Mankind: The Development of God's Presence - The Church - Part 4
By Rev. Paul Booth
By Rev. Paul Booth
We begin to see a pattern or plan emerging. First, with the Celestial Church, man was placed 'as it were' into a garden of paradise, where truths and goods provided for his spiritual and celestial food. Next, in the spiritual state, the spiritual man 'as it were' planted a vineyard from where spiritual truths of Heaven were learned and he came to know the science of correspondences. Then, in the third state, the development of man is recognized in the Ten Commandments from which in time the Old Testament was by Moses and the Prophets. In each instance or state we see God accommodating man. In the celestial man there was enlightenment immediately from God. In the spiritual man there was correspondences revealed between Heaven and earth. There the spiritual could be learned through his natural understanding. However, here in the natural state man cannot be enlightened; the spiritual sense could no longer be seen or even believed that there was an internal sense. Yet, the natural man was instructed and is guided by God's Word. He has freedom, both in natural and spiritual things.
Man had reached the adult state 'as it were'. He was no long in innocence as an infant and child. No longer was he a youth when he learned right from wrong, but was not yet mature and, therefore, not responsible. Now, he was an adult and was responsible for his actions. And, as such, can be a moral and civil person contributing to the welfare of society and of his neighbors. When man lives according to the Commandments because they come from God, he then prepares himself for spiritual truth and good to enter. In a natural sense it is seen as a man's preparation for the Lord to come on earth in the human form.
This Church, like the two prior Churches, ended. In history we see this happening when Jesus Christ came. The fall of Jerusalem, which represented that Church, soon came. Nonetheless, in its end there were remains that was raised in man into a new state where his spiritual development could continue. The Christian Church was now established. This is seen and understood in the Word of the Lord - the New Testament.
The Christian Church
We now come to the fourth state in man's spiritual development. This is seen in the Christian Church. There is a Divine order in man's progression towards conjunction with God. You can say man now reached that state were he 'as it were' enters old age. What remains good and true within he has prepared him to accept God's coming in human form on earth. Here, too, man must choose either, God and His love and wisdom or choose his 'self', and he must do so from the natural knowledge he learns about God.
God Himself had now come to teach and lead man. The state to which man had now come into can be looked at in this way: 1. He must now learn and act 'as if' from self. 2. He is no longer as a child who is innocent nor is he a youth wanting to learn all things about life. 3. He is now responsible for how he lives. Man has reached the state where he now has the ability to reason and to know that life is not his own, but is the Lord's within him and, that good is not his, but is only received from acting with love towards others. In this stage of the man's development there is seen that it is not by his own strength and power that he lives, but is by the Lord's. Thus, he still learns through his natural understanding as taught by the Word of the Lord and in this way he receives life.
It is in this state of his spiritual development that we need to understand why the Lord came on earth. Man wills or desires to rule his life. Therefore, unless God could defeat the evils in man's life, he would end in death. God had to put on the natural so that evil could attack Him as it does all men. In doing so, He could fight the evil with His own strength and power and defeat it. So it is in this fourth state that man begins to understand that by allowing his thoughts to be filled with God's love that he is lead out of his captivity to the love of self. He begins to see that within natural apparent truths that there is an internal and spiritual truth that his spirit must follow. Yet, nonetheless, in this state, man still must live through his natural senses. However, he could become enlightened when he acts according to the truths taught by the Lord. For, as man appropriates the Lord's teachings into his memory and acts willingly from that love to the Lord, from the Lord, the Lord lives within him in his will and understanding, though he is often unaware of this.
Thus, we see that the good in this man was 'natural' good that came from a sincere desire to follow God's Commandments - the Teachings. You could say that this was the garden within the Christian in which truths and goods could grow and produce fruit or charity. The particular state of man we are talking about, here, are the Primitive or the Apostolic Church. For in true faith man accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as God.
In this fourth state the Lord Himself came and certain men were inspired to write the Word of the New Testament. Still, as in the birth of Cain and Able, this early Christian Church doctrine became divided. Faith and charity that was to live together in man divided. You can see this happening in the early Primitive and Apostolic Church history. They could have come into the fuller light of understanding the truth and develop spiritual doctrine. They had the truths of faith; they had the Lord Himself and could believe and follow Him. Within this early Church there was love to the Lord and charity towards one another. Their internal worship was the same as the spiritual man. Sacraments replaced sacrifices, and these represented one's introduction into the early Church on earth and in Heaven.
The doctrine they had was the truth concerning the Lord's Human - that it was Divine. This, of course, is confirmed in the Apostolic Creed. In the Spiritual Church man was enlightened through the understanding of correspondences. To early the Christian Church his understanding came through the good of love or charity. In the Spiritual Church there were taught correspondences in the Word. In the early Christian Church, even though a written Word - the New Testament - was given, these are not taught, or were they revealed to them in the Old Testament. However, like the ancient man, who lost his knowledge of correspondences, this man, also, came to forgot his first love and fell into error.
History again serves us, for until the fourth century this early Christian man worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ and the Father in Him at the same time as one God. Then, there crept in the doctrine of Nicene Creed the doctrine of worshipping God in three persons, each person being called God Himself. Thus, man, again, came into darkness when the Divinity of Jesus was denied.
The state of this man, who was natural and sensual, remained separated from God as in all prior states. This man's rational understanding of theological truths came only from him self. And, like Cain, who slew Able, in him faith rose up and destroyed charity, thus, faith alone reigned in man. So, man became Christian in name only. Man did not recognize that in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Divine, was united from which, now, proceeds the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit. The man in saying that his faith alone saves, that good works or charity is of no effect. He is saying man has no will in spiritual matters and therefore, no freedom. So he does not reciprocate the love given to him and, in that way there is no communication between God and him.
The means of man's regeneration in all prior states were seen in his reception of good and truth, that is, in living well or in believing a-right and in charity. In this fourth state of man's development, man began to reject this, saying that one's knowledge of faith was all that is necessary. As in the past, this man, also, fell as we can read in the Gospels and in the book of Revelation. However, like all these prior states or Churches with man there was a remnant and this was raised up into a New Christian Church.
But, this truth can be seen, by this man, as some future catastrophic event happening in the world where all Christians are miraculously saved by their faith when the Lord returns again. Before we leave this state in a man's spiritual development, let us understand that in the Lord's Coming to earth, in His glorification, or was not just His dying on the cross, but was in all the temptations admitted unto Him. It was in His combats against and victories over evils that He became the Divine Human. Thus, the evils in man have no power when these spiritual truths enter him. Man's natural nature can be subjugated and his spiritual nature is where the Lord comes to rule and live. Thus, man receives a new spiritual life.
Man had reached the adult state 'as it were'. He was no long in innocence as an infant and child. No longer was he a youth when he learned right from wrong, but was not yet mature and, therefore, not responsible. Now, he was an adult and was responsible for his actions. And, as such, can be a moral and civil person contributing to the welfare of society and of his neighbors. When man lives according to the Commandments because they come from God, he then prepares himself for spiritual truth and good to enter. In a natural sense it is seen as a man's preparation for the Lord to come on earth in the human form.
This Church, like the two prior Churches, ended. In history we see this happening when Jesus Christ came. The fall of Jerusalem, which represented that Church, soon came. Nonetheless, in its end there were remains that was raised in man into a new state where his spiritual development could continue. The Christian Church was now established. This is seen and understood in the Word of the Lord - the New Testament.
The Christian Church
We now come to the fourth state in man's spiritual development. This is seen in the Christian Church. There is a Divine order in man's progression towards conjunction with God. You can say man now reached that state were he 'as it were' enters old age. What remains good and true within he has prepared him to accept God's coming in human form on earth. Here, too, man must choose either, God and His love and wisdom or choose his 'self', and he must do so from the natural knowledge he learns about God.
God Himself had now come to teach and lead man. The state to which man had now come into can be looked at in this way: 1. He must now learn and act 'as if' from self. 2. He is no longer as a child who is innocent nor is he a youth wanting to learn all things about life. 3. He is now responsible for how he lives. Man has reached the state where he now has the ability to reason and to know that life is not his own, but is the Lord's within him and, that good is not his, but is only received from acting with love towards others. In this stage of the man's development there is seen that it is not by his own strength and power that he lives, but is by the Lord's. Thus, he still learns through his natural understanding as taught by the Word of the Lord and in this way he receives life.
It is in this state of his spiritual development that we need to understand why the Lord came on earth. Man wills or desires to rule his life. Therefore, unless God could defeat the evils in man's life, he would end in death. God had to put on the natural so that evil could attack Him as it does all men. In doing so, He could fight the evil with His own strength and power and defeat it. So it is in this fourth state that man begins to understand that by allowing his thoughts to be filled with God's love that he is lead out of his captivity to the love of self. He begins to see that within natural apparent truths that there is an internal and spiritual truth that his spirit must follow. Yet, nonetheless, in this state, man still must live through his natural senses. However, he could become enlightened when he acts according to the truths taught by the Lord. For, as man appropriates the Lord's teachings into his memory and acts willingly from that love to the Lord, from the Lord, the Lord lives within him in his will and understanding, though he is often unaware of this.
Thus, we see that the good in this man was 'natural' good that came from a sincere desire to follow God's Commandments - the Teachings. You could say that this was the garden within the Christian in which truths and goods could grow and produce fruit or charity. The particular state of man we are talking about, here, are the Primitive or the Apostolic Church. For in true faith man accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as God.
In this fourth state the Lord Himself came and certain men were inspired to write the Word of the New Testament. Still, as in the birth of Cain and Able, this early Christian Church doctrine became divided. Faith and charity that was to live together in man divided. You can see this happening in the early Primitive and Apostolic Church history. They could have come into the fuller light of understanding the truth and develop spiritual doctrine. They had the truths of faith; they had the Lord Himself and could believe and follow Him. Within this early Church there was love to the Lord and charity towards one another. Their internal worship was the same as the spiritual man. Sacraments replaced sacrifices, and these represented one's introduction into the early Church on earth and in Heaven.
The doctrine they had was the truth concerning the Lord's Human - that it was Divine. This, of course, is confirmed in the Apostolic Creed. In the Spiritual Church man was enlightened through the understanding of correspondences. To early the Christian Church his understanding came through the good of love or charity. In the Spiritual Church there were taught correspondences in the Word. In the early Christian Church, even though a written Word - the New Testament - was given, these are not taught, or were they revealed to them in the Old Testament. However, like the ancient man, who lost his knowledge of correspondences, this man, also, came to forgot his first love and fell into error.
History again serves us, for until the fourth century this early Christian man worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ and the Father in Him at the same time as one God. Then, there crept in the doctrine of Nicene Creed the doctrine of worshipping God in three persons, each person being called God Himself. Thus, man, again, came into darkness when the Divinity of Jesus was denied.
The state of this man, who was natural and sensual, remained separated from God as in all prior states. This man's rational understanding of theological truths came only from him self. And, like Cain, who slew Able, in him faith rose up and destroyed charity, thus, faith alone reigned in man. So, man became Christian in name only. Man did not recognize that in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Divine, was united from which, now, proceeds the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit. The man in saying that his faith alone saves, that good works or charity is of no effect. He is saying man has no will in spiritual matters and therefore, no freedom. So he does not reciprocate the love given to him and, in that way there is no communication between God and him.
The means of man's regeneration in all prior states were seen in his reception of good and truth, that is, in living well or in believing a-right and in charity. In this fourth state of man's development, man began to reject this, saying that one's knowledge of faith was all that is necessary. As in the past, this man, also, fell as we can read in the Gospels and in the book of Revelation. However, like all these prior states or Churches with man there was a remnant and this was raised up into a New Christian Church.
But, this truth can be seen, by this man, as some future catastrophic event happening in the world where all Christians are miraculously saved by their faith when the Lord returns again. Before we leave this state in a man's spiritual development, let us understand that in the Lord's Coming to earth, in His glorification, or was not just His dying on the cross, but was in all the temptations admitted unto Him. It was in His combats against and victories over evils that He became the Divine Human. Thus, the evils in man have no power when these spiritual truths enter him. Man's natural nature can be subjugated and his spiritual nature is where the Lord comes to rule and live. Thus, man receives a new spiritual life.