1. Teachings for the New Jerusalem on the Lord

The Entire Sacred Scripture Is about the Lord, and the Lord Is the Word

WE read in John,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and nothing that was made came about without him. In him there was life, and that life was the light for humankind. And the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not grasp it. And the Word became flesh and lived among us; and we saw his glory, glory like that of the only-begotten child of the Father. He was full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3, 5, 14)

In the same Gospel,

Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)

And elsewhere in the same Gospel,

While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light. I have come into the world as a light so that anyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness. (John 12:36, 46)

We can see from this that the Lord is God from eternity and that he himself is that Lord who was born into the world. It actually says that the Word was with God and that the Word was God, as well as that nothing that was made came about without him, and then that the Word became flesh and that they saw him.

There is little understanding in the church of what it means to call the Lord “the Word.” He is called the Word because the Word means divine truth or divine wisdom and the Lord is divine truth itself or divine wisdom itself. That is why he is also called the light that is said to have come into the world.

Since divine wisdom and divine love are one with each other and have been one in the Lord from eternity, it also says “in him there was life, and that life was the light for humankind.” The life is divine love, and the light is divine wisdom.

This oneness is what is meant by saying both that “in the beginning the Word was with God” and that “the Word was God.” “With God” is in God, since wisdom is in love and love is in wisdom. This is like the statement elsewhere in John, “Glorify me, Father, together with yourself, with the glory I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:5). “With yourself” is “in yourself.” This is why it adds “and the Word was God.” It says elsewhere that the Lord is in the Father and the Father is in him [John 14:10], and that the Father and he are one [John 10:30].

Since the Word is the divine wisdom of the divine love, it follows that it is Jehovah himself and therefore the Lord, the one by whom all things were made that were made, since everything was created out of divine love by means of divine wisdom.

263. The Lord is the Word.

The Word in its inmost sense treats only of the Lord, and describes all the states of the glorification of His Human, that is, of its union with the Divine itself; and likewise all the states of the subjugation of the hells, and of the ordination of all things therein and in the heavens (n. 2249, 7014). Thus the Lord's whole life in the world is described in that sense, and thereby the Lord is continually present with the angels (n. 2523). Consequently the Lord alone is in the inmost of the Word, and the Divinity and sanctity of the Word is from thence (n. 1873, 9357). The Lord's saying that all the Scripture concerning Him was fulfilled, signifies that all things which are contained in the inmost sense were fulfilled (n. 7933).

The Word signifies the Divine truth (n. 4692, 5075, 9987). The Lord is the Word because He is the Divine truth (n. 2533). The Lord is the Word also because the Word is from Him, and treats of Him (n. 2859). And because it treats of the Lord alone in its inmost sense, thus because the Lord Himself is therein (n. 1873, 9357). And because in each and all things of the Word there is a marriage of Divine good and Divine truth (n. 3004, 5502). "Jesus" is the Divine good, and "Christ" the Divine truth (n. 3004-3005, 3009). The Divine truth is alone real, and that in which Divine truth is, which is from the Divine, is alone substantial (n. 5272, 6880, 7004, 8200). And as the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is light in heaven, and the Divine good is heat in heaven; and as all things in heaven derive their existence from the Divine good and the Divine truth; and as the natural world has its existence through heaven, or the spiritual world; it is plain that all things which were created, were created from the Divine truth, or from the Word, according to these words in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word, and by it were all things made which were made; and the Word was made flesh (John 1: 13, 14; n. 2803, 2894, 5272, 6880).

Further particulars concerning the creation of all things by the Divine truth, consequently by the Lord, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 137). And more fully in the two articles therein (n. 116-125, and n. 126-140). The conjunction of the Lord with man is effected through the Word, by means of the internal sense (n. 10375). Conjunction is effected by each and all things of the Word, and the Word is therefore more wonderful than all other writings (n. 10632-10634). Since the Word has been written, the Lord thereby speaks with men (n. 10290).