Spiritual life is acquired solely by a life according to the
commandments in the Word. These commandments are given in summary in
the Decalogue, namely, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not
steal, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou
shalt not covet the goods of others. These commandments are the
commandments that are to be done, for when a man does these his works
are good and his life is spiritual, and for the reason that so far as a
man shuns evils and hates them so far he wills and loves goods.
For there are two opposite spheres that surround man, one from hell, the
other from heaven; from hell a sphere of evil and falsity therefrom,
from heaven a sphere of good and of truth therefrom; and these spheres
do [not immediately] affect the body, but they affect the minds of men,
for they are spiritual spheres, and thus are affections that belong to
the love. In the midst of these man is set; therefore so far as he
approaches the one, so far he withdraws from the other. This is why so
far as a man shuns evils and hates them, so far he wills and loves goods
and the truths therefrom; for no one can at the same time serve two
masters, for he will hate the one and will love the other. (Matt. vi.
24).
But let it be noted, that man must do these commandments from religion,
because they are commanded by the Lord; and if he does this from any
other consideration whatever, for instance, from regard merely to the
civil law or the moral law, he remains natural, and does not become
spiritual. For when a man acts from religion, he acknowledges in heart
that there is a God, a heaven and a hell, and a life after death. But
when he acts from regard merely to the civil and moral law, he may act
in the same way, and yet in heart may deny that there is a God, a heaven
and a hell, and a life after death. And if he shuns evils and does
goods, it is merely in the external form, and not in the internal; thus
while he is outwardly in respect to the life of the body like a
Christian, inwardly in respect to the life of his spirit he is like a
devil. All this makes clear that a man can become spiritual, or receive
spiritual life, in no other way than by a life according to religion
from the Lord.
I have had proof that this is true from angels of the third or inmost
heaven, who are in the greatest wisdom and happiness. When asked how
they had become such angels, they said it was because during their life
in the world they had regarded filthy thoughts as abominable, and these
had been to them adulteries; and had regarded in like manner frauds and
unlawful gains, which had been to them thefts; also hatreds and
revenges, which had been to them murder; also lies and blasphemies,
which had been to them false testimonies; and so with other things.
When asked again whether they had done good works, they said they loved
chastity, in which they were because they had regarded adulteries as
abominable; that they loved sincerity and justice, in which they were
because they had regarded frauds and unlawful gains as abominable; that
they loved the neighbor because they had regarded hatreds and revenges
as abominable; that they loved truth because they had regarded lies and
blasphemies as abominable, and so on; and that they perceived that when
these evils have been put away, and they acted from chastity, sincerity,
justice, charity and truth, it was not done from themselves, but from
the Lord, and thus that all things whatsoever that they had done from
these were good works, although they had done them as if from
themselves; and that it was on this account that they had been raised up
by the Lord after death into the third heaven. Thus it was made clear
how spiritual life, which is the life of the angels of heaven, is
acquired.
It shall now be told how that life is destroyed by the faith of the
present day. The faith of this day is that it must be believed that God
the Father sent His Son, who suffered the cross for our sins, and took
away the curse of the law by fulfilling it; and that this faith apart
from good works will save everyone, even in the last hour of death. By
this faith instilled from childhood and afterward confirmed by
preachings, it has come to pass that no one shuns evils from religion,
but only from civil and moral law; thus not because they are sins but
because they are damaging.
Consider, when a man thinks that the Lord suffered for our sins, that He
took away the curse of the law, and that merely to believe these things,
or to have faith in them without good works saves, whether this is not
to regard as of little worth the commandments of the Decalogue, all the
life of religion as prescribed in the Word, and furthermore all the
truths that inculcate charity. Separate these, therefore, and take them
away from man, and is there any religion left in him? For religion does
not consist in merely thinking this or that, but in willing and doing
that which is thought; and there is no religion when willing and doing
are separated from thinking. From this it follows that the faith of
this day destroys spiritual life, which is the life of the angels of
heaven, and is the Christian life itself.
Consider further, why the ten commandments of the Decalogue were
promulgated from Mount Sinai in so miraculous a way; why they were
engraved on two tables of stone, and why these were placed in the ark,
over which was placed the mercy-seat with cherubs, and the place where
those commandments were was called the Holy of holies, within which
Aaron was permitted to enter only once a year, and this with sacrifices
and incense; and if he had entered without these, he would have fallen
dead; also why so many miracles were afterward performed by means of
that ark. Have not all throughout the whole globe a knowledge of like
commandments? Do not their civil laws prescribe the same? Who does not
know from merely natural lumen, that for the sake of order in every
kingdom, adultery, theft, murder, false witness, and other things in the
Decalogue are forbidden? Why then must those same precepts have been
promulgated by so many miracles, and regarded as so holy? Can there be
any other reason than that everyone might do them from religion, and
thus from God, and not merely from civil and moral law, and thus from
self and for the sake of the world? Such was the reason for their
promulgation from Mount Sinai and their holiness; for to do these
commandments from religion purifies the internal man, opens heaven,
admits the Lord, and makes man as to his spirit an angel of heaven. And
this is why the nations outside the church who do these commandments
from religion are all saved, but not anyone who does them merely from
civil and moral law.
Inquire now whether the faith of this day, which is, that the Lord
suffered for our sins, that he took away the curse of the law by
fulfilling it, and that man is justified and saved by this faith apart
from good works, does not cancel all these commandments. Look about and
discover how many there are at this day in the Christian world who do
not live according to this faith. I know that they will answer that
they are weak and imperfect men, born in sins, and the like. But who is
not able to think from religion? This the Lord gives to everyone; and
in him who thinks these things from religion the Lord works all things
so far as he thinks. And be it known that he who thinks of these things
from religion believes that there is a God, a heaven, a hell, and a life
after death; but he who does not think of these things from religion
does not, I affirm, believe them. (A.E., n. 902.)