(I) An Overview of God’s Authority, God’s Righteous Disposition, and God’s Holiness

When you have finished your prayers, do your hearts feel calm in the presence of God? (Yes.) If a person’s heart can be calmed, they will be able to hear and understand the word of God and they will be able to hear and understand the truth. If your heart is unable to be calmed, if your heart is always adrift, or always thinking of other things, it will affect your coming together to hear the word of God. So, what is at the heart of what we are discussing at this time? Let us all think back a little on the main point. Regarding knowing God Himself, the unique, what is the first part that we discussed? (God’s authority.) What was the second? (God’s righteous disposition.) And the third? (God’s holiness.) How often have we discussed God’s authority? Has it had an impact? (Twice.) What about God’s righteous disposition? (Once.) The number of times we have discussed God’s holiness has probably left an impression on you, but has the specific content we discussed each time had an impact? On the first part “God’s authority,” what left the deepest impression on you, what part had the most impact for you? (The authority of the word of God and God as the Ruler of all things.) Talk about the important points. (First, God communicated the authority and might of the word of God; God is as good as His word and His word shall become true. This is the very essence of God.) (God’s authority lies in His creation of the heavens and earth and all within it. No man can alter God’s authority. God is the Ruler of all things and He controls all things.) (God utilizes the rainbow and covenants with man.) This is the specific content. Was there anything else? (God’s commands to Satan that it may tempt Job, but may not take his life. From this we see the authority of God’s word.) This is an understanding you gained after hearing the fellowship, right? Is there anything else to add? (We mainly recognize that God’s authority represents God’s unique status and position, and none of the created or non-created beings may possess His authority.) (God speaks to make a covenant with man and He speaks to put His blessings upon man, these are all examples of the authority of God’s word.) (We see the authority of God in the creation of the heavens and earth and all things through His word, and from God incarnate we see His word also carries the authority of God, these are both symbols of God’s uniqueness. We see it when the Lord Jesus commanded Lazarus to walk out from his tomb: Life and death are under God’s control, which Satan has no power to control; whether God’s work is done in flesh or in Spirit, His authority is unique.) Do you have anything else to add? (We see that the six junctures of life are dictated by God.) Very good! What else? (God’s blessings toward man also represent His authority.) When we talk about God’s authority, what is your understanding of the word “authority”? Within the scope of God’s authority, in what God does and reveals, what do people see? (We see God’s almightiness and wisdom.) (We see that God’s authority is ever-present and that it truly, truly exists.) (We see God’s authority on the large scale in His dominion over the universe, and we see it on the small scale as He takes control of human life. From the six junctures of life we see that God actually plans and controls every aspect of our lives.) (Furthermore, we see that God’s authority represents God Himself, the unique, and none of the created or non-created beings may possess it. God’s authority symbolizes His status.) “Symbols of God’s status and God’s position,” you seem to have a doctrinal understanding of these words. What question did I just ask you, can you repeat it? (In what God does and reveals, what do we see?) What do you see? Could it be that you only see God’s authority? Did you only feel God’s authority? (We see the reality of God, the trueness of God, the faithfulness of God.) (We see God’s wisdom.) The faithfulness of God, the trueness of God, and some said the wisdom of God. What else is there? (God’s omnipotence.) (Seeing the righteousness and goodness of God.) You haven’t quite hit the nail on the head yet, so think a bit more. (The authority and power of God are revealed and reflected in His taking charge, leading, and management of mankind. This is very real and true. He is always doing His work and none of the created or non-created beings may possess this authority and power.) Are you all looking at your notes? Do you really have any knowledge of God’s authority? Have any of you truly comprehended His authority? (God has watched over us and protected us since we were young, and we see God’s authority in that. We didn’t always understand the situations that befell us, but God was always protecting us behind the scenes; this is also God’s authority.) Very good, well said!

When we talk about God’s authority, where is the focus, the main point? Why do we need to discuss this content? Firstly, people are able to understand, to see, and to feel God’s authority. What you see and what you feel are from God’s actions, God’s words, and God’s control of the universe. So, all that people see through God’s authority, all that they learn through God’s authority, or what they know through God’s authority, what true understanding is gained from these? Firstly, the purpose of discussing this content is for people to establish God’s status as the Creator and His position among all things. Secondly, when people see all that God has done and said and controlled through His authority, it allows them to see God’s power and wisdom. It allows them to see God’s great power to control everything and how wise He is as He does so. Isn’t this the focus and the main point of God’s unique authority that we discussed before? Not much time has passed and yet some have forgotten this, which proves that you have not fully comprehended God’s authority; one could even say that you have not seen the authority of God. Do you now understand this a little bit? When you see God’s authority in action, what will you truly feel? Have you truly felt God’s power? (We have.) When you read God’s words about His creation of the universe you feel His power, you feel His omnipotence. When you see God’s dominion over the fate of men, what do you feel? Do you feel His power and His wisdom? (We do.) If God did not possess this power, if He did not possess this wisdom, would He be qualified to have dominion over the universe and have dominion over the fate of men? (He would not.) If someone does not have the ability to do their job, does not possess the necessary strengths and lacks the proper skills and knowledge, would they be qualified for their job? They definitely would not be qualified; a person’s potential to do great things depends on how great their abilities are. God possesses such power as well as the wisdom, and so He has the authority; this is unique. Have you ever known any one creature or person in the universe to possess the same power that God has? Is there anyone or anything with the power to create the heavens and earth and all things as well as control and have dominion over them? Is there anyone or anything that can rule over and lead all of humanity and be both ever-present and omnipresent? (No, there is not.) Do you now understand the true meaning of all that is entailed in God’s unique authority? Do you have some understanding? (We do.) We have now reviewed the points covering God’s unique authority.

What is the second part we talked about? (God’s righteous disposition.) We did not discuss many things regarding God’s righteous disposition. Why is that? There is one reason for this: God’s work is primarily judgment and chastisement in this stage. God’s righteous disposition has been clearly revealed in the Age of Kingdom, very specifically. He has said the words He has never said from the time of creation; and in His words all people, all who have seen His word, and all who have experienced His word have seen His righteous disposition revealed. Right? Then what is the main point of what we are discussing about God’s righteous disposition? Have you developed a deep comprehension of what you’ve learned? Have you gained understanding from any of your experiences? (God’s burning of Sodom was because the people at that time had become very corrupted and thereby drew the ire of God. It is from this that we see God’s righteous disposition.) First, let’s take a look: If God had not destroyed Sodom, would you be able to know of His righteous disposition? You would still be able to. Right? You can see it in the words He has expressed in the Age of Kingdom, and also by His judgment, chastisement, and curses leveled against man. Do you see God’s righteous disposition from His sparing of Nineveh? (We do.) In this age, we can see something of God’s mercy, love, and tolerance. We can see it when men repent and God has a change of heart toward them. Using these two examples as the premise to discuss God’s righteous disposition, it is very clear to see that His righteous disposition has been revealed. However, in reality this is not limited to what is recorded in these two Bible stories. From what you have now learned and seen through God’s word and His work, from your current experience of them, what is God’s righteous disposition? Discuss from your own experiences. (In the environments God created for people, when they are able to seek out truth and act under God’s will, they see His love and mercy. God guides them, enlightens them, and lets them feel the light inside them. When people go against God and resist Him and go against His will, there is darkness inside them, as if God has forsaken them. From this we have experienced the holiness of God’s righteous disposition; God appears in the holy kingdom and He is concealed in places of filth.) (From our experiences we see God’s ri