The Abundant Life - A Spiritual Marriage of Goods and Truths - Part 2
By Rev. Paul Booth
By Rev. Paul Booth
It is a fact that we have been created with the ability to receive both good and truth or falsity or evil. What we are talking about here is man's two mental abilities or powers. One is called the will and the other the understanding, the will being what receives good or evil and the understanding what receives truth or falsity and we will speak about this later on. Now, it cannot be doubted that man has these two abilities - the power to will and to understand. Example: We can want something and even though knowing that it would harm us, we may still will or desire to have it, thus, we persuade our understanding to conform with our desires. In this ability or mental power we learn that what we love, good or evil, we can will it and at the same time we can speak either what is the truth or what is false. What we come to learn, here, is that the will and understanding in us has been separated - willing one thing, but say another. A man can speak the truth for different reasons and still desire or will what is evil or the contrary; he can speak what is false and still desire what is good. This is what is called in man before his reformation and regeneration his old will and understanding.
We were all born with this will and understanding. The birth of man that now takes place is because of our first parent's sin. There is a whole subject of why this was. Suffice it to say, here, that man wanted what was called his own or 'self'. The result was man received a 'proprium', or what is properly man's own. Hence, there is the man's will and understanding of today. Nonetheless, a man still has choices; he has freedom and he is able to decide his own will, but as a result of receiving a proprium or what is his own, he now tends toward the love of self and not towards any love for God. Thus, today, God's presence is not with man, nowadays, in his conscience life, having closed off or shut out God from him.
However, God wants to form in man a new will and understanding. This new will receives only good and this new understanding receives only truth. Christians often call this 'being born again'; it is the process of one's regeneration. Of course, what this is, is really the man's spiritual birth. This new will and understanding from God makes the man a whole new person. His will and understanding are no longer divided as they are in a man who lives in this world - in the old man. You can see, here, that the truths one comes to understand come to be implanted in the new will and become good. Now, this is according to Divine order and is in relation to good and truth, these two then having become united or one in man.
For man to have the truth and to know what is good is the starting point to him having an abundant life where his spiritual life becomes expressed through his natural life. It is when God is present with us within us, in a new will and understanding. To the spiritual man it is called 'Heaven', for that is where he lives with God who is all good and all truth. However, what is it called with the man who still lives in this natural world? In other words, where is God's presence with the natural man of this world? Most people would say that it is within us in our inner most being. Does not the angels in Heaven have relation with God's good and His truth? Doesn't a man on earth who has a relationship with God, also have this relation with good and truth also? What is this place called that is within a man who has this relationship with God's good and His truths? It is called the Church.
That's a word that today many people have turned away from. They seem not to want anything to do with the Churches, pointing out the terrible behavior of some who are associated with the organized Church and of what has been done in the name of Jesus Christ and the Church. Although just as much evil has been done in the name of all religions. Yet, if we come to understand the truth, the spiritual significance, of what is signified by the Church, we will learn that it is where God's presence is within man here on earth. That the effects of man to manifest God's presence have been marred by man's sin of the love of self does not change this truth - that the Church is where God in His good and truth lives and is present. It is only a manifestation of man's self love - of his proprium - which wants sway over all things with him that prevents God's presence to be known and felt. The result is that the Church to man only becomes an organized effort of man to rule, not only his own life, but very often to rule others lives as well. This is a classic example of the will and the understanding of man being separate and wanting to rule over the man because of his love for himself. This is contrary to Divine order.
When God's truth becomes implanted in the will it becomes good. In examining it you will see, not two, but one, for they - truth and good - are then united in man. Surly, God does not give us the one without the other - truth without good. These two are the esse or being and the existere or the existence - the substance and the form. There is not the one without the other. However, if the receptacle of the will and understanding are formed according to the man's love or desires and is acknowledged, they become formed grotesque, selfish, mean, and without Heavenly happiness, thus, you can understand why the good and the truth conjoined in man is called the 'Heavenly Marriage'. Unless they are conjoined in man the Church in man becomes no Church at all and instead manifested in him are false teachings, fallacies, falsities, resulting in a man as life in hell where the presence of God is abhorred.
On the other hand, the receptacles, which are formed according to God's love and wisdom, that is, from His proceeding good and truth, there is conjunction, and not a separation. Now, it is from the Word written by E. Swedenborg that we see this conjunction of truth with good and that it is called the Heavenly Marriage. It is plain that all in the Heavens are in that conjunction or marriage of good and truth, which we have shown to be the presence of God and as man's everlasting and eternal life. Isn't this the true life that God wants us to have?
Here we can see the word 'Heaven' in the Word as a marriage and that the Lord is called the Bridegroom and Husband while Heaven and the Church is called the Bride and Wife. Those in Heaven and those in whom the Church is, receive Divine good and truth. Thus, they receive true life. Good is not received separate from truth nor is truth received separate from good. Now, if Heaven is within us, within in the innermost of us, then isn't the man of the Church on earth also in this heavenly marriage of good and truth? And, since that is true, then from this new will and understanding, where the presence of God is known in man, the man's spiritual, can in the man's natural, live in goods and truths reflecting the true life that God wants us all to enjoy.
We were all born with this will and understanding. The birth of man that now takes place is because of our first parent's sin. There is a whole subject of why this was. Suffice it to say, here, that man wanted what was called his own or 'self'. The result was man received a 'proprium', or what is properly man's own. Hence, there is the man's will and understanding of today. Nonetheless, a man still has choices; he has freedom and he is able to decide his own will, but as a result of receiving a proprium or what is his own, he now tends toward the love of self and not towards any love for God. Thus, today, God's presence is not with man, nowadays, in his conscience life, having closed off or shut out God from him.
However, God wants to form in man a new will and understanding. This new will receives only good and this new understanding receives only truth. Christians often call this 'being born again'; it is the process of one's regeneration. Of course, what this is, is really the man's spiritual birth. This new will and understanding from God makes the man a whole new person. His will and understanding are no longer divided as they are in a man who lives in this world - in the old man. You can see, here, that the truths one comes to understand come to be implanted in the new will and become good. Now, this is according to Divine order and is in relation to good and truth, these two then having become united or one in man.
For man to have the truth and to know what is good is the starting point to him having an abundant life where his spiritual life becomes expressed through his natural life. It is when God is present with us within us, in a new will and understanding. To the spiritual man it is called 'Heaven', for that is where he lives with God who is all good and all truth. However, what is it called with the man who still lives in this natural world? In other words, where is God's presence with the natural man of this world? Most people would say that it is within us in our inner most being. Does not the angels in Heaven have relation with God's good and His truth? Doesn't a man on earth who has a relationship with God, also have this relation with good and truth also? What is this place called that is within a man who has this relationship with God's good and His truths? It is called the Church.
That's a word that today many people have turned away from. They seem not to want anything to do with the Churches, pointing out the terrible behavior of some who are associated with the organized Church and of what has been done in the name of Jesus Christ and the Church. Although just as much evil has been done in the name of all religions. Yet, if we come to understand the truth, the spiritual significance, of what is signified by the Church, we will learn that it is where God's presence is within man here on earth. That the effects of man to manifest God's presence have been marred by man's sin of the love of self does not change this truth - that the Church is where God in His good and truth lives and is present. It is only a manifestation of man's self love - of his proprium - which wants sway over all things with him that prevents God's presence to be known and felt. The result is that the Church to man only becomes an organized effort of man to rule, not only his own life, but very often to rule others lives as well. This is a classic example of the will and the understanding of man being separate and wanting to rule over the man because of his love for himself. This is contrary to Divine order.
When God's truth becomes implanted in the will it becomes good. In examining it you will see, not two, but one, for they - truth and good - are then united in man. Surly, God does not give us the one without the other - truth without good. These two are the esse or being and the existere or the existence - the substance and the form. There is not the one without the other. However, if the receptacle of the will and understanding are formed according to the man's love or desires and is acknowledged, they become formed grotesque, selfish, mean, and without Heavenly happiness, thus, you can understand why the good and the truth conjoined in man is called the 'Heavenly Marriage'. Unless they are conjoined in man the Church in man becomes no Church at all and instead manifested in him are false teachings, fallacies, falsities, resulting in a man as life in hell where the presence of God is abhorred.
On the other hand, the receptacles, which are formed according to God's love and wisdom, that is, from His proceeding good and truth, there is conjunction, and not a separation. Now, it is from the Word written by E. Swedenborg that we see this conjunction of truth with good and that it is called the Heavenly Marriage. It is plain that all in the Heavens are in that conjunction or marriage of good and truth, which we have shown to be the presence of God and as man's everlasting and eternal life. Isn't this the true life that God wants us to have?
Here we can see the word 'Heaven' in the Word as a marriage and that the Lord is called the Bridegroom and Husband while Heaven and the Church is called the Bride and Wife. Those in Heaven and those in whom the Church is, receive Divine good and truth. Thus, they receive true life. Good is not received separate from truth nor is truth received separate from good. Now, if Heaven is within us, within in the innermost of us, then isn't the man of the Church on earth also in this heavenly marriage of good and truth? And, since that is true, then from this new will and understanding, where the presence of God is known in man, the man's spiritual, can in the man's natural, live in goods and truths reflecting the true life that God wants us all to enjoy.