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Hosea 4

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1 Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land; for there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.

2 Swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, -- they break out; and blood toucheth blood.

3 For this shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowl of the heavens, yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

4 Yet let no man strive, and let no man reprove; for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.

5 And thou shalt stumble by day; and the prophet also shall stumble with thee by night: and I will destroy thy mother.

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; for thou hast rejected knowledge, and I will reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me; seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.

7 As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame.

8 They eat the sin of my people, and their soul longeth for their iniquity.

9 And it shall be as the people so the priest; and I will visit their ways upon them, and recompense to them their doings;

10 and they shall eat, and not have enough; they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: for they have left off taking heed to Jehovah.

11 Fornication, and wine, and new wine take away the heart.

12 My people ask counsel of their stock, and their staff declareth unto them; for the spirit of whoredoms causeth [them] to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God:

13 they sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oak and poplar and terebinth, because the shade thereof is good; therefore your daughters play the harlot and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot, nor your daughters-in-law for their committing adultery; for they themselves go aside with harlots, and they sacrifice with prostitutes: and the people that doth not understand shall come to ruin.

15 Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, let not Judah trespass; and come ye not unto Gilgal, neither go up to Beth-aven, nor swear [As] Jehovah liveth!

16 For Israel is refractory as an untractable heifer; now will Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a wide [pasture].

17 -- Ephraim is joined to idols: leave him alone.

18 Their drink is sour; they give themselves up to whoredom; her great men passionately love [their] shame.

19 The wind hath wrapped her up in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

   

Iz Swedenborgovih djela

 

True Christianity #376

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376. Goodwill and faith do nothing for us when they are attached to only one part of our body (meaning our head) but are not anchored in actions. This is clear from a thousand passages in the Word, of which I will cite only the following here:

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 7:19-21)

"Those who are sown in good earth are people who hear the Word and pay attention, and bear and produce fruit. " When Jesus had said this he cried out, saying, "Those who have ears to hear must hear. " (Matthew 13:39, 43)

Jesus said, "My mother and my brothers and sisters are those who hear the Word of God and do it. " (Luke 8:21)

We know that God does not hear sinners, but if people worship God and do his will, he hears them. (John 9:31)

If you know these things, you are happy if you do them. (John 13:17)

Those who have my commandments and do them are the people who love me. I will love them and will manifest myself to them. I will come to them and make my home with them. (John 14:15-21, 23)

My Father is glorified by your bearing much fruit. (John 15:8)

Hearers of the law are not justified by God, but doers of the law are. (Romans 2:13; James 1:22)

In the day of anger and just judgment, God will repay all according to their works. (Romans 2:5-6)

It is right for us all to appear before Christ's judgment seat, so that each of us may carry away what we have done through our body in regard to those things, whether good or evil. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

The Son of Humankind is going to come in the glory of his Father. Then he will repay all according to their deeds. (Matthew 16:27)

I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. The Spirit says that they will rest from their labors. Their works follow them. " (Revelation 14:13)

A book is opened, which is the book of life, and the dead are judged according to the things that are written in the book. All are judged according to their works. (Revelation 20:12-13)

Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me to give to all according to their work. (Revelation 22:12)

Jehovah, whose eyes are open to all the ways of human beings, to give to them all according to their ways and according to the fruit of their works. (Jeremiah 32:19)

I will bring judgment upon them according to their ways and will reward their works. (Hosea 4:9)

Jehovah deals with us according to our ways and according to our works. (Zechariah 1:6)

There are thousands of other passages like these.

On this basis one can clearly see that goodwill and faith are not goodwill and faith before they exist in actions. If they exist only up in the sky or in the mind above actions, they are like images of a tabernacle or a church in the air that are just strange aerial phenomena that spontaneously disappear. They are like paintings on paper that bookworms are chewing through. They are like our living on a roof with no bed rather than in a house.

From all this you can see that goodwill and faith are transient entities when they are merely mental - unless, when there is an opportunity for us to do them, they culminate in actions and become embodied in them.

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

Biblija

 

Luke 8

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1 It happened soon afterwards, that he went about through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the Kingdom of God. With him were the twelve,

2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out;

3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuzas, Herod's steward; Susanna; and many others; who served them from their possessions.

4 When a great multitude came together, and people from every city were coming to him, he spoke by a parable.

5 "The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it.

6 Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

7 Other fell amid the thorns, and the thorns grew with it, and choked it.

8 Other fell into the good ground, and grew, and brought forth fruit one hundred times." As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

9 Then his disciples asked him, "What does this parable mean?"

10 He said, "To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables; that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

12 Those along the road are those who hear, then the devil comes, and takes away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved.

13 Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, who believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation.

14 That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

15 That in the good ground, these are such as in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it tightly, and bring forth fruit with patience.

16 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a container, or puts it under a bed; but puts it on a stand, that those who enter in may see the light.

17 For nothing is hidden, that will not be revealed; nor anything secret, that will not be known and come to light.

18 Be careful therefore how you hear. For whoever has, to him will be given; and whoever doesn't have, from him will be taken away even that which he thinks he has."

19 His mother and brothers came to him, and they could not come near him for the crowd.

20 It was told him by some saying, "Your mother and your brothers stand outside, desiring to see you."

21 But he answered them, "My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God, and do it."

22 Now it happened on one of those days, that he entered into a boat, himself and his disciples, and he said to them, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they launched out.

23 But as they sailed, he fell asleep. A wind storm came down on the lake, and they were taking on dangerous amounts of water.

24 They came to him, and awoke him, saying, "Master, master, we are dying!" He awoke, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and it was calm.

25 He said to them, "Where is your faith?" Being afraid they marveled, saying one to another, "Who is this, then, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?"

26 They arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.

27 When Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man out of the city who had demons for a long time met him. He wore no clothes, and didn't live in a house, but in the tombs.

28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, "What do I have to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torment me!"

29 For Jesus was commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For the unclean spirit had often seized the man. He was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters. Breaking the bands apart, he was driven by the demon into the desert.

30 Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion," for many demons had entered into him.

31 They begged him that he would not command them to go into the abyss.

32 Now there was there a herd of many pigs feeding on the mountain, and they begged him that he would allow them to enter into those. He allowed them.

33 The demons came out from the man, and entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake, and were drowned.

34 When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled, and told it in the city and in the country.

35 People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

36 Those who saw it told them how he who had been possessed by demons was healed.

37 All the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them, for they were very much afraid. He entered into the boat, and returned.

38 But the man from whom the demons had gone out begged him that he might go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,

39 "Return to your house, and declare what great things God has done for you." He went his way, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

40 It happened, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him.

41 Behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus' feet, and begged him to come into his house,

42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as he went, the multitudes pressed against him.

43 A woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her living on physicians, and could not be healed by any,

44 came behind him, and touched the fringe of his cloak, and immediately the flow of her blood stopped.

45 Jesus said, "Who touched me?" When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes press and jostle you, and you say, 'Who touched me?'"

46 But Jesus said, "Someone did touch me, for I perceived that power has gone out of me."

47 When the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared to him in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.

48 He said to her, "Daughter, cheer up. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace."

49 While he still spoke, one from the ruler of the synagogue's house came, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead. Don't trouble the Teacher."

50 But Jesus hearing it, answered him, "Don't be afraid. Only believe, and she will be healed."

51 When he came to the house, he didn't allow anyone to enter in, except Peter, John, James, the father of the child, and her mother.

52 All were weeping and mourning her, but he said, "Don't weep. She isn't dead, but sleeping."

53 They were ridiculing him, knowing that she was dead.

54 But he put them all outside, and taking her by the hand, he called, saying, "Child, arise!"

55 Her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately. He commanded that something be given to her to eat.

56 Her parents were amazed, but he commanded them to tell no one what had been done.