Category: Galatians

Thou hast Made Him Little Less than God

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Galatians 6

6 My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don’t be tempted yourself. 2 You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand.

3 If you think you are better than others, when you really aren’t, you are wrong. 4 Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others. 5 We each must carry our own load.

2 Samuel 9

8 Mephibosheth knelt down again and said, “Why should you care about me? I’m worth no more than a dead dog.”

9 David called in Ziba, Saul’s chief servant, and told him, “Since Mephibosheth is Saul’s grandson, I’ve given him back everything that belonged to your master Saul and his family. 10 You and your fifteen sons and twenty servants will work for Mephibosheth. You will farm his land and bring in his crops, so that Saul’s family and servants[b] will have food. But Mephibosheth will always eat with me at my table.”

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 4

God’s Creation and Human Creativity

The Lord of Creation

Although human beings are but a part of the natural worLd,we occupy a unique position as lords of creation. in the bible, adam and eve were granted the blessing of dominion over all things, and the qur’an accords to each human being the status of God’s “vicegerent.” this means also that God created the natural world for our benefit, as nature provides us with everything we need to live and thrive. nevertheless, the blessing of dominion is not divine permission to pollute the earth and create artificial environments at nature’s expense. in the agricultural societies where this mandate was first given, human creativity was seen as essentially in harmony with nature’s ebb and flow. We are truly lords of creation when we practice love for all things and use our creativity to enhance nature’s abundance even as we adapt it to our use.
The basis of humankind’s sovereignty over nature is not a matter of size or strength. on that scale of things we are but infinitesimal specks on a planet that is itself but a speck in the infinite reaches of the universe. rather, it is due to our unique spiritual endowment. humans seek after God; they seek to better themselves and aspire to a better world. this makes us different in kind from animals. in our awareness of and intimacy with the creator of the universe, we humans are potentially more valuable than the entire world of creation.
Do we deserve this honor? as Father Moon teaches, since we receive the creator’s abundant love, we should, in turn, love the creation on God’s behalf. then we become the bridge between God and the natural world. God loves his creatures through us, and through us the entire natural world is perfected

1. Human Beings Are Given Dominion over All Things

I will create a vicegerent on earth.
Qur’an 2.30

And God blessed them, and God said to them,
“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and
subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of
the sea and over the birds of the air and over
every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
Genesis 1.28

Do you not see that God has subjected to your
use all things in the heavens and on earth, and
has made His bounties flow to you in exceeding
measure, both seen and unseen?
Qur’an 31.20

When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy
fingers,
the moon and the stars which thou hast
established;
What is man that Thou art mindful of him,
and the son of man that thou dost care for
him?
Yet thou hast made him little less than God,
and dost crown him with glory and honor.
Psalm 8.3-5

God is He who created the heavens and the
earth, and sends down rain from the skies, and
with it brings forth fruits to feed you; it is He
who made the ships subject to you, that they
may sail through the sea by His command; and
the rivers He has made subject to you. And He
made subject to you the sun and the moon,
both diligently pursuing their courses; and the
night and the day He has made subject to you.
And He gives you of all that you ask for. But if
you count the favors of God, never will you be
able to number them. Verily, man is given up to
injustice and ingratitude.
Qur’an 14.32-34

Out of the ground the L ord God formed every
beast of the field and every bird of the air, and
brought them to the man to see what he would
call them; and whatever the man called every
living creature, that was its name.
Genesis 2.19

A True Person Loves His Enemies

Galatians 6

7 You cannot fool God, so don’t make a fool of yourself! You will harvest what you plant. 8 If you follow your selfish desires, you will harvest destruction, but if you follow the Spirit, you will harvest eternal life. 9 Don’t get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don’t give up. 10 We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord.

Proverbs 12

23 Be sensible and don’t tell
    everything you know—
    only fools spread
    foolishness everywhere.

24 Work hard, and you
    will be a leader;
    be lazy, and you
    will end up a slave.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 3

Perfection

3. Perfection Is to Love as God Loves

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Love is the standard for perfect character. Character is perfected through the infinite and absolute love of God. (33:79, August 9, 1970)

To pioneer this path, Jesus emphasized love as never before in history. He taught that we must overcome every difficult situation with patience. He stressed that we must be more faithful to God’s Will than sinners are committed to doing evil. These are the fundamental points of what Christians call the nine fruits of the Spirit. From a life of love arises joy, happiness, and peace. From patience arises mercy and goodness. From a life of faithfulness arises humility and gentleness.
Jesus emphasized the love of heaven, the patience of heaven, and the faithfulness of heaven to remove the evil elements from human beings dwelling in the fallen world. Through this practical philosophy, we can be elevated to the heavenly way of life. Nevertheless, does Christ’s love exist in your hearts today? (2:345, August 4, 1957)

What makes God true?15 God likes both good and bad people on earth. Don’t even condemned criminals cry out, “Oh God, have mercy on me! I love you!” just before their execution? Why would a condemned man pledge to God with a good and sincere heart, hoping for a new start? Why does he yearn to grasp God fully, trust Him, try to be with Him, and share with Him his feelings and difficulties more than he would with his parents or brothers and sisters? It is because God is true.
A true person, then, loves not only those whom he likes, but also the enemies who are trying to kill him. He should be a person whom we can trust fully, with whom we want to share all our problems and through whom we can wish for everything.
Is a person who hates someone a true person or a false person? Definitely, he is a false person. Then, are most people in this world true people or false people? They are false people.
To be a true person, you must be true in all dimensions. If you members love the people who love me and hate the people who hate me, are you good members or bad members? You are bad members.
Therefore, I am teaching you to love those who hate you. If you love them, sooner or later they will come to like you. If you return good three times for every time someone does you wrong, eventually that person will bow his head. Try it yourself and see if I am right or not. Everyone has a conscience. (39:302-04, January 16, 1971)

Is God’s love so deeply rooted in your minds that you cannot pull out no matter how hard you try? Can you say, “I am completely bound by God’s love; I cannot do whatever my body wants to do. Since God’s love is rooted so deeply in my body, I cannot live any way I like. I cannot live without centering on God’s love. When I eat, I eat with God’s love. Whatever I do, both my mind and body are centered on God’s love”? Is it that way for you? (140:24-25, February 1, 1986) ❖

Though God Is the Absolute Being, He Cannot Be Happy Alone

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Galatians 6

11 You can see what big letters I make when I write with my own hand.

12 Those people who are telling you to get circumcised are only trying to show how important they are. And they don’t want to get into trouble for preaching about the cross of Christ. 13 They are circumcised, but they don’t obey the Law of Moses. All they want is to brag about having you circumcised. 14 But I will never brag about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his cross, the world is dead as far as I am concerned, and I am dead as far as the world is concerned.

Richard: In this era, right now, Rev. Sun Myung Moon has brought us the Eight Sacred Texts and The Blessing of Marriage, with his wife, as the True Parents. Yet many cling to incorrect Christian doctrine, such as that the primary purpose that Jesus came for was to die on the cross, not, instead, to be believed by the people, which he stated clearly (John 6:28).

Isaiah 22

5 The Lord All-Powerful
    had chosen a time
for noisy shouts and confusion
    to fill Vision Valley,
and for everyone to beg
    the mountains for help.[d]
6 The people of Elam and Kir[e]
attacked with chariots[f]
    and carried shields.
7 Your most beautiful valleys
    were covered with chariots;
your cities were surrounded
by cavalry troops.
8     Judah was left defenseless.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 3

The Purpose of Human Life

For God’s Good Pleasure

2.God’s Joy in Human Beings

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

God came to us in order to feel joy through our daily life. (Way of God’s Will 2.2)

Though God is the Absolute Being, He cannot be happy alone. Adjectives such as “good” and “happy” cannot apply to any being that lives in isolation. They apply only where there is a robust mutual relationship. Imagine a professional singer who finds herself exiled to an uninhabited island. She may sing at the top of her voice, but with no one to listen, will it bring her happiness? In the same way, even the self-existent God absolutely needs a partner to share love with in order to experience joy and be happy. (September 12, 2005)

God’s creation was a necessary act. The ideal of true love that God is creating cannot be realized by a solitary being. This ideal exists so that God can share with human beings the joy of His exalted and righteous Will. When we understand the God of true love correctly, it is self-evident that this unhappy world of sin and strife was not His original plan. (400:81, December 27, 2002)

Just as in a family, where the basis of the parents’ happiness is when they have children, it is likewise unmistakable that God’s purpose in searching for humanity is to attain His own happiness through His children. There is no basis for God’s happiness if human beings are excluded. Therefore, God strives to connect with human beings and bring them to Himself, establishing a realm where God and human beings are in unity. Just as we do, God experiences happiness when all the varieties of heart are present in the family. (32:197, July 15, 1970)

If we were to ask God to tell us why He created this world, He would no doubt answer, “Because I liked it.” Because He liked it. Because it gave Him joy. God created this world to obtain joy. This state of liking, this joy, is obtained through love. God wanted to rejoice; therefore He created this world for the realization of love. God wanted to rejoice over a world of warm and harmonious love, where human beings and all creatures would dwell as one in God’s love. God wanted to rejoice over men and women who would form true conjugal relationships in His love, and then build families, tribes, nations and a world of love; and God would taste the joy of love through the loving oneness of these human beings. This was the very ideal of God’s creation. If human beings had accomplished everything for God exactly as He had envisioned and according to His Will, then God would have become the God of joy, God of glory, and God of happiness. (113:312)

God did not create human beings as objects for His amusement or as a hobby. It is impossible to express in words how hard God worked and the efforts He devoted to create human beings and establish them as the center of all created beings. In creating human beings, God devoted Himself, making many efforts. He gave them all His heart and soul and the essence of His life. He totally invested His love and affection. He created them to be in a relationship that no force can ever undo or sever. Because God created them in such a way, only when He beholds them [in their original unfallen state] can He finally feel at peace. (20:207, June 9, 1968)

God created all things in heaven and earth because it pleased Him to behold them. Many Christians today say, “God is the Creator, and we are His creatures. There can be no parity or resemblance between the Creator and His creatures.” This would mean that God is always absolute and alone, in a position without an object partner. Nothing would be greater unhappiness. Consider a man of authority, even the president of a country; his wife has died and he lives alone. Would his son say to him, “Father, you must be so happy to be living alone”? Surely his father would reply, “You rascal. How can I be happy?” Rather the son should say, “Father, would you like me find you a new wife?” That would be a filial son. (57:247, June 4, 1972)

God’s purpose in creating the universe was to feel joy when He saw the purpose of goodness fulfilled in the Heavenly Kingdom, which the whole creation, including human beings, could have established… The purpose of the universe’s existence centered on human beings is to return joy to God, the Creator. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Creation 3.1)

The Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Forbearance, Self-Control

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Galatians 5

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Ezekiel 33

13 Suppose I promise good people that they will live, then later they start sinning and believe they will be saved by the good they did in the past. These people will certainly be put to death because of their sins. Their good deeds will be forgotten.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 2

Truth and Universal Law

Moral Law

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

The way of prosperity is to follow God’s law. The reason is simple: God protects and helps anyone who follows God’s law because He wants to see His purpose of creation fulfilled. Hence, if we observe God’s law we will prosper. If we oppose God’s law and follows Satan’s law instead, we will perish, for God will strike us. (103:275, March 11, 1979)

How do we describe a person who lives in accordance with the law? Do we say he is arrogant? No, we say he or she is as an honest person. The Korean word for honesty (jeongjik) is composed of two Chinese characters, 正 meaning “right” and 直 meaning “straight.” The law establishes what is straight. With the law we separate good from evil and distinguish between right and wrong. (37:112, December 23, 1970)

This is a meter ruler. You cannot arbitrarily make your own meter different from the standard length. You have to measure distance according to the standard of the original meter. In other words, you should measure your words and deeds according to the original standard. (51:80, November 11, 1971)

The law of the universe, which upholds the welfare of the whole, is a proper standard of judgment. All human beings come before its court, and at the trial each is judged according to its statutes. What sort of people will be justified before the law of the universe? They are men and women who willingly sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the whole. On the other hand, those who dislike sacrifice, who pursue their individual interests and even take advantage of others, will be found guilty. Do you understand? So what kind of people are good people? They are people who work for the sake of others. What kind of acts are good acts? Surely, they are acts of self-sacrifice and service to benefit others. From this point of view, are today’s young people who live lives of self-indulgence good people or bad people? They are bad people, without a doubt. The law of the universe applies not only to human beings, but to the all beings in the material world. For instance, the cells of the eye cannot act as though everything in the body exists only for the eye. If the eye were to say to its owner, “Submit to me. If you as a human being, employ me for your sake, I, your eye, will rebel against you!” that kind of attitude would lead to its destruction. Rather, the cells of the eye exist for the benefit of the entire body. The eye should think, “Although my cells are precious, serving my owner is the public purpose, so I will follow the law of the universe.”
That which is public has greater value. This can be affirmed in every instance. Since we know this principle, we cannot complain. (105:93, September 30, 1979)

Does the Loving God Who Created the Universe Have the Character to Instill Such Terror?

Galatians 6

6 My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don’t be tempted yourself. 2 You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand.

2 Kings 19

17 It is true, our Lord, that Assyrian kings have turned nations into deserts. 18 They destroyed the idols of wood and stone that the people of those nations had made and worshiped. 19 But you are our Lord and our God! We ask you to keep us safe from the Assyrian king. Then everyone in every kingdom on earth will know that you are the only God.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Part 1
God and Creation

Chapter 1
God
Sovereign and Omnipotent

2. The Lord Who Rules Over Human Affairs

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Have we only regarded God as a concept? Have we only honored Him as Lord in worship? That is not right. God is the Lord of our life, the Ruler of our daily affairs and the Subject of our thought.
(11:87, February 12, 1961)

In order to understand ourselves and give a full account of ourselves, we need a standard upon which to evaluate and judge ourselves. This is the Absolute Being, whom we worship in our faith.
When we enter into a relationship with Him, we can assess ourselves in comparison to Him; then we can understand who we are and what we are. Therefore, we should be able to deeply experience that there is a God, who reigns over us and moves our mind. (7:207-08, September 13, 1959)

God gave His Word to the Israelites who left Egypt in order to recreate them as God’s people. However, when they did not follow His Word, He appeared to them as the terrifying God who struck and punished them. During the Old Testament Age, before the appearance of the Messiah, Satan still reigned as king; it was an age of the Devil’s power. Therefore, Jehovah God appeared to Moses
as a terrifying, vengeful and jealous God. He appeared with the Law to strike the people who had become servants of sin, mercilessly punishing anyone who violated the Law. This was the situation in the Old Testament Age.
Look at the attributes of Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament Age. He was a jealous God who terrified those Israelites who worshipped other gods. He was a cruel God who ordered the Israelites
to exterminate the seven Canaanite tribes leaving no survivors. He was a merciless God who wiped out any Israelite who violated the commandments of the Mosaic Law. Does the loving God who created the universe have the character to feel such jealousy, exact such revenge, instill such terror, and exhibit such cruelty as to exterminate the seven Canaanite tribes? No. God appeared in that
way because during the Old Testament Age, he tasked His angels to serve as mediators in the role of God. The vengeful legalism summed up in the saying, “A life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, and a stripe for a
stripe” cannot stem from the character of the Creator God. God is the God of love and forgiveness.
(124:202, February 15, 1983)

Please pay attention to my prophetic proclamation. Humankind is now at a historical turning point. Now the God of power and authority, who in the past seemed so powerless or even not to exist, can manifest in our life. Now is an amazing time, when human beings in their everyday life can experience the absolute realm of God, the sovereign Lord whose divine principle governs all things and
the universe.
People will increasingly be able to perceive God. They will perceive the spirit world and the works of spirits. As they naturally understand the public laws of the universe through their own experiences, people will undergo definite changes to their character and become true individuals.
They will no longer be self-centered in relating to greater wholes in the universal order of being. They will learn to be altruistic, living for the sake of others. (February 6, 2004)

We are transcending Satan’s limited realm. Once that work is completed, God can take dominion over the universe without any difficulty. Then, Satan’s realm will be gone from the earth, and the new sovereignty of Heaven will arrive. With God on high, Satan will disappear and Heaven’s new
sovereignty will be established. God’s dominion will extend from individuals to the cosmos, and God will reign for the first time in human history.
The time is at hand when all-transcendent, all-encompassing, all-sovereign and almighty God can do all that He desires. Being all encompassing, God will reign over the entire world that formerly had been in Satan’s possession. Being almighty, God will do whatever He pleases, holding all authority over Satan. (295:254, September 8, 1998)