248. Verse 20. Behold I stand at the door and knock, signifies the perpetual presence of the Lord. This is evident from the signification of "door or entrance," as being in the highest sense the Lord in respect to admission into heaven or into the church, and in the internal sense truth from good, which is from Him, since by this man is admitted (See above, n. 208), since it is here said by the Lord, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock," not only His perpetual presence is signified, but also His perpetual wish to admit, and He does admit and conjoin Himself with all who receive Him, which is effected by means of truths from good or by means of faith from charity; therefore this follows, "If anyone hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." As the word "door" is used, so the word "knocking" is used, which signifies the Lord's perpetual wish to conjoin Himself with man, and to communicate to him the blessednesses of heaven. That this is the meaning can be seen from this, that in the Lord is Divine love, and Divine love is wishing to give all its own to others, and wishing that they may receive Him; and as this can be effected only by man's receiving good and truth, or love and faith, since these are the Divine things that proceed from the Lord and are received (and as these are Divine, the Lord is in them), therefore there is conjunction of the Lord with the angels and with men by means of truths from good or by means of faith from love. The desire to give these things to man and to implant them in him is signified especially by, "I stand at the door and knock."
[2] There are two things that are in man's freedom by reason of the perpetual presence of the Lord, and His perpetual desire to conjoin Himself with man. The first thing therefrom in man's freedom is that he has the means and faculty to think well about the Lord and the neighbor; for everyone is able to think well or ill about the Lord and the neighbor; if he thinks well the door is opened, if ill it is shut. To think well about the Lord and the neighbor is not from man himself and from what is his own [ejus proprio], but from the Lord, who is perpetually present and by His perpetual presence gives man that means and faculty; but to think ill about the Lord and the neighbor is from man himself and from what is his own [ejus proprio]. The other thing which is in man's freedom by reason of the perpetual presence of the Lord with him, and the Lord's perpetual desire to conjoin Himself with man, is man's ability to abstain from evils; and so far as he does abstain the Lord opens the door and enters; for the Lord is unable to open and enter so long as evils are in man's thought and will, since these block the way and close it up. Moreover, it has been granted to man by the Lord to know the evils of the thought and will, as also the truths by which evils are to be dispersed; for the Word is given wherein these things are disclosed.
[3] From this it can be seen that nothing is lacking that man may be reformed if he wishes to be; for all the means of reformation have been bequeathed to man in his freedom; but it should be well known that this freedom is from the Lord, as was said above, and that the Lord effects reformation thereby, provided man, from the freedom that is given to everyone, receives. There must absolutely be reception on the part of man, which is meant by "If anyone hear My voice and open the door." It does not matter, if man, because he does not perceive the inflowing, does not know in the beginning that this is from the Lord, provided he afterwards believes from the Word that all the good of love and the truth of faith are from the Lord, for the Lord effects these things, although man does not know it, and this by His perpetual presence, which is signified by "I stand at the door and knock." In short, it is the Lord's wish that man of himself should abstain from evil things and do good, if he only believes that the ability to do so is not from man, but from the Lord; for it is the Lord's will that there be reception on man's part, and reception is possible only as man acts as of himself, though it is from the Lord. Thus something reciprocal is given with man, and this is his new will.
[4] From this it can be seen how mistaken those are who say that man is justified and saved by faith alone, because he cannot do good from himself. What else would this be than letting his hands hang down waiting for immediate influx? He who does this receives nothing at all. They also err who believe that they can make themselves receptive of influx by prayers, adorations, and the externals of worship; these things are of no effect unless man abstains from thinking and doing evils, and by truths from the Word leads himself, as of himself, to things good in respect to life; when man does this he makes himself receptive, and then his prayers, adorations, and externals of worship avail before the Lord. (On this see more in the work on Heaven and Hell 521-527.)
