What are the 3 stages of growth, what happens during this time, and why was the Fall possible then?
All existence, from creation to the human spirit, progresses through three stages: formation, growth, and completion. This reflects God's ordered creative process. While all creation grows indirectly under God's dominion, humans uniquely bear a portion of responsibility in their growth. Fulfilling this leads to individual perfection and the realm of God's direct dominion, uniting us with His heart and purpose.
The Divine Principle reveals that all existence, from the simplest organism to the complex human spirit, develops through three distinct stages: formation, growth, and completion. This universal pattern reflects God's ordered creative process, demonstrating a consistent blueprint for development throughout all creation.
The Biblical Foundation
Scripture consistently portrays life as a journey of progressive development, rather than instantaneous perfection. The Apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Corinthians, illustrates human maturation: "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things" (1 Corinthians 13:11). This verse powerfully conveys the natural progression through stages, each with its unique characteristics and expectations, leading to maturity. The transition from childhood thinking and speech to adult understanding signifies a fundamental shift in one's being, paralleling the spiritual journey through the growth stages.
Jesus himself frequently employed agricultural parables to elucidate spiritual truths, often highlighting distinct stages of development. In the Parable of the Sower, he describes the various ways seeds germinate and grow, culminating in harvest. More directly, in Mark 4:28, he states, "first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." This vivid imagery underscores the necessity of sequential progression in nature; a seed does not immediately become a full ear of corn but meticulously passes through foundational stages. Even Jesus, as the perfect human being, experienced this progressive development: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man" (Luke 2:52). This verse indicates an increase in mental, physical, and spiritual maturity, demonstrating that even the Son of God adhered to the principle of growth through stages.
The Genesis creation account, viewed through this lens, also reveals a progressive, staged process. God did not create everything instantaneously in its final form. Instead, He meticulously differentiated and developed elements across six stages or "days" (Genesis 1), progressing from simple forms to more complex ones, culminating in humanity. This progression reflects the formation-growth-completion paradigm.
Divine Principle's Clarification
The Divine Principle formalizes these observations into the concept of the three stages of growth: the formation stage, the growth stage, and the completion stage. These stages are inherent to God's Principle of Creation, which mandates that everything created must pass through these phases to achieve its destined purpose. This is modeled after God's own six-stage creation process.
During the formation stage, the basic blueprint and potential are established. It is the period where the fundamental structure, energy, and initial conditions for existence are laid down. For humans, this can be likened to infancy and early childhood, where basic physiological and psychological foundations are formed. Spiritually, it is the initial awakening of faith and a foundational connection to God, akin to the "seed" in Jesus' parables.
The growth stage is the period of development, interaction, and maturation. Here, the initial potential unfolds, qualities are refined, and essential relationships are forged. This is a dynamic phase characterized by internal and external interaction, challenges, and learning. During this stage, all things are meant to grow in accordance with the Principle itself, in an autonomous manner. God, as the ultimate supervisor, manages this growth indirectly through the Principle, relating only with the results. This is referred to as the realm of God's indirect dominion. For human beings, however, maturity is not dependent solely upon God's power or the independent force of the Principle. We are unique in that we must also fulfill a given portion of our own responsibility. This corresponds to adolescence and adulthood, marked by physical and mental development and the cultivation of character. Spiritually, it involves deepening one's understanding, resolving internal conflicts, and developing a mature character. "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).
Finally, the completion stage is reached when the entity achieves full maturity, fulfilling its inherent purpose and becoming eternally united with God. At this stage, the entity has fully realized its created potential and perfectly embodies the love and purpose of its Creator. For a human being, this means achieving individual perfection by fulfilling their portion of responsibility, becoming a true child of God united in heart and purpose with Him, capable of exercising direct dominion over creation in goodness. In this state, one's spirit and body are in perfect harmony, reflecting God's original ideal, and living in the realm of God's direct dominion in unity of heart with Him.
Understanding the Deeper Meaning
This understanding underscores that God, though omnipotent, works through principles and processes. He does not bypass development but orchestrates it. The human portion of responsibility during the growth period is crucial; it is through our free will and effort that true character and love are cultivated. This responsibility distinguishes human growth from that of the natural world, allowing for genuine, reciprocal love between Creator and creature. Furthermore, acknowledging these stages helps us understand the nature of fallen history as an interruption in humanity's growth, rather than a failure of God's initial plan. The process of restoration is, therefore, a re-initiation and completion of these blocked growth stages, requiring three stages of providence (such as Adam, Jesus, and the Christ at the Second Advent) due to humanity's repeated failures.
Why the Fall Was Possible During the Growth Period
Because growth passes through stages, there is a stretch of life in which a person is real but not yet complete, and this is precisely where the Fall became possible. During the formation and growth stages a person lives in the realm of God's indirect dominion, guided by principle rather than held by the immediate, felt presence of God's heart. In that condition the first man and woman could still choose against the principle without at once feeling the full weight of what they were doing.
God could not remove that possibility without removing the growth itself. A being who cannot choose wrongly cannot love rightly either, because love that is compelled is not love. The portion of responsibility entrusted to the first human beings — to keep the one commandment until they were mature — was the very thing that would have made their perfection their own achievement and not merely God's manufacture. "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it" (Genesis 2:16-17).
This is why the commandment was temporary in nature, binding during immaturity. Had they completed the growth period, the possibility of the Fall would have closed behind them, because a mature heart united with God's love no longer has any motive to turn away.
Living the Principle
1. Practice patience: Accept that personal and spiritual growth is a gradual process requiring time and effort. 2. Embrace challenges: View setbacks and difficulties as necessary catalysts for developing character and moving to the next stage. 3. Fulfill your responsibility: Actively engage in self-reflection, learning, and service, recognizing your essential role in your own growth. 4. Seek unity with God: Strive to align your will and heart with God's, understanding that your completion leads to a state of direct dominion and perfect harmony. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).
These answers explain the Bible in the light of the Divine Principle, the teachings of Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Read about the author, Sun Myung Moon.
Last reviewed:
Sources and further reading
- The Holy Bible, King James Version — Scripture quoted and referenced throughout the answers.
- The Divine Principle (full text) — The complete text of the Divine Principle, the teaching of Reverend Sun Myung Moon that these answers explain.
- Unification texts library (tparents.org) — Large online library of Unification texts, sermons and collected speeches, including the Cheon Seong Gyeong.
- Short video lectures in English — Playlist of short English video lectures presenting these same principles.