AC 7778 - The Outcome of Faith Without Charity

AC 7778 [1-3]

. . . the "firstborn in the land of Egypt"
denotes faith without charity.

As regards faith without charity,
it is to be said further
that faith without charity is not faith,
but only the memory-knowledge
of such things as are of faith;
for the truths of faith look to charity as their ultimate end,
and afterward proceed from charity as their first end.
From this it is clear
that those things which are of faith
have no existence with those who are not in charity,
and yet it is known
that the memory-knowledge of the truths of faith
does exist with them.
This memory-knowledge is that which they call faith.
And when the memory-knowledges
of the truth and good of faith
are applied by them to confirm falsities and evils,
then the truths and goods of faith
no longer exist with them,
because the truths and goods
give assent to the falsities and evils which they serve,
for then those very falsities and evils
which they confirm are seen in them.

Those things which are of genuine faith
look upward to heaven and to the Lord;
but those which are of faith separate from charity
look downward,
and when they confirm evils and falsities
they look toward hell.
From this also it is evident
that faith separate from charity is not faith.
From all this it can be seen what is meant by
the damnation of faith separate from charity,
namely, that it is the damnation of
the falsified truth and adulterated good of faith;
for when good has been falsified
it is no longer truth but falsity,
and when good has been adulterated
it is no longer good but evil;
and faith itself is no longer the faith of truth and good,
but of falsity and evil,
no matter how it may appear and sound
in the outward form.
And (what is a secret)
the quality of everyone's faith is such
as is the quality of his life.
If therefore the life has been damned,
so also has the faith;
for it is the faith of falsity
when the life is a life of evil.