the Lord’s kingdom love the Lord, since the Lord is everything to all his
kingdom.
On an Even Higher Level, the Neighbor We Are to Love
Is the Church, and on the Highest Level,
Our Neighbor Is the Lord’s KingdomWe are born for eternal life and are introduced into it by the church. 415
Therefore we are to love the church as our neighbor on an even higher
level [than we love our country]. The church teaches us the means that
lead to eternal life and introduces us into that life. It leads us to eternal
life by means of the true things in its body of teaching. It introduces us
to that life through good ways to live.
This does not mean that we are to love the priesthood to a special
degree or love the church on the priesthood’s account. We are to love the
church’s goodness and truth, and love the priesthood on account of this
goodness and truth. The priesthood only serves; it is to be honored
according to its service.
We are to love the church as our neighbor on a higher level, even
beyond our country, because our country initiates us into civic life but
the church initiates us into spiritual life. Spiritual life is what sets us apart
from a merely animal life.
What is more, our civic life is temporary. It comes to an end. Once it
is over, it is the same as if it had not existed. Our spiritual life, on the
other hand, is eternal, because it has no end. Spiritual life has a quality of
reality therefore that civic life does not have. The difference between
them is like the difference between what is finite and what is infinite—
there is no ratio between them. Eternity is an infinity of time.
The Lord’s kingdom is the neighbor to which we are to give the high- 416
est level of our love, because the Lord’s kingdom means the church across
the entire world, also known as “the communion of saints.” It includes
heaven as well.
People who love the Lord’s kingdom love all in the whole world
who acknowledge the Lord, have faith in him, and have goodwill
toward their neighbor; they also love all who are in heaven. People who
love the Lord’s kingdom love the Lord above all else. They have more
love for God than others do. This is because the church in the heavens
§416 goodwill & good actions 509