“And I approached [my wife] the prophetess, and when she had conceived and borne a son, the Lord said to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz [as a continual reminder to the people of the prophecy],” (Isaiah 8:3 AMP)
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Abstract: The purpose of this article is to illustrate and show that the new emerging church will not adhere to the Christian theology of “once saved always saved” or what is called Sola Fide. There are many reasons why this is an error in Christian doctrine. Saying Jesus died on the cross to appease the wrath, anger, fury, and rage of the “Father” is the most grievous. For we say “The one who does not love has not known God. For God is love” (1 John 4:8), and “And we have known and believed the love that God has in us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16).
Also, we say Jesus Christ is Jehovah God. They are inseparable and they are one. Jesus Christ showed us while He was in the world an inclination to do kind and charitable works. “Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls” (Matthew 11:29)
Therefore Jesus Christ in the New Testament of the Bible and Jehovah God in the Old Testament are both incapable of wrath, anger, fury, and rage. This renders the entire doctrine of Sola Fida or “By Faith Alone” to enter into the kingdom of God null and void. “Love works no ill to its neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law” (Romans 13:10)
In the process of regeneration of our human spirit, we are appointed to be willing participants in God’s plan for our born-again lives. We then are being remade by the Lord for the journey into God’s family and kingdom. To live in His kingdom we must be good citizens and be able to get along with others. This is much more than just being born again.
Below is what we call “The 12 Steps of Spiritual Regeneration” assembled by Rev. J.H. Smithson.
I have added my emphasis in italic parentheses to include a simple English text for the beginner of the spiritual meaning of the Bible for people such as myself.
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Verse 3. “And she conceived, and bare a son”-“Conceptions” and “births,” when mentioned in the Word (Bible), signify regeneration, or the new birth, “without which no man can enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3: 3, 5.) An idea of the necessity of regeneration, and of the process by which it is effected, is involved in the following general propositions:
The 12-Steps of Spiritual Regeneration
Step 1. That unless a man be born again, and as it were created anew, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God,
Step 2. That new generation or creation is affected by the Lord alone by charity and faith, as two mediums, while man cooperates,
Step 3. That inasmuch as all are redeemed, all may be regenerated, every one according to his state,
Step 4. That the work of regeneration resembles that of man’s conception, of his being carried in the womb, being born, and educated,
Step 5. That the first act of new generation is called reformation, which act is of the understanding; and that the second act is called regeneration, which act is of the will, and thence of the understanding,
Step 6. That the internal man is first to be reformed, and by this, the external, and that man is thus regenerated,
Step 7. That while this is effecting, combat arises between the internal and external man, and in this case, he who conquers rules over the other,
Step 8. That the, regenerate man has a new will and a new understanding,
Step 9. That the regenerate man is in communion with the angels of heaven, and the unregenerate man is in communion with the spirits of hell.
Step 10. That so far as man is regenerated, so far sins are removed, and that this removal is what, is meant, by the remission of sins,
Step 11. That there can be no regeneration without free will in spiritual things,
Step 12. That there can be no regeneration without truths, by which faith is formed, and with which charity conjoins itself
From “The Prophet Isaiah” by Rev. J.H. Smithson (1860), Commentary on Isaiah 8:3 based on the book “True Christian Religion” by Emanuel Swedenborg, paragraphs #518-621.
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The 12-Steps of Spiritual Regeneration (with added emphasis on the spiritual meaning in ordinary English)
Step 1. That unless a man is born again (spiritually), and as it were created anew (to leave the old life in the world behind and walk in a new spiritual path), he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (these are the rules that the Lord God has said must be followed),
Step 2. That new generation or creation (the human spirit is being reshaped into a new person) is affected by the Lord alone (only He can do this) by charity (we must have love to the Lord God and love to our fellow human beings) and faith (believing what He has taught in the Holy Bible and then following His teachings), as two mediums (the school house of the Lord), while man cooperates (we must trust and obey and behave well in the school house to learn the lessons),
Step 3. That inasmuch as all are redeemed (the Lord is always calling every person on earth to live in His kingdom), all may be regenerated (the removal of evil thinking and bad decisions in the born-again ones), every one according to his state (the condition of their minds),
Step 4. That the work of regeneration (the removal of evil thinking and bad decisions in the born-again ones) resembles (it can be said) that of man’s conception (when a person is born into the world), of his being carried in the womb (the born-again spiritual person at first relies totally upon the Lord), being born (the young Jesus follower slowly begins to learn to walk in this new life), and educated (for the rest of their life in the body the born-again one learns more and more about the Lord’s kingdom, and what is expected of them before they enter that kingdom when they leave the body at death),
Step 5. That the first act (the first lesson to the born-again one) of new generation is called reformation (the reshaping of the mind and thinking to a better way), which act is of the understanding (from these lessons they learn how to follow their heavenly Father); and that the second act is called regeneration (the removal of evil thinking and bad decisions in the born-again ones), which act is of the will (they have to want to change), and thence (it will then follow) of the understanding (from these lessons they know how to follow their heavenly Father),
Step 6. That the internal man (the born-again spiritual person inside them) is first to be reformed (reshaping the mind and thinking to a better way), and by this, the external (this person has a new wisdom and attitude while in the world), and that man is thus regenerated (they are at peace with themselves and with the Lord),
Step 7. That while this is affecting (while the Lord is the teacher in the schoolhouse), combat (disagreements and arguments) arises (a struggle and a tug of rope) between the internal (the spiritual person who wants to follow Jesus) and external man (the person who loves the world and themselves) who, and in this case (when this war in the mind happens) he who conquers (the choice to follow an evil thought or the choice to follow Jesus) rules over the other (in this struggle and tug of rope if the evil thought wins and Jesus falls into the water and loses, or the wise choice to follow Jesus wins and the evil thought falls into the water and loses),
Step 8. That the, regenerate man has a new will (they want to serve Jesus) and a new understanding (after a while the spiritual born-again one is being led by a glorious light from heaven in their everyday walk in the world),
Step 9. That the regenerate man is in communion with (the spiritual born-again one is thinking and acting much like) the angels of heaven (the church in heaven with whom they will join one day after they leave the body), and the unregenerate man (they refuse to attend the school house in which the Lord is the teacher) is in communion (they think and act just like) with the spirits of hell (where the evil in hell live and with whom they will join one day after they leave the body).
Step 10. That so far as man is regenerated (how much the born-again ones study and learn from the school house teacher Jesus Christ), so far sins are removed (the evil thoughts and acting out they had before do not show up very often), and that this removal (the taking away of them) is what is meant, by the remission of sins (they now have a new way of thinking and acting),
Step 11. That there can be no regeneration (the born-again ones who follow and obey the Word of God) without free will (the Lord God did not create robots who do only what they are programmed to do) in spiritual things (it is entirely up to the born-again one to make up their minds what they will do),
Steps 12. That there can be no regeneration (the born-again ones who follow and obey the Word of God) without truths (the light of heaven shining forth from the Word of God), by which faith (the belief that the Lord is faithful and true and will never let them down) is formed (comes to exist in their minds), and with which charity (all the good of God’s love must be shared to others) conjoins itself (love and faith can never be separated for they live together for eternity in the kingdom of God)
From “The Prophet Isaiah” by Rev. J.H. Smithson (1860), Commentary on Isaiah 8:3 based on the book “True Christian Religion” by Emanuel Swedenborg, paragraphs #518-621.
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lclioncross - The New Emerging Church Coming Down From Heaven 