Explaining the Inner Meaning of John 3

Verses 3:1, 2. That some in the perverted church, in consequence of the miracles which the Lord worked, seek conjunction with him, and acknowledge his doctrine to be divine.

Verse 3:3. To whom it is taught, that man cannot attain any perception of heavenly good and truth, except by regeneration.

Verses 3:4, 5. This however is understood by those of the perverted church, according to a natural idea, and not according to a spiritual idea, and therefore they are further instructed, that regeneration is effected by a reception of the truths of faith in man's understanding, and by a love and life in conformity with those truths.

Verses 3:6, 7. Because man is at first born merely natural, but has the capacity of afterwards becoming spiritual, by a life according to truths derived from the Word, and therefore he ought not to regard regeneration as a strange, or irrational operation.

Verse 3:8. Yet that scarcely any of the innumerable arcana of regeneration come to the knowledge and perception of man.

Verses 3:9, 10. This cannot be comprehended by those of the perverted church, who are in the knowledges of external truth, when yet those knowledges ought to have conducted them to the apprehension of internal truth.

Verses 3:11, 12. For the literal or external sense of the Word proceeds from, and is filled with, the interior things of the divine truth and wisdom, which things are rejected by those who remain in the love of mere natural things, and who, on that account, cannot comprehend celestial and spiritual things.

Verse 3:13. For celestial and spiritual things can only be comprehended by those who receive into their minds and lives the divine truth, inasmuch as the divine truth alone comes down from heaven, and therefore is alone capable of elevating any into the things of heaven.

Verses 3:14, 15. That this divine truth therefore assumed a sensual corporeal principle here on earth, to the intent that sensual corporeal men might have a divine object of faith presented to them, and being thus elevated to conjunction with that object, might be preserved from the defilement and death of merely sensual and corporeal life.

Verse 3:16. That this was effected from the divine love, to the intent that mankind might no longer continue immersed in mere natural love, but might be raised into the sphere of celestial and spiritual love.

Verses 3:17, 18. Wherefore God assumed the Human [nature] to the intent that mankind might conjoin goodness and truth in their minds and lives, since a right faith in the Divine Humanity of the Lord leads to such conjunction, whereas a want of that faith leads to separation.

Verses 3:19, 20. For the Divine Humanity of the Lord is divine truth, and if divine truth be rejected in consequence of evil love, then nothing appertains to man but the false principle of evil.

Verse 3:21. On the other hand, if divine truth be loved and obeyed, man is conducted to the Lord's Divine Humanity, because he is willing to acknowledge that all the good which he wills and does is from that divine source.

Verses 3:22, 23, 24. That when the Lord had finished these sayings, he instructs the perverted church in the truths of purification, which truths also were taught in abundance by those who were principled in charity and faith, whilst they were in a state of freedom.

Verses 3:25, 26, 27. Nevertheless these truths are received with doubt by those of the perverted church, and therefore it is taught that all purifying truth is from the Divine Truth, and thus that all wisdom, intelligence, reason, and science, are not of man, but of the Lord in his Divine Humanity.

Verses 3:28, 29. And that the design of all representative truth is only to prepare mankind for the reception of the Divine Truth, that thus good and truth may be conjoined in the church, and the church may rejoice in being instructed concerning the precepts of faith, and in receiving them in faith and obedience.

Verses 3:30, 31. Thus the Divine Truth becomes all in all in the church, as being inmost truth, and all other good and truth only administer externally.

Verses 3:32, 33. For the Divine Truth testifies concerning the Lord, both as to his divine wisdom and divine love, and notwithstanding its being rejected by the generality of mankind, brings conviction along with it to those who receive it.

Verses 3:34, 35. Which truth is from the Lord's Divine Humanity, whose intelligence and wisdom are infinite, being in eternal union with the divine good, and thus possessing the all of that good.

Verse 3:36. Whosoever therefore receives truth from that Divine Humanity with a right faith, is made partaker also of the divine good, but whoever rejects it, can have no apprehension of that good, but remains in his own natural evils.

10057. And thou shalt take the second ram. That this signifies the following state, which is of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine good in the heavens, is evident from what goes before and what follows; in what goes before, the subject treated of was the sacrifices from the bullock, and the burnt-offering from the first ram; in what follows, the subject treated of is the second ram, and the filling of the hand by it; and lastly the sacrifice from the bullock, and the daily burnt-offering from lambs. Who cannot see, if he thinks from reason in some measure enlightened, that arcana of heaven lie concealed in these details? For otherwise to what purpose would have been the sacrifices and burnt-offerings with so many rituals; as that the altar should be drenched with blood, and that blood should be put upon the lap of the ear, the thumb of the hand, and the great toe of the foot, of Aaron and of his sons, and also upon their garments; and that in the sacrifice the fat of the intestines, of the liver, and of the kidneys, together with the kidneys themselves, should be burned upon the altar, and the rest should be burned with fire outside the camp, or should be eaten; and in the burnt-offering, that the intestines and the legs placed on the pieces and the head should be burned; also that the parts of the second ram should first be waved on the palms of Aaron and his sons, and that some parts of it should be eaten. Let anyone who wishes, consider whether such things would not have been merely earthily and of no account if they had not involved holy arcana; and if they involve holy arcana, these must of necessity be such as belong to heaven and the church, and in the supreme sense to the Lord, for these alone are holy, because Divine. If there be faith that the Word is holy and inspired by the Divine in respect to each and all things, there must also be faith that each and all things that were instituted concerning the sacrifices and burnt-offerings comprehend and contain within them such arcana. But what they comprehend and contain within them cannot possibly be known on earth, unless it is known what is signified by such things in the heavens; and what is signified the internal sense of the Word alone teaches, because this sense unfolds the correspondences. For all things in the natural world correspond to those in the spiritual world, for the reason that the former world comes forth and subsists from the latter.

[2] But what the sacrifices and burnt-offerings described in this chapter involve, will be told in a series by unfolding the correspondences by means of the internal sense. In the supreme sense, in which all holy things are Divine, the glorification of the Lord’s Human is treated of, and in the representative sense the regeneration of man. The very process of the glorification of the Lord’s Human, and of the regeneration of man, is fully described by the things commanded concerning the sacrifices and burnt-offerings; and in order that this process may be apprehended, I may set it forth by means of such things as can fall into the understanding. It is known that what is seen with the eyes and heard with the ears is perceived inwardly with man, and as it were passes out of the world through the eyes or ears into the thought, thus into the understanding, for the thought is of the understanding; and if they are such things as are loved, they pass from this into the will, and from the will by way of the understanding into the speech of the mouth, and also into the act of the body. Such is the circle of things out of the world through the natural man into his spiritual man, and from this again into the world. But be it known that this circle is instituted from the will, which is the inmost of man’s life, and that it begins there, and is from this accomplished; and the will of a man who is in good is directed from heaven by the Lord, though it appears otherwise. For there is an influx from the spiritual world into the natural, thus through the internal man into his external, but not the reverse; for the internal man is in heaven, but the external in the world.

[3] As this circle is the circle of man’s life, therefore during man’s regeneration he is regenerated according to the same, and when he has been regenerated, he lives and acts in accordance with it. Therefore during man’s regeneration the truths which are to be of faith are insinuated through the hearing and sight, and these truths are implanted in the memory of his natural man. From this memory they are withdrawn into the thought that belongs to the understanding, and those which are loved become of the will; and insofar as they become of the will, they become of the life, for the will of man is his very life; and insofar as they become of the life, they become of his affection, thus of charity in the will and of faith in the understanding. Afterward the man speaks and acts from this life, which is the life of charity and of faith; from charity which is of the will goes forth the speech of the mouth and also the act of the body, both by way of the understanding, thus by the way of faith. From all this it is evident that the circle of the regeneration of man is like the circle of his life in general; and that it is in like manner instituted in the will by means of an influx out of heaven from the Lord.

[4] Hence also it is plain that there are two states in the man who is being regenerated, the first when the truths of faith are being implanted and conjoined with the good of charity, the second when he speaks from the good of charity by means of the truths of faith, and acts according to these; thus that the first state is from the world through the natural man into the spiritual, thus into heaven; and the second is from heaven through the spiritual man into the natural, thus into the world. As said above, the spiritual or internal man is in heaven, and the natural or external man is in the world. This circle is the circle of the regeneration of man, and consequently is the circle of his spiritual life (concerning this twofold state of the man who is being regenerated, see the places cited in n. 9274).

[5] From what has been said, some idea may be formed of the glorification of the Lord’s Human; for as the Lord glorified His Human, so He regenerates man, and therefore, as already often said, the regeneration of man is an image of the glorification of the Lord. From this it is evident that the first state of His glorification was to make His Human Divine truth, and to unite it with the Divine good that was in Him; and that the second state was to act from Divine good through Divine truth. For heaven and the church are founded through the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord’s Divine good; and through this are regenerated all who are in the church.

These are the things described by the sacrifices and burnt-offerings, and their rituals, that are treated of in this chapter. By the sacrifice from the bullock and by the burnt-offering from the first ram is described the first state; and by the fillings of the hand from the second ram is described the second state; and finally by the sacrifice from the bullock, and by the burnt-offerings, is signified the continuance of this.

[6] Be it known that with a man who is being regenerated, purification from evils and their falsities goes on continually, for insofar as a man is purified from evils and falsities, so far are implanted the truths which are of faith, and these are conjoined with the good which is of charity, and insofar the man afterward acts from the good of charity. Purification from evils and falsities with man is not liberation from them, but is their removal (see n. 868, 887, 894, 929, 1581, 2269, 2406, 4564, 8206, 8393, 8988, 9014, 9333, 9446-9451, 9938). But with the Lord there was not removal, but casting out of those things which He derived from the mother, thus full and complete liberation from them, insomuch that He was no longer the Son of Mary (see the places cited in n. 9315, at the end). All this has been premised in order that it may be known what is signified by the filling of the hand from the second ram, of which in what now follows.