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Matteus 5

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1 Og da han så folket, gikk han op fjellet, og da han hadde satt sig, kom hans disipler til ham.

2 Og han oplot sin munn, lærte dem og sa:

3 Salige er de fattige i ånden; for himlenes rike er deres.

4 Salige er de som sørger; for de skal trøstes.

5 Salige er de saktmodige; for de skal arve jorden.

6 Salige er de som hungrer og tørster efter rettferdighet; for de skal mettes.

7 Salige er de barmhjertige; for de skal finne barmhjertighet.

8 Salige er de rene av hjertet; for de skal se Gud.

9 Salige er de fredsommelige; for de skal kalles Guds barn.

10 Salige er de som er forfulgt for rettferdighets skyld; for himlenes rike er deres.

11 Salige er I når de spotter og forfølger eder og lyver eder allehånde ondt på for min skyld.

12 Gled og fryd eder! for eders lønn er stor i himmelen; for således forfulgte de profetene før eder.

13 I er jordens salt; men når saltet mister sin kraft, hvad skal det så saltes med? Det duer ikke lenger til noget, uten til å kastes ut og tredes ned av menneskene.

14 I er verdens lys; en by som ligger på et fjell, kan ikke skjules;

15 en tender heller ikke et lys og setter det under en skjeppe, men i staken; så skinner det for alle i huset.

16 La således eders lys skinne for menneskene, forat de kan se eders gode gjerninger og prise eders Fader i himmelen!

17 I må ikke tro at jeg er kommet for å opheve loven eller profetene; jeg er ikke kommet for å opheve, men for å opfylle.

18 For sannelig sier jeg eder: Før himmel og jord forgår, skal ikke den minste bokstav eller en eneste tøddel forgå av loven, før det er skjedd alt sammen.

19 Derfor, den som bryter et eneste av disse minste bud og lærer menneskene således, han skal kalles den minste i himlenes rike; men den som holder dem og lærer andre dem, han skal kalles stor i himlenes rike.

20 For jeg sier eder: Dersom eders rettferdighet ikke overgår de skriftlærdes og fariseernes, kommer I ingenlunde inn i himlenes rike.

21 I har hørt at det er sagt til de gamle: Du skal ikke slå ihjel, men den som slår ihjel, skal være skyldig for dommen.

22 Men jeg sier eder at hver den som blir vred på sin bror uten grunn, skal være skyldig for dommen; men den som sier til sin bror: aka! skal være skyldig for rådet; men den som sier: Du dåre! skal være skyldig til helvedes ild.

23 Derfor, når du bærer ditt offer frem til alteret, og der kommer i hu at din bror har noget imot dig,

24 så la ditt offer ligge der foran alteret, og gå først bort og forlik dig med din bror, og kom så og bær ditt offer frem!

25 Skynd dig å være føielig mot din motstander så lenge du er med ham på veien, forat ikke motstanderen skal overgi dig til dommeren, og dommeren overgi dig til tjeneren, og du bli kastet i fengsel.

26 Sannelig sier jeg dig: Du skal ingenlunde komme ut derfra før du har betalt den siste øre.

27 I har hørt at det er sagt: Du skal ikke drive hor.

28 Men jeg sier eder at hver den som ser på en kvinne for å begjære henne, har alt drevet hor med henne i sitt hjerte.

29 Om ditt høire øie frister dig, da riv det ut og kast det fra dig! for det er bedre for dig at ett av dine lemmer går tapt enn at hele ditt legeme blir kastet i helvede.

30 Og dersom din høire hånd frister dig, da hugg den av og kast den fra dig! for det er bedre for dig at ett av dine lemmer går tapt enn at hele ditt legeme kommer i helvede.

31 Det er sagt: Den som skiller sig fra sin hustru, skal gi henne skilsmissebrev.

32 Men jeg sier eder at hver den som skiller sig fra sin hustru uten for hors skyld, han volder at hun driver hor, og den som gifter sig med en fraskilt kvinne, han driver hor.

33 Atter har I hørt at det er sagt til de gamle: Du skal ikke sverge falsk ed, men du skal holde dine eder for Herren.

34 Men jeg sier eder at I aldeles ikke skal sverge, hverken ved himmelen, for den er Guds trone,

35 eller ved jorden, for den er hans fotskammel, eller ved Jerusalem, for det er den store konges stad.

36 Heller ikke skal du sverge ved ditt hode; for du kan ikke gjøre ett hår hvitt eller sort.

37 Men eders tale skal være ja, ja, nei, nei; det som er mere enn dette, er av det onde.

38 I har hørt at det er sagt: Øie for øie, og tann for tann!

39 Men jeg sier eder at I ikke skal sette eder imot den som er ond mot eder; men om nogen slår dig på ditt høire kinn, da vend også det andre til ham,

40 og om nogen vil føre sak mot dig og ta din kjortel, da la ham også få kappen,

41 og om nogen tvinger dig til å gå en mil, da gå to med ham.

42 Gi den som ber dig, og vend dig ikke bort fra den som vil låne av dig.

43 I har hørt at det er sagt: Du skal elske din næste og hate din fiende.

44 Men jeg sier eder: Elsk eders fiender, velsign dem som forbanner eder, gjør vel imot dem som hater eder, og bed for dem som forfølger eder,

45 forat I kan bli eders himmelske Faders barn; for han lar sin sol gå op over onde og gode, og lar det regne over rettferdige og urettferdige.

46 For om I elsker dem som elsker eder, hvad lønn har I da? Gjør ikke også tolderne det samme?

47 Og om I hilser bare på eders brødre, hvad stort gjør I da? Gjør ikke også hedningene det samme?

48 Derfor skal I være fullkomne, likesom eders himmelske Fader er fullkommen.

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 774

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774. Verse 1. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea, signifies reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from life. This is evident from the signification of "a beast coming up out of the sea," as being the things that belong to the natural man; for "beasts" signify in the Word the affections of the natural man, in both senses (See above, n. 650; and the "sea" signifies the various things of the natural man that have reference to its knowledges [scientifica] both true and false, and to thoughts and reasonings therefrom (See also above, n. 275, 342, 511, 537, 538, 600). Thence it is clear that "a beast coming up out of the sea" signifies reasonings from the natural man. It is evident that these are reasonings that confirm the separation of faith from life, because in this chapter the dragon is further described, "the beast coming up out of the sea," signifies the reasonings of the dragon from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from life, and "the beast coming up out of the earth" signifies the confirmations of the dragon from the sense of the letter of the Word, and the falsification of it (See below, from verse 13:11-18 the end of this chapter).

[2] That the dragon is further described in this chapter, and is also meant by the two beasts, is evident from its being said that "the dragon gave to the beast coming up out of the sea his power and his throne and great authority," and furthermore, that "they worshipped the dragon which gave authority unto the beast;" also that "the other beast that came up out of the earth spake as a dragon, and exercised all the authority of the first beast before the dragon." Thence it is clear that so far as those who separate faith from life (who are signified by "the dragon, ") confirm that separation by reasonings from the natural man, they are represented by "the beast coming up out of the sea;" while so far as they confirm that separation by the sense of the letter of the Word, and thereby falsify that sense, they are described by "the beast coming up out of the earth." That this is so can be fully seen from the description of each that follows.

[3] That reasonings from the natural man enter into the dogmas of those who make faith the only means of salvation, thus the very essential of the church, and so separate it from life or from charity, which they do not acknowledge as a means of salvation and as an essential of the church; this is but little seen, and consequently but little known, by the followers and those learned in that doctrine, because their thought is continually fixed on those passages of the Word by which they confirm that doctrine. And as the dogmas they confirm by the ultimate sense of the Word, which is the sense of the letter of the Word, are falsities, they must needs take their reasonings from the natural man, for without these it would not be possible to make falsities appear as truths. But this shall be illustrated by an example. That life or charity may be separated from faith, they contend 1. That by Adam's fall man lost all freedom to do good from himself; and 2. for this reason man is in no wise able to fulfill the law; and 3. without the fulfilling of the law there is no salvation; and 4. that the Lord came into the world that He might fulfill the law, and thus His righteousness and merit might be imputed to man, and by that imputation man might be loosed from the yoke of the law even to the extent that nothing condemns him; and 5. that man accepts the imputation of the Lord's merit by faith alone, and not at all by works. That these are mostly reasonings from the natural man confirming the assumed principle of faith alone and its connecting derivatives can be seen from a survey of these particulars in their order.

[4] 1. "By Adam's fall man lost his free will, which is a freedom to do good from himself." This reasoning is from falsities; for no man has or can have a freedom to do good from himself, since man is merely a recipient; consequently the good that man receives is not man's but is the Lord's with him. Nor do angels even have any good except from the Lord; and the more they acknowledge and perceive this the more they are angels, that is, higher and wiser than the others. Still less, therefore, could Adam, who was not yet an angel, be in a state of good from himself. His integrity consisted in a fuller reception of good and truth, and thus of intelligence and wisdom from the Lord, than his posterity enjoyed. This also was the image of God; for a man becomes an image by receiving the Lord, and he becomes an image in the measure of this reception. In a word, to do good from the Lord is freedom; and to do good from self is slavery. Thence it is clear that this reasoning originates in falsities that flow forth from fallacies, which are all from the natural man. Moreover, it is not in accordance with truth that hereditary evil was ingenerated in the whole human race by Adam's fall; its origin was from another source.

[5] 2. "From this it is that man is in no wise able to fulfill the law." This reasoning, too, is from the natural man. The spiritual man knows that doing the law and fulfilling it in external form does not save; but that so far as man does the law in the external form from the internal, it does save. The internal form, or the internal of the law, is to love what is good, sincere, and just; and its external is to do this. This the Lord teaches in Matthew:

Cleanse first the inside of the cup and the platter, that the outside of them may become clean also (Matthew 23:26).

Man fulfills the law so far as he does it from the internal, but not so far as he does it from the external apart from the internal. The internal of man is his love and will. But to love what is good, sincere, and just, and from love to will it, is from the Lord alone. Therefore to fulfill the law is to be led by the Lord. But this will be more fully illustrated in what follows.

[6] 3. "Without the fulfilling of the law there is no salvation." This involves that if man were able to fulfill the law of himself he would be saved, which yet in itself is false; and since it is false, and yet appears as if true because it is a received dogma, it must be confirmed by reasonings from the natural man. That it is false is clear from this, that man is unable to do anything good from self, but everything good is from the Lord; also from this, that no such state of integrity is possible that any good that is in itself good can be from man and be done by man, as has been said above respecting Adam. And as such a state of integrity never did and never can exist, it follows that the law must be fulfilled by the Lord, according to what has just been said above. Nevertheless, he who does not believe that man must do everything as of himself, although he does it from the Lord, is much deceived.

[7] 4. "The Lord came into the world that He might fulfill the law, and thus His righteousness and merit might be imputed to man; and by that imputation man is loosed from the yoke of the law, even to the extent that after justification by faith alone nothing condemns him." This, too, is reasoning from the natural man. It was not for this that the Lord came into the world, but that He might effect a judgment, and thereby reduce to order all things in the heavens and in the hells, and at the same time glorify His Human. By this have been saved, and are still saved all who have done good and do good from the Lord and not from self, thus not by any imputation of His merit and righteousness. For the Lord teaches:

I came not to destroy the law and the prophet; 1 I came not to destroy but to fulfill. Whosoever shall break the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whosoever doeth and teacheth them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens (Matthew 5:17, 19, seq.).

[8] 5. "Man accepts the imputation of the Lord's merit by faith alone, and not at all by works." This is a conclusion deduced from the reasonings that precede; and as those reasonings are from the natural man, and not from the rational enlightened by the spiritual, and consequently are from falsities and not from truths, it follows that the conclusion drawn from them falls to the ground.

From this it can be seen that to confirm any principle that is in itself false there must be reasonings from the natural man, and confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word, for reasonings will give an appearance of consistency to passages selected from the sense of the letter of the Word. This is why reasonings from the natural man are signified by "the beast out of the sea," and confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word by "the beast coming up out of the earth."

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. the Latin has "prophet" for "prophets." See Arcana Coelestia 7933, where we read "prophets" which agrees with the Greek text.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.