Session Seven
The Imputation of the Lord's Merit is nothing else than the Remission of Sins after Repentance.
The Imputation of the Lord's Merit is nothing else than the Remission of Sins after Repentance.
Doctrine of the Lord 18 § 1. It is believed in the Church that the Lord was sent by the Father to make atonement for the human race, and that this was effected by His fulfilling the law, and by the passion of the cross; and that He thus took upon Himself damnation, and made satisfaction. Moreover, that without this atonement, satisfaction and propitiation, the human race would have perished in eternal death; and this from justice, which is also called by some, avenging justice. It is true that, if the Lord had not come into the world, all mankind would have perished. But how it is to be understood that the Lord fulfilled all things of the Law, and also why He suffered the cross may be seen above in their respective chapters. From these it may be seen that it was not on account of any avenging justice [on God's part], because this is not a Divine attribute; and God is justice itself, love itself, mercy itself, and good itself; and where these are, there is nothing of vengeance, and consequently no avenging justice.
Jehovah God, the Father, did not send another God that is called His Son, to earth. Rather was not it God's so great love for mankind that He Himself came on earth? Did not our first session in this study show that God Himself was the Word who was born in the World and that He is that Lord from eternity? We see that the word 'atonement' is used in the text above. Now, let us read from a Bible dictionary: (Atonement is said to be to cover, cancel), and satisfactory reparation for an offence or injury that which produces reconciliation (Exodus 30:16). In the Bible it means the covering of a man's sins through the shedding of blood; in the OT, the blood of sacrificed animals; in the NT, the blood of man's Redeemer, Jesus Christ (The Compact Bible Dictionary).
Reading Exodus 30:16 "And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD (Jehovah), to make an atonement (covering) for your souls" (King James version). Since the word 'atonement' in Hebrew means 'covering' as the Bible dictionary states, then let us examine how the sins of the children or sons of Israel are actually covered. Was it by the shedding of blood of sacrificed animals? We probably all know about the story of mankind's first sin, where Adam and Eve had sinned and how they were ashamed and knew that they were naked and had sewed fig leaves together in order to hide their nakedness 'as it were' and had hid themselves in the Garden from God. It is obvious that they realized they had sinned and, of course, we see from the story that God knew it. The point is that they tried to cover or hide their nakedness or that they no longer have love to the Lord as before. So they made themselves girdles or aprons made of fig leaves. What they tried to do was to rationally explain away their turning away from God and His love. The whole idea of nakedness, here, means a deprivation of truths that are of the faith and of the good of love. For, the fact is they had turned away from God's love and consequently from His truth and now their faith and love was primary with themselves, having eaten from the 'tree of the knowledge of good and evil'. Now the Lord said how their sin, which would enter all men, but would one day be atoned or coverd. Any one who has studied the Word learns that verse 15 of Genesis 3 refers to the Lord's coming and His overcoming the evils that are meant by the serpent that had led the woman, that is, the Church in man, to sin. "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." So, it is the love of self as we said above that is that sin that has caused mankind to turn to hell. By the woman is meant the Church just as by the children or the sons of Israel are meant the Church. And, with a little thought one understands that by the 'seed of the serpent' is meant all infidelity or lack of faithfulness (to God) by man. In contrast the 'seed of the women' is meant faith in the Lord. Now, He that 'tramples' the evil is the Lord Himself in His dominion over evil or the love of self.
It needs to be understood that the Lord is also called the 'seed of the woman', for it is the Lord's truths and His good in us that is that true faith that saves; the Lord gives us that saving faith; it cannot come from our own faith, for that is now turned away by sin against God. And, because it pleased the Lord to be born into such a church (the Jewish and Israelitish), the state that man has fallen into - an infernal and diabolic, the proprium or one's self through the love of self - that Divine power might unite the Divine celestial proprium with the human proprium in the Lord's human essence and make His Natural human one with the Divine's Human. Here, it is the Church within man that is meant and is the state into which man has fallen, which is the natural, the sensuous and corporeal state. Now, no mention is made here in this verse of shed blood, either of sacrificed animals or of the Lord's, but there is mention of His truths and His good as the true faith that comes to us, both to overcome our sins.
The suffering on the cross by the Lord, thus His shedding of blood, we saw earlier was meant the last combats by which the Lord fully conquered the hells and glorified His Human. Thus, by atonement or the covering of man's sins by the Lord's blood from His death on the cross is not meant. Yet, this is what the Christian Churches of today often teach as is shown by the following.
Doctrine of the Lord 18 § 2. The fulfilling of the Law and the passion of the cross have hitherto only been understood by many as implying that the Lord made satisfaction for the human race by means of these two things (fulfilling the Law and the passion or death on the cross), and took away from man damnation that had been foreseen or destined. Accordingly, from the linking together of these two things and at the same time from the principle that man is saved solely by the faith that this is so, there has followed the dogma of the imputation of the Lord's merit by the acceptance of these two things, which were of the Lord's merit, as a satisfaction. This, however, falls to the ground from what has been said concerning the Lord's fulfilling of the Law (fulfilling all things of the Word), and His passion on the cross (baring man's sins and not taking them away). Moreover, it may now be seen that the imputation of merit is an expression without meaning, unless by it is understood the remission of sins after repentance. For nothing of the Lord's can be imputed to man; but salvation may be awarded him by the Lord after he has done the work of repentance, that is, after he has seen and acknowledged his sins, and then desists from them; and this from the Lord. Thus salvation is awarded him: not that man is saved through his own merit or his own righteousness, but from the Lord, who fought and conquered the hells for him.
In this, in a person's having done the work of repentance, that is, acknowledged his sins, etc., true 'satisfaction' is brought to light. What the truth is concerning that satisfaction and that so-called satisfaction in which nothing can be seen of the imputation of the Lord's salvation, that is, His life - His love and truth - is revealed. In addition to atonement, imputation and satisfaction that the church teaches there is propitiation. Again, let us read from the Bible dictionary: Propitiation, (to cover) to appease the wrath of God so that His justice and holiness will be satisfied and He can forgive sin. Propitiation does not make God merciful; it makes divine forgiveness possible. For this, an atonement must be provided; in OT times, animals sacrifices; now the death of Christ for man's sin. Through Christ's death propitiation is made for man's sin (Rom. 3: 25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10) (The Compact Bible Dictionary). Let's read what Romans 3:25 says. "Whom (Christ Jesus) God set forth as propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His Righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed." Here we see in its literal sense that the Lord's blood, meaning the Lord's death, is a covering for our sins. No one will agree that it was the Lord's blood that covers his or her sins or the sins of the Israelitish Church, but will say it was His passion and death on the cross that saves them. So, let us see reality what propitiation means that the (Old Christian) church now uses to express how the Lord as the second Person or the Son saves us. These words express the grace of one God in His Human. Here, we speak of 'propitiation'. It is the operation of pity and grace, to prevent a man from bringing himself into condemnation by sin and protection from profaning the holy (cf. TCR 135 § 5). This, of course, is not seen in the literal sense unless one is enlighten or if the spiritual sense is seen. In this case, what is referred to is the mercy-seat over the Ark. There is where the cleansing from evils or remission of sins is seen in their representatives. In Exodus 25: 17-22 can be read the instructions for the mercy-seat and later for meeting Jehovah there. Thus, in what is represented here, we see that God hears and receives us and speaks with us and thus is conjoined there with us. Finally, there we worship Him, but only representatively. Can we not come to the Lord in His Human and ask forgiveness of our sins and there be cleansed from evils or have remission of sins? Who would come to God who has not been sorry for his having sinned against God, and so repents for his sins? Is not this the mercy-seat that is meant?
We will read one more verse pertaining to propitiation - Exodus 29:63. "And you shall offer a bull everyday as a sin offering for a propitiation . . .." One sees this is a continual removal of evil and its falsity. One also must receive from God the good of love and faith after removing evils and falsities from his life. And as Christians agree, it is the Lord alone who removes evils and falsities. Now because it is only through the will and the understanding that a man receives the things of Heaven - goods and truths - it stands to reason for these to enter his mind, then evils and falsities must be removed first. It is then in the representative of worshipping the Lord that He says He will meet them, that is, the Church within. Where goods and truths are there the Lord is, for they exist from Him. What is seen as covering, that is, as atonement or propitiation is not the Lord's death on the cross, but is His truth and good entering man, giving him a new will and new understanding, which is a new eternal life, but only as the sins he has committed against God are removed where they could lead him in his life on earth.
Is God angry, does He avenge, or tempt, or punish, does He cast into hell, or even condemn and even do evil? No, for anyone who loves the Lord and His Word, His Truth, and knows that these are not attributes of God, yet they are spoken of in the Word. A little thought will show you that these are only appearances of truths in the literal sense. Such things are removed from God as is hell from Heaven. What they are, are forms of speech. So too, are the terms of propitiation, intercession, expiation, and mediation forms of speech expressive of approach to God and of grace from God through His Human (cf. TCR 135 § 5). Thus, such atonement, and propitiation, etc., are not the Lord's death on the cross where He makes satisfaction for the human races' sins. Rather it is His life on earth in which He fought against all evils and was victorious over, ending in the last, the passion of the cross. This, then, is the Lord's merit of man's salvation.
Finally, we refer you again to Genesis 3: 15, where we see the promise that Jehovah would come and save man from his sins, "And I will put enmity between thee (the serpent) and the woman (the Church), and between thy (the serpent's) seed and her (the Church's) seed; He (the Lord Himself) shall trample upon thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel." The 'seed of the woman' is the faith in the Lord of those in the Church and as we have shown above by the 'seed of the serpent' is meant all infidelity or unfaithfulness to God. Christians know and believe that in this world evil has dominion until man has accepted the Lord as his King and Ruler of his life. This is shown in one's love of self and of the world. This is that head of the serpent that is spoken of that is to be trampled down by the Lord, who we saw earlier as that 'faith' Himself and as the true seed or faith of the woman, which is meant the Church in man.
Now, what is it for the Lord to 'trample upon the serpent's head'? When you look up the places where 'to trample on or tread upon' in the Word what is meant? One can see easily in these places that it is the destroying in man the sensual and natural principles that are the fallacies of the senses. In all those places only children would understand the natural sense as true. As was shown, the Word is written in appearances. However, a man who no longer is in innocence and who lives in evil perverts such sensual and natural appearances, and explains them according to the fallacies of his religion, and the evils of his life.
Let us take one verse that we may further learn what 'to trample or to tread upon' means. "Thou (the Lord) shalt tread upon the lion and asp, the young lion and the dragon shalt Thou trample under foot" (Psalm 41: 13). Obvious small children would think the Lord meant He would literally tread and trample on those mentioned. However, adults would not think so; they can easily see that what is meant by lion, asp (snake, serpent), and dragon is something spiritual, especially because the Word teaches us that it is the evil, that is, the devil and Satan that is meant. The significance, here, is that evil is destroyed and that it will no longer hurt man, thus protection.
It can be understood then that the Lord while, here, on earth fought against all such evils and overcame them in His life and, that such is called the 'temptations of combats'. The only part a man has in this is his faith that the Lord was victorious and that it is not a faith in the Lord dying in our stead, because His Father had sent Him to make atonement for the human race but is a faith that the Lord has fought and conquered the hells. That victorious life of the Lord can be enlivened within us in a new will and understanding as we accept His life through such faith and charity, that is, though the knowing the truths that defeat fallacies and falsities and by acknowledging the Lord's love through our remission and repentance of our sinful life. Thus, it is only by the Lord's pity and grace that man is prevented from entering hell and thus, the Lord's life enters him as he accepts His love and His truth after the man's repentance.
End.
Jehovah God, the Father, did not send another God that is called His Son, to earth. Rather was not it God's so great love for mankind that He Himself came on earth? Did not our first session in this study show that God Himself was the Word who was born in the World and that He is that Lord from eternity? We see that the word 'atonement' is used in the text above. Now, let us read from a Bible dictionary: (Atonement is said to be to cover, cancel), and satisfactory reparation for an offence or injury that which produces reconciliation (Exodus 30:16). In the Bible it means the covering of a man's sins through the shedding of blood; in the OT, the blood of sacrificed animals; in the NT, the blood of man's Redeemer, Jesus Christ (The Compact Bible Dictionary).
Reading Exodus 30:16 "And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD (Jehovah), to make an atonement (covering) for your souls" (King James version). Since the word 'atonement' in Hebrew means 'covering' as the Bible dictionary states, then let us examine how the sins of the children or sons of Israel are actually covered. Was it by the shedding of blood of sacrificed animals? We probably all know about the story of mankind's first sin, where Adam and Eve had sinned and how they were ashamed and knew that they were naked and had sewed fig leaves together in order to hide their nakedness 'as it were' and had hid themselves in the Garden from God. It is obvious that they realized they had sinned and, of course, we see from the story that God knew it. The point is that they tried to cover or hide their nakedness or that they no longer have love to the Lord as before. So they made themselves girdles or aprons made of fig leaves. What they tried to do was to rationally explain away their turning away from God and His love. The whole idea of nakedness, here, means a deprivation of truths that are of the faith and of the good of love. For, the fact is they had turned away from God's love and consequently from His truth and now their faith and love was primary with themselves, having eaten from the 'tree of the knowledge of good and evil'. Now the Lord said how their sin, which would enter all men, but would one day be atoned or coverd. Any one who has studied the Word learns that verse 15 of Genesis 3 refers to the Lord's coming and His overcoming the evils that are meant by the serpent that had led the woman, that is, the Church in man, to sin. "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." So, it is the love of self as we said above that is that sin that has caused mankind to turn to hell. By the woman is meant the Church just as by the children or the sons of Israel are meant the Church. And, with a little thought one understands that by the 'seed of the serpent' is meant all infidelity or lack of faithfulness (to God) by man. In contrast the 'seed of the women' is meant faith in the Lord. Now, He that 'tramples' the evil is the Lord Himself in His dominion over evil or the love of self.
It needs to be understood that the Lord is also called the 'seed of the woman', for it is the Lord's truths and His good in us that is that true faith that saves; the Lord gives us that saving faith; it cannot come from our own faith, for that is now turned away by sin against God. And, because it pleased the Lord to be born into such a church (the Jewish and Israelitish), the state that man has fallen into - an infernal and diabolic, the proprium or one's self through the love of self - that Divine power might unite the Divine celestial proprium with the human proprium in the Lord's human essence and make His Natural human one with the Divine's Human. Here, it is the Church within man that is meant and is the state into which man has fallen, which is the natural, the sensuous and corporeal state. Now, no mention is made here in this verse of shed blood, either of sacrificed animals or of the Lord's, but there is mention of His truths and His good as the true faith that comes to us, both to overcome our sins.
The suffering on the cross by the Lord, thus His shedding of blood, we saw earlier was meant the last combats by which the Lord fully conquered the hells and glorified His Human. Thus, by atonement or the covering of man's sins by the Lord's blood from His death on the cross is not meant. Yet, this is what the Christian Churches of today often teach as is shown by the following.
Doctrine of the Lord 18 § 2. The fulfilling of the Law and the passion of the cross have hitherto only been understood by many as implying that the Lord made satisfaction for the human race by means of these two things (fulfilling the Law and the passion or death on the cross), and took away from man damnation that had been foreseen or destined. Accordingly, from the linking together of these two things and at the same time from the principle that man is saved solely by the faith that this is so, there has followed the dogma of the imputation of the Lord's merit by the acceptance of these two things, which were of the Lord's merit, as a satisfaction. This, however, falls to the ground from what has been said concerning the Lord's fulfilling of the Law (fulfilling all things of the Word), and His passion on the cross (baring man's sins and not taking them away). Moreover, it may now be seen that the imputation of merit is an expression without meaning, unless by it is understood the remission of sins after repentance. For nothing of the Lord's can be imputed to man; but salvation may be awarded him by the Lord after he has done the work of repentance, that is, after he has seen and acknowledged his sins, and then desists from them; and this from the Lord. Thus salvation is awarded him: not that man is saved through his own merit or his own righteousness, but from the Lord, who fought and conquered the hells for him.
In this, in a person's having done the work of repentance, that is, acknowledged his sins, etc., true 'satisfaction' is brought to light. What the truth is concerning that satisfaction and that so-called satisfaction in which nothing can be seen of the imputation of the Lord's salvation, that is, His life - His love and truth - is revealed. In addition to atonement, imputation and satisfaction that the church teaches there is propitiation. Again, let us read from the Bible dictionary: Propitiation, (to cover) to appease the wrath of God so that His justice and holiness will be satisfied and He can forgive sin. Propitiation does not make God merciful; it makes divine forgiveness possible. For this, an atonement must be provided; in OT times, animals sacrifices; now the death of Christ for man's sin. Through Christ's death propitiation is made for man's sin (Rom. 3: 25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10) (The Compact Bible Dictionary). Let's read what Romans 3:25 says. "Whom (Christ Jesus) God set forth as propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His Righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed." Here we see in its literal sense that the Lord's blood, meaning the Lord's death, is a covering for our sins. No one will agree that it was the Lord's blood that covers his or her sins or the sins of the Israelitish Church, but will say it was His passion and death on the cross that saves them. So, let us see reality what propitiation means that the (Old Christian) church now uses to express how the Lord as the second Person or the Son saves us. These words express the grace of one God in His Human. Here, we speak of 'propitiation'. It is the operation of pity and grace, to prevent a man from bringing himself into condemnation by sin and protection from profaning the holy (cf. TCR 135 § 5). This, of course, is not seen in the literal sense unless one is enlighten or if the spiritual sense is seen. In this case, what is referred to is the mercy-seat over the Ark. There is where the cleansing from evils or remission of sins is seen in their representatives. In Exodus 25: 17-22 can be read the instructions for the mercy-seat and later for meeting Jehovah there. Thus, in what is represented here, we see that God hears and receives us and speaks with us and thus is conjoined there with us. Finally, there we worship Him, but only representatively. Can we not come to the Lord in His Human and ask forgiveness of our sins and there be cleansed from evils or have remission of sins? Who would come to God who has not been sorry for his having sinned against God, and so repents for his sins? Is not this the mercy-seat that is meant?
We will read one more verse pertaining to propitiation - Exodus 29:63. "And you shall offer a bull everyday as a sin offering for a propitiation . . .." One sees this is a continual removal of evil and its falsity. One also must receive from God the good of love and faith after removing evils and falsities from his life. And as Christians agree, it is the Lord alone who removes evils and falsities. Now because it is only through the will and the understanding that a man receives the things of Heaven - goods and truths - it stands to reason for these to enter his mind, then evils and falsities must be removed first. It is then in the representative of worshipping the Lord that He says He will meet them, that is, the Church within. Where goods and truths are there the Lord is, for they exist from Him. What is seen as covering, that is, as atonement or propitiation is not the Lord's death on the cross, but is His truth and good entering man, giving him a new will and new understanding, which is a new eternal life, but only as the sins he has committed against God are removed where they could lead him in his life on earth.
Is God angry, does He avenge, or tempt, or punish, does He cast into hell, or even condemn and even do evil? No, for anyone who loves the Lord and His Word, His Truth, and knows that these are not attributes of God, yet they are spoken of in the Word. A little thought will show you that these are only appearances of truths in the literal sense. Such things are removed from God as is hell from Heaven. What they are, are forms of speech. So too, are the terms of propitiation, intercession, expiation, and mediation forms of speech expressive of approach to God and of grace from God through His Human (cf. TCR 135 § 5). Thus, such atonement, and propitiation, etc., are not the Lord's death on the cross where He makes satisfaction for the human races' sins. Rather it is His life on earth in which He fought against all evils and was victorious over, ending in the last, the passion of the cross. This, then, is the Lord's merit of man's salvation.
Finally, we refer you again to Genesis 3: 15, where we see the promise that Jehovah would come and save man from his sins, "And I will put enmity between thee (the serpent) and the woman (the Church), and between thy (the serpent's) seed and her (the Church's) seed; He (the Lord Himself) shall trample upon thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel." The 'seed of the woman' is the faith in the Lord of those in the Church and as we have shown above by the 'seed of the serpent' is meant all infidelity or unfaithfulness to God. Christians know and believe that in this world evil has dominion until man has accepted the Lord as his King and Ruler of his life. This is shown in one's love of self and of the world. This is that head of the serpent that is spoken of that is to be trampled down by the Lord, who we saw earlier as that 'faith' Himself and as the true seed or faith of the woman, which is meant the Church in man.
Now, what is it for the Lord to 'trample upon the serpent's head'? When you look up the places where 'to trample on or tread upon' in the Word what is meant? One can see easily in these places that it is the destroying in man the sensual and natural principles that are the fallacies of the senses. In all those places only children would understand the natural sense as true. As was shown, the Word is written in appearances. However, a man who no longer is in innocence and who lives in evil perverts such sensual and natural appearances, and explains them according to the fallacies of his religion, and the evils of his life.
Let us take one verse that we may further learn what 'to trample or to tread upon' means. "Thou (the Lord) shalt tread upon the lion and asp, the young lion and the dragon shalt Thou trample under foot" (Psalm 41: 13). Obvious small children would think the Lord meant He would literally tread and trample on those mentioned. However, adults would not think so; they can easily see that what is meant by lion, asp (snake, serpent), and dragon is something spiritual, especially because the Word teaches us that it is the evil, that is, the devil and Satan that is meant. The significance, here, is that evil is destroyed and that it will no longer hurt man, thus protection.
It can be understood then that the Lord while, here, on earth fought against all such evils and overcame them in His life and, that such is called the 'temptations of combats'. The only part a man has in this is his faith that the Lord was victorious and that it is not a faith in the Lord dying in our stead, because His Father had sent Him to make atonement for the human race but is a faith that the Lord has fought and conquered the hells. That victorious life of the Lord can be enlivened within us in a new will and understanding as we accept His life through such faith and charity, that is, though the knowing the truths that defeat fallacies and falsities and by acknowledging the Lord's love through our remission and repentance of our sinful life. Thus, it is only by the Lord's pity and grace that man is prevented from entering hell and thus, the Lord's life enters him as he accepts His love and His truth after the man's repentance.
End.
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