Previously, we fellowshipped on letting go of one’s notions and imaginings about God incarnate. The first principle is to not compare God incarnate with the God in heaven, and the second principle is to not put God incarnate on a par with corrupt humankind. When fellowshipping on the second principle, it was mentioned that God incarnate does not deceive, contend, fight, scheme, attack, or retaliate. We’ve fellowshipped on all of these before. Now, we will fellowship on the next topic—not enticing. The ways God incarnate conducts Himself, the ways He interacts with people, or some of the ways He works, as revealed by His disposition essence, include this point: not enticing. How should this be understood? Is people’s literal understanding of “not enticing” consistent with the fact that God incarnate does not entice people, as manifested in the way He speaks and acts? If their understanding contradicts God incarnate’s manifestations, then isn’t what people understand just human notions? It is highly likely that it’s just human notions and imaginings. Then let us fellowship on this topic, the “not enticing” that is revealed by the humanity and essence of God incarnate. What is your basic understanding of this topic? Do you know what God’s consistent way of speaking is? Have you worked out what ways God uses to speak to people, and what ways He uses to express His words? (God speaks in a fairly straightforward way. God’s ways of speaking include helping, guiding, and leading, along with patient guidance; He doesn’t do any enticing.) That He does not entice is certain, but people still do not quite understand in detail what exactly this “not enticing” refers to. Judging from the forms of linguistic expression and the style of language God typically uses when speaking, God speaks in a very plain and straightforward manner, striving to let people understand and comprehend what He is saying. He does not play word games, nor does He speak of things that are false, grandiose, and empty, much less are His words formalistic. Rather, He speaks to the matter at hand, doing everything possible to speak to people using human language and ways of speaking suited to humankind. His words are of the nature of providing counsel, comfort, and exhortation, and sometimes warning; of course, more often they are of the nature of offering provision, help, support, and exposure—they expose people’s corrupt nature and the essence of problems, right? Exposing, providing, guiding, supporting, and helping are the methods He uses most often. Among these ways, some involve giving specific examples, and some involve vivid metaphors that invoke a living thing, an animal, a phenomenon, or things that happen around people in their lives. In one respect, this makes the truths—or the realities—within God’s words that people ought to understand clearer to them. For another thing, the examples God gives are incidents that have happened to certain special individuals—using these incidents as lessons or examples helps you see what these people’s problems were, what the essence of the problems was, what corruption they revealed, and what truths were involved. In this way, God communicates some aspect of the truth to people, so that on the basis of understanding this aspect of the truth, they know how to practice in accordance with God’s intentions and in accordance with the principles. God’s aim in using the most straightforward and plain forms of language is to provide people with the truth. He provides people with the truth so that, when they encounter various people, events, and things, they can know, from the negative side, people’s fallacious thoughts and views, people’s corrupt dispositions, and people’s manifestations and essence that resist God. At the same time, He does this to guide people in a positive sense to understand the truth principles, so that they have a path of practice and enter into the truth reality. God’s ultimate aim in providing for people so that they understand the truth, have knowledge of the truth, and know the truth principles is to enable people to come before God and achieve submission to Him, submission to His sovereignty, submission to His arrangements, submission to His orchestrations, and submission to the chastisement, judgment, refinement, and trials that come from Him, becoming people who fear and worship God, becoming true created beings—created beings who are up to standard. These are the specific principles behind God’s words and actions, including everything He does. The specific words God speaks and the specific actions He takes are without enticement; they are all public, revealed, open and aboveboard, and in the light. They don’t entail any shady schemes and plots, much less any designs or unspeakable intentions and purposes concerning humankind. Whether it’s in the purpose and significance behind God’s words, or in the work God does, He never has any improper aims regarding people. On the contrary, His aims are all positive; everything He does is to benefit people, help people understand the truth and gain the truth, and help people embark on the right path in life. Therefore, judging from the purpose and significance of God’s work, and from God’s speaking and working, there is no enticement in God’s essence or the starting point of God’s work.

The word “entice” appears very early in the Bible; do you all know this? (Yes.) Before man accepted Satan’s enticement for the first time, God said something. What did God say? (“Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16–17).) How many items does this statement by God include? The fruit of every tree in the garden may be eaten—this tells people the scope of what can be eaten. This is the most positive provision for people—it’s telling people what they can eat. Aren’t these words very simple and straightforward? (Yes, people can understand them.) Right. There is no need to analyze or research them; people understand them as soon as they hear them. The next sentence is, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it.” This sentence mentions an exception. What exception? It tells people that there is a tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden, and they should not eat the fruit growing on it. Aren’t these words simple and straightforward? (Yes.) How simple and straightforward are they? (So much so that people can understand them right after they hear them.) There is no need to analyze or research them; anyone with ears and a brain knows what this sentence means after hearing it. God told people what they could and could not eat. What could not be eaten? The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But after hearing this, did people have doubts about God’s words in their hearts? (Yes.) Next, people would ask, “Why can’t we eat the fruit of that tree?” Without waiting for people to ask, God said, “For in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.” Are these words simple? (Yes.) They very much are—if you eat it, you will surely die. Death is a big deal, so God made sure to give this instruction. Is there anything wrong with this instruction? (No.) Not a single word of God’s instruction is wrong, nor is there a single word of enticement in it. It clearly and explicitly conveys what can be eaten and what cannot be eaten, and God also told people what the consequence would be if they ate what they should not eat. After hearing these three simple sentences, you understand many things. Under normal circumstances, after created beings hear the words spoken by the Creator, gain clarity about them, understand them, and keep them in their hearts, they know what they should do. They should be obedient and do as they are told, only eating the things God told them they can eat, and not eating what God told them they cannot eat. They should not test God, nor should they disobey God’s command. We will not go into the consequences of not listening to God’s words. As for these words spoken by God, judging from the form of God’s speech and linguistic style, God speaks in a way that is particularly easy for people to understand. His words are not profound, and He does not keep people guessing, much less does He have any hidden intentions. Although these few sentences God spoke are simple, they are enough to let people see that God’s speech is clear, simple, and easy to understand. So what is God’s heart like? God’s heart is full of love, honesty, and faithfulness. Where is this love reflected? It is reflected in these few instructions from God. God’s instructions are particularly specific and thorough. Judging from these few instructions, God has a sense of responsibility and concern for people. He uses the simplest language to help people understand, and after they understand, God leaves with peace of mind. You see, does God have any designs upon people? (None whatsoever.) Within God’s love and concern, He hopes people will achieve one thing: to be obedient, not rebel against God, not be suspicious of God, and not doubt God. This is the purpose and the expectation behind these three instructions from God. Be obedient. Do not doubt God. Every word God speaks is true; God is faithful. God fulfills this responsibility with love and concern, and gives humankind these three instructions with love and concern. From this, in one respect, we see God’s essence, and in another respect, we also see the way God speaks to humankind and the starting point of His speech. God’s aim in speaking like this is to make it so that when people hear His words, they can understand them and keep them in their hearts. No matter how people regard this, God’s starting point remains just that. He represents God Himself; He doesn’t have any devious or dark intentions or purposes. Moreover, judging from these few instructions from God, God speaks straight to the point. His aim in speaking is to let you understand God’s intentions and know what to do. God never speaks in riddles with people; He’s always blunt and plainspoken. He converses with people using the everyday language that is easiest for people to understand, so that people can understand and remember what He says, and so that He doesn’t speak in vain. Does God speak from a place of status? Does He lecture people? (No.) When God converses with humankind and instructs people, even if He is instructing them from the perspective of God, or from a perspective similar to that of a human parent or elder, He still converses with people using the most straightforward, simplest language. Actually, in the eyes of corrupt humans, judging from the grammatical form God uses, and from the perspective of human knowledge and language, these words are just plain talk; they’re things you might say to a child. Some people say, “These words are not profound, they’re not lofty or grand, and they don’t sound imposing either. They also don’t use any sophisticated vocabulary or flowery rhetoric.” That’s right—this is the way God speaks to people. God is almighty, all is abundant with Him, and God transcends all things, but God converses with humans using the simplest and most straightforward language. Because humans are like children in God’s eyes, God instructs them using words that children can apprehend and understand—what they can eat, what they cannot eat, and what will happen after they eat it. He uses such simple words to instruct humans, so that they can understand. What is this called in the eyes of corrupt humans? This is called lowering His status. But how does God see it? This is a natural revelation of His. God does not need to disguise Himself, nor does He need to prepare in advance or deliberate when doing this; this is a natural revelation of His. You see, because these words are not profound or mysterious and unfathomable, people often do not take them seriously. They cannot treat God’s words in a serious-minded manner, and cannot be obedient and submissive. This is the corruption of corrupt humankind, and it is also the ignorance of the earliest humankind. Once humans heard statements that differed from what God said, they became guarded against God, began to doubt and deny God’s words, and became suspicious of the purposes behind God’s speech. In this way, humans distanced themselves from God. After humans accepted Satan’s enticement and started to have suspicions and doubts about God, they could no longer listen to God’s words or submit to God’s words, and they drifted further and further from God. What were the consequences of people leaving the light of God’s countenance, not listening to God’s words, and not believing God’s words? They became corrupted by Satan, and remain corrupted to this day.

What I just talked about is a story from when the word “entice” first appears in the Bible. From this story, people should have a basic understanding of God’s way of speaking, God’s disposition, and God’s attitude toward humankind. This aspect of God—that His essence is free of enticement—is also possessed by God incarnate; this should be very easy to recognize. There isn’t much recorded in the Bible about what God said or did, so it’s difficult for people to have precise knowledge of this. In this stage of work in the last days, God incarnate has spoken many words and done many things. Over these many years of My speaking and fellowshipping with you, and even interacting with you in daily life, My words and deeds basically reflect the same attitude God had toward humans in the Bible story just mentioned. I strive to speak in a way that you can understand and comprehend, so sometimes I speak very specifically and in great detail, even going over things again and again, which inevitably makes it a bit long-winded. There is only one reason for this: No matter in what way the Creator—God—appears and works, He always has a lingering, hard-to-change, habitual attitude and habitual viewpoint when it comes to humankind. “Habitual” and “lingering” might not be very apt, but human language is too limited, so I can only put it this way for now. So what does this viewpoint refer to? It refers to how, from God’s perspective, humankind will always be that same ignorant, naive humankind from the very beginning created by God’s hands—humankind that outwardly appears adult but whose inner essence is like that of a three-year-old child. Therefore, God’s attitude toward humankind is always different from the perspective and attitude with which people view humankind. Precisely because of this difference, many times when God speaks to humankind or instructs them, God’s way of speaking or His starting point in doing so is more about wanting to make use of human language so that people can better know what He is saying. God’s aim in how He treats people and in speaking to them is to let them know more clearly what His intentions are, what His required standards are, what the principles are for everything He requires people to do, and what viewpoints people should hold toward all people, events, and things. When God speaks these words to humankind from the perspective of the Creator, He is not delivering a speech, nor is He issuing a rallying cry, and of course, He is not calling upon them either; rather, He is offering them provision. What is offering provision? Tell Me what you think it is. (It is making up for what people need and what people lack; this is called offering provision.) Offering provision includes support and help, and sometimes exhortation, prompting, encouragement, and so on. So what is offering provision? It means that no matter how old humans are, no matter how many survival skills they have mastered or how high their level of knowledge is, when it comes to the truth, humans are always blank. The knowledge people understand is incompatible with the truth. There are so many truths that people ought to understand, and the provision people need most is the provision of the truth and life. Therefore, only fellowshipping the truth is the best provision for people. That is to say, your viewpoints, understandings, and attitudes in the face of all people, events, and things have nothing to do with the truth. No matter how much knowledge you possess, no matter how sophisticated your tactics for worldly dealings are, and no matter how much life experience you have, when it comes to the truth, you are blank; you do not have the truth. Even if some people have believed in God for many years and understand some doctrines, they do not truly understand the truth. What does it mean to not understand the truth? In one respect, in terms of objective facts, it means you do not understand the truth principles, you do not know how to practice, and you are at a loss when you encounter special situations. In another respect, there is also a subjective reason behind it, which is that people have corrupt dispositions. Corrupt dispositions hinder and bind you so that you cannot practice the truth. You cannot even put the little bit of truth you understand into practice; for you, practicing the truth is difficult, and there are hindrances to doing so. Therefore, in God’s eyes, humankind will forever be an infant. Some people say, “Will man forever be an infant in God’s eyes? Does this depend on what stage someone is at?” It does not. Why do I say it doesn’t depend on what stage someone is at? Based on man’s essence, humankind is always humankind, and man will forever be an infant before God. Some people say, “Then were Abraham and Job infants?” Yes. Why were Abraham and Job still infants even though they bore witness? That is in comparison with God’s essence and God’s almightiness. No matter how much of the truth provided by God people understand, and no matter how much they can submit to God, people’s knowledge of God’s disposition essence and their understanding of the truth are limited. What does this “limited” refer to? It means these things are restricted to the scope of their lives and survival. Even if you understand the various aspects of the truth and are perfected by God, in the end, it is still God who provides for you. God will forever be the source of your life and living, and you will forever be the recipient of the provision and watering of God’s words and God’s life. From this point of view, humankind will forever be an infant in God’s eyes. Specifically, whether you are an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, a suckling infant, or in some other stage, that is classified according to the truths you understand. But no matter the stage, because humans, these created living things, are created beings, they will forever be infants in the eyes of the Creator. So, viewed in terms of the identity and essence of an infant, the primary aim and nature of God speaking to humankind is provision. Of course, there is a wide scope to the provision God offers: Some of it is disclosure, some of it is reprimand, and some of it is discipline, while sometimes it is exposure, sometimes it is pruning, sometimes it is telling people things directly, sometimes it is telling them things explicitly, and sometimes it’s just giving an example to tell people a principle, for them to ponder and experience themselves. No matter in what way He speaks, as far as the nature of the Creator speaking to the human beings He created is concerned, it is always a form of provision. So when it comes to God offering provision to people, do you see that it is free of enticement? (Yes.) For people, what humankind gains from God is always the truth, the way, and the life; what they gain is benefit, and what they reap is life. Even if you are perfected in the end, you still have to accept God’s sovereignty and submit to God’s orchestrations and arrangements. You still have to accept God’s provision, you still have to accept God’s leading, and you are still a created being; your identity will never change. It’s just that the life and stature you have within that identity at that time will differ from the life and stature you have within your present identity. At that time, your identity will be all the more legitimate; you will have the life that belongs to the new humankind. The essence of this life comes from God’s words. This new humankind can submit to God and worship God; they no longer worship Satan, they have rejected Satan, they are no longer enticed by Satan, and they do not bear the mark of the beast.

In all these words spoken by God incarnate, from the first day you read them until now—or when you read them in the future—in every word you read and in every word you hear and accept, each time God speaks, there is not a single word that contains an element of enticement. Even when I ask you questions, I do so straightforwardly, asking for your viewpoints and asking how you understand and view something. Or I might raise a question for you to ponder, and if I see that you cannot figure it out or have not gained clarity after having discussed it, then I will just talk about it directly. Once I’ve finished speaking and you understand and can comprehend the issue, I won’t talk about it anymore. Sometimes when I speak, I give examples. Some people hear them and feel, “Is He teaching toddlers?” I say, most people who believe in God are adults over twenty or thirty years old; they are indeed not toddlers. However, what believers in God eat and drink are God’s words, so no matter how old someone is, before God’s words and before God, they are a toddler, and will forever be one. You see, the people in God’s house come from all walks of life: laborers, farmers, technicians, government officials, as well as college students, and even graduate students, PhD students, professors, and so on. But among all these people, how many can grasp the truth? When I preach sermons like this, how many people can fully understand them? If I do not speak in detail and specifically, can people understand what I say? They only understand a bit of the literal meaning, and when it’s time for them to practice and experience, they don’t have a path. So I must speak in detail and specifically, and I also have to give examples; leaving out any of these ways of speaking will not do. If someone thinks this is teaching toddlers, then they are right. When I speak these words, I really am speaking to toddlers. Then tell Me, aren’t you all toddlers before God? How many among you can grasp God’s words and understand God’s words? If you really do treat yourselves as toddlers, then you truly possess reason. You should treat yourselves as toddlers when listening to God’s words; this mindset is correct. You see, when I speak these words meant for toddlers, do you find them engaging and say Amen to them? Does My speaking this way resolve your difficulties? Does it resolve your problems? If your problems are truly resolved, then these words are what people need, and My speaking this way is indeed perfectly fitting. Corrupt humans really do need Me to speak this way—giving examples, using metaphors, and speaking tirelessly and repeatedly from various perspectives and using various methods. Moreover, I use words that are similar to what you might use with a child; these are the simplest and most straightforward words. Only by speaking like this can people understand. But no matter how I speak, among all these words, not a single one is a lie or meant to mislead you. They all tell you to believe everything God says; you absolutely mustn’t doubt God’s words. Whoever doubts God’s words falls for Satan’s trick and finds themselves caught in its snare. For example, God said, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). And how did Satan mislead people? Satan said, “You shall not necessarily die…” (Genesis 3:4). This misled people. Are there any words similar to Satan’s in what I have said, or that have resulted in people being misled as they were by Satan? Have I ever said a single thing that is of this nature? (No.) In one respect, the words I have spoken help you know Satan’s corrupt dispositions and the various fallacious thoughts and views it instills in people, allowing you to come to know and dissect them and then cast them off. In another respect, they tell you how to follow God’s way, what God’s way is like, what God’s required principles for people are, and what principles people should abide by in various matters. Everything I’ve said has been to help you stay away from Satan and evil trends, reject Satan, set yourselves apart from evil trends, come before God, seek God’s intentions and the truth principles in various people, events, and things, enter into the reality of God’s words, and submit to God’s words. Everything I’ve said has been to help you cast off your corrupt dispositions and then become people who fear God and worship God. I’ve never said anything telling you to follow worldly trends or subscribe to the various thoughts and views of the world. I haven’t said a single thing to get you to turn away from the true way or to turn away from God, nor have I ever told you to pass judgment on God or be dissatisfied with God. Of course, even less so have My words ever incorrectly represented God from the perspective of God incarnate, or put out wrong information to get you to misunderstand God or be guarded against Him. Rather, I do My utmost to resolve your wrong thoughts and views about God and your various notions and imaginings about God, bringing you before Him—even pushing you toward Him—helping you stay away from evil trends and let go of various fallacious thoughts and views. You see, all these words dissecting various fallacious thoughts and views—including My fellowship on marriage, family, work, politics, aspirations, future prospects, money, status, fame and gain, relationships between men and women, as well as the paths taken by various people in this world, how people should discern various emotions, how to treat feelings, and so on—all provide you with correct and positive thoughts and views, and with the truth. These words are all the truth. Only by accepting the truth can man use various perspectives to discern various fallacious thoughts and views, discern the darkness and evil of this world, become able to see this world clearly, and reject Satan; only by accepting the truth can he possess the correct thoughts and views that accord with the truth as God requires of him, walk the bright and right path, and come before God to submit to and worship Him. Additionally, if there is an intention behind My speaking these words, there is only one, which is to do everything possible to help you understand the truth, become able to let go of your own fleshly prospects and interests, and various other things of the flesh, and then pursue the truth. It is also to use all sorts of different methods to tell people about the various topics involving the truth, so that you become interested in the truth. In particular, I use some relatively humorous and witty methods to get you interested and help you become willing to listen, so that you can take it in, and then understand the truth spoken within. I may use a humorous or interesting story to attract you and help you become willing to listen. In this way, after you listen to it, in addition to remembering the story, you will also be able to recall it when you encounter a similar matter in real life, and will be able to seek the truths that involve this issue. As you seek, you will gain the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, and know what the truth principles within it are, what God’s intentions are, and what truths people ought to practice. That is, I strive for you to no longer be disoriented, to no longer have your hands tied, and to no longer be perplexed or in pain when you encounter various matters, but to have a viable path, and, more importantly, for you to no longer be controlled by Satan’s thoughts and corrupt dispositions as before, to no longer take Satan’s corrupt dispositions as your life, and to no longer use the thoughts and views instilled in you by Satan to handle various matters, instead replacing them with God’s words and the truth principles. You see, no matter what method I use in everything I say, whether it’s one that can get you interested or one which is able to attract you, I strive to help you understand the truth—that is My ultimate aim. Even if I sometimes tell a joke or share an anecdote, it’s to help quiet your heart and to help you be able to sit still; in this way you will want to listen to the truth, and will have the opportunity to accept the truth. When it comes to aims, this is the only one. In particular, with some young people who have believed in God for only a short while and whose experience is shallow—this group of people who are still full of expectations and curiosity about this world—in order to help these new believers lay a foundation in the true way, I have spoken many words and done a lot of work. With followers of all age groups, followers in all kinds of circumstances, and followers of all races, the only purpose and intention behind My speech is to help them gain the truth while following God, understand the truth principles and God’s intentions, become able to follow God and walk the right path, no longer follow worldly trends, no longer be controlled by Satan’s corrupt dispositions, and no longer continue to accept Satan’s corruption, but instead worship the true God, worship the Creator, and return to their original position as created beings to worship the Creator—this is the only aim I have. Regarding this sole aim, even if I sometimes use special methods and cover special topics when speaking, and even if I say some words that are somewhat profound and not very easy to understand, no matter the situation, My aim is never to entice. I only have one purpose, which is to offer you provision and guidance, and this provision and guidance is a kind of patient instruction. To use an imperfect analogy, offering you provision and guidance is like taking care of flowers in a greenhouse. I wouldn’t dare be the slightest bit negligent. It cannot be too hot or too cold. When the weather is good, I have to let the flowers get some sun, and I have to keep an eye on the temperature at all times. If it’s too hot, the flowers will dry up and die; if the temperature suddenly drops and it’s too cold, the little flowers will freeze to death. This is just how fragile your own statures are. What does fragile mean? It means you are too immature and have no stature. What is the actual manifestation of having no stature? It’s that most people have practically no life entry when they encounter things in real life. How could someone have stature without any life entry? Stature is accumulated and gathered over time on the basis of gradually building up life entry. Therefore, when I speak to you, I must tirelessly offer you provision and guidance on various topics from different angles, from different standpoints, using different methods and examples—this is called giving patient instruction. This instruction is not enticement—it is offering guidance and provision; it is a kind of leading. This kind of leading has no negative effects, nor is it driven by any improper intentions. Examine the words I speak: Whether it’s in terms of intention, or in terms of the way I speak, the topics I cover, or the form of My speech—and whether you are listening to audio recordings of sermons or reading text—do I use any of the methods that Satan uses to entice people? (No.) Look closely at everything I’ve said. In each passage, no matter the length, what is fellowshipped is an aspect of the truth; it’s all related to the truth. Since it’s all related to the truth, then it is all provision for you, it is what you need, it is related to the life you are about to gain, and it is related to your future and destination. Therefore, on My part, I am certainly not the slightest bit careless. If you yourselves never take God’s words seriously, then it can only be said that you are foolish. Why do I say you are foolish? Because your stature is so immature that the truth is beyond you, and your understanding has deviations and is very much that of a child. So, it’s not at all excessive for you to be treated like three-year-old children. It is not disrespecting you or looking down on you; rather, it’s that your actual stature is too small, and you have no discernment at all. Are these words accurate? (Yes.)