The Invisible and the Visible Substantial world centering on man

Chapter The Fall of Man

Section VI

The Invisible Substantial World and the Visible Substantial World centering on man

1. The Invisible substantial world and the Visible substantial world

Since the universe was created after the model of man, who is in the image and likeness of God's dual essentialities, every existence, without exception, takes after man's basic form, which consists of mind and body (cf. Part I, Ch. 1, Sec. I--20). Thus, in the universe there exists not only the visible substantial world, which resembles the human body, but also the invisible substantial world, which is modeled after the human mind. We call the latter the invisible substantial world, because we cannot perceive it with our five physical senses; however, we can perceive it with our five spiritual senses. The invisible world, like the visible world, is a world of reality. It is actually felt and perceived, through the five spiritual senses. The two substantial worlds together are called the "macrocosm".

Just as the body cannot act without a relationship with the mind, the original man of creation cannot act without a relationship with God. The visible world cannot enjoy its original value of creation without relating to the invisible world. In the same manner that we cannot understand a man's behavior without knowing his mind, we cannot really know the fundamental significance of human life without knowing God. Without understanding the invisible world, we cannot perfectly know the visible world. Thus, the invisible world is the subjective world; the visible world is the objective world, the latter operating like a shadow of the former (Heb. 8:5). Man, upon his death, after his life in the visible world, goes to the invisible world in a spiritual body, having taken off his "clothes of flesh" (Job 10:11), and lives there forever.

2. Position of man in the universe

First, God created man to be the ruler of the universe (Gen. 1:28). The universe, except man, does not have internal sensibility to God. That is why God does not dominate the world directly; but by creating man to have complete sensibility to the universe, God lets him rule the universe directly. In creating man, God created his flesh with ingredients from the water, earth, and air, which are the main elements of the visible world. God did this to enable man to be sensible to and to have dominion over this world. He created the spirit man with spiritual elements to enable him to be sensible and have dominion over the invisible world. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses, who had died nearly 1600 years before, and Elijah, who had died nearly 900 years before, appeared to Jesus (Matt. 17:3). These were actually the spirits of Moses and Elijah. Only man, who consists of both flesh and spirit, which enable him to dominate the visible and invisible worlds, can rule the two worlds.

Second, God created man to be the mediator and the center of harmony of the universe. When man's flesh and spirit, by becoming one through their give and take action, stand as the substantial object of God, the visible and invisible worlds also become the object of God by uniting through give and take action centered on man. Thus, man is the mediator and center of harmony between the two worlds. Therefore, man is like the air which enables a tuning fork to resound. Since man is created to communicate with the invisible world, he is meant to reflect everything happening in the world of spirit.

Third, God created man as the substantial microcosm of the whole. God first created the universe by developing, in substance, man's character and form. Thus, the spirit man is the substantial encapsulation of the invisible world, since God created the invisible world as the substantial development of the character and form of the spirit man. Likewise, the physical man is the substantial encapsulation of the visible world, since God created the visible world as the substantial development of the character and form of the physical man. Consequently, man is a microcosm, the encapsulation of the whole macrocosm.

Because of the fall of man, however, the whole creation lost its ruler. We read in Romans 8:19 that the creation waits in eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God (restored men of the original nature). Romans 8:22 continues with, "the whole creation has been groaning in travail together". This is because the give and take action between the visible and invisible worlds has been cut off due to the fall of man, rendering them unable to unite, since man was to be their mediator and center of harmony.

Jesus came as a perfect man in flesh and spirit. Therefore he was the substantial microcosm of the whole. That is why the Bible says that God has put all things in subjection under the feet of Christ (I Cor. 15:27). Jesus is our savior. He came to the world in order to perfect fallen men by striving to have them unite with him.

3. The reciprocal relationship between the physical man and the spirit man

(1) The Structure and Function of the Physical Man

The physical man consists of the dual essentialities, flesh mind (subject) and flesh body (object). The flesh mind enables the flesh body to multiply and provide protection. The instinct of an animal corresponds to the flesh mind. In order for the physical man to grow in good health, it must absorb air and light, which are invisible nourishment of a positive nature, while also taking in material elements, which are visible nourishment of a negative nature. All these must perform a perfect action of give and take through the circulation of blood.

The goodness or evil in the conduct of the physical man influences his spirit man to become either good or evil. This is because the physical man provides a certain element to the spirit man, which we call the "vitality element". In our everyday life, we know that our mind rejoices when our body performs a good deed, but feels anxiety after evil conduct. This is because the vitality element, which can be good or evil according to the deed of man, is infused into our spirit man.

(2) The Structure and Function of the Spirit Man

The spirit man, which exists as an invisible substantial being, was created to be the subject to the physical man and to be felt and perceived through our spiritual senses. Through the spirit man we can communicate directly with God and have dominion over the invisible world, including the angels. Our spirit man is identical in appearance to our physical man, and it lives for eternity in the invisible world after leaving the physical body. Man desires to live forever because he has within himself a spirit man, which has an eternal nature.

The spirit man consists of the dual essentialities of spirit mind (subject) and spirit body (object). The spirit mind is the spirit man's central part, where God may abide. Our spirit man grows through the give and take action between the "life element" (positive) coming from God, and the "vitality element" (negative) coming from the physical man.

The spirit man not only receives the vitality element from the physical man but also sends a certain element in return which we call the "living spirit element". We have seen that a man, influenced by another higher spirit, could feel infinite joy and new strength swelling up in him, even making it possible to heal a chronic disease. Such instances occur because the physical man receives the living spirit element from the spirit man.

Further, the spirit man can grow only in the soil of the physical man. Therefore, the relationship between the spirit man and the physical man is like that between fruit and tree. When the physical mind responds to desires of the spirit mind, the physical man acts in accordance with the purpose of the spirit mind. Then the physical man receives the living spirit element from the spirit man. This brings good feelings and energy to the spirit man. Accordingly, the physical man, when it returns a wholesome vitality element to the spirit man, influence it to grow normally, in the direction of goodness.

The truth teaches us what it is that our spirit mind desires.

When man comes to understand, through the truth, what our spirit mind desires, and why by putting it into practice he accomplishes his portion of responsibility, then the living spirit element and the vitality element enter into give and take action for the purpose of goodness.

The relationship between the living spirit element and the vitality element corresponds to the relationship between character and form. Because the living spirit element is always at work in every individual, the original mind always inclines toward goodness, even in an evil person.

However, unless a man leads a good life, the living spirit element cannot provide anything for the betterment of the physical man. Also, it cannot enjoy normal give and take action with the vitality element. Likewise, our spirit man can be perfected only through our physical life on earth.

Our spirit man should perfect itself by gradually growing through the three orderly stages in conjunction with our physical man, centering on the spirit mind, in accordance with the principle of creation. A spirit man which is in the formation stage is called a "form spirit", in the growth stage, a "life spirit", and in the perfection stage, a "divine spirit".

When our spirit man and our physical man establish the four position foundation by performing perfect give and take action centering on God, thus forming a united body, the spirit man becomes a divine spirit. At this level, the spirit man can feel and perceive everything in the invisible world. Since all the spiritual phenomena thus perceived by the spirit man are reflected and echoed in the physical man, presenting themselves as physical phenomena, man finally comes to feel spiritual phenomena even with his five physical senses. The Kingdom of God in heaven is the place where spirits go to live forever after leaving their physical bodies, when they have ended their physical life in the Kingdom of God on earth. The Kingdom of God in heaven can be realized only after the realization of the Kingdom of God on earth.

The sensibility of our spirit man is to be cultivated through its reciprocal relationship with our physical man during physical life on earth. Therefore, man should be perfected and experience God's perfect love on earth in order for his spirit man to experience God's perfect love in the invisible substantial world after his physical death. Thus, the character and qualities of the spirit man are formed during our earthly life. The aggravation of evil in the spirit of a fallen man is due to his sinful conduct during his earthly life. Likewise, the betterment of a fallen spirit man comes about only through the redemption of his sin during his physical life on earth. This was the reason Jesus came to earth in the flesh to save sinful mankind. Thus, we must lead a good life on earth. Jesus gave the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven to Peter (Matt. 16:19), and said that whatever is bound on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever is loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matt. 18:18), because the primary purpose of the providence of salvation must first be realized on the earth.

The destination of the spirit man is decided by the spirit man himself, not by God. Originally, man was made so that after his perfection, he could breathe God's love perfectly. If a spirit man is unable to breathe this love perfectly, because of his sinful conduct, he feels pain when standing before God, who is the subject of perfect love. Consequently, such a spirit would automatically go to hell, which is the state farthest removed from the love of God. In addition, the multiplication of spirit men occurs at the same time as the multiplication of physical men through man's physical life, because the spirit man was created to grow only in the soil of the physical man.

(3) The Human Mind Seen from the Relationship between Spirit Mind and Physical Mind

The relationship between spirit mind and physical mind is like that between character and form. When these two become one through give and take action centered on God, the spirit man and the physical man naturally become one harmonious unit. The give and take action between the spirit mind and the physical mind produces a united body, the human mind, which directs the individual toward the accomplishment of the purpose of creation.

Man became ignorant of God because of the fall. Thus, he became ignorant of the absolute standard of goodness. But, according to the original nature of creation, the human mind always directs man toward what it thinks is good. This directing power is called human conscience.

However, fallen man, being ignorant of the absolute standard of goodness, cannot set up the absolute standard of conscience. As the standard of goodness varies, so does the standard of conscience, and this causes frequent contention even among those who advocate a conscientious life.

The part of the human mind which corresponds to character and always directs man toward the absolute standard of goodness is called the "original mind", and that which corresponds to form is called the "conscience".

Therefore, when man, due to ignorance, sets up a standard of goodness different from that of the original nature of creation, the human conscience directs toward that standard; however, the original mind rejects it and tries to turn the direction of conscience toward the standard of the original mind. When the spirit mind and the physical mind which are under the bondage of Satan become one unit through the action of give and take, man's development in the direction of evil is accelerated. We call this unit the "evil mind".

The original mind and conscience of man repel this evil mind and direct man toward goodness by helping him to separate himself from Satan and to face God.