There are two places in the New Testament where people - not disciples - approach the Lord and ask Him straight out, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

One occurs in the Gospel of Luke:

"And behold, a certain laywer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25).

The other occurs in the Gospel of Mark:

"Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17).

Jesus answers these two people with answers that are quite famous. In his answer to the lawyer, he said:

1. Love the Lord

2. Love your neighbor

3. And just in case you don't know who your neighbor is, here's the parable of the "Good Samaritan."

In his answer to the rich young man, he said:

1. Love the Lord.

2. Love the neighbor (but with a little more detail)

3. Follow the commandments

4. Then shun worldly things.

5. Be kind to others

6. And, most importantly, do this because of Me.

Taken together, these two incidents lay out four principles of life in the world that, if followed, will prepare us for eternal life in heaven.

The first principle: Believe that the Lord is God.

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:14-17).

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (John 6:66-69).

"The Lord from eternity, who is Jehovah, came into the world to subjugate the hells and to glorify His Human; and without this no mortal could have been saved; and those are saved who believe in Him." (True Christian Religion 2).

The second principle: Stop focusing on the things of the natural world; stop allowing your hereditary evils and your proprium to lead you.

"So Jesus answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time; houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.' " (Mark 10:29-30).

Anyone unacquainted with the internal sense of the Word will think that house , brothers , sisters , father , mother , wife , children , and fields mean house, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, and fields. But the meaning here is this The kinds of things present in a person which are properly his own must be forsaken by him, and instead of these, spiritual and celestial things which are the Lord s must be received by him. This change is effected by means of temptations, which are meant here by persecutions'. Anyone can see that if he forsakes his mother he is not going to receive mothers, nor likewise to receive brothers and sisters by forsaking these. (Arcana Coelestia 4843).

In Luke, Jesus said to the young ruler, You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, then you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. In the internal sense these words mean that everything completely a person's own, which consists of nothing but evil desires and false ideas, ought to be alienated from him, for such desires and ideas are meant by 'all that he has', and then he will receive from the Lord good desires and true ideas, which are 'treasure in heaven'. Arcana Coelestia 5886 [5].

The Third Principle: Do good works, be kind to each other.

(Luke 10:25-29) "And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" So he answered and said, " You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. " And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

To answer this key question, the Lord told the parable of the good Samaritan.

Your neighbor is not someone of your family, town, or race. Everyone is your neighbor and deserving of your care.

God does good in the world through us! Our care for the neighbor is HIS care for the neighbor. Just as He uses us to create new angels, He uses us to do good in the world.

The Fourth Principle: Take up the cross and follow Him, that is, endure in temptations, and do this things not for yourself, but because He has asked it of you.

(Matthew 25:34-46) "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? And the King will answer and say to them, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me. If you do these things, the reward will be great."

Just four principles.

205. He that hath the key of David. That this signifies who has power by means of Divine truth is evident from the signification of key, as being the power of opening and shutting, in this case heaven and hell; for it follows, he that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no one openeth. Hence by key is here meant the power of saving (as may be seen above, n. 86), because to open heaven, and to shut hell, is to save; also from the representation of David, as being the Lord as to Divine truth. The reason why by David in the Word is meant the Lord, is, that in the Word the Lord is represented as to Divine truth by kings, and by priests as to Divine good, and especially by king David, because he had much care respecting the things of the church, and also wrote the Psalms. (That by kings in the Word is signified Divine truth, and by priests Divine good, may be seen above, n. 31. And, moreover, that by all names of persons and places in the Word spiritual things are signified, which are things pertaining to the church and to heaven, see above, n. 19, 50, 102.) The reason why it is said, he that hath the key of David is, because by David, as just said, is represented the Lord as to Divine truth; and the Lord has all power in the heavens and on earth from Divine good by means of Divine truth; for, in general, good has no power without truth, neither has truth any power without good, for good acts by means of truth. This is why Divine good and Divine truth proceed unitedly from the Lord, and in proportion as they are thus received by the angels, in the same proportion have the angels power: this, therefore, is the reason why the key of David is mentioned. (That all power pertains to truth from good may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 228-233, where the power of the angels of heaven is treated of; and also n. 539, in the same work.)

[2] That by David in the Word is meant the Lord is clearly evident from several passages where he is named in the prophets; as in Ezekiel:

"They shall be to me for a people, and I will be to them for a God, and my servant David king over them, that they may all have one shepherd. They shall dwell upon the earth, they and their sons, and the sons of their sons even to eternity; and David my servant shall be a prince to them to eternity" (37:23-25).

Again, in Hosea:

"The sons of Israel shall return and shall seek Jehovah their God, and David their king; and with fear shall they come to Jehovah and to his goodness in the end of days" (3:5).

It is said, "they shall seek Jehovah their God, and David their king," because by Jehovah in the Word is meant the Lord as to Divine good, which is the Divine as Being (esse), and by David a king, the Lord as to Divine truth, which is the Divine Manifestation (existere). (That by Jehovah in the Word is meant the Lord as to Divine good, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 732, 2586, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4253, 4402, 7010, 9167, 9315.)

[3] In Zechariah:

"Jehovah shall preserve the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitant of Jerusalem may not extol itself above Judah. In that day shall Jehovah protect the inhabitant of Jerusalem; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of Jehovah before them. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitant of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace. In that day there shall be a fountain open to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem" (12:7, 8, 10; 13:1).

The coming of the Lord is here treated of, and the salvation of those who belong to His spiritual kingdom. By the tents of Judah is meant the celestial kingdom; and by the house of David and the inhabitant of Jerusalem, the spiritual kingdom. The spiritual kingdom is formed of those in heaven and on earth who are in Divine truth, and the celestial kingdom of those who are in Divine good (as may be seen just above).

From these considerations it is plain that these words mean that those two kingdoms should act as one, nor should one exalt itself above the other (concerning these two kingdoms, see what is said in the work, Heaven and Hell 20-28). That by Judah is signified the Lord as to celestial love, and the celestial kingdom of the Lord, may be seen above (n. 119). And that by Jerusalem is signified the spiritual kingdom of the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia 402, 3654, 9166). The same is therefore signified by the house of David; therefore it is there said, "the house of David shall be as God, and as the angel of Jehovah;" by God also is meant the Lord as to Divine truth (see n. 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4287, 4402, 7010, 9167); similarly by the angel of Jehovah (see above, n. 130, 200). David and his house have also a similar signification in the following passages.

[4] In Isaiah:

"Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a prince and a legislator to the nations" (55:3, 4).

These things are said concerning the Lord, who is here signified by David. In David:

"In the heavens thou shalt confirm thy truth: I have made a covenant with my chosen; I have sworn to David my servant, Even to eternity will I establish thy seed, and I will build up thy throne to generation and generation; and the heavens shall confess thy wonder, O Jehovah, and thy truth in the congregation of the holy ones" (Psalms 89:2-5).

These things also are spoken of the Lord, and not of David; for it is said, "I have sworn to David my servant, even to eternity will I establish thy seed, and build up thy throne to generation and generation"; which is not applicable to David, whose seed and throne are not established to eternity, and yet Jehovah sware; and an oath from Jehovah is irrevocable confirmation by the Divine (see Arcana Coelestia 2842). By the seed of David, in the spiritual sense, are meant those who are in truths from good from the Lord, and, in an abstract sense, truths themselves which are from good (as may be seen, Arcana Coelestia, 3373, 3380, 10249, 10445), and by throne is meant the spiritual kingdom of the Lord (n. 5313, 6397, 8625). The reason why David is here called a servant, as also above in Ezekiel is, that the term servant is used in the Word of all persons and things that serve and minister (see Arcana Coelestia 3441, 7143, 8241), and the Divine truth proceeding serves and ministers to the Divine good from which it proceeds. That it is the Lord as to Divine truth, or that it is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, which is meant by David, is clear; for it is said, "in the heavens thou shalt confirm thy truth, and the heavens shall confess thy wonder, thy truth in the congregation of the holy ones." That they are also called holy who are in Divine truths, may be seen just above.

[5] Again:

"I will not profane my covenant; and what is pronounced by my lips will I not change. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall be to eternity, and his throne as the sun before me, as the moon to eternity, as a faithful witness in the clouds" (Psalms 89:34-37).

That these things are said of the Lord, is evident from the whole of the psalm; for His coming is there treated of, and afterwards the rejection of Him by the Jewish nation. That the Lord is there treated of, and that He is meant by David, is evident from these words in the same Psalm:

"I have found David my servant; with the oil of my holiness have I anointed him. I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall call me, Thou art my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. I also will make him my first-born, higher than the kings of the earth. I will set his throne as the days of the heavens" (vers. 20, 25-27, 29).

By David, by anointed, and by king, as in other passages of the Psalms, the Lord is meant. This may be seen clearly by those who understand the Word spiritually, but obscurely by those who understand it only naturally. The same is clear in the same:

"Thy priests shall be clothed with justice, and thy saints shall sing for joy; for thy servant David's sake turn not away the face of thine anointed; there will I make the horn of David to bud: I will ordain a lamp for mine anointed, upon himself shall his crown flourish" (Psalm 132:9, 10, 17, 18).

Here also the Lord is meant by David and by anointed; for He is treated of in this Psalm; as is plain from what goes before, where it is said:

"He sware unto Jehovah, I will not give sleep to mine eyes until I find out a place for Jehovah, habitations for the mighty One of Jacob; lo, we have heard of it at Ephratah" (Bethlehem). "We will go into his habitations, we will worship at his footstool" (ver. 2, 4-7).

[6] In order that David might represent the Lord as to Divine truth, the Lord willed to be born of the house of David, and also to be called the son of Jesse; but when He put off the Human from the mother, and put on that from the Father, which is the Divine Human, He was then no longer David's son. This is meant by the words of the Lord to the Pharisees: Jesus said to the Pharisees,

"What think ye of the Christ? whose Son is he? They said unto him, David's. He saith unto them, How then doth David by the spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footsool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?" (Matthew 22:42-45; Luke 20:41-44).

That the Lord glorified His Human, that is, put off the human from the mother, and put on the Human from the Father, which is the Divine Human, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 293-295, 298-310.) Hence it is that He was not the son of David, just as He was not the son of Mary, whom therefore He did not call His mother, but "woman" as may be seen, Matthew 12:46-49; Mark 3:31 to the end; Luke 8:19-21; John 2:4, 19:25, 26. That the same is meant by the keys given to Peter as by the key of David - that the Lord has all power, and that He has this power by means of His Divine truth, will be seen in the article which now follows.