815. For the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. This symbolically means that through truths from the Word those who are of the Lord's church live good lives.

The fine linen symbolizes genuine truths, which are truths gained through the Word from the Lord, as in no. 814 just above. Righteous acts symbolize good lives in the case of people governed by truths (no. 668). Saints symbolize people who are of the Lord's church (nos. 173, 586).

Righteous acts are the practices of good lives in the case of people governed by truths, because no one can be called righteous unless he lives in accordance with truths. For in the natural sense a righteous person is everyone who lives rightly in accordance with civil and moral laws. But in the spiritual sense that person is called righteous who lives rightly in accordance with Divine laws, and Divine laws are truths from the Word. Someone who believes that he is righteous and so living a good life without living in accordance with truths is much deceived. For a person cannot be reformed and regenerated and so become good, except by means of truths and by a life in accordance with those truths.

It is apparent from this that the fine linen's being the righteous acts of the saints means, symbolically, that through truths from the Word those who are of the Lord's church live good lives.

This is clearly apparent in the case of angels in heaven. The more they are governed by truths and live in accordance with them, the brighter white the garments in which they appear clothed. That is because they enjoy a brighter light.

These days we tend to think of "roads" as smooth swaths of pavement and judge them by how fast we can drive cars on them. A "path" is something different, suitable only for walking or maybe bicycles, and a "way" has more to do with giving directions than any physical reality. When we get "lost" it usually means we're in a car on an unfamiliar road -- a far cry from being in the middle of a trackless wilderness with no idea which direction to go. The ancient world was very different, with isolated towns and endless square miles of trackless wilderness. Then a "way" was a set of landmarks to follow to get from one place to another through the wilderness. A "path" was a way used enough to leave a visible trace on the ground, and a "road" was a heavily used path, easily followed and walkable. So it makes sense that when used in the Bible, all three terms represent guiding truth, ideas that lead us where we want to go. This is pictured in the modern use of "way" -- when we talk about the "way" to do something or the "way" to get somewhere. We're talking about the correct, best, most efficient method of doing something or getting somewhere. And it's good information -- truth -- that helps us find that best way.