§319 non-christians 175
a. Non-Christians are saved just as Christians are: 932 , 1032 , 1059 , 2284 , 2589 , 2590 , 3778 , 4190 ,
4197. On the lot of non-Christians and people outside the church in the other life: 2589 – 2604.
The church specifi cally defi ned is where the Word is and where the Lord is known through it:
3857 , 10761. This does not mean, though, that people belong to the church by being born where
the Word is and where the Lord is known, but rather by living a life of thoughtfulness and faith:
6637 , 10143 , 10153 , 10578 , 10645 , 10829. The Lord’s church is found among all the people in the
whole world who live intent on what is good as their own religion defi nes it and who acknowl-
edge a divine being; they are accepted by the Lord and enter heaven: 2589 – 2604 , 2861 , 2863 , 3263 ,
4190 , 4197 , 6700 , 9256.
extent that we do focus on the Divine, we do not focus on the world but
move away from the world and therefore from a worldly life, which is an
outward life.a
People can realize that non-Christians as well as Christians are saved 319
if they know what constitutes heaven in us; for heaven is within us, and
people who have heaven within them come into heaven. The heaven
within us is our acknowledgment of the Divine and our being led by the
Divine. The beginning and foundation of every religion is its acknowl-
edgment of the Divine Being; a religion that does not acknowledge the
Divine Being is not a religion at all. The precepts of every religion focus
on worship, that is, on how the Divine is to be honored so that we will
be acceptable in its sight; and when this fully occupies the mind (or, to
the extent that we intend this or love this) we are being led by the Lord.
It is recognized that non-Christians live lives that are just as moral as
the lives of Christians—many of them, in fact, live more moral lives. A
moral life may be lived either to satisfy the Divine or to satisfy people in
this world. A moral life that is lived to satisfy the Divine is a spiritual life.
The two look alike in outward form, but inwardly they are totally differ-
ent. One saves us, the other does not. This is because if we live a moral
life to satisfy the Divine we are being led by the Divine; while if we live a
moral life to satisfy people in this world, we are being led by ourselves.
[ 2 ] This may be illustrated by an example. If we do not do harm to
our neighbor because that is against our religion and therefore against the
Divine, our refraining from evil stems from a spiritual source. But if we
refrain from doing harm to others simply because we are afraid of the law
or of losing our reputation or respect or profi t—for the sake of self and the
world, that is—then this stems from a natural source and we are being led
by ourselves. This latter life is natural, while the former is spiritual. If our
moral life is spiritual, we have heaven within ourselves; but if our moral
life is merely natural, we do not have heaven within ourselves. This is