Ep 868 - The Path of Life for All Humankind Part 9
The Path of Life for All Humankind - March 12, 2023
Key Points
In the fall we lost the potential to form an ideal family of true love that represented God. Now our task is to liberate God’s han and comfort Him by realizing the ideals of true love that God desires by building such true families.
Freedom lies in thinking of one’s object partner first while respecting heavenly order. God does this while Satan does not.
There is no peace outside the Principle. Peace comes from respecting the freedom of our partner and fulfilling what they want. We bring peace and freedom by living for the sake of others.
If we recognize our mistakes, deeply and sincerely repent for them, and establish good conditions, we tend to become level headed, distinguish good from evil, and separate from evil. We will never go back to committing sins.
As the Parent, God does not look at His children’s flaws but at their attitude and conditions to establish goodness.
If we sincerely and honestly repent with tears, we can receive incredible grace from God.
Transcripts from November 3, 2021 to the present, personal notes from November 11, 2020 until November 2, 2021 and slides from August 29, 2021 to the present are available at MD.Hoondok.com as PDF files.♦
Today I’d like to talk about “The Path of Life for All Humankind” from True Mother’s Anthology, Book 2.
<This speech was given by Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon between February 11 and May 29, 1999 at events promoting the Global Expansion of True Families in Japan, the United States and around the world.>
We are born and mature in the vertical love of our parents, and later we engage in horizontal love. This is the only way we can find the integrated realm of love. Heaven and earth together form a spherical world, covering all the dimensions of top and bottom, left and right, and front and back. When the vertical and horizontal love relationships are linked, they interact, revolve, integrate and finally emerge as a single center of harmony. Once the vertical love of Heaven and earth is firmly established as the axis internally and externally, the need for horizontal love arises. This takes place during adolescence. During adolescence, even the sight of an autumn leaf blowing along the ground can seem inspiring. Girls who used to be so reserved when they were younger suddenly start doing things to their hair, putting on makeup and trying on all sorts of clothes and accessories. Their interests expand as well. These are horizontal phenomena of love.
So we are travelers on the path of life. The most important thing on this path is to experience and embody vertical and horizontal love. We need to build a family centering on the love of true parents, true husbands and wives, true brothers and sisters, and true sons and daughters. Next, we need to expand ourselves horizontally, multiplying into families in all directions. When these families, linking the horizontal and vertical, manifest themselves as true families connected to the levels of the tribe, society, nation and world, this world, interlinked by true love, will be the kingdom of heaven.
When a husband and wife love each other, their relationship symbolizes the planting of God. Parents represent God's original position and the husband and wife embody different aspects of God. Also, each child is like a small God. Since God is the original entity of true love, when the various members of the family link themselves to true love, they become one body with God. Parents are the living embodiment of God and the children represent God as well. Thus, three generations stand in the position of God, centering on true love.
When a husband and wife love each other, their relationship symbolizes the planting of God. Parents represent God's original position and the husband and wife embody different aspects of God. Man and woman are each half of God. Therefore, when they become one, they come to represent God.
Also, each child is like a small God. Since God is the original entity of true love, when the various members of the family link themselves to true love, they become one body with God.
Parents are the living embodiment of God and the children represent God as well. Thus, three generations stand in the position of God, centering on true love.
Even if we are educated about True Parents’ family and the value of true love again and again, it is always so moving. The problem is that human beings fell (and) became people who lost such true families and the value of true love. How lamentable is this very thing for God and human beings?
Now, the way to liberate God’s han and comfort Him is our task, and we must do so by realizing the ideals of true love that God desires by building true families.
LIVING DIVINE PRINCIPLE: The Human Fall 26: The Meaning of Freedom from the Viewpoint of the Principle #1
Freedom and the Human Fall
• What is the meaning of true freedom? In light of the Principle, three characteristics of freedom stand out. First, there is no freedom outside the Principle.
• Freedom requires both free will and the free actions pursuant to that will.
• Free will and free actions have the relationship of internal nature and external form, and perfect free dom is achieved when they are in harmony.
• Therefore, there cannot be any free action with out free will, nor can free will be complete without free actions to accompany it.
• Free actions are generated by free will, and free will is an expression of the mind.
• The mind of an original, sinless person cannot operate outside of God’s words, that is, the Principle.
• It will never express free will or generate free action apart from the Principle.
• Undoubtedly, freedom of a true person never deviates from the Principle.
• There is no freedom without responsibility.
• Human beings, created according to the Princi ple, can reach perfection only by fulfilling their res pon si bility based on their free will.
• Accordingly, a person pursuing the purpose of creation as prompted by his free will ceaselessly strives to carry out his portion of responsibility.
• There is no freedom without responsibility.
• There is no freedom without accomplishment.
• When human beings exercise freedom and carry out their responsibility, they strive to accomplish re sults which complete the purpose of creation and bring joy to God.
• Free will ceaselessly pursues concrete results through free actions.
Let’s study Father’s word.
Satan Always Thinks of Himself
<184-69> Who created free sex? What is that? “It’s Satan” Can we see Satan with eyes? “No. we cannot see him with eyes.” That is Satan’s assertion. Satan always thinks of himself. The beginning of being Satan is self-recognition. Self-recognition. It begins from there. Originally, self-assertion begins in the position of representing heaven, humanity, and all things of creation. Without doing so, it is Satan to assert yourself. You have to know it. Even if you can try to assert yourself, there is no freedom. Can a leaf of a branch say, “I belong to this branch. But, I want to move to the down branch and belong to it”? That is self-destruction. You have to know that freedom cannot exist without the Principle while destroying the Principle and the order.
What kind of Being is God? He always thinks of His object partner first. Then what kind of being is Satan? Satan always asserts himself and always thinks of himself first.
Satan forgets about God, the entire universe, the entire world and all of humankind and all things of creation, and puts himself before all of that and thinks of himself first.
We need to know that the problem is that there is no freedom when we think of ourself first. This is because it is breaking away from laws of the universe. The principle of the universe is to think of the partner and live for their sake. That is why we need to know that there is no freedom while destroying the Principle and order.
Those who can Enjoy True Freedom
<187-96> Those who stand in the position where parents, wives, husbands, children, nations and the world are shameless can enjoy freedom. Don’t you think so? Parents can welcome those who don’t feel ashamed and sanction isn’t imposed on and live without restraint. Those people can dance and sing songs as they like. The phenomenon that people can do as they like will occur in this world. There are an inheritance and the root model of freedom. America shouted freedom, then failed. Freedom cannot exist without the Principle. When freedom violates the Principle, what happens? Peace cannot be established by itself. Peace means that your partner can become a perfect partner. Then, is it the freedom to hate others only for my own freedom? It is not true. Living for the sake of others is the freedom that the universe wants.
Then what kind of person is truly free? It is a person who stands in the position where they are not ashamed to look at their parents, wife or husband, children, nation, and the world.
It is someone who does not conscientiously face sanctions. It is the position where Heaven and Earth and all humankind and even one’s own parents can welcome them and dance and sing songs as they like.
If we are self-centered and shout freedom, then we will fail. Just look at today’s advanced countries. They all shouted freedom then failed. We have to know the truth that there is neither freedom nor peace outside the Principle, and there is also no peace outside the Principle. Peace cannot be established by itself.
Peace is not something that asserts only our freedom but it respects even the freedom of our partner and fulfills what they want. That’s when peace arises. We cannot hate others only for our own freedom. Living for the sake of others is the freedom that the universe wants.
TODAY’S YOUTH MINISTRY: Where Sin Increased, Grace Increased
Why? We will study about that.
The Meaning of “Where Sin Increased, Grace Increased”
1. The Bible says “where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:20). This is because when one commits sin, they feel so agonized that they beg for God’s forgiveness again and again, so God’s grace is also great in proportion to that. “Grace increased” means that one realized themself as a sinner regarding the sins they committed, so they changed their actions and became a new person. People who deeply realize themselves as sinners bring changes to their actions, and their mind and thoughts become level-headed and keen. People who are distressed after committing sins due to their disbelief will realize their own responsibility on how to distinguish good from evil.
People who do not properly know if something is good or evil and commit sins will have deep realizations about their mistakes and feel great pangs of conscience and severe pain. Therefore, we should separate good and evil well. The first thing God wishes for human beings is for us to distinguish good from evil.
The deeper your life of faith becomes, the more keenly you will distinguish good and evil with even trivial matters.
Let’s summarize:
Why does Grace Increase Where Sin Increases?
Romans 5:20: “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more”
Because when one commits sin and feels so agonized that he begs for God’s forgiveness again and again,
“Heaven Father, I am the sinner of sinners. Please forgive me.”
... they are given a chance to have a heartistic exchange with God.
Because God will always give the grace of forgiveness to one who honestly confesses and repents for their sins.
When we confess our sins, we need to be honest. We need to confess everything without leaving anything out. We need to completely confess and completely repent with our sincerity and tears.
Because one who uses their sins as an opportunity brings great changes to their life and becomes a new person
That is why grace increases where sin increases – because one sincerely repents and sincerely confesses and meets God. He receives his forgiveness, has a life-changing experience and becomes a totally new guy.
Distinguishing Good and Evil and True Repentance
2. People of original nature know how to distinguish good and evil well. So, they block any conditions which Satan can accuse beforehand. If we do not distinguish good from evil, Satan’s accusations are always waiting. If we live without distinguishing good and evil, Satan always follows us and seeks an opportunity to invade in order to make us his own. If the prodigal son in the Bible squandered everything and childishly begged his father for his inheritance again even when he returned home, Satan would make accusations and his parents’ lamentations could continue.
If the prodigal son came back alive from the place of death, he must repent and reform to the extent of the sins he committed. Only then will his parents truly rejoice and love him with more affection than before. True repentance will completely turn a person around. They will never go back to committing sins. Repenting and committing sins again is proof that that person still has arrogance left in them. Those who still have arrogance left in them will repent temporarily but then go back to square one.
God Looks at Human Beings’ Attitudes and Conditions
3. Beloved Cheon Il Guk brothers and sisters! You must know how to distinguish good and evil well. To distinguish good and evil well, you must establish good conditions which God rejoices over. As the Parent, God tries not to look at His children’s flaws, but He looks at their attitude. God wants to see His children striving to establish good conditions. God looks at human beings’ attitude and conditions to establish goodness. The reason God told Cain and Abel to offer sacrifices was to see what kind of attitude they had and what kind of conditions they set. When God looks upon you, if you really realized yourself as a sinner, you would know what God desires. That is why God looks at how you act and live. God does not remember our sins but will look at our lifestyle and attitude. You must know that.
Results Gained From Truly Realizing Yourself as a Sinner
1. People who have deep realizations about their mistakes feel great pangs of conscience and severe pain.
2. There will surely be changes to one who begs for God’s forgiveness to the extent of feeling pain from one’s sins.
3. The mind and thoughts of people who repent for their sins will become level-headed and keen.
> They will be able to keenly distinguish good from evil in even trivial matters...
...because they have experience. Those who repent a lot for their own sin, when they receive God’s guidance, they really know how to distinguish good and evil. They become very sensitive.
That is why Father says, “Those who are spiritually very high, who have passed through formation and growth stages and entered the completion stage and are closer to God, then in even trivial matters, very small things, they know what is sin, what is good and evil. But those under the formation stage do not know how to distinguish ‘This is good; this is evil.’”
That is why when we grow up spiritually and we have a lot of experience of repentance seriously and sincerely, we know how to distinguish good and evil.
4. One will come to realize their own responsibility on how to separate good from evil.
That is why we need to have sincere repentance with tears. But if we are very arrogant and insist on ourself, then maybe we partially repent but not completely, that is an issue.
5. If the prodigal son comes back alive from the place of death, he must repent and reform to the extent of the sins he committed.
We already studied (in) the Bible how the prodigal son came back and repented. He really knelt down and cried: “Father, I don’t have any qualification to become your son. I am your servant.” He truly repented with tears. Then his father accepted his repentance. He could see his (son’s) realization. (The son) had a life-changing experience.
It is not easy for fallen man to recognize he is a sinner and truly repent.
6. True repentance will completely turn a person around. They will never go back to committing sins.
Those who completely repent never, ever will go back to committing sin any more because they have already realized (their sinfulness). They will feel pangs of conscience. “Wow! It is better that I die! I cannot survive!” They really feel (serious) pangs of conscience.
If they do not feel the pangs of conscience, it means they are spiritually very dark, very low class. If they already know the Divine Principle and True Parents and have received the Blessing, somehow if they commit sin after having received the Blessing, wow! If someone commits sin before receiving the Blessing, he may feel less pain, but after he knows the Divine Principle and True Parents and knows the meaning of the Blessing, wow! According to senior brothers and blessed couples, this is really like hell! So stressful! They have no choice but to kneel down and pray with tears and tears. Through this kind of repentance, they change a lot.
But those who are arrogant may feel (some) shame and some pangs of conscience but not too seriously. If there is a chance they will receive forgiveness through True Mother’s grace, they commit sin again because their arrogance still remains.
7. Repenting and committing sins again is proof that that person still has arrogance left in them.
8. To distinguish good and evil well, you must establish good conditions which God rejoices over.
In order to overcome our sin, especially after we have received special grace from True Parents or True Mother, then we always need to establish good conditions. Then Satan cannot invade us.
“Oh, I have received True Parents’ grace. It’s ok now. My sin has become zero.” If we relax like that, maybe we will commit sin again. We may think, “Oh, maybe True Parents will give me another chance.” This is a terrible attitude! We misuse God and True Parents! This is terrible, I am telling you. This kind of person cannot be forgiven. We need to understand this point.
9. As the Parent, God tries not to look at His children’s flaws, but He looks at their attitude and conditions to establish goodness.
Heavenly God does not want to see children’s faults, their sins. He still has expectations that his children will come back. Though he does not see our fault, he really wants to see our attitude, how much we can change, how different a person we become. Heavenly Mother is more focused on our attitude and our conditions to establish goodness rather than on the sins we committed before. That is parental heart.
Do you know who a good Abel is? When we look at our Cain and (instead of) remembering the sins he has committed he focuses on the current situation: “He will be better. He will come back. He will change.” But fallen man has preconceptions: “This guy is really a problem. He cannot change any more.” Then WE have a problem.
Why is parental heart so good? Because when the parent sees his children’ faults and problems and wrongdoings, he forgets and has the expectation, “He will come back. He will be good.”
We need to have such positive expectations. God has such positive expectations and han, so we need to resemble him. Do you understand what I am talking about? It is really important.
Today I talked about as a sinner if we really repent, we can receive more grace. One who has committed sin and repents and experiences God’s grace, never goes back. We need to have that kind of strong commitment: “I don’t want to be a sinner any more.” Do you want to call someone who is the greatest sinner?(?) “I am the sinner (among) sinners.” We need this kind of humble heart and mind. Then God will really sympathize with us and will already forgive us because we have this kind of attitude.
(Testimony Ken Owens, Middle East Peace initiative, early 2000s.)♦
(Response to sharing) We are talking about sincere repentance. Where there is sincere repentance, it is sure there is incredible grace from God. Centering on God’s point of view, when we repent sincerely, he sees nothing. His main purpose is “You need to come back to my bosom.” That is why we need to be honest and very sincere. Then our sin is nothing. We need to repent with our utmost sincerity and honesty. “I will forgive you.” Then we can receive incredible grace from God.
Fallen man really does not know this. This is the issue actually.♦
NOTE: This text and the PowerPoint slides from this speech are available as a link at the top of this text. Transcripts from November 3, 2021 to the present, personal notes from November 11, 2020 until November 2, 2021 and slides from August 29, 2021 to the present are available at MD.Hoondok.com as PDF files. Books of the transcripts and notes are available as PDFs at MDBooks.Hoondok.com.
This lightly edited transcript may contain errors and omissions. Indecipherable, inaudible or uncertain words and guesses are tagged with a “(?)” and indecipherable phrases, with an ellipsis “...”. First, second and third person pronouns have been left as spoken if the meaning is clear, and other apparently Korean English expressions have been preserved if understandable. Some repeated phrases have been eliminated.
Audio only is available at anchor.morndev.com, spotify.morndev.com & audio.morndev.com. Notes or transcripts of Dr. Yong’s Morning Devotion speeches from November 11, 2020 through March 29, 2022 are available as six paperback books at cost at Lulu.com/Shop -- search for Dr. Chung Sik Yong -- and as PDF downloads free of charge at MDBooks.Hoondok.com.♦