123. 7. It is the unceasing effort of the Lord's divine providence to unite us to himself and himself to us in order to give us the joys of eternal life; and this can happen only to the extent that our evils and their compulsions are banished. I explained in 27-45 that it is the constant effort of the Lord's divine providence to unite us to himself and himself to us, and that this union is what we call reformation and regeneration. I explained also that this is the source of our salvation. Can anyone fail to see that union with the Lord is eternal life and salvation? Everyone can see this who believes that we were originally created in the image and likeness of God (see Genesis 1:26-27) and who knows what the image and likeness of God are.

[2] If we are truly rational and use our rationality when we think and use our freedom when we try to think, can any of us believe that there are three gods equal in essence and that the divine Being or divine Essence can be divided? As for a threefold nature in one God, that is something we can conceive and understand, just as we understand the soul and the body of an angel or a person and the life that they bring forth. Further, since this threefold nature in a single Being exists only in the Lord, it follows that any union must be a union with him.

Use your rationality and think freely, and you will see this truth in its own light. First, though, admit that the Lord, heaven, and eternal life are real.

[3] Now, since God is one and since by creation we have been made in his image and likeness, and since we have come into a love for all our evils through our hellish love, its compulsions, and their pleasures, thereby destroying the image and likeness of God within us, it follows that it is the constant effort of the Lord's divine providence to unite us with himself and himself with us and thereby to make us his images. It also follows that the Lord is doing this so that he may give us the bliss of eternal life, since this is the nature of divine love.

[4] The reason he cannot make this gift, cannot make us images of himself, unless we banish sins from our outer self in apparent autonomy is that the Lord is not just divine love but divine wisdom as well; and divine love does nothing unless it stems from divine wisdom and is in accord with it. It is in accord with divine wisdom that we cannot be united to the Lord and thus reformed, regenerated, and saved unless we are allowed to act freely and rationally. This is what makes us human. Anything that is in accord with the Lord's divine wisdom is also in accord with his divine providence.

3451. 'They said, We saw clearly that Jehovah was with you' means that they knew the Divine to be present within it. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing clearly' as discerning and so as knowing for certain, and from the meaning of 'Jehovah being with you' as the Divine being present within it. As stated above in 3447, the subject here is the agreement of the literal sense of the Word with the internal sense, consequently the agreement of matters of doctrine concerning faith - meant by Abimelech, Ahuzzath, and Phicol - with that same internal sense, insofar, that is, as those matters of doctrine are drawn from the literal sense of the Word. Accordingly the subject is the joining together of the Lord's kingdom on earth with the Lord's kingdom in heaven, and so with the Lord, by means of the Word. For the Word, as to the highest sense, is the Lord Himself; as to the internal sense, the Lord's kingdom itself in heaven; and as to the literal sense, the Lord's kingdom itself on earth, as has also been stated already.

[2] As regards the Lord's kingdom on earth, that is, His Church, because its matters of doctrine are drawn from the literal sense of the Word it is inevitably varying so far as these are concerned. That is to say, one group declares that this idea is the truth of faith because it is so stated in the Word, while another declares that that idea is the truth because that likewise is stated there, and so on. Consequently because its matters of doctrine are drawn from the literal sense of the Word the Lord's Church differs from one group to the next, and not only from group to group but sometimes from individual to individual within a group. But dissent in matters of doctrine concerning faith does not mean that the Church cannot be one Church, provided all are of one mind in willing what is good and doing it.

[3] Take for example someone who acknowledges as a matter of doctrine that charity is the product of faith but nevertheless leads a life of charity towards the neighbour. Even though the truth does not exist with him so far as doctrine is concerned, yet it does exist with him so far as life is concerned, and consequently he has the Lord's Church or kingdom within him. Or, to take another example, someone who says that good works ought to be done for the sake of reward in heaven, as accords with the literal sense of the Word in Matthew 10:41-42; 25:34-36, and elsewhere, and yet when performing good works he gives no thought at all to merit. He likewise is in the Lord's kingdom because the truth exists in him so far as life is concerned. This being what he is really like so far as life is concerned, he readily allows himself to be told that nobody is able to reach heaven on merit and that the works which a person regards as meritorious are not good. So it is with every other example that could be taken. For the literal sense is such that in many places it seems to contradict itself, the reason being that it contains appearances of truth that are suited to those who are engrossed in external things, and therefore who are also filled with a love of worldly things as well as bodily pleasures.

[4] Here therefore, through 'Abimelech', those people are dealt with who possess matters of doctrine concerning faith and who, as stated above, make faith the essential thing for salvation. Also dealt with is the agreement of their matters of doctrine with the internal sense. These people too, it is clear, are joined to heaven and the Lord by means of the literal sense, yet only those among them with whom good is present, that is, those who, though they make faith the essential thing so far as their doctrine is concerned, nevertheless make charity the essential so far as their life is concerned. For when they have confidence in, or put their trust in the Lord, which they call faith, affection that goes with love to the Lord is present, and therefore so far as life is concerned good is present in them. But see what has been stated and shown already in the following paragraphs:

Not doctrine but charity taught by it makes the Church, 809, 916, 1798, 1799, 1834, 1844.

Matters of doctrine have no value unless people live according to them, 1515.

The Church varies so far as truths are concerned, but is one through charity, 3267.

Parallelism exists between the Lord and man as regards celestial things that are matters of good, but not as regards spiritual things that are matters of truth, 1831, 1832.

Doctrine is invariably the same, that is to say, it is always concerned with love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour, 3445.

The Church would be one if charity were present with all, even though they differed from one another in forms of worship and in matters of doctrine, 809, 1285, 1316, 1798, 1799, 1834, 1844, 2982.

The Church would be like the Lord's kingdom in heaven if charity were present with all, 2385.

Countless variations of good and truth exist in heaven, but by acting in harmony with one another they nevertheless make one, like the organs and members of the body, 684, 690, 3241.