Without the Elevation of the Understanding Above the Affection of the Will By Means of the Word Regeneration Would be Impossible

The following number from the work, The Apocalypse Explained, offers an important insight into one of the primary uses of the Texts of Divine revelation or the Word in the regeneration of the human mind.  Essentially what we see is that something needs to be provided by the Lord if a person is to be able to reflect on spiritual realities. Through the provision of the Word, the human race is given the means by which the understanding can be separated from the affection of the corrupt will and so be brought into the light of heaven. If this capacity was not provided for by Lord it would be impossible for the human race to be saved.

AE 1216
[3] For every man, even the merely natural and sensual, is endowed with an understanding capable of elevation into the light of heaven, and able both to discern and comprehend spiritual and even Divine subjects. His understanding is however capable of this elevation only when he hears them or reads of them, or, afterwards from memory, speaks of them; for he cannot think of them inwardly from himself. The reason of this is, that while he hears or reads, the understanding is separated from its own affection, and when it is so separated, it is in the light of heaven; but when he thinks inwardly from himself, the understanding is then conjoined to the affection of its own will, and this affection fills and detains it, preventing its escape. But still the true state of the case is, that the understanding can be separated from the affection of the will, and thus be elevated into the light of heaven, in the case of those natural men who are in the affection for truth, and have not confirmed themselves in falsities. It is however with difficulty that this is done in the case of those who are not in the affection for truth, because they have rejected Divine things, or confirmed themselves in falsities. With these there is as it were a shadowy obstruction between spiritual and natural light; still with many this obstruction is transparent.

 

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