7. Spiritˆual Value of the Personalityˆ Concept

^1:7.1 When Jesusˆ talked about “the living Godˆ,” he referred to a personal Deityˆ — the Father in heaven. The concept of the personalityˆ of Deityˆ facilitates fellowship; it favors intelligent worship; it promotes refreshing trustfulness. Interactions can be had between nonpersonal things, but not fellowship. The fellowship relation of father and son, as between Godˆ and man, cannot be enjoyed unless both are persons. Only personalities can commune with each other, albeit this personal communion may be greatly facilitated by the presence of just such an impersonal entity as the Thought Adjusterˆˆ.

^1:7.2 Man does not achieve union with Godˆ as a drop of water might find unity with the ocean. Man attains divineˆ union by progressive reciprocal spiritˆual communion, by personalityˆ intercourse with the personal Godˆ, by increasingly attaining the divineˆ nature through wholehearted and intelligent conformity to the divineˆ will. Such a sublime relationship can exist only between personalities.

^1:7.3 The concept of truth might possibly be entertained apart from personalityˆ, the concept of beauty may exist without personalityˆ, but the concept of divineˆ goodness is understandable only in relation to personalityˆ. Only a person can love and be loved. Even beauty and truth would be divorced from survival hope if they were not attributes of a personal Godˆ, a loving Father.

^1:7.4 We cannot fully understand how Godˆ can be primal, changeless, all-powerful, and perfectˆ, and at the same time be surrounded by an ever-changing and apparently law-limited universeˆ, an evolving universeˆ of relative imperfections. But we can know such a truth in our own personal experience since we all maintain identity of personalityˆ and unity of will in spite of the constant changˆing of both ourselves and our environment.

^1:7.5 Ultimateˆ universeˆ reality cannot be grasped by mathematics, logic, or philosophy, only by personal experience in progressive conformity to the divineˆ will of a personal Godˆ. Neither science, philosophy, nor theology can validate the personalityˆ of Godˆ. Only the personal experience of the faithˆ sons of the heavenly Father can effect the actualˆ spiritˆual realization of the personalityˆ of Godˆ.

^1:7.6 The higher concepts of universeˆ personalityˆ imply: identity, self-consciousness, self-will, and possibility for self-revelation. And these characteristics further imply fellowship with other and equal personalities, such as exists in the personalityˆ associations of the  Paradiseˆ Deitiesˆ. And the absoluteˆ unity of these associations is so perfectˆ that divinityˆ becomes known by indivisibility, by oneness. “The Lordˆ Godˆ is one.” Indivisibility of personalityˆ does not interfere with Godˆ’s bestowing his spiritˆ to live in the hearts of mortalˆ men. Indivisibility of a human father’s personalityˆ does not prevent the reproduction of mortalˆ sons and daughters.

^1:7.7 This concept of indivisibility in association with the concept of unity implies transcendenceˆ of both time and spaceˆ by the Ultimacyˆ of Deityˆ; therefore neither spaceˆ nor time can be absoluteˆ or infinite. The First Source and Centerˆ is that infinity who unqualifiedlyˆ transcends all mindˆ, all matter, and all spiritˆ.

^1:7.8 The fact of the Paradiseˆ Trinityˆ in no manner violates the truth of the divineˆ unity. The three personalities of Paradiseˆ Deityˆ are, in all universeˆ reality reactions and in all creature relations, as one. Neither does the existence of these three eternalˆ persons violate the truth of the indivisibility of Deityˆ. I am fully aware that I have at my command no language adequate to make clear to the mortalˆ mindˆ how these universeˆ problems appear to us. But you should not become discouraged; not all of these things are wholly clear to even the high personalities belonging to my group of Paradiseˆ beings. Ever bear in mindˆ that these profound truths pertaining to Deityˆ will increasingly clarify as your minds become progressively spiritˆualized during the successive epochsˆ of the long mortalˆ ascent to Paradiseˆ.

^1:7.9 [Presented by a Divineˆ Counselor, a member of a group of celestialˆ personalities assigned by the Ancients of Daysˆ on Uversaˆ, the headquarters of the seventh superuniverseˆ, to supervise those portions of this forthcoming revelation which have to do with affairs beyond the borders of the local universeˆˆ of Nebadonˆ. I am commissioned to sponsor those papers portraying the nature and attributes of Godˆ because I represent the highest source of information available for such a purpose on any inhabited world. I have served as a Divineˆ Counselor in all seven of the superuniversesˆ and have long resided at the Paradiseˆ center of all things. Many times have I enjoyed the supremeˆ pleasure of a sojourn in the immediate personal presence of the Universal Fatherˆ. I portray the reality and truth of the Father’s nature and attributes with unchallengeable authority; I know whereof I speak.]

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