3. To Gain the Truth and Life One Must Pursue the Truth and Resolve Their Corrupt Dispositions

Some people appear gentle, tolerant, and forbearing; they speak with refinement and carry out work as quickly and as vigorously as a lightning bolt and with a commanding presence. Their humanity seems quite perfect, and they have the standard demeanor of a leadership figure. However, they understand no truths whatsoever, they try to use doctrines to resolve every kind of problem, and they are incapable of doing any substantive work or implementing work arrangements. Are they not useless? These are standard Pharisees. Outwardly, Pharisees are impeccably dressed, dignified, and poised; they are cultivated, well-versed in etiquette, polite, loving, tolerant, and patient. Their deportment is exceptionally proper, and they speak to others with particular gentleness, modesty, and humility. You can’t see any imperfections, cracks, or defects in them. Judging by their humanity, they seem particularly reliable, insightful, refined, and graceful, just like the cultured and elegant gentlemen spoken of by Chinese people. Their humanity appears perfect, and outwardly, no fault can be found with them, but do they understand God’s intentions? Do they understand the principles for doing all kinds of things? These people can speak for hours at every gathering, and those who don’t understand the truth prostrate themselves in admiration, thinking that they speak in a very eloquent manner, and express themselves in a very clear and logical way. But those who do understand the truth know after listening to these individuals that what they speak is all doctrine, and that it doesn’t resolve people’s actual difficulties by targeting their problems. These individuals disregard what people’s real difficulties actually are, and only know how to preach empty doctrines and speak endlessly about lofty and hollow theories. After speaking, they even feel quite pleased with themselves, thinking they understand the truth and possess the truth reality. In fact, what they seek is merely to disguise the outward appearance of their humanity to make it seem perfect and elegant, making it appear lofty and grand. However, their essence and corrupt dispositions that resist God haven’t changed in the slightest. Their notions about God, their rebelliousness toward Him, their misunderstandings, guardedness, and suspicions regarding God, and especially their unreasonable demands and extravagant desires toward God fill their entire minds. They do not pursue the truth at all, nor do they accept the truth at all. So, to describe their humanity as “perfect” is using “perfect” in a derogatory sense, because no humanity is perfect; their “perfection” is purely a facade and a disguise. Humanity without defects does not exist; it is a facade, do not believe them. The more perfect someone appears on the outside, the more you must guard against them, observe them, and discern them. How do you discern them? Interact with them more, talk with them more, and see if they understand themselves. Suppose that they say, “I am a devil, I am a Satan, I resist God, I am corrupt! I am a sinner, an arch-sinner, God does not find me pleasing, God detests me!” or, “I am blind and foolish, poor and pitiful! I am filthy, I am unclean!” Are there any actual facts in these words? Is there any substantive understanding? (No.) They have no understanding whatsoever of their own corrupt dispositions; they don’t even acknowledge the fact that they have corrupt dispositions. They just learn to speak some empty words and some theories. These empty words and theories are not understanding that comes from what they have felt or experienced in the depths of their hearts; they are just nice-sounding words, they are all a facade that they’re presenting. If you then ask them to talk about their own experiences, how they came to understand their own corrupt dispositions, and what pruning they have undergone and which of God’s words they have then read to resolve their corrupt dispositions, they act as if they didn’t hear you, and again speak a pile of useless words: “My caliber is poor, I was born a sinner, I’m a lowly person in a dung heap, I’m unworthy of God’s salvation! I have corrupt dispositions, and I’m not able to bear testimony to God wherever I am; I just like having status.” If you ask how they have tried to resolve this, they will still give you an unrelated answer in response: “People shouldn’t have status; once people have status, they’re finished. Pursuing status is an extravagant desire. Just try to be the least significant person, and no matter where you go, sit on the lowest stool, sit in the most inconspicuous place. People must be humble; this is called humility.” Have they undergone any substantive change? Have they had any real experiences? (No.) Neither of these things has happened. Do they have any understanding of their own corrupt dispositions? (No.) They have no understanding of them. So, do they accept the truth or God’s words? (No.) People who do not acknowledge that they have corrupt dispositions never accept the truth. If they did accept the truth, they would compare their every word and action and their revelations of corruption against God’s words. When they revealed corruption, they would reflect on themselves, asking themselves why, within such-and-such a context, they revealed corruption, and what they were thinking and what they were governed by at the time. Through the exposure of God’s words and making comparisons, they would discover that this is a corrupt disposition, and that they are not as holy or pure as they imagined, that it turns out that they too possess deceitfulness, selfish intentions, ambitions, and desires, and that they simply are not people who possess the truth reality. Have they had such experiences? No. They have said many words, but there is not a single fact which proves they acknowledge that they have corrupt dispositions. They have believed in God for so many years, yet they have no experience whatsoever of the truth. They only speak doctrines, only ponder how to put up a facade and adorn themselves to cover up the flaws and defects of their humanity. They adorn themselves with the external behaviors, actions, facial expressions, bearing, and demeanor of false spirituality, while keeping their corrupt dispositions tightly, firmly, and securely bundled up inside them. They do not accept in the slightest any of the various issues of man’s corrupt dispositions that God exposes, or the various statements which God uses to expose these dispositions, nor do they take note of them or take them to heart; they just put effort into the outward appearance of their humanity. If you then ask them to talk about their understanding of God’s words, whether they have any true understanding or appreciation of His words of chastisement and judgment, His words that expose mankind’s corrupt dispositions, or His words on God’s disposition, they avoid these practical topics and again spout a stream of spiritual theories: “God is the Creator, God holds sovereignty over all things, God’s deeds are wondrous! God is worthy of being praised and extolled, God is unique, God’s authority and power are supreme!” People say, “Then talk about your own experience. In what matter did you see God’s disposition and God’s holiness?” They reply, “God is too great, man is too insignificant, man is unworthy! In God’s eyes, man is inferior even to the ants on the ground. God exalts man!” Do they have any of this kind of understanding? (No.) They have no understanding of this sort whatsoever. What kind of person is this? (A hypocritical Pharisee.) This is a hypocritical Pharisee. They do not accept the truth in the slightest; God’s words and the truth are merely slogans and doctrines in their eyes. They do usually read God’s words, write spiritual devotion notes, and attend gatherings and pray-read God’s words—they perform all these procedures without missing a single one or leaving any out. So, what have they absorbed from reading these words of God? What have they gained? They do not read God’s words to understand the truth, much less to match His words to their own corrupt dispositions, their notions and imaginings, or their distorted thoughts and views, so that they can resolve their problems, and come to have a path to follow in their practice. They read God’s words to equip themselves with doctrines so they can lecture and teach others lessons at gatherings. What they say differs each time, and they can talk continually for a long time, selecting different words of God to fellowship on for different people, aiming to make others esteem and worship them. Some people are particularly adept at disguising themselves—how despicable can they even get? When they listen to words that I’ve spoken and find them useful, they memorize them, and then look for opportunities to show off during gatherings. In particular, when they are among groups of new believers—people who haven’t heard many sermons, and who can’t remember God’s words even if they have read some—they exploit this opportunity and begin to show off and flaunt themselves among those newcomers. After listening to them, everyone thinks, “This person has been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, they are spiritual.” Using such means to flaunt themselves in order to gain others’ esteem and worship—is this not despicable? Is this not misleading people? (Yes.) This is misleading people.

If, throughout your life, you seek the truth principles and seek God’s words as the basis to resolve your corrupt dispositions and the things in you that are incompatible with the truth, then in the end you will surely be someone who attains salvation. But suppose that, throughout your life, you focus your efforts on and seek paths for resolving the flaws and defects of your humanity, devising all kinds of means to rid yourself of any flaws and defects, so that you may become someone who is different from the rest, perfect, and faultless. Some people even say, “I want to become a pure person, a lofty and grand person, someone who transcends all normal humanity.” Let Me tell you: By doing this, you have failed! No matter what flaw or defect of your humanity you try to resolve, it has nothing to do with your salvation, because you are not pursuing the truth to resolve your corrupt dispositions. If you do resolve the defects and flaws of your humanity, then at most this just means that no flaws of humanity can be seen in you from the outside, and you appear to be perfect and refined on the surface. Forget about the fact that the flaws and defects of your humanity are fundamentally impossible to change; even if they were changed, your greater flaws and defects—your corrupt dispositions—are still hidden within you! The more you put up a facade and pursue a perfect humanity that’s devoid of any defects, the more your corrupt dispositions will deeply and tightly entangle and bind you, making you even more arrogant, deceitful, wicked, and intransigent. And what is the consequence of this? It makes you drift further from the truth and from the path of pursuing the truth. Ultimately, elimination will be your outcome, and you will be done for. There is no chance that God will make an exception and save you just because you are outwardly perfect or appear to be a pure person. On the contrary, the more you pursue a perfect humanity without any defects, the more God will detest you and not work on you. However, some people often feel remorse and sadness because they reveal corrupt dispositions. While feeling remorse, they develop the resolve to pursue the truth, they are able to suffer hardship and pay a price to gain the truth, they persist in reading God’s words daily, and pray to God and seek the truth in all matters. In this way, they become increasingly clear about the truth, gradually achieving some entry, gains, and actual living out with respect to all aspects of the truth. Ultimately, when faced with all kinds of people, events, and things, they have corresponding truth principles to practice and to carry out vetting with. After many years of experience, through God’s chastisement and judgment, pruning, and also through the price they have paid in pursuing the truth, they gradually come to have the truth as their life within them. Their hope of salvation grows ever greater, and the likelihood of them rebelling against and betraying God becomes ever smaller. Although the defects and flaws of their humanity and their inherent conditions basically remain unchanged, their corrupt dispositions steadily subside, they resist and rebel against God less frequently, they are increasingly liked by God, increasingly edifying to others, and increasingly fit for use. If people like this continue down this path, then they will surely be those who attain salvation; these are the ones God’s work intends to save. Observe the people around you. See who always persistently puts effort into appearances, into the defects, flaws, and weaknesses of their humanity, doing their utmost to cover up and disguise themselves to gain others’ esteem, admiration, and worship, and to have status in people’s hearts—people of this type are Pharisees. Pharisees have only one final result: to perish together with the mouse. So I say that people of this type are done for and eliminated.

From beginning to end, the work God does is not to change the defects and flaws in people’s humanity, it is only to restore the conscience and reason of normal humanity. What God wants to change is people’s corrupt dispositions. Of course, God also often speaks of getting rid of people’s corrupt dispositions and thereby enabling them to attain salvation. So, on what foundation is the restoration of normal humanity built? It is built on the foundation of people having cast off their corrupt dispositions. People’s normal humanity gradually being restored means that their conscience gains feeling, their reason becomes increasingly normal, and they are able to do right things and say right words from the perspective of normal humanity; they do not cause disruptions or disturbances, their speech and actions are not impulsive, blind, or impetuous, but are based entirely on the principles of God’s words, their reason is particularly normal, and their humanity is particularly upright and kind. So, on what basis can these things be achieved, and this degree of restoration be reached? It is achieved on the basis of people’s corrupt dispositions being changed, on people casting off their corrupt dispositions through practicing the truth and accepting God’s judgment and chastisement. However, if your corrupt dispositions are not changed or cast off, then even if your humanity is relatively good and you possess some conscience and reason, without the truth as your life, your conscience and reason cannot take charge, and you will still often be influenced, instigated, and incited by your corrupt dispositions to do things that go against your conscience and reason. Therefore, even if you possess a bit of a sense of justice, it is merely a kind of wish and resolve. You merely have a bit of kind humanity, but because your corrupt dispositions are your life and control you from within, what you can achieve is merely not doing evil and not taking the initiative to cheat and harm others, which is already doing quite well. In other words, you can only ensure that you do not do evil when your own personal interests are not affected, and once your personal interests are affected, your corrupt dispositions will emerge to suppress your conscience and reason, making you defend your own interests and rights, and thus it will be very difficult for you to let conscience and reason take charge. Why is that? It is because the truth is not your life; rather, Satan’s corrupt dispositions are your life. Therefore, you can only reveal a bit of the conscience or reason of your humanity when your interests are not being harmed. As soon as your interests are harmed or threatened, your corrupt dispositions will immediately emerge to suppress your conscience and reason, making you do things that go against conscience and reason—that is, things that go against morality and moral justice—and you may even be capable of doing anything. Of course, it can be said that all these actions go against the truth; this is inevitable. Therefore, what a person lives out does not depend on the conditions of their humanity, but on what their inner life essence is. If they truly have the truth as their life, then their life contains the truth, God’s words, and the way of fearing God and shunning evil. Then their conscience and reason of normal humanity will remain in an optimal state and be able to function, enabling them to practice the truth and act according to the principles. However, if a person’s life essence is their corrupt dispositions, then their conscience and reason are reduced to the lowest standard, that is, they merely do not fall below the lowest boundary of humanity. What is this lowest boundary? “I will not attack unless I am attacked; if I am attacked, I will certainly counterattack”; “A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye”; “Give others a taste of their own medicine.” What else? “Better to be a true villain than a fake gentleman.” This is the lowest boundary for how many nonbelievers conduct themselves. For a nonbeliever, being able to practice this way is already pretty good. What have you understood from this? If you do not pursue the truth, your corrupt dispositions will not be cast off, your life essence will not change, and if your life essence does not change, then your conscience and reason of normal humanity will not be restored in essence, and will only, in form, not fall below the lowest boundary of humanity. However, if your corrupt dispositions have been cast off and the essence of your life has changed, then the conscience and reason of your normal humanity will, to a certain extent, be optimized and elevated. What does “optimized” and “elevated” refer to here? It means that your conscience and reason come to function normally—it’s not the case that they merely do not cross the lowest boundary, instead they reach the standard of practicing the truth. So-called good people among nonbelievers merely exhibit some conscience and reason, do not commit obvious evil acts, and do not cross the lowest boundary of moral justice. This is already doing quite well; they can be considered very good people. However, people who have the truth as their life go beyond this; they have the ability to discern right from wrong, and can identify various kinds of right and wrong, and identify various types of people. So what is their basis? It is the truth principles. They possess the truth principles—isn’t this much higher than the standard of conscience and reason? (Yes.) Because they understand the truth and have the truth as their life, and the basis by which they identify various matters is much higher than the standard of ordinary corrupt people, they will persist in acting according to the truth principles when facing complex matters. After grasping the truth principles, their minds will not be muddled and their thinking will be clear. What does clear mean? It means rational. No matter how complex the matters they encounter are, the truth principles for practice are engraved in their hearts; they have grasped the truth accurately and thoroughly, and it has already become their life. In the face of all kinds of complex people, events, and things, they have a basic criterion, which is to adhere to the truth principles. These truth principles enable them to see through to the essence of various complex things and to what the reality of the issue is; they can identify these things. This is their rationality. Is this rationality not higher than that of ordinary people? (Yes.) Then, having reached this level, has their rationality not been elevated and optimized? (Yes.) This kind of normal humanity is what God wants; God does not want muddled people. Some people say, “I’m guileless and cowardly, and I’m always being bullied,” while others say, “My caliber is really poor, and I don’t have any ability or talent.” God says that these things are not important, and that what’s important is whether you understand the truth principles. If you understand the truth principles, and you speak and act according to the standards and principles of being an honest person, then even if nonbelievers mock you as foolish, it is not true foolishness. Why? It is because, once you understand the truth principles, your reason becomes sound and optimized, higher than that of ordinary people. When you encounter any matter, you do not get muddled; you have the correct principles, stance, and goals as the basis for handling it. Your mind is lucid and your thoughts are clear. You act, striving to meet those principles and standards, and you certainly do not go against God’s intentions; you surely act in line with His intentions. After you have handled the matter, regardless of whether people saw through it at the time, once enough time has passed and people understand, they will all be thoroughly convinced, and know that how you handled it was highly beneficial. So, what is the root cause of achieving such an effect? It is that you have the truth as your life. Only then can your rationality enable you to have accurate judgments, accurate characterizations, and accurate conclusions about anyone and anything, as well as accurate principles of practice, and of course, accurate principles for helping and guiding people. Has your rationality not been elevated and optimized then? What does normal humanity derive such rationality from? (The truth.) People who have the truth as their life are the humankind God wants. Perhaps you are foolish, guileless, cowardly, and incompetent, maybe you are unpopular and are bullied by people in the world, but none of this matters; this is not what God looks at. Perhaps you are very capable in the world, particularly adept at reading people, discerning trends, and trimming your sails to the wind, but this is also useless; it does not equate to your rationality being sound. Only when you have accepted the truth, understood the truth, and have grasped, practiced, and gained experience of all truths, and the truth has become your life, can your identification, judgment, and decision-making regarding various matters be accurate.