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Thus although God provides the natural environment for human
physical growth, as well as the love and laws needed for spiritual growth,
and it is the free choices of individuals that determine their destiny. What
a person contributes to his own completion is just a small part of what is
needed for human development (God gives the rest), but it is the key to
fulfillment of God's purpose for human beings. Therefore, the primary concern
of human life is the fulfillment of human responsibility.
The Direct Dominion of Love
God's law is a guide for giving and receiving love. When humans obey divine
law they mature in their love to the point where it fully resembles God's
true love and they can enter into the direct dominion of God's love, in which
the bond of love between God and humankind precludes any disobedient desire
in men and women. God's will and human will become one, such that human
desire is only to please God. Thus the goal of human life and the object of
growth is to exist in perfect union with God and be obedient to Him out of
mature love. (People bring fear of retribution and punishment on themselves
when they make choices outside of the Principles of Creation.) This is the
ideal of a parent-child relationship, in which the child obeys its parent out
of love and affection and not fear. Such a child can be come a friend or
partner to its parents, or even surpass them on occasion. This mature relationship
enhances the parent-child love and thrills the parents with joy.
Conclusion
As with all created beings, humans grow through three stages to reach
maturity. Human growth differs from that of minerals, plants and animals in
that it contains a spiritual element that transcends and gives purpose to the
physical. The object of human life is the perfection of love for the
completion of the three blessings. Once an individual has reached full
physical and spiritual maturity, completing the first blessing, he or she is
qualified to create a true love family and take dominion over the things of
creation, fulfilling the second and third blessings. The three blessings can
be completely realized only when individuals enter the direct dominion of
God, creating families and nations maintained in perfect harmony with His
will and secured by unbreakable bonds of true love.
Human growth to maturity on earth is preparation for an eternal existence in
the spirit world. The nature of this invisible world and its relationship to
the physical world known to our five physical senses is the topic of the next
chapter.
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