267. 13. Because of the Word, Even People Who Are outside the Church and Who Do Not Have the Word Have Light.

No connection to heaven is possible unless somewhere on earth there is a church where the Word exists and where the Lord is known through that Word. This is because the Lord is the God of heaven and earth - without the Lord there is no salvation. (For the Word providing a connection to the Lord and association with angels, see 234-239 above.) It is enough if there is one church where the Word exists. Even if this church consists of comparatively few people, still the Lord is present throughout the world by means of the Word, since heaven is connected to the human race through the Word.

673. From the points just made it follows that if our inner self is not purified from evils and falsities, washings and baptisms have no more effect than the Jewish practices of washing cups and dishes (Matthew 23:25-26). As that passage goes on to suggest, they have no more effect than to make us like tombs that appear beautiful from the outside but are inwardly full of the bones of the dead and filthiness of every kind (Matthew 23:27-28).

This point is made clearer still by the fact that the hells are full of satans who used to be people, many of whom had been baptized and many of whom had not.

The functions that baptism performs are covered in what follows [677-687]. Without the functions and benefits that are intended to accompany baptism, the ceremony itself contributes no more to our salvation than the three-tiered tiara on the pope's head and the sign of the cross on his shoes contribute to his papal supremacy; or than cardinals' scarlet robes contribute to their position of power; or than bishops' cloaks contribute to the true effectiveness of their ministry; or than the throne, crown, scepter, and robe of monarchs contribute to their royal power; or than the silk caps of distinguished professors contribute to their intelligence; or than the standard carried before the cavalry contributes to the cavalry's bravery in battle.

It can even be fairly said that baptism does not purify us any more than the washing before shearing purifies a sheep or a lamb, because earthly people who have no spiritual self are no better than animals. In fact, as I have shown before [, 566], they are more savage than the predatory animals in the forest.

Therefore no matter if you wash with rainwater, dew, and the purest possible springwater, or, as the prophet says, if you are cleansed with lye, hyssop, and soap every day [Jeremiah 2:22], you will still not be purified of your wickedness unless you avail yourself of the means of regeneration that were covered in the chapters on repentance [509-570] and on reformation and regeneration [571-625].