The Principle of Restoration
The Principle of Restoration
Since the providence of restoration is God's work of re-creation, which has as its goal the fulfillment of the purpose of creation, God works this providence in accordance with His Principle. In the course of the providence of restoration, this principle is called the Principle of Restoration.
Before discussing the Principle of Restoration through Indemnity, we must first understand in what position, due to the Fall, human beings came to stand in relation to both God and Satan. If the first human ancestors had not fallen but had reached perfection and become one in heart with God, then they would have lived relating only with God. However, due to their Fall, they joined in a kinship of blood with Satan, which compelled them to deal with him as well. Immediately after the Fall, when Adam and Eve had the original sin but had not yet committed any subsequent good or evil deeds, they found themselves in the midway position - a position between God and Satan where they were relating with both. As a consequence, all their descendants are also in the midway position. Take, for example, a person in the fallen world who does not believe in Jesus but leads a conscientious life. As long as he leads a virtuous life, Satan cannot drag him into hell; yet God cannot bring him to Paradise either as long as he does not believe in Jesus. He remains in the midway position. His spirit ends up abiding in an intermediate region of the spirit world which is neither Paradise nor hell.
How does God separate Satan from fallen people who stand in the midway position? Satan relates with them on the basis of his connection with them through lineage. Therefore, until people make a condition through which God can claim them as His own, there is no way God can restore them to the heavenly side. On the other hand, Satan acknowledges that God is the Creator of human beings. Unless Satan finds some condition through which he can attack a fallen person, he also cannot arbitrarily claim him for his side. Therefore, a fallen person will go to God's side if he makes good conditions and to Satan's side if he makes evil conditions.
Download: INTRODUCTION TO RESTORATION
Exposition of the Divine Principle - part II - Introduction
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