Commentary

 

Why Did Jesus Come to Earth as a Baby?

By Curtis Childs

This painting by Richard Cook  of the newborn baby Jesus, with Mary and Joseph, evokes the spiritual power of this long-awaited advent.

Could there be reasons for the humble, vulnerable beginnings of Jesus’s life?

In this video from his Swedenborg and Life web series, host Curtis Childs and featured guests explore how the Divine design may have been at play from the very beginning of Christ's life.

(References: Apocalypse Explained 706 [12]; Luke 2:8-12; The Word 7; True Christian Religion 89, 90, 96, 766)

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This video is a product of the Swedenborg Foundation. Follow these links for further information and other videos: www.youtube.com/user/offTheLeftEye and www.swedenborg.com

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christianity #766

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766. The Lord is present with each and every human being. He exerts insistent pressure on us to receive him. When we do receive him, which occurs when we acknowledge him as our own God, Creator, Redeemer, and Savior, his First Coming occurs [in us], which is the twilight before dawn. From then on, we begin to be enlightened intellectually in spiritual matters and to grow into deeper and deeper wisdom. As we receive this wisdom from the Lord, we move through the morning into midday. The day continues into our old age until we die. Then we come to the Lord himself in heaven. There, although we died old, we are brought back into the morning of our lives, and the rudiments of wisdom that were planted in us while we were in the physical world grow and thrive to eternity.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #766

Study this Passage

  
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766. 1 The Lord is present with every person, urging and pressing him to receive Him. And when a person receives Him, which happens when he acknowledges Him as his God, the Creator, Redeemer and Saviour, this is His first coming, and is called twilight. From this time the person begins to have his understanding enlightened as regards spiritual matters, and to advance to more and more inward wisdom. As he receives this wisdom from the Lord, so he advances through morning into day; and he continues in this daylight up to old age and until he dies. After death he comes into heaven to the Lord Himself, and there, for all that he died an old man, he is brought back to the morning of his life, and continues for ever to develop the wisdom which was implanted in him in the natural world.

Footnotes:

1. There is no 765 in the original.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.