The Lord
Alone is to be Worshiped
(From Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg)
Wherefore thou shalt not bow thyself to another god. That
this signifies that the Lord alone is to be worshiped from faith and
love, is evident from the signification of "bowing one's self," as
being to adore and to worship. That it is the Lord alone who is to
be worshiped and no other is because by "Jehovah" and by "God" in
the Word is meant the Lord (see at the places cited in n. 9315,
9373); and also because the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and
also the one only God (n. 9194). It is said that the Lord is to be
worshiped "from faith and love," because the worship of the Lord is
either from faith, or from love. Worship from faith is called
worship according to truths, for truths belong to faith; and worship
from love is called worship from good, for good is of love. Those
who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom worship Him from faith; and
those who are in His celestial kingdom worship Him from love.
[2] But something must here be said in regard to the worship of
the Lord from faith and from love. Many suppose that they worship
the Lord by faith when they believe the things of the doctrine of
the church, and that they worship the Lord by love when they love
Him. Yet the Lord is not worshiped by merely believing, and by
merely loving, but by living according to His commandments, because
these persons alone believe in the Lord and love Him. The others say
that they believe in Him, and yet they do not believe; and they say
that they love Him, and yet they do not love Him. The reason why
those alone believe in the Lord and love Him who live according to
His commandments is that the Lord is not in the understanding of
truth without the willing of it; but is in the understanding of
truth together with the willing of it. For truth does not enter into
a man and become his, until the man wills it and from willing does
it, because the will is the man himself, whereas the understanding
is only so far the man as it partakes of the will. [3] Moreover, the Lord is present with a man in his truths which
are from good, and the truths which are from good are those which
the man wills, and from this does; but not those which he
understands, and does without willing them; for to do without
willing is hypocrisy, because it is done before men, and not before
the Lord. Moreover, the Lord does not dwell with an empty man, that
is, with a man who does not know his truths and do them. The Lord is
present with a man in the truths which are from good, that is, which
the man wills and does, for the truths which are from good make the
church with a man, and make heaven with him; in a word, make the
Lord Himself to be with him.
[4] If a man reflects, he is able from reason alone to perceive
that this is so; for he is able to know that a man's understanding
is formed by means of truths, and all his will by means of goods,
because all things in the universe bear relation to truth and to
good, and man's understanding has been formed to receive truths, and
his will to receive goods. Truths which are believed are called
"truths of faith;" and goods which affect with delight are called
"goods of love." From this it can be seen that such as are the
truths of faith by means of which the understanding is formed, and
such as are the goods of love by means of which the will is formed,
such is the man; for man is man from the understanding and the will.
If therefore his understanding has been formed by means of truths
Divine, and these truths become of his faith; and if his will has
been formed by means of goods which become of his love, it follows
that then heaven is in the man, and that the Lord can dwell with him
as in His heaven. For the Divine truths which make the understanding
and the Divine goods which make the will are from the Lord, or are
the Lord's, and the things that are the Lord's are Himself. From
this it is evident that to believe in the Lord is to imbue one's
understanding with the truths of faith; and that to love the Lord is
to imbue one's will with the goods of love; and that this cannot be
done except by learning truths from the Lord, by willing them, and
by doing them. Whether you say willing and doing, or loving, it is
the same, for that which a man loves, he wills; and that which he
actually wills, he loves.
[5] From all this it can now be seen what it is to worship the
Lord from faith and love. That such is the case is also evident from
the fact that the Lord wills the salvation of all. To will the
salvation of man is to will to bring him unto Himself in heaven.
This cannot be done unless the Lord is in him, and the Lord cannot
possibly be in him except in such things in him as are from Himself,
which things are truths from good, thus His commandments which the
man does from faith and from love, because there are no other
recipients in man of the Lord and of heaven, nor can be. Heaven
itself consists of no other things.
[6] That to believe in the Lord and to love Him is to do His
commandments, the Lord also teaches in John:
If ye love Me, keep My commandments. He that hath My
commandments, and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me. If a man love
Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will
come unto him, and make Our abode with him. He that loveth Me not
keepeth not My words (John 14:15, 21, 23-24).
Abide ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide
in My love. Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you
(John 15:9, 10, 14).
The commandments and the precepts which are to be kept, and
according to which the life must be, are taught in The Doctrine of
Charity and of Faith.
(Arcana Coelestia
10645) |
