Verses 1-8. A General Summary.

Verses 9-18. The selection of right principles in the mind.

Verses 19-21. Invitation to enter upon the heavenly life.

Verses 22-25. A search into what constitutes the heavenly life.

Verses 26-40. The unwillingness of the unregenerate heart to enter upon it.

Verses 41-46. The attempt to do so from selfhood and defeat in temptation.

10829. Loving the Lord consists in leading a life in accord with His commandments. The truth that this is what constitutes loving the Lord is His own teaching in John,

If you love Me, keep My commands. He who has My commandments and does them, he it is who loves Me. If anyone loves Me he will keep My word; but he who does not love Me does not keep My words. John 14:15, 21, 23-24.

And the truth that they are saved who receive the Lord and believe in Him, but not those who are immersed in evils and resulting falsities, since they do not receive Him and believe in Him, is declared in John,

As many as received Him, to them He gave power to be sons of God, to those believing in His name, who were born, not of blood ¹ , nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man (vir), but of God. John 1:12-13.

'Of blood, of the will of the flesh, and of the will of man' means being immersed in the evils of self-love and love of the world and in resulting falsities. 'Being born of God' means being regenerated.

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