AC 2380 - Living a Good Life?

AC 2380 [2-5]

All those are in the good of charity
who have conscience
(that is, who are unwilling to depart in any degree
from what is just and fair, and good and true,
and this for the very sake of
what is just and fair, and good and true,
for this principle is from conscience),
and who from having conscience
think well of the neighbor and desire his welfare,
even should he be an enemy;
and this without any recompense.
These are those who are in the good of charity,
whether they be without the church
or within the church.
If within the church, they adore the Lord,
and willingly hear and do
the things that He has taught.

On the other hand,
those who are in evil have no conscience;
for that which is just and fair they care not,
except insofar as thereby
they can gain the reputation of seeming to care for it.
What the good and truth are
that affect the spiritual life
they know not,
and even reject this as being no life at all.
Further than this:
they think evilly about the neighbor
and desire his injury,
and also inflict injury upon him
if he does not favor them, even if a friend;
and in doing this they feel delight.
Should they do anything good,
it is with a view to recompense.
Such within the church deny the Lord in secret;
and insofar as honor, gain, reputation, or life
are not endangered
they do so openly.

Be it known however
that some persons think they are not in good
when they are,
and some that they are in good
when they are not.
The reason why some think
they are not in good when they are,
is that when they reflect upon
the good in themselves,
it is at once insinuated
by the angels in whose society they are,
that they are not in good,
lest they should attribute the good to themselves,
and lest their thought
should be turned to their own merit,
and thereby
to the setting up of themselves above others.
Without this guardianship
they would fall into temptations.

As regards some supposing themselves to be in good
when they are not,
the cause of this is that when they reflect upon it,
it is immediately insinuated by the evil genii and spirits
in whose companionship they are,
that they are in good
(for the evil believe delight to be good),
and it is suggested
that whatever good they have done to others
for the sake of the love of self and of the world is good
that is to be recompensed even in the other life;
thus that they have merit above others,
whom they despise in comparison with themselves,
and indeed esteem them as of no account.
And, wonderful to say,
if they were to think differently
they would fall into temptations,
in which they would yield.