Faith (pt. 14)

Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
(Continued pt. 14)

An abundance of truths cohering, as in a bundle, exalts and perfects faith

(1) The Truths of Faith may be multiplied to Infinity.

This is evident from the fact that the wisdom of the angels of heaven increases to eternity.

Moreover, the angels say that there is no end to wisdom, as its source is no other than Divine truths analytically distributed into forms by means of light flowing in from the Lord. Such human intelligence as is truly intelligence is from no other source.

Divine truth may be multiplied to infinity, because the Lord is Divine truth itself, or truth in its infinity, and He draws all men to Himself; but as angels and men are finite they can follow the current of the attraction only according to their measure, although the force of the attraction persists to infinity.

The Lord's Word is a great deep of truths from which comes all angelic wisdom, although to the man who knows nothing of its spiritual and celestial meanings, it appears like the water in a pitcher.

The multiplication of the truths of faith to infinity may be compared to the seed of men, from one of whom may be propagated families to ages of ages.

The proliferation of the truths of faith may be compared to the proliferation of seeds in a field or a garden, which may be propagated to myriads of myriads and perpetually.

In the Word "seed" means nothing but truth, "field" means doctrine, and "garden" wisdom.

The human mind is like soil, in which spiritual and natural truths are implanted like seeds and may be endlessly multiplied. Man derives this from the infinity of God, who is perpetually in man with His heat and light, and the faculty of generating.

(True Christian Religion 350)

To be continued...

Faith (pt. 13)

Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
(Continued pt. 13)

An abundance of truths cohering, as in a bundle, exalts and perfects faith

From the conception of faith that prevails at the present day it cannot be seen that -

faith in its compass is a complex of truths, still less that man can contribute anything toward acquiring faith for himself

and yet faith in its essence is truth; for it is truth in its own right, and -

as truth can be acquired so also can faith.

Who cannot go to the Lord if he will? Who cannot collect truths from the Word if he will? And every truth in the Word and from the Word, gives light; and truth in light is faith. The Lord who is Light itself, flows into every man; and in everyone in whom there are truths from the Word, He causes truths to shine and thus to become truths of faith. And this is what the Lord teaches in John:

That they should abide in Him, and His words in them (15:7).

The Lord's words are truths.

But to make it properly understood that an abundance of truths cohering as if in a bundle exalts and perfects faith, the consideration of the subject shall distributed under the following heads:

(1) Truths of faith may be multiplied to infinity.
(2) They are disposed into series, thus, as it were, into bundles.
(3) According to their abundance and coherence faith is perfected.
(4) However numerous truths are and however diverse they appear, they make one from the Lord, who is the Word, the God of heaven and earth, the God of all faith, the God of the vineyard or the church, the God of faith, light itself, the truth, and life eternal.

(True Christian Religion 349)

To be continued...

Faith (pt. 12)

Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
(Continued pt. 12)

Man Acquires Faith -
by going to the Lord, learning truths from the Word, and living according to them.

From the foregoing (previous articles)it is clear that there are three things by which faith is formed in man; first by going to the Lord; secondly, by learning truths from the Word; and thirdly, by living according to them.

Now as these are three things - and one not the same as another - it follows that they can be separated; for a man may go to the Lord, and not know any but historical truths respecting God and the Lord.

Also a man may know truths from the Word in abundance, and yet not live according to them.

But in the man in whom these three things are separated, that is, in whom one is apart from the other, there is no saving faith.

Saving faith arises when the three are conjoined, and becomes such as the conjunction is.

Where these three things are separated, faith is like a sterile seed, which when dropped in the earth moulders into dust. But where the three are conjoined, faith is like a seed in the ground which grows up to a tree, and the fruit of it is according to their conjunction.

Where these three things are separated, faith is like an egg which contains no prolific principle; but where they are conjoined, faith is like an egg that can produce a beautiful bird.

The faith of those in whom these three things are separated, may be likened to the eye of a fish or of a crab when cooked; but the faith of those in whom the three are conjoined, may be likened to an eye translucent from the crystalline humor even to and through the uvea of the iris.

Separated faith is like a picture drawn in dark colors on a black stone; but conjoined faith is like a picture drawn in beautiful colors on a transparent crystal.

The light of a separated faith may be compared to that of a firebrand in the hand of a traveler at night; while the light of a conjoined faith may be compared to that of a blazing torch which when waved about shows plainly each step of the way.

Faith without truths is like a vine bearing wild grapes; but faith from truths is like a vine bearing clusters full of noble wine.

Faith in the Lord destitute of truths may be compared to a new star appearing in the expanse of heaven, which in time grows dim; but faith in the Lord together with truths may be compared to a fixed star, which remains constant.

Truth is the essence of faith; therefore, as the truth is, such is the faith; without truths it is a wandering faith, but with them it is fixed.

Moreover, faith from truths shines in heaven like a star.

(True Christian Religion 348)

To be continued...

Faith (pt. 11)

Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
(Continued pt. 11)

Man Acquires Faith -
by going to the Lord, learning truths from the Word, and living according to them.

As to the formation of faith: it is effected by man's going to the Lord, learning truths from the Word, and living according to them.

First: Faith is formed by man's going to the Lord, because faith that is faith, or that is a saving faith, is from the Lord and in the Lord. That it is from the Lord is evident from His words to His disciples:

Abide in Me, and I in you for apart from Me, ye can do nothing (John 15:4, 5).

That it is faith in the Lord, is evident from the passages presented in abundance, to the effect that men ought to believe in the Son. Since then faith is from the Lord and in the Lord, it may be said that the Lord is faith itself, for its life and essence are in Him, and thus from Him.

Secondly: Faith is formed by man's learning truths from the Word, because faith in its essence is truth; for all things that enter into faith are truths; consequently -

faith is nothing but a complex of truths shining in the mind of man

for truths teach not only that man ought to believe, but also in whom he ought to believe, and what he ought to believe.

Truths ought to be taken from the Word, because all truths that conduce to salvation are in the Word, and there is efficacy in them because they are given by the Lord, and are therefore inscribed on the whole angelic heaven; consequently when man learns truths from the Word, he comes into communion and consociation with angels beyond what he knows.

Faith destitute of truths like grain without inner substance, which when ground yields nothing but bran; while faith from truths is like useful grain, which when ground yields flour.

In a word, the essentials of faith are truths; and if truths do not reside in and constitute the faith, it is only like the shrill sound of a whistle; but when they do reside in and constitute it, faith is like a voice of glad tidings.

Thirdly: Faith is formed by man's living according to truths, because spiritual life is life according to truths, and -

truths do not actually live until they are in deeds

Truths abstracted from deeds are merely matters of thought, and unless they become of the will also, are only in the entrance to the man, and thus are not inwardly in him; for the will is the man himself, and the thought is so far the man, in quantity and quality, as it adjoins the will to itself.

He who learns truths and does not practice them, is like one who sows seed in a field and does not harrow it in; and consequently the seed becomes swollen by the rain and is spoiled. But he who learns truths and practises them, is like one who sows the seed and covers it, and the rain causes it to grow to a crop and to be of use for food.

The Lord says:

If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them (John 13:17)

And again:

He that was sown upon the good ground, this is he that heareth the Word and giveth heed; who also beareth fruit and bringeth forth (Matt. 13:23);

also:

Everyone that heareth these My words, and doth them, I will liken him unto a prudent man, who built his house upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these My words and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand (Matt. 7:24, 26).

All words of the Lord are truths.

(True Christian Religion 347)

To be continued...

Faith (pt. 10)

Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
(Continued pt. 10)

Man Acquires Faith -
by going to the Lord, learning truths from the Word, and living according to them.

It has been said above (in the previous article) that faith, as to its existence in man, is spiritual sight.

Now as spiritual sight which is the sight of the understanding, and thus of the mind, and natural sight which is the sight of the eye and thus of the body, mutually correspond, every state of faith may be compared with some state of the eye and its sight - a state of faith in what is true with every normal state of eyesight, and a state of faith in what is false with every perverted state of eyesight.

Let us compare then the correspondences of these two kinds of sight - mental and bodily - as to their perverted states.

• Spurious faith, in which falsities are mixed with truths, may be compared to that disease of the eye and consequently of the sight, called white specks on the cornea, which produces dimness of sight.

• Meretricious faith which comes from truths falsified, and adulterous faith which is from goods adulterated, may be compared to that disease of the eye and consequently of the sight, called glaucoma, which is a drying up and hardening of the crystalline humor.

• Closed or blind faith, which is a faith in things mystical that are believed, although it is not known whether they are true or false, or whether they are above reason or contrary to it, may be compared to the disease of the eye called gutta serena or amaurosis, which is a loss of sight while the eye still looks as though it saw perfectly, which arises from an obstruction of the optic nerve.

• Erratic faith, which is a faith in several Gods, may be compared to the disease of the eye called cataract, which is a loss of vision, arising from a stoppage between the sclerotic coat and the uvea.

• Purblind faith, which is a faith in any other than the true God, and among Christians in any but the Lord God the Savior, may be compared to the disease of the eye called strabismus.

• Hypocritical or Pharisiac faith, which is a faith of the lips and not of the heart, maybe compared to atrophy of the eye, and consequent loss of sight.

• Visionary and distorted faith, which is falsity made to appear like truth by an ingenious confirmation of it, may be compared to the disease of the eye called nyctalopia, which is seeing in darkness from an illusive light.

(True Christian Religion 346)

To be continued...

Faith (pt. 9)

Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
(Continued pt. 9)

Man Acquires Faith -
By going to the Lord, Learning truths from the Word, and Living according to them.

Before proceeding to show how faith originates, namely, by going to the Lord, learning truths from the Word, and living according to them, it is necessary first to set forth the summaries of faith ... for faith enters into all parts and each part of a system of theology, as blood flows into the members of the body and vivifies them. What the present church teaches respecting faith is known in the Christian world generally, and particularly in its ecclesiastical class; for the books treating solely of faith and faith alone fill the libraries of the doctors of the church, and almost nothing beyond this is regarded as properly theological at the present day. But before what the present church teaches respecting its faith is taken up, considered and examined (which will be done in an Appendix), the general principles which the New Church teaches respecting its faith shall be presented. They are the following:

• The Esse of the Faith of the New Church is: 1. Confidence in the Lord God the Savior Jesus Christ. 2. A trust that he who lives well and believes aright is saved by Him.

• The Essence of the Faith of the New Church is: Truth from the Word.

• The Existence of the Faith of the New Church is: 1. Spiritual sight. 2. Accordance of Truths. 3. Conviction. 4. Acknowledgment inscribed on the mind.

• The States of the Faith of the New Church are: 1. Infantile faith, adolescent faith, adult faith 2. Faith in genuine truth and faith in appearances of truth. 3. Faith of the memory, faith of reason, faith of light. 4. Natural faith, spiritual faith, celestial faith. 5. Living faith, and faith founded on miracle. 6. Free faith, and forced faith.

• The Form itself of the Faith of the New Church, in its universal view, and its particular view, may be seen in the first two numbers of the work True Christian Religion.

As the constituents of spiritual faith have been presented in a summary, so also shall those of merely natural faith, which in itself is a persuasion counterfeiting faith, and a persuasion of what is false, which is called heretical faith. It may be designated as follows:

1. Spurious faith, in which falsities are mixed with truths. 2. Meretricious faith from truths falsified, and adulterous faith from goods adulterated. 3. Closed or blind faith, which is a faith in things mystical that are believed, although it is not known whether they are true or false, or whether they are above reason or contrary to it. 4. Wandering faith, which is a faith in several Gods. 5. Purblind faith, which is a faith in some other than the true God, and among Christians in any but the Lord God the Savior. 6. Hypocritical or Pharisaic faith, which is a faith of the lips and not of the heart. 7. Visionary and distorted faith, which is falsity made to appear like truth by ingenious confirmation of it.

(True Christian Religion 343 - 345)

To be continued...

Faith (pt. 8)

Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
(Continued pt. 8)

The Sum of Faith is -
He who lives well and believes rightly is saved by the Lord.

In the preceding articles, it is shown that saving faith is faith in the Lord God the Savior Jesus Christ. But the question arises, What is the first principle of faith in Him? The answer is, The acknowledgement that He is the Son of God. This was the first principle of faith, which the Lord revealed and announced when He came into the world.

For unless men had first acknowledged that He was the Son of God, and thus God from God, in vain would He Himself and His Apostles after Him have preached faith in Him.

Now as the case is somewhat similar at the present day - but with those who think from their selfhood, that is, solely from the external or natural man saying to themselves, How could Jehovah God beget a Son, and how can a man be God? - it is necessary to confirm and establish from the Word this first principle of faith. For this reason the following passages are quoted:

• The angel said to Mary, Thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High. And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee therefore that which is to be born of thee shall be called Holy, the Son of God (Luke 1:31-35.)

• When Jesus was being baptized, there came a voice out of heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:16, 17; Mark 1:10, 11; Luke 3:21, 22).

• Again when Jesus was transfigured, there also came a voice out of heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him (Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35).

• Jesus asked His disciples, saying, Who do men say that I am? Peter answered, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus said, Blessed art thou, Simon son of Jonah. I say unto thee, that upon this rock I will build My church (Matt. 16:13-18).

The Lord said that upon this rock, that is, upon the truth and the confession that He is the Son of God, He would build His church; for "rock" signifies truth, and also the Lord in respect to Divine truth. So with those who do not confess this truth that He is the Son of God, the church is not; therefore it is said above, that this is the first principle of faith in Jesus Christ, and thus is faith in its origin.

• John the Baptist saw and bare witness that this is the Son of God (John 1:34).

•The disciple Nathanael said to Jesus, Thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel (John 1:49).

• The twelve disciples said, We have believed that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God (John 6:69).

• He is called the only begotten Son of God, and the only begotten from the Father, who is in the bosom of the Father (John 1:14, 18; 3:16).

• Jesus Himself confessed before the high priest, that He was the Son of God (Matt. 26:63, 64; 27:43; Mark 14:61, 62; Luke 22:70).

• They that were in the ship came and worshiped Jesus, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God (Matt. 14:33).

• The eunuch who wished to be baptized, said to Philip, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Acts 3:37).

• Paul, when he was converted, preached Christ, that He was the Son of God (Acts 9:20).

• Jesus said, The hour cometh, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live (John 5:25).

• He that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18).

• These are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in His name (John 20:31).

• These things have I written unto you who believe in the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe in the name of the Son of God (1 John 5:13).

• We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given that we may know Him that is True, and we are in Him that is True, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:20).

• Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him and he in God (1 John 4:15).

(Again elsewhere, as in Matt. 8:29; 27:40, 43, 54; Mark 1:1; 3:11; 15:39; Luke 8:28; John 9:35; 10:36; 11:4, 27; 19:7; Rom. 1:4; 2 Cor. 1:19; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:13; Heb. 4:14; 6:6; 7:3; 10:29; 1 John 3:8; 5:10; Apoc. 2:18.) There are also many passages where He is called "Son" by Jehovah, and where He calls Jehovah God His Father, as in this:

• Whatever the Father doeth, that the Son doeth also; as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so doth the Son; that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father; as the Father hath life in Himself, even so gave He to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:19-27).

So in many other passages. And again in David:

• I will declare the decree; Jehovah hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish in the way, for His anger will soon be kindled. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him (Ps. 2:7, 12).

From the foregoing now comes this conclusion

that everyone who wishes to be truly a Christian and to be saved by Christ, ought to believe that Jesus is the Son of the living God. He who does not believe this, but only that He is the Son of Mary, implants in his mind various ideas respecting Him, which are injurious and destructive to that salvation.

Of such it may be said, as of the Jews, That instead of a royal crown, they place upon His head a crown of thorns, and also give Him vinegar to drink, and they cry out, If thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross (Matt. 27:29, 34, 40).

Or as the devil, the tempter, said, If thou art the Son of God, command that these stones become bread or, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down (Matt. 4:3, 6).

Such profane His church and temple, and make it a den of robbers. These are they who make the worship of Him like the worship of Mohammed, and do not distinguish between true Christianity, which is the worship of the Lord, and naturalism. They may be compared to men riding in a carriage or coach over thin ice, and the ice breaks under them, and they sink, and they, with their horses and vehicle, are covered by the icy water. They may also be likened to men who make a little boat of woven reeds and rushes, daubing it with pitch that it may hold together, and in it put out to sea; but there the cohesiveness of the pitch is destroyed, and they are choked by the waters of the sea and swallowed up and are buried in its depths.

(True Christian Religion 342)

To be continued...