It is here where one begins to see the daytime state of that Church 'falling', as it were, into its evening state. Light was no longer of the daytime, for, then, entered Arius, who denied the Divinity of Jesus Christ, and the Church and their faith became more and more natural and then sensual. From then on its internal form did not perceive genuine theological truth, which means it did not rationally understand. Rational truths from the Lord were not received. Instead, they rationalize from themselves. The morning and day of that Church had ended and, now, man began to reject the truth and to turn to a faith devoid of any good. Generally, this is what is now called the Christian Church, but in truth it was in name only 'Christian', for the teachings of the Lord have been twisted into falsities and its primary faith is now thought to be imputed to them through Christ Jesus as one person of the Trinity. When, however, faith is a faith in God the Savior, because He is God and Man and is in the Father and the Father is in Him and they are, thus, one not two persons. Not only that, but man was created for eternity and does inherit - salvation - provided he lives according to the means of salvation prescribed in the Word.
This Christian Church was now not truly Christian; it was in name only and its member's faith and salvation was thought to be imputed into them, because of the Lord's death on the cross. When one thinks about this, it is the same as ascribing righteousness to man, for such a person, in fact, believes that he is righteous. He believes this just because he believes the works and the truths that the Lord did saves him. And, these he believes are imputed when the Lord died on the cross; thus this is their doctrine, for faith is like the soul in the body and doctrine is like the members of that body. Thus, it is that the first Christian Church does not know of reciprocal conjunction of the Lord and of man. In other words, they believe the Lord becomes conjoined with them through His death, and that they have nothing to do except to say 'I believe Christ died for my sins'. Thus, they think this belief or faith bestows salvation without contributing anything or preparing or applying oneself to receive it, saying instead, that he does not possess free will in spiritual matters. Therefore, they have no reciprocation or conjunction with God. And therefore, both faith and imputation are one to them. Their doctrine is that God the Father inputted the righteousness of the Son and sends the Holy Spirit to work out its effects in man. Such theology is but, faith, imputation, and merit, and these are one in that Church. It is maintained that justification and salvation are effected by God the Father through imputing the merit of the Son Jesus Christ to man. This is believed effected by grace when and where 'God the Father' wills and, thus, predestination can enter and they think that God pays no attention to the deeds of a man's life coming from his faith.
Generally, such means are from truths and goods, that is, from living well or in charity and to believe aright or from a faith of what is taught in the Word, especially the New Testament - the very words that the Lord taught. However, the Christian Church began to reject such truths making them fit according to their own reasoning. Their faith became a false faith and was in three Gods, each God another person - one of the Father, another, the second of the Son, and a third of the Holy Spirit. It is then that their faith was not in one God in whom is the Trinity. Instead, the very essence and quality of God were divided and in such a belief or faith became of primary importance and concern in one's life. Eventually, charity was altogether rejected as being taught in the Word. We can see that in their faith and in any charity that they may have had there does not exist works. In this, then, there is no marriage or conjunction of charity and faith. Yet, it is this conjunction, which is a spiritual marriage, that the Lord specifically taught, that is, to love one another. Their fall was indeed very substantial, for into the Church came schisms and heresies. First, Divine Truth was not understood. In its place they understood only the appearances or literal sense of the Word and this led them to have no true or just knowledge about the Lord and in the end they saw the passion of the cross as redemption itself. These three are the essentials of their faith: The Godhead as a Trinity of three persons, the Lord's passion on cross as redemption itself, and good or charity along with truth imputed into them for their belief, that Lord died for them, saves them.
As a result, the Church became infested with heresies and nothing could be see in light; darkness had come upon them. In effect, that Christian Church was not the true Christian Church that the Lord had come to establish. And, unless there was a true Church there can be no new Heaven or earth that the Lord speaks of in the book of Revelation. A new Heaven cannot come into existence until the evils, which come hereditarily into man, are subjugated in hell.
Thus, we have seen that the Lord through the disciples established the first Christian Church, but that it, too, strayed away and fell into falsities and evils. It was a new Church, separate from the Israelitish and Jewish Church, which grew up through mainly Gentiles and then came to its end, as did the Churches before it. Its first state can be seen in the Primitive Church and later it became the Apostolic Church. In these two Churches or states in man were its morning and day states in where it preached to the world repentance and faith in the Lord God, the Savior. This is seen in the Acts of the Apostles: "both to the Jews, and to the Greeks, repentance towards God, and in faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ." The state or age of infancy and of young adult in that Church, then, came to its end and the age or state of an older adult - the evening state - came and that Church ended, however its remains can still be seen today.
All this came to pass because they had separated the Divine Trinity into three persons. Insanity had entered the whole theology and the Church. And, this was so, because a man's mind became confused as to not know if there are one or three Gods. As a result, with their lips they could say that there is, but, one God, but in their mind they accepted that there are three, even as the Nicean creed says God is in three persons and each are God. It was seen that this Church came to call the Lord Savior as the Son of Mary and seldom the Son of God. And, when they did call Him so, they understood Him as being born from eternity, which, of course, has no meaning; yet, anyone who reads the Word learns that the Lord Jesus Christ was born of the Holy Spirit in Mary, and, of course, in time and not in eternity.
This has misdirected, misguided the whole understanding of man to where fallacies and falsities entered his mind. In the passion of the cross, Christ became the Redeemer when it is believed that in Him all man's sins are sent away and His goodness is imputed into him, and this simply for believing that this happened. This idea is that God sent His Son (whom they believe was born in eternity, not in time) to satisfy Him on behalf of mankind. Again, we learn that imputation held sway over the Church and as such there arose faith alone, a faith without charity. This is really nothing but imputative faith or is a faith in imputation of good into man. Earlier it was shown or seen as righteousness imputed to man only for his believing that this is what happens through such a faith - a faith that is without charity - and from a life lived without actually following the Lord or His commandments. It is not, too, difficult to see that the form of such a faith was in name only and was not truly Christian. Thus, it is that in the Church, salvation is looked upon as being merited by the Lord on their behalf. When a man believes this it is said, 'God has mercy'.
This Christian Church was now not truly Christian; it was in name only and its member's faith and salvation was thought to be imputed into them, because of the Lord's death on the cross. When one thinks about this, it is the same as ascribing righteousness to man, for such a person, in fact, believes that he is righteous. He believes this just because he believes the works and the truths that the Lord did saves him. And, these he believes are imputed when the Lord died on the cross; thus this is their doctrine, for faith is like the soul in the body and doctrine is like the members of that body. Thus, it is that the first Christian Church does not know of reciprocal conjunction of the Lord and of man. In other words, they believe the Lord becomes conjoined with them through His death, and that they have nothing to do except to say 'I believe Christ died for my sins'. Thus, they think this belief or faith bestows salvation without contributing anything or preparing or applying oneself to receive it, saying instead, that he does not possess free will in spiritual matters. Therefore, they have no reciprocation or conjunction with God. And therefore, both faith and imputation are one to them. Their doctrine is that God the Father inputted the righteousness of the Son and sends the Holy Spirit to work out its effects in man. Such theology is but, faith, imputation, and merit, and these are one in that Church. It is maintained that justification and salvation are effected by God the Father through imputing the merit of the Son Jesus Christ to man. This is believed effected by grace when and where 'God the Father' wills and, thus, predestination can enter and they think that God pays no attention to the deeds of a man's life coming from his faith.
Generally, such means are from truths and goods, that is, from living well or in charity and to believe aright or from a faith of what is taught in the Word, especially the New Testament - the very words that the Lord taught. However, the Christian Church began to reject such truths making them fit according to their own reasoning. Their faith became a false faith and was in three Gods, each God another person - one of the Father, another, the second of the Son, and a third of the Holy Spirit. It is then that their faith was not in one God in whom is the Trinity. Instead, the very essence and quality of God were divided and in such a belief or faith became of primary importance and concern in one's life. Eventually, charity was altogether rejected as being taught in the Word. We can see that in their faith and in any charity that they may have had there does not exist works. In this, then, there is no marriage or conjunction of charity and faith. Yet, it is this conjunction, which is a spiritual marriage, that the Lord specifically taught, that is, to love one another. Their fall was indeed very substantial, for into the Church came schisms and heresies. First, Divine Truth was not understood. In its place they understood only the appearances or literal sense of the Word and this led them to have no true or just knowledge about the Lord and in the end they saw the passion of the cross as redemption itself. These three are the essentials of their faith: The Godhead as a Trinity of three persons, the Lord's passion on cross as redemption itself, and good or charity along with truth imputed into them for their belief, that Lord died for them, saves them.
As a result, the Church became infested with heresies and nothing could be see in light; darkness had come upon them. In effect, that Christian Church was not the true Christian Church that the Lord had come to establish. And, unless there was a true Church there can be no new Heaven or earth that the Lord speaks of in the book of Revelation. A new Heaven cannot come into existence until the evils, which come hereditarily into man, are subjugated in hell.
Thus, we have seen that the Lord through the disciples established the first Christian Church, but that it, too, strayed away and fell into falsities and evils. It was a new Church, separate from the Israelitish and Jewish Church, which grew up through mainly Gentiles and then came to its end, as did the Churches before it. Its first state can be seen in the Primitive Church and later it became the Apostolic Church. In these two Churches or states in man were its morning and day states in where it preached to the world repentance and faith in the Lord God, the Savior. This is seen in the Acts of the Apostles: "both to the Jews, and to the Greeks, repentance towards God, and in faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ." The state or age of infancy and of young adult in that Church, then, came to its end and the age or state of an older adult - the evening state - came and that Church ended, however its remains can still be seen today.
All this came to pass because they had separated the Divine Trinity into three persons. Insanity had entered the whole theology and the Church. And, this was so, because a man's mind became confused as to not know if there are one or three Gods. As a result, with their lips they could say that there is, but, one God, but in their mind they accepted that there are three, even as the Nicean creed says God is in three persons and each are God. It was seen that this Church came to call the Lord Savior as the Son of Mary and seldom the Son of God. And, when they did call Him so, they understood Him as being born from eternity, which, of course, has no meaning; yet, anyone who reads the Word learns that the Lord Jesus Christ was born of the Holy Spirit in Mary, and, of course, in time and not in eternity.
This has misdirected, misguided the whole understanding of man to where fallacies and falsities entered his mind. In the passion of the cross, Christ became the Redeemer when it is believed that in Him all man's sins are sent away and His goodness is imputed into him, and this simply for believing that this happened. This idea is that God sent His Son (whom they believe was born in eternity, not in time) to satisfy Him on behalf of mankind. Again, we learn that imputation held sway over the Church and as such there arose faith alone, a faith without charity. This is really nothing but imputative faith or is a faith in imputation of good into man. Earlier it was shown or seen as righteousness imputed to man only for his believing that this is what happens through such a faith - a faith that is without charity - and from a life lived without actually following the Lord or His commandments. It is not, too, difficult to see that the form of such a faith was in name only and was not truly Christian. Thus, it is that in the Church, salvation is looked upon as being merited by the Lord on their behalf. When a man believes this it is said, 'God has mercy'.