Three barriers between man and God

Baha’u’llah said:

“The purpose of God in creating man hath been, and will ever be, to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence.”

To this seemingly simple purpose, there are three big obstacles man needs to overcome.
[bellows are taken and edited from “The Revelation of Baha'u'llah” by Adib Taherzadeh, v 2, p. 35-39]:

1. Attachment to this material world:

Man may possess all the good things of the world, live in luxury and yet be detached from earthly things. God has created this world and all it contains for man's use and enjoyment, provided he lives in accordance with the teachings of God.

This world is filled with material bounties from God, that all good and beautiful things are manifestations of His attributes and that to possess them is not attachment. However, the things of this world are all transitory and man should not fix his affection upon them, nor allow himself to be possessed by them.

2. Attachment to the next world and all that is destined for man in the life hereafter.

To understand the significance of the second barrier let us remember that the purpose of life is to know and worship God. This, therefore, is the purpose of creation. Man's deeds are praiseworthy in the sight of God when they are performed solely for His love and for no other reason. If man's motive for his actions is that he may reap a reward for himself in the next world, then this is attachment. To be detached means to do everything for the sake of God and to seek no recompense.

What a contrast between this attitude and that prevailing in human society at the present time, where almost every action is designed to bring forth rewards for the individual. The attitude of expediency and self-interest has so conditioned the mind of man today that even in spiritual matters such as faith and belief in God, man often looks for something that will primarily satisfy his own needs. Many people today join one religion or another in the hope of receiving some spiritual help or other benefit such as peace of mind or salvation. This is not the right motive for following a religion. For the story of every religion is written with the language of love. A true lover has no ulterior motives or self-interest, but only a passionate love for his beloved.

“He who seeks reward for his deeds will be given the Garden of Paradise; and he who seeks God is in no need of paradise.”

3. Attachment to the 'Kingdom of Names'.

God in His own essence is exalted above attributes. However, in all His dominions and within each of His worlds, both spiritual and physical, He reveals the kingdom of His attributes. Every created thing manifests the names and attributes of God. In the human world, these attributes appear within the 'Kingdom of Names' and man often becomes attached to these names.

In this world every one of God's attributes is clad with a name, and every such name reveals the characteristics of its attribute. For instance, generosity is an attribute of God, and it manifests itself in human beings. However, a person who has this attribute often becomes proud of it and loves to be referred to as generous. When his generosity is acknowledged by other people, he becomes happy, and when it is ignored, unhappy. This is one form of attachment to the Kingdom of Names. Although this example concerns the name 'generosity', the same is true of all the names and attributes of God manifested within the individual. Usually, man ascribes these attributes to his own person rather than to God and employs them to exalt his own ego. For instance, a learned man uses the attribute of knowledge to become famous and feels gratified and uplifted when his name is publicized far and wide. Or there is the individual whose heart leaps with feelings of pride and satisfaction when he hears his name mentioned and finds himself admired. These are examples of attachment to the Kingdom of Names.

Human society at present exerts a pernicious influence upon the soul of man. Instead of allowing him to live a life of service and sacrifice, it teaches him to pride himself on his accomplishments. From early childhood he is trained to develop his ego and to seek to exalt himself above others. His ultimate aim is to achieve self-importance, success and power.

The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh aims to reverse this process. The soul of man needs to be adorned with the virtues of humility and self-effacement so that it may become detached from the Kingdom of Names.