April 7, 2021

The Supreme Among the Doctrinal Things of the Church

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

The Most Ancient Church, which was celestial, and which above all others was called Man, adored the Infinite Being, and the derivative Infinite Coming-forth; and because, from the things which could be perceived in their internal man and those which could be felt in their external, and from the visible things in the world, the men of that church could have no perception of the Infinite Being, but could have some perception of the derivative Infinite Coming-forth, they therefore adored the Infinite Coming forth in which is the infinite being. The Infinite Coming-forth in which is the Infinite Being they perceived as a Divine Man, because they knew that the Infinite Coming-forth was brought forth through heaven from the Infinite Being; and as heaven is the Grand Man, corresponding to each and all things that are in man, they therefore could have no other idea of perception concerning the Infinite Coming-forth from the Infinite Being, than as of a Divine Man; for whatever from the Infinite Being passes through heaven as the Grand Man is attended with an image thereof in each and all things. When that celestial church began to fall away, they foresaw that the Infinite Coming-forth could no longer have influx into the minds of men, and that so the human race would perish; therefore it was revealed to them that One should be born who would make the Human in Himself Divine, and in this way become the same Infinite Coming-forth as had been before, and would at last become one with the Infinite Being as also it had been before. From this came their prophecy in Genesis concerning the Lord (Gen. 3:15).

This is described in John in these words:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us; and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-4, 14);
the "Word" is the Divine truth, which in its essence is the Infinite Coming-forth from the Infinite Being, and is the Lord Himself as to His Human. This very Human it is from which truth Divine now proceeds and flows into heaven, and through heaven into the minds of men; consequently which rules and governs the universe, as it has ruled and governed it from eternity; for it is one and the same with the Infinite Being, because He conjoined the Human with the Divine, which was done by this, that He made the Human in Himself also Divine. From this it is now evident that the supreme of truth Divine is the Lord's Divine Human, and hence that the supreme among the doctrinal things of the church is that His Human is Divine. (Arcana Coelestia 4687)
There are two essentials which constitute the church, and hence two principal things of doctrine - one, that the Lord's Human is Divine; the other, that love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor make the church, and not faith separate from love and charity. (Arcana Coelestia 4723)
All the Divine truth in the whole heaven proceeds from no other source than the Lord's Divine Human. That which is from the Divine Itself cannot flow in immediately with any angel, because it is Infinite; but only mediately through the Lord's Divine Human, as is also meant by these words of the Lord, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath set Him forth" (John 1:18). For this reason also the Lord as to the Divine Human is called Mediator.

This also was from eternity, for the Divine being, without flowing through heaven and becoming thence the Divine coming-forth, could not be communicated to any angel, still less to any spirit, and less still to any man. That the Lord as to the Divine Itself is the Divine being, and as to the Divine Human is the Divine Coming-forth. Neither could the Lord's Human itself have received any influx from the Divine Being, unless in Him the Human had been made Divine; for that which receives the Divine being must also be Divine. From these few things it may be seen that Divine truth does not proceed immediately from the Divine Itself, but from the Lord's Divine Human.

This also do they extinguish in themselves who battle for faith alone and do not live a life of faith; for they believe that the Lord's Human is purely human, not unlike the human of another man; and hence many of them deny the Divine of the Lord, however they may profess Him with the lips. But those who live a life of faith, on bended knees and with humble hearts adore the Lord as God the Savior, and do not then at all think from doctrine of the distinction between the Divine and the human nature; and they do the same in the Holy Supper. Hence it is plain that with them the Lord's Divine Human is in their hearts.

(from Arcana Coelestia 4724)