Faith (pt. 44)

Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
(Continued pt. 44)

X. WITH THE EVIL THERE IS NO FAITH.

The evil are all who deny that the world was created by God, and thus deny God, for they are naturalistic atheists.

All such are evil because all good, which is not only naturally but also spiritually good, is from God; consequently those who deny God will not and therefore cannot receive good from any other source than what is their own; and what is man's own is the lust of his flesh; and whatever proceeds from that is spiritually evil, however good it may seem naturally. Such are evil in theory; while those who have no regard for the Divine commandments (which are exhibited in a summary in the Decalogue), and live like outlaws, are practically evil. Such are also deniers of God in heart (although many of them confess Him with their lips), for the reason that God and His commandments make one; and this is why the ten commandments are called,

Jehovah there (Num. 10:35, 36; Ps. 132:7, 8).

But to make it still clearer that the evil have no faith, let us from the two following propositions draw a conclusion:

(1) The evil have no faith, since evil belongs to hell and faith to heaven.
(2) All those in Christendom who reject the Lord and the Word have no faith, although they live morally, and even speak, teach, and write rationally about faith.

But of these points separately.

(True Christian Religion 382)

To be continued...