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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. |
