The Lord's New Chapel
"And she called his name Gad"
Genesis 30: 11By Rev. Paul BoothLessons:  Genesis 30: 5-11 John 3: 19-21  |  Arcana C&œ;lestia 3935
For the good of faith produces works, because the good of faith is not possible without works, just as thinking good and willing good are not possible without doing good. The one is internal, and the other the corresponding external. Furthermore, in regard to works, unless they correspond to the good of faith they are neither works of charity nor works of faith.; for they do not come from their internal, but are dead works, in which there is no good or truth; but when they correspond, they are then works either of charity or of faith.Arcana C&œ;lestia 3934 § 2
From our lesson in Genesis, looking at the Old Testament we see only the account of the birth of Jacob's son Gad and circumstances relating to it. Now, if we put it into perspective by adding the whole story about Jacob's twelve sons, the results is like a novel relating the life adventures and times of a family living in those early times leading up to the establishment of the Israelitish Church. And, of course, the story in its natural sense does have religious teachings in it that all children of God enjoy reading, since it has come from God and tell of their relationship with God. As such the understanding of these truths has been accommodated to those of the Israelitish and Jewish and to the first or old Christian Churches.However, we who also accept the Third Testament as the Word of God along with the Old and New Testaments, have come to understand that there is an internal or spiritual sense to God's Word that is now revealed through correspondences that are taught in that Third Testament. Thus, by sons, and in this case, the son of Jacob here called Gad, is meant a general truth and, because coming from Jacob, whose name signifies the Natural of the Lord it has relation to the natural truths of the Church and so, we see by this (Jacob) is meant the external of the Church in man -the Church being within man from the Lord. Gad is one of the four sons that came from the handmaidens of Rachel and Leah. From a spiritual sense we learn that what 'handmaiden' signifies is an affection of rational and scientific things and are what conjoin one's interior truths with his natural truths, thus in what develops the Church within man. Thus, by Gad is meant one of the general principles which conjoin the Lord with man or which develop and establish the Lord's Church in man when one has affection for truth. The Word is made by correspondences in that there might be a conjunction between its natural sense with its spiritual sense, thus between the Lord and the man that He comes to be with angels. Therefore, it is in our lesson, that by Leah, who "called his name Gad", in the spiritual sense is meant the affection of external quality of the truth. We can see by number 3935 that such quality is "the good of faith and of works". Now, since man has turned from his receiving that quality which is from the Lord, he no longer receives it immediately or that which comes from within through perception from the Lord, but only externally or through his natural senses. Thus, that quality of the good of faith and works is as well contrary - the evil of faith and goods - within man, for his love is of self and of the world. Let us understand that it is not merely one's faith or those truths that one thinks are genuinely true, but which are mere appearances of truth that good is spoken of, but true faith are those that are genuine. It has been shown in a prior sermon that the twelve sons of Jacob (sons of Israel) represent all the qualities in aggregate of the true Church with man and here, by Gad is one of those qualities - the good of faith and works - that when from the Lord in man help constitute the true Church in him. We say 'one' of the qualities that are with man that are the Church with man and in the present case the natural man is referred to. For our benefit, the first two were, first, the affirmation and acknowledgment of the truth and life which is of the Lord in a man, and the second the temptations in victory of the Lord within man in his life. Next, of course, and the third, is what we are concerned with in this sermon and is the works which come from the good of faith. Lastly, there is the delight in perception of one's internal man. Thus, the Church comes to be within man from the Lord. However, what is meant by Gad as concerning the good of faith? Simply, this is easiest seen in one doing charity towards the neighbor. In other words, one's faith effectively causes the man to believe the truth because it is the truth and, therefore, to do or act according to that truth. However in order for that act truly be charity the person must have a new will and such is gifted only from the Lord. Naturally the good of faith is to be seen from correspondences. This can be seen in the twelve sons of Jacob thus in the twelve qualities of the Church that is understood in their entirety - beginning in the Divine itself and ending in the Church on earth, even in the inmost natural and external where there is merely a representative of a Church within man. In the Divine these qualities are understood as omnipotence and omniscience, while in the natural man are seen, first, as the good of faith, which produces the good of charity. You can see that the truth of faith corresponds to omniscience and good of faith to omnipotence. Thus, in the good of faith is works produced. This is said to be like thinking good from willing good which ends in doing good. Willing and thinking are internal while doing is external. They are corresponding - the internal with the external. The Churches before the Lord came in Truth and Word to earth as is foretold in Revelation, chapter 21, (and, thus which have now come as the Third Testament) has all ended as can be understood clearly in the Third Testament especially in the book called the "Last Judgment". As such, the representative Churches, even the first Christian, made works powerless and not able to save, thus making the Lord's power useless with them.  Yet, these Churches have rightly seen that works of man are unable to save and are dead works, while the works of the Lord in man do save, which a man can do 'as if' of his self.Since love comes from God to man immediately, then doesn't charity also since charity is the work of love? Thus, works of charity flow also as from their soul, that is, from the Lord who is Love Himself. Now, as New Church persons, we should know the truths we receive can only come to us through our natural senses through the written Word, and we can 'as if' of ourselves believe the truths of faith that are taught in the Word, for it is this that makes the Word the Word with us according to their quality taught. Now, if from these works of faith we do good, then we are being regenerated. But Charity exists only with the regenerate man and not the man being regenerated, for it is this man who does good from affection (love) of charity or good, while those who have but affection for goods of faith do good from affection of truth. One sees the man's internal lives by act or acting, not by any knowledge of faith without a willing and doing. The question is: is the act of doing good from within, that is, from the Lord's love or is it from hypocrisy and deceit? The good of faith and of works, which in the spiritual sense, are the qualities that help make the Church in man, are only possible when both are together in man. A man cannot be in charity and faith unless he is also in works. Of course, the Third Testament points this out. While it is also taught in the Old and New Testaments false doctrine has made the man of such Churches blind. And unfortunately those who still remain in many of the prior Christian Churches still learn only a doctrine of faith alone without works. Nonetheless, the Old Testament in Jeremiah says "Thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of man, to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his works" (32:19). Again: "Be ye converted everyone from his evil way, and make your works good" (Jeremiah. 35:15). These are but a few that teach the necessity of works, though their doctrine has explained them away. There are too many to read here, but you can read them in AC 3934. However, I will quote one or two from the New Testament since a Christian might say that he is not under the 'old' law, but under a new law. "Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works. Whosoever shall do and teach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens" (Matthews 5:16, 19). And lastly, "The Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then shall He render to every man according to his works" (Matthew 16:27). Of course, one can read that evil works condemn man and what Christian, no matter in what Church, would disagree. Therefore, we are either saved or condemned by our works. Now, this is because in works is man's will; he who wills good, does good, as does he who wills evil does evil, for willing and doing are one and the same. The good of faith is not possible without the good of works. Can a person say that he wills it when he does not do it? Isn't the willing within the works and therefore charity belongs to the will and faith to charity and, as we have shown charity comes from the Lord. We see, then, that the Lord's kingdom, which is within man, is from the Lord from a life which is in works. That works is either because a man believes, that is, who follows in faith and does the good of works or who wills and does good works from charity from the Lord's within him. From this it is that the internal man comes forth in the works of the external man and guides him. This is why the Lord recounts only works when He tells of the Last Judgment. Here, you may recall that all nations in the judgment were separated - the goats from the sheep - the natural man from the man of the Church. Those who have given meat and drink, who visited those of the least, inherited the kingdom. In other words, they have done the good of faith and of works. We see also that those who had not done these went into everlasting punishment. (Conf. Matthew 25:31-46). Here, in our text we read, "When the good of faith of the internal man, and the good of works of the external man, correspond, they, as shown above, are a third general means, which is to be acknowledged in faith and in act before a man can enter the Lord's kingdom; that is before he can by regeneration be made a church" (AC 3935e). The fact that these qualities are of the Church and are the Lord's in man determines the degree to which the Church is within a person. And, as this pertains to one's regeneration, we see that regeneration is not merely a matter of 'belief in the Word' as many would have us believe, but is as a willing and doing of what that belief is. If for good, then even if the belief is but an apparent truth, the willing and doing is accepted as good to the neighbor or charity and if they are not taught genuine truths in this world they will be in the next.One of the first things a man reads in Arcana C&œ;lestia is about the six days or states of man's regeneration and comes to learn that most men do not arrive at the full state, but only comes into the first few states. In this chapter and those prior the sons of Jacob or all the qualities of the Church are spoken of and, here, we have only considered one quality and it is the seventh in a series of twelve, but it is the third of four general principals that the bring 'as it were' the Church into man on earth, and thus establish the true Church in man. It can be seen that this could not happen until the Lord had came and defeated the evils within His human and became the Divine Human where He could come into the spiritual world, give righteous judgment, thus subjugating the evil in hell and allow the truths to enter into a man giving him a new will and understanding, which is of the Lord with and in man that comes from within through perception.In the text, we may understand that state wherein man is conjoined, his natural with his spiritual, through willing and acting according to his affection of truth as his faith and his affection of good works or charity from the Lord in man. On the one hand he is being regenerated; on the other he is regenerated. We see also that here a man has come to where he no longer is a merely natural man, and that he lives from his spirit within and his spirit must have within the Lord and this in His omnipotence and omniscience, for these in man, in his internal, are the good of faith and in his external are the good of works. Yet, these qualities are not forced on man; he has the spiritual freedom to accept or to reject them. In that respect such qualities he rejects that are contrary to the good of faith and of works are evil qualities of faith and of works. It is said, in the 'quality' which is called Asher is signified the state wherein are the delights of affections and that these correspond to happiness of eternal life. You can see it is the last general principle that conjoins the man with his internal. It is thus a continuance of developing the church within man. In this case, it is the good of faith and works, the faith of the internal and works of the external man. We can also see that one's regeneration begins here and now in this world and not in the next. Though in the next world regeneration continues on and man becomes regenerate and comes into salvation. Amen.
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