293. Verse 11. Saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive the glory, and the honor, and the power, signifies merit and righteousness belonging to the Lord's Divine Human, that from it is all Divine truth and Divine good and salvation. This is evident from the signification of "Thou art worthy, O Lord," as being merit and righteousness belonging to the Lord's Divine Human (of which presently); also from the signification of "glory and honor," as being in reference to the Lord's Divine truth and Divine good which are from Him (see above, n. 288), also from the signification of "power," as being salvation. "Power" here signifies salvation because all Divine power looks to salvation as an end; for by Divine power man is reformed, and afterwards introduced into heaven, and there withheld from evil and falsity and held in good and truth; and this the Lord only can effect. Those who claim for themselves the power to effect this are wholly ignorant of what salvation is, for they do not know what reformation is, nor what heaven with man is. To claim to oneself the Lord's power is to claim power over the Lord Himself, which power is called "the power of darkness" (Luke 22:53). [2] That the power predicated of the Lord has regard chiefly to salvation is evident from the following passages. In John:
Jesus said, Father, Thou hast given (to the Son) power over all flesh, that to all whom Thou hast given Him to them He should give eternal life (John 17:2). In the same:
As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, to them that believe in His name (John 1:12). In the same:
I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for apart from Me ye cannot do anything (John 15:5). In Mark:
They were astonished at His doctrine; for He was teaching them as having authority (Mark 1:22). In Luke:
With authority and power He commands unclean spirits and they go forth (Luke 4:36);
besides other passages. Moreover, the Lord has power over all things because He is God alone; but the salvation of the human race is the principal object of power, since for the sake of that the heavens and the worlds were created; and salvation is the reception of the proceeding Divine. [3] "Thou art worthy, O Lord," signifies the merit and righteousness pertaining to the Lord's Divine Human, because "Thou art worthy" signifies that He had merit. The Lord's merit is that when He was in the world He subjugated the hells, and brought into order all things in the heavens, and glorified His Human, and this from His own power. By this means He saved all of the human race who believe in Him, that is, who love to do His precepts (John 1:12, 13). Moreover, this merit is called in the Word "righteousness," (justice) and the Lord in respect to His Divine Human is called from this:
Jehovah our Righteousness (Jer. 23:5-6; 33:15-16). (Of this merit, or this righteousness of the Lord, see further in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 293, 294; and in the quotations there from Arcana Coelestia, n. 300-306.)
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