Session Eleven
Charity Begins with Repentance
Isaiah 1: 2,3,4; 16-20 Matthew 23: 1, 2; 25-28
New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine 28-31
Charity Begins with Repentance
Isaiah 1: 2,3,4; 16-20 Matthew 23: 1, 2; 25-28
New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine 28-31
The 'first' of charity is to look to the Lord and shun evils because they are sins; This is done by repentance. (Charity I 1)
Anyone who has religion, if is not spurious, sees that he needs Divine mercy for he recognizes he is a sinner. He sees in his life that he has willed evils and even has acted sinfully. In this respect, he remains in his sins and is in evils. In search of God's mercy he finds himself turning to God in prayer asking for forgiveness and wishes he had not sinned. In effect, he shuns evils as sins, if he sees them as diabolical and hellish, even deadly and what has damned him.
If a man finds himself in this state, he believes that the Lord can remove evils, if he, too, as from himself, makes an effort to remove them. However, he must be warned that evils are delightful because he was born into the love of self and in this he delights in all things that are of his proprium, that is, what he wills, for it is what is of the self.
Ask your self the question: Are you looking to the Lord for forgiveness? Are you shunning evils, desisting from then because they are sins against the Lord? You were born into evils and you will or desire such evil and unless you become reformed and regenerated you will remain just as you were born, and become even worse.
When is the last time you thought you were a sinner? Do you know and recognize what sins are? Do you see yourself as not having any sin? Now isn't it the Word, the Lord, that says that we are sinners? The whole Word makes this clear 'as it were' from beginning to end. However, in truth, many people do not know or believe they are sinners because they do not see any sin in themselves. Still, people goes to church and there pray, ask forgiveness, yet most do not think they are sinners. Yet, the Word tells us that when such men are in the other world and cries out that he believes and is pure, clean, and guiltless, though when examined is found impure, unclean. Such people appear, as it were, as their skin is pure and clean and soft, while their inner part, the inner man, has a heart diseased.
Do you recognize and know you are a sinner?
If you truly do then you know you are a sinner; you know what sins are and you see them in yourself and confess them before the Lord and repent of them. Now, both men, the one just spoken of who really does not see he is a sinner, but he may pray for forgiveness, while the other who comes to see truly that he is a sinner, can know and see sins in himself, confess them before the Lord and repent of them. He can know them if he wills to and he does will if he believes in eternal life. You see, so often the man who is has religion, tries to live a good life and does not do or commit many evils, thought he may want to do them and does do them if he believes it is allowable or he may not do them simply because he is concerned on account of the world, that is, he looks to his reputation and honor or for gain.
Here, we are speaking of deeds or effects. There is an internal and an external deed or effect. One sees easily that the external effect or deed flows from the internal deed of effect, just as any action is from an effort. Such effort is of the will. Even if there is no action in the body, yet if it is in one's will, he allows it and it remains in his spirit and this is an action itself.
Again, do you know and recognize what are your sins, for if you do you recognize your thoughts, and what is allowable, thus what you lust after and favor. Examine yourselves and see if any sins are in you. The Word of God lists them over and over again.
We can acknowledge that sin is a sin and in this way see it in ourselves. However, if we make them allowable in thought, and do not allow them in our action because of the world, we thus do not see our sins.
Will you see the sins that are within you or are you like a person who looks in back of a mirror to see his face or who puts a piece of cloth in front of it? You can see that the will, even though it is evil and is in love of your self, can acknowledge or recognize what are sins, and see them in yourself, and confess them before the Lord and repent of them.
However, again, let it be known that the good you do before repentance is only spurious good, that is, it is merit seeking, or is hypocritical, or diabolical and is, thus, in order to deceive, revenge, kill, etc. The reason this is, is because unless the man is healed all that springs forth is evil, for, as said, he is in evil. What a man does is an image of him. Though outwardly he can appear good and this because his spirit and body is separated as is his will and understanding, thus he can act from his understanding of the Word, yet will to do otherwise. From this comes external good without any internal good. What occurs is this: the hidden desires of his will, his intentions, may be that he is thought as sincere and good and so he imposes on others for the sake of his honor and gain. Anyone can understand that this spurious good is taken away when he enters the spiritual world simply because his body, his external is removed and what remains is his spirit.
This brings us to the question - what true good is there with man? We are admonished to love the neighbor as ourselves. In this goodness their is charity. The Lord has also asked that we desist from and shun evils as sins against Him. We basically see this in the Commandments, but they are also else where all throughout the Word. Thus, we must shun sins, and we can shun them, for as said, we have a will and we can learn and acknowledge the truths found in the Word and that we are in evil. Thus, we can recognize what are sins and know to what extent we have them in ourselves and, then, can confess them and repent of them.
All this, if we do, while looking to the Lord, is the first thing of charity. Let us see this explained. Ask your self the question: For what sake do you do good to the neighbor? Is it for the sake of truth and good, which would be for the sake of accordance with the Word? Do you do good for the sake of your religion, that is, for the sake of God? If it is from any of these, then it is from a spiritual love and affection. This is what is good and what is of charity and is charity; it is a good work. It is the first of charity. Now, to be sure, it is not the man's, but is the Lord's His good and His truth within the man. So, it is a spiritual love or affection not the man's natural love or affection. The Lord speaks of having a reward with him for man when He comes. Thus, a reward of heavenly delight of that love and affection awaits him in eternity if does not do good or charity from himself, but believes that all good is from the Lord, but still he does good 'as if' from self.
We come, here, again to see that it is charity, the good of which is from the Lord after his repentance that is meant. For how can the Lord enter a man and do good unless the devil is cast out from him? However, after evil is cast out the Lord can live 'as it were' within the man. The good done through the man who repents of his sins is from the Lord. Nonetheless, the man does such good 'as if' from self. Has not the Lord asked him to do so, that is, to obey the commandments and to follow Him? And, the first asked is to shun evils as sins, thus it is the first of charity, which results in repentance. Is not an impenitent man wicked? Wicked men do not have charity or do they do charity. But, here is a key truth: Charity must be from charity in man and this is the Lord in man.
Amen.
If a man finds himself in this state, he believes that the Lord can remove evils, if he, too, as from himself, makes an effort to remove them. However, he must be warned that evils are delightful because he was born into the love of self and in this he delights in all things that are of his proprium, that is, what he wills, for it is what is of the self.
Ask your self the question: Are you looking to the Lord for forgiveness? Are you shunning evils, desisting from then because they are sins against the Lord? You were born into evils and you will or desire such evil and unless you become reformed and regenerated you will remain just as you were born, and become even worse.
When is the last time you thought you were a sinner? Do you know and recognize what sins are? Do you see yourself as not having any sin? Now isn't it the Word, the Lord, that says that we are sinners? The whole Word makes this clear 'as it were' from beginning to end. However, in truth, many people do not know or believe they are sinners because they do not see any sin in themselves. Still, people goes to church and there pray, ask forgiveness, yet most do not think they are sinners. Yet, the Word tells us that when such men are in the other world and cries out that he believes and is pure, clean, and guiltless, though when examined is found impure, unclean. Such people appear, as it were, as their skin is pure and clean and soft, while their inner part, the inner man, has a heart diseased.
Do you recognize and know you are a sinner?
If you truly do then you know you are a sinner; you know what sins are and you see them in yourself and confess them before the Lord and repent of them. Now, both men, the one just spoken of who really does not see he is a sinner, but he may pray for forgiveness, while the other who comes to see truly that he is a sinner, can know and see sins in himself, confess them before the Lord and repent of them. He can know them if he wills to and he does will if he believes in eternal life. You see, so often the man who is has religion, tries to live a good life and does not do or commit many evils, thought he may want to do them and does do them if he believes it is allowable or he may not do them simply because he is concerned on account of the world, that is, he looks to his reputation and honor or for gain.
Here, we are speaking of deeds or effects. There is an internal and an external deed or effect. One sees easily that the external effect or deed flows from the internal deed of effect, just as any action is from an effort. Such effort is of the will. Even if there is no action in the body, yet if it is in one's will, he allows it and it remains in his spirit and this is an action itself.
Again, do you know and recognize what are your sins, for if you do you recognize your thoughts, and what is allowable, thus what you lust after and favor. Examine yourselves and see if any sins are in you. The Word of God lists them over and over again.
We can acknowledge that sin is a sin and in this way see it in ourselves. However, if we make them allowable in thought, and do not allow them in our action because of the world, we thus do not see our sins.
Will you see the sins that are within you or are you like a person who looks in back of a mirror to see his face or who puts a piece of cloth in front of it? You can see that the will, even though it is evil and is in love of your self, can acknowledge or recognize what are sins, and see them in yourself, and confess them before the Lord and repent of them.
However, again, let it be known that the good you do before repentance is only spurious good, that is, it is merit seeking, or is hypocritical, or diabolical and is, thus, in order to deceive, revenge, kill, etc. The reason this is, is because unless the man is healed all that springs forth is evil, for, as said, he is in evil. What a man does is an image of him. Though outwardly he can appear good and this because his spirit and body is separated as is his will and understanding, thus he can act from his understanding of the Word, yet will to do otherwise. From this comes external good without any internal good. What occurs is this: the hidden desires of his will, his intentions, may be that he is thought as sincere and good and so he imposes on others for the sake of his honor and gain. Anyone can understand that this spurious good is taken away when he enters the spiritual world simply because his body, his external is removed and what remains is his spirit.
This brings us to the question - what true good is there with man? We are admonished to love the neighbor as ourselves. In this goodness their is charity. The Lord has also asked that we desist from and shun evils as sins against Him. We basically see this in the Commandments, but they are also else where all throughout the Word. Thus, we must shun sins, and we can shun them, for as said, we have a will and we can learn and acknowledge the truths found in the Word and that we are in evil. Thus, we can recognize what are sins and know to what extent we have them in ourselves and, then, can confess them and repent of them.
All this, if we do, while looking to the Lord, is the first thing of charity. Let us see this explained. Ask your self the question: For what sake do you do good to the neighbor? Is it for the sake of truth and good, which would be for the sake of accordance with the Word? Do you do good for the sake of your religion, that is, for the sake of God? If it is from any of these, then it is from a spiritual love and affection. This is what is good and what is of charity and is charity; it is a good work. It is the first of charity. Now, to be sure, it is not the man's, but is the Lord's His good and His truth within the man. So, it is a spiritual love or affection not the man's natural love or affection. The Lord speaks of having a reward with him for man when He comes. Thus, a reward of heavenly delight of that love and affection awaits him in eternity if does not do good or charity from himself, but believes that all good is from the Lord, but still he does good 'as if' from self.
We come, here, again to see that it is charity, the good of which is from the Lord after his repentance that is meant. For how can the Lord enter a man and do good unless the devil is cast out from him? However, after evil is cast out the Lord can live 'as it were' within the man. The good done through the man who repents of his sins is from the Lord. Nonetheless, the man does such good 'as if' from self. Has not the Lord asked him to do so, that is, to obey the commandments and to follow Him? And, the first asked is to shun evils as sins, thus it is the first of charity, which results in repentance. Is not an impenitent man wicked? Wicked men do not have charity or do they do charity. But, here is a key truth: Charity must be from charity in man and this is the Lord in man.
Amen.
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