a true human. It may be that their caliber is average, they’re not highly educated, and they’re still quite young; it may also be that outwardly they don’t seem that enthusiastic, nor do they seem to pursue all that much, and it may be that they will not pursue the truth in the future—but such a person is, at the very least, someone reliable to you, right? (Yes.)

Now that we have finished fellowshipping on the manifestations of upright and kind people in terms of how they treat others, let us talk about what specific manifestations and characteristics this type of person has when they do something wrong and commit transgressions. As corrupt human beings, if they possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity, when they do something wrong, regardless of whether they can be aware of it or not, they will reflect on and examine their own words and actions. If they have caused harm to someone, or if someone gives negative feedback about them or a negative assessment of them, they will examine themselves: “Which of my words were wrong? What did I do wrong? Did I have any intentions when I was speaking then? Was I targeting that person? Is it really my fault that I brought about bad consequences for them? Are they being overly sensitive, or was I not careful enough in my consideration and inappropriate in my choice of words at the time?” They will often examine themselves, and have an attitude of conducting themselves humbly. This attitude comes from their uprightness and kindness, and of course, it also comes from their rationality. That is one aspect. Furthermore, if they discover through self-reflection that they have some problems, or if others point out their problems, they will feel distressed and their heart will skip a beat: “Was I wrong in how I went about this? Should I not have done it like that? I didn’t do it on purpose at the time, and I didn’t have any intentions.” As corrupt human beings, under some special circumstances or in regard to some special matters, they may say, “I didn’t do it on purpose or with any intentions,” in order to salvage their pride, but they will feel guilty inside. During the process of constantly examining and reflecting on themselves, if they discover that what they did truly was wrong, they will once again feel uneasy, feeling that they should not have done it like that; they will feel regretful and distressed, and will try to find ways to make up for what they did or opportunities to correct it, even proactively apologizing and admitting their mistake. Upon discovering that they have done something wrong, people with qualities of humanity will first feel a pang of distress in their hearts, they will become flushed, and their heads will throb; these are normal reactions coming from the conscience. What are these normal reactions based on? They are based on a person possessing the qualities of uprightness, kindness, and rationality within their humanity. They do not have these manifestations because they want to salvage their own pride, nor because they have embarrassed themselves or been looked down upon by others, but because they feel guilty and reproach themselves for doing something wrong, feeling that they should not have done it that way. This is an attitude of admitting their mistakes, and it is also a reaction arising from the condemnation of their conscience and the function of their rationality. They will have a reaction; they will absolutely not be completely numb, nor try to shamelessly argue and justify themselves, nor try to find ways to evade responsibility, but rather they will have an attitude of proactive admission and acceptance, and of being willing to bear responsibility. Because this type of person possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity, their feelings of shame are very obvious. If they do something slightly wrong, the moment someone points it out, they will be unable to hide their shame. If they were to argue a bit more, they would feel, “It’s clearly my own fault, and they have already explained it clearly, so what am I still arguing for?” They will directly admit their mistake, feeling completely disgraced and wanting the ground to swallow them up. Are these the effects of conscience and reason? (Yes.) If lots of people know about what they did, they will even more so feel too ashamed to show their face, and they will try to find ways to make up for it and correct what they did. That is to say, after a person with conscience and reason does something wrong, they have a basic attitude of admitting their mistake; they are able to accept this fact and possess feelings of shame. Furthermore, it is not the case that they just admit their mistake and leave it at that; they will also try to find ways to make up for it. Because they have a conscience, they put their heart into what they do; when confronted with some situation, they take it to heart and treat the situation earnestly and responsibly, putting their mind into pondering the problem at hand, and treating it seriously, rather than being perfunctory, going through the motions, or much less shirking responsibility. They can bear responsibility, accept their mistake earnestly and with all their heart, and then speak and act responsibly, striving to minimize the loss. They are absolutely not like people of the ilk of devils, who fly into a rage the moment someone criticizes them for having done something wrong, who think of every possible way to evade and shirk responsibility, who try every means to pass the buck, and who put on the airs of a saint that never does anything wrong. For those reincarnated from animals, it is even more so the case that they do not know what’s correct and incorrect with anything they do. If you point out that they did something wrong, they do admit it, but if you ask them where they went wrong, they say, “I don’t know, but since you say I’m wrong, then I’m wrong.” Yet when they encounter this kind of thing again, they will still do it in the same way. No matter how many wrong or evil things they do, or how many corrupt dispositions they reveal, they ultimately always fall back on those same few lines: “What did I do wrong? Was it wrong for me to suffer and pay a price for so many years? If I didn’t believe in God and didn’t have conscience and reason, would I be able to suffer this much?” Those who are reincarnated from animals are simple-minded, always ending up at those same few lines. But people of the ilk of devils are much more cunning than those reincarnated from animals; they will employ different means and methods to commit evil and mislead people, and some people who are small in stature and have no discernment can truly be deceived. In a nutshell, devils will absolutely not admit it when they do something wrong. Not only do they not admit that they are people with corrupt dispositions, but they even want people to think they are sacred and inviolable, and flawless people who never make mistakes. No matter what wrong they do, they always profess the reasons why they did it, and always try to justify themselves. Ultimately, they profess that they are incapable of wrongdoing, that even if they do something wrong they have a reason for it, that they are not people with corrupt dispositions, that they will never do anything wrong, and that they are simply saints and flawless people. However, people who possess the qualities of conscience and reason within their humanity are different. Because they are upright people who are not crooked or deceitful, if you say they have done something wrong, even if they didn’t do it or it has nothing to do with them, they are willing to accept it first. When others tell them, “Are you stupid? If you accept it, you will have to bear responsibility,” they say, “I also had a part in what happened; I was also involved.” They are able to accept it; their attitude is honest and upright. Sometimes they will also want to evade responsibility, but then they ponder: “Why evade responsibility for something that anyone with eyes can see happened? Moreover, God scrutinizes people’s innermost hearts. If you’re implicated in what happened, God won’t let you off the hook. Before God, all people are laid bare, and all their actions and deeds are out in the open. Can you manage to escape before God? Therefore, this matter should be handled by the book; responsibility must fall where it belongs. If I am at fault in this matter, I will bear the responsibility. I am willing to accept punishment, and I am also willing to accept pruning. I will accept however God’s house deals with me; I was the one who chose to do wrong, after all.” You see, when they do something wrong and face being pruned, in one respect, they have an attitude of acceptance; in another respect, they are able to comprehend it correctly. In yet another respect, because this type of person puts their mind into pondering the situation and reflecting on themselves after doing something wrong, when they encounter the same kind of thing again, they will think of how to avoid making mistakes. Because they possess feelings of shame, and they care about their pride, they are able to repent when they do something wrong.

Nonbelievers often say, “They can live in a dumpster without thinking it stinks.” For people without conscience and reason, even if they do the same thing wrong a hundred times, they have no feelings of shame and no sense of guilt. They are not human! If one is human, after doing the same wrong thing once or twice, they will feel, “I’ve really done it now. When will I ever change?” They will become worried and anxious, and come before God to pray and confess their sins. They will even wonder if they are beyond help—they will have this misconception. Because they care about their pride and have feelings of shame, they feel, “I’ve made this kind of mistake several times now; will I be dealt with by the house of God? Has God given up on me? I’m too shameful to be saved by God!” Regardless of what misunderstandings they have about God, in short, after doing something wrong, this type of person will absolutely derive some experience and draw lessons, and try to find every possible way to make up for and correct their mistakes, striving not to make them again. They will think to themselves, “I don’t seek to satisfy others, but at the very least I must be at peace with myself. Only when I am at peace with myself can I answer to God in His presence. If I’m not even at peace with myself, how could I have the audacity to face God?” If one has such thoughts, they’re absolutely driven by the qualities of conscience and reason in their humanity. If you do not have such thoughts, you will make the same mistakes again and again, and what’s more, you won’t want to listen to or accept what anyone says; you might even never have an attitude of repentance, nor ever want to admit the facts or admit your mistakes, let alone bear responsibility. There are also those who hate whoever points out their mistakes; they contend with them, give them a hard time, and even attack and retaliate against them. Such people are beyond help; these are people without qualities of humanity. However, people who do have qualities of humanity will absolutely not act this way. After making the same mistake once or twice, they will ponder, “Why is it that I can still make this mistake?” They are able to seek the truth to resolve this. Would you say this is an attitude of making a turnaround? (Yes.) Being able to reflect on oneself when doing something wrong and being willing to correct one’s mistakes—this is an attitude of making a turnaround. Then what kind of people possess an attitude of making a turnaround? Is this not an attitude that can only arise in people whose humanity possesses the qualities of conscience and reason? (Yes.) If people do not possess the conscience and reason of humanity, will they make a turnaround? (No.) Will they feel remorse and hate themselves? (No.) Will they take to heart the wrong things they have done and the transgressions they have committed? They certainly will not, right? To be exact, people without conscience do not have hearts, so they will not put their hearts into what they do, nor will they take it to heart when they do something wrong. Since they do not have hearts, they will not reflect on themselves, nor will they accept the truth; they do not have this faculty. It’s only people with conscience who can, when they hear others say that they have done something wrong, treat the matter earnestly and with all their hearts, take the matter to heart, and then feel guilt and remorse. Only on the basis of feeling guilt and remorse can they make a turnaround, and only when they make a turnaround can they have the opportunity to submit to God’s words, and practice and conduct themselves according to God’s words and the truth principles. However, people without conscience never feel guilt or remorse; they never take it to heart no matter what wrong they do. No matter how others expose their problems, they do not take it seriously and turn a deaf ear to it. Because they do not have conscience, they will not treat the matter earnestly and with all their hearts, nor will they ponder and reflect on it with all their hearts. Without putting their hearts into reflecting on themselves, they will not feel remorse or guilt, and without remorse and guilt, they will not make a turnaround. In that case, it’s absolutely impossible for this type of person to accept the truth and submit to God’s words; they are simply people with absolutely no hope of attaining salvation. Therefore, from a human perspective, it’s not that God doesn’t save these people who don’t have qualities of humanity; rather, it’s because someone doesn’t possess qualities of humanity—the basic condition for attaining salvation—that they cannot accept or submit to the truth, putting their hope of attaining salvation practically at zero. With this in mind, there is a direct relationship between possessing qualities of humanity and attaining salvation; this is exactly how it is. If you do not possess qualities of humanity, you won’t even admit it when you do something wrong, nor will you take it to heart, treat it thoughtfully, ponder it earnestly, feel guilt and remorse, and then correct and change it. If you cannot make a turnaround when it comes to something as simple as making a mistake, then you’ll be even less capable of making a turnaround when it comes to revealing corrupt dispositions. Because corrupt dispositions are in direct opposition to God, in terms of their nature and essence, corrupt dispositions are much more serious than doing something wrong. If you fail to know your corrupt dispositions and do not seek the truth to resolve them, then your corrupt dispositions will be very difficult to resolve. Because corrupt dispositions are inherently deep-rooted, if you are not someone who pursues the truth, you’ll have no way to resolve your corrupt dispositions, and consequently, you’ll have no way to realize a change in your life disposition. In that case, attaining salvation will not be a question of difficulty for you—it will be an impossibility. Therefore, one’s attitude and reaction after they do something wrong or commit a transgression directly hinge upon whether they possess qualities of humanity. It is very important to see this clearly.

Look at the people around you, and you can discern whether, after doing something wrong, they proactively admit and accept it, whether they feel remorseful and upset, and whether they turn themselves around after a period of time—that is, whether they make a turnaround in terms of their thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. If they do not turn themselves around, then they are one hundred percent not human. If, through eating and drinking God’s words, the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, the influence of their environment, or the help of brothers and sisters—no matter through what means one turns themselves around—they have an honest attitude of accepting the truth in their heart, they justify themselves less and less—even to the point of stopping altogether—and, judging from their words and actions, they feel remorseful and upset about the mistake they previously made and want to find an opportunity to make up for it, then this person has hope of attaining salvation; this is a person who possesses qualities of humanity. However, some people do not take it to heart after making a mistake. They never speak of the mistake they made, nor do they admit their mistake, dissect themselves, or feel upset. They seem to have no intention of turning themselves around whatsoever; they are numb and dull-witted, spending all day in blithe giddiness, and do not feel at all that they have made a mistake. Even if they admit it, they just gloss over it lightly and leave it at that. Just like shameless scoundrels, they admit their mistakes one moment and make mistakes the next, and keep admitting their mistakes as soon as they make them. It’s as if they’re joking or playing around; they do not take the matter seriously. They treat it as child’s play, as a procedure and a formality, rather than accepting what happened and changing from deep within their hearts. What kind of person is this? This is not a human being. They do not know how to conduct themselves, nor do they know what kind of path to choose for their self-conduct. They don’t understand these things; they view them as very simple and superficial. After doing something wrong, even if they don’t say anything at the time, they always think of ways to justify themselves and clear their name afterward. Using the opportunity presented by gatherings or times when everyone brings the matter up, they always want to let everyone know and understand the things they want to say in their own defense—what they were thinking and how they acted at the time, that their intentions were good, that their goals were right, that they did not do anything wrong. Not only do they feel no remorse for their mistakes and transgressions, but they also do not want to admit them, and even want to evade and be exempted from responsibility, hoping to salvage their image in everyone’s eyes. Although people like this sound nice when they speak, judging from their manifestations in all areas, they do not admit or accept the fact that they have made a mistake. Then would you say they will turn themselves around? They will not. They bring this matter up from time to time, and even have to recount it to everyone who doesn’t know about it. After recounting it, they think of every possible way to put on a good performance when doing other things to make up for their image which was damaged in that previous matter, so as to win people over. Once they have behaved well for a period of time and everyone has forgotten what they did before, they once again start thinking about exalting and bearing witness to themselves. They constantly tally up how many contributions they’ve made to God’s house, how many good things they’ve done for God’s house, and how many losses they’ve spared God’s house from. They simply have no intention of turning themselves around; they don’t have a sense of shame. When people who lack a sense of shame make mistakes and commit transgressions, not only do they not turn themselves around, but they become even worse. They think to themselves: “Who hasn’t made mistakes? That mistake I made before was basically nothing. And besides, I wasn’t the only one involved. But I can’t say that. I have to let everyone see that my performance is acceptable and that I have an attitude of contrition, and then I’ll do some good things to make up for it in order to divert everyone’s attention and win them over a bit—won’t that do the trick?” In their hearts, they do not believe that God scrutinizes everything. They want to do these things in front of others; they think God cannot see what they’re thinking in their hearts—to them, God scrutinizing people’s innermost hearts is just a doctrine. They do not know that God is scrutinizing, and they do not acknowledge or believe that God can scrutinize people’s innermost hearts, so everything they do is for others to see. Deep down, they are intransigent and resistant. They resist the truth, resist accepting the facts, resist admitting their mistakes, and resist turning themselves around even more. They do not turn themselves around—isn’t this indicative of a problem? No matter how great the mistakes they make or how great the transgressions they commit, they do not turn themselves around. They’re just like Paul, who opposed God and was directly struck down by God, yet still thought he was pretty good. This type of person thinks: “If I run around and expend myself, and gain lots of people and bear lots of fruit from preaching the gospel, making contributions to atone for my sins, then God ought to give me a crown. Crowns belong to people like me. If I don’t get a crown, who will? What’s the big deal with making a mistake? As long as, after I have opposed God, I’m willing to correct this, that’s fine. If I just preach the gospel more in the future, God will not remember my transgressions.” You see, what is their attitude toward God? What is their attitude toward the truth? This is an attitude that is devoid of humanity; this is the attitude of a devil. They never view God’s words, the truth, or the right path in life as things they should choose and pursue. They’ve never had any intention of turning themselves around, and they will absolutely never bow their head and confess their sins, nor will they ever admit their mistakes and concede defeat. The words “failure” and “mistake” don’t exist in their dictionary, let alone the word “transgression,” so this type of person will not repent. Then would you say this type of person has conscience and reason? Do they possess the qualities of uprightness, kindness, and feelings of shame in their humanity? (No.) They absolutely do not. No matter how great a transgression they have committed, even with the facts right before their eyes, they feel no guilt in their heart. This is frightful! If you are someone with a conscience, you will definitely feel guilty when you do something wrong and commit a transgression. If you truly make a major mistake and bring losses to God’s house, you will feel so much grief that you’ll wish you were dead, you’ll curse yourself, and you’ll feel that you’re unworthy of living before God; but people who are like Paul do not have this kind of remorse. In God’s house, we often see that some people feel constantly reproached in their hearts after telling a single lie or doing a single thing that violates the principles, and it’s only after they admit their mistake to others that they feel as if a heavy weight has been lifted off them. There are quite a few people like this. No matter what mistakes they make, they are able to reflect on themselves, and at the same time, they can take it as a warning and admonish themselves not to make the same mistake again. If a person cares about their pride, has a sense of shame, and on top of that has reason, when they do something wrong, they feel too ashamed to try to justify themselves or evade responsibility and shift the blame onto others. Instead, they’re willing to take responsibility, they feel guilty and upset from time to time, and then they turn themselves around. Some people feel disgraced when they do something wrong and commit transgressions, feeling too ashamed to face God and the brothers and sisters, whereas those without qualities of humanity do not have these feelings. You see, though both types of people are human beings, for some, if a rumor that they’ve been hooking up with someone is spread behind their backs—and this may be something they just briefly entertained in their heads—once they hear a few people talking about it, they feel completely disgraced and too ashamed to face anyone. People with a sense of shame will have such manifestations. Yet some people do not care even when they get caught in bed with someone: “What did I do wrong? Wasn’t I just having a roll in the hay? What’s the big deal with that? Isn’t this a common occurrence nowadays?” You see, this is obviously different, isn’t it? If people with qualities of humanity hear others merely discussing them, they feel so ashamed and sad that they are unable to eat, feeling too ashamed to show their face and feeling that they cannot go on living, whereas some people do not care even when they get caught in bed with another person. People are just different from one another; if a person has no sense of shame, they are not human. Can people without a sense of shame gain the truth? People without conscience and reason do not love the truth. This is because they do not hate sin, wicked things, or negative things. In addition, they have no sense of shame when they do something wrong, and brazenly try to evade responsibility. As a result, this type of person will never proactively come before God to accept the judgment and chastisement of God’s words, proactively admit their corruption, or willingly submit to the truth; they have no such need, they think it is unnecessary, and that they do not need it. However, for people who truly have conscience and reason, because their principles and boundaries for their self-conduct in all aspects make them feel that God’s words and God’s requirements of people are what they need, they are willing to practice according to God’s words; if they do not do so, they feel uneasy inside. If they hear and understand God’s requirements but do not act according to them, in one respect, they feel that the brothers and sisters have their eyes on them, and in another, more important respect, they feel that God is watching them in secret, and that they cannot escape His scrutiny no matter where they go. They think, “God knows whatever you say. If you do something wrong but you don’t admit it, don’t feel remorse, don’t take it to heart, don’t correct it, and don’t turn yourself around at all, how will God view this?” This question—“How will God view this?”—comes, in one respect, from their belief in and acknowledgment of God, and in another respect, it mainly comes from the function of their conscience and reason. So, when all is said and done, a person’s conscience and reason determine the needs of their humanity, the path they walk, and even more so their principles and attitudes toward all kinds of things. Of course, they also determine whether a person can embark on the path of pursuing the truth, and to an even greater extent they determine whether a person can ultimately attain salvation.

The content of today’s fellowship has all been about various trivial matters in life that involve humanity, touching upon whether a person likes to take advantage of others in how they conduct themselves and deal with things, whether a person is warmhearted and willing to help and sympathize with others, whether they’re willing to give, and what their principles for treating others are, and what a person’s attitudes and viewpoints are when they do something wrong. Although these things are trivial matters in life, some very unremarkable manifestations of humanity in people’s daily lives, what they reflect behind the scenes are the qualities of a person’s humanity. Driven by conscience and reason, people with qualities of humanity will abide by basic moral boundaries, while people without qualities of humanity simply do not understand what the boundary of humanity and the principles of self-conduct are. So, whether a person has conscience and reason determines the path they walk. It could also be said that it determines a person’s future and destination—that is just how it is. Alright, let’s end our fellowship here for today. Goodbye!

May 18, 2024