The Spirit and Life that is our Spiritual Food
By Rev. Paul Booth
Isaiah 54: 11-14 | John 6: 47-56; 61-63, 64
Apocalypse Revealed §602 end
By Rev. Paul Booth
Isaiah 54: 11-14 | John 6: 47-56; 61-63, 64
Apocalypse Revealed §602 end
"It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing; the words I speak to you, they are spirit, and life." (John 6: 63)
"&…;therefore said I to you, that no man can come to Me, except it were given to him of My Father." (John 6: 65)
"&…;therefore said I to you, that no man can come to Me, except it were given to him of My Father." (John 6: 65)
Everyone is in freedom of spiritual choice. A person can think he or she can go to the Lord, but the Lord has said that no one can come to Him unless the Father who sent Him draws him. Now, what does that mean? One thing for sure is that; you cannot go to Him from yourself. And, what does that imply? It implies that in order to become conjoined with the Lord and to come into Heaven one must do good 'as if' of him self, though he cannot do good of himself, but only from the Lord within him. So, what can a man so as of himself that is good? Nothing! The only thing that he can do is to desist from doing evil; he has the spiritual freedom to do this. Such an act allows the angels with the man to draw near to him and, thus for the Lord to fight against the evils that are with him.
In the Word written by the prophets is said, "And they shall all be taught by God." Therefore, man is taught by God from the Word. It is also said in the Word that Jesus the Lord spoke by way of parables or proverbs when He was here on earth; however, in fact, the Lord spoke by pure correspondences, that is, He spoke from the Divine within Him. In the internal sense of the Word is the spiritual and celestial sense that can be learned only through the knowledge of correspondences that are found in the Word of the Divine Human or what is call the Third Testament. As an example: There a complaint against Jesus from the Jews, who had been following Him because of His concern for them. They were following Him because He had fed them before on an occasion and now they were seeking Him for the same reason. In fact, they even followed Jesus to the other side of the sea of Capernaum. Jesus and His disciples had gone across the sea away from the crowd after having feed them. You probably can remember how Jesus scorned them, saying, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you." They did not understand what He meant and wanted to know what work or 'labor' did they need to do in order to receive the food of everlasting life. Jesus said, "Believe in Him whom He sent." Yet, they questioned that Jesus was sent by God and asked what sign or what miracle was He going to do in order to cause them to believe on Him, even while knowing that He had feed thousands just a short time before; that they had well eaten. Though they did recall when their fathers ate manna in the desert, and that God had given their fathers bread from Heaven to eat. We know that their fathers followed God only because of the miracles that were performed other wise the turned from following. Recall the golden calf they made to worship. Thus, they were willing be believe on Jesus only if He could continually show them miracles and other signs just as their fathers had.
We know that Jesus used parables to teach and that they who do not believe Him did not understand. If one only understands His words literally, they he will not learn the genuine truth, but only an apparent truth. Instead of physical or natural bread coming down from Heaven as the 'manna, had, He tells them that He is that true bread that comes from Heaven and that they are to eat Him, to eat His flesh and blood. The story goes on that the Jews quarreled among themselves saying. "How can this Man give us His flesh and blood to eat?" Now, Jesus did not say to them, 'Look, you do not have to actually eat My flesh and drink My blood; what I am talking about is spiritual life not natural life and My flesh and blood is spiritually the qualities of good and truth'. He did not go on explaining to them the internal sense of His words. In fact, the internal sense would only become known when His work of redemption was completed. He just reiterated what He had said enforcing it and ended up saying that anyone who eats this bread will live forever. Whoever, feeds on Him (on appropriating His truth and His good in his life) will live forever because of Him. This, of course, offended, even, many of His disciples, saying, "This is a hard saying; Who can understand it?" (John 6: 60)
We see that, here, Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man just as the prophets were spoken of as the son of man. Still, since He was the Messiah sent from God, then He was the true Son of Man come from God. The prophets only represented Him and the Word. The Lord was the true Word of God manifested. Because of the disciples murmuring about what He said, He questions them saying, "What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?" In other words, if you do not understand the truths that I (Jesus) tells you when He is before you, what, then, if He should return back to His Father? Jesus goes on and tells His disciples "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing, the words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life" (John 6; 63). Doesn't the Lord speak Divine Truths? Yes, so, you can understand that the words He speaks are, in fact, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that He says that He will send, (and has sent) and this is His life that man is to receive. The Words spoken by Jesus, 'the spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is week' (Matt. 26: 41) refers to the very life of man, for the spirit, here, denotes the intellectual which is the life's truth. Such life refers to a man's understanding and his will; these correspond to the respiration of man's lungs and to the pulsation of his heart. Thus, the respiratory life of man is meant. Hadn't the Lord breathed into man the breathe of life and man became a living soul?
In our text the word 'flesh' is used - 'for the flesh profits nothing'. From a literal sense the life of the physical body may be understood here, yet, we should know it is the spiritual life the Lord means, for one knows the Lord said in order to see heaven is to be born again spiritually. Therefore, even His disciples did not understand what He was here saying and we see that many of them left Him after He spoke these words about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. What the spiritual meaning of 'flesh' when Jesus said the 'flesh profits nothing' is a man's own self and is called his proprium. It can be seen that by 'spirit' is meant life - a life from the Lord - and so here by 'flesh' is meant a man's life without the Lord - a life what is his own. "It is the spirit which quickens, the flesh profits nothing; the words I speak to you are spirit and life" (John 6: 63). Again, spirit is life from the Lord, which is a life of faith in Him, that is, in those who believe on Him. It is the flesh that denotes the life of man, the life of his proprium. We quote again, "It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing." The spirit is alive, but the flesh is dead. In fact they are opposites. It is man's proprium that is evil, for man's love is of 'self' and of the world. The Lord had said to those following Him in search of bread, even to His disciples, "Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you" (John 6: 53-55). Here, we see the Lord's flesh mentioned and not man's. Since by man's flesh is signified his proprium, then by the Lord's flesh is meant the Lord's Proprium. And the Lord's Proprium is what is His Own and is Good; indeed it is the Divine Good of His Divine Love.
Now we have said that the Spirit is from the Lord and is the true life given to man, and that the spirit given is the truth and the good, the very qualities of the Lord and are the words that He speaks. Thus, it is the Word - the written Word of God - that is signified and which are the laws of order. They proceed or flow from the Lord - 'the words I speak unto you are spirit and life'. Therefore, the words in the Gospels that the Lord spoke are life; He Himself is Life. Here, let us also remember the words in Genesis where the Spirit of God moved on the waters and said, "Let it become light, and it became light". 'The spirit of God' we have shown is Divine Truth, and Divine Truth is equally that 'light' which Jesus says He is. We also hear the Lord call Himself the 'Word'. This is what is meant by Him being that light. Isn't He the Truth made flesh? Thus in the natural sense the written and spoken words are meant; therefore, the Word of God is meant. This, then, is the life of man and his salvation: the conjunction of the man with the Lord and the Lord with the man, and in that conjunction there is life. How this conjunction occurs is: that there must be something of the Lord with man in order for there to be a conjunction. If there is the Lord's truth with man in his understanding, then the Lord can approach the person. You can see that the truths are the Lord's with the man. However it is the act of belief, of following the truths taught by the Lord, by His Word, that the Lord dwells within a man's will and guides him, and thus, that he has true or genuine life and is in regeneration. We see, here, that the life of the Lord with man is the Lord's Divine Love.
Understanding the laws of order, that is the Word, and approaching the Lord God through them in belief allows the truth and the good of the Word to fill your mind - your will and understanding. In doing such you come to the Lord through the Father, that is, through the Divine, who is now One with the Lord who is the Divine Human. The Lord has said to His disciples, which were of the Church before His ascension and His coming again in the Word of the New Testament, "Does this offend you? What and if you shall see the Son of Man ascend up where He was before?" Further on the Lord says that He will send the Spirit of Truth to guide them and that they will know more things than even what He had explains to them. Therefore, a time would come that the Word, the words that He spoke and continued to speak will be understood by all those who approach God, that is, the Divine, which is the Father. Here let us read the Word again, "Therefore, said I to you, that no man can come to Me, except it were given to him of My Father" (John 6: 65). Man cannot come to the Lord except he approach the spiritual and this is impossible through the natural understanding. He, therefore, must be lead by the Word through the science of correspondences revealed in the Third Testament to see naturally the spiritual sense of the Word.
It is in this way that through the Spirit of Truth, that is, the Holy Spirit that a new Word was given to mankind - that Word is the Word of the Divine Human which is called the Third Testament. The Lord's words to the disciples nor to the early Christian Church were not empty promises, for today there is a new Word sent from the Divine Human in which one can learn of these correspondences and be enlightened by the Lord and thus receive a new will and understanding, one that is fit for heaven.
Amen.
In the Word written by the prophets is said, "And they shall all be taught by God." Therefore, man is taught by God from the Word. It is also said in the Word that Jesus the Lord spoke by way of parables or proverbs when He was here on earth; however, in fact, the Lord spoke by pure correspondences, that is, He spoke from the Divine within Him. In the internal sense of the Word is the spiritual and celestial sense that can be learned only through the knowledge of correspondences that are found in the Word of the Divine Human or what is call the Third Testament. As an example: There a complaint against Jesus from the Jews, who had been following Him because of His concern for them. They were following Him because He had fed them before on an occasion and now they were seeking Him for the same reason. In fact, they even followed Jesus to the other side of the sea of Capernaum. Jesus and His disciples had gone across the sea away from the crowd after having feed them. You probably can remember how Jesus scorned them, saying, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you." They did not understand what He meant and wanted to know what work or 'labor' did they need to do in order to receive the food of everlasting life. Jesus said, "Believe in Him whom He sent." Yet, they questioned that Jesus was sent by God and asked what sign or what miracle was He going to do in order to cause them to believe on Him, even while knowing that He had feed thousands just a short time before; that they had well eaten. Though they did recall when their fathers ate manna in the desert, and that God had given their fathers bread from Heaven to eat. We know that their fathers followed God only because of the miracles that were performed other wise the turned from following. Recall the golden calf they made to worship. Thus, they were willing be believe on Jesus only if He could continually show them miracles and other signs just as their fathers had.
We know that Jesus used parables to teach and that they who do not believe Him did not understand. If one only understands His words literally, they he will not learn the genuine truth, but only an apparent truth. Instead of physical or natural bread coming down from Heaven as the 'manna, had, He tells them that He is that true bread that comes from Heaven and that they are to eat Him, to eat His flesh and blood. The story goes on that the Jews quarreled among themselves saying. "How can this Man give us His flesh and blood to eat?" Now, Jesus did not say to them, 'Look, you do not have to actually eat My flesh and drink My blood; what I am talking about is spiritual life not natural life and My flesh and blood is spiritually the qualities of good and truth'. He did not go on explaining to them the internal sense of His words. In fact, the internal sense would only become known when His work of redemption was completed. He just reiterated what He had said enforcing it and ended up saying that anyone who eats this bread will live forever. Whoever, feeds on Him (on appropriating His truth and His good in his life) will live forever because of Him. This, of course, offended, even, many of His disciples, saying, "This is a hard saying; Who can understand it?" (John 6: 60)
We see that, here, Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man just as the prophets were spoken of as the son of man. Still, since He was the Messiah sent from God, then He was the true Son of Man come from God. The prophets only represented Him and the Word. The Lord was the true Word of God manifested. Because of the disciples murmuring about what He said, He questions them saying, "What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?" In other words, if you do not understand the truths that I (Jesus) tells you when He is before you, what, then, if He should return back to His Father? Jesus goes on and tells His disciples "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing, the words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life" (John 6; 63). Doesn't the Lord speak Divine Truths? Yes, so, you can understand that the words He speaks are, in fact, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that He says that He will send, (and has sent) and this is His life that man is to receive. The Words spoken by Jesus, 'the spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is week' (Matt. 26: 41) refers to the very life of man, for the spirit, here, denotes the intellectual which is the life's truth. Such life refers to a man's understanding and his will; these correspond to the respiration of man's lungs and to the pulsation of his heart. Thus, the respiratory life of man is meant. Hadn't the Lord breathed into man the breathe of life and man became a living soul?
In our text the word 'flesh' is used - 'for the flesh profits nothing'. From a literal sense the life of the physical body may be understood here, yet, we should know it is the spiritual life the Lord means, for one knows the Lord said in order to see heaven is to be born again spiritually. Therefore, even His disciples did not understand what He was here saying and we see that many of them left Him after He spoke these words about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. What the spiritual meaning of 'flesh' when Jesus said the 'flesh profits nothing' is a man's own self and is called his proprium. It can be seen that by 'spirit' is meant life - a life from the Lord - and so here by 'flesh' is meant a man's life without the Lord - a life what is his own. "It is the spirit which quickens, the flesh profits nothing; the words I speak to you are spirit and life" (John 6: 63). Again, spirit is life from the Lord, which is a life of faith in Him, that is, in those who believe on Him. It is the flesh that denotes the life of man, the life of his proprium. We quote again, "It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing." The spirit is alive, but the flesh is dead. In fact they are opposites. It is man's proprium that is evil, for man's love is of 'self' and of the world. The Lord had said to those following Him in search of bread, even to His disciples, "Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you" (John 6: 53-55). Here, we see the Lord's flesh mentioned and not man's. Since by man's flesh is signified his proprium, then by the Lord's flesh is meant the Lord's Proprium. And the Lord's Proprium is what is His Own and is Good; indeed it is the Divine Good of His Divine Love.
Now we have said that the Spirit is from the Lord and is the true life given to man, and that the spirit given is the truth and the good, the very qualities of the Lord and are the words that He speaks. Thus, it is the Word - the written Word of God - that is signified and which are the laws of order. They proceed or flow from the Lord - 'the words I speak unto you are spirit and life'. Therefore, the words in the Gospels that the Lord spoke are life; He Himself is Life. Here, let us also remember the words in Genesis where the Spirit of God moved on the waters and said, "Let it become light, and it became light". 'The spirit of God' we have shown is Divine Truth, and Divine Truth is equally that 'light' which Jesus says He is. We also hear the Lord call Himself the 'Word'. This is what is meant by Him being that light. Isn't He the Truth made flesh? Thus in the natural sense the written and spoken words are meant; therefore, the Word of God is meant. This, then, is the life of man and his salvation: the conjunction of the man with the Lord and the Lord with the man, and in that conjunction there is life. How this conjunction occurs is: that there must be something of the Lord with man in order for there to be a conjunction. If there is the Lord's truth with man in his understanding, then the Lord can approach the person. You can see that the truths are the Lord's with the man. However it is the act of belief, of following the truths taught by the Lord, by His Word, that the Lord dwells within a man's will and guides him, and thus, that he has true or genuine life and is in regeneration. We see, here, that the life of the Lord with man is the Lord's Divine Love.
Understanding the laws of order, that is the Word, and approaching the Lord God through them in belief allows the truth and the good of the Word to fill your mind - your will and understanding. In doing such you come to the Lord through the Father, that is, through the Divine, who is now One with the Lord who is the Divine Human. The Lord has said to His disciples, which were of the Church before His ascension and His coming again in the Word of the New Testament, "Does this offend you? What and if you shall see the Son of Man ascend up where He was before?" Further on the Lord says that He will send the Spirit of Truth to guide them and that they will know more things than even what He had explains to them. Therefore, a time would come that the Word, the words that He spoke and continued to speak will be understood by all those who approach God, that is, the Divine, which is the Father. Here let us read the Word again, "Therefore, said I to you, that no man can come to Me, except it were given to him of My Father" (John 6: 65). Man cannot come to the Lord except he approach the spiritual and this is impossible through the natural understanding. He, therefore, must be lead by the Word through the science of correspondences revealed in the Third Testament to see naturally the spiritual sense of the Word.
It is in this way that through the Spirit of Truth, that is, the Holy Spirit that a new Word was given to mankind - that Word is the Word of the Divine Human which is called the Third Testament. The Lord's words to the disciples nor to the early Christian Church were not empty promises, for today there is a new Word sent from the Divine Human in which one can learn of these correspondences and be enlightened by the Lord and thus receive a new will and understanding, one that is fit for heaven.
Amen.
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