Episode:God the Father—Attributes of God (Part 4)
The uncertainties of life and the vicissitudes of existence do not in any manner contradict the concept of the universal sovereignty of God over his well-nigh limitless creation. You may falter in your concept of his primacy, but you should not fail to accept him as securely and everlastingly enthroned at the Paradise center of all things and as the beneficent Father of all intelligent beings.
Keywords: Urantia, God, Sovereignty, Delegated Authority, Inevitabilities
Summary by Kermit
Commentary after Review
We reflected on some of the complex issues surrounding the concept of the cosmic fact called Deity as transcendent and distinct from the three elements of the triunity fact of Reality. As presented in the revelation the deity versus reality distinction appears to be novel in mankind’s history, but the Greeks’ recognition of the mind-body distinction might be seen to be analogous. Listen to the archive for many specific and intriguing details of this philosophic problem.
3:5. The Father’s Supreme Rule
Here we shift focus from the transcendent omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience of God to an examination of his universe sovereignty as manifested in the delegated descending chain of command of divine Sons and subordinate personalities.
Even so, God retains the capability of direct action in the time-space domains. How then does the transcendent God exercise his delegated power in a direct manner? The directness with which God exercises his heretofore delegated power is described in qualified terms, “…within the limits of the reservation of divine power and potential.” A possible mechanism for God’s direct action is in the function and presence of the mysterious Personalized Adjusters operating in the domains of finite reality. As we read in [109:7.3], "They are the personal agents of the full ministry of the Universal Father—personal, prepersonal, and superpersonal."
The Father’s supreme rule (sovereignty of the finite) is observable in the unbroken line of descending rulers down to the final such link, the Planetary Princes, the lords of the evolutionary worlds. Material mortals were so designed to naturally manifest reverence for these representatives of the Father’s universe sovereignty. Unfortunately in light of Urantia’s planetary history of rebellion and default, this proclivity has led to the exaltation and promotion of human leaders who turned out to be less than deserving of loyalty, admiration, and obedience.
So it is that regarding planetary conduct and destiny, the Father’s divine plan always prevails. Yet, with God’s gift of freewill, the individual personality is left free to choose God’s plan or not.
In the face of the immensity and complexity of universe phenomena, God’s primacy may be difficult to fathom, yet in faith, trust and with assurance we can accept his enthronement at the Paradise center of all things, above all and in all.
The vicissitudes and uncertainties of our evolutionary life in the flesh do not contradict the idea of God’s universal sovereignty. Our author presents nine qualities of character which are fostered by the apparent hard knocks of life. Can we look at these inevitable and seemingly negative circumstances of life as divine gifts to grow from?
- Courage-is only possible in an environment of hardship and disappointment.
- Altruism-requires situations of social inequality for its manifestation.
- Hope-true hope, the grandeur of trust, not the wishful thinking that is false hope, is found in the courageous attitude with which one confronts insecurity and uncertainty.
- Faith-is the thread of supremacy given to us by grace in our encircuitment in the Holy Spirit and leads us to believe more than we can know.
- The love of truth-is only possible in a world where error and falsehood are ever present possibilities.
- Idealism-the irrepressible reach for better things requires an environment of relative goodness and beauty in which to make such higher choices.
- Loyalty-is only truly meaningful in the midst of the possibilities of betrayal and desertion.
- Unselfishness-requires the incessant clamoring of an inescapable self for recognition and honor as a contrasting circumstance to forsake.
- Pleasure as the satisfaction of happiness. And happiness represents a positive response to negative circumstances. Thus are pain and suffering (negative circumstances) necessary essential to evolutionary progress.
These inevitabilities represent the revelation’s eloquent response to those who would deny the existence of a loving God on the basis of life’s evolutionary vicissitudes and humanity’s pain and suffering.
Notes by Brad
- Deity is so transcendent, it is above what the revelators denote "reality."
- In the domain of Deity there is no individuality. Full stop.
- So it's not a synonym for God. Not at all.
- The mind-body connection was observed first, long ago, through reflective thinking.
- How is it the mind and body are related to one another?
- Parallel doesn't seem quite correct. Mind seems transcendent of body. Yet there is an interplay.
- This author has a forest fire bearing down on his house. But "God will not be mocked."
- But there is deep design in nature. And now humans are stewards of it. We've changed nature through our management of forests.
- Watch out for subtle signs of the emergency. If people are thinking their minds are innately divine these days more and more, might we be thinking forests are innately divine? That might leads to inappropriate forest management.
- People pray for rain to quench the fire. Then the rains bring flood. Do we really know what we are praying for? God will not be mocked.
- Sovereignty literally means "above - ness".
- The Supreme level is above the domain of the finite.
- God the Father is outside of time and space. Transcendent, not immanent.
- He can't stick his hand into space and time. Everything would collapse into it!
- And yet, in section 5 it seems like he can do whatever he wants.
- The key: "within the limits of the reservation of divine power and potential."
- He will not usurp everything.
- So how does God insert himself into time without inserting himself into time?
- Personalized Thought Adjusters! [Paper 109] "They are the personal agents of the full ministry of the Universal Father."
- A Planetary Prince is what God wants, in his place, physically present on a world.
- Ours went astray. Personalized Adjusters helped step in to set things right again.
- But still: a Planetary Prince was not promoted up through the ranks of humans. He is a descending son of God, not an internally promoted middle manager.
- Regardless of what any human wants, the Most Highs rule in the kingdoms of men. Full stop.
- If there is an issue of planetary import, don't worry: it will go the way the Most Highs deem correct. They're way ahead of us.
- Yet they also will be as minimally intrusive as possible. After all, the system is well- and deeply-designed from the get go.
- Why does God not necessarily have his way in your heart? In your inner life? In the upper domain of the hourglass analogy of mind?
- Because He is not sovereign there. You have absolute free will there.
- He gave you a fragment--a measure of himself--to help you rule and be sovereign in that space.
- If you consecrate yourself to doing the will of the Father, in time this is where he can have his way. Ultimately this is the only way.
- Ultimately, all domains must be personality managed. If you don't choose God's will, you will (eventually) lose personality.
- Even a forest ultimately must be personality managed.
- We reasoned why we might falter in the concept of God's primacy. Something as simple as a forest fire burning down one's home. How is that what He in his primacy would want?
- Sure.
- But he is beneficient (well - doing).
- And he is enthroned on Paradise eternally (if he weren't it'd be universal pandemonium).
- Those are ideas we ought to be able to accept.
- But why did the tsunami kill so many people? Why might this author's house burn down? How do I coordinate these facts with God's primacy?
- Well, so, here are the inevitabilities.
