Here we are in the 21st century. We know that the universe is an enormous place. We're just bursting with scientific knowledge. But how are we doing with the even-bigger ideas? Our human societies seem to be erasing them, or ignoring them - maybe we think we're too busy for them.

Here on the New Christian Bible Study site, we'll buck the trend. We want to explore the big ideas that give us a framework for living better lives. Here's a start on a list of big ideas from a New Christian perspective. For each idea, there is a footnote that lists some references in Swedenborg's theological works:

1. God exists. Just one God, who created and sustains the entire universe in all its dimensions, spiritual and physical. ¹

2. God's essence is love itself. It's the force that drives everything. ²

3. God's essence comes into being, that is, it exists, in and through creation. ³

4. There are levels, or degrees, of creation - ranging from spiritual ones that we can't detect with our physical senses or sensors, to the level of the physical universe where most of our awareness is when we're alive here. ⁴

5. The created universe emanates from God, and it's sustained by God, but in an important way it is separate from God. He wants it to be separate, so that freedom can exist. ⁵

6. God operates from love through wisdom - willing good things, and understanding how to bring them about. ⁶

7. The physical level of creation exists to provide human beings with an opportunity to choose in freedom, with rationality, whether or not to acknowledge and cooperate with God. ⁷

8. God provides all people everywhere, regardless of their religion, the freedom to choose to live a life of love to God and to the neighbor. ⁸

9. God loves everyone. He knows that true happiness only comes when we're unselfish; when we're truly motivated by a love of the Lord which is grounded out in a love of the neighbor. He seeks to lead everyone, but will not force us to follow against our will. ⁹

10. God doesn't judge us. He tells us what's good, and what's evil, and flows into our minds to lead us towards good. However, we're free to reject his leading, and instead opt to love ourselves most. Day by day, we create habits of generosity or of selfishness, and live out a life in accordance with those habits. Those habits become the real "us", our ruling love. ¹⁰

11. Our physical bodies die eventually, but the spiritual part of our minds keeps going. It's been operating on a spiritual plane already, but our awareness shifts - so that we become fully aware of spiritual reality. ¹¹

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128. Is there anyone who does not know from the Word that our fate after death depends on what we have done? Open the Word and read it and you will see this clearly: but set aside any thoughts based on faith and on our justification by faith alone. Here are a few passages to witness to the fact that the Lord teaches this throughout his Word.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire; so you will know them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:19-20)

Many people will say to me on that day, "Lord, have we not prophesied in your name and done many good deeds in your name?" But I will profess to them, "I do not recognize you. Depart from me, you who do injustice." (Matthew 7:22-23)

I will compare anyone who hears my words and does them to a wise man who built his house on a rock; but I will compare anyone who hears my words and does not do them to a senseless man who built his house on the ground without a foundation. (Matthew 7:24, 26; Luke 6:46-49)

[2] The Human-born One will come in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward all according to their deeds. (Matthew 16:27)

The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and will be given to a nation that brings forth its fruits. (Matthew 21:53 [Matthew 21:43])

Jesus said, "My mother and my brothers are the people who hear the word of God and do it." (Luke 8:21)

Then you will come and stand there and knock on the door and say, "Open the door for us, Lord"; but he will answer, "I do not know where you come from. Go away from me, all you who do injustice." (Luke 13:25-27)

Those who have done what is good will go forth to a resurrection of life, but those who have done what is evil to a resurrection of judgment. (John 5:29)

[3] We know that God does not listen to sinners, but that he listens to anyone who worships God and does his will. (John 9:31)

If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. (John 13:17)

Those who know my precepts and do them are the ones who love me; and I will love them and come to them and make my dwelling with them. (John 14:15, 21-24)

You are my friends if you do whatever I tell you to. I have chosen you so that you would bear fruit and so that your fruit would last. (John 15:14, 16)

[4] The Lord said to John, "Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus, 'I know your works. My complaint against you is that you have left your first charity. Repent and do the earlier works. If you do not, I will remove your lampstand from its place.'" (Revelation 2:1-2, 4-5)

Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna, "I know your works." (Revelation 2:8 [Revelation 2:8-9])

Write to the angel of the church in Pergamos, "I know your works," "Repent." (Revelation 2:13, 16 [Revelation 2:12-13, 16])

Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira, "I know your works and your charity, and your later works are more than the first ones." (Revelation 2:26 [Revelation 2:18-19])

Write to the angel of the church in Sardis, "I know your works, that you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. I have not found your works perfect in God's sight. Repent." (Revelation 3:1-2, 3)

To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, "I know your works." (Revelation 3:7-8)

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write, "I know your works. Repent." (Revelation 3:14-15, 19)

I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now onward; their works follow them.'" (Revelation 5:13 [Revelation 14:13])

A book was opened that was the book of life, and the dead were judged, all of them according to their works. (Revelation 20:12-13)

Look, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, that I might give to all according to their works. (Revelation 22:12)

These come from the New Testament.

[5] There are still more in the Old, and I may cite just this one.

Stand in the gate of Jehovah and proclaim this word there. Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, "Make your ways and your deeds good. Do not put your trust in deceitful words, saying 'The temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah!' Will you be stealing and murdering and committing adultery and perjuring yourselves and then come and stand in my presence in this house that bears my name and say, 'We are exempt when we do these disgusting things'? Will you make this house a robbers' cave? I myself have seen it," says Jehovah. (Jeremiah 7:1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 [Jeremiah 7:2, 3, 4, 9-10, 11])

479. Man after death is his own love or his own will. This has been proved to me by manifold experience. The entire heaven is distinguished into societies in accordance with differences of good of love; and every spirit who is taken up into heaven and becomes an angel is taken to the society where his love is; and when he comes there he is, as it were, at home, and in the house where he was born; this the angel perceives, and is associated with those there who are like himself. When he goes away to another place he feels constantly a kind of resistance, and a longing to return to his like, thus to his ruling love. Thus are associations brought about in heaven. It is the same in hell, where all are associated in accordance with loves that are the opposites of heavenly loves. It has been shown above (41-50, 200-212) that both heaven and hell are composed of societies, and that they are all distinguished in accordance with differences of love.

[2] That man after death is his own love might also be confirmed from the fact that whatever things do not make one with his ruling love are then separated and, as it were, taken away from him. From one who is good all discordant or inharmonious things are separated and, as it were, taken away, and he is thus let into his own love. It is the same with an evil spirit, with the difference that from the evil, truths are taken away, and from the good, falsities are taken away, and this goes on until each becomes his own love. This is effected when the man-spirit is brought into the third state, which will be described in following sections. When this has been done he turns his face constantly to his own love, and this he has continually before his eyes, in whatever direction he turns (see above, 123-124).

[3] All spirits, provided they are kept in their ruling love, can be led wherever one pleases, and are incapable of resistance, however they may know that this is being done, and however much they may think that they will resist. They have often been permitted to try whether they could do anything contrary to that love, but in vain. Their love is like a bond or a rope tied around them, by which they may be led and from which they cannot loose themselves. It is the same with men in the world who are also led by their love, or are led by others by means of their love; but this is more the case when they have become spirits, because they are not then permitted to make a display of any other love, or to counterfeit what is not their own.

[4] That the spirit of man is his ruling love is clearly exhibited in all fellowship in the other life, for so far as anyone is acting or speaking in accordance with the love of another, to the same extent is the other plainly present, with full, joyous, and lively countenance; but when one is speaking or acting contrary to another's love, to that extent the other's countenance begins to be changed, to be obscured and undiscernible, until at length he wholly disappears as if he had not been there. I have often wondered how this could be, for nothing of the kind can occur in the world; but I have been told that it is the same with the spirit in man, which, when it turns itself away from another, ceases to be within his view.

[5] That a spirit is his own ruling love is also clear from the fact that every spirit seizes and appropriates all things that are in harmony with his love, and rejects and repudiates all that are not. Everyone's love is like a spongy or porous wood, which imbibes such fluids as promote its growth, and repels others. It is also like animals of every kind, which know their proper food and seek the things that agree with their nature, and avoid those that disagree; for every love wishes to be nourished on what belongs to it, an evil love by falsities and a good love by truths. I have sometimes been permitted to see certain simple good spirits desiring to instruct the evil in truths and goods; but when the instruction was offered them they fled far away, and when they came to their own they seized with great pleasure upon the falsities that were in agreement with their love. I have also seen good spirits talking together about truths, and the good who were present listened eagerly to the conversation, but the evil who were present paid no attention to it, as if they did not hear it. In the world of spirits ways are seen, some leading to heaven, some to hell, and each to some particular society. Good spirits go only in the ways that lead to heaven, and to the society there that is in the good of their love, and do not see the ways that lead elsewhere; while evil spirits go only in the ways that lead to hell, and to the society there that is in the evil of their love; they do not see the ways that lead elsewhere; or, if they see them, have no wish to enter them. In the spiritual world these ways are real appearances, which correspond to truths or falsities; and this is why ways have this signification in the Word. ¹ By these evidences from experience, the things previously said from reason have been confirmed, namely, that every man after death is his own love and his own will. It is said one's own will because everyone's will is his love.

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