637. In those early times, all who were then part of the Christian world acknowledged that the Lord Jesus Christ was God and that he had all power in heaven and on earth and power over all flesh, as he himself says (Matthew 28:18; John 17:2). In obedience to his command from God the Father, they believed in him (John 3:15-16, 36; 6:40; 11:25-26). The truth of this is obvious from the fact that when Arius and his followers began denying the divinity of our Lord and Savior who was born from the Virgin Mary, the emperor Constantine the Great called together all the bishops in order to convict and condemn that position, using Sacred Scripture. The bishops did indeed accomplish this, but to avoid a wolf they stumbled onto a lion, or as the saying goes, the one who tried to avoid Charybdis fell upon Scylla: They invented a Son of God from eternity, who descended and took on a human nature. They believed that by doing this they had rescued and restored the Lord's divinity. They did not realize that God himself, the Creator of the universe, had come down in order to become the Redeemer and therefore to be the Creator once again, according to the following clear statements in the Old Testament: Isaiah 25:9; 40:3, 5, 10-11; 43:14; 44:6, 24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7, 26; 60:16; 63:16; Jeremiah 50:34; Hosea 13:4; Psalms 19:14.

9156. 'For every matter of transgression' means any harm whatever and any loss whatever. This is clear from the meaning of 'transgression' as everything that is contrary to the truth of faith, thus that injures it or wipes it out, therefore any harm whatever done to it and any loss whatever of it. In the Word evils are sometimes called sins, sometimes iniquities, and sometimes transgressions; but what the specific meaning of each of them is, is not evident except from the internal sense. The word transgressions is used for deeds contrary to the truths of faith, the word iniquities for deeds contrary to the good of faith, and the word sins for deeds contrary to the good of charity and love. The first two kinds of deeds spring from a perverted understanding, the last from a wicked will, as in David,

Wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is constantly before me. Psalms 51:2-3.

'Iniquity' stands for evil contrary to the good of faith, 'sin' for evil contrary to the good of charity and love, and 'transgression' for evil contrary to the truths of faith. Since 'transgression' is evil which springs from a perverted understanding, and so is recognized from the truths of faith, the words 'I acknowledge my transgressions' are used.

[2] In the same author,

Remember Your mercies, O Jehovah, and Your loving-kindnesses. Do not remember the sins of my youth, ¹ nor my transgressions. Psalms 25:6-7.

'Sins' stands for evils springing from a wicked will, and 'transgressions' for evils springing from a perverted understanding. In Isaiah,

Behold, because of iniquities you have been sold, and because of transgressions your mother has been put away. Isaiah 50:1.

'Iniquities' stands for evils contrary to the Church's good of faith, and 'transgressions' for evils contrary to its truths of faith, 'mother' being the Church, which is said to be put away when it departs from faith. In Micah,

On account of the transgression of Jacob all this [will happen], and on account of the sin of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; for in you the transgressions of Israel were found. Micah 1:5, 13.

Here 'sin' in a similar way means something contrary to the good of charity and love, and 'transgression' something contrary to the truth of faith; for 'Samaria' means a Church whose faith is perverted, as likewise does 'Israel' in this instance.

[3] Since transgressions are offences against the truths of faith, the word 'transgressions' also describes going over to the other side and defecting. The same word is used in the original language to describe these actions, as is evident in David,

On account of the multitude of their transgressions overthrow them, for they rebel against You. Psalms 5:10.

The word 'rebel' is used when people defect and go over to the other side. And in Isaiah,

Are you not those born of transgression, the seed of a lie, who inflamed yourselves among the gods under every green tree, who slaughter children in the rivers? Isaiah 57:4-5.

'Transgression', it is plainly evident from these words, means evil contrary to the truths of faith. 'Those born of transgression' are falsities which destroy the truths of faith. For this reason they are also called 'the seed of a lie', falsity being meant by 'a lie', 8908. For the same reason they are said 'to be inflamed among the gods under every green tree', which means in the internal sense worship arising out of falsities, falsities being meant by 'the gods', 4402 (end), 4544, 7873, 8867, and the perception of falsity because of a perverted understanding being meant by 'green tree', 2722, 4552. And for still the same reason it says 'you slaughter children in the rivers', by which the annihilation of the truths of faith by falsities is meant; for 'slaughtering' means annihilating, 'children' means the truths of faith, 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2813, 3373, and 'the rivers' means falsities, 6693.

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