9264. For I will not justify the wicked. That this signifies that such malignity is contrary to the Divine righteousness, is evident from the signification of “justifying,” as being to declare guiltless and to absolve; but here not to absolve, because it is said, “I will not justify;” that “to justify” means also to declare guiltless and to absolve, is evident from the judicial meaning of this expression; as also in Matthew:

By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned (Matthew 12:37).

Ye are they that justify yourselves in the sight of men; but God knoweth your hearts (Luke 16:15).

And from the signification of “the wicked,” as being malignity (see n. 9249). Malignity, of which it is here said that it is contrary to the Divine righteousness, consists in destroying the interior and exterior good which is signified by “slaying the innocent and the righteous” (of which just above, n. 9262, 9263); and this good is destroyed when the Divine truth and good which are from the Lord are denied, in which case this is extinguished in the man, and consequently so is the Lord Himself, from whom proceed all good which is good and all truth which is truth. When this takes place, the man no longer has any spiritual life, thus no salvation. This same truth and good are extinguished when the Lord’s Divinity is denied, and also when the Word is denied, for this is Divine truth from the Lord and about the Lord. To deny this, when it has previously been acknowledged and received with faith, and thus to extinguish it, is the sin against the Holy Spirit, which is not forgiven (Matthew 12:31). For the Holy Spirit is the Divine truth and good, because it is the holy proceeding from the the Lord, (n. 9229). This same is also signified by the “shedding of innocent blood,” spoken of just above. That this malignity is not forgiven, because it is contrary to the Divine righteousness, is signified by the words, “I will not justify the wicked.”

874. Here is described the first state of the regeneration of the man of this church after temptation, which state is common to all who are being regenerated, namely, that they suppose they do what is good and think what is true from themselves; and because they are as yet in great obscurity, the Lord also leaves them so to imagine. But still all the good they do and all the truth they think while in such imagination, is not the good and truth of faith. For whatever man produces of himself cannot be good, because it is from himself, that is, from a fountain which is impure and most unclean. From this impure and unclean fountain no good can ever go forth, for the man is always thinking of his own merit and righteousness; and some go so far as to despise others in comparison with themselves (as the Lord teaches in Luke 18:9-14), and others err in other ways. Man’s own cupidities intermingle themselves, so that while it appears outwardly to be good, it is inwardly filthy. For this reason the good which man does in this state is not the good of faith, and the case is the same with the truth that he thinks, for although that which he thinks may be very true, yet so long as it is from what is his own it is indeed in itself the truth of faith, but the good of faith is not in it; and all truth, in order to be the truth of faith, must have in it from the Lord the good of faith. Then for the first time there are good and truth.