1. THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION

Containing THE UNIVERSAL THEOLOGY OF THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW CHURCH

THE FAITH OF THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW CHURCH

This faith is presented at the outset in its general and in its particular form. It is so presented that it may serve as a preface to the whole work which follows, as a gateway, as it were, by which entrance is made to a temple, and as an epitome in which the subsequent details are duly summarized. It is said to be "The Faith of the New Heaven and the New Church" because heaven, where angels are, and the Church, in which men are, act as one like the internal and the external with man. Hence it is that the member of the Church, who is in the good of love from the truths of faith, and in the truths of faith from the good of love, is an angel of heaven as to the interiors of his mind. Thus he enters into heaven after death, and there enjoys happiness according to the degree in which those principles are united in him. It should therefore be known that this faith in its summary form is the index and gateway of the new heaven now being formed by the Lord.

587. V. THE FIRST ACT OF THE NEW BIRTH, WHICH IS AN ACT OF THE UNDERSTANDING, IS CALLED REFORMATION; AND THE SECOND, WHICH IS AN ACT OF THE WILL AND THENCE OF THE UNDERSTANDING IS CALLED REGENERATION.

Since reformation and regeneration are treated of here and in the following articles, reformation being ascribed to the understanding and regeneration to the will, it is necessary that the distinctions between the understanding and the will should be known. As these have been described above in 397, it is advisable that it should be read over before the contents of this article. It was shown in that number that the evils into which man is born are implanted in the will of the natural man, and that the will induces the understanding to favor it by thinking in agreement with it. Therefore, that man may be regenerated, it is necessary that it be done by means of the understanding, as by a mediate cause; and this is effected by the instruction which the understanding receives, first from teachers and parents, and afterwards from reading the Word, from sermons, books and conversation. What the understanding thus receives are called truths, so that it is the same whether it is said that reformation is effected by means of the understanding or by means of the truths which it receives. For truths instruct a man in whom and in what he ought to believe, and also what he ought to do, as whatever a man does, he does from the will according to the understanding. Since, then, the will of man itself is by birth evil, and the understanding teaches what is evil and what is good, and he has the power to will, or not to will, either the one or the other, it follows that he must be reformed by means of the understanding. So long as he sees and acknowledges in his own mind that evil is evil, and that good is good, and thinks that good ought to be chosen, that state is called reformation; but when he determines to shun evil and do good, then commences the state of regeneration.

359. (4) But nothing of faith, or of charity, or of the life of both, is from man, but from the Lord alone. It is written:

"A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven" John 3:27;

and Jesus said:

"He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" John 15:5.

By this it is to be understood that a man of himself can acquire for himself nothing but natural faith; and this is a persuasion that a thing is so because some person of authority has said it. Nor can he acquire anything but natural charity, which is an endeavor to obtain favor, for the sake of some reward; in such faith and charity there is man's proprium, but no life as yet from the Lord. Still, by both of these a man prepares himself to become a receptacle of the Lord; and, so far as he does so, the Lord enters and causes his natural faith and charity to become spiritual, and thus both to become living. This is done when a man approaches the Lord as the God of heaven and earth.

Because man was created an image of God, he was created a habitation of God; therefore the Lord says,

"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me and I will love him" and come unto him, and make my abode with him. John 14:21, 23;

and again:

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" Revelation 3:20.

From this it follows that, as a man prepares himself on the natural plane to receive the Lord, so the Lord enters and makes all things within him spiritual, and consequently living. On the other hand, as a man does not prepare himself, he puts the Lord away, and does everything from himself; and what a man does from himself has no life in it. These things, however, cannot be seen at all clearly until Charity and Free Will have been dealt with; after which more will be seen on the subject in the chapter on Reformation and Regeneration.