April 10, 2017

Two Universals of the Christian Faith

Selection from Doctrine of Faith ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IN ITS UNIVERSAL IDEA OR FORM
The Christian Faith in its universal idea or form is this: The Lord from eternity, who is Jehovah, came into the world to subdue the hells, and to glorify His Human; and without this no mortal could have been saved; and they are saved who believe in Him.

It is said "in the universal idea or form" because this is what is universal of the Faith, and what is universal of the Faith is that which must be in all things of it both in general and in particular.

  • It is a Universal of the Faith that God is One in Person and in Essence, in whom is the Trinity, and that the Lord is that God.
  • It is a Universal of the Faith that no mortal could have been saved unless the Lord had come into the world.
  • It is a Universal of the Faith that He came into the world in order to remove hell from man, and He removed it by combats against it and by victories over it; thus He subdued it, and reduced it into order and under obedience to Himself.
  • It is also a Universal of the Faith that He came into the world in order to glorify the Human which He took upon Him in the world, that is, in order to unite it to the all-originating Divine [Divino a Quo]; thus to eternity does He hold in order and under obedience to Himself hell subjugated by Himself.
And inasmuch as neither of these mighty works could have been accomplished except by means of temptations even to the uttermost of them, which was the passion of the cross, He therefore underwent this uttermost temptation. These are the Universals of the Christian Faith concerning the Lord.

The Universal of the Christian Faith on the part of man is that he believe in the Lord, for through believing in Him there is effected conjunction with Him, by which comes salvation. To believe in Him is to have confidence that He will save, and as no one can have this confidence except one who lives aright, therefore this also is meant by believing in Him.

(Doctrine of Faith 34-36)