AE 118 - The Lord Loves to Share His Good and Truth

AE 118 [2]

The spiritual affection of truth 
has no other source than the Lord, 
because the Lord is 
Divine truth in heaven and in the church, 
for Divine truth proceeds from Him. 
And as the Lord loves 
to lead everyone to Himself, 
and to save them, 
and this He can do only by 
the knowledges of good and truth from the Word, 
so the Lord loves to impart these to people, 
and make them of the person's life, 
for in this way and no other 
can He lead a person to Himself and save him. 
From this it is clear 
that all spiritual affection of truth is from the Lord, 
and that no one can be in that affection 
unless he acknowledges 
the Divine of the Lord in His Human, 
for by such acknowledgment there is conjunction, 
and according to conjunction there is reception.

 

AE 117 - When We Don't Understand the Lord's Word

AE 117

And affliction, 
(Revelation 2:9)

signifies anxiety from a longing to know truths. 
. . . and these are in anxiety as to the spirit 
when they do not understand. 
That these have such anxiety 
when they do not understand, 
no one can know except those 
who are in the affection of truth 
for the sake of truth, 
that is, who are in spiritual affection . . .. 
The reason for this is, 
that such are conjoined to the angels of heaven, 
and angels continually long for truths, 
because they long for intelligence and wisdom; 
they long for these 
as a hungry person longs for food. 
For this reason also 
intelligence and wisdom are called spiritual food. 
A person also has this longing from infancy, 
for when he is an infant, 
and afterwards when a child, 
he is conjoined to heaven, 
and this longing is from heaven; 
but with those who turn themselves to the world 
it perishes.

They have such anxiety when they read the Word 
and do not well understand it, 
because all the truths of heaven and the church
are from the Word, 
and lie concealed therein in its spiritual sense, 
and are not opened to any 
except those as are conjoined to heaven, 
since that sense of the Word is in heaven. 
Yet the spiritual sense itself of the Word 
does not flow in with a person out of heaven, 
but it flows into his affection, 
and through this into the knowledges that he has, 
and thus kindles his longing, 
and he then receives 
the genuine truths of the church 
so far as he can see them 
from the literal sense of the Word. 
Everyone who is in the spiritual affection of truth
is conscious that the things that he knows are few, 
and the things that he does not know are infinite. 
He is aware, moreover, 
that knowing and acknowledging this 
is the first step towards wisdom; 
and that those who pride themselves 
on the things they know, 
and believe themselves on account of these 
to be most intelligent, 
have not reached this first step.

AE 115 - The Spiritual Affection of Truth

AE 115

The Lord said to 
the angel of this church (Smyrneans), 
"I am the First and the Last, 
who was dead and is alive," 
(Revelation 2:8)

because those within the church 
that are in the spiritual affection of truth 
are treated of here. 
These are such 
as search out truths from the Word, 
and when they find them they rejoice in heart, 
solely because they are truths. 
. . . The spiritual affection of truth, 
which is loving truth because it is truth, 
exists only with those 
who are conjoined to the Lord 
by the acknowledgment of His Divine in the Human, 
and by faith in it; 
since all the truth of heaven 
and all the truth of the church 
is from no other source 
than the Lord's Divine Human; 
for out of this proceeds Divine truth, 
which is called 
"the Spirit of Truth," or "the Holy Spirit." 
From this the angels of heaven 
have all their affection of truth 
and all their wisdom. 
It is with these that the Lord is alive.

 

AE 112 - Looking Up or Down and Knowledges Are Vessels

AE 112 [2, 4-5]

In general, 
there are affections of truth from two sources, 
namely, from a natural and from a spiritual source. 
Those who are in the affection of truth 
from a natural source 
look first to self and the world, 
and so are natural; 
but those who are in the affection of truth 
from a spiritual source 
look first to the Lord and to heaven, 
and so are spiritual. 
A person's affection or love 
looks either downwards or upwards; 
those who look to self and the world 
look downwards, 
but those who look to the Lord and to heaven 
look upwards. 
A person's interiors, which are of his mind, 
actually look in the same direction 
as his love or affection does, 
for love determines them; 
and such as is the determination 
of a person's interiors, which are of his mind, 
such after death does the person remain to eternity. 
Looking downwards or upwards is looking 
from love through the understanding, 
thus through the things 
that form and make the understanding, 
which are the knowledges of truth and good.

The spiritual comes to a person 
from no other source than from charity. 
Those who are in spiritual affection 
are interested in the Word, 
and desire nothing more earnestly 
than to understand it. 
But as there are innumerable things therein 
that they do not understand, 
because the Word in its bosom is spiritual 
and the spiritual includes infinite arcana, 
therefore, so long as a person lives in the world 
and then sees from the natural person, 
he can only be a little 
in the knowledges of truth and good, 
and in generals only, in which, however, 
innumerable things may be implanted 
when he comes into the spiritual world or heaven.

A person who is in the affection of truth 
from a spiritual origin 
knows many more things than he knew before; 
for the general knowledges that he has 
are like vessels that can be filled with many things,
and they are also actually filled 
when he comes into heaven.

 

 

AE 110 - "Paradise of God"

AE 110 [1, 3]

Heaven and the church are called the "paradise of God," 
because the Lord is in the midst of them, 
and from Him is all intelligence and wisdom.

. . . the Lord is in the good of His love 
with a person, spirit, and angel.

To love God and to believe in Him 
involve all things that the church teaches, 
called doctrinals and knowledges, 
since from these is God loved and believed in. 
There is no love and faith 
without previous knowledges; 
for without knowledges a person would be empty.

 

AE 108 - Hearkening or Understanding and Doing

AE 108

"He that has an ear 
let him hear what the Spirit said unto the churches," 
is said to each of the churches, 
in order that everyone 
who is of the church may know 
that it is not knowing and understanding 
the truths and goods of faith, 
or doctrinals, or even the Word, 
that makes the church, 
but hearkening, that is, understanding and doing; 
for this is signified by the words 
"He that has an ear let him hear 
what the Spirit said unto the churches." 
Because this makes the church 
and forms heaven with a person, 
and knowing and understanding, 
apart from doing, does not . . ..

 

AE 105 - Be Mindful

AE 105

Be mindful therefore of where you have fallen, 
and repent, 
and do the first works, 
(Revelation 2:5)

signifies the remembrance of former things, 
and the remembrance 
of having deviated from the truth; 
and this, in order that the good of life 
of the church at its beginning 
may come into mind.
. . . That a life in accordance with knowledges 
is the essential of the church, 
and not knowledges apart from such a life, 
can be seen by everyone who thinks about it; 
for knowledges, 
so long as there is no life according to them, 
reside in the memory only; 
and so long as they reside there only 
they do not affect a person's interiors; 
for memory is given to a person to be a receptacle, 
from which may be taken 
what will be serviceable to the life; 
and things are serviceable to the life 
when a person wills them and does them.

The whole spirit of a person is nothing but his will; 
when, therefore, a person becomes a spirit, 
he is unable to resist anything 
that is favored by his will, 
for the whole person strives after it. 
. . . a person's will is what gives form to his spirit, 
and that a person's spirit 
after it has left the body is his will. 
Whether you say will or love it is the same, 
for what a person loves he wills . . .. 
The knowledges of good and truth, 
before they enter a person's will or love, 
contribute nothing whatever to his salvation, 
because they are not within the person: 
but out of him. 
But still knowledges are necessary, 
for without them 
a person can know nothing of spiritual life, 
and he who knows nothing of spiritual life 
cannot become spiritual; 
for that which a person knows 
he can think, can will, and can do, 
but not that which he does not know.