Last time, we fellowshipped on “God not enticing man,” a subject included within the broader topic of not putting the incarnate God on a par with corrupt humankind. Where did we leave off? (God fellowshipped on three specific manifestations of God not enticing man: not coaxing information out of man, not instigating man, and not inciting man. We finished the fellowship on not inciting man.) These three topics—not coaxing information out of man, not instigating man, and not inciting man—all involve specific manifestations of God not enticing man. Did you have any reflections after our last fellowship? Look at the things I’ve said to you over the years—do they reflect God’s principle of not enticing man? (Yes. God has never tried to coax information out of us when speaking to us. You are always straightforward. You instruct us patiently and progressively, always guiding us and providing for us, and supporting and helping us.) One of My principles when speaking to you is to not entice you, the specific manifestations of which are not coaxing information out of you, not instigating you, and not inciting you. Sometimes I may ask you about some things, but there’s no enticement in this whatsoever. So, when you misunderstand God, you must ponder, “There’s no enticement or coaxing of information in any of God’s words. I mustn’t misunderstand God. The literal meaning of God’s words is exactly what He means. Whatever God asks me, I will answer truthfully and tell Him openly and honestly. I’ll say however much I know, and if I don’t know something, I’ll say as much, and tell God that I need to look into it before answering.” This is called being open and honest. In speaking and taking care of matters with you, if I see that you’re facing difficulties or I discover any problems with you—whether they are problems you have with doing your duty or problems in your humanity—I will find an opportunity to converse with you. My aim in doing this is to help you clearly see what the essence of your problems is, so that you can resolve them after coming to know them. My aim in helping you resolve your problems is, in one respect, for the defects or problems in your humanity to be corrected, and for you to not live by corrupt dispositions and to live out a human likeness. In another respect, it’s for you to do your duty better. My aim is not to use you to exert effort for God’s house, but to help you to come, more seamlessly, to do your duty up to standard, to not cause disruptions and disturbances, do the things you ought to do to the best of your ability, play your role, and do your duty well. If you have problems with your humanity, I will speak to you briefly about them. If you can accept it, that is naturally for the best; if you cannot accept it at the time, I will use My own way to inform you, so that you know what your problems are. In short, My aim is always to support and help you. It is never My intent to entice you to walk a path that is wrong or evil, making you degenerate or commit evil. My aim is just to help you; I’m well-intentioned, and the intent behind this is correct and positive. Of course, when I say these words and do these things, there is no coercion involved. That is, after you hear these words, you should not be constrained by Me. Even if I speak with certainty about the problems with your humanity or dissect the problems in your performance of your duty, you can still say, “I cannot yet recognize these problems You have exposed in me; I need to reflect on them.” I say that you should reflect in this way, or fellowship on this problem with everyone. I do not forcefully demand that you do anything according to My personal wishes; rather, I give you ample freedom. When I expose your problems, I’m giving you a reminder. This method of reminding you does not entail speaking vaguely, but fellowshipping on some fact—by exposing the words or behaviors you reveal and exhibit—to let you know you indeed have these problems. I will tell you clearly and plainly. I will absolutely not use vague words to give you a false impression, causing you to fall into negativity, weakness, and disorientation, or making you feel that My words are so profound, difficult to understand, and unfathomable, so as to make you think highly of Me. I will not do that. I will tell you straightforwardly and clearly; I will not beat around the bush and leave you guessing. For example, some people are highly sentimental and are prone to speaking with adulteration. I tell them straightforwardly, “Your words are highly adulterated, you speak entirely based on your feelings, and you do not safeguard the interests of God’s house. You are just a people pleaser.” This is just how straightforward I am. When some people don’t know how to practice upon encountering some situation, I tell them directly, “With this matter, you must act this way; for that matter, practice like this.” That’s how clear I am when I tell them. After hearing this, people who put their heart into things and people who are rational can understand clearly; they are not muddled or confused, and they truly know in their hearts what to do. Of course, some muddleheaded people with distorted comprehension become confused after hearing Me speak like this. No matter how they try to listen, they can’t make sense of it or understand the principles; they still need Me to give examples and explain things in detail. But even if I give an example and teach them again, they still cannot understand and do not know how to practice. This is not because I didn’t explain things clearly, but because their caliber is too poor and they themselves are too muddled. In short, My principle for speaking is to make it so that, after you listen to Me speak, you aren’t confused, and you have a clear path of practice in mind, and know how to practice accurately. This is My aim in speaking to you.

Within this principle of not enticing man, aside from these three manifestations—not coaxing information out of man, not instigating man, and not inciting man—there is another manifestation: not being vague. What does being vague mean? It means saying specious things, not speaking in clear and unequivocal terms, making things sound hazy, and speaking words that sound right, but cannot be practiced or implemented, and that are just empty talk. This is called being vague and unclear. Not being vague, then, means that one’s words are free of these qualities and do not have this essence; rather, they are clear and plain, precise in meaning, and they give man a path to follow. You see, when I fellowship on various aspects of the truth, every time I introduce a new topic, I try to first provide you with a definition for this aspect of the truth. What is My aim in providing you with a definition? It’s to make the concept clear to you, and enable you to know the accurate definition of the truth I am speaking about. Once you are clear on this accurate definition and you’re able to pin it down, you will have a goal and a direction. By achieving this result with man through the definitions I provide to him, he’s able to know more clearly in his heart what he should practice and adhere to. Then, I give some specific examples. My aim in giving examples is to help man gain more clarity on this aspect of the truth, to help him have accurate knowledge of it, and to help him know how to practice it. Then, My speaking will have achieved its effect and its purpose. What is the best way for this purpose to be achieved? It’s to let you know, through definitions and examples, what truth principles you ought to adhere to. There may be many people who don’t have spiritual understanding and can’t make sense of the truth principles within what’s being discussed, only knowing how to follow certain regulations, but at the very least, the regulations they follow are clear. For example, when fellowshipping on a certain aspect of the truth principles, I may give some examples, saying that it’s unhealthy for man to eat certain things, and that certain choices man makes and certain things he does are wrong. People who have spiritual understanding and comprehension ability will then know, “So this is the accurate understanding of this kind of thing. I know the principles now, and I know how to practice, how to choose, and what to accept or reject.” However, when people who don’t have spiritual understanding hear this, they say, “I get it. God doesn’t let us eat this, and He doesn’t let us use that.” The manifestations of these people who don’t have spiritual understanding also illustrate something: They show that the examples I give are very specific and are things man can encounter in his real life. They are not hollow at all, and they are not theories, slogans, or profound knowledge.

The incarnate God does not speak vaguely or ambiguously; this is true not only when I fellowship during gatherings, but also when I speak with you ordinarily. Sometimes I talk about your duties, sometimes I talk about church work, and sometimes I talk about man’s corrupt states and the deviations he has in his practice. No matter what issue I fellowship on, I always base My fellowship on your states, your stature, and your current problems. When I fellowship with you, I never shout slogans; rather, I provide specific explanations and elucidate things in detail, and then point out a path for you. Sometimes I speak so much that even I feel I am being long-winded, but in the end, you still get it. This is quite a good result. What do I mean by saying this? What I mean is that, when I fellowship on something with you in daily life, even if the fellowship only consists of assigning a simple task to you, I make sure what I say is clear to you and that you understand it, without any vagueness. What does it mean that there’s not any vagueness in My words? It means I don’t spout high-sounding ideas, I don’t talk like a bureaucrat, and I don’t speak words and doctrines, or empty, boastful words. The meaning of what I say is definite and clear, without any ambiguity. Not only do I speak clearly and plainly, but I also let you know how to practice. For example, when living overseas, if we need to build some structures for daily use in the yard, I will tell the person handling this to consult the government about what requirements and conditions there are for building such structures. After they understand everything clearly, they are to build the structures strictly according to the conditions and specifications required by the government. If we cannot meet the conditions required by the government, then we can simply choose not to build them. When handling this matter, I tell the person a few things to pay attention to, and also instruct them on how to deal with some special situations they might not have thought of. I say everything clearly, and they know how to handle the matter after they hear Me speak. When some people assign tasks to others, they speak vaguely and unclearly; they do nothing but talk like a bureaucrat and spout doctrines and empty words. For example, when they arrange for someone to go to a government department to handle something, they just say, “Go to the government and ask around to see what regulations there are.” After hearing this, the person handling the matter doesn’t know what to do or how they should inquire about this matter; they just simply ask around and that’s it, and don’t end up achieving any results. Isn’t assigning tasks to people like this acting like a bureaucrat? (Yes.) When I’m doing specific work, I will fellowship on and resolve the problems that exist in the work, as well as the foreseeable problems and the problems you raise, one by one. When fellowshipping on each problem, for one thing, I am aiming to resolve it according to the truth principles; and additionally, when some special situations are involved, I will handle them and fellowship on them accordingly. The principles I lay out and the content I fellowship on are never vague. At the very least, My motive is to strive for clarity, giving you a broad principle so that when you encounter such things, you can apply this principle and act according to it. This ensures you have a path to follow, and that you are not at a loss when encountering things in daily life, but know how to handle problems and do work. I do not give high-sounding speeches about specious doctrines and theories to mislead or suppress you, or teach you with specious pieces of knowledge or theory to make you accept and submit; I do not do this. I have never sat people down in front of Me to listen to Me speak bombastically about theories, only to leave them all completely baffled after I finish, feeling as if they had understood and gained something, yet also feeling as if no problems were resolved at all, giving them a sense that these few hours of fellowship were a waste of time. I do not do this. If you have problems, I resolve them; if you don’t have any problems, I try My best not to disturb you. What I say to you is all very specific. For example, when there are problems with hymn work, I fellowship with you on the issues regarding hymns. Although I have not studied the relevant professional knowledge in this field, I can fellowship on the principles. When there are problems with the translation work, although I am not proficient in English, I will fellowship with you on the principles of translation, and help you resolve the problems of principle that you cannot handle, and strive to ensure that through My fellowship you can understand some principles of practicing the truth. Perhaps, after you listen to Me, you don’t understand any profound truths or mysteries, but you do come to know an aspect of the principles of practice or a path to resolving problems in the work you are engaged in—this is the result I aim to achieve in you when I come into contact, interact, and handle matters with you.

There’s another item included within the subject of not being vague: When it comes to discerning a certain type of person or a certain type of thing, the principles I fellowship with you are meant to help you clearly recognize the essence of that type of person and the nature of that type of thing, and to help you have clarity in your heart about what the essence of that type of person is, what the nature of that type of thing is, how you should treat them, and what correct viewpoints and attitudes you should have concerning them. My aim in fellowshipping on these issues is to help you have correct viewpoints, attitudes, and stances toward all kinds of people, events, and things, thereby ensuring that when you uphold principles, you are upholding the right ones, not principles that are wrong. My aim is to enable you to discern people, events, and things, so that you know just what the essence and true colors of all kinds of people, events, and things are; to allow you to know positive things and—at the same time—negative things; and to help you have your own correct stance no matter what kind of people, events, and things you encounter in your daily life. What does it mean to have a correct stance? It means that you can take the right stance to uphold principles, not taking a middle-of-the-road approach, and not being a confused person, a muddleheaded person, or a people pleaser. You see, in the beginning, when the serpent enticed Adam and Eve, it said to them, “God does not let you eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God said that after eating it you will surely die, but actually, you shall not necessarily die.” Although this statement from the serpent was very vague, it had an enticing effect on Adam and Eve, bringing about a pernicious consequence. What was this consequence? Adam and Eve no longer listened to God’s words, no longer believed God’s words, no longer had a correct stance, and no longer upheld their original stance and original principles. Instead, on the basis of their doubt in God, they did not believe God’s instructions, and did not believe that they would die if they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Then they started getting ideas, and while this was going on they reached out and plucked the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This was a process of enticement, and it was also the result of Adam and Eve being enticed. This process of enticement consisted of them listening to and believing Satan’s words, getting ideas, starting to doubt God, and no longer believing God’s words. The result of Adam and Eve being enticed was that they went against God’s words and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Although the serpent did not say, “You definitely will not die if you eat it; what God said is wrong, and God is deceiving you,” in the serpent’s statement that “you shall not necessarily die if you eat it,” this “not necessarily” was vague wording. This vague wording was enticing in nature; it caused man to doubt God and disbelieve God’s words. This vague wording also caused man to lose his correct stance, as well as his drive and faith to uphold principles. What happened in the end? Man embarked on the path of being enticed by the serpent, betrayed God, and lived in sin. Seen in this light, the phrase “not necessarily” spoken by the serpent when it enticed man had simply too great of a negative effect. It did not directly deny God’s words or directly tell man to not listen to God’s words, and it did not directly tell man to suspect and doubt God, much less did it tell man unequivocally that “you will not die after eating it.” Yet just a vague phrase like “not necessarily” was enough to get man’s mind working, to deceive him, and to entice him into eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. These are the consequences that vague wording brought upon man. Where did this vague phrase “not necessarily” come from? In the very beginning, this phrase came from the words the serpent spoke when enticing Eve. Before this, you cannot find a single vague word, nor can you find the slightest hint of vagueness, in the few instructions God gave to Adam and Eve. That is, the words God speaks are all sincere, genuine, and accurate. Every sentence He speaks represents a correct stance, and a correct and accurate viewpoint, all of which man should uphold, and which man should submit to forever, without ever doubting them. None of God’s words are vague, so none of God’s words entice man. Speaking in a negative sense, God’s words don’t contain the slightest enticement or deception for man; in a positive sense, it can be said that everything God says serves to protect and safeguard man, and is capable of preserving man’s life and maintaining this most intimate relationship between him and God. However, this vague phrase of the serpent—“not necessarily”—completely ruptured this relationship, and completely pulled man away from God, making him doubt God and distance himself from God, and making him feel too ashamed to be seen by God. On this foundation, the serpent further enticed, corrupted, and devastated man. Judging from the passage containing God’s instructions to Adam and Eve, the essence of God’s words and His aim in speaking are immensely beneficial to man—listening to God’s words and submitting to God is the stance man should have, and it is also a truth principle that man should forever adhere to. God forever loves, cares for, protects, and cherishes man, whereas Satan’s aim in speaking and acting is to entice and corrupt man, to entice man to doubt and distance himself from God, and then to entice man to worship it and be corrupted by it. Since the incarnate God has God’s life and God’s essence, He likewise possesses this specific manifestation and principle of not being vague in His words and actions. Through all My sermons, and through coming into contact with the incarnate God in your daily lives, you will certainly gradually discover that in all the truths God provides to man, there isn’t any vague vocabulary of the sort you find in Satan’s words, and there aren’t any vague expressions like the ones Satan uses, right? (Yes.) Not being vague is a revelation of the genuineness and faithfulness of God when He speaks and works, and it is also a revelation of God’s essence. That is, with God, there is no essence of the kind that Satan has when it speaks to entice man; God’s essence is free of this. Therefore, even if the words of the incarnate God are not very detailed or clear when it comes to certain minor things, by no means will He use any of the vague words similar to those that Satan uses to entice man, and by no means will He use a type of language, a manner of speaking, or a way of working that leaves you at a loss or makes it so you harbor suspicions about God and distance yourself from God. Rather, however God speaks and whatever He says, the ultimate goal He aims to achieve is for you to get closer and closer to God, for you to understand God’s intentions from His words, for you to have correct thoughts and views and a correct stance, and for you to be more motivated to uphold the truth principles. This is one aspect of the matter. For another thing, God aims for you to get a goal, a correct direction in life, and a direction for moving forward, from these clear and explicit words. Of course, an even more important point is that when you have correct viewpoints and stances toward all kinds of people, events, and things, and you uphold the truth principles, you will gain God’s protection and care, and subsequently God’s recognition and acceptance. Then, are you not the beneficiaries? (Yes.) Just the fact that God’s words and actions are not vague has brought you such great benefits. Have you come to appreciate this a bit by now? (Yes.) Without Me saying all this, you might never appreciate it your whole lives. You would just feel, “Your words are the truth. Your words are relatively accurate and objective, and Your understanding of us is relatively deep,” but you probably would not be able to recognize that the incarnate God is not vague when He speaks, right? (Yes.)