The Abundant Life - A Spiritual Marriage of Goods and Truths - Part 3
By Rev. Paul Booth
By Rev. Paul Booth
When good loves truth and truth loves good and is as a marriage in man, then the true Church is in that man. However, we know that the man of the organized Church may not be in that marriage and, so, truths may not be conjoined with good in him. Herein, in this case, we see that the Church is not yet in the man, though he may be in the Church as commonly understood.
This is the cause of many people's disdain and dislike of the Churches. One can understand here, that a man of the Church may actually not be in the true Church, that is, that the Church is not in him. Or that a man not of the Church - one who is outside of the Church as is commonly understood - may actually be in the Church, that is, the Church may be in him. We see that, here, both the qualities of good and truth are in the man in whom the Church is within.
Now, because man was created with both a spiritual and a natural, then spiritual good and natural good may become conjoined in genuine moral good or moral good that is derived from God, though not from the man himself, but when they are brought into the Divine's plan. In other words, the man who receives the commandments of God and lives by them does not receive them from himself. The point being that all good and truth proceeds from God, first into what is called the celestial, then into the spiritual, and, hence, into what is called the natural of a man. These conjoined result in a man acting morally and civilly and from this there comes abundant life to him.
How is a man to live in or to receive this Heavenly Marriage of good and truth? Is there a process, a progression of the man's life towards this abundant life where he comes to live in God's presence again? In this process truth becomes good and good becomes truth, thus in man they become one. If you have heard or have read the lecture, Mankind: the Development of God's Presence - The Church, then this process and development can be seen manifested in five Churches that have become established on earth with and in man. This is also seen in the process of man's developing or growing up from infancy and childhood into youth and adulthood and on into old age as the development of the Church within him, that is, of the development of the Heavenly Marriage of good and truth in him.
We have said that man is born into the natural state, that truths come into him from without, through his senses from the world, into his understanding. In this process one's affection for truth takes over and it is no longer just a matter of knowledge, but of life. It becomes habitual and influences the man. It's becomes a part of one's nature. We act from such influence 'as it were' spontaneously, not having to think from any scientific ground as when such knowledge was first learned. You can see that in time it is a matter of life and the scientific knowledge learned no longer leads the person. However, the man can take from the knowledge that he learned, truths and, so, advances to become a matter of his life and is not just so much knowledge in his memory. So, as a child, in this process, we learn to speak, to think, to see from the understanding, and, so, to form conclusions. It is then that things become voluntary or habit, thus spontaneously and the scientifics vanish 'as it were'.
This process takes place not only with man's natural development in this life, it may also take place within, that is, in his spiritual life where the spiritual good and truth is spiritually developed just as does his natural life develop. In this is the man's regeneration or the man's being born again of the Lord that is revealed in the Word and is often talked about by Christians. This regeneration, the birth of a new spiritual life is developed in this way: The spiritual truth's of the Word of God is, at first, accepted and seen simply as is any other scientific knowledge. These are doctrinal teachings that can be learned and entered into the memory.
We have said that man's life is from God, even though it may be distorted because of the man's sin. In this sense one sees man is a receptacle, he is a vessel, into which life comes and therefore, truths and goods can enter into him. Thus, because truths, today, come into man through his natural senses and enter his will, they can be called forth by God, who is within the man's inmost, and, so, become implanted in the life, which is good, for Good is life. Who cannot see, here, that a change takes place and the man begins to act from good, or from life from God, and not from the knowledge he receives from his 'self' alone. The knowledge of truth and good that has a relationship to spiritual life become no longer just the acts from doctrinal teachings, but come from a life of good or charity.
Isn't this, then, the man's spiritual development and as he lives from the good and the truth that proceeds from God, a new will and understanding is developed within him and God is now Lord in his life. The point is truth that does not proceed from God is not truth, or if it proceeds from truth it is not good, but if it proceeds from good then truths take on form and quality and has life. This is only made possible from one's affection for charity or from one's innocence, as when a child acts from innocence to do well.
The question is, how does the truths of faith become applied to a natural man, to the spiritual man, or to an angel? This, too, can be seen as a process. When spiritual truths are learned for the first time, they are only scientific knowledge, but when they are devoutly reverenced, because they are the truth and believed, they advance and become truths of the Church that is, they are recognized as the Lord's. Remember that the Church is the Lord's presence in good and truth within man. Thus, when such truths affect the man and he lives according to them, they become spiritual truths and not merely scientific natural knowledge.
The point is that the good of love and of charity are from the spiritual world and these become the truths of one's faith and are vivified or made alive 'as it were' according to the good that is in them. Let us understand how new this life is affected in man. These truths, which have become one's faith and affect how one lives when lived according to them. In effect, truths of faith that are lived become animate, alive 'as it were', where as those truths without having any charity or love are inanimate and 'as it were' become brittle and very little life is in them.
This is the cause of many people's disdain and dislike of the Churches. One can understand here, that a man of the Church may actually not be in the true Church, that is, that the Church is not in him. Or that a man not of the Church - one who is outside of the Church as is commonly understood - may actually be in the Church, that is, the Church may be in him. We see that, here, both the qualities of good and truth are in the man in whom the Church is within.
Now, because man was created with both a spiritual and a natural, then spiritual good and natural good may become conjoined in genuine moral good or moral good that is derived from God, though not from the man himself, but when they are brought into the Divine's plan. In other words, the man who receives the commandments of God and lives by them does not receive them from himself. The point being that all good and truth proceeds from God, first into what is called the celestial, then into the spiritual, and, hence, into what is called the natural of a man. These conjoined result in a man acting morally and civilly and from this there comes abundant life to him.
How is a man to live in or to receive this Heavenly Marriage of good and truth? Is there a process, a progression of the man's life towards this abundant life where he comes to live in God's presence again? In this process truth becomes good and good becomes truth, thus in man they become one. If you have heard or have read the lecture, Mankind: the Development of God's Presence - The Church, then this process and development can be seen manifested in five Churches that have become established on earth with and in man. This is also seen in the process of man's developing or growing up from infancy and childhood into youth and adulthood and on into old age as the development of the Church within him, that is, of the development of the Heavenly Marriage of good and truth in him.
We have said that man is born into the natural state, that truths come into him from without, through his senses from the world, into his understanding. In this process one's affection for truth takes over and it is no longer just a matter of knowledge, but of life. It becomes habitual and influences the man. It's becomes a part of one's nature. We act from such influence 'as it were' spontaneously, not having to think from any scientific ground as when such knowledge was first learned. You can see that in time it is a matter of life and the scientific knowledge learned no longer leads the person. However, the man can take from the knowledge that he learned, truths and, so, advances to become a matter of his life and is not just so much knowledge in his memory. So, as a child, in this process, we learn to speak, to think, to see from the understanding, and, so, to form conclusions. It is then that things become voluntary or habit, thus spontaneously and the scientifics vanish 'as it were'.
This process takes place not only with man's natural development in this life, it may also take place within, that is, in his spiritual life where the spiritual good and truth is spiritually developed just as does his natural life develop. In this is the man's regeneration or the man's being born again of the Lord that is revealed in the Word and is often talked about by Christians. This regeneration, the birth of a new spiritual life is developed in this way: The spiritual truth's of the Word of God is, at first, accepted and seen simply as is any other scientific knowledge. These are doctrinal teachings that can be learned and entered into the memory.
We have said that man's life is from God, even though it may be distorted because of the man's sin. In this sense one sees man is a receptacle, he is a vessel, into which life comes and therefore, truths and goods can enter into him. Thus, because truths, today, come into man through his natural senses and enter his will, they can be called forth by God, who is within the man's inmost, and, so, become implanted in the life, which is good, for Good is life. Who cannot see, here, that a change takes place and the man begins to act from good, or from life from God, and not from the knowledge he receives from his 'self' alone. The knowledge of truth and good that has a relationship to spiritual life become no longer just the acts from doctrinal teachings, but come from a life of good or charity.
Isn't this, then, the man's spiritual development and as he lives from the good and the truth that proceeds from God, a new will and understanding is developed within him and God is now Lord in his life. The point is truth that does not proceed from God is not truth, or if it proceeds from truth it is not good, but if it proceeds from good then truths take on form and quality and has life. This is only made possible from one's affection for charity or from one's innocence, as when a child acts from innocence to do well.
The question is, how does the truths of faith become applied to a natural man, to the spiritual man, or to an angel? This, too, can be seen as a process. When spiritual truths are learned for the first time, they are only scientific knowledge, but when they are devoutly reverenced, because they are the truth and believed, they advance and become truths of the Church that is, they are recognized as the Lord's. Remember that the Church is the Lord's presence in good and truth within man. Thus, when such truths affect the man and he lives according to them, they become spiritual truths and not merely scientific natural knowledge.
The point is that the good of love and of charity are from the spiritual world and these become the truths of one's faith and are vivified or made alive 'as it were' according to the good that is in them. Let us understand how new this life is affected in man. These truths, which have become one's faith and affect how one lives when lived according to them. In effect, truths of faith that are lived become animate, alive 'as it were', where as those truths without having any charity or love are inanimate and 'as it were' become brittle and very little life is in them.