Friday, January 17, 2014

AC 9262 - the innocent; AC 9264 - the malignant

AC 9262
The good of love toward the neighbor is exterior good,
and the good of love to the Lord is interior good.

But that "innocent" denotes the good of love to the Lord,
is because those are in innocence who love the Lord.
For innocence is to acknowledge in the heart
that of ourselves we desire nothing but evil,
and perceive nothing but falsity,
and also that all the good which is of love,
and all the truth which is of faith,
are from the Lord alone.
None can at heart acknowledge these things
except those who are conjoined with the Lord by love.

AC 9264
Malignity*, of which it is here said
that it is contrary to the Divine righteousness,
consists in destroying the interior and exterior good
which is signified by
"slaying the innocent and the righteous"
(of which just above, n. 9262, 9263);
and this good is destroyed
when the Divine truth and good
which are from the Lord
are denied,
in which case this is extinguished in the person,
and consequently so is the Lord Himself,
from whom proceed all good which is good
and all truth which is truth.
When this takes place,
the person no longer has any spiritual life,
thus no salvation.
This same truth and good are extinguished
when the Lord's Divinity is denied,
and also when the Word is denied,
for this is Divine truth from the Lord and about the Lord.
To deny this,
when it has previously been acknowledged
and received with faith,
and thus to extinguish it,
is the sin against the Holy Spirit,
which is not forgiven

And so I tell you,
every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men,
but the blasphemy against the Spirit
will not be forgiven.
(Matthew 12:31)

For the Holy Spirit is the Divine truth and good,
because it is the holy proceeding from the Lord.

*malignity - intense ill-will or hatred; great malice
(Free Dictionary)

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