450. There Are Such Things as Illegitimate Goodwill, Hypocritical Goodwill, and Dead Goodwill

Genuine, living goodwill does not exist unless it accompanies faith and unless both goodwill and faith jointly focus on the Lord. These three - the Lord, goodwill, and faith - are the three essential elements for salvation. When they are united, goodwill is goodwill, faith is faith, and the Lord is in them both and they are in the Lord (see 363-367, 368-372 above). When these three elements are not united, goodwill is illegitimate, hypocritical, or dead.

From the time Christianity was first established, various heresies have arisen; some are still in existence today. Even these heresies have all recognized these three essential elements: God, goodwill, and faith. Without these three elements there is no religion.

As for goodwill in specific, it can be attached to any heretical faith - Socinian faith, faith in one's own divine inspiration, Jewish faith, even idolatrous faiths. People in these faiths believe that they have goodwill since it looks the same in outward form; nevertheless, goodwill changes its quality depending on the faith it is attached or united to. (This point is clarified in the chapter on faith [367].)