The Bible

 

synty 17

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1 Kun Abram oli yhdeksänkymmenen yhdeksän vuoden vanha, ilmestyi Herra hänelle ja sanoi hänelle: "Minä olen Jumala, Kaikkivaltias; vaella minun edessäni ja ole nuhteeton.

2 Ja minä teen liittoni meidän välillemme, minun ja sinun, ja lisään sinut ylen runsaasti."

3 Ja Abram lankesi kasvoilleen, ja Jumala puhui hänelle sanoen:

4 "Katso, tämä on minun liittoni sinun kanssasi: sinusta tulee kansojen paljouden isä.

5 Niin älköön sinua enää kutsuttako Abramiksi, vaan nimesi olkoon Aabraham, sillä minä teen sinusta kansojen paljouden isän.

6 Minä teen sinut sangen hedelmälliseksi ja annan sinusta tulla kansoja, ja sinusta on polveutuva kuninkaita.

7 Ja minä teen liiton sinun kanssasi ja sinun jälkeläistesi kanssa, sukupolvesta sukupolveen, iankaikkisen liiton, ollakseni sinun ja sinun jälkeläistesi Jumala,

8 ja minä annan sinulle ja sinun jälkeläisillesi sen maan, jossa sinä muukalaisena asut, koko Kanaanin maan, ikuiseksi omaisuudeksi; ja minä olen heidän Jumalansa."

9 Ja Jumala sanoi Aabrahamille: "Mutta sinä pidä minun liittoni, sinä ja sinun jälkeläisesi, sukupolvesta sukupolveen.

10 Ja tämä on minun liittoni sinun ja sinun jälkeläistesi kanssa; pitäkää se: ympärileikatkaa jokainen miehenpuoli keskuudessanne.

11 Ympärileikatkaa esinahkanne liha, ja se olkoon liiton merkki meidän välillämme, minun ja teidän.

12 Sukupolvesta sukupolveen ympärileikattakoon jokainen poikalapsi teidän keskuudessanne kahdeksan päivän vanhana, niin hyvin kotona syntynyt palvelija kuin muukalaiselta, keneltä tahansa, rahalla ostettu, joka ei ole sinun jälkeläisiäsi.

13 Ympärileikattakoon sekä kotonasi syntynyt että rahalla ostamasi; ja niin minun liittoni on oleva merkitty teidän lihaanne iankaikkiseksi liitoksi.

14 Mutta ympärileikkaamaton miehenpuoli, jonka esinahan liha ei ole ympärileikattu, hävitettäköön kansastansa; hän on rikkonut minun liittoni."

15 Ja Jumala sanoi Aabrahamille: "Älä kutsu vaimoasi Saaraita enää Saaraiksi, vaan Saara olkoon hänen nimensä.

16 Ja minä siunaan häntä ja annan hänestäkin sinulle pojan; niin, minä siunaan häntä, ja hänestä tulee kansakuntia, polveutuu kansojen kuninkaita."

17 Aabraham lankesi kasvoillensa ja naurahti, sillä hän ajatteli sydämessään: "Voiko satavuotiaalle syntyä poika, ja voiko Saara, joka on yhdeksänkymmenen vuoden vanha, vielä synnyttää?"

18 Ja Aabraham sanoi Jumalalle: "Kunpa edes Ismael saisi elää sinun edessäsi!"

19 Niin Jumala sanoi: "Totisesti, sinun vaimosi Saara synnyttää sinulle pojan, ja sinun on pantava hänen nimekseen Iisak, ja minä teen liittoni hänen kanssaan iankaikkiseksi liitoksi hänen jälkeläisillensä.

20 Mutta myös Ismaelista minä olen kuullut sinun rukouksesi; katso, minä siunaan häntä ja teen hänet hedelmälliseksi ja annan hänen lisääntyä ylen runsaasti. Hänestä on polveutuva kaksitoista ruhtinasta, ja minä teen hänestä suuren kansan.

21 Mutta liittoni minä teen Iisakin kanssa, jonka Saara sinulle synnyttää tähän aikaan tulevana vuonna."

22 Kun Jumala oli lakannut puhumasta Aabrahamin kanssa, kohosi hän ylös hänen luotansa.

23 Ja Aabraham otti poikansa Ismaelin sekä kaikki kotona syntyneet ja kaikki rahalla ostamansa palvelijat, kaikki Aabrahamin perheen miehenpuolet, ja ympärileikkasi sinä samana päivänä heidän esinahkansa lihan, niinkuin Jumala oli hänelle sanonut.

24 Aabraham oli yhdeksänkymmenen yhdeksän vuoden vanha, kun hänen esinahkansa liha ympärileikattiin.

25 Ja hänen poikansa Ismael oli kolmentoista vuoden vanha, kun hänen esinahkansa liha ympärileikattiin.

26 Aabraham ja hänen poikansa Ismael ympärileikattiin sinä samana päivänä;

27 ja kaikki hänen perheensä miehet, sekä kotona syntyneet että muukalaisilta rahalla ostetut, ympärileikattiin hänen kanssaan.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Canons of the New Church #45

  
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45. CHAPTER VIII 1 . THE CONFIRMING OF A TRINITY OF PERSONS, EACH OF WHOM IS A GOD FROM ETERNITY, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NICENE AND ATHANASIAN CREEDS, HAS FALSIFIED THE WHOLE WORD

1. Every heretic is able to confirm his heresy, and does confirm it, by the Word, this having been written by means of appearances and correspondences. On this account the Word is said by some to be "the book of all the heresies".

2. A man, after confirming his dogmas, sees no otherwise than that they are true, even when they are false.

3. It is possible to confirm a plurality of Gods by many things from the Word; also to confirm a faith that is imputative of Christ's merit, in which faith three Gods have each their separate part; and, further, that works of charity contribute nothing towards faith, and so nothing towards salvation.

4. A plurality of Gods can be confirmed from the following:

Trinity is mentioned by the Lord.

Trinity made its appearance when the Lord was baptized.

There are "three who bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit". [1 John 5:7.]

Jehovah God said, "Let us make man in our image and likeness". [Gen. 1:26.]

Before Abraham three angels, who are called Jehovah, made their appearance. [Gen. 17:2-3.]

In the New Word, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are mentioned many times by the Lord in the Gospels, and by the Apostles in the Epistles, and this without its being said that they are One.

Then, too, it can be confirmed that there is a faith by which there is imputation of Christ's merit, and that this faith is the only saving faith; also that the works of charity do not conduce to salvation. Let it be added that any reasoning mind can augment the above with contributions of its own, and strengthen them.

5. Not a single one of these can be seen to be false and so be dispelled, unless reason, enlightened by the Lord through the Word, confirm that God is One and that there is a conjunction of charity and faith.

6. When this is done, it is obvious that the theology based upon a Trinity of Persons, each one of whom is God, and upon a faith made applicable to each of them separately, and upon the worthlessness of charity for salvation, has falsified the whole Word; for the reason, chiefly, that these three, God, charity, and faith, are the universals of religion to which every single thing in the Word, and every single thing of heaven and the Church therefrom, has reference.

7. The result, with him who has confirmed this enormity, is that, wherever he reads of the Father, or of the Son, or of the Holy Spirit, indeed wherever he reads of Jehovah and God, he thinks of three Gods because he is thinking of one out of the three; further, wherever he reads of faith, he thinks of no other faith than of one by which there is imputation of Christ's merit; and wherever he reads of charity, he thinks of it as not contributing anything towards salvation, or else he thinks of that faith in its stead. Confirmation once impressed carries this with it.

Footnotes:

1.  In the Skara Manuscript, this chapter is numbered VI and the following chapters accordingly in sequence, no notice being taken of the missing pages.

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

The Bible

 

1 John 5

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1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him.

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments.

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous.

4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith.

5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

6 This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

7 For there are three who testify:

8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and the three agree as one.

9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is God's testimony which he has testified concerning his Son.

10 He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who doesn't believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.

11 The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn't have God's Son doesn't have the life.

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

14 This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.

15 And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.

16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I don't say that he should make a request concerning this.

17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.

18 We know that whoever is born of God doesn't sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn't touch him.

19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

20 We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.