new church life: jan uary/february 2017
While a portion of the Lord’s
leading is necessarily in response to
our choices, I believe that He is much
more active than merely watching
what we are up to and responding
from time to time. My thesis is that He
is a constant active force in our lives,
and could even be described as a gentle
aggressor.
Perhaps the best way to frame
the question is: How far will the Lord
go, short of compulsion, to lead us to
good?
It is clear from the Heavenly
Doctrines that the Lord is not
passive, but extremely active in our
lives. Consider the language in these
quotations: “[T]he Lord is continually
urging and as it were entreating.” (Arcana Coelestia 5471; all italics in this
presentation for emphasis are added to the text.) “God is omnipresent in good,
perpetually urging and demanding to be received.” (True Christian Religion
490) “The Lord is present with every one, urging and pressing to be received.”
(True Christian Religion 766; see also Spiritual Experiences 6080; True Christian
Religion 498; Last Judgment Posthumous 215; Invitation to the New Church 23,
50)
These are not reactive or passive stances but rather depict someone
forcefully pushing upon us to influence our thinking and actions. This is an
asserting, forceful God who is passionately and lovingly present and leading
us.
The Lord will never force
us to be good. While He
provides the Word, He
does not compel anyone
to read it or listen to
it. He does not coerce
anyone to attend church.
He won’t intervene and
stop us from doing
something wrong.
How Does the Lord Knock on Our Doors?
A beloved quote from the New Testament is: “Behold, I stand at the door and
knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and
dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20) The question is: how does
the Lord knock?
It is easy to think of it as an occasional gentle knocking that we can listen
to or not. In one sense that is correct because He is not going to break our
doors down. Yet consider how the Heavenly Doctrines explain what the Lord is
doing: “The Lord continually urges and presses upon a person to open the door
for himself ” (Divine Providence 119:2), and “the Lord is continually present,
knocks at the door, is urgent and wishes to enter.” (Apocalypse Explained 798:6;
10