The Bible

 

Matthew 7

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1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

   

Commentary

 

#106 Hide and Seek with God

By Jonathan S. Rose

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Spirit and Life Bible Study broadcast from 9/5/2012. The complete series is available at: www.spiritandlifebiblestudy.com

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Heaven and Hell #64

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64. So many different things act as one in a man, because there is nothing whatever in him which does not contribute something to the general welfare and perform a use. The general performs a use for its parts, and the parts for the general, for the general is composed of the parts and the parts make up the general. Therefore, they provide for one another, have regard to one another and are conjoined in such a form that each single thing and all things have reference to the general and its good. So it comes about that they act as one.

[2] In the heavens there are the same sort of consociations. Those there are conjoined in a like form in accordance with uses. Consequently, those who do not perform a use for the community are cast out of heaven because they are heterogeneous. To perform use is to will well to others for the sake of the common good, and not to perform use is to will well to others, not for the sake of the common good but for the sake of self. The latter are those who love themselves above all things while the former are those who love the Lord above all things. Thus it is that those who are in heaven act as a one. This, however, they do, not from themselves but from the Lord, for they look to Him as the one and only Source of all things, and to His kingdom as the community whose welfare is to be considered. This is what is meant by the Lord's words,

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33.

[3] To seek His justice is to seek His good. 1 Those who in the world love their country's good more than their own, and their neighbour's good as their own, are those who in the other life love and seek the Lord's kingdom, for there the Lord's kingdom takes the place of their country. Also, those who love to do good to others, not for the sake of self but for the sake of good, love the neighbour, for in heaven good is the neighbour. 2 All such are in the Grand Man, that is, in heaven.

Footnotes:

1. [Swedenborg's footnote] Justice in the Word is predicated of good, and judgment of truth, and hence to do justice and judgment is to do what is good and true (Arcana Coelestia 2235, 9857).

2. [Swedenborg's footnote] In the highest sense the Lord is the neighbour, and hence to love the Lord is to love that which is from Him, because He Himself is in everything that is from Him; thus good and truth (Arcana Coelestia 2425, 3419, 6706, 6711, 6819, 6823, 8123).

Therefore, all good which is from the Lord is the neighbour, and to will and to do that good is to love the neighbour (Arcana Coelestia 5026, 10336).

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