Peter sought to know himself and examine what had been revealed in him through the refinement of God’s words and within the various trials that God had provided for him. When he truly came to understand himself, Peter realized just how deeply corrupt humans are, how worthless and unworthy of serving God they are, and that they do not deserve to live before God. Peter then fell prostrate before God. Having experienced so much, Peter ultimately came to feel, “Knowing God is the most precious thing! If I died before knowing Him, it would be such a pity. Knowing God is the most important, most meaningful thing there is. If man does not know God, then they do not deserve to live, are the same as animals, and have no life.” By the time Peter’s experience had reached this point, he had come to know his own nature and he had gained a relatively good understanding of it. Although he perhaps would not have been able to explain it as clearly as people would nowadays, Peter had indeed reached this state. Therefore, walking the path of pursuing the truth and attaining perfection by God requires knowing one’s own nature from within God’s utterances, as well as comprehending the various aspects of one’s nature and accurately describing it in words, speaking clearly and plainly. Only this is truly knowing yourself, and only in this way will you have attained the result God requires. If your knowledge has not yet reached this point, but you claim to know yourself and say that you have gained life, then are you not simply bragging? You do not know yourself, nor do you know what you are in front of God, whether you have truly met the standards of being human, or how many satanic elements you still have within you. You are still unclear about who you belong to, and you do not even have any self-knowledge—so how can you possess reason in front of God? When Peter was pursuing life, he focused on understanding himself and transforming his disposition over the course of his trials, and he strove to know God. In the end, he thought, “People must seek an understanding of God in life; knowing Him is the most critical thing. If I do not know God, then I cannot rest in peace when I die. Once I know Him, if God then has me die, then I would have felt most gratified. I will not complain in the slightest, and my entire life will have been fulfilled.” Peter was not able to gain this level of understanding or reach this point immediately after he had begun to believe in God; he underwent a great many trials instead. His experience had to reach a certain milestone, and he had to completely understand himself, before he could sense the value of knowing God. Therefore, the path Peter took was the path of pursuing the truth, and was one of gaining life and of being perfected. This was the aspect upon which his specific practice was primarily focused.

In your faith in God, what path are you walking now? If you do not, like Peter, seek life, understanding of yourself, and knowledge of God, then you are not walking the path of Peter. These days, most people are in this sort of state: In order to gain blessings, I must expend myself for God and pay a price for Him. In order to gain blessings, I must abandon everything for God; I must complete what He has entrusted me with, and I must perform my duty well. This state is dominated by the intention to gain blessings, which is an example of expending oneself for God entirely for the purpose of obtaining rewards from Him and gaining a crown. Such people do not have the truth in their hearts, and it is certain that their understanding merely consists of a few words and doctrines which they show off everywhere they go. Theirs is the path of Paul. The faith of such people is an act of constant toil, and deep down they feel that the more they do, the more it will prove their loyalty to God; that the more they do, the more He will certainly be satisfied; and that the more they do, the more they will deserve to be granted a crown before God, and the greater the blessings they gain will be. They think that if they can endure suffering, preach, and die for Christ, if they can sacrifice their own lives, and if they can complete all of the duties with which God has entrusted them, then they will be those who gain the greatest blessings, and they will be certain to be granted crowns. This is precisely what Paul imagined and what he sought. This is the exact path that he walked, and it was under the guidance of such thoughts that he worked to serve God. Do those thoughts and intentions not originate from a satanic nature? It is just like worldly humans, who believe that while on earth they must pursue knowledge, and that after obtaining it they can stand out from the crowd, become officials, and have status. They think that once they have status, they can realize their ambitions and bring their businesses and family practices up to a certain level of prosperity. Do not all unbelievers walk this path? Those who are dominated by this satanic nature can only be like Paul in their faith. They think: “I must cast off everything to expend myself for God. I must be loyal before God, and eventually, I will receive great rewards and great crowns.” This is the same attitude as that of worldly people who pursue worldly things. They are no different at all, and they are subject to the same nature. When people have this sort of satanic nature, out in the world, they will seek to obtain knowledge, learning, status, and to stand out from the crowd. If they believe in God, they will seek to obtain great crowns and great blessings. If people do not pursue the truth when they believe in God, they are sure to take this path. This is an immutable fact, it is a natural law. The path that people who do not pursue the truth take is diametrically opposed to that of Peter. Which path are you all currently on? Though you may not have planned to take the path of Paul, your nature has ruled that you walk this way, and you are going in that direction in spite of yourself. Though you want to set foot upon the path of Peter, if you are not clear on how to do that, then you will take the path of Paul involuntarily: This is the reality of the situation. How exactly should one walk the path of Peter these days? If you are unable to distinguish between the paths of Peter and Paul, or if you are not at all familiar with them, then no matter how much you claim to be walking Peter’s path, those words of yours are just empty. First, you need to have a clear idea of what the path of Peter is and what the path of Paul is. Only when you truly understand that Peter’s path is the path of pursuing life, and the only path to perfection, will you be able to walk Peter’s path, pursuing as he pursued, and practicing the principles that he practiced. If you do not understand Peter’s path, then the path you take is certain to be that of Paul, for there will be no other path for you; you will have no choice in the matter. People who do not understand the truth and who are not able to pursue it will find it difficult to walk the path of Peter, even if they have resolve. It can be said that it is God’s grace and elevation that He has now revealed to you the path to salvation and perfection. It is He who guides you onto the path of Peter. Without God’s guidance and enlightenment, no one would be able to take Peter’s path, and the only choice would be to go down the path of Paul, following in Paul’s footsteps to destruction. Back then, Paul did not feel it was wrong to walk down that path; he fully believed that it was correct. He did not gain the truth, and he especially did not undergo a change in disposition. He believed too much in himself, and felt that there was not the slightest issue with believing that way. He continued onward, full of confidence and with the utmost self-assurance. By the end, he never came to his senses. He still thought that to him to live was Christ. As such, Paul continued down that path to the very end, and by the time he was ultimately punished, it was all over for him. Paul’s path did not involve coming to know himself, much less seeking a change in disposition. He never dissected his own nature, nor did he gain any knowledge of what he was. He simply knew that he was the chief culprit in the persecution of Jesus. But he had not had the slightest understanding of his own nature, and after finishing his work, Paul felt that he was living as Christ and should be rewarded. The work that Paul did was merely service rendered for God. For Paul personally, though he received some revelations from the Holy Spirit, he had obtained no truth or life at all. He was therefore not saved by God. Instead, he was punished by God. Why is it said that Peter’s path is the path to perfection? It is because, in Peter’s practice, he placed particular emphasis on life, on seeking to know God, and on knowing himself. Through his experience of God’s work, he came to know himself, gained an understanding of man’s corrupt states, learned of his own deficiencies, and discovered the most valuable thing that people should pursue. He was able to sincerely love God, he learned how to repay God, he gained some truth, and he possessed the reality that God requires. From all the things that Peter said during his trials, it can be seen that he was indeed the one with the most understanding of God. Because he came to understand so much truth from God’s words, his path grew brighter and brighter, and more and more in alignment with God’s will. If Peter had not possessed this truth, then the path he took could not have been so correct.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. How to Walk the Path of Peter