"Guardar" en la Biblia generalmente tiene que ver con el control de las acciones reales de la vida, aunque en algunos casos puede significar mantener algo alejado de las actividades de la vida para salvaguardarlo.

El uso más común de "guardar" está relacionado con guardar los mandamientos del Señor o guardar los días festivos o rituales. Todo esto significa poner en acción las verdaderas ideas del Señor en la vida; simplemente conocerlas o recordarlas no es suficiente. En un sentido más profundo, significa adorar al Señor, ya que vivir la vida de acuerdo con su guía es el acto supremo de adoración.

Cuando no es posible actuar a partir de los mandatos del Señor, "guardar" representa recordar y salvaguardar esas ideas verdaderas para poder ponerlas en práctica eventualmente.

(Referenties: Apocalipsis Explicado 769; Arcana Coelestia 372, 7899, 7989, 8363, 8767, 9072, 9149, 9304)

769. Who keep the commandments of God, signifies with those who live the life of faith, which is charity. This is evident from the signification of "keeping the commandments of God," as being to live according to the commandments in the Word; and as that life is a life of faith, and a life of faith is charity, therefore "keeping the commandments of God" signifies to live the life of faith, which is charity. The life of faith is charity towards the neighbor, because faith means faith in the Word, thus faith in the truth that is in the Word and from the Word, and charity means the love of good and truth, spiritual, moral, and civil; and as that which man loves he also wills, and what he wills he does, therefore "keeping the commandments of God" signifies to live the life of faith, which is charity.

[2] From this it can be seen that all those who separate faith from charity know not what faith is or what charity is, for they have no other idea of faith than as being everything of the memory that is believed because they have heard it from learned men; and yet such faith is historical faith, for they do not see whether a thing is so, except because someone else has said it; and what is seen from another can be confirmed both by the sense of the letter of the Word misunderstood and by reasonings from appearances and knowledges [scientifica], although it may be a falsity directly opposed to the truth.

When this is confirmed it becomes a persuasive faith; but neither this faith nor historical faith is a spiritual faith, thus not a saving faith, for such faith has as yet no life from the Lord in it. That a man may receive that life he must live according to the Lord's commandments in the Word, for living according to these commandments is the same as living from the Lord, because the Lord is the Word and is in the Word. Such a life is the life of faith, which is charity; and then its affection becomes charity, and thought from that affection becomes faith; for all man's thought derives its life wholly from affection, since no one can think without affection; therefore when a man's affection becomes spiritual his thought also becomes spiritual; consequently such as a man's charity is such is his faith. From this it can be seen that charity and faith, like affection and thought, or what is the same, like will and understanding, act as one, for affection is of the will and thought is of the understanding, consequently they act as one as goods and truths do. Thence it is clear that to live according to the commandments of the Lord from the Word, or "to keep the commandments of God," means to live the life of faith, which is charity.