According to Swedenborg, the purpose of the Bible is to lead people toward spiritual rebirth, or regeneration. For this reason, God embedded deeper truths within the literal stories of the Scripture.

We live as though we are in a permanent state of exile, struggling to find a way back to a lost sanctuary. However, the spiritual truth is more hopeful: the Garden planted by God is still there, nestled deeply within the quietest corners of the mind.

At times, our faith can feel worn thin. In those moments, what we need isn’t a complex argument or a technical explanation, but the restorative strengthening that comes from being held together when we feel ourselves falling apart.

“Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” At first glance, this may sound like a rebuke of weak faith. But when we read this more closely—and perhaps more personally—it reveals something deeper about the human condition.