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John 16

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1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.

2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?

6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;

10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?

18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.

19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?

20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.

26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:

27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

29 His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.

30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.

31 Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?

32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

A Brief Exposition of New Church Doctrine #44

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44. BRIEF ANALYSIS

This is the Faith of the New Church in simple form. It will appear more fully in the Appendix, and in still greater fulness in the first part of the major work, treating of the Lord God the Saviour, and of the Trinity in Him; of love to God and love towards the neighbour; of faith, and its conjunction with those two loves. This faith will also be treated of in the remaining parts of that work, which will follow in their proper order there. But it is important that this preliminary account of the above-mentioned faith should be shown here to some extent.

The first Article, viz., that there is one God in Whom is the Divine Trinity, and that He is the Lord Jesus Christ, is shown by the following summary. It is a sure and abiding truth that God is one, that His essence is indivisible, and that there is a Trinity. Since, therefore, God is one, and His essence is indivisible, it follows that God is one Person; and that, since He is one Person, the Trinity is in that Person. That this Person is the Lord Jesus Christ is evident from the following statements: He was conceived of God the Father,Luke 1:34-35: thus, as to His soul and essential life, He is God. Therefore, as He Himself said, the Father and He are one, John 10:30. He is in the Father, and the Father in Him, John 14:10-11. He who sees Him and knows Him, sees and knows the Father, John 14:7, 9. No one sees and knows the Father except He Who is in the bosom of the Father, John 1:18. All things of the Father are His, John 3:35, 16:15. He is the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through Him, John 14:6; consequently by Him, because He is in Him, thus is He Himself. According to Paul, in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, Colossians 2:9; and according to Isaiah,

Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, Whose name is God, Father of eternity. Isaiah 9:6.

Further, He has power over all flesh, John 17:2 whence it follows that He is the God of heaven and earth.

The second Article, viz., that a saving faith is to believe on Him, is shown by these sayings:

Jesus said . . . He that believeth on Me shall never die, but shall live. John 11:25-26.

This is the will of My Father, that everyone who believes on the Son may have eternal life. John 6:40.

God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16.

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, but he that believeth not on the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 3:36.

There is no need to illustrate and prove the remaining Articles, which are that evils ought to be shunned because they are of the devil and from the devil, that good actions ought to be done because they are of God and from God, yet that man ought to believe that they are from the Lord with him and through him; for the whole Sacred Scripture from beginning to end confirms them and, in short, teaches nothing else than shunning evils and doing goods, and believing on the Lord God. Besides, without these three things there is not any religion, for religion belongs to life, and life is to shun evils and do goods; and man cannot do the one or the other except as of himself. Wherefore, if you remove these three things from the Church, you remove the Sacred Scripture, and religion also; in which case the Church ceases to be a Church.

For a further account of the Faith of the New Church in its universal and particular forms, see below, nos.116-117. All this will be demonstrated in the major work.

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