Question 3: We believe in the Lord and we spread the gospel as the Lord requires. We frequently give financial aid to deprived areas or to help the disabled, we donate money and items to the church, we do well at our jobs and with our children’s education and we conduct ourselves well. This way, we have glorified the Lord and been approved by Him, and when the Lord returns we will be raptured up into the kingdom of heaven. Why then do we also have to experience God’s work of judgment in the last days?
Bible Verses for Reference:
Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity (Mat 7:21-23).
Relevant Words of God:
Though Jesus did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and became man’s sin offering, and did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to take on the sins of man as the sin offering, but also required God to do greater work to completely rid man of his disposition, which has been corrupted by Satan. And so, after man was forgiven his sins, God has returned to flesh to lead man into the new age, and begun the work of chastisement and judgment, and this work has brought man into a higher realm. All those who submit under His dominion shall enjoy higher truth and receive greater blessings. They shall truly live in the light, and shall gain the truth, the way, and the life.
from Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh
Through the sin offering, man has been forgiven his sins, for the work of the crucifixion has already come to an end and God has prevailed over Satan. But the corrupt disposition of man still remains within them and man can still sin and resist God; God has not gained mankind. That is why in this stage of work God uses the word to reveal the corrupt disposition of man and asks man to practice in accordance with the right path. This stage is more meaningful than the previous one and more fruitful as well, for now it is the word that directly supplies man’s life and enables the disposition of man to be completely renewed; it is a stage of work more thorough.
from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Through this work of judgment and chastisement, man will fully come to know the filthy and corrupt substance within him, and he will be able to completely change and become clean. Only in this way can man be worthy to return before the throne of God. All the work done this day is so that man can be made clean and be changed; through judgment and chastisement by the word, as well as refinement, man can cast away his corruption and be made pure. Rather than deeming this stage of work to be that of salvation, it would be more apt to say it is the work of purification. In truth, this stage is that of conquest as well as the second stage of salvation.
from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
What the work of judgment brings about is man’s understanding of the true face of God and the truth about his own rebelliousness. The work of judgment allows man to gain much understanding of the will of God, of the purpose of God’s work, and of the mysteries that are incomprehensible to him. It also allows man to recognize and know his corrupt substance and the roots of his corruption, as well as to discover the ugliness of man. These effects are all brought about by the work of judgment, for the substance of this work is actually the work of opening up the truth, the way, and the life of God to all those who have faith in Him. This work is the work of judgment done by God.
from “Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Faith in God does not mean that He requires you to be a good person, to be someone who is well-behaved, or law-abiding, or someone who is unable to think for themselves or use their own brain. People used to think that changes in disposition that came from the belief in God meant being a decent person, that it meant having some human likeness outwardly, well brought-up, and patient, or seeming pious, or loving, and willing to help others, and charitable. In short, it meant being the kind of good person that existed in their conceptions and imagination. This is similar to how there are people in the world who say: “If you’re rich, you should give to the poor or beggars.” You could say that these kinds of notions exist within each and every person’s concepts—they all have these sorts of things, and it is one type of poison. For people who believed in God before, there was no one to clearly explain this kind of issue, and everyone was unfamiliar with matters of believing in God. It is not that people could understand these things right after being born, nor that they could understand them after a few years of believing in Christianity. This is because before, God Himself had not fully explained this, and He Himself had not performed work in this aspect. Thus, many people believed that belief in God was nothing more than a few changes in one’s external behavior, thinking, and actions, and there were even some people who believed that faith in God meant suffering much hardship, not eating fine foods, and not wearing fine clothes. … And what kind of person? Someone who does not fight with others, or curse them, or swear, someone who does not do bad things, someone who looks as if they believe in God; there are even some who say being a person that brings glory unto God. This is the mental state of every single person who believes in God, every single Christian, or every person who believed in the past, or every person who has just begun to believe in God. They believe that this is a change in disposition, that only this is being a person that God truly loves, that only this way can they go to heaven, and that only this way will they be able to have a favorable destination. … In particular, some who have just come from religion have yet to fully make the transfer from religious ceremony and religious thinking and viewpoints in their mindset and outlook toward the belief in God; they still try to be spiritual, and pious, and patient, to be someone who is naturally decent, who loves to do good and give to others. This is utterly wrong! If you pursue being a person such as that, you will never be praised by God, and you will never have a change in disposition….
from “What a Change in Disposition Is and the Path to a Change in Disposition” in Records of Christ’s Talks
Changes in nothing more than behavior are unsustainable. If there is no alteration in people’s life disposition, then sooner or later their wicked side will show itself. Because the source of the changes in their behavior is fervor, coupled with some work by the Holy Spirit at the time, it is extremely easy for them to become fervent, or to be good for a time. As the unbelievers say, “Doing one good deed is easy, what’s hard is doing a lifetime of good deeds.” People are incapable of doing good deeds their whole life. Their behavior is directed by the life; whatever their life is, so is their behavior, and only that which is revealed naturally represents the life, and one’s nature. Things that are fake cannot last. … Behaving well is not the same as obeying God, much less does it equal being compatible with Christ. Changes in behavior are based on doctrine, and born of fervor—they are not based on the true knowledge of God, or upon the truth, much less do they rest on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Even though there are times when some of what people do is directed by the Holy Spirit, this is not the expression of the life, much less is it the same as knowing God; no matter how good a person’s behavior, it does not prove that they obey God, or that they put the truth into practice.
from “The Difference Between External Changes and Changes in Disposition” in Records of Christ’s Talks
Those who are impure are not permitted to enter into the kingdom, those who are impure are not permitted to besmirch the holy ground. Though you may have done much work, and have worked for many years, in the end if you are still deplorably filthy—it is intolerable to the law of Heaven that you wish to enter My kingdom! From the foundation of the world until today, never have I offered easy access to My kingdom to those who curry favor with Me. This is a heavenly rule, and no one can break it!
from “Success or Failure Depends on the Path That Man Walks” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
The Man’s Fellowship:
Many believers in the Lord believe the same thing that you do: ‘As long as I work hard and bear the cross for the Lord, exhibit some good behaviors and bear witness well, I will be qualified to wait for the Lord’s return and be raptured into the kingdom of heaven.’ Humans see this as perfectly reasonable, but is that what God’s will is? Do His words bear that out? If not, then this thinking on the part of man certainly comes out of human notions and imagination. … In fact, those of us who believe in the Lord are all clear on the fact that after a person believes in the Lord, although they may enthusiastically abandon other things and expend themselves for the Lord, work very hard, and exhibit some good behaviors, even while they are working they frequently sin and resist God, and make an enemy of God. There are some who complain to Him when disaster strikes, when there is persecution and adversity, and they may even deny and betray God. Although the pastors and elders of the religious world are able to work and preach, they are particularly like the Pharisees, establishing themselves so that others adore them, deceiving and controlling God’s chosen people, and establishing their own little kingdoms. Facing God’s work in the last days, they madly condemn and resist it, and even though they clearly know that Almighty God’s words are the truth, they are still stubbornly defiant toward God. This shows that as long as people still have a sinful nature, and as long as they have a satanic disposition that has not been resolved, they may resist and betray God at any time, and any place. No matter how well someone behaves, that doesn’t mean that they can truly obey God and follow His way. No matter how much of the Bible someone understands, it’s not the same as understanding the truth and knowing God. No matter how much someone suffers and what price they pay when expending themselves for God, it does not mean that they are someone who carries out God’s will. It is evident that when someone has a sinful nature that has not been resolved and a satanic disposition that has not been purified, no matter how hard they work for the Lord and for how many years, their nature and essence will not change. This is a fact that no one can deny.
from the movie script of The City Will Be Overthrown
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