The Commandment as an Object of Faith

Lesson Objective: Understand why God gave the commandment to Adam and Eve and how we can use God’s word to direct our life during the period of indirect dominion.

Divine Principle Reading:

Why did God nurture the faith of Adam and Eve by giving them the commandment, “Do not eat of the fruit”? In their immature state, Adam and Eve could not be directly governed by God through love. Because the power of love is stronger than the power of the Principle, God foresaw that if they ever formed a common base with the Archangel, there was a possibility that they could succumb to the power of deviant, unprincipled love and fall. To prevent this, God gave Adam and Eve the commandment that forbade them from relating with the Archangel in this way. No matter how powerful the unprincipled love of the Archangel might be, had Adam and Eve adhered to God’s commandment, forming a common base with God and engaging in give and take with Him and no other, the power of the Archangel’s unprincipled love would not have affected them and they would never have fallen. Tragically, Adam and Eve did not obey the commandment, but formed a common base with the Archangel and had give and take with him. Hence, the power of illicit love pushed them off the track.

Activity: God’s Word is a Cipher for our World

1. Explain:
   1. The goal of creation was that human beings would one day become completely one with God in heart, which is known as being under the direct dominion of God’s love. Once achieved, nothing could hinder or break our connection with our Heavenly Parent because we would be one in heart with Him/Her and our actions would stem from our love for Him/Her.
   2. While we are growing towards the goal of total oneness with God, we are in the state of indirect dominion of God’s love. It doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love us or that we don’t love God, it just means that the first object of our love, heart, and devotion isn’t our Heavenly Parent. And it means that we just means have some growing to do so that we can relate with God as co-creators of our perfected love.
   3. At the time of Adam and Eve, God saw the possibility for Adam and Even to become confused or be misguided by others around them. Out of love and care for His/Her children, God created the commandment of “do not eat of the fruit” to help Adam and Even navigate this time period.
   4. For this reason, God asks us to work on our own character and integrity before engaging in a romantic relationship
   5. Likewise, God asks us to grow our individual character to resemble His divine character and become closer to Him/Her in heart before we engage in a romantic relationship.
2. The Cipher:
   1. Give each person a copy of the “Decode this Message” page and tell them there is a message hidden in this paper.
   2. Explain: Without the cipher you wouldn’t be able to figure out the message. That’s how we should treat God’s word; God’s word is a cipher for our lives. There is a lot of stuff out there in the world and it can be overwhelming. God’s word and guidelines are what help us navigate all that we are surrounded by.
   3. Give time for the youth to use the cipher of “Line number/word number/letter number” to decipher God’s coded message to you on the paper.
   4. The message should turn out to be: 
      Talk to me, and I will help you get to where you want to be.
3. Explain:
   1. God foresaw the possibility of Eve interacting with Lucifer in an unprincipled way. That’s why Heavenly Parent gave Adam and Eve the commandment.
   2. God wanted Adam and Eve to relate with God during the period of indirect dominion so that their relationship could be strengthened and they could become one.
   3. While we are in this period of growth we need to interact with God and God’s Word as much as possible so help us see our paths clearly. We can also supplement this by having give and take with things that bring us joy and life elements (inspirational books and stories, the creation, or following our God given creative pursuits such as music, art, sports, etc.)
4. Until We are One:
   1. Ask each person to look up a quote from True Parents on their phone or a friends’ phone. They should choose a quote that resonates with them and is relatively short (1-2 sentences). (You can also prepare some quotes to choose from if you prefer).
   2. Explain: Becoming one with God takes time and takes practice. We have to keep practicing through reading God’s word, Hon Dok Hae, and other spiritual practices to learn about God’s Heart. With enough practice we will be able to naturally live in oneness with our Heavenly Parent. 
      It’s just like memorizing a quote. To best way to memorize something is to repeat it over and over and over until it is ingrained in your mind. Only then can you recite it from within yourself. The next step is to substantiate it through your actions.
   3. Ask each youth to practice saying their quote out loud and continue doing so until they have mostly memorized their quote.
   4. Have each youth recite their quote aloud in front of the group from memory. As a possible action step, have the youth summarize the heart/intention/meaning behind the quote and then do something to actualize it in their daily life in the coming week.

Concluding Point: We all know that understanding God is an important part of figuring out how to live truly happy lives. However, it can sometimes be difficult to understand God in His/Her entirety. This is because we are still growing our own character and are thus in the indirect dominion of God’s love. This doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love us, it just means that we haven’t fully comprehended God in His/Her entirety yet. That’s why we have God’s word. By studying, relating with, understanding, and practicing God’s word, we will be able to truly understand our Heavenly Parent. 

Divine Principle Reading:

It was not only to prevent their fall that God gave immature human beings the commandment. God also wanted them to enjoy dominion over the natural world – including the angels – by inheriting His creative nature. In order to inherit this creatorship, human beings should perfect themselves through their faith in the Word as their own portion of responsibility. 

Activity: The Commandment is God’s Advice, What’s Yours?

1. Explain:
   1. It may sometimes feel like our church has many strict rules that prevent you from living the way you want too.
   2. However, just as God set up the commandment as a way for Adam and Eve to practice living a heavenly lifestyle, so too are the guidelines of our spiritual tradition.
   3. God’s words help us to understand God’s heart and love and are meant to perfect our ability to live in oneness with our Heavenly Parent.
2. Ask each youth to think about the type of person they were in middle school. Have them pair share with the person next to them about who they were and what they were thinking about.
3. Give each youth some paper and a pen and ask them to pass on their own words of wisdom to their Middle School self. Have them write an actual letter entitled “Dear Middle School (Insert Name Here).” The letter should contain some insights and guidance they think would have been valuable for them at that age. As they are writing, they should try to look at their past selves from God’s perspective.
4. Gather in small groups and have each youth read their letter aloud to their small group.
5. Explain: These letters are full of meaningful advice and guidance for your middle school self. Your intention in writing this letter is to help your younger self avoid pain and difficulty in life. The same is true for God’s guidance and guidelines in our live.

Concluding Point: Because love is such a powerful thing, in order to have true ownership of it we need to approach it with wisdom and maturity. Once we reach oneness in Heart with our Heavenly Parent, we reach a place of complete freedom. It’s important to reminder the intention behind God’s commandment to Adam and Eve and all other spiritual guidelines we have in our lives. These guidelines are coming from a place of love and hope, not of restriction and control. They are God’s advice to help us lead the most successful lives that we can.