10205. Ye shall not make strange incense go up upon it. That this signifies no worship from any other love than the love of the Lord, is evident from the signification of “incense,” as being worship from love (see n. 9475); and from the signification of “strange” as being one who is within the church and yet does not acknowledge the the Lord, (n. 10112). From this it is evident that by “not making strange incense go up,” is signified that worship from any other love than that of the Lord is not worship. The case herein is this. Acknowledgment, faith, and love to the Lord, are the principal of all things of worship within the church, for acknowledgment, faith, and love conjoin; acknowledgment and faith conjoin there what is of the understanding, and love what is of the will; and these two things make the whole man. He therefore who within the church does not acknowledge the Lord has no conjunction with the Divine, for all the Divine is in the Lord and from the Lord; and when there is no conjunction with the Divine, there is no salvation. From this it is that worship from any other faith and from any other love than those which are directed to the Lord is not worship. It is otherwise with those who are outside the church; for as they are in ignorance about the Lord, their worship is accepted by the Lord when they live from their religion in any mutual charity, and in any faith and in any love to God, whom most of them worship under a human form. Moreover, in the other life, when they are instructed by the angels about the Lord, that He is the Divine Itself in human form, they acknowledge Him; and insofar as they had been in the good of life, so far they worship Him from faith and love (see n. 2589-2604).

10112. And a stranger shall not eat. That this signifies no appropriation of good with those who do not acknowledge the Lord, is evident from the signification of “a stranger,” and “a foreigner,” as being those who are outside the church (n. 2049, 2115, 7996); and those are said to be outside the church who do not acknowledge the Lord. Among the Israelitish nation those were said to be outside the church who did not acknowledge Jehovah as their God, and did not suffer themselves to be instructed in the rituals of the church. Those who acknowledged, and suffered themselves to be instructed, were called “sojourners,” who had the same rights as the natives (n. 8007, 8013, 9196). And from the signification of “eating,” as being the appropriation of good (n. 10109). The reason why there is no appropriation of good with those who do not acknowledge the Lord, is because to acknowledge one’s God is the first of religion, and with Christians to acknowledge the Lord is the first of the church; for without acknowledgment there is no communication, consequently no faith, thus no love. Consequently the first of doctrine in the Christian Church is that without the Lord there is no salvation. For whatever a man calls true, and believes, and whatever he calls good, and loves, cannot be called true and good unless it is from the Divine, thus unless it is from the Lord; for it is also known that of himself a man cannot believe and do what is good; but that all truth and all good come from above. Thus it is very plain that those within the Church who do not acknowledge the Lord, cannot have faith, thus neither can they have love to God, nor consequently can they be saved. This was represented among the Israelitish nation by the injunction that they were to acknowledge Jehovah as their God, and their worship would be accepted and called holy, and they would then be sanctified, whatever was their quality as to the interiors; for the representatives were merely external, and with that nation it was sufficient to be in externals (see the places cited in n. 9320). Therefore those of them who did not acknowledge Jehovah, but another God, no matter how they sacrificed and worshiped in like manner as the rest, were nevertheless rejected from the church; as for instance those who worshiped Baal, and other gods. From this can be seen what is the lot of those in the other life who have been born within the church and yet at heart deny the Lord, whatever may be their quality as to moral life. By much experience also it has been given to know that they cannot be saved; which the Lord also teaches openly in John:

He that believeth in the Son hath eternal life, but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him (John 3:36).

But with regard to the nations outside the church, those who have lived from their religion in some kind of charity toward their neighbor, and in some kind of love to God the Creator of the universe under a human form, are in the other life accepted by the Lord and are saved; for when instructed by angels these acknowledge the Lord, and believe in Him, and love Him (see n. 2589-2604).