10. Every multifaceted entity falls apart unless it depends on one thing, a fact recognized by all sound reasoning whether religious or not. For example, a human being, made up of many limbs, internal organs, sensory organs, and motor organs all interconnected, would fall apart if it did not depend on one soul; and the body itself would fall apart if it did not depend on one heart. A country would fall apart but for its one monarch; a household would fall apart but for its one head; every one of the many workplaces in every country would fall apart but for its one person in charge. What army would prevail against its enemies without a leader who has supreme power, and officers with authority over their soldiers? Likewise a church would fall apart unless it acknowledged one God; and even the angelic heaven would fall apart. Heaven acts as the head of the church on earth; the soul of both is the Lord; this is why heaven and the church are called his body. So if heaven and the church did not acknowledge one God, each would be like a lifeless corpse that would be thrown away and buried because it was good for nothing.

230. There are three infinite and uncreated degrees of height in the Lord, and three finite and created degrees in people. There are in the Lord three infinite and uncreated degrees of height for the reason that the Lord is love itself and wisdom itself, as we have shown in previous discussions; and because the Lord is love itself and wisdom itself, therefore He is also useful endeavor itself. For love has as its end a useful result, which it produces through wisdom. Indeed, love and wisdom without a useful result have no terminus or end point, or no resting place in which to make their abode. Consequently they cannot be said to have being or expression without having a useful result in which to be and express themselves.

These three elements constitute the three degrees of height in living entities. The three are analogous to the first end, the intermediate end, which we call the cause, and the last end, which we call the effect. The fact that end, cause and effect constitute three degrees of height is something we have already shown and confirmed many times.