Living Experience of Truth

A person cannot be taught so well by description but by living experience (AC n.892)

The idea that a person learns best through real-life experiences rather than just descriptions is a significant concept, especially in both natural and spiritual education. In the context of New Church beliefs, there is a crucial distinction between simply knowing something intellectually, like learning facts from a book or being told something, and genuinely understanding or embodying those truths through lived experiences.

For example, the Bible emphasises that true wisdom and understanding often come from experiencing life firsthand rather than merely receiving information. Take the Israelites, for instance; they were given commandments and laws, but it was the difficult journey through the wilderness, filled with trials and moments of deliverance, that taught them how to truly trust in God. This journey highlights how experience shapes understanding.

The teachings of the New Church explain that spiritual growth is deeply connected to how we live our lives, rather than just what we know in our minds. People are said to undergo a process called regeneration, or spiritual rebirth, when they actively live according to spiritual truths, instead of just learning about them theoretically.

The key point here is that nothing is truly learned until it becomes part of our daily living—until we act on what we have learned. The process of spiritual transformation starts with learning new truths but is most fully realised when we make conscious choices based on those truths.

Life is of the Mind

To understand this more clearly, we need to recognise that when Swedenborg talks about “life”, he is talking about the life of the mind, where our intentions, loves, and thoughts originate and then show in our actions. The teachings from the New Church explain that spiritual learning involves more than just gathering information; it requires shaping our minds by loving and living according to truth. Nothing is truly learned until it transitions from our memory and understanding into our lived experience, becoming joined with our emotions and intentions.

In addition, the Lord emphasises that true learning and wisdom stem from transforming our inner selves. I heard a great quote, “If the Word isn’t transforming your life, you are reading it wrong”. For instance, Jesus reminds us that “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). This illustrates that our inner life, what we truly hold within us, directly impacts our external actions and words.

Regeneration of the Inner Mind

If we know or comprehend something but do not make it a part of our inner selves, it is not truly ours. Only when these truths are embedded in our will and guide our thoughts and actions do they become living and effective parts of our lives.

Therefore, the regeneration process involves truth entering our minds through the Word (via teaching or description), becoming a part of our inner lives, and then influencing how we conduct ourselves in the world. This regeneration shapes our minds such that our inner intentions and affections direct our outer choices and perspectives.

Seeing the Word as True

Genuine learning of truth occurs only when we choose to actively engage with awareness of our thoughts and intentions, recognising that what the Word teaches about the selfish states within us is true and allowing those insights to guide our thoughts and intentions. While descriptions can inform our memory and understanding, it is through our internal experiences that we come to understand how what the Lord teaches is true as we apply it to the life of our minds. This is when we undergo true learning and transformation.

When we use truth to examine our personal thoughts and affections, we often realise that our current state is ruled by self-centred tendencies and desires. This self-examination, illuminated by the truth, is vital for allowing that truth to become a living part of us.

The Bible emphasises the importance of self-examination and repentance as crucial components of spiritual growth. As expressed in the Psalms, “Search me, O God, and know my heart…see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalms 139:23-24). This process isn’t just academic or theoretical; it is experiential. We are encouraged to let the truth reveal what governs our lives so we can acknowledge it, grieve it, and seek the Lord’s guidance to move away from negative patterns.

Jesus further emphasizes this need for inner reflection with the teaching, “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3). Here, the Lord calls us to apply truth to our inward lives to recognize our own shortcomings instead of remaining solely focused on external knowledge.

Engage in Practice

This practice of self-reflection is central to the concept of regeneration. When genuine truths enter the mind, they illuminate our true inner state, revealing how much of our lives is influenced by self-centeredness, qualities that separate us from God. The proprium, or our sense of self, tends to focus on individual desires for praise, control, and worldly things. Without the illuminating light of divine truth, we may remain unaware of these tendencies.

In essence, when we allow truth to act as a mirror, enabling us to examine our lives through it, reflecting on our thoughts, intentions, and feelings, we can begin to understand how self-love and personal desires have shaped who we are. Such recognition cannot be achieved through learning and intellectual power; rather, it arises from engaging in the practice of self-examination and repentance, so that acknowledgement of truths becomes a lived experience.