Claim. Among all bonds, the parent-child relationship between God and human beings is the absolute and unchanging standard, the place at which love, life, and lineage are joined.
Elaboration. SMM frames the God-human bond not as creator-creature or sovereign-subject but as parent-child: “Among all bonds of relationships, the standard is the parent-child relationship established between God and human beings. The heart coming from this bond cannot be undermined by the authority of any being and is eternal, unchanging, and unique” (1.1. God and human beings relate as parent and child, 7-105, 1959.7.26). The structural payload is doctrinal: when “father and son” unity is described, three elements must always travel together — “Love, life, and lineage are connected to it. These three factors are essential” (ibid, 197-234, 1990.1.19). The bond is therefore not merely affective but ontological; the union of God and Adam at this bond is what makes Adam God’s temple (“When Adam becomes completely one with God through love, God dwells in Adam”, ibid, 54-139, 1972.3.22). Attendance ethics begin here: the highest place a human can stand is “the position of the son” or daughter receiving God’s love (ibid, 39-9, 1971.1.9).
See also. four-position-foundation