Category: Eight Great Textbooks

No One Has Known the Root of Sin

Join us this Saturday, February 1st for a Divine Principle seminar: https://www.urbanlifetraining.org/index.php/unification-principle-training .

Job 9

25 My life is speeding by,
    without a hope of happiness.
26 Each day passes swifter
than a sailing ship
    or an eagle swooping down.
27 Sometimes I try to be cheerful
    and to stop complaining,
28 but my sufferings frighten me,
because I know that God
    still considers me guilty.
29 So what’s the use of trying
    to prove my innocence?
30 Even if I washed myself
    with the strongest soap,
31 God would throw me into a pit
of stinking slime,
leaving me
    disgusting to my clothes.

Job 15

15 Eliphaz from Teman said:

2 Job, if you had any sense,
3 you would stop spreading
    all of this hot air.
4 Your words are enough
to make others turn from God
    and lead them to doubt.
5 And your sinful, scheming mind
    is the source of all you say.
6 I am not here as your judge;
your own words are witnesses
    against you.

Exposition of the Divine Principle
3 Color Edition-The Red part

The Fall of Man

All people have an original mind which inclines them to reject evil
and pursue goodness. Yet, even without our being aware of it, we are
driven by evil forces to abandon the goodness which our original mind
desires and to perform evil deeds which, in our innermost heart, we do
not want to do. As long as these evil forces assail us, the sinful history
of humanity will continue unabated. In Christianity, the master of these
evil forces is known as Satan. We have been utterly unable to liquidate
the forces of Satan because we have not understood Satan’s identity or
how he came to exist. This explanation of the human Fall will clarify
these issues.
THE ROOT OF SIN
No one has known the root of sin, which lies deep within and cease-
lessly drives people toward the way of evil. On the basis of the Bible,
Christians have held to a vague belief that Adam and Eve’s eating the
fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the root of sin.
1.1 THE TREE OF LIFE AND THE TREE OF
THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL
Adam and Eve fell when they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowl-
edge of good and evil. Many Christians to this day have thought that
this was the fruit of an actual tree. Why should we stubbornly adhere to a literal interpretation of the fruit when
so much of the Bible makes use of symbolism and metaphor? We would
do well to abandon such a narrow and old-fashioned attitude of faith.
To learn what the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil represents, let us first investigate the tree of life, which stood next
to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden.
1.1.1 THE TREE OF LIFE
The tree of life in fact symbolizes a man who has fully
realized the ideal of creation. Perfected Adam was to be this ideal man.
The tree of life thus symbolizes perfected Adam.
1.1.2 THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, standing beside the tree of
life, 14 was this tree which, by fulfilling its good purpose, represents the
ideal woman, perfected Eve.
1.2 THE IDENTITY OF THE SERPENT
In the Bible we read that a serpent tempted Eve to commit sin. 17
What does the serpent symbolize? We are left with the con-
clusion that the spiritual being represented by the serpent was originally
created with a good purpose, but later fell and became Satan. The serpent, which tempted human beings and
sinned, is an angel.
1.3 THE FALL OF THE ANGEL AND THE FALL OF HUMAN BEINGS
1.3.1 T HE C RIME OF THE ANGEL
And the angels that did not keep their own position but left their proper
dwelling have been kept by him in eternal chains in the nether gloom until
the judgment of the great day; just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the sur-
rounding cities, which likewise acted immorally and indulged in unnat-
ural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
— Jude 6-7
From this passage we can infer that the angel fell as a result of an illic-
it sexual relationship.
1.3.2 T HE CRIME OF THE HUMAN BEINGS
We read that before they fell, Adam and Eve were both naked, and
were not ashamed. 19 After the Fall, however, they felt ashamed of their
nakedness and sewed fig leaves together into aprons to cover their
lower parts. Adam and Eve’s sexual parts were the source of their shame
because they were the instruments of their sinful deed.
1.3.3 THE ILLICIT SEXUAL ACT BETWEEN THE ANGEL AND THE HUMAN BEINGS
We can deduce that the illicit sexual relationship must have involved the angel and human beings.
1.4 THE FRUIT OF THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL
What does the fruit of this tree represent? It signifies the
love of Eve. Eve should have borne good
children through her godly love. Instead, she bore evil children through
her satanic love. Accordingly, Eve’s eating of
the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil denotes that she
consummated a satanic love relationship with the angel which bound
her in blood ties to him.
1.5 THE ROOT OF SIN
The root of sin was not that the first human ancestors ate a fruit, but rather
that they had an illicit sexual relationship with an angel (symbolized by
a serpent). Consequently, they could not multiply God’s good lineage
but instead multiplied Satan’s evil lineage.
THE MOTIVATION AND PROCESS OF THE FALL
2.1 ANGELS , THEIR MISSIONS AND THEIR
RELATIONSHIP TO HUMAN BEINGS
Angels were created by God prior to any other creation. God created angels to be His retainers, who would assist Him in creating and sustaining the universe. in Hebrews angels are referred to as “ministering spirits.” The Bible often portrays angels honoring and praising
God. Let us investigate the relationship between human beings and angels
from the perspective of the Principle of Creation. Because God creat-
ed us as His children and gave us dominion over all creation, 37 we are
meant to rule over the angels as well.
2.2 T HE SPIRITUAL F ALL AND THE PHYSICAL FALL
God created human beings with two components: the spirit self
and the physical self. The human Fall likewise took place in two dimen-
sions: the spiritual and the physical. The fall which took place through
the sexual relationship between the angel and Eve was the spiritual fall,
while the fall which occurred through the sexual relationship between
Eve and Adam was the physical fall.
2.2.1 T HE SPIRITUAL FALL
Lucifer, feeling as though he were receiving less love than he deserved, wanted to grasp the same central position in human society as he enjoyed as the
channel of God’s love in the angelic world. This was why he seduced
Eve, and this was the motivation of the spiritual fall. Lucifer, who left his proper position due to his excessive desire, and Eve,
who wanted to open her eyes and become like God 44 before the time
was ripe, formed a common base and began give and take action. The
power of the unprincipled love generated by their give and take led
them to consummate an illicit sexual relationship on the spiritual plane.
2.2.2 THE PHYSICAL FALL
Eve then seduced Adam with the hope that by uniting with him, her intended spouse, she could rid herself of the dread and once again stand before God. This was Eve’s motivation which led to the physical fall. Adam responded and formed a common base with Eve, and they began give and take action with each other. The power of the unprincipled love generated in their relationship induced Adam to abandon his original position and brought them together in an illicit physical relationship of sexual love.

View slides 1 to 25 below for a graphical presentation of the above content:

2007p1-CHAPT-2-Fall-of-Man_revised-4-28-2014-1

God Does Not Decide Whether a Person’s Spirit Enters Heaven or Hell

Cheon Seong Gyeong 325

When you ask the whole universe,
from the smallest elements to human
beings, “What is it that the person who
possesses you has to have?” all of them
would answer that they would like to
belong to a person who has love. This
means that all things of creation are seek-
ing an owner of love. (132-158, 1984.5.31)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1854

I love water. Water is the source of all
life. Water embraces and absorbs every-
thing. There are two rivers in Jardim: the
Miranda River and Plata River, which
are like yang and yin. The water in the
Plata River is clear, whereas the water
in the Miranda River is muddy. Usually,
people run away when there is muddy
water, but yesterday I saw a clear stream
of water being drawn into a whirlpool,
without any resistance. With dignity,
the clear water joined the muddy water
and changed its color. Yet as the days go
by, the water gains the strength to regain
its color and purify itself as it continues
flowing. (276-140, 1996.2.18)

Exposition of the Divine Principle
3 Color Edition-The Red part

The Principle of Creation

THE INCORPOREAL WORLD AND THE CORPOREAL WORLD
WHOSE CENTER IS HUMAN BEINGS

6.1 THE INCORPOREAL WORLD AND THE CORPOREAL WORLD
AS SUBSTANTIAL REALITIES
The universe was created after the pattern of a human being, who
is in the image of God’s dual characteristics. Therefore, the structure of
the universe and every entity in it resembles that of a human being,
which consists most fundamentally of mind and body. Corresponding
to the human mind and body, the universe consists of the incorporeal
world and the corporeal world, both of which are real and substantial. The incorporeal and corporeal worlds together form the cosmos.
The incorporeal world, or spirit world, is in the position of subject partner, and the corporeal world,
or physical world, is in the position of object partner. The latter is like
a shadow of the former. 24 When we shed our physical bodies after our
life in the physical world, we enter the spirit world as spirits and live
there for eternity.
6.2 THE POSITION OF HUMAN BEINGS IN THE COSMOS
The position of human beings in the cosmos has three aspects. First,
God created human beings to be the rulers of the universe. Second, God created human beings to be the mediator and the center of harmony of the cosmos. Third, God created human beings to encapsulate in a substantial
form the essences of everything in the cosmos. Accordingly, each person is a microcosm.
6.3 THE RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
THE PHYSICAL SELF AND THE SPIRIT SELF
6.3.1 THE STRUCTURE AND F UNCTIONS OF THE PHYSICAL SELF
The physical self consists of the dual characteristics of the physical
mind (subject partner) and the physical body (object partner). Good or evil in the conduct of the physical self is the main determinant of whether the spirit self becomes good or evil.
6.3.2 THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF THE SPIRIT SELF
Our spirit self consists of the dual characteristics of spirit mind (subject partner) and spirit body (object partner). The spirit can grow only while it abides in the flesh. Thus, the relationship between the physical self and the spirit self is similar to that between a tree and its fruit. The spirit self can attain perfection only during a person’s earthly life. The redemption of sins granted during earthly life opens the way for his spirit to become good. It is not God who decides whether a person’s spirit enters heaven or hell upon his death; it is decided by the spirit himself.

View slides 81 to 93 below for an illustrated presentation of the content above:

2007p1-CHAPT-1-Creation_revised-4-28-2014-red-part

Human Beings’ Growth Requires Fulfillment of their Own Portion of Responsibility

Deuteronomy 13

13 1-2 Someday a prophet[a] may come along who is able to perform miracles or tell what will happen in the future. Then the prophet may say, “Let’s start worshiping some new gods—some gods that we know nothing about.” 3 If the prophet says this, don’t listen! The Lord your God will be watching to find out whether or not you love him with all your heart and soul. 4 You must be completely faithful to the Lord. Worship and obey only the Lord and do this with fear and trembling, 5 because he rescued you from slavery in Egypt.

Psalm 18

18 I love you, Lord God,
    and you make me strong.
2 You are my mighty rock,
    my fortress, my protector,
    the rock where I am safe,
my shield,
    my powerful weapon,
    and my place of shelter.

Exposition of the Divine Principle
3 Color Edition-The Red part

The Principle of Creation

THE PURPOSE OF CREATION

ORIGINAL VALUE

4.1 T HE PROCESS AND STANDARD FOR
THE DETERMINATION OF ORIGINAL VALUE
How is a being’s original created value determined? Since its original value is determined when it participates
in a four position foundation, and since the center of this four position
foundation is God, it is God who sets the standard for its value. Since
God is absolute, the original value of an object partner determined in
relation to this standard set by God must also be absolute.

THE PROCESS OF THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE
AND ITS G ROWING PERIOD

5.1 THE PROCESS OF THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE
The universe did not suddenly spring forth complete, without regard
to the flow of time. In fact, its origin and development took an enor-
mous length of time. Therefore, the biblical period of six days for the
completion of the universe is not to be reckoned by the number of lit-
eral sunrises and sunsets. It symbolizes six ordered periods of time in
the creation process.
5.2 THE GROWING PERIOD FOR THE CREATION
When the first day of creation was completed, it states, “There was evening and there was morning, one day.” All things are designed to reach completion only after passing through a set growing period.
5.2.1 THE THREE ORDERED STAGES OF THE G ROWING PERIOD
Everything reaches perfection by passing through
three ordered stages of growth: the formation stage, the growth stage
and the completion stage. Human beings could not fulfill the purpose of their existence because
they fell without completing the three stages of the growing period.
Hence, in their renewed efforts to realize their purpose, human beings
must pass through these three stages. At what stage of the growing period did the first humans fall? They
fell at the top of the growth stage.
5.2.2 T HE REALM OF INDIRECT DOMINION
During the growing period, all beings in the creation grow by
virtue of the autonomy and governance given by God’s Principle. God,
the Author of the Principle, has regard only for the fruits of their
growth which are based on the Principle. In this way, He governs all
things indirectly. We call this growing period the realm of God’s indi-
rect dominion or the realm of dominion based on accomplishments
through the Principle.
All things reach perfection after passing through the growing per-
iod (the realm of indirect dominion) by virtue of the autonomy and gov-
ernance given by God’s Principle. Human beings, however, are created
in such a way that their growth requires the fulfillment of their own por-
tion of responsibility, in addition to the guidance provided by the
Principle. They must exercise this responsibility in order to pass suc-
cessfully through the growing period and reach perfection.
5.2.3 THE REALM OF DIRECT DOMINION
What is the realm of God’s direct dominion and what is its purpose?
Human beings abide in the realm of direct dominion when, as subject
partner and object partner, they unite in the love of God to form a four
position foundation and become one in heart with God. In this realm
they freely and fully share love and beauty according to the will of the
subject partner, thus realizing the purpose of goodness. The realm of
direct dominion is the realm of perfection.

View slides 64 to 80 below for a graphical presentation of the above content:

2007p1-CHAPT-1-Creation_revised-4-28-2014-red-part

The Ultimate Purpose of the Universe, with Human Beings at it’s Center Is to Return Joy to God

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1972

When we observe the birthplace of
civilizations from a geographical point
of view, we see that they developed based
on the conditions of climate, during the
course of world history. Then what kind
of place is most ideal? We can conclude
that the ideal location is one that has four
seasons and connects the sea to the land.
In terms of climate, it should be a region
with four seasons. It should be a penin-
sula, as well as a region where the four
seasons are distinct. What is a peninsu-
lar region? The land symbolizes heaven,
and the water symbolizes the sea. The
peninsula connects these two. That is
the reality of the world. That is how it
works with all the principles of heaven
and earth. In that sense, the Italian pen-
insula, as a peninsular region, contrib-
uted to world culture. This was the first
great staging-post for past civilizations.
You should be aware that this penin-
sular civilization centered on Rome, a
region with an integrated civilization,
had emerged with the authority of the
past ages in history. It had also passed
through the Egyptian civilization and
Greek civilization to become a compre-
hensive area. (107-300, 1980.6.8)

Richard: God is making a new heaven and a new earth. Not through literal destruction and rebuilding, but by bringing a new culture of heart which originates in Korea through the teaching of the True Parent, Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1191

What is the secret method to restore
the right of the eldest son? Satan claims,
“God is a perfect God and the Adam and
Eve He is seeking must also be perfect.
Had they not fallen, it would have been
the Principled standard that Adam and
Eve have to love me as the original arch-
angel. Thus, even though I have fallen
and I found myself in the position of a
bad one, if you all are in a position to
be called good and true, you must set
up the condition of having loved me.
Without this, You, God, cannot be in
the position of God in front of me.” This
is the problem. Satan stops everything
dead, saying, “If there is a secret method
of uniting with you, what is it? The per-
son You send must love me. Unless he
stands together with You in the position
of loving me, and makes the condition
enabling him to say that he loved me, he
will not be able to regain the birthright
of the firstborn son that I have been hold-
ing on to.” That is why Jesus exhorted

Exposition of the Divine Principle
3 Color Edition-The Red part

The Principle of Creation

THE PURPOSE OF CREATION

3.1 THE PURPOSE OF THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE
It is recorded in the Bible that after God completed each day of creation, He saw that it was good. This suggests that God wanted His creations to be object partners embodying goodness that He might take delight in them.
The three great blessings are fulfilled when the whole creation, including human beings, completes the four position foundation with God as the center. This is the Kingdom of Heaven, where ultimate goodness is realized and God feels the greatest joy. This is, in fact, the very purpose for which
God created the universe. The ultimate purpose of the universe, with human beings at its center, is to return joy to God.

3.2 GOOD OBJECT PARTNERS FOR THE JOY OF G OD
Joy is not produced by an individual alone. Joy arises when we have an object partner in which our internal nature and external form are reflected
and developed. Our object partner helps us to feel our own internal
nature and external form through the stimulation it gives. This object
partner may be intangible or it may be substantial.
God feels the fullness of joy when He is stimulated by His
substantial object partners to feel His original internal nature and orig-
inal external form through them. It was explained earlier that when the Kingdom of Heaven is realized—through the fulfillment of the three great blessings and the establishment of the four position foundation—it becomes the good object partner that gives joy to God. Let us investigate how the Kingdom becomes God’s good object partner.
The key to God’s first blessing is the perfection of individual character. An individual’s mind and body are discrete projections and object
partners of God’s dual characteristics. In order for an individual to per-
fect his character, he must form a four position foundation within him-
self whereby his mind and body become one through give and take
action with God as their center.
God’s second blessing was to be fulfilled by Adam and Eve after they
had achieved individual perfection as object partners to God, each man-
ifesting an aspect of God’s dual characteristics. In order to construct the
four position foundation in their family, Adam and Eve should have joined
in loving oneness as husband and wife and raised children. This would
have been the fulfillment of the second blessing.
The meaning of God’s third blessing is the perfection of a human
being’s dominion over the natural world. To fulfill this blessing, the four
position foundation of dominion must be established centered on God.
Human beings and the natural world, which are the substantial object
partners of God at the level of image and symbol respectively, must
share love and beauty to become completely one.

View slides 51 to 63 below for an illustrated slide show of today’s reading.

2007p1-CHAPT-1-Creation_revised-4-28-2014-red-part

The Four Position Foundation Is God’s Eternal Purpose of Creation

Read the latest Urban Life Training Newsletter: https://www.urbanlifetraining.org/index.php/newsletters/337-newsletter-01-21-20 .

Romans 4

4 Money paid to workers isn’t a gift. It is something they earn by working. 5 But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him. 6 In the Scriptures David talks about the blessings that come to people who are acceptable to God, even though they don’t do anything to deserve these blessings. David says,

7 “God blesses people
    whose sins are forgiven
and whose evil deeds
    are forgotten.
8 The Lord blesses people
whose sins are erased
    from his book.”

Isaiah 1

15 “No matter how much you pray,
I won’t listen.
    You are too violent.
16 Wash yourselves clean!
I am disgusted
    with your filthy deeds.
Stop doing wrong
17     and learn to live right.
See that justice is done.
Defend widows and orphans
    and help those in need.”

Exposition of the Divine Principle
3 Color Edition-The Red part

The Principle of Creation

1.2 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD AND THE UNIVERSE

In light of our understanding of the dual characteristics, the relationship between God and the universe can be summarized thus: The
universe as a whole is a substantial object partner to God. It is composed of individual embodiments of truth, each a unique manifestation
of the dual characteristics of God at either the level of image or of symbol, as governed by the Principle of Creation.

UNIVERSAL PRIME ENERGY, GIVE AND TAKE ACTION,
AND THE FOUR POSITION FOUNDATION

2.1 UNIVERSAL PRIME ENERGY
God, the Creator of all things, is the absolute reality, eternal, self-existent and transcendent of time and space. The fundamental energy
of God’s being is also eternal, self-existent and absolute. It is the origin of all energies and forces that allow created beings to exist. We call
this fundamental energy universal prime energy.

2.2 GIVE AND TAKE ACTION
Through the agency of universal prime energy, the subject and
object elements of every entity form a common base and enter into
interaction. This interaction, in turn, generates all the forces the entity
needs for existence, multiplication and action. The interaction generating these forces through this process is called give and take action.
2.3 THE FOUR POSITION FOUNDATION WHICH REALIZES THE THREE
OBJECT PURPOSE THROUGH ORIGIN-DIVISION-UNION ACTION

2.3.1 ORIGIN-DIVISION-UNION ACTION
The process of God’s creation in which out of God, the Origin, two entities are separately manifested
and reunited in oneness—is called origin-division-union action.
2.3.2 THE THREE OBJECT PURPOSE
As a result of origin-division-union action, four positions are formed:
the origin at the center, the subject partner and the object partner (distinct substantial object partners to the origin in the pattern of its dual
characteristics), and their union. Any one of the four positions may
assume the position of subject partner and engage the other three as
its object partners, forming a communion of three object partners. When
each of the four then acts as the subject partner and enters into give
and take with the other three revolving around it, they fulfill the three
object purpose.
2.3.3 THE FOUR POSITION FOUNDATION
When through origin-division-union action, the origin, the subject
partner and object partner projected from the origin, and their union all
fulfill the three object purpose, the four position foundation is established.
The original significance of the number four derives from the fourposition foundation. The original significance of the number three also
derives from it, because it is the fulfillment of the three-object purpose.
The four position foundation is realized by God, husband and wife, and
children; they complete the three stages of origin-division-union action.
Hence, the four position foundation is the root of the principle of three
stages. Furthermore, each of the four positions in the four position
foundation takes on three object partners in fulfilling the three object
purpose. In total there are twelve object partners; hence, from it derives
the original significance of the number twelve. The four position foundation is the fundamental foundation of goodness. It is the realization
of God’s purpose of creation. It is the fundamental foundation for the
life of all beings, providing all the forces necessary for their existence
and enabling God to abide in them. Therefore, the four position foundation is God’s eternal purpose of creation.

View slides 26 -50 below for an illustrated slide show of the content above.

2007p1-CHAPT-1-Creation_revised-4-28-2014-red-part