We all know that what God does in the end time is the work of chastisement and judgment of the word, and that only if one truly accepts the chastisement and judgment of God’s word can he gain the transformation of his nature and be saved by God. Then, what is truly accepting the chastisement and judgment of God’s word? Some people think, “Now I have no more notions about God’s word. Whatever God’s word says is right, and I have no opinions about it and acknowledge whatever God says. This means that I have accepted the chastisement and judgment of God’s word.” Others think, “Now in God’s word, I have known 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.” And still others think, “In God’s word, I have known 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 imaginary standards and are not in conformity with the truth at all.

Regarding what is truly accepting the chastisement and judgment of God’s word, we can have a look at how Peter did it. As we all know, Peter is one who truly accepted the chastisement and judgment of God’s word. God’s word says: “…he related to himself every word by which God judged man, every word by which God exposed man, and every requirement God made of man, strictly examined himself against them, and sensed the meaning of them. He seriously pondered over all the words Jesus had said to him and bore them in his mind, thus receiving very good results. By practicing so, he came to know himself in God’s word. Not only did he know man’s various corrupt states, but he also knew man’s substance, man’s innate nature, and man’s various deficiencies. This meant that he had truly known himself. From God’s word, on the one hand, Peter had truly known himself; on the other hand, from God’s words which expressed God’s righteous nature, what God has and is, the intention of God’s doing the work, and God’s requirements for mankind, Peter had fully known God, having known God’s nature and God’s substance, and having also known and understood what God has and is, God’s loveliness, and God’s requirements for man. … If one can truly enter into the reality of God’s word in the things God requires man to do and the words God requires man to enter, he is one who has been made perfect 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 can see that Peter accepted the chastisement and judgment of God’s word in this way: He could relate to himself every word by which God judged man, every word by which God exposed man, and every requirement God made of man, and strictly examine himself against them. He believed that God’s word was the truth, the fact, and that what it exposed were all the things of the substance of man’s innate nature. Therefore, he could know himself according to God’s word, and thus came to know his corrupt innate nature, know his deficiencies, and know that man was too corrupt and worthless. Peter paid attention to spending great effort on God’s word. In the chastisement and judgment of God’s word, he not only gained a true knowledge of himself, but also gained the knowledge of God’s righteous nature, God’s substance, and what God has and is. In God’s word, he did not pay attention to equipping himself with doctrines but paid attention to understanding God’s intention and spending effort on God’s requirements. Once he understood God’s intention, he carried it out immediately. He never overlooked his old nature and did not follow his own will even in eating, dressing, sleeping, and dwelling. Finally, he was made perfect by God and became an exemplar of lovers of God. The chastisement and judgment of God’s word achieved full results in him. From Peter’s experience, we can know that those who truly accept the chastisement and judgment of God’s word are the ones who know themselves, the ones who know God, and even more the ones who have had their nature transformed. And these three aspects are also the results achieved through truly accepting the chastisement and judgment of God’s word. If someone claims to be one who accepts the chastisement and judgment of God’s word, but no fruits of knowing himself and knowing God can be seen in him, and not the slightest manifestation of the transformation of his nature can be seen in him, it is certain that he has not truly accepted the chastisement and judgment of God’s word. As it says in the man’s fellowship attached to The Summary of Christ’s Preachings and Conversations: “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 nature can be seen even in the end, it will sufficiently prove that he is not one who pursues 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 know the results brought about by it, we may compare our manifestations with them, and then we will be clear whether or not we are ones who truly accept the judgment and chastisement of God’s word.