Do You Believe in God, or Do You Know God?

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Jesus knew that individual enemies were not the only enemies. He knew that family enemies, clan enemies, ethnic enemies, national enemies, and global enemies surrounded him on all four sides. This means that there are many enemies awaiting those who want to follow his path. It also means that if you go the family path, there are family enemies waiting, and if you go the clan path, there are clan enemies waiting. You can expect fierce battles, but you must love those enemies whenever you encounter them. If you possess this kind of spirit, someday victory can be yours.

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All the creation would appear beautiful in your eyes at the time of your marriage, just as it was when God created the universe. The whole of creation, including you, exists through love. When you realize this, then through that love the fundamental feelings God nurtured at the time of Creation can be re-created and shared with your partner and all forms of existence on earth, all united together as one. In other words, it is possible for you to experience the deepest feelings of God at the time of Creation. You are also a part of the creation who inherited every ideal conceived by God when He created the universe. If you were to pull true love towards yourself, heaven and earth would also be drawn towards you. Even the furthest things would be drawn to you if they were pulled by true love, and things nearby could be sent far away by the power of true love. (216-192, 1991.3.31)

Doubt

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Do you believe in God, or do you know God? You say you know Him; then, do you believe in His love, or do you know it? You say God is alive; do you believe He is alive, or do you know it?  By the same token, you say you are of God’s lineage, but do you just believe you are of His lineage, or do you know it?
    What is faith? According to Hebrews chapter 11, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” It is something provisional, not connected to the reality we experience. (359:87, 011106)

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O Man of Little Faith, Why Did You Doubt?

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When you go to your hometown, you should go there with true love. If you bring true love to your hometown, plant it and practice it, you will become ancestors. You will be the first generation ancestors. If you are a Park, your generation will be engrafted to the heavenly kingdom with the family name Park. Then, your father would be in the position of your son. (177-161, 1988.5.17)

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From the theoretical perspective, there will no longer be anything to explain with regard to God’s will. Everything has been completed. The time has now come for us to turn over a new leaf. Now that we are carrying on the history bequeathed to us from God and True Parents, the era of registration will soon arrive. Then you will have to be registered. Have you all become like God and True Parents in the position of sons and daughters of God? It is easy to say, but not to fulfill. Whether asleep or awake, you must always keep this in mind. These thoughts must accompany you wherever you go, and whatever you do, whether you are eating or sleeping. In order to do so, you need to experience residing in the homeland before passing on to the next world. (201-234, 1990.4.22)

Doubt

FAITH IN THE INTANGIBLE IS INEVITABLY MET BY DOUBT. Doubts arise from faith’s unrealistic claims, from the challenges that living a life of faith entails, and from the skepticism that abounds in today’s secular environment. Unresolved doubts can weigh down and even sink a believer sailing on the voyage of faith, as symbolized by Peter’s unsuccessful attempt to walk on water.
Every believer is responsible to confront and overcome his or her doubts. Intellectually, we can find answers to satisfy our unresolved questions. Ultimately, we should graduate from the level of belief to attain knowledge of God based upon lived experience.

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.”
    John 20.24-29

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Egoism Is Worthless and Just Vociferous

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We believe in God who wants to realize one world, a world of one purpose. Since God is Jehovah and Lord of all nations, and the center of all centers, when we face Him from afar, we want to be His loyal subjects. We were born for this duty and responsibility. Understand that as we draw near to Him, He becomes our Father to whom we owe the duty of filial piety as His sons and daughters. That is our priority. Only when you have lived like that can you say to God, “If you want to send me to hell, send me there. If you want to send me to Heaven, send me there. Do as you please.” Nobody went to hell after living like that. (154-314, 1964.10.5)

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As viewed from God’s original ideal of creation, the eldest son should come from God’s side and, of course, the second son should also come from God’s side. Due to the Fall, the position of the first son was taken by Satan, and the position of the second son went to God. This has to be made right. Thus, when we consider the story of Esau and Jacob in the Bible, Jacob united with his mother and received her help. He gave Esau the pottage of lentils and bread in exchange for the birthright of the firstborn son. Until today, we could not understand why Bible history is the way it is. With the appearance of the Unification Church, its meaning was clarified for the first time. (134-304, 1985.8.16)

Richard: Unless you study the Unification Principle, you cannot understand the Bible fully. You can now view the recording of the Unification Principle workshop for free here.

The Fear of God

2. Reverence and Awe

The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.
    Habakkuk 2.20

The fire of hell has been forbidden to these two eyes: the eye that remained sleepless through watching in the ways of God, and the eye that wept with spirit trembling at the fear of God.
    Hadith of Darimi (Islam)

Divine things,
Proceeding from the mind
Of the unseen kami—
How awesome, and
Not to be taken lightly!
    Norinaga Motoori, One Hundred Poems on the Jeweled Spear (Shinto)

The true believers are those whose hearts are filled with awe at the mention of God, and whose faith grows stronger as they listen to His revelations. They put their trust in their Lord, pray steadfastly, and give in alms of that which We have given them. Such are the true believers. They shall be exalted and forgiven by their Lord, and a generous provision shall be made for them.
    Qur’an 8.2-4 

The fear of God is mighty and of great weight.
Egoism is worthless and just vociferous.
Walk under the weight of such great fear;
And through Divine grace obtain knowledge of God.
None crosses the ocean of existence unless he bear fear;
Through fear the fear-directed life is beautified with divine love.
Through fear of God, the fire of fear blazes in the human frame.
Through fear of God and love is molded spiritual beauty.
Without fear of God all that is uttered is misshapen and worthless—
The mold and the shaping stroke both blind…
Through fear of God vanish worldly fears.
The fear of God which eliminates all other
fear—how may it be called fear?
No other resting place is except Thee;
All that happens is Thy will.
One might be afraid of it if anything other than God held any fear—
To be shaken with such fears is sheer perturbation of mind.
    Adi Granth, Gauri, M.1. p. 151 (Sikhism)

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Father! Our hearts are filled with fear as we recollect Thy sorrowful historical course. Knowing Thy difficult labors, whenever we approach Thy majesty, our minds are struck with awe. (6:328, June 28, 1959)

Give reverence and honor to God, who has restrained Himself, silently enduring the path of suffering for thousands of years. Have the heart that God is your true Father. Make a determination that regardless of the suffering you may endure, you will become the central ancestors who will leave behind the Father’s tradition for tens of thousands of years. (363:254, December 25, 2001)

Although I have a mouth, I keep silent. Not because I do not know how to speak, but because I am cautious that by misspeaking I might go against Heaven’s law. Not because I do not know how to complain, but because of God. (67:316, July 22, 1973)

Most people curse Heaven, living with resentment and despair; few are the people who pledge their loyalty to God. Since we are among that loyal few, God treats us with seriousness. Nevertheless, think about God’s heart and His situation: How wretched it is that He has such a small group of insignificant people as us with which to restore the world. (93:217, June 1, 1977)

O Father, Thy sons and daughters gathered here feel fearful
that we might not be adequate to become sons and daughters
who can receive everything Thou wouldst give us,
and who can give everything to Thee.
We fear that we may not be able to represent
the world, history and the cosmos,
when to us Thou wouldst express Thy heart,
the heart Thou hast always wanted to give us. (35:288, October 25, 1970)

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At Least Adam and Eve felt Shame Enough to Conceal their Naked Bodies

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Eve became the mother of two worlds. She came to stand in a midway position in between good and evil. Then, who must decide whether to follow the direction of good or evil? A person himself or herself must decide. In order to do so, one must crush evil and Satan and cling to God. One must cling to God with a power several times stronger than the power he or she uses to strike Satan. In order to strike evil you must exert all your strength. At the same time, you must cling to God with even greater force. (31-18, 1970.4.8)

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    Scholars or presidents are no exception. The way of indemnity is one that must be sought, not taught. You must seek it yourselves. Those who do not do this will go to hell. You must understand that the chains of hell are hooked all over your eyes, your nose, and your thoughts. This is not a threat; it is simply that indemnity is needed to reverse the Fall.
    It is so difficult to erase ink from a white sheet of paper. What Satan wrote is more difficult to erase than ink. If you wish to erase it, you must be revived after dying. Realize that “although you have the name of being alive, yet you are dead.” As long as hooks remain within you, Satan will claim you as his. Thus, Jesus stated: “Those who seek to die will live, and those who seek to live will die.” (129-183, 1983.10.30)

The Fear of God

THE FEAR OF GOD IS A POSITIVE emotion because it directs us away from harmful things and propels us to do what is right. People who lack the fear of God more readily commit sin, as they do not fear God’s punishment. Having denied the existence of God they justify themselves, often with one of the modern ideologies which says that the moral rules of religion are fetters to be broken in the name of individual freedom. Yet as Father Moon explains, ever since the Human Fall fear has become a negative emotion, one that can lead to all kinds of self-centered behavior when it dominates our thinking.
The higher dimensions of holy fear—reverence and awe—should pervade our worship and guide our steps in life. They keep us mindful that our life and the purpose of our existence is not our own doing, but from God. They also contribute to our sense of meaning and value, as servants of the King and hence partakers in His glory.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
    Proverbs 9.11

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The Attitude of a Believer Must Always be that of a Debtor

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The family that liberates God from His sorrow is His family. God’s abode of rest is in the family formed by people with the qualification of the first son and husband that can love more than all his other brothers. The mission of Blessed Families in the Unification Church is to create the realm of the Sabbath where they, as parents, would want to welcome even beggars as their own children to live with them. Do not forget your destiny as blessed couples to fulfill this mission. (295-245, 1998.8.28)

Richard: When we live for the sake of others, God can have a peaceful Sabbath rest in our families. Aju!

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The term “foundation of faith” refers to an unshakable person of principle establishing a foundation of faith that enables him to be one with God’s Principle, without changing his position whether it is day or night, regardless of seasonal changes, throughout his youth, middle age, and old age. Only after that, a foundation of substance based on the Principle will be established. Upon the foundation of faith, the foundation of substance emerges through the Principle, and if you stand on that foundation of substance in oneness with the Principle, you will inherit the world of heart as the person who has the value of God’s object partner. This is the way fallen people should go. (68-189, 1973.7.29)

Gratitude and Indebtedness

2. Our Debt to God, to Nature and to Our Forbearers, Which We Repay by Helping Others

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Where did your life come from originally? From your parents, who invested themselves in you, and from nature, which gave you the food to make your flesh, blood and bones. If you were to repay everything that they have lent you, you would have nothing left. Furthermore, you are indebted to God who originally gave you life. What, then, do you have left? God, your parents and nature invested themselves in you; therefore, you are a chunk of indebtedness.
Have you paid these debts? Are you even trying to pay them? At least, a debtor can be thankful. Your creditors are not asking you to pay your debt. In fact they are not even claiming that you owe them. How thankful you ought to be!

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