DIVINE PRINCIPLE
PART I
CHAPTER 2
FALL OF MAN
กก
Men, without exception, are inclined to repel evil and to pursue
goodness. But men, unconsciously driven by an evil force, repel the goodness
desired by their original minds and perform evil acts which they do not
really want to do. In Christianity, this evil force is known as "Satan".
Because man does not know the real nature and origin of Satan, he has been
unable to liquidate the force of Satan. In order to eradicate the source of
evil, end the sinful history of mankind, and establish an era of goodness,
we first must clarify the motivation of Satan and the nature of his being.
In order to do this, we must study the "Fall of Man".
SECTION I--THE ROOT OF SIN
Until the present era, not a single man has known the root of sin.
Christians have believed that Adam and Eve, the first man and the first
woman, ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and that
this act was the root of sin. There are a number of believers who assume
that the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is the fruit of
an actual tree, while others believe that the fruit is a symbol. Such
diverse opinions lead to differing interpretations and, hence, to confusion.
1. THE TREE OF LIFE AND THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD
AND EVIL
Many Christians to this day believe that the fruit which caused Adam and
Eve to fall was literally the fruit of a tree. But how could God--the Parent
of man--make a fruit so tempting (Gen. 3:6) that His children would risk
falling in order to eat it? How could He have placed such a harmful fruit
where His children could reach it so easily?
Jesus said, "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes
out of the mouth, this defiles a man." (Matt. 15:11). Then how could the
food which man eats cause him to fall? The original sin of man has been
inherited from the first man and the first woman. How could something edible
be the source of that sin or the cause of transmitting that original sin to
the children? That which is inherited is passed on through the blood
lineage. What a man has eaten cannot be transmitted from one generation to
the next.
There are many who believe that God created the fruit of the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil and commanded man not to eat of it in order to
test man's obedience to Him. We must ask: would a God of Love test man so
mercilessly by a means that could cause his death? Adam and Eve knew they
would die when they ate the fruit, for God had told them. Yet they ate it.
We cannot understand why Adam and Eve, who were far from starvation, would
disobey God's command at the risk of their lives. The fruit of the Tree of
the Knowledge of Good and Evil must have been so extraordinarily stimulating
and so ardently desired that fear of punishment--even death--could not deter
them from eating it.
If the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was not a
material fruit, but a symbol, what does this symbol represent? To answer
this question let us begin with an examination of the Tree of Life, which
grew in the Garden of Eden along with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil (Gen. 2:9). When we grasp the true character of the Tree of Life, we
will also know the nature of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
(1) The Tree of Life
According to the Bible, the hope of fallen man lies in the Tree of Life,
that is, in becoming a Tree of Life. Israelites of the Old Testament looked
toward the Tree of Life as their ultimate hope (Prov. 13:12). The hope of
Christians from Jesus' day to the present time has been directed toward the
Tree of Life (Rev. 22:14). Since the ultimate hope of fallen man is the Tree
of Life, we can conclude that the hope of Adam before his fall was also the
Tree of Life.
Why can we conclude that the hope of Adam was to attain the Tree of Life?
Genesis 3:24 says that after Adam committed sin, God placed cherubim and a
flaming sword to guard the Tree of Life. Due to his fall, Adam was driven
from the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:24) without having attained the Tree of Life.
Ever since then, fallen man has set his hope upon attaining what Adam failed
to attain--the Tree of Life.
What must Adam have hoped while he was in the process of growing to
perfection? He hoped to reach perfect manhood without falling and thus
fulfill God's ideal of creation. So we can now understand the importance of
the Tree of Life as "manhood fulfilling the ideal of creation", as perfected
Adam. The Tree of Life represents perfected Adam.
Had Adam attained the Tree of Life, all his descendants also could have
attained the Tree of Life and thus they could have realized the Kingdom of
Heaven on earth. But Adam fell and God placed the flaming sword at the
entrance of the Garden to guard it. So the Tree of Life remains the hope of
fallen man, who is trying to restore the ideal of creation.
Why is the quest to attain the Tree of Life so difficult that none have
attained it? Fallen man, burdened with original sin, cannot achieve that
goal by his own ability alone. A man who has fulfilled the ideal of creation
on earth must come and draw all fallen men to himself in harmonious oneness
(Rom. 11:17). Such a man must come to show fallen men the way. Jesus came as
the Tree of Life to fulfill the hope of the Old Testament saints, who had
waited for his advent (Prov. 13:12).
Acts 2:4 states that the saints, on the day of Pentecost, could receive
the Holy Spirit, through whom all mankind might come to Jesus, the Tree of
Life, and be joined with him. This would happen only after the distribution
of the "tongues as of fire", that is, the sword of fire, which guards the
way to the Tree of Life. In this way only are Christians spiritually joined
with Jesus. Thus, no matter how devout their faith in Jesus, parents cannot
but give birth to sinful children, who are required to undergo the
redemption of sins. We know that even the most pious saints have not been
able to remove the original sin; therefore, even they must transmit this sin
to their children (cf. Part I, Ch. 4, Sec. I--140).
Therefore, Christ must come again on earth as the Tree of Life to carry
out the providence of the redemption of mankind from original sin by
grafting men to himself. This is the reason that the saints of the New
Testament Age wait for the Tree of Life recorded in Revelation 22:14, which
is, in fact, the Lord of the Second Advent.
We can understand that the purpose of God's providence of salvation is to
restore the Tree of life which was lost in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:9), to
the Tree of Life mentioned in Revelation 22:14. Because of the fall, Adam
could not attain the first Tree of Life. Therefore, Christ must come again
as the last Adam (Rev. 22:13) in order to save fallen man. It is for this
reason that Christ is called the "last Adam" (I Cor. 15:45).
(2) The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
God created Adam, and He also created Eve as Adam's spouse. Thus, when we
find in the Garden of Eden a tree symbolizing manhood, we know there must be
another tree symbolizing womanhood. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil, which was described as standing with the Tree of Life (Gen. 2:9), was
thus the symbol of Eve.
The Bible refers to Jesus as the vine (John 15:5), or the olive tree
(Rom. 11:17). Likewise, Adam and Eve are represented by two trees.
2. THE TRUE NATURE OF THE SERPENT
In the Bible we read that the serpent tempted Eve to sin (Gen. 3:4-5).
What does this serpent signify? The answer is found by studying the true
character of the serpent in the third chapter of Genesis.
The serpent described in the Bible could converse with man. Moreover, he
caused the fall of man, who is a spiritual being. Therefore, the serpent
also must have been a spiritual being. He knew God's intention to prohibit
man from eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
This tells us decisively that the serpent was spiritual.
In Revelation 12:9 we read further that the "great dragon was thrown
down, that ancient serpent", who is called the devil by some, and Satan by
others. This "ancient serpent" was the same one which tempted Adam and Eve
in the Garden of Eden. This serpent is called the devil and Satan who, as we
know, has constantly directed the human mind toward evil. Therefore, Satan
must be a spiritual being. If the devil is spiritual, the serpent
symbolizing the devil also must be spiritual. So we are assured that the
serpent which tempted the first man and the first woman was not an animal
but was a spiritual being.
A question we must resolve, then, is whether the serpent existed before
the time of the creation or was formed at the creation. If this serpent was
a being in existence before creation with a purpose contrary to that of God,
the struggle between good and evil in the world would be inevitable and
eternal. God's providence of restoration, then, would come to naught; and
monism, the belief that all things were created by one God, would be
disproven. We cannot avoid the conclusion, therefore, that the spiritual
being, likened to a serpent, was a being originally created for the purpose
of goodness who later fell and was degraded to become Satan.
What kind of spiritual being could have conversed with man, known God's
will, lived in heaven (the world of spirit), and could dominate the human
soul, transcendent of time and space, even after this being's fall and
degradation? There is no being endowed with such characteristics except an
angel. The serpent, then, must have been a figurative term for an angel. We
read in II Peter 2:4 that God did not spare the angels when they sinned but
cast them into hell. So we must conclude that the true nature of the
serpent, which tempted man to sin, was that of an angel.
The serpent's tongue is split in two. This symbolizes a man or being
which utters two different things with one tongue, a being which lives a
double life with one heart. The serpent is also the symbol of one who
induces others to sacrifice themselves for his own benefit. The serpent
twists its body around the prey, and then devours it. For these reasons, the
Bible likened the angel which tempted man to a serpent.
3. THE FALL OF THE ANGEL AND THE FALL OF MAN
Now we know that the serpent which tempted man to fall was an angel, and
that this angel, having fallen into sin, became Satan. Let us further
investigate what kind of sin the angel and (the) man committed.
(1) The Crime of the Angel
Jude 1:6-7 reads:
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
surrounding cities, which likewise acted immorally [committed fornication]
and indulged in unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a
punishment of eternal fire.
From this we can reason that the angel fell as the result of an immoral
act of unnatural lust, and that act was fornication.
Fornication is a crime which cannot be committed by one person alone.
Therefore, we must know with whom the angel committed fornication in the
Garden of Eden. In order to know that, let us first investigate what kind of
crime was committed by man.
(2) The Crime of Man
In Genesis 2:25 we read that Adam and Eve were naked, and were not
ashamed of their nakedness. But, after the fall, they became ashamed of
their nakedness and sewed fig leaves together into aprons to cover their
lower parts (Gen. 3:7). If they had committed sin by eating an actual fruit
of a "tree of the knowledge of good and evil", they would have concealed
their hands and mouths instead. It is the nature of man to conceal an area
of transgression. They covered their sexual parts, clearly indicating that
they were ashamed of the sexual areas of their bodies because they had
sinned through them. From this we know that they committed sin through the
sexual parts of their bodies.
In Job 31:33 it is written: "If I have concealed my transgressions from
men, by hiding my iniquity in my bosom...". Adam concealed his transgression
by covering the sexual part of his body after the fall. This again indicates
that the sexual part of Adam's body was the area of transgression. Thus we
must conclude that Adam's sexual part became the place of transgression,
because Adam committed sin through that part.
In the world before the fall of man, what act could man have performed at
the risk of his life? It could be nothing else but an improper act of love.
From the viewpoint of God's creation, love should be the most precious and
holy act in the world. Nevertheless, men since the fall have often regarded
the act of love as despicable, because love was the very cause of the human
fall. This further demonstrates that man fell because of fornication.
(3) The Act of Adultery between the Angel and Man
Thus far, we have clarified the fact that man was tempted by an angel and
fell. Both man and the angel fell because of fornication. In the world of
creation, men and angels are the only spiritual beings capable of having a
relationship of love. From the above, we can conclude that there must have
been some act of adultery between man and the angel.
John 8:44 says, "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do
your father's desires.". Again, Revelation 12:9 clarifies that the devil is
Satan, and that Satan is the "ancient serpent" which tempted man. From these
Biblical verses we can assert that man is the descendant of the devil and,
naturally, the descendant of Satan; and thus, he is the descendant of the
serpent. What were the circumstances surrounding the affair which made man
the descendant of the fallen angel, Satan? These circumstances are related
to the fact that adultery was committed between the first human ancestors
and the angel. From this act, all men came to be born of Satanic lineage,
apart from God's. In Romans 8:23, it says: ...we ourselves, who have the
first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons,
the redemption of our bodies.
In Matthew 3:7, John the Baptist reproached the faithless people, calling
them a "brood of vipers"--sons of Satan. Again, in Matthew 23:33 Jesus
rebuked the Jews, saying, "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to
escape being sentenced to hell?".
From these Biblical references we can ascertain that there was an
adulterous relationship between the angel and man, and this became the cause
of the fall of man.
4. THE FRUIT OF THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL
We have previously clarified the fact that the tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil is Eve. What then does the fruit of the tree symbolize? It
symbolizes Eve's love. Just as a fruit tree multiplies by the fruit which
contains its seed, Eve should have multiplied children of goodness through
her love centered on God. But instead, Eve multiplied children of evil
through her love centered on Satan. Eve was created to become perfect
through the period of growth she could bear either good fruit or bad fruit
through her love. Consequently, her love was called "the fruit of the Tree
of the Knowledge of Good and Evil", while she herself was called "the Tree
of the Knowledge of Good and Evil".
Then, what did the act of eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge
of Good and Evil signify? When we say we eat something, it means that we
make it into our blood and flesh. Eve should have multiplied children of
good lineage through her blood and flesh of goodness derived from the good
"fruit" she ate in her love centered on God. Instead, she produced a sinful
world by multiplying children of bad lineage through her blood and flesh of
evil derived from the evil "fruit" she ate in her love centered on Satan.
Accordingly, Eve's having eaten the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil signifies that she had a blood relationship with the angel
(Satan) through her evil love centered on him.
Genesis 3:14 states that God cursed the fallen angel, saying he should go
upon his belly and should eat dust all the days of his life. "Upon your
belly you shall go" means that the angel becomes a miserable being, unable
to function properly according to the original way of creation. To have to
"eat dust" means that he has to live by receiving evil vitality elements
from the sinful world, deprived of the right to have elements of life from
God, since he was thrown down from heaven (Is. 14:12, Rev. 12:9).
5. THE ROOT OF SIN
According to what has been elucidated by the Bible, we have come to
understand that the root of sin is not that the first human ancestors ate a
fruit, but that they had an illicit blood relationship with an angel
symbolized by a serpent. Consequently, they could not multiply the good
lineage of God, but rather multiplied the evil lineage of Satan.
Furthermore, there is another fact which demonstrates clearly that the
root of man's sin stems from adultery. It is because the root of sin began
by a blood relationship that the original sin is transmitted from generation
to generation. Every religion which teaches how to eliminate sin has called
adultery the greatest sin, and has emphasized an ascetic life in order to
prevent it. This also demonstrates that the root of sin lies in adultery.
The Israelites were circumcised as a condition of redemption to become God's
elect, because the root of sin lay in having received evil blood because of
adultery, and they wanted to sanctify themselves to make a condition that
the evil blood be removed from their flesh as fallen men.
The principal cause of the downfall of numerous nations, national heroes
and patriots, was adultery, because the urge to commit adultery, the root of
sin, was always at work in the mind of man without his being conscious of
it. We may be able to eradicate all other sins by elevating the ethics and
the morality of man through religion, education, and improvement of the
economic and social system. But in present conditions no one can prevent the
crime of adultery, which has become increasingly prevalent as the
development of civilization makes human life easier and more indolent.
Therefore, we can never expect the ideal world to be established unless we
can eradicate the source of this crime. Accordingly, the Lord of the Second
Advent must be able to solve this problem completely. All these facts prove
that the root of sin lies in adultery.
SECTION II--THE MOTIVATION AND PROCESS OF THE FALL
We have already clarified in Section I the fact that the serpent was an
angel who caused Eve to fall. Since the motivation of the human fall lay
within the angel, we must know something about the angel before we can
really know the motivation and process of the fall.
1. THE CREATION OF THE ANGEL, HIS MISSION, AND HIS
RELATIONSHIP TO MAN
All beings were created by God. The angels were no exception. God created
the angelic world before anything else. Genesis 1:26 records the story of
creation: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness", putting the
first person in the plural. This is not because He was speaking as a
trinity, as many theologians have interpreted, but because He was speaking
to the angels, who had been created before man (Gen. 1:26).
God created the angels as servants who were to assist in the creation of
the universe, and in His dispensation for it (Heb. 1:14). The angels
conveyed to Abraham the important words of blessing from God (Gen. 18:10),
heralded Mary's conception of Christ (Matt. 1:20, Luke 1:31), and unchained
Peter and led him out of prison (Acts 12:7-11). We can find numerous
examples in the Bible of the angels working for God. In Revelation 22:9 the
angel calls himself a "servant", while in Hebrews 1:14, angels are said to
be "ministering spirits". Again, we may find in many biblical verses solid
proof of the angels having been created to honor and praise God (Rev.
5:11-12, 7:11-12).
Let us now investigate the relationship between man and angels, according
to the principle of creation. Since God created men as His children, giving
them dominion over all creation (Gen. 1:28), man was supposed to dominate
the angels, too. I Corinthians 6:3 says that man has the authority to judge
the angels. Many who communicate with the spirit world frequently see angels
ministering to the saints in Paradise. This, too, is a good example
illustrating that angels minister to men.
2. THE SPIRITUAL FALL AND THE PHYSICAL FALL
Since God created man in spirit and flesh, the fall also took place in
spirit and flesh. The fall through the blood relationship between the angel
and Eve was the spiritual fall, while that through the blood relationship
between Eve and Adam was the physical fall.
How could there be a sexual relationship between the angel and man?
Feelings and sensations are felt and responded to in the invisible, or
spirit world. Contact between a spirit and earthly man (who has a spirit) is
not very different from contact between two earthly human beings. Therefore,
sexual union between a human being and an angel is actually possible.
We can understand what has been said here even more clearly through the
following stories. There are recorded instances in human society of an
earthly man leading a married life with a spirit. There is the story of the
angel who, in wrestling with Jacob, touched the hollow of his thigh and put
it out of joint (Gen. 32:25). Still another story is about the angels who
appeared in Abraham's home and ate the meat and other food he had prepared
for them (Gen. 18:7-8), and the two angels visiting Lot who ate the
unleavened bread he baked for them. The men of the city, excited in sexual
desire upon seeing them, surrounded the house and called to Lot, "Where are
the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know
them." (Gen. 19:5). These incidents illustrate the possibility of contact
between men and angels.
(1) Spiritual Fall
God created the angelic world (Gen. 1:26) and put Lucifer (signified by
"Day Star, son of Dawn", Is. 14:12) in the position of archangel. Lucifer
was in a position to monopolize God's love as the mediator between God and
the angelic world, just as Abraham was the channel for God's blessing to the
Israelites. However, God, after creating men as His children, loved them
much more than He loved Lucifer, who had been created as His servant. In
fact, Lucifer received the same amount of God's love as he had before the
creation of man, but when he saw that God loved Adam and Eve more, he felt
that God loved him less than before. This situation is similar to the
biblical story of the laborers who had begun working early in the morning;
seeing that those who were hired late and worked little received the same
wage as they, they felt underpaid, although they received the promised
amount (Matt. 20:1-15). Lucifer, who felt a decrease of love, tried to tempt
Eve to submit to him in order that he might enjoy the same position in human
society that he did in the angelic world. This was the motivation of the
spiritual fall.
All things were created to receive God's dominion through love.
Therefore, love is the source of life and the essence of happiness; love is
the ideal of all creation. Accordingly, the more one receives God's love,
the more beautiful he or she becomes. So it was very natural that Eve looked
most beautiful in Lucifer's eyes. Moreover, when Eve was susceptible to his
temptation. Lucifer was strongly stimulated by an impulse of love toward
Eve. At this point, Lucifer dared to seduce Eve at the risk of his life.
Lucifer, who left his position due to excessive desire, and Eve, who desired
to have her eyes opened like God's through a sexual relationship before she
was ready for it, thus formed a reciprocal base and had sexual intercourse
with each other through their give and take action (Gen 3:5-6). Since the
power of love derived from their give and take action was not based on the
Principle, they fell into an illicit relationship of spiritual love.
According to the principle that men were created to exchange elements
with the objective being with whom they have become one body through love,
Eve received certain elements from Lucifer when she joined into one body
with him through love. First, she received from Lucifer the sense of fear,
which came from his guilty conscience because of their violation of the
purpose of creation. Second, she received wisdom enabling her to perceive
that her intended spouse in the original nature of creation was not Lucifer
but Adam. At that time Eve was still in the period of immaturity. Therefore,
she was immature in her wisdom compare to the archangel, who had already
reached a certain level of maturity. Thus she received the wisdom of the
archangel.
(2) Physical Fall
Adam and Eve should have become husband and wife, eternally centered on
God, after their perfection. However, Eve joined with Adam after she had the
illicit relationship with the archangel in her period of growth. Adam, too,
fell in his growth period. The premature conjugal relationship thus
established between Adam and Eve was centered on Satan and caused the
physical fall.
As mentioned above, Eve obtained, from the spiritual fall with the
archangel, the sense of fear arising from the pangs of her guilty
conscience, and the wisdom to understand that her intended spouse was not
the archangel but Adam. Eve then seduced Adam in the hope that she might rid
herself of the fear derived from the fall and stand before God by becoming,
even then, one body with Adam, who was meant to be her spouse. This was the
motivation behind the physical fall.
Eve, having become one body with the archangel through their illicit
sexual relationship, was in the position of the archangel to Adam.
Therefore, Adam, whom God loved, looked very beautiful to her. Adam was
Eve's only hope for returning to God. Feeling this, Eve tempted Adam, just
as the archangel had tempted her. Adam and Eve formed a reciprocal base, and
through their give and take action, the power of love drew them closer. This
powerful love made Adam leave his original position and finally caused Eve
and him to have an illicit sexual relationship.
Adam, by becoming one body with Eve, inherited all the elements Eve had
received from Lucifer, in the same manner she did. These elements were then
transmitted to their descendants. Despite Eve's fall, if Adam had reached
perfection without forming a reciprocal base with the fallen Eve, he as the
perfected subject would have remained intact, and the providence to restore
Eve alone would have been much easier. However, Adam also fell, and mankind
has multiplied in sin to the present day, thus perpetuating the lineage of
Satan.
SECTION III--THE POWER OF LOVE, THE POWER OF THE PRINCIPLE,
AND GOD'S COMMANDMENT
1. THE HUMAN FALL SEEN FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF THE POWER OF
LOVE AND THE POWER OF THE PRINCIPLE
Man was created to live in accordance with the Principle. Therefore, it
cannot be that the power of the Principle would cause the fall, and throw
man off the track. We can compare this to a train which cannot run off the
track by itself. For a train to run off the track, there must be a breakdown
in the engine or the rail, or an external force stronger than its own
running force must collide with it, coming from a different direction.
Likewise, man can fall when a certain power, stronger than that of the
Principle which makes him grow, and with a different purpose, collides with
him. The power which is stronger than that of the Principle is nothing else
but the power of love. Therefore, man, in an immature state, could fall
because of the power of love, if it was not centered on the Principle.
Why, then, was the power of love stronger than the power of the
Principle, such that man fell when he met with love headed for a different
purpose?
According to the principle of creation, God's love is the subjective
love, manifested through the four position foundation, which is established
by having perfected the three objective purposes through the three objective
loves. Therefore, love is the source of man's life and happiness, because
without God's love, the four position foundation, which is the purpose of
man's creation, could never be established. God, through love, should have
dominion over man, who is created through the Principle. Therefore, in order
that love may have the greater value, the power of love must be stronger
than that of the Principle. If the power of love were weaker than that of
the Principle, God's love would not be able to dominate man, who was created
through the Principle. Rather, man would be concerned with the Principle
more than with God's love. This was the reason that Jesus wanted to raise
his disciples with the truth and save them with love.
2. THE PURPOSE OF GOD'S GIVING MAN THE COMMANDMENT
What could have been the purpose God's giving Adam and Eve the
commandment not to eat the fruit? If Adam and Eve, who were not in God's
direct dominion of love due to their immaturity, should enter into a
reciprocal relationship with the archangel based on unprincipled love, they
could fall, since the power of love was stronger than that of the Principle.
But, however strong the power of the archangel's love was, if they had
followed God's commandment without responding to the angel, performing the
action of give and take with God alone, they could not have fallen. In that
case, the power of unprincipled love could not have any effect. Since they
formed a reciprocal base with the archangel and performed give and take
action with him, against God's commandment, the power of illicit love made
them deviate from the Principle.
It was not simply because He wanted to prevent him from falling that God
gave such a commandment to man while he was yet immature. God also wanted
man to enjoy dominion over all creation by having him inherit His creative
nature. Thus, Adam and Eve should have perfected themselves through their
faith in the Word, as their own portion of responsibility (cf. Part I, Ch.
1, Sec. V, 2.2--55).
God gave this commandment not to the archangel but to man; He sought to
exalt man's dignity and qualification in the principle of creation so that
man might dominate even the archangel from the position of God's son.
3. THE PERIOD NECESSITATING THE COMMANDMENT
Would God's commandment not to eat of the fruit have been necessary
forever? Seen from the viewpoint of love, the fulfillment of God's second
blessing is that Adam and Eve enter into God's direct dominion through His
love by becoming husband and wife, centering on God's love, and multiplying
their children (Gen. 1:28). Therefore, man was created to be allowed, by the
Principle, to eat the fruit after his perfection.
Since the power of love is stronger than that of the Principle, Adam and
Eve could not have fallen if they had become husband and wife after their
perfection, and entered into God's direct dominion through their absolute
love. (In this case, no man nor any other power could break the power of the
absolute conjugal love. Moreover, the power of the archangel's love, which
is supposed to be lesser and weaker than man's could by no means have
severed their reciprocal love centered on God. Therefore, God's commandment
not to eat of the fruit would have been necessary for Adam and Eve only in
the period of their immaturity.
SECTION IV--THE RESULT OF THE HUMAN FALL
What was the result brought about in the world of creation, including man
and the archangel, by the spiritual and physical fall of Adam and Eve? Let
us examine this important question.
1. SATAN AND FALLEN MAN
We have previously mentioned that Lucifer, the fallen archangel, was
called Satan. Man fell, becoming Satan's child, because he formed the four
position foundation centered on Satan, thus becoming one body with him
through their blood relationship. Therefore, Jesus said that fallen men are
of their father the devil (John 8:44), and on many occasions called them the
brood of vipers, that is, sons of Satan (Matt. 3:7, 12:34, 23:33). Romans
8:23 says, "...not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first
fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons...".
This is because man could not inherit God's lineage, but inherited Satan's
instead, due to the fall of the first human ancestors.
If Adam and Eve had established the four position foundation centered on
God after having perfected themselves, the world under the sovereignty of
God could have been established at that time. However, they fell in the
period of immaturity, thus forming the four position foundation centered on
Satan. Therefore, the world came under Satanic sovereignty. John 12:31 says
that Satan is the "ruler of this world", while in II Corinthians 4:4 Satan
is called the "god of this world". This is the manner in which Satan came to
dominate man, who had been created to be the dominator of the whole
creation, and thus came to dominate the creation as well. Therefore, Romans
8:19 says that the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of
the sons of God. This signifies that all creation, being now under the
dominion of Satan while it should be dominated by perfected men, is anxious
to repel Satan and to see the revealing of the men of the original nature of
creation, who are entitled to dominate all creation in love.
2. SATAN'S ACTIVITIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY
Satan is constantly accusing men before God, just as he did with Job (Job
1:9-11), in order to put them into hell. However, even Satan cannot perform
this kind of evil action without having an object with whom to form a
reciprocal base for give and take action. The objects of Satan are the evil
spirits in the spirit world. The objects of these evil spirits are the
spirit men of evil men on earth. The objects of the spirits of evil men on
earth are their own physical bodies. Therefore, Satanic power, conveyed by
evil spirits, results in the evil physical activities of earthly men.
Therefore, we read in Luke 22:3 that Satan entered into Judas Iscariot.
Again in Matthew 16:23, Jesus called Peter "Satan". In the Bible, evil
spirit men are called "angels" of the devil (Matt. 25:41).
To restore the earthly Kingdom of Heaven (Part I, Ch. 3, Sec. II--103)
means to realize the world in which Satan can never act, by man's severing
completely his reciprocal base with Satan and restoring his reciprocal base
with God, thus entering in give and take action with Him. That God keeps
Satan in a bottomless pit in the Latter Days signifies that Satan will be
unable to act since he will have lost his object with which to work. In
order for man to be able to cut off his reciprocal base with Satan and be
rightfully able to judge him (I Cor. 6:3), he must know the true character
of Satan's crime and accuse him before God. However, God in creating angels
and men, gave them freedom; and so He cannot restore them by force.
Therefore, man should be able to make Satan come to a natural surrender by
exalting the Word, through the accomplishment of his own portion of
responsibility by his own volition, before he can be restored to the status
of a man of the original nature of creation. The history of the providence
of restoration has been prolonged for such a long time because God is
developing His providence according to such principles.
3. GOOD AND EVIL SEEN FROM THE NATURE OF PURPOSE
We have already defined good and evil in the "Original Value of Creation"
(Part I, Ch. 1, Sec. IV--46). Let us now investigate good and evil, seen
from the nature of purpose. If Adam and Eve had established the four
position foundation centered on God through the love with which they were
originally endowed, they would have realized the world of goodness. But they
realized a world of evil because they had established the four position
foundation centered on Satan through their love which had a purpose contrary
to goodness. Therefore, good and evil can result from the same action, but
have a different direction and purpose. There are many examples illustrating
that human nature, considered evil, would be good if it pursued the purpose
of God's will. For instance, human desire or ambition, usually considered
evil, is part of the original nature of creation endowed by God in the
beginning. This is true because the purpose of creation was to obtain joy,
and joy can be attained only when desire is fulfilled. If man had no desire
or ambition, he could have no joy. If man had no desire or ambition, he
would have no ambition to receive God's love, to want to live, to perform
good deeds, nor to develop. In this way, neither God's purpose of creation
nor the providence of restoration could be fulfilled. The maintenance and
development of human society, too, would be impeded.
The original desire of man, being the original nature of creation, comes
to realize goodness if it is fruitful for the purpose of God's will. On the
contrary, if it is fruitful for the purpose of Satan's will, it results in
evil. From this principle, it is self-evident that even the world of evil,
when turned toward the purpose of goodness centered on Christ, will be
restored to perfect goodness, thus realizing the Kingdom of God on earth
(cf. Part I, Ch. 3, Sec. II, 2--105). Accordingly, the providence of
salvation is to change the direction of the fallen world, heading toward the
purpose of Satan, to the direction of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, in
order to realize God's purpose of creation.
The standard of goodness upheld in the course of this providence is not
absolute but relative. This is because, during a specific age, it may be
considered good to follow the purpose of the sovereign's ideology, while it
is considered evil to go against his purpose. But once the age and the
sovereign change, bringing a different ideology, the purpose also will
change, and with it the standard of good and evil. In any religion or
ideology, it is "good" for the adherents to follow the purpose defined by
the doctrine, while to go against it is "evil". But for those of a different
religion or ideology, or those who change their beliefs, the standard of
good and evil would naturally differ according to the difference in purpose.
The principal cause behind the conflicts and revolutions which constantly
take place in human society is the change in the standard of good and evil
which occurs, as the purpose sought by men varies. The standard of goodness
in the course of restoration is thus not an absolute one but a relative one.
However, when the sovereignty of Satan is expelled from the earth, and God,
the eternal absolute Being transcendent of time and space, restores His
sovereignty with His absolute ideology, the purpose determined by the
ideology, and the resultant standard of goodness, will also be absolute.
This will be the world of macrocosmic ideology which will be established by
the Lord of the Second Advent. In fact, human history has been the struggle
in pursuit of the absolute goodness of our original mind's desire,
constantly undergoing conflicts and revolutions. Accordingly, the conflicts
and revolutions which take place in human society will continue until the
world of absolute goodness is established.
4. THE WORKS OF GOOD SPIRITS AND EVIL SPIRITS
"Good spirits" is the collective name for God, good spirit men on His
side, and angels. What we call "evil spirits" are Satan and all the evil
spirit men on his side. The works of good spirits and evil spirits, as in
the case of good and evil, start at the same point in the same manner but
are directed toward different purposes.
Those who are involved in the works of good spirits enjoy an increasing
sense of peace and righteousness; even the physical health of the individual
will improve. The works of evil spirits make individuals feel an increasing
sense of insecurity, fear, and egoism, even hindering the physical health of
the obsessed. Those who are ignorant of the Principle find it very hard to
discern the good or evil of the spiritual works. With the lapse of time, the
results will reveal the nature of the spirit. However, fallen man, situated
halfway between good (God) and evil (Satan), may sometimes cooperate with
the work of both good and evil spirits. In many cases, even the works of
evil spirits may combine with the works of good spirits after a certain
period. So it is very difficult for people who are ignorant of the Principle
to discern between them. It is a pity that in this age, many ministers and
other religious workers condemn, from ignorance, the works of good spirits
as those of evil spirits, thus going against God's will without being aware
of it. No one in the present day of such increasing spiritual phenomena can
guide men in spiritual communication unless he can discern between the works
of good spirits and evil spirits.
5. SIN
Sin is the act of violating the heavenly law by establishing a condition
in which one forms a reciprocal base with Satan, and enters into the action
of give and take with him. We can classify human sin into four kinds. First
is man's "original sin", which is the sin derived from the spiritual and
physical fall of the first human ancestors. Original sin is the root of all
sins.
Second is man's "hereditary sin", which is the sin of the ancestors
transmitted to the descendants through blood lineage. The Ten Commandments
state that the sin of the parents will be conveyed through several
generations (Ex. 20:5).
Third is the "collective sin". This is the sin for which everybody is
collectively responsible, even though it is neither his own sin nor a
hereditary sin. An example of this kind of sin is the crucifixion of Jesus.
The chief priests and scribes of the people had Jesus crucified; therefore,
all the Jews have undergone God's punishment, taking the responsibility as a
whole. Likewise, all mankind has had to suffer and will bear common
responsibility until the Second Advent of the Lord.
Fourth is the "individual sin" which everyone commits himself. As
mentioned above, we call original sin the root of all sins. Hereditary sin
corresponds to the trunk, while collective sin and individual sin correspond
respectively to the branches and leaves of a tree. All sins come from
original sin, which is the root of all sins. Therefore, man cannot
fundamentally liquidate all sins without getting rid of original sin.
However, no one has been able to uncover this root of sin. Only Christ, the
True Parent, who comes as the root of life, can uncover the root of sin(s)
and liquidate it.
6. THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF THE FALL
Eve inherited from the archangel all the characteristics that came about
when the archangel committed a sexual act with Eve against God's will. Then
Adam, who entered into a blood relationship with Eve--who in turn was in the
position of the archangel to him--came to inherit the same characteristics.
In this manner, these characteristics gave rise to the fallen nature of man.
We call these the "original nature of the fall".
The basic motivation that thus caused the original nature of the fall lay
in the jealousy the archangel felt toward Adam. How could there be any such
thing as jealousy in the archangel, who had been created for the purpose of
goodness? Originally, the archangel was endowed with wisdom and desire, as
the original nature of creation. He could compare and discern that God's
love toward men was greater than that toward himself. It was quite natural
for him to entertain the hope of receiving greater love than anyone else
because he possessed a spontaneous desire for the greatest love. Such a
desire was automatically conducive to jealousy. Therefore, jealousy was a
by-product of the original nature of creation, like the shadow of a thing
produced by the light.
However, after perfection, man could never fall due to such incidental
desire. He would not dare commit such a crime, because he would know that
the torment he would experience in fear of self-destruction, after
fulfilling such a desire, would be far greater than the momentary
satisfaction he would enjoy by fulfilling it.
The world after the accomplishment of the purpose of creation should be a
systematic society, resembling a man in its form, in which all men have an
integrated relationship with one another. So, the harm which comes to an
individual is felt by the whole. Therefore, the whole body would keep the
individual members from destruction. Similarly, in the world in which the
purpose of creation is fulfilled, any incidental desire occurring from the
original nature of creation would be used for the development of human
society; it could never cause man to fall.
We may roughly divide the original nature of the fall into four aspects.
The first is the failure to take the standpoint of God in loving others. The
motivation of the archangel's fall lay in his jealousy of Adam; he did not
love him from the same standpoint as God. This led him to defile Eve. The
nature by which a courtier feels jealous of a King's favorite, instead of
loving him from the standpoint of the king, is another example of the
original nature of the fall.
The second is to leave one's own position. Lucifer fell by leaving his
position because of an unrighteous desire to enjoy the same position of love
in human society as he did in the angelic world, and due to his attempt to
receive more love from God. Any act that is performed apart from one's own
position and limit, out of an unrighteous desire, is without exception, a
manifestation of this original nature of the fall.
The third is to reverse the dominion. The angel who was supposed to be
under the dominion of man, dominated Eve, reversing the principled order.
And Eve, who was supposed to be under the dominion of Adam, dominated him
instead. This resulted in the fall. Human society was thrown out of order by
those who left their positions and reversed their dominions. This resulted
because of the third original nature of the fall.
The fourth is to multiply the criminal act. If Eve had not multiplied her
crime in Adam before her fall, Adam would have remained intact. To restore
Eve alone would have been easy. However, Eve caused Adam to fall,
multiplying her crime in him. The desire of evil men to induce their
colleague to commit crimes with them also comes from this original nature of
the fall.
SECTION V - Freedom and the Fall
1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FREEDOM SEEN FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF
THE PRINCIPLE
In discussing the nature of freedom in light of the Principle, we must
first understand that there is no freedom apart from the Principle.
The word "freedom" expresses collectively both free will and free action
which accompanies it. Because the former and the latter are in the relation
of character and form, perfect freedom is only possible when these two are
combined. Naturally, where there is no free will, there is no free action.
Free will not followed by free action cannot be perfected. Free action
comes from free will, and free will is the manifestation of one's original
mind. The minds of men of the original nature of creation cannot operate
apart from the Principle, which is the Word of God. Therefore, there can be
no free will apart from the Principle, and naturally no true free action can
follow. We can conclude that, for men of the original nature of creation,
there is no freedom whatsoever apart from the Principle.
Secondly, there is no freedom unaccompanied by responsibility. Man,
created according to the Principle, is to perfect himself by accomplishing
his portion of responsibility through his own free will (cf. Part I, Ch. 1,
Sec. V, 2.2--55). Accordingly, man, in pursuit of the purpose of creation,
always tries to accomplish his responsibility according to his free will;
therefore, there can be no freedom unaccompanied by responsibility.
Thirdly, there is no freedom without actual results. The purpose of man's
attempt to accomplish his own portion of responsibility is to attain the
purpose of creation, and thus bring about actual results by which he can
make God happy. Accordingly, freedom always seeks actual results in the
accomplishment of God's purpose of creation. There is no freedom whatsoever
without actual results.
2. FREEDOM AND THE HUMAN FALL
As previously explained, freedom cannot exist apart from the Principle.
Therefore, in accordance with the principle of creation, freedom is always
accompanied by responsibility and it is always in pursuit of actual results
to make God happy. Consequently, free acts according to free will should
always result in goodness. Therefore, it cannot be that man would fall
because of freedom. That is why in II Corinthians 3:17 it is stated, "The
Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.".
We call this kind of freedom "the freedom of the original mind".
Since Adam and Eve had been advised by God not to eat the fruit of the
Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they should have kept the
commandment in accordance with the freedom of their original mind, without
God's intervention. When Eve was about to deviate from the Principle, the
freedom of her original mind, seeking the actual results of goodness and
responsibility in the Principle, apparently worked to keep her from going
off the track by arousing a sense of insecurity and fear within her. Even
after the fall, this freedom of the original mind surely worked to have man
return to God. Therefore, man could not have fallen due to the freedom of
the original mind. On the contrary, the human fall had its fundamental cause
in the fact that the power of the non-principled love was stronger than the
directive power of the freedom of the original mind. After all, man lost his
freedom because of the fall. However, God can work His providence of
restoring man's freedom because man, though fallen, still has a remainder of
his original nature which seeks freedom in God. It is sound proof of man's
progress toward restoring this freedom, long lost due to Satan, that, as
time goes by, man's zeal for the pursuit of freedom grows, and he seeks it
even at the risk of his life. Therefore, the purpose of man's search for
freedom is to accomplish the purpose of creation by bringing about actual
results, and to accomplish his responsibility in the Principle through his
free action in accordance with his free will.
3. FREEDOM, THE FALL, AND RESTORATION
Angels were created to minister to men. Thus, men were free to deal with
the angels. However, Eve, at the time of her temptation, was still immature
both in wisdom and in heart, Thus, when Eve was blinded in wisdom
(knowledge) and confused in heart (feeling) by the temptation of the angel,
she was forced to go beyond the line of fall even though she felt anxiety
due to the freedom of her original mind, which was in pursuit of actual
results and responsibility. This is because the power of love with the angel
was stronger than the freedom of her original mind. However free Eve may
have been to deal with the angel, she should have believed in God's
commandment not to eat the fruit, thus restraining herself from responding
to the temptation of the angel. Had Eve restrained herself, she would not
have fallen. In that case, the power of the non-principled love with the
angel could not have been generated. Despite the fact that freedom allowed
Eve to respond to the angel, leading her to the line of fall, it was by no
means freedom but the power of non-principled love that made her overstep
the line of fall.
Since man was created to deal with the angels in freedom, Eve came to
deal with Lucifer. By Eve's performing give and take action with him on a
reciprocal base, they fell into non-principled love, and the power of this
love caused them to fall. On the contrary, fallen man can also stand in the
objective position to God in freedom. Therefore, if man performs the action
of give and take with God on a reciprocal base according to the truth, he
can restore the original nature of creation by the power of principled love.
Man came to cry for freedom because of the directional nature of the freedom
of his original mind, which seeks to restore the original nature of
creation.
Man, due to the fall, became ignorant of God and of His heart. Therefore,
human will, due to ignorance, could not take a direction with which God
could be pleased. However, in fallen man the "heart-and-zeal" for the
freedom of the original mind directed toward the purpose of creation has
been renewed, as spirit (internal knowledge) and truth (external knowledge)
have developed according to the age in the providence of restoration.
Subsequently, man's heart-and-zeal toward God has also been restored,
heightening his desire to live in accordance with God's will.
As man's volition for the restoration of freedom is cultivated, he
naturally seeks to create the social circumstances in which he can realize
freedom. Social revolution is unavoidable when the circumstances of the age
cannot satisfy the desires of the men belonging to the age. The French
Revolution in the 18th century is a representative example. Revolution will
continue until the freedom of the original nature of creation is restored
completely.
SECTION VI--THE REASON GOD DID NOT INTERFERE WITH THE FIRST
HUMAN ANCESTORS' FALLEN ACT
God, being omniscient and omnipotent, foresaw the possibility of the
fallen act of the first human ancestors. He did not lack the power to
prevent Adam and Eve from committing the act. Why, then, did God not
intervene to prevent the act of the fall when He foresaw it? This is one of
the most important questions, but has been left unsolved throughout human
history. We can give the following three points as the reasons God did not
interfere with man's fallen act.
1. FOR THE SAKE OF THE ABSOLUTENESS AND PERFECTION OF THE
PRINCIPLE OF CREATION
According to the principle of creation, God created man so that, by
inheriting His creative nature, man might dominate all things even as God
dominates mankind. However, man must perfect himself by accomplishing his
portion of responsibility in order to inherit God's creative nature. We call
this period of growth the "sphere of indirect dominion", or the "sphere of
dominion over the result of the Principle". While men are in this sphere,
God does not dominate them; instead, He seeks to have them fulfill their
portion of responsibility. God is to dominate men directly only after their
perfection. If God should interfere with their acts during the growth
period, it would amount to God's ignoring man's portion of responsibility.
In that case, God Himself would be ignoring the principle of creation, in
which He exalts man as the dominator of all things by giving him a creative
nature. If the Principle should be ignored, the absoluteness and perfection
of the Principle would be lost. Since God is the Creator, both absolute and
perfect, the principle of creation which He set forth should also be
absolute and perfect. Therefore, God could not interfere with the act of the
fall while men were in the period of growth, for the sake of the
absoluteness and perfection of the principle of creation.
2. IN ORDER THAT GOD ALONE BE THE CREATOR
God intervenes with beings or acts only within the Principle, but He does
not interfere with beings or acts outside the Principle and thus not of His
creation. Therefore, if God interferes with any such being or act, that
being or act becomes recognized as part of the Principle.
When viewed from this standpoint, if God had intervened in the fallen act
of the first human ancestors, it would have meant that even the act of the
fall would have been given the value of creation, and that this sinful act
would have been recognized as part of the Principle. If so, it would have
caused God to set up a new principle which would have called for His
recognizing the sinful act as an act of the Principle. Since Satan initiated
this process, this means that Satan would have created a new principle,
making himself a creator along with God. In order that God alone be the
Creator, He could not interfere with the act of the fall.
3. IN ORDER TO SET UP MAN AS THE DOMINATOR OF ALL THINGS
God created man and blessed him, and set him up to be the dominator of
all things (Gen. 1:28). In order for man to dominate all things as God
desired, he should have possessed certain qualifications as a lord because
he could only dominate others from a position superior to theirs.
Just as God was qualified to dominate all men because He was the Creator,
man had to have the creativity of God in order to be qualified as the
dominator of all things. Therefore, God made man to perfect himself by
accomplishing his own portion of responsibility through the period of his
growth, in order to qualify him as the dominator of all things. Therefore,
man should possess the qualities of dominion that can be obtained only by
perfecting himself through such a course in the Principle, before he can
dominate all things. If God directly dominated and interfered with man in
the period of his immaturity, it would result in making him the dominator of
all things when he was not yet qualified to be a dominator, for he did not
have the creativity of God, and had not accomplished his portion of
responsibility. It would be a contradiction to deal with an immature man and
a perfect man on an equal basis. More than that, this would ignore the
principle of creation which He set up in order to make man dominator of all
things by giving him even His power of creativity. Therefore, God, who made
the world according to the Principle, could not interfere with the act of
the fall of the immature man, who was still in the sphere of indirect
dominion, in order that He could later set man up in the position of
dominator over all things. |