James 4:7 Resist the devil and he will flee

 

⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. -James 4:7 Bible, King James Version (KJV)

 

Apocalypse Revealed, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1766], tr. by John Whitehead [1912], at sacred-texts.com

97. ...Hell is called "the Devil" and "Satan," and by the hell which is called "the Devil," are meant such there as are in evils, properly who are in the love of self; and by the hell which is called "Satan," are meant such there as are in falsities, properly who are in the pride of their own intelligence. The hells are called the "Devil" and "Satan," because all who are in them are called devils and satans...

Apocalypse Explained, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1757-9], tr. by John Whitehead [1911], at sacred-texts.com

1164. ...(Continuation) [2] That a man may be led out of hell and led into heaven by the Lord, he must himself resist hell, that is, evils, as if from himself. If he does not resist as if from himself, he remains in hell and hell in him, nor is he separated from it to eternity... Evils are removed from man either by punishments, or by temptations, and consequent turning away, or by the affections of truth and good. With those not reformed evils are removed by punishments; with those about to be reformed they are removed by temptations and consequent turning away; and with the regenerate by the affections of truth and good. The experience is this: When an unreformed or evil person endures punishments, as takes place in hell, he is kept in the punishments until it is perceived that of himself he does not will the evils; not until then is he set free. Thus is he compelled of himself to put away evils. If he is not punished even to that intention and will he continues in his evil. Yet even then the evil is not rooted out, because he has not compelled himself. The evil remains within, and returns when the fear ceases. With those about to be reformed evils are removed by temptations, which are not punishments... Such persons are not compelled to resist evils, but they compel themselves and pray to the Lord, and thus are delivered from the evils which they have resisted. Such afterwards refrain from evils, not from any fear of punishment but from an aversion to evil; and at length this aversion to evil is their resistance. But with the regenerate there are no temptations..., but the affections of truth and good that keep evils far away from them; for they are wholly separated from hell, which is the source of evils, and are conjoined to the Lord. [3] To be separated and removed from evils is the same thing as to be separated and removed from infernal societies. The Lord has the power to separate and remove from infernal societies, that is, from evils, and the power to transfer to heavenly societies, that is, to goods, anyone He may wish; but such a change can continue only for a few hours, after which the evils return. I have frequently seen this done; and seen that the evil continued evil as before. In the whole spiritual world there is not an instance of anyone's having been removed from evils in any other way than by combat or resistance as if from himself, or of anyone doing this except of the Lord alone.



Last Judgment Posthumous, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1762], tr. by John Whitehead [1914], at sacred-texts.com



349.
[342] TO DO GOODS AND NOT TO FIGHT AGAINST EVILS IS TO DO GOODS FROM SELF AND NOT FROM THE LORD. It is believed by many that they will be saved because they have done goods, as that they have given to the poor, benefitted their neighbor, acted sincerely and justly in their duty and work, and yet have never fought against the evils opposed to their goods... In this case his evils nevertheless remain; for although he does not do them, yet he is not averse to them. Consequently when the love of evil with its delight returns, he does not resist the evil, but either excuses it and does it, or omits doing it on account of himself and the world... The case is otherwise when he fights against evil from the spiritual law; for, insofar as he does this, he censures evil, and he then loves good and its truth; and in proportion as he does good from the Lord and not from himself, in the same proportion the Lord, by the good and truth in the man, removes his evils.
350.
[343] I have heard spirits saying, that they know no otherwise than that to do good is to shun evil. But they receive for reply, that in this case they no otherwise shun evil than that they do not do it; but that nevertheless they do not hold evil in hatred, and reject it as sin, unless as far as they have fought against it. By fighting against it evil is removed, and then good succeeds, that is, by combat the devil is removed and the Lord enters. To do good, and not to fight against evil, is to do good only in externals and not in internals; but to fight against evil and thus to do good, is to do good in internals. Man is not made spiritual except by combat. Some of those who have been sincere, just, chaste, and have not fought against what is insincere, unjust, and unchaste, are after death let into combats [or temptations,] and then it clearly appears how much they have done good from themselves, or on account of themselves, or from the Lord; and by combats they are reformed...
352.
[345] Man does good from obedience, and he does good also from affection. He does good from obedience before he has fought against evil. This is the first state of man, and it may be a state of reformation; and he who is in this state and does not do evils is regenerated in the other life by combats against them or by temptations. To do good from affection takes place only when man has fought against evils...
353.
[346] To do good from obedience is not from freedom, because not from affection; in it there is the thought of reward, and consequently afterwards of merit. [348] In proportion as man shuns evils as sins, in the same proportion he does good not from himself but from the Lord. [349] In proportion as man shuns evil, in the same proportion his works become works of charity.
354.
[347] No one can do good from himself; it is the Lord with man who does the good, and no one comes to the Lord but he who removes evils from himself by combats against them. Hence it is that in proportion as anyone thus removes evils, in the same proportion he does good from the Lord; and this good appears in like manner as if it were done by the man, but nevertheless the man always thinks of the Lord, and the angels have a perception that is from the Lord.