AC 2364 - The Lord Bends or Turns Us

AC 2364

For all are bent (or turned) by the Lord
to the good of life through the good of their faith.
Gentiles are so directed
in a different way from Christians;
the simple in a different way from the learned;
and young children in a different way from adults.
People whose lives have been stained by evil
are bent (or turned) by means of
their refraining from evil and intending good,
which they carry out
according to whatever understanding they possess.
It is the intention or the end in view
present with them that is observed,
and even though their actions
are not in themselves good,
their end in view provides them
with some measure of good
and of the life flowing from it
which constitutes their blessedness.