God's desire is that man establish this deep reciprocal relationship of faith and love with Him. Drawn by man's love, God would have passed on all of His own characteristics to His child, as the child became aware of them and desired to possess them within himself. At first God and man would have been like parent and child, with man passively receiving care and guidance from His Heavenly Father. As man grew he would want to begin to return love to his parent, through sharing. God and man would then enter a more mutual relationship. Finally, man would himself want to give out love more freely to his Parent, to other men, and to creation. Man would become a creator like God, in both the material and spiritual realm, producing and raising his own children. In this way as man matured, he would have been a mirror reflecting God's image, and each of the aspects of God's ability to love.
But with the fall man established the reciprocal relationship of faith with Satan rather than with God. In this way Satan established a hold on men's hearts and has been establishing his kingdom of fear and selfishness on earth. Each of God's aspects of love has been distorted through Satan's intervention. Men are not whole, confident loving beings, freely growing through the receptive, mutual, and then giving stages of love with God and with each other. In reality they are frightened and insecure, trapped on the receptive (taking) level, trying to protect themselves by striking out before someone strikes them.
If the fall had not occurred, man would have been responding deeply to God, and expressing love to his fellow man. In turning towards Satan, man lost his capacity to respond to love, either to receive true love or to give it. Thus man, in never learning how to put forth true love, has never felt true joy either from other men or from the creation. Unreturned love brings neither joy nor power to the giver nor can it last long. This is exactly the same for God. He has never felt love fully returned from man because He has had no perfect vessel to whom He could express His love wholly and His power freely. One feels only frustration and sorrow when unable to express love fully or freely. Throughout history, God has never received true glory and joy from man.
But God's belief in man's capacity to return to Him is steadfast. Since man's fall, God has been seeking His lost family with all the love of His wounded and grieving heart. Since the time of Adam, He has been calling, "Where are you?" (Gen. 3:9)
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: "Sons have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the ass its master's crib; but Israel does not know, my people does not understand." (Isaiah 1:2-3)Separated from God, his True Parent and source of love, power, and joy, mankind has been suffering from spiritual hunger and thirst. In the depth of our being we have felt deep loneliness and a great longing for love, God's love. We have been like orphans, cut off from our true Father and Mother, God.The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and burning incense to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk. I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of compassion, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them. (Hosea 11:2-4)
As a hart longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? My tears have been my food day and night. (Psalms 42:1-3)Since positive energy from God is our life, our turning towards the negative energy from Satan has caused our spiritual death and brought about the evil within man and the world. Diverse religions have developed as man's attempt to restore the original God-given ability to love. If man had not fallen, he would have been so naturally close to God that seeking Him through religion would have been unnecessary.I am weary with my crying: my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. (Psalms 69:3)
The separation between God and man is reflected throughout the creation. Wholehearted love between people is not possible. For this reason, mankind has failed throughout history to establish a real brotherhood among men and nations. Families continue to disintegrate. Never has God blessed men and women in perfect marriage where a continual exchange of God's love has flowed between marriage partners.
Alienated from God, man has exploited nature rather than cared for it as if it were a part of himself. Fallen man has not loved the creation because he has lost the intrinsic feeling for beauty which God gave him. Rather, man has been proud of himself for conquering nature, using up all of her resources for himself. But his physical environment has reacted with hostility to this exploitation and has turned against man. The suffering creation waits eagerly for man to mature. The Apostle Paul was aware of this when he said:
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Rom. 8:19-23)God, man, and all creation have been suffering because of man's alienation from God. To end this universal suffering, man and all things must reunite with God and establish His kingdom of joy and love. Through His great struggle of centuries, the gate of heaven is open at last, and God is calling all men to enter.