217. 3:20 "볼지어다 내가 문밖에 서서 두드리노니 누구든지 내 음성을 듣고 문을 열면 내가 그에게로 들어가 그로 더불어 먹고 그는 나로 더불어 먹으리라"

"볼 지어다 내가 문밖에 서서 두드리노니"는 주께서 말씀 안에 있는 모든 사람에게 나타나시며, 타일러 받아들이게 하시고, 또 어떻게 가르치시는가를 뜻한다. 누가복음에 있는 주의 말씀도 이에 비슷한 것이 있다.

"너희는 마치 그 주인이 혼인집에서 돌아와 문을 두드리면 곧 열어주려고 기다리는 사람과 같이 되라"(누가복음 12:36)

"문"이 입장허가 또는 들어감을 뜻하는 것은 위(@@176)를 보면 알 수 있을 것이다.

9096. 'And its owner does not keep it in' means, and if it is not held in bonds. This is clear from the meaning of 'keeping in' as holding in bonds, that is to say, the affection for evil in the natural, which would otherwise injure the truth of faith The reason why 'keeping in' means holding in bonds is that 'becoming known' means passing into the understanding, 9095, and the understanding is what sees evil. What is seen can be restrained and held in bonds, not by the understanding but by the Lord through the understanding; for the Lord flows into things residing with a person that are known to him, not into those unknown to him. Holding in bonds is used to mean halting and restraining, 'bonds' in the spiritual sense meaning nothing other than affections belonging to love, since they are what lead a person and what restrain him. If affections for evil lead him, there must be affections for truth springing from good that will restrain him. Internal bonds with a person are affections for truth and good; these are also called the bonds of conscience. But external bonds are affections belonging to self-love and love of the world; for these lead a person in external matters. If these affections come down from internal bonds, which are affections for truth and good, they are good, for then the person loves self and the world not for their own sake but for the sake of good services performed by self and the world, 7819, 7820, 8995. But if those affections do not come down from such bonds they are bad and are called evil desires, for then the person loves self and the world for their own sake.

[2] From all this one may now know what the terms 'internal bonds' and 'external bonds', which have been mentioned frequently, are used to mean. But bonds so called are not bonds except in relation to opposites. For when an affection belonging to the love of good moves a person to do something he acts in freedom; but when an affection belonging to the love of evil moves a person he seems to himself to act in freedom, yet does not act in freedom because he is moved by evil desires coming from hell. He alone is free who has an affection for good, because he is led by the Lord. This also the Lord teaches in John,

If you remain in My word, truly you are My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. Everyone committing sin is a slave of sin. If the Son makes you free, you will be truly free. John 8:31-32, 34, 36.

'Freedom' consists in being led by the Lord, and 'servitude' in being led by evil desires coming from hell, see 892, 905, 2870-2893, 6205, 6477, 8209; for the Lord imparts to a person affections for good and a loathing of evil, so that for that person, doing good is freedom and doing evil is complete servitude. Anyone who believes that Christian freedom extends beyond these boundaries is very much in error.