3098. The things contained in the internal sense from 3088 to this point are also such as cannot be understood except by those who have been taught about the internal aspects of man and who are in possession of truths, for it is through truths and according to them that enlightenment comes. These verses deal with the initial introduction of truth into good, for as stated already, good itself flows into the natural by way of the rational, and so by an internal route, and enlightens the things that are there, while truth itself flows into the natural by way of the senses, in particular hearing and sight, and so by an external route. This is the origin of truth, as anyone may know if he stops to reflect. But good and truth do not exist joined together in the natural, but in the rational. Consequently truth is summoned from the natural - thus from a natural sphere into the spiritual sphere, for truth that is to be joined to good is spiritual. The situation with regard to truth when first summoned from there is the subject of the verses explained in 3087-3097.

A "house" is essentially a container -- for a person, a family, several families or even a large group with shared interests (think of the term "houses of worship.") In the Bible, a "house" is also a container, but for spiritual things rather than natural things. In various uses a "house" can represent part of the mind, the whole mind, a whole person or even a church. The other nuance to the word "house" is that it is generally used in regards to our affections and desires rather than our thoughts and principles. This makes sense; we tend to engage our thoughts and rationality when we are out in the world doing our work, but when we are inside our houses we are driven most by love for our families and the desire to be good to those we love. So "house" tends to represent the things we want and care about -- which are ultimately the things that define us.