The Dual Characteristics of God and the Created Universe

Chapter the Principle of Creation

Throughout history, man has been struggling to solve the fundamental questions of life and the universe. Yet no one has been able to give satisfactory answers, for no one has known the original plan for the creation of man and the universe. Furthermore, there remains a fundamental question to be settled, a question not so much about the facts of existence as about the cause of existence. Questions about life and the universe, of course, cannot be solved without understanding the nature of God. The "Principle of Creation" deals with these fundamental questions.

Section I

The dual characteristics of God and His world of creation

1. Dual characteristics of God

How can we know the characteristics of God, who is an invisible being? We can know them by observing the world of His creation. For this reason, Paul said:

Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Rom. 1:20)

Just as the work of an artist is a visible manifestation of its maker's invisible nature, every creation is a substantial object of the invisible deity of God, the Creator. His nature is displayed in each creation. Just as we can sense an author's character through his works, so we can perceive God's deity by observing His creation.

In order to know the nature of God's deity, let us examine the common factors, which can be found throughout His creation. A creation, whatever it may be, cannot come into being unless a reciprocal relationship between positivity and negativity has been achieved, not only within itself but also in relation to other beings.

Particles

For example, particles, which are the essential components of all matter, have either positivity or negativity, or a neutrality, which is caused when the positive and negative elements neutralize each other. When the two characteristics enter into a reciprocal relationship, these particles form an atom.

Atoms

Each atom assumes either positive or negative characteristics, and, as the dual characteristics within each atom enable that atom to have reciprocal relationships with other atoms, they proceed to form molecules of matter. Matter, which is formed in this way, according to the reciprocal relationship between these two characteristics becomes nourishment for animals and plants when it is absorbed by them.

Plants

All plants exist and multiply through a relationship occurring between the stamen and pistil, while the same process occurs in the animal world through a relationship between male and female.

Human beings

As for man, God created a man (male), Adam, in the beginning; then, seeing that it was not good that man should be alone (Gen. 2:18), He made a woman (female), Eve, as Adam's object, and for the first time God saw that His creation was "very good" (Gen. 1:31).

Just as a positive or negative ion, even after dissociation, is found to be the combination of a proton (positive) and an electron (negative), the stamen or the pistil of the plant and a male or female member of the animal kingdom can also exist only through a reciprocal relationship between their dual essentialities of positivity and negativity.

Also, there is a female characteristic dormant in every man, and a male essence in every woman. The aspects of each thing in the creation exist on a reciprocal basis, such as: inside and outside, internal and external, front and rear, right and left, up and down, high and low, strong and weak, long and short, wide and narrow, east and west, south and north. This is because all things are created to exist through a reciprocal relationship between their dual essentialities.

As we have seen, all things exist through a reciprocal relationship between the dual essentialities of positivity and negativity.

We must also know the reciprocal relationship between another pair of dual essentialities, which is even more fundamental than that of positivity and negativity.

Anything in existence has both an external form and an internal character. The external form is visible and reflects the internal character, which is invisible. Though the internal character cannot be seen, it assumes a certain form, so that the external form resembles the internal character as its visible form. "Internal character" and "external form" refer to the two characters, which are the two relative aspects of the same existence. In this relationship, the external form may also be called a "second internal character", so together we call them "dual characteristics", or "dual essentialities".

We can take man as an example. Man consists of body, or external form, and mind, or internal character. The visible body resembles the invisible mind. The body assumes a form resembling the form projected by the mind. This is the reason one can perceive things about a man's invisible character and destiny by his outward appearance.

We call the mind "internal character" and the body "external form". Here again, since our mind and body are the two relative aspects of the same man, the body may be called the "second mind", or a duplication of the mind. We call these two together "the dual characteristics of man". Now we can understand the fact that everything exists through a reciprocal relationship between the dual characteristics of internal character and external form.

What then is the relationship between internal character and external form?

The invisible internal character is the cause and is in the subjective position, while the visible external form is the result of the former and stands in an objective position to it. Accordingly, the reciprocal relationship, which exists between the two, is one of internal and external, cause and result, subject and object, or vertical and horizontal.

Let us again use man as an example. Since mind and body correspond to character and form, the body is a copy of the mind and should be completely under its command. Thus, man can direct his life according to his will and purpose. The mind and body also assume a reciprocal relationship of internal and external, cause and result, subject and object, or vertical and horizontal.

Likewise, all the things of creation, though they may vary in dimension, have an invisible internal character, which corresponds to the mind; since this is the cause and subject, it manipulates the external form, which corresponds to the human body.

This relationship between mind and body enables the individual creation to maintain its existence as a being with a certain purpose.

Animals have an aspect which corresponds to the human mind; since this is the subject and cause which directs towards a certain purpose, the animal body is able to live according to the purpose of its individual being. A plant also has an internal character which enables it to maintain its organic function.

Men can be united because the mind is common factor in every person. Similarly, positive and negative ions are united to form a certain material because within each ion there are aspects of both internal character and external form, which tend to unite, thus forming a molecule. Again, when an electron revolves around a proton to form an atom, it is because each contains an aspect of "character" that directs it toward the purpose of constructing an atom.

Modern science tells us that the particles forming the atom all consist of energy. We know that within energy itself there must also be an attribute of "character" which strives toward the goal of constructing a particle. Even beyond this, we must seek an absolute being as the ultimate cause of the entire world of reality. This cause, with its ultimate and unique character and form, brought all energy into existence. This ultimate being must be the First Cause of all beings, containing the absolute and subjective character and form. This First Cause of our existing world we call God. We call God's subjective character and form His "essential character" and "essential form".

As Paul indicated, when we examine the factors, which all creation have in common, we finally come to understand the God is the First Cause of the world of creation, and He exists as the absolute subject, having characteristics of both essential character and essential form.

We have already clarified the fact that everything in the creation exists only because of a reciprocal relationship between its dual characteristics of positivity and negativity. We naturally conclude that God, being the First Cause of all creation, also exists because of a reciprocal relationship between the dual characteristics of positivity and negativity.

Genesis 1:27 says:

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

This, too, explains to us that God is the absolute subject, who exists with His dual characteristics of positivity and negativity.

What is the relationship between the dual characteristics of character and form and the dual characteristics of positivity and negativity?

Fundamentally, God's essential character and His essential form assume a reciprocal relationship with His "essential positivity" and "essential negativity". Therefore, God's essential positivity and essential negativity are the attributes of His essential character and essential form. So, the relationship between positivity and negativity is similar to that which exists between character and form.

Accordingly, positivity and negativity also have a reciprocal relationship existing between internal and external, cause and result, subject and object, vertical and horizontal. This is the reason it is written in the Bible that God created the woman Eve as an object by taking the rib from the man Adam, who was the subject (Gen. 2:22). Here we call the positivity and negativity of God "masculinity" and "femininity", respectively.

The universe, which was created with God as the center is similar to a man who has been created with his mind as the center. The universe is a perfect organic body created completely in accordance with God's purpose of creation. For this reason, the universe as an organic body has its own internal character and external form, with God as its internal character, while the physical universe is its external form. This is why God said that man, who is the center of the universe, was made in His own image (Gen. 1:27).

Before creating the universe, God existed as the internal masculine subject, and He created the universe as His external feminine object. I Corinthians 11:7 says that man, "is the image and glory of God", which testifies to this theory. Since God is the masculine subject of internal character, we call Him "Our Father", emphasizing His masculine nature.

In brief, we know that God is the subject who consists of the dual characteristics of essential character and essential form. At the same time, He is a subject consisting of the dual characteristics of masculinity and femininity, the former representing His essential character and the latter representing His essential form. In relationship to the whole creation, God is the masculine subject representing its internal character.

2. Relationship between God and the Universe

We have learned so far that each and every creation is God's substantial object which is the manifested form of the invisible essentialities of God. Every substantial object is called an "individual truth incarnation". Man, being the substantial object of God who was created in His image, is called the "individual truth incarnation in image". Since all creation, other than man, is the symbolic object of God created in His indirect image, it is called the "symbolic individual truth incarnation".

Any individual truth incarnation, since it is a substance, which manifests God's dual essentialities, can again be divided into a positive element and a negative one, the former resembling masculinity as the essential character of God and the latter resembling femininity as the essential form of God. Also, each individual truth incarnation is a substantial object of God; therefore, each not only reflects God's dual essentialities of character and form in the individual self, but each also has within itself the dual essentialities of positivity and negativity.

To sum up the relationship between God and the universe as seen from the viewpoint of its dual characteristics, the universe is God's substantial object consisting of individual truth incarnations. These are the manifestation of God's dual characteristics both in image and in symbol according to the principle of creation. That is, man is God's substantial object with His dual characteristics manifested as "direct image", while all things of the universe are the substantial objects of God with His dual characteristics manifested as "indirect image" (symbol). The relationship between God and the universe and the relationship between character and form is the same as the relationship between internal and external, cause and result, subject and object, and vertical and horizontal.

Let us examine the fundamental theory of the "Book of Changes (I Ching)", which is the center of Oriental philosophy, from the viewpoint of the principle of creation.

This book emphasizes that the foundation of the universe is Taeguk (ultimacy) and from this comes Yang and Yin (positivity and negativity). From Yang and Yin come the "O-haeing" (five elements: metal, wood, water, fire and soil). All things were created from O-haeing. Positivity and negativity together are called the "Tao". The "Tao" is defined as the "Way", or "Word". That is, Taeguk produced the word (creative principle) and the Word produced all things. Therefore, Taeguk is the first and ultimate cause of all existence and is the unified nucleus of both positivity and negativity.

By comparing this with the Bible (John 1:1-3), "The Word was God...and all things were created through him", we can see that Taeguk, the subject which contains positivity and negativity, represents God, the subject who contains dual essentialities.

According to the principle of creation, the word (Logos) also consists of dual essentialities, and so the universe which was created by the Word contains dual essentialities. Consequently, the assertion in the "Book of Changes" that "positivity and negativity together is the Word", is valid.

However, the "Book of Changes" which observes the universe only from the viewpoint of positivity and negativity, does not explain the fact that all things have an internal character and external form within themselves.

Accordingly, it has only verified the fact that Taeguk is the subject containing positivity and negativity and has not explained that Taeguk is originally the subject containing the dual characteristics of essential character and essential form. Therefore, the "Book of Changes" does not reveal that Taeguk is a God of personality.

Here we have learned that the foundation of Oriental philosophy contained in the "Book of Changes", can ultimately be elucidated only according to the principle of creation.