249、没有来自神性的启示，人无从知道关于永生，甚至关于神的任何事，更无从知道关于爱神信神的任何事。因为人生来就是完全无知的，不得不从世上的事物学习一切，并通过它们形成自己的理解力。他还生来就有来自爱自己爱世界的各种遗传之恶。由此产生的快乐不断控制他，并向他暗示与神性背道而驰的事。这就是为何人对永生一无所知；因此，启示是有必要的，以便他能由此知道永生。
249、若没有神的启示，人无从知道任何有关永生和上帝的事情，更不可能知道要爱主和信主。因为人生来是完全无知的，所以他必须通过世间事物去学习一切，并形成自己的理解力。另外，由于代代相传的对自己和世界的爱，且此爱带来的快乐一直支配着人，人生来就具有各种邪恶，诱导人做与神性完全相反的思考。这就导致人对永恒生命的一无所知。所以必须降下启示以教化他们。
249. Sacred Scripture, or the Word
Without revelation from the Divine, we cannot know anything about eternal life or even about God, and even less about love for God and faith in God. This is because we are born into utter ignorance and have to learn from worldly sources everything that gives form to our understanding. It is also because by heredity we are born with evils of every kind, which come from love for ourselves and for the world. These loves give rise to pleasures that retain constant control over us and prompt us to think things that are diametrically opposed to the Divine. This, then, is why we know nothing about eternal life; so there must of necessity be some revelation that makes it possible for us to know.
249. Chapter 20. The Bible: A Holy Book
Without revelation from the divine, we could not know anything about eternal life or God, still less about loving and believing him. We are born in complete ignorance, and then, from the things in the world around us, we learn everything that shapes our understanding. Also, right from birth we inherit everything harmful, which comes from selfish and materialistic loves. The pleasure that comes from loving these things controls us all the time, and this encourages the kinds of things that are completely against the divine. This is why we do not know anything about eternal life. So there had to be revelation for us to learn about it.
249. XX. ON THE SACRED SCRIPTURE, THAT IS, THE WORD
Without a revelation from the Deity human beings could not know anything about everlasting life, or even anything about God, much less about love to and faith in Him. For they are born totally ignorant, and have to learn everything from things in the world, and to develop their intellect from them. They also have by birth an inheritance of every kind of evil, which arises from self-love and love of the world. The pleasures these give are constantly in control and suggest things that are diametrically opposed to the Deity. This is why human beings know nothing about everlasting life, and therefore there must be a revelation to enable them to know about it.
249. THE SACRED SCRIPTURE, OR THE WORD.
WITHOUT a revelation from the Divine, a man cannot know anything concerning eternal life, or even concerning God; and still less can he know anything concerning love to God and faith in Him; for a man is born in utter ignorance, and everything from which his understanding is to be formed he has to learn from worldly objects. Hereditarily, also, he is born into every evil which arises from the love of self and the world. The delights arising therefrom prevail continually, and suggest to him such things as are diametrically opposed to the Divine. This then is the reason that man knows nothing concerning eternal life; and hence the necessity of a Revelation, from which he may have such knowledge.
249. XX. THE SACRED SCRIPTURE, OR THE WORD.
Without a revelation from the Divine, man cannot know anything concerning eternal life, nor even anything concerning God, and still less concerning love to, and faith in Him; for man is born into mere ignorance, and must therefore learn everything from worldly things, from which he must form his understanding. He is also born hereditarily into every evil which is from the love of self and of the world; the delights from thence reign continually, and suggest such things as are diametrically contrary to the Divine. Hence it is that man knows nothing concerning eternal life; wherefore there must necessarily be a revelation from which he may know.
249. (XX.) DE SCRIPTURA SACRA SIVE VERBO.
HOMO absque revelatione ex Divino, non scire aliquid potest de vita aeterna, ne quidem aliquid de Deo, et adhuc minus de amore et fide in Ipsum: nam homo nascitur in meram ignorantiam, et dein ex mundanis discet omnia, ex quibus formabit intellectum suum; nascitur etiam ex hereditario in omne malum, quod est ex amore sui et mundi; jucunda inde regnant jugiter, et suggerunt talia quae e diametro sunt contra Divinum Inde nunc est quod homo nihil de vita aeterna sciat: ideo necessario erit revelatio, ex qua sciat.