Are my actions a life of 'Christian Charity' or merely 'Moral Theology?'

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

The first of the firstfruits of thy ground thou shalt bring into the house of Jehovah thy God. (Exodus 23:19)

That this signifies that all truths of good and goods of truth are holy, because they are from the Lord alone, is evident from the signification of "the firstfruits of the ground," as being that the goods and truths of the church are to be ascribed to the Lord alone. It is said "the first of the firstfruits," because this ascription must be the foremost thing; for goods and truths have their life from the Lord, and they have life from the Lord when they are ascribed to Him. And from the signification of "bringing into the house of God," as being to ascribe to the Lord, that they may be holy. ("the house of God" denotes the Lord; and everything holy is from the Lord.) From all of which it is evident that by "the first of the first fruits of thy ground thou shalt bring into the house of Jehovah thy God" is signified that all truths of good and goods of truth are holy, because they are from the Lord alone.

They are called "truths of good" and "goods of truth," because with the man who is being regenerated, and still more so with him when he has been regenerated, truths are of good, and goods are of truth — for truths make the life of the understanding, and good makes the life of the will. Moreover, with the regenerate man the understanding and the will make one mind, and communicate reciprocally, the truths which are of the understanding with the good which is of the will, and the good which is of the will with the truths which are of the understanding. They flow into each other scarcely otherwise than as the blood flows from the heart into the lungs, and thence back again into the heart; and then from the left ventricle of the heart into the arteries, and from these through the veins back again into the heart. Such an idea may be formed about the reciprocal action of good and truth in man from his understanding into his will, and from his will into his understanding. That an idea about the reciprocal action of the truth of faith and the good of charity in the understanding and the will, may be obtained in especial from the lungs and the heart, is because the lungs correspond to the truths which are of faith, and the heart to the good which is of love. Hence also it is that by the "heart" in the Word is signified the life of the will, and by the "soul" the life of faith.

That from these an idea can be formed about the truths which are of the understanding and the good which is of the will, is because all things that belong to faith and love carry with them an idea from such things as the man knows, for without an idea from what he knows and feels in himself a man cannot think; and a man thinks rightly even about the things of faith and love, when he thinks of them from correspondences, for correspondences are natural truths, in which as in mirrors, spiritual truths are represented. Wherefore, so far as the ideas of thought concerning things spiritual are formed independently of correspondences, so far they are formed either from the fallacies of the senses, or from what is inconsistent with such things. The kind of ideas a man has about what belongs to faith and love, is very manifest in the other life, for there ideas are clearly perceived.

The statement that the truths of faith bear relation to man's understanding, and the good of charity to his will, may seem not consistent to those who say and confirm themselves in the idea that the things of faith are simply to be believed, because the natural man and his understanding do not apprehend anything of this kind, and because faith is not from man, but from the Lord. Nevertheless the same persons acknowledge and believe that a man is enlightened in truths and enkindled with good when he reads the Word, and that when he is enlightened he perceives what is true and what is not true; and they also call those men enlightened who excel others in discovering truths from the Word; which shows that those who are enlightened see and perceive within themselves whether a thing is true, or is not true. That which is then inwardly enlightened is their understanding, and that which is then inwardly enkindled is their will. But if it is genuine truth of faith in which they are enlightened, and if it is genuine good of charity with which they are enkindled, then it is the understanding of the internal man that is enlightened; and the will of the internal man that is enkindled. The case is very different with those who have not the genuine truth of faith, and the genuine good of charity.

They who are in truth and good not genuine, and even they who are in falsities and evils, can indeed confirm the truths of the church, but they cannot see and perceive from within whether they are truths. Hence it is that most persons remain in the doctrinal things of the church in which they were born, and merely confirm these; and they would have confirmed themselves in the greatest heresies, such as Socinianism and Judaism, if they had been born of such parents.

From all this it is evident that the understanding is enlightened with those who are in the affection of truth from good, but not with those who are in the affection of truth from evil. With those who are in the affection of truth from good the understanding of the internal man is enlightened, and the will of the internal man is enkindled; but with those who in the affection of truth from evil the understanding of the internal man is not enlightened, neither is the will of the internal man enkindled, for the reason that they are natural men, and therefore insist that the natural man cannot apprehend the things of faith.

That with those who are in the affection of truth from good, and who consequently are interior and spiritual men, it is the understanding which is enlightened in the truths of faith, and that it is the will which is enkindled with the good of charity, is very manifest from the same persons in the other life. There they are in the understanding of all things of faith, and in the will of all things of charity, and this they also clearly perceive. Consequently they possess intelligence and wisdom unspeakable, for after putting off the body they are in that interior understanding which was enlightened in the world, and in that interior will which was there enkindled. But at that time they were not able to perceive in what manner they were enlightened and enkindled, because they then thought in the body, and from such things as belong to the world.

From all this it is now evident that the truths of faith make the life of the understanding, and the good of charity the life of the will; consequently that the understanding must needs be present in the things of faith, and the will in those of charity; or what is the same, that it is into these two faculties that the faith and charity from the Lord flow, and that these are received according to the state of these faculties, thus that the dwelling place of the Lord in man is nowhere else.

From what has been said about the internal and the external man, an idea can be formed further, that the internal man is formed according to the image of heaven, and the external man according to the image of the world; and thate nothing from heaven; and that what they see from the world about heaven is thic those in whom the internal man has not been opened sek darkness; and that therefore they can have no spiritual idea about what belongs to faith and charity. Hence also it is that they cannot even apprehend what Christian good or charity is; insomuch that they quite think that the life of heaven consists solely in the truths which they call matters of faith; and also that the life of heaven is possible with all men whatever who have the confidence of faith, even though they have not the life of faith.

How blind such people are in respect to the life of faith, which is charity, is very evident from the fact that they pay no attention whatever to the thousands of things the Lord Himself taught about the good of life; and that when they read the Word they at once cast these things behind faith's back, and thus hide them from themselves and from others. Hence also it is that they cast out from the doctrine of the church everything that belongs to good - that is, to charity and its works - into a lower doctrine, which they call moral theology, and which they regard as natural and not spiritual; when yet after death the life of charity remains, and only so much of faith as is in agreement with this life; that is to say, there remains only so much of thought about the truths of faith as there is of the will of good according to these truths.

(from Arcana Coelestia 9300)

The Lord's 'Bearing of Iniquities or Sins'

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Bearing iniquity denotes to remove falsities and evils, or sins, with those who are in good.

it is said of the Lord that He "bore sins" for the human race, has been known in the church; but still it is not known what is meant by "bearing iniquities and sins." It is believed by some that it denotes that He took on Himself the sins of the human race, and suffered Himself to be condemned even to the death of the cross; and that because the condemnation for sins was cast on Him, mortals were thus freed from damnation; and also that the damnation was taken away by the Lord through the fulfilling of the law, because the law would have condemned everyone who did not fulfil it.

But these things are not meant by "bearing iniquity," because every man's deeds remain with him after death, and according to the quality of these he is then judged either to life or to death. Their quality is from his love and his faith, for love and faith make the life of a deed; and therefore —

They cannot be taken away by transfer to another who would bear them.

From this it is evident that something else is meant by "bearing iniquities;" but what is meant can be seen from the bearing itself of iniquities or sins by the Lord. For the Lord bears them when He fights for man against the hells, because man cannot fight against these from himself; but the Lord alone does this, and indeed continually for every man, but with a difference according to his reception of the Divine good and Divine truth.

When the Lord was in the world, He fought against all the hells, and completely subjugated them. From this He also became righteousness. Thus He redeemed from damnation those who receive the Divine good and truth from Him. Unless this had been done by the Lord, no man could have been saved - for insofar as the Lord does not remove them, the hells are constantly with man, and have dominion over him, and He removes them in proportion as the man desists from evils.He who once conquers the hells, conquers them to eternity; and in order that this might be done by the Lord — He made His Human Divine.

He, who alone fights for man against the hells (or what is the same thing, against evils and falsities, for these are from the hells) is said "to bear sins," for He alone supports this burden. That by "bearing sins" is also signified the removal of evils and falsities from those who are in good, is because this is the consequence; for insofar as the hells are removed from man, so far evils and falsities are removed, because as before said both of these are from the hells. Evils and falsities are "sins" and "iniquities." 

The main work of salvation is to redeem and deliver man from the hells, and thus to remove evils and falsities. It is said to remove evils and falsities, because deliverance from sins (that is, the forgiveness of them) is nothing else than their removal; for they remain with the man; but insofar as the good of love and the truth of faith are implanted, so far the evil and falsity are removed.

The case herein is like that with heaven and hell. Heaven does not abolish hell; but removes from itself those who are there. For it is the good and truth from the Lord which make heaven; and these are what effect this removal.

The case is similar with man, who of himself is a hell; but when he is being regenerated, he becomes a heaven, and insofar as he becomes a heaven, so far hell is removed.

It is a common opinion that evils, that is, sins, are not removed in this way; but are absolutely separated. But such persons are not aware that from himself the whole man is nothing but evil, and that insofar as he is kept in good by the Lord, the evils which belong to him appear as if they were rooted out — for when a man is kept in good, he is withheld from evil. Nevertheless no one can be withheld from evil and kept in good unless he is in the good of faith and of charity from the Lord; that is, only insofar as he suffers himself to be regenerated by the Lord. For as before said, heaven is implanted in man by regeneration, and thereby the hell which is with him is removed.

From all this it can be seen again that "bearing iniquities," when said of the Lord, denotes to continually fight for man against the hells, thus continually to remove them — for there is a perpetual removing, not only while man is in the world, but also in the other life to eternity. It is impossible for any man to remove evils in this way; for from himself man cannot remove the least of evil, still less the hells, and least of all to eternity.

• The evils with man are not absolutely separated but are removed insofar as he is in this good from the Lord

• While He was in the world, the Lord conquered the hells by means of the combats of temptations, and thereby disposed all things into order — He did this from Divine love, in order to save the human race and thus He also made His Human Divine

• In temptations, which are spiritual combats against the evils which are from hell, the Lord fights for man

How the Lord while in the world bore the iniquities of the human race, that is, fought with the hells and subjugated them, and thus acquired for Himself the Divine power of removing these things with all who are in good, and thus became merit and righteousness, is described in Isaiah 59:16-20; 63:1-9. 

When these things are understood, it can be known what is signified by all that is said in the fifty-third chapter of the same prophet [Isaiah] concerning the Lord, in which from beginning to end the state of His temptations is treated of; thus the state in which He was while He fought with the hells, for temptations are nothing else than combats with these.  This state is thus described:

He bore our sicknesses, and carried our griefs; He was pierced for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities; Jehovah made to fall on Him the iniquity of us all; and thus He gave the wicked to their sepulcher; the will of Jehovah shall prosper by His hand; He shall see from the labor of His soul and be sated; and by His wisdom shall justify many, because He hath borne their iniquities, and thus hath carried the sin of many (Isa. 53:4-5).

He is also called there "the Arm of Jehovah," by which is signified Divine power.

That by "bearing sicknesses," "sorrows," and "iniquities," and by "being pierced and bruised by them," is signified a state of temptations, is evident; for in such a state there are griefs of soul, distresses, and despairs, which in this way cause anguish. Such things are induced by the hells, for in temptations they assault the very love of him against whom they fight; the love of everyone being the inmost of his life. The Lord's love was the love of saving the human race, which love was the Esse of His life, for this love was the Divine in Him.

In Isaiah also, where the subject treated of is the combats of the Lord, this is described in these words:

He said, Surely they are My people, therefore He became their Savior. In all their distress He was distressed; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He took them up, and carried them all the days of eternity (Isa. 63:8, 9).

That while He was in the world the Lord endured such temptations, is only briefly described in the Gospels, but at great length in the prophets, and especially in the Psalms of David.

In the Gospels it is only said that He was led into the wilderness, and was afterward tempted by the devil, and that He was there forty days, and was with the beasts (Mark 1:12, 13; Matt. 4:1). But that from His earliest childhood even to the end of His life in the world He was in temptations, that is, in combats with the hells, He did not reveal, in accordance with these words in Isaiah:

He was oppressed, and was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He is led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, He opened not His mouth (Isa. 53:7).

His last temptation was in Gethsemane (Matt. 26; Mark 14), and then came the passion of the cross; that He thereby fully subjugated the hells, He Himself teaches in John:

Father, rescue Me from this hour. But for this sake came I into this hour. Father, glorify Thy name. Then came there a voice out of heaven, saying, I have glorified it and will glorify it. Then said Jesus, Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out (John 12:27, 28, 31).

"The prince of the world" is the devil, thus all hell; "to glorify" denotes to make the human Divine. The reason why mention is made only of the temptation after forty days in the wilderness, is that "forty days" signify and involve temptations to the full, thus the temptations of many years (n. 8098, 9437); "the wilderness" signifies hell, and "the beasts with which He fought there" signify the diabolical crew.

The removal of sins with those who are in good, that is, those who have practiced repentance, was represented in the Jewish Church by the he-goat called "Asasel," upon the head of which Aaron was to lay his hands, and to confess the iniquities of the sons of Israel, and all their transgressions in respect to all their sins, and was then to send it into the wilderness, and that in this way the he-goat should bear upon him all their iniquities into a land of separation (Lev. 16:21, 22). By Aaron is here represented the Lord; by "the he-goat" is signified faith; by "the wilderness," and "the land of separation," hell; and by "bearing thither the iniquities of the sons of Israel" is signified to remove them, and cast them into hell. No one can know that such things were represented, except from the internal sense; for everyone can see that the iniquities of a whole congregation could not be borne into the wilderness by any he-goat; for what had the he-goat in common with iniquities? But as at that time all representatives signified such things as belong to the Lord, to heaven and to the church, so also did these.

The internal sense therefore teaches what these things involve, namely, that it is the truth of faith by means of which man is regenerated, consequently by means of which sins are removed; and because the faith of truth is from the Lord, it is the Lord Himself who effects this. Aaron represents the Lord; a "he-goat of the goats" denotes the truth of faith; "the wilderness" denotes hell, is because the camp in which were the sons of Israel signified heaven; therefore the wilderness is called a "land of separation," or of "cutting off." Thus by "bearing iniquities into that land," that is into the wilderness, is signified to cast evils and falsities into hell, from which they are; and they are cast thither when they are removed so as not to appear, which is effected when a man is withheld from them by being kept in good by the Lord, according to what was said above.

The like that was signified by the casting out of sins into the wilderness is signified by "casting them forth into the depths of the sea," as in Micah:

He will have compassion upon us; He will suppress our iniquities; and He will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).

"The depth of the sea" also denotes hell.

From all this it is now evident that by "Aaron bearing the iniquities of the holy things," is signified the removal of sins by the Lord from those who are in good; and that their removal is continually being effected by the Lord; and that this is meant by "bearing iniquities." So also in another passage in Moses:

Jehovah said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons with thee shall hear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood. The sons of Israel shall no more come nigh the Tent of meeting, to bear sin, by dying. But the Levite shall do the work of the Tent, and they shall bear their iniquity (Num. 18:1, 22, 23).

The like is meant by "bearing," in Isaiah:

Attend unto Me O house of Israel that have been carried from the womb. Even to old age I am the same, and even to hoar hairs will I carry; I have made, and I will carry; yea, I will bear, and will rescue (Isa. 46:3, 4).

That "bearing iniquity" denotes to expiate, thus to remove sins, is evident in Moses:

Moses was indignant with Eleazar and with Ithamar because the he-goat of the sacrifice of sin had been burnt, saying, Wherefore did ye not eat it in the place of holiness, seeing that Jehovah hath given it you to bear the iniquities of the congregation, to expiate them before Jehovah (Lev. 10:16, 17)?

(from Arcana Coelestia 9937)

Seeing the Face of God

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

No man hath ever seen God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath set Him forth (John 1:18).

Ye have never heard the voice of the Father, nor seen His shape (John 5:37).

No man knoweth the Father, save the Son, and he to whom the Son willeth to reveal Him (Matt. 11:27).

When Jehovah the Father has been seen, it is the Lord who has been seen, the Lord also teaches in John:

Jesus said, If ye have known Me, ye have known My Father also; and from henceforth ye have known Him, and have seen Him. Philip said, Lord, show us the Father. Jesus said unto him, Am I so long time with you, and hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; how then sayest thou, Show us the Father? (John 14:7, 8).

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it, and was glad. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:56, 58).

From this it can be seen that the Lord as to the Divine Human is Jehovah who is seen, and thus that He is the "face of Jehovah."

That the Lord is the "face of Jehovah" is also evident from the Word, as in these passages:

He became their Savior; the angel of the faces of Jehovah delivered them, in His love and in His gentleness; He redeemed them, and He took them, and carried them all the days of eternity (Isa. 63:8, 9).

Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee to the place which I have prepared. Take heed of his face, provoke him not; for he will not bear your transgression; because My name is in the midst of him (Exod. 23:20, 21).

For when Jehovah appeared before the coming of the Lord into the world, He appeared in the form of an angel, because when He passed through heaven He clothed Himself with this form, which is the human form. For from the Divine there, the universal heaven is like one man, as has been abundantly shown in treating of the Grand Man, which is heaven; and from this at that time was the Divine Human; and as Jehovah appeared in the human form as an angel, it is evident that nevertheless it was Jehovah Himself, and that that very form also was His, because it was His Divine in heaven. This was the Lord from eternity. But as that human form was assumed by passing through heaven, and yet in order to save the human race it was necessary to be really and essentially a man, it therefore pleased Him to be born, and thereby actually to assume the human form, in which was Jehovah Himself. That this is so, the Lord teaches in John:

Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me (John 14:11).

I and the Father are one. (John 10:30).

That the Lord was from eternity, He also teaches in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. All thing were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:1, 3, 14).

I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world; again I leave the world, and go unto the Father (John 16:28).

Jesus said, Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was (John 17:5).

Verily, Verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:58).

From these passages it can be clearly known that the Lord is Jehovah even as to His Human, thus that His Human is Divine. For this reason it is said in John, "God was the Word, and the Word was made flesh;" and also, "Before Abraham was, I am" - not, "I was" - for the "I am" is Jehovah (Exod. 3:14).

From all this it can now be seen that by "a man doth not see Me and live," is signified that the Divine Itself cannot be seen such as it is in itself, but such as it is through the Lord in heaven. It is said "through the Lord in heaven," because the Lord is above the heavens, for He is the sun of heaven; but still He is present in the heavens, being the Divine truth there, and the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun, is the Lord in heaven; wherefore the Divine truth there is His "face."

It was said above that by "the faces of Jehovah" are signified the interior Divine things of the Word, of the church, and of worship. The reason is that the interior Divine things of the Word, of the church, and of worship are the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, thus are the Lord in heaven. This is signified by the "face of Jehovah," where it is mentioned in the Word, as in these passages:

See that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that their angels in the heavens do always see the face of My Father who is in the heavens (Matt. 18:10).

The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in the holy Jerusalem; and His servants shall minister to Him. And they shall see His faces (Rev. 22:3, 4).

Jehovah shall make His faces to shine upon thee, and shall have pity on thee; Jehovah shall lift up His faces upon thee, and shall give thee peace (Num. 6:25, 26).

Many there be that say, Who will show us good? O Jehovah lift Thou up the light of Thy faces upon us (Ps. 4:6).

O Jehovah, how long wilt Thou hide Thy faces from me? (Ps. 13:1).

To thee said my heart, Seek ye My faces, Thy faces O Jehovah I seek (Ps. 27:8).

God will be merciful unto us, and bless us, and will cause His faces to shine upon us (Ps. 67:1).

Bring us back, O God, and cause Thy faces to shine, that we may be saved (Ps. 80:3, 7, 19).

Blessed is Thy people who walk in the light of Thy faces (Ps. 89:15).

O Jehovah hide not Thy faces from me (Ps. 102:1, 2).

Thou hidest Thy faces, they are troubled (Ps. 104:29).

Everyone can comprehend what is here meant by "the faces of Jehovah," namely, the Divine, and whatever belongs to the Divine, thus mercy, peace, and all good; but in the universal sense the Divine truth, because all good is in the Divine truth. Both with man and with angel the Divine good is in the Divine truth, and without the latter there is not the former; for truth is the recipient of good, thus also of mercy and peace. From this then it follows that where Divine good is not in Divine truth, there the face of Jehovah is not; and it also follows that where there is evil in falsity, the Divine does not appear. This is meant by Jehovah "hiding and turning away His faces" in the following passages:

Your sins have hidden the faces of Jehovah from you (Isa. 59:2).

For their wickedness I have hid My faces from this city (Jer. 33:5).

I do turn away My faces from them, and they profane My secret (Ezek. 7:22).

Jehovah will hide His faces from them, according as they have rendered in their works evil (Micah 3:4).

But be it known that Jehovah, that is, the Lord, never turns away His faces from man; but that the man who is in evil turns away his face from the Lord. And as the Divine is then behind him, it appears as if this hides or turns itself away. Moreover, it is an actual fact that all infernal spirits turn their backs to the Lord as a sun, whereas the angels always turn their faces to Him. It is the same with a man, in respect to his spirit, during his life in the world.

(from Arcana Coelestia 10579)