Religion consists of:

 

 

Jesus Lives! – The Lord God Jesus Christ: Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer of Heaven and Earth

 

Religion consists of:

Image result for religion

Belief.   Yes, but more:

Faith in unseen truth, acknowledging the One God.   Yes, but more:

Knowledge of the Truth.   Yes, but more:

Understanding of the Truth.   Yes, but more:

A Life led by Understanding of the Truth.   Yes, but more:

A Love which produces a Life led by Understanding of the Truth. Yes, but more:

A Love which produces a Life led by Understanding of the Truth, for Good Uses.

Now you are talking.

Image result for religion

www.biblemeanings.info/NewTruth within BibleMeanings.info

Theology

 

Home
Up
Contrasting Beliefs
Theology
Old and New Truth
Religion consists of
True Christianity

 

Jesus Lives! – The Lord God Jesus Christ: Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer of Heaven and Earth

Image result for  truth

Theology

Old ‘Truth’ ‘New’ Truth
The Bible The Bible is the very Word of God; that the sixty-six books comprising the Old and New Testaments are inspired by the Spirit of God and are therefore wholly without error as originally given by God; and that it is our final authority, our only and all-sufficient rule of faith and practice. The Bible contains the very Word of God; the Old and New Testaments describe the details of spiritual growth of ourselves and of Jesus, in the form of commandments and parables. The spiritual meaning of these teachings is unlocked in the new revelation given to The New Church through the writings of Emmanuel Swedenborg. These writings together serve as a complete and meaningful authority for The New Church and any individual who wants to understand the Lord’s Word.
The Trinity God self-exists in three distinct Persons – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each of whom is to be honoured and worshipped. There is only one God, and that God is the Lord. The New Church teaches that God Himself came down to earth, and His body was called “the Son,” and His everlasting soul, “the Father,” and His operation on people, “the Holy Spirit.” Just as we have a soul, a body, and an effect on people, so the Lord has three attributes which are called Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Salvation Salvation is the free gift of God, neither deserved nor obtained by any work of man, but received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is entirely by the sovereign grace of God through the all-sufficient sacrifice of Christ. People of all faiths are welcomed into heaven if they have lived according to what they sincerely believe to be the Lord’s will. Those who use their freedom to reject the Lord’s will choose eternal life in hell.
Satan Satan was created by God as an angel, but he rebelled against God and now exists as an evil person, the originator of sin, and the archenemy of God and man. His final doom and judgement by God are sure. Devils are not fallen angels, but rather disobedient humans. Satan is not an individual, but a collection of people choosing to lust, hurt and hate
Marriage There are no marriages or weddings in heaven. True marriage love continues to eternity in heaven.
The Second Coming Jesus Christ will personally, gloriously, and visibly return to earth. The second coming is primarily a spiritual event. We needn’t be looking for dramatic changes of government or climate, because the Lord’s kingdom is not a civil authority or a geographical location. His kingdom is concerned with the government of the human mind – with a life according to divine laws. The signs that He has come again should be the changes in our own hearts.
The Afterlife On the day of judgement, the bodies of both the righteous and unrighteous will be raised. The righteous will eternally exist in a state of joy with the Lord; the unrighteous will eternally and consciously endure punishment. In the world of spirits we are allowed to choose either heaven or hell, but the choice we make will be determined by what we have become here on earth. If we have consistently chosen evil on earth, we will continue to choose it in the other world. If we have tried to live good lives here, then that choice will be confirmed in the other world and we will be led to heaven, where we will become angels.

Image result for  truth

Adapted from here (as was).

www.biblemeanings.info/NewTruth within BibleMeanings.info

Contrasting Beliefs

 

Home
Up
Contrasting Beliefs
Theology
Old and New Truth
Religion consists of
True Christianity

 

Jesus Lives! – The Lord God Jesus Christ: Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer of Heaven and Earth

Contrasting Beliefs

From the pages ‘What the Bible Says…’, we have the following list of contrasts between the Orthodox ideas and the New Church ideas presented here:

Title: Forgiveness

  • Orthodox Idea: If you just believe, God will overlook all your sins. God punishes unbelievers, even if they are caring, good people.
  • New Church Idea: God’s mercy involves helping us become better people. God is willing to forgive everyone, and is more concerned how we live than with what we believe.
  • References from Swedenborg: Heavenly Secrets 8393,   Heavenly Secrets 9443-9454,  True ChristianReligion 611-614

Title: Who is Jesus?

  • Orthodox Idea: God is Three Persons. Jesus is Son of God, a separate Person from the Father.
  • New Church Idea: God is One Person: Jesus Christ. The Father is the Soul, the Son is the Body, and the Holy Spirit is the Activity of the One Divine Person.
  • References from Swedenborg: True Christian Religion 81-133, Doctrine of the Lord 29-36, 45-46, 55-60,

Title: The Holy Spirit

  • Orthodox Idea: The Holy Spirit is the Third Person in the Trinity.
  • New Church Idea: The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus Christ. It is the regenerating and enlightening influence of Jesus Christ, not of some third person.
  • References from Swedenborg: True Christian Religion 138

Title: Temptation

  • Orthodox Idea: We are saved instantly just by believing that Jesus died for our sins. We don’t need to put any effort into our salvation.
  • New Church Idea: Faith alone is not enough. We must actively resist evil, while acknowledging that the effort to resist comes from God.
  • References from Swedenborg: Doctrine of Life 92-107, True Christian Religion 596600

Title: When You Are Born Again

  • Orthodox Idea: We are saved instantly as soon as we believe in Jesus, without effort or good works.
  • New Church Idea: Regeneration is a gradual process taking many years, involving effort, love, good works.
  • References from Swedenborg: Heavenly Secrets 4063, True Christian Religion 601-614.

Title: Marriage and Spirituality

  • Orthodox Idea: Celibacy is better than marriage.
  • New Church Idea: Marriage love is heavenly, spiritual, holy, pure and clean.
  • References from Swedenborg: Married Love 155-156

Title: Marriage in Heaven

Title: Sexual Equality

  • Orthodox Idea: The husband is the head of the wife.
  • New Church Idea: Husband and wife are equals before God.
  • References from Swedenborg: Married Love 125-127

Title: What Angels Do

Title: The Inner Meaning of the Bible

Title: Adam and Eve

  • Orthodox Idea: Adam and Eve were actual people.
  • New Church Idea: Adam and Eve were symbols of the Lord and His Church.
  • References from Heavenly Secrets Chapters 1-3.

Title: Sacrifice

Title: The Blood of Jesus

  • Orthodox Idea: Blood means death; Jesus saved us by dying a bloody death.
  • New Church Idea: Blood means Life and Truth; Jesus saves us by giving us life and truth.
  • References from Swedenborg: True Christian Religion 132, Heavenly Secrets 9127

Title: Why Bad Things Happen

  • Orthodox Idea: God punishes people, bad things are a result of His will.
  • New Church Idea: The Lord wills only good, but permits bad things for the sake of our freedom.
  • References from Swedenborg: Divine Providence 275-284

Title: Who Needs Works?

Title: Who Is Saved?

Title: Where Angels Come From

  • Orthodox Idea: Angels are a superior race, created before humans
  • New Church Idea: Angels are people who have died and gone to heaven.
  • References from Swedenborg: Heaven and Hell 311317

Title: Love

Title: God’s Anger

  • Orthodox Idea: God the Father is angry with sinners and condemns them to hell.
  • New Church Idea: God is always loving and merciful–the anger is just an appearance.
  • References from Swedenborg: Brief Exposition 60-63, Heavenly Secrets 588, 1093, 2447.

Title: The Second Coming

  • Orthodox Idea: This planet will be destroyed by wars and disasters, and Jesus will appear in the clouds to save the true believers.
  • New Church Idea: Jesus comes as the Spirit of Truth, bringing about spiritual change.
  • References from Swedenborg: True Christian Religion 753-791.

Title: The Rapture

  • Orthodox Idea: True believers will be caught up in the air when Jesus comes.
  • New Church Idea: Jesus’ coming will elevate our minds to a higher level, not our bodies.
  • References from Swedenborg: True Christian Religion 753-791.

Title: The Resurrection Body

  • Orthodox Idea: After death a person will remain asleep in the ground until the end of the world, when the body will rise.
  • New Church Idea: We rise into the spiritual world immediately after death, and never assume our earthly bodies again.
  • References from Swedenborg: Heaven and Hell 453-460, Last Judgment 14-27.

Title: The Devil

 

A Divine Revelation of True Christianity

 

Jesus Lives! – The Lord God Jesus Christ: Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer of Heaven and Earth

Old Christianity New Christianity
God is divided into three persons, who are somehow “one” God is one Supreme Being, one Person: Jehovah. He is Being and Existence itself, and cannot be divided into separate “persons.”
The Son is the “second person” who descended and was born as Jesus Christ The human body born in time, derived from the virgin Mary, is the Son of God
Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three persons Jesus is Jehovah in human form, and simply calls God his Father as he was born of a virgin with no human father. See The False Belief of a Trinity of three beings: TRITHEISM
The Trinity of three persons existed from eternity The Trinity is NOT three persons. There is a trine of soul, body, and spirit in each human. The Holy Trinity came about When Jehovah became incarnate in a human form.
Among Catholics, when Mary was born she was free from “original sin” (known as the Immaculate Conception). Mary was like any other human person, and was born in sin. She was however highly spiritual. Swedenborg does offer explanations for the Marian apparitions within the Catholic church (hard to summarize here). Prayer should only be focused on Jesus Christ.
Jesus was also born perfect Jesus, initially, was like any other human. The body derived from Mary had sinful tendencies, by which Jesus could be tempted. But his soul was Divine and could not sin. Through Jesus, a spiritual war arose between Jehovah and all of hell.
Various Christological disputes about whether or not Jesus has one nature (Divine) or two natures (Divine and human) Jesus initially had two natures, the external human nature that had sinful tendencies, and a Divine soul. Gradually the human was absorbed and Jesus became a “Divine Human” or “God Man”.
Among Catholics, Mary is known as the “mother of God.” Mary was the mother of the human vessel of Jesus. Initially Mary was his mother, but once the human was absorbed the human became Divine. It is this human body which is the Son of God. As the human was made Divine, Mary is no longer the mother of Jesus.
God was angry and wrathful with humanity for their sin God is love itself, and can never be angry. He appears “angry” to those who turn against Him.
God seeks to punish us for our sin God created a law of Divine order where each sin contains within it its own punishment. These laws are designed to lead man back to good.
Various theological debates about the meaning of the Eucharist ritual, the body and blood of Jesus Christ The Eucharist ritual is symbolic. Symbolic rituals conjoin the human mind with heaven. The body represents God’s love, the blood his truth. The Eucharist is the central ritual because Jesus made his very body Divine
Jesus had to suffer and die as “payment” for our sins. Our sins were transferred onto him. Everyone is responsible for their own actions. Sins are removed by repentance. The sins that Jesus bore are the ones he inherited from his mother Mary
Jesus saved humanity from a wrathful God by taking on punishment to satisfy this “legal debt.” Jesus saved humanity by making his very human Divine.  Once the human was made Divine, the Holy Spirit could flow through him to other humans
Jesus saved humanity by his death on the cross where sins were somehow “transferred” to him. Jesus saved humanity by gradually making his human Divine, and resisting temptation. The cross was simply the last temptation before he made his human Divine.
Among Protestants, all one has to do is “believe” to be saved. Good works mean nothing. Protestants have misinterpreted the writings of Paul, who was talking about the external Mosaic rituals, due to Judaizers at the time. Belief alone is a “devilish faith.” Faith means “living by the truth,” not mere belief. See The Fundamental Error of the Protestant Faith
Among Protestants, sins are supposedly removed by a lip confession and belief Sins can only be removed through repentance, or turning away from them and living by God’s commandments.
Among Protestants, salvation is “free” and “unconditional.” Salvation is dependent on whether or not one lives by God’s commandments
Among Protestants, the 10 commandments are abrogated The 10 commandments are based on the two great commandments of Jesus: love God, and love your neighbor. Only the Sabbath was changed from a day of rest to a day of worship and instruction.
Certain Messianic Jews seek a return to the Mosaic rituals The external Mosaic rituals of the Jews have been abrogated. They along with the Jewish people were a symbolic representative form of the Christian Church
Among Protestants, grace means “unmerited” favor. This is false: scripture shows God has favor to those who live by his commandments. Mercy and grace describe God’s love for each person to save them. See The False Theological Definition of the word “Grace”
Atonement means somehow God will no longer see the sins you commit and will see the righteousness of Jesus God will always know a person for who he or she is.  “Atonement” describes the spiritual protection one obtains from evil temptations after repentance and obeying God’s commandments. Also see What is Blood Atonement or Vicarious Atonement?
One is sanctified by the blood of Jesus The blood is symbolic of the life of Jesus, and his outflowing spirit of Divine Truth. One is sanctified by living according to the Divine Truth
Among Protestants, man has the capacity to do nothing through their own will. Everyone is passive, God does everything Inasmuch one resists sin and turns away from evil, and lives by the truth, one will eventually desire to do good out of love. Inasmuch one approaches God with their whole heart, God’s spirit will dwell within them. All goodness and love comes from God, but each person must be an active willing participant.
Among Catholic, ultimate authority is placed in the priesthood. Among Protestants, ultimate authority is placed in scripture The Protestants are correct: scripture contains within it the Word of God and is the ultimate authority. Interpretation of scripture, however, is influenced by doctrine. A reading of scripture with an open heart opens a connection between the mind and heaven, according to one’s understanding
The Catholic Church claims that through Peter, the Papacy is the “Vicar” of Christ and there is a direct line of succession Catholics have misinterpreted a symbolic reference to Peter in scripture. Moreover, the decree of Chalcedon declaring Christ has two natures was done so that the Papacy could claim to be the Vicar of Christ on earth. However, what was revealed is that the Catholic church was allowed to be dominant for a time through Divine Providence, in order to remove various heresies from the Christian Church.
The Bible is the “literal” and “inerrant” Word of God. Hidden behind the literal sense of the Bible there is a symbolic spiritual meaning. In the literal sense there are many “appearances” of truth that are not literally true.
Among Protestants there are 66 books that are equally Divinely Inspired; Catholics also have additional “Deuterocanonical” works not found in the Masoretic. The canon of the Bible is defined as those books which contain an internal symbolic spiritual sense. The canon of the Old Testament closely follows the Jewish Canon of the Law (Torah), the Prophets (Nevi’im) and the Psalms, but many books of the writings are not inspired. In the New Testament, only the Gospels and Revelation are inspired. However the writings of Paul were included for instruction of the masses.
Among literalists, the world was created in seven days The seven days of creation are symbolic of seven stages of spiritual development
Among literalists, we are all descended from Adam and Eve The story of Adam and Eve is symbolic of how the first church established here on earth eventually turned away and lost direct communion with heaven. Mankind is much older than what Biblical chronology presents; the first 11 chapters of Genesis are highly symbolic.
We all have “original sin” from Adam and Eve (plus other types of sin from Catholic theologians.) Our evil nature is distinguished between what we have successively inherited from our parents and ancestors, and the sins we commit by choice. One will be judged by the actions one committed by choice according to the intent and one’s knowledge.
Many believe in a heaven and hell. Catholics also subscribe to the concept of “Purgatory” – an area between heaven and hell. A very detailed description of the spiritual world from firsthand visions, which includes heaven, hell, and an area in between known as the “world of spirits” which is closely associated with those still alive. This waiting area is similar to Purgatory, but different than what is described by many Catholics.
Certain denominations believe that after death, one just “falls asleep” to await a literal physical resurrection. After death, the spiritual body – human in form – withdraws and separates from its physical body. One could go to heaven or hell, but others are not ready and wait for a time in the world of spirits, some close to a state of sleep. There is no literal physical resurrection – one rises from the dead in a spiritual body. Only Jesus physically rose from the dead.
For those who believe in a “wrathful” God, he condemns sinners to eternal torment in hell We all go where we want to go, according to our desire. We are judged according to our conscience. Evil punishes itself, not God. The burning of hell is due to the burning of hatred and jealousy. The joys of heaven are according to one’s love. There is an automatic separation between those in heaven and hell, according to order.
Many subscribe to a future “end of the world” where there will be this last judgment of all mankind on earth. There is no literal “end of the world.” There is an end to each church or age or dispensation. A church ends when it becomes corrupt, and a new revelation is then given. A this time a final judgment occurs in the spiritual world – in the region of the world of spirits between heaven and hell where those who sleep are awakened and judged at this time. These “last” judgments have occurred at certain key moments in the history of spiritual development on earth. Those in heaven and hell already are not judged
One is judged according to one’s belief system or religion. One is judged according to how one lived one’s life according to your conscience. The more you know, the more responsibility you have. Those who have done good, and yet knew little, can still be taught in heaven.
There will be a kingdom of God on earth The true kingdom of God is in heaven, and in one’s heart. However there is a reflection of this kingdom of God on earth: it is the community of the Church.
Some religious people think we should just withdraw from the world and pray and worship The physical world is not evil, but can be a reflection of the heavenly life if one lives according to God’s laws. One lives a spiritual life by being practical and useful to the common good in everyday life.

truth

http://www.biblemeanings.info/

http://www.biblemeanings.info/

From  here.

New Truth 6 Foundations

www.biblemeanings.info/NewTruth within BibleMeanings.info

Jesus Lives! – The Lord God Jesus Christ: Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer of 

Heaven and Earth

Old and New Truth

What you need to know about love and truth, spirit and God, & life and salvation, that your church will not tell you: see the pages listed on the left.

Home
Six Foundations
The New Jerusalem
Heavenly Doctrine
Divine Providence
Conjugial Love
Authority
Brief Arguments

Within

Come, Lord Jesus

Six Foundations

Jesus Christ is Now God
• Jehovah God Created Heaven and Earth (Genesis 1:1)
• Jehovah God Himself is and Always Has Been the Savior of the World (Isaiah 43:11; Hosea 13:4; Isaiah 47:4; Isaiah 63:16)
• Jesus Christ is Jehovah God (Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 25:9; Isaiah 40:3-5; John 1:1-14; Psalms 33:6; 1 John 5:20)
• Jesus was Born a Divine Soul in a Mortal Body and Mind (Luke 1:35)
• Jesus Made Himself Divine, one with His Soul, so that After Resurrection and Ascension He Was and Always Will be Jehovah God All the Way Down Even to His Body (John 14:6; Luke 24:39; John 14:9; John 3:25; Matthew 11:27; Matthew 28:18; Revelation 1:8-11)
• Jesus Christ is the Archetypal Human (Genesis 1:26-27)
• Saving Faith is Believing and Following the Example of Jesus Christ (John 3:36; John 15:4-5)
• Jesus Christ Made His Second Advent between 1745 and 1770 when He appeared to Emanuel Swedenborg and Commissioned Him as a Revelator of the Heavenly Doctrines. (John 16:12-15; Matthew 24; Revelation)
God Reveals THE Truth With Authority
• The Written Revelations Given By God are Divine Truth Itself (John 6:63; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17)
• The Written Text of Revelation Always Contains but does not Always Explicitly State the Spiritual Message from God (John 16:12; Matthew 5:17)
• It is the Job of Every Believer to Search the Scriptures for God’s Message (Matthew 7:7-8; 21:21-22; 23:25-26)
• The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) Contain Everything to be Believed and Lived (Matthew 22:35-40; Leviticus 22:31;John 14:15; John 15:10)
Charity and Faith One and the Same in Life
• There is Only One True Faith that Saves (Matthew 16:16-18; Ephesians 4:4-13)
• Saving Faith is Complete Confidence in the Lord God Jesus Christ and Trust that a Person who Lives a Good Life and Holds a Proper Belief is Saved by Him (John 11:25)
• Doing God’s Will or Obeying God’s Commands is Imperative for Faith and Salvation Even Though These Actions Can Not Make Anyone Deserve or Merit Heaven (John 3:27; John 15:4-8; John 13:17; Matthew 13:23; Matthew 7:24-26; Luke 10:27)
You Were Created for Heaven
• Life Continues Through Death (John 14:19; John 11:25)
• Heaven is Full of People Who Love God and People (Micah 6:8; Luke 10:27)
• Hell is Full of People Who Love Themselves and Materialism (Psalms 9:17; Luke 12:5)
• Heaven and Hell are Both Eternal (Luke 16:26)
• Every Human Being is Created for Heaven (Luke 17:21)
• Angels in Heaven are Married to Eternity (Matthew 19:4-6)
God Will Renew Your Life if You Ask Him
• All Humans Have Free Will in Spiritual Matters – Otherwise the Word of God Would be Useless (Psalms 54:6; Isaiah 1:16-17; John 8:31-36; John 15:14-16)
• A Person Should Confess Their Sins to the Lord God Jesus Christ, Repent, and be Born Again to New Life in His Name (John 3:3; John 3:5; Luke 3:3-8; Mark 1:4; Mark 1:15; Luke 13:5; Luke 15:7; Matthew 10:39; Psalms 51:10)
Two Sacraments: Baptism and Holy Supper
• Christian Baptism Replaces Circumcision (Deuteronomy 10:16; Galatians 5:6; 6:15)
• Baptism is an Introduction to the Community of Believers on Earth and in Heaven (Matthew 3:13)
• Baptism is in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-19)
• Baptism is a Sign and Remembrance that a Person is to be Born Again or Regenerated (John 3:5; Mark 16:16)
• Jesus Christ is Present and Opens Heaven to Those who Worthily Approach the Holy Supper (John 6:51-56)
• Holy Supper Links the Believer with the Lord God Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 8:3; John 6:27)
About the New Church:
The New Church is a Christian church based on the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Heavenly Doctrines. We believe that Jesus Christ was born of the virgin Mary, lived and taught, was crucified, and rose again so that He could conquer hell, become completely one in all respects with His Soul, the Father (Jehovah God), and restore freedom to the human race. In Jesus Christ God is Human and Human is God — He is our visible, divine, human Creator and Redeemer, the Lord God Jesus Christ.

We believe that He has now fulfilled the prophecies of the book of Revelation and come again. This Second Advent is not the bodily coming, expected by many, but a coming in the Spirit of Truth which leads into all truth (John 16:13). His kingdom is not of this world. Therefore, just as He did not come in the expected manner (as a worldly king) the first time, so He has come in an unexpected manner (in the words of a written revelation) the second time, in the truth revealed in the Heavenly Doctrines. In 1745 Jesus Christ appeared to a Swede name Emanuel Swedenborg and commissioned him to write down everything that he would be taught over the next 27 years. The resulting volumes of Christian theology, the Heavenly Doctrines, reveal truth explaining: the spiritual message written by God into the stories of the Old and New Testaments, the nature of eternal life in heaven and eternal death in hell, the character of true marriage between one man and one woman, the character of God, the structure and function of the human mind, the constant work of the Divine Providence to save all people who believe in God and live well, and much, much more. In short, they contain all of the things which Jesus referred to when He told His disciples that there were still many things to tell them which they could not yet understand John 16:12).

It is essential to the faith of the New Church that people acknowledge Jesus Christ as the one and only God, that they turn to Him alone in prayer and life, that they refrain from breaking His Commandments because evil is contrary to His will, and that they do what is good for others because charity is one of His gifts to the human race. All of this is to be done with the acknowledgement that without the Lord God Jesus Christ we are nothing, but with Him all things are possible.
From www.swedenborg-chapel.org, the summary of foundations for the church (local pdf copy).