Claim. Humans alone among created beings have a “portion of responsibility” — a domain of growth that the Principle alone does not guarantee and that even God will not interfere with. The purpose: by fulfilling this responsibility, humans inherit God’s creative nature and become co-creators with Him.
Elaboration. Per 5.2.2. The Realm of Indirect Dominion: “All things reach perfection after passing through the growing period… by virtue of the autonomy and governance given by God’s Principle. Human beings, however, are created in such a way that their growth requires the fulfillment of their own portion of responsibility, in addition to the guidance provided by the Principle. They must exercise this responsibility in order to pass successfully through the growing period and reach perfection.”
The non-interference clause is absolute: “whether or not human beings attain perfection does not depend only on God’s power of creation; it also requires the fulfillment of human responsibility… God created human beings in such a manner that they can… attain perfection only when they have completed their own portion of responsibility. Because God Himself created human beings in this way, He does not interfere with human responsibility.”
The teleological purpose: “By fulfilling their given portion of responsibility, with which even God does not interfere, human beings are meant to inherit the creative nature of God… God intends human beings to earn ownership and become worthy to rule over the creation as creators in their own right” (ibid).
Consequential: the providence of restoration “has been prolonged for so long” because central figures repeatedly failed at their portion. It is also the structural basis for believers-responsibility (Hendricks). And it limits the doctrine of grace — even after the cross, “to believe or not to believe is strictly one’s own portion of responsibility.”
See also. dp-realm-of-indirect-dominion-during-growing-period