We all know that what God does in the end time is the work of chastising and judging by the word, and that only if one truly accepts the chastisement and judgment of God’s word can he gain the transformation of his disposition and be saved by God. Then, what does it mean to truly accept the chastisement and judgment of God’s word?
Some people think: Now I have no notions about God’s word. Whatever God’s word says is right, and I have no opinions about it; whatever God says I acknowledge. This means that I have accepted the chastisement and judgment of God’s word. Some think: Now I can know in God’s word that I am arrogant, crafty, and devoid of conscience and sense, and that I have been too deeply corrupted by satan. This means that I have accepted the chastisement and judgment of God’s word. Still some think: I can know in God’s word what kind of people God likes, what kind of people God hates, what kind of people God perfects, and what kind of people God eliminates. This means that I have accepted the chastisement and judgment of God’s word. Actually, these are only our own imagined standards and are not in accordance with the truth.
Regarding what is the meaning of truly accepting the chastisement and judgment of God’s word, we can consider how Peter accepted chastisement and judgment in God’s word, for Peter, as we all know, was one who truly accepted the chastisement and judgment of God’s word. God’s word says: “…every word by which God judged man, every word by which God exposed man, and every word by which God made requirements of man, he strictly checked himself with to examine himself and touch the meaning of them. All the words Jesus said to him, he pondered over seriously and bore them in mind, and he got very good results. By practicing so, he got to know himself in God’s word, not only knowing man’s various corrupt states, but also knowing man’s substance and nature and man’s various deficiencies. This meant that he had truly known himself. In God’s word, on the one hand, he got to truly know himself, and on the other hand, as God in his words expressed God’s righteous disposition, expressed what God has and is, expressed God’s intention in working, and expressed God’s requirements for mankind, from these words he completely knew God, knowing God’s disposition and God’s substance and also having some knowledge and understanding of what God has and is, God’s loveliness, and God’s requirements for man. … If a person can truly enter into the reality of God’s word in the things and words which God requires, he is one perfected by God. It can be said that God’s word and work have fully achieved the results in this person….” From God’s words, we see that Peter accepted the chastisement and judgment of God’s word in this way: Every word by which God judged man, every word by which God exposed man, and every word by which God made requirements of man, he strictly checked himself with to examine himself. He believed that God’s word was the truth and the fact, and that what it disclosed were all things of man’s nature and substance. Therefore, he could know himself according to God’s word, and in God’s word he knew his corrupt nature, knew his lacks, and knew that man was too corrupt and worthless. Peter concentrated great effort on God’s word. In the chastisement and judgment of God’s word, he not only truly knew himself, but also knew God’s righteous disposition, God’s substance, and what God has and is. In God’s word, he did not try to equip himself with doctrines but tried to understand God’s will and spent effort on God’s requirements. Once he understood God’s will, he carried it out immediately. He did not let go of any of his old disposition and did not follow his own will even in eating, dressing, sleeping, and dwelling. Finally, he was perfected by God and became an exemplar of loving God. The chastisement and judgment of God’s word fully achieved the results in him. From Peter’s experience, we can know that a person who has truly accepted the chastisement and judgment of God’s word has known himself, has known God, and even more has gained the transformation of his disposition. These three aspects are the results achieved by truly accepting the chastisement and judgment of God’s word. If anyone says he is a person who accepts the chastisement and judgment of God’s word, but in him, no fruits of knowing himself and knowing God can be seen and no manifestations of the transformation of his disposition can be seen, then it is certain that he has not truly accepted the chastisement and judgment of God’s word. As the fellowship from the above says: “God uses the truth to judge and chastise man so as to save and transform man. If in a person, no transformation of his life disposition can be seen in the end, it will sufficiently prove that he is not a pursuer of the truth and that he has not truly accepted God’s judgment and chastisement. If you ask him, ‘What judgments and chastisements from God have you undergone?’, he will have nothing to say in reply.”
After we know how Peter accepted the judgment and chastisement of God’s word and the results brought by accepting judgment and chastisement, and then compare them with our expressions, we will be clear whether we are ones who truly accept the judgment and chastisement of God’s word.
Many times we have the following states:
One state is this: We read God’s word every day, having no notions or opinions about it, and can acknowledge it, check ourselves with it, or speak some knowledge of ourselves in light of it. But many times, facing the judgment and disclosure of God’s word, we do not feel pricked in our heart, but on the contrary, we think that what God’s word discloses are the corruptions of all people, we are not alone in having them, and “all crows under the sun are black.” Consequently, although we have checked ourselves with God’s word, we have not in the least achieved the result of knowing ourselves and hating ourselves. For example, God discloses that all people love the flesh and sin and their fleshly lusts are rooted too deeply. We nod and acknowledge it, and by comparing it with some of our manifestations, we realize that we indeed love the flesh and sin, but then we think that God’s word does not judge us alone and that all mankind is like this. Thus, we have not truly known the substance of this corruption of ours, much less hated it.
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