The Value of the man who has attained the Purpose of Creation

Chapter Christology

Section I

There are many questions to be resolved by fallen men who are on their way to attaining the goal of salvation. The most important of all are the questions concerning the relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit centered on God, the relationship between Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and fallen men, rebirth, Trinity, and others, all within the scope of Christology. Up to the present day, no one has ever completely answered these questions. With these questions still unresolved, there remains much confusion in the life in faith and doctrines of Christianity. In order to resolve these questions, we must first understand the value of the original man endowed at the creation. Let us discuss this question before dealing with the others.

Section I

The Value of the man who has attained the Purpose of Creation

Let us discuss the value of the man who has attained the purpose of creation--that is, the value of Adam in perfection.

First, let us discuss the relationship between God and perfected man from the standpoint of "dual characteristics". According to the principle of creation, man was created with mind and body, taking after God's dual characteristics. There are mutual relationships between God and perfected man which may be compared to the relationship between man's mind and body.

Just as the body was created as the substantial object to the invisible mind which it resembles, man was created as the substantial object to the invisible God, taking after His image. Since we cannot separate one from the other when the mind and body of a perfected man become one, centered on God, we can never sever the relationship formed when God and perfected man become one body through the four position foundation, because, in this state, man would live in perfect union with God's heart and feeling. In this way, a man who attains the purpose of creation would become the temple of God's constant abode (I Cor. 3:16), thus assuming deity (cf. Part I, Ch. 1, Sec. III, 2--42). As Jesus said, man must become perfect as our heavenly Father (Matt. 5:48). Therefore, the man who has attained the purpose of creation would assume the divine value of God.

Second, let us consider the value of man, centering on the purpose of creating man. God's purpose in creating man was to enjoy happiness through him. Each individual has special characteristics which others do not have. However vast the number of people on earth may be, we can find no two identical in their individuality. Therefore, there is only one individual in the whole creation who can return stimulating joy to God as His substantial object, through a reciprocal base with the particular dual essentialities contained within God, which are subjective to that individual (cf. Part I, Ch. 1, Sec. III, 2--42). The man who has attained the purpose of creation, whoever he may be, is an existence unique in the whole universe. Buddha's statement, "I am my own Lord throughout heaven and earth.", is reasonable in light of this principle.

Third, let us study man's value from the standpoint of the relationship between man and the rest of creation. By understanding the relationship between man and the rest of creation, according to the principle of creation, we can better understand the value of perfected man. Man was created to rule the invisible world with his spirit, and to rule the visible world with his physical body. Therefore, the man who has attained the purpose of creation becomes the ruler of all creation (Gen. 1:28). Thus, man is to rule both the visible and the invisible worlds, with his physical body and his spirit. Thus, these two worlds form a substantial object to God by performing the action of give and take, with man as the medium.

According to the principle of creation, we know that the world of creation is the substantial development of man's dual essentialities. Accordingly, man's spirit is the substantial encapsulation of the entire visible world. Therefore, a man having fulfilled the purpose of creation is the substantial encapsulation of the entire cosmos. This is the reason man is called a microcosm. Man has the value corresponding to that of the whole macrocosm, as it is said (Matt. 16:26), "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?".

Suppose there is a perfect machine. If the parts of the machine are the only ones of their kind in the whole world and can neither be obtained nor made again, one part would have a value corresponding to that of the whole machine, however trivial that part may be, because without it the whole machine would not operate. Likewise, the individuality of a perfected man is unique. So, however unimportant he may seem, he in fact corresponds to the whole macrocosm in terms of his value.