239.世人与天使藉着圣言的属世之义或字义实现联结，这一事实也是为何每个人自受造时就有属天、属灵和属世这三个生命层级的原因。然而，人只要尚在人世，就处于属世层。不过，他若拥有纯正的真理，同时也处于天使的属灵层；他若照着这些真理生活，就处于属天层。然而，在死之前，他不会进入真正的属灵层或属天层，因为这两个层级被包裹和隐藏在他的属世观念中。因此，当死亡除去属世层后，属灵和属天层就保留下来；那时，其思想观念就是出自这两个层级。这些事实清楚表明，唯独圣言是灵和生命的源头，如主所说的：
我对你们所说的话，就是灵，就是生命。（约翰福音6:63）
我所赐给你们的水，要成为水泉，直涌到永生。（约翰福音4:14）
人活着，不是单靠食物，乃是靠神口里所出的一切话。（马太福音4:4）要为那存到永生的食物劳力，就是人子要赐给你们。（约翰福音6:27）
239. 藉著聖言的屬世或文字意義,天人與人聯合的事實, 也是人從被造之日起就有三個層級的生活的緣由:屬天,屬靈和屬世。只要人還在世, 就仍然處於屬世的層級; 他若在純正的真理之中, 同時也會在屬靈層級中; 並且他若真實地活出那些真理, 也會處於屬天層級之中。不過, 在人死之前, 他並非進入到真正的屬靈和屬天的層級, 因為這二者被包裹和隱藏在他的屬世思想之中。因此, 當屬世層級藉著死亡被帶走後, 留下了屬靈和屬天層級, 於是他的思想就由此屬靈和屬天而來。這些事實能證實唯獨聖言是靈與生命的源泉, 正如主所說的:我對所說的話, 就是靈, 就是生命(約翰福音6:63)。我所賜的水, 要在他裡頭成為泉源, 直湧到永生(約翰福音4:14)。人活著, 不是單靠食物, 乃是靠上帝口裡所出的一切話(馬太福音4:4)。要為那存到永生的食物勞力, 就是人子要賜給你們的(約翰福音6:27)。
239. Association with angels comes about through the Word's earthly or literal meaning because three levels of life have been built into every one of us from creation: a heavenly level, a spiritual level, and an earthly level. As long as we are alive in the world we are conscious of the earthly level; during this time we are conscious of the spiritual angelic level only to the extent that we have genuine truths, and we are conscious of the heavenly level only to the extent that we live our lives by those truths. Even in that case, we do not come into full consciousness of what is spiritual or heavenly until after death, because what is spiritual or heavenly is locked and hidden inside our earthly ideas. When our earthly level passes away through death, the spiritual and heavenly levels remain and form the basis of the ideas in our thinking.
It stands to reason, then, that only the Word has spirit and life. As the Lord says,
The words that I speak to you are spirit and are life. (John 6:63)
The water that I will give you will become a fountain of water springing up to eternal life. (John 4:14)
People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)
Work for the food that remains for eternal life, which the Son of Humankind will give you. (John 6:27)
239. The fact that the association of men with angels takes place by means of the natural or literal sense of the Word is also the reason why in every person there are from creation three degrees of life: celestial, spiritual and natural. A person, however, remains in the natural degree so long as he is in the world, and at that time is only in the spiritual degree shared by the angels to the extent that he possesses genuine truths; and he is in the celestial degree to the extent that he lives a life guided by those truths. Yet he does not enter into the real spiritual or celestial degrees until after death, because these two are wrapped up and concealed in his natural ideas. When therefore death removes the natural degree, the spiritual and celestial are left, and these then dictate the ideas he thinks about. These facts can establish that the Word alone is the source of spirit and life, as the Lord says:
The words which I speak to you are spirit and life, John 6:63.
The water which I shall give you will become a spring of water rising up to give everlasting life, John 4:14.
Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth out of the mouth of God, Matthew 4:4.
Work for the food which lasts to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, John 6:27.
239. The affiliation of man with angels is effected by the natural or literal sense of the Word for the further reason that in every man by creation there are three degrees of life, a celestial, a spiritual, and a natural; but so long as man is in the world he is in the natural degree; yet at the same time he is also in the angelic spiritual degree so far as he is in genuine truths, and he is in the celestial degree so far as he is in a life according to those truths. Nevertheless he does not enter the spiritual and celestial itself until after death, because these two are enclosed and stored up within his natural ideas; so when the natural passes away by death, the spiritual and celestial remain, and from these the ideas of his thoughts then come. All this makes clear that in the Word alone there is spirit and life, as the Lord says:
The words that I speak unto you, are spirit and are life (John 6:63);
The water that I shall give you shall become a fountain of water springing up unto eternal life (John 4:14);
Man liveth not by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4);
Work for that meat which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you (John 6:27).
239. The association of a man with angels is effected by the natural or literal sense of the Word, because in every man from creation there are three degrees of life, the celestial, the spiritual, and the natural. A man, however, is in the natural degree as long as he continues in this world. He is also in the angelic spiritual degree as far as he is in genuine truths, and in the celestial degree so far as his life is in accordance with those truths. Still, he does not actually enter the spiritual and celestial degrees themselves till after death, because they are both enclosed and concealed within his natural ideas. When, therefore, the natural is put off by death, the spiritual and the celestial remain, and from them his thoughts are now derived. Thus from what has been said it may be evident that the Word alone contains spirit and life, as the Lord says:
"The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" John 6:63.
"The water that I shall give you (A.V., him) shall be... a well of water springing up into everlasting life" John 4:14.
"Man doth (A.V., shall) not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" Matthew 4:4.
"Labor... for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you. John 6:27.
239. Quod Consociatio hominis cum Angelis fiat per Sensum naturalem seu literalem Verbi, est quoque causa, quia in unoquovis homine ex creatione sunt tres Gradus vitae, coelestis, spiritualis, et naturalis; sed homo in naturali est, quamdiu in Mundo, et tunc tantum in spirituali angelico, quantum in genuinis veris est, et tantum in coelesti, quantum in vita secundum illa est; at usque non venit in ipsum spirituale et coeleste, quam post mortem, quia haec duo inclusa et recondita sunt in ideis naturalibus ejus; quare cum naturale per mortem abit, remanet spirituale et coeleste, ex quibus tunc fiunt ideae cogitationis ejus. Ex his constare potest, quod in Solo Verbo sit spiritus et vita, sicut Dominus dicit, Verba, quae Ego loquor vobis, spiritus et vita sunt, Johannes 6:63. Aqua, quam Ego dabo vobis, fiet fons aquae salientis in vitam aeternam, Johannes 4:14. Homo non ex solo pane vivit, sed ex omni Verbo egrediente ex ore Dei, Matthaeus 4:4. Operamini cibum, qui manet in vitam aeternam, quem Filius hominis vobis dabit, Johannes 6:27.