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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522. First, though, let me state what divine mercy is. Divine mercy is a pure mercy toward the whole human race with the intent of saving it, and it is constant toward every individual, never withdrawing from anyone. This means that everyone who can be saved is saved. However, no one can be saved except by divine means, the means revealed by the Lord in the Word. Divine means are what we refer to as divine truths. They teach how we are to live in order to be saved. The Lord uses them to lead us to heaven and to instill heaven's life into us. The Lord does this for everyone; but he cannot instill heaven's life into anyone who does not refrain from evil, since evil bars the way. So to the extent that we do refrain from evil, the Lord in his divine mercy leads us by divine means, from infancy to the end of life in the world and thereafter to eternity. This is the divine mercy that I mean. We can therefore see that the Lord's mercy is pure mercy, but not unmediated: that is, it does not save people whenever it feels like it, no matter how they have lived.

10577. 'And I will be gracious to whom I am gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I show mercy' means that Divine Truth and Good will be revealed to those who are receptive. This is clear from the meaning of 'being gracious' as endowing with spiritual truth and good, in this instance revealing it, since the subject is the inner substance and the outward form of the Church, worship, and the Word; and from the meaning of 'showing mercy' as endowing with celestial truth and good, in this instance revealing it. The reason why among those who are receptive is meant is that the internal things of the Word, the Church, and worship are revealed to none but those who are receptive.

[2] The reason why 'being gracious' means endowing with spiritual truth and good, and 'showing mercy' endowing with celestial truth and good, is that grace is a term used in reference to faith and mercy is a term used in reference to love; and the good of faith is spiritual good, and the good of love is celestial good. What spiritual good and celestial good are, and what is the difference between them, see in the places referred to in 9277. Those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom speak of grace, whereas those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom speak of mercy, 598, 981, 5929. Unless there were such a difference between grace and mercy both expressions - 'being gracious' and 'showing mercy' - would not have been used. For the same reason Jehovah is called both 'gracious' and 'merciful' in Exodus 34:6; Joel 2:13; Psalms 103:8; 145:8. And in Isaiah,

Therefore Jehovah will remain to show you grace, and therefore He will exalt Himself to be merciful to you. Isaiah 30:18.

[3] Because there are two realities to which all things of the Church belong, namely love and faith, and since mercy belongs to love, and grace as well as truth belongs to faith, the Word uses the terms 'mercy' and 'grace' when the Lord is being implored; but it uses 'mercy' and 'truth' when He is being described, as in the following places: In David,

Your mercy is before my eyes, and I walk in Your truth. Psalms 26:3.

In the same author,

O Jehovah, Your mercy is in the heavens, and Your truth reaches to the skies. Psalms 36:5.

In the same author,

God will send from the heavens His mercy and His truth. Great even to heaven is Your mercy, and Your truth even to the skies. Psalms 57:3, 10.

In the same author,

Let mercy and truth meet, and let righteousness and peace kiss each other. Psalms 85:10.

In the same author,

I will sing of the mercy of Jehovah forever, to generation after generation [I will make known] Your truth with my mouth. For I have said, Forever will mercy be built, in the very heavens You will make firm Your truth. Righteousness and judgement are the support of Your throne, mercy and truth will stand before Your face. Psalms 89:1-2, 14.

'Mercy' in these places means love and 'truth' faith.