(1) Practical culture and knowledge come from God. They are of benefit to one in raising their caliber, and one should be furnished with them. They should be regarded properly, studied, and mastered;

(2) Culture and knowledge are not the truth and cannot serve as a person’s life; they are merely tools that are indispensable to man’s existence. Do not have blind faith in them or worship them;

(3) Only by understanding the truth can one properly regard and reasonably employ culture and knowledge. One who has merely grasped some knowledge, without the truth, cannot rid themselves of Satan’s corruption;

(4) Practical knowledge conducive to the performance of duty should be studied and mastered, for the sake of preaching and testifying better to God’s words and work.

Relevant Words of God:

Raising people’s caliber means requiring you to improve your powers of comprehension, so that you can understand God’s words, and know how to act upon them. This is the most basic requirement of all. If you follow Me without understanding what I say, is your faith not muddled? No matter how many words I utter, if they are beyond your reach, if you cannot quite understand them no matter what I say, then this means you are of poor caliber. Without powers of comprehension, you understand nothing of what I say, which makes it very difficult to achieve the desired effect; there is much that I cannot say to you directly, and the intended effect cannot be achieved, thus necessitating additional work. Since your powers of comprehension, your ability to see things, and the standards by which you live are too deficient, the work of “caliber raising” must be carried out in you. This is inevitable, and there is no alternative. Only thus can some effect be achieved; if not, all of the words I say would be for nothing. And would you all not then go down in history as sinners? Would you not become the scum of the earth? Do you not know what work is being performed in you, and what is required of you? You ought to know your own caliber: It does not meet My requirements at all. And does this not delay My work? Based on your current caliber and the current state of your character, not one of you is fit to bear witness to Me, nor are any of you up to the task of shouldering the heavy responsibilities of My future work. Do you not feel deeply ashamed? If you go on like this, how can you satisfy My will? You should live your life to the fullest. Do not let time pass in vain—there is no value in doing so. You should know what you ought to be equipped with. Do not think yourself a jack of all trades—you still have a long way to go! What more is there to say if you do not even possess the minimum common sense of humanity? Is it not all in vain? And as for the humanity and caliber I require, not a single one of you is fully qualified. It is extremely difficult to find someone who is fit for use. You believe yourselves capable of doing greater work for Me, and of being entrusted with greater things from Me; in fact, you do not even know how to enter into many of the lessons before your very eyes—so how could you possibly enter into deeper truths? Your entry should take a layered approach and by degrees. It must not be chaotic—that is no good. Start with the very shallowest entry: Read these words line by line until you achieve understanding and clarity. When you read God’s words, do not just skim through as if admiring flowers while galloping on horseback, and do not just go through the motions. You can also regularly read some reference books (such as books on grammar or rhetoric) to improve your knowledge. Do not read books like romance novels, biographies of great men, or those about social science; these are of no benefit, and can only cause harm. You must master all that you should enter into and understand. The purpose of raising people’s caliber is to give them an awareness of their own essence, identity, status and worth. You should understand why people must pursue the truth in believing in God, and whether it is acceptable for people to not raise their caliber. It is imperative that you keep yourselves educated; you must not throw this away! You must understand why people’s caliber must be raised, how it should be raised, and which aspects to enter into. You must understand the significance of living out normal humanity, why this work has to be done, and the part that man should play. For example, in becoming educated, you should understand which aspects should be studied, and how one should enter into them. You should all know what the goal of becoming educated is. Is it not to understand the words of God and to enter into the truth? What prevails throughout the churches today? Making people educate themselves causes them to forget about the enjoyment of God’s words, and they do nothing all day beyond getting educated. If you require them to live out normal humanity, they will attend only to tidying up their house, cooking, or buying kitchen utensils. These things will be their sole focus; they will even be unaware of how to lead an ordinary church life. If you find yourself in the current circumstances, you have gone astray in your practice. Then why are you asked to enter into the spiritual life? Simply learning those things will leave you incapable of achieving what is asked of you. Entering into life is still what is most important; the reason for doing that work, meanwhile, is to resolve the difficulties people encounter in their experiences. Raising your caliber gives you knowledge of human nature and the essence of man, the main purpose of which is so that people’s spiritual life can grow and their disposition can change. You may know how to dress up and make yourself look nice, you may be insightful and clever, and yet ultimately, when the day comes for you to go to work, you cannot. Thus should you be aware of what should also be done while raising your caliber. The goal is to change you; raising your caliber is supplemental. It will not do if your caliber is not improved, and if your disposition is not changed, that is even worse. Neither can be omitted. Possessing normal humanity does not mean that you have borne resounding testimony—what is required of you is not so simple.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Raising Caliber Is for the Sake of Receiving God’s Salvation

We will start by addressing the most superficial aspect of knowledge. Are the grammar and words in languages able to corrupt people? Can words corrupt people? (No.) Words do not corrupt people; they are a tool that people use to speak and they are also the tool with which people communicate with God, not to mention that at present, language and words are how God communicates with people. They are tools, and they are a necessity. One plus one equals two, and two multiplied by two equals four; is this not knowledge? But can this corrupt you? This is common knowledge—it is a fixed pattern—and so it cannot corrupt people. So what type of knowledge does corrupt people? Corrupting knowledge is knowledge that is intermingled with Satan’s viewpoints and thoughts. Satan seeks to inculcate these viewpoints and thoughts into humanity through the medium of knowledge. For example, in an article, there is nothing wrong with the written words in themselves. The problem lies with the viewpoints and intent of the author when they wrote the article, as well as the content of their thoughts. These are things of the spirit, and they are able to corrupt people. For example, if you were watching a television show, what sort of things in it could change people’s view? Would what the performers said, the words themselves, be able to corrupt people? (No.) What sort of things would corrupt people? It would be the core thoughts and content of the show, which would represent the director’s views. The information carried in these views could sway people’s hearts and minds. Is that not so? Now you know what I am referring to in My discussion of Satan using knowledge to corrupt people. You will not misunderstand, will you? So the next time you read a novel or an article, will you be able to evaluate whether or not the thoughts expressed in the written words corrupt mankind or contribute to humanity? (Yes, to a small extent.) This is something that must be studied and experienced at a slow pace, and it is not something that is easily understood right away. For example, when researching or studying an area of knowledge, some positive aspects of that knowledge may help you to understand some general knowledge about that field, while also enabling you to know what people should avoid. For example, take “electricity”—this is a field of knowledge, is it not? Would you not be ignorant if you did not know that electricity can shock and hurt people? But once you understand this field of knowledge, you will not be careless about touching objects with electrical currents, and you will know how to use electricity. These are both positive things.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique V

People definitely have many imaginings and notions about belief in God. Some people even think that they have nothing to learn after they start believing in God. They believe that God will take action when the time comes, and when God performs signs and wonders, people will be able to do anything. These are the imaginings and notions of man. The skills and knowledge people should learn in relation to their duty should be approached and studied as befits the duty; do not idly dream and do not rely on your imagination—what God asks people to do is what they ought to attain, and so no matter what it is, accept it as your duty and take it seriously. This is the perspective people should have toward their duty, and it is not a notion, it is the truth, and it is also what God requires. Much of the time, what God does is at odds with people’s imaginings. If people are able to put aside their notions, seek God’s will, and seek the truth principles, then they will be able to accept it. If you are stubborn and refuse to let go of your notions, this is tantamount to not accepting the truth, to not accepting the things that are right. If you do not accept the truth and things that are right, can it be said that you are hostile to God? The truth and positive things come from God. If you do not accept them, and still cling to your own notions, then this clearly shows that you are hostile to the truth.

—“Only by Resolving One’s Notions Can One Enter the Right Track of Believing in God (1)” in Records of Talks of Christ of the Last Days

There are various projects in the work of spreading the gospel, and they require people to specialize in the study of various skills and professions. Some people do not understand God’s will and are prone to go astray: They merely delve into a profession or skill and do not accept the truth. What sort of people are they? (They are the sort with an antichrist’s disposition, who focus on gifts.) Correct—that is the sort of person that is revealed, the sort with an antichrist’s disposition, and, in serious cases, they are indeed antichrists. They wish to use this chance to learn these things, and then to become preeminent among all who have the same skill and profession, to become the one who has learned it best and to the greatest proficiency, the one on whom others must rely in all they do. As they become the leader in their field, they make others pay heed to them, and they use this as a substitute for the practice of the truth. Herein lies the problem. Who are such people? Those who seek only to study and equip themselves with varied knowledge, learning, and experiences, who rely on their caliber, talents, and gifts to do everything will, sooner or later, follow such a path. This is inevitable, and it is the path of Paul. In any area, in any field, though you may have acquired more experience or knowledge than others, or learned more through experience than them, this does not suffice to show that you have understood the truth, or have entered into truth reality, or that you are possessed of the truth. What could suffice to show this, then? What could suffice to show this would be coming to a better understanding of the principles that underlie the performance of a duty in the process of learning its associated skill and profession, and coming to a better understanding of the required standards for the performance of this duty in God’s house. With some people, the more you ask them to learn the knowledge of a profession, the more they resist. They feel unable to perform their duty, and, by way of excuse, they ask: Since belief in God should be kept separate from the world of the unbelievers, why do we need to learn the skills and knowledge of unbelievers? They simply do not wish to study. This is laziness. They act with an irresponsible attitude, and they are without loyalty, not wishing to make any effort even in this small thing. The impetus for learning a skill and profession is the fulfillment of duty, and there is much expertise and foundational knowledge of things with which you were previously uninvolved that you must acquire. This is what God requires of man and it is the task God entrusts to man; so you do not study these things in vain, but for the sake of fulfilling your duty. Some people think that once they learn these skills, they can gain a foothold in God’s house. However, such thinking can get them in trouble, right? It is an incorrect view. Is anyone likely to walk this path? The more power you give them, the larger the scope of work you give them, and the more responsibilities you give them, the more danger they are in. How does this danger come about? Naturally, it comes from people having corrupt dispositions, having the disposition of an antichrist, only focusing on methods, going through the motions, and not seeking principles. They do not use the performance of their duties to understand God’s will or to better understand and grasp the truth principles. They do not seek the principles, nor do they examine or review what corruption has been revealed in themselves, what incorrect views they have formed, or what wrong states they have become entrapped in while performing their duties. They only focus on outward methods and on mastering and becoming equipped with all the knowledge their duties require. They believe that in any profession, knowledge comes before everything else, and that with that knowledge, they can become powerful and gain a foothold in the group. In any group of people, no matter which, those who have the most knowledge and who are the best educated have the highest status. For example, in a hospital, the general director is typically the best in terms of professional knowledge, as well as the most adept in terms of technical skill. These people imagine things operate the same way in God’s house. Is this a correct understanding? No, it is not, because it goes against the principle of “the truth rules in God’s house.” These people believe knowledge rules in God’s house, that whoever has the most knowledge or experience, or whoever has the greatest seniority or has the most capital, is the one who should be raised up to a higher position in God’s house and is the one to whom everyone should listen. However, this view is wrong, is it not? Some people might think this way without being aware of it, and they might even act on it and seek in this manner, but one day, they will run right into a wall. Why will they run into a wall? Can people who do not love the truth, do not seek the truth, and completely ignore the truth ever come to know themselves? (No.) Without an understanding of themselves, they equip themselves with a lot of knowledge, pay a certain price for God’s house, accumulate some merit, and then turn these things into capital. What is this capital to them? It is a record of their practice of the truth, and proof of their entry to the truth reality and their understanding of the truth; this is what it has become. When a person understands the truth and enters its realities, this is a good and positive thing in everyone’s eyes, and of course these people feel that way, too. Unfortunately, they mistakenly consider knowledge to be the truth and feel good about this mistake, and that is a sign of danger. What type of person does this? People who lack spiritual understanding do this. They go on and on until they set foot upon this path, and then it is impossible to pull them back. You can fellowship with them, point out the states they are in, or expose them, but they understand none of it. They are unable to apply any of what you say to them to themselves, and this shows a serious lack of spiritual understanding. They very naturally consider the knowledge, experience, and lessons they have gained to be the truth, and once they do so, a particular situation always emerges in the end. This is inevitable. If God says one thing and they say another, their viewpoints are inevitably different from His, but who do these people say is correct? They consider themselves to be correct. So, are they capable of submitting to God? No; they maintain their own views and deny what He says. As such, are these people not treating themselves as incarnations of the truth?

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. They Would Have Others Obey Only Them, Not the Truth or God (Part Three)

God created each man with his own specialty. Some are good at literature, some at mathematics, and some are good at the in-depth study of a skill, such as mechanics, carpentry, or masonry. Perhaps the specialties of some people come from systematic education in society; or, perhaps, they come from a person’s natural aptitude. Once a person has mastered a skill, whether that mastery is learned or is a product of their aptitude, they feel happy and content to think they have an “iron rice bowl”; they value their skill as a sort of capital, which is troublesome. So, how should such things be viewed? If they have a use in the house of God, then they are no more than tools with which to fulfill your duty, and are unrelated to the truth. What is related to the truth, then? To listen to the words of God and act according to principles as you use your skill and profession to do your duty; to turn your skill and profession into a tool with which to perform your duty, and to wield that tool better, to perform your duty better, with that tool helping you to fulfill your duty—this is of use. Yet no matter how useful such things are, they can never become the truth; no matter how great your mastery of your skill and your profession, nor how great your accomplishments in this talent of yours, they can never be the truth, nor can they ever serve as capital or a bargaining chip for your perfection. They are forever dead things that have nothing to do with the truth.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. They Would Have Others Obey Only Them, Not the Truth or God (Part Three)