AC 4274
Temptation itself is nothing else than a wrestling or combat;
for truth is assaulted by evil spirits
and is defended by the angels who are with a person.
The perception of this combat by a person is the temptation.
But no temptation can take place
unless a person is in the good of truth,
that is, in the love or affection of it.
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4 comments:
What a wonderful teaching..
So if I have this right, a person has to be in the love or affection for truth to actually experience temptation..
That is how an evil person or one who seems in evil is protected from profanation.. ( ie .. he/she does not know any better and therefore is not culpable while still in this life )
However,, the Lord in his Providence and Mercy is constantly leading each of us from states of evil by whatever means,, ie remains, in His effort to lead us out of depraved states, and ultimately desiring to change our ruling loves.
But we are left in freedom to remain in our disorderly state ignoring those urgings,, not really knowing where those urgings originate.
Is this a correct understanding?
Norm
I'd have to say that you hit the nail on the head, Norm. You will also appreciate this number (although there a many that say the same):
AC 8179 [2]
... the situation is that when people are in the throes of temptation they usually stay their hands and resort solely to prayers, which they then pour forth feverishly, unaware that such prayers achieve nothing, but that they should battle against the falsities and evils which the hells introduce. The truths of faith are the means for fighting that battle, and they are of help because they strengthen the forms of good and the truths opposed to falsities and evils. In the conflicts brought by temptations furthermore a person should fight as if he did so in his own strength, yet he should acknowledge and believe that he does so in the Lord's, see above in 8176. If a person does not fight as if in his own strength he does not make his own the goodness and truth which flow in from the Lord by way of heaven. But when a person does fight as if in his own strength and yet believes that he does so in the Lord's, he does make those things his own. This gives him a new proprium or selfhood, called a heavenly proprium, which is a new will.
Have you ever met a person who loves disorder and evil? In my experience, they don't have any interest in looking to the Lord, and are not phased by their own behavior. It really is a very sad thing.
We used to ask our kids, "Is that the way the Lord would want you to act?" I have a hope that the Lord is still now present with them in that question. I ask myself that often enough, but probably not as often as I should!
Sometimes a sermon really hits a lot of buttons. Sometimes they don't. But sometimes, a sermon speaks to many issues.
Bishop Kline preached a sermon as part of The Journey series that some congregations are involved in right now. Now, I am reading some of the daily emails, but I am not really working The Journey program. However, some of it has gotten me pondering. Anyway, this sermon touched on a lot of stuff that I have found useful.
http://www.newchurch.org/societies/bryn_athyn/audioSermons?s=&l=39&t=
Part 3-The Journey: Crossing the Red Sea, Worship Service: Adult (includes music), Thomas L. Kline, Bryn Athyn Cathedral, PA, 07 October, 2007
Now if those links don't work:
http://www.newchurch.org/sermons
And just go down to the sermon, and click on it. You will get the whole church service, no matter what link you click.
Hope this works. The number I sent a little bit ago, Bishop Kline used as one of his lessons.
The quotations are great, and as you say, Norm has hit the nail on the head.
Your second last para is so true. Often one feels against a brick wall with some people - one just cannot get through to them, and one just sits back in amazement thinking how anyone can believe in something that is obviously so wrong or false.
Best regards to all of you
Barrie
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