5759. 'With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die' means that the one who does such a thing stands condemned. This is clear from the meaning of 'dying' as becoming damned, for spiritual death is nothing other than the state of damnation. The fact that those who lay claim to truth and good belonging to the Lord cannot be in heaven but are outside heaven is evident from what has been stated immediately above in 5758; and those who are outside heaven stand condemned. Such a law however is one of judgement based on truth. But when judgement is made on the basis of good as well as truth, those who do what is true and good, yet out of ignorance or simplicity attribute this to themselves, do not stand condemned. In the next life a method of vastation exists which is used to release them from this error. And quite apart from this [they do not stand condemned] because each person ought to do what is good and true seemingly of his own accord, while still believing that it comes from the Lord, see 2882, 2883, 2891. Acting in this way he casts aside that false notion as he matures and grows in intelligence and faith, until at length he acknowledges in his heart that his entire endeavour to do what is good and think what is true has had and continues to have its origin in the Lord. This also explains why the one sent by Joseph does indeed uphold the judgement, yet soon sets it aside. That is to say, he upholds but soon sets aside the judgement that the one with whom the cup was found should be put to death, for he says, implying a less severe sentence,

Now also, according to your words, so let it be: He with whom it is found will be my slave, and you will be blameless.

But the situation is different when people behave in the same way not out of ignorance or simplicity but because of tenets which they have reinforced with their beliefs and by their life. Yet even then, because they do what is good, the Lord in His mercy preserves with them some degree of ignorance and simplicity.

2891. Those who have become spirits only recently torment themselves very much by trying to grasp the idea that no one is able to do good of himself, or to think what is true of himself, but that he does so from the Lord. For they believe that if that idea is true they would accordingly be like mere machines and have control of nothing at all; and that being so they would let hands hang down and allow themselves to be acted upon. But they are told that they ought by all means to think, to will, and to do good of themselves, and that in no other way could they have a heavenly proprium and heavenly freedom. But they are also told that they ought nevertheless to acknowledge that good and truth do not originate in themselves but in the Lord, and they are informed that such acknowledgement and indeed perception that this is so exists with all angels. And the more keenly they perceive that they are led by the Lord and so abide in Him the more they are in freedom.