THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE (pt. 109)

THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE
for the
NEW JERUSALEM
FROM THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Emanuel Swedenborg
— Doctrinal Series —
(pt. 109)
IF ANY ONE SHUNS EVILS FOR ANY OTHER REASON
THAN BECAUSE THEY ARE SINS,
HE DOES NOT SHUN THEM,
BUT MERELY PREVENTS THEM FROM APPEARING BEFORE THE WORLD.

Before men, a natural moral man may appear exactly like a spiritual moral man, but not before the angels. Before the angels in heaven, if he is in goods he appears like an image of wood, if in truths like an image of marble, lifeless, and very different from a spiritual moral man. For a natural moral man is an outwardly moral man, and a spiritual moral man is an inwardly moral man, and what is outward without what is inward is lifeless. It does indeed live, but not the life that is called life.

(LIFE 109)

THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE (pt. 108)

THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE
for the
NEW JERUSALEM
FROM THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Emanuel Swedenborg
— Doctrinal Series —
(pt. 108)
IF ANY ONE SHUNS EVILS FOR ANY OTHER REASON
THAN BECAUSE THEY ARE SINS,
HE DOES NOT SHUN THEM,
BUT MERELY PREVENTS THEM FROM APPEARING BEFORE THE WORLD.

There are moral men who keep the commandments of the second table of the Decalogue, not committing fraud, blasphemy, revenge, or adultery;— such of them as confirm themselves in the belief that such things are evils because they are injurious to the public weal, and are therefore contrary to the laws of humane conduct, — practice charity, sincerity, justice, chastity.

But if they do these goods and shun those evils merely because they are evils, and not at the same time because they are sins, they are still merely natural men, and with the merely natural the root of evil remains imbedded and is not dislodged; for which reason the goods they do are not goods, because they are from themselves.

(LIFE 108)

THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE (pt. 106-107)

THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE
for the
NEW JERUSALEM
FROM THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Emanuel Swedenborg
— Doctrinal Series —
(pt. 106-107)
A MAN OUGHT TO SHUN EVILS AS SINS
AND FIGHT AGAINST THEM AS OF HIMSELF

As in man there are reception and reciprocality, the church teaches that a man must examine himself, confess his sins before God, desist from them, and lead a new life. It may be seen above (n. 3-8) that every church in the Christian world teaches this.

Unless there were reception by man, and at the same time a taking thought as it were by him, nothing could have been said about faith, for faith is not from man. Without this reception and reciprocality, man would be like chaff in the wind, and would stand as if lifeless, with mouth open, and hands hanging down, awaiting influx, devoid of thought and action in regard to the things that concern his salvation. It is indeed true that he is by no means the agent in regard to these things, but yet he is a reagent as of himself.

(LIFE 106-107)

THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE (pt. 105)

THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE
for the
NEW JERUSALEM
FROM THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Emanuel Swedenborg
— Doctrinal Series —
(pt. 105)
A MAN OUGHT TO SHUN EVILS AS SINS
AND FIGHT AGAINST THEM AS OF HIMSELF

As there is in man, from the Lord, this ability to reciprocate and return, and consequently this mutuality, a man must render an account of his works, and will be requited according to them. For the Lord says:

• The Son of man shall come, and shall render to every man according to his deeds (Matt. 16:27).
• They shall come forth: they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evils unto the resurrection of judgment (John 5:29).
• Their works do follow with them (Rev. 14:13).
• They were judged every man according to his works (Rev. 20:13).
• Behold, I come, and My reward is with Me, to give every man according to his work (Rev. 22:12).

If there were in man no reciprocality, there would be no imputation.

(LIFE 105)

THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE (pt. 104)

THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE
for the
NEW JERUSALEM
FROM THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Emanuel Swedenborg
— Doctrinal Series —
(pt. 104)
A MAN OUGHT TO SHUN EVILS AS SINS
AND FIGHT AGAINST THEM AS OF HIMSELF

As there is in man, from the Lord, this ability to reciprocate and return, and consequently this mutuality, the Lord says that a man must keep the commandments, and also that he must bring forth fruit:

• Why call ye Me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46-49).
• If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them (John 13:17).
• Ye are My friends, if ye do the things which I command you (John 15:14).
• Whosoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 5:19).
• Everyone therefore who heareth these words of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken to a wise man (Matt. 7:24).
• Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance (Matt. 3:8).
• Make the tree good, and its fruit good (Matt. 12:33).
• The kingdom shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof (Matt. 21:43).
• Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire (Matt. 7:19).

And so in many other places: from all which it is evident that a man must act of himself but from the Lord's power, which he must petition for. For this is to act as from himself.

(LIFE 104)

THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE (pt. 103)

THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE
for the
NEW JERUSALEM
FROM THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Emanuel Swedenborg
— Doctrinal Series —
(pt. 103)
A MAN OUGHT TO SHUN EVILS AS SINS
AND FIGHT AGAINST THEM AS OF HIMSELF

As there is in man, from the Lord, this ability to reciprocate and return, and consequently this mutuality, the Lord says that a man must do the work of repentance, which no one can do except as of himself:
Jesus said: Except ye repent ye shall all perish (Luke 13:3, 5).
Jesus said: The kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the gospel (Mark 1:14-15).
Jesus said: I am come to call sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32).
Jesus said to the churches: Repent (Rev. 2:5, 16, 21-22; 3:3).
It is also said:
They repented not of their works (Rev. 16:11).

(LIFE 103)

THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE (pt. 102)

THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE
for the
NEW JERUSALEM
FROM THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Emanuel Swedenborg
— Doctrinal Series —
(pt. 102)
A MAN OUGHT TO SHUN EVILS AS SINS
AND FIGHT AGAINST THEM AS OF HIMSELF

The Lord loves man and wills to dwell with him, yet He cannot love him and dwell with him unless He is received and loved in return. From this alone comes conjunction. For this reason the Lord has given man freedom and reason — freedom to think and will as of himself, and reason in accordance with which he may do so.

To love and to be conjoined with one in whom there is nothing reciprocal is not possible, nor is it possible to enter in and abide with one in whom there is no reception.

As there are in man, from the Lord, reception and reciprocation, the Lord says:
• Abide in Me, and I in you (John 15:4).
• He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit (John 15:5).
• At that day ye shall know that ye are in Me, and I in you (John 14:20).

The Lord also teaches that He is in the truths and in the goods that a man receives, and that are in him:
• If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love (John 15:7, 10).
• He that hath My commandments, and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me and I will love him, and will make My abode with him (John 14:21, 23).

So that the Lord dwells in a man in what is His own, and the man dwells in those things which are from the Lord, and thus dwells in the Lord.

(LIFE 102)