Born again

There is an initial “born again” experience where upon one is initiated to a life through faith in the prevailing evolutionary religious systems of their environment, leading to unquestioning loyalty and devotion to a particular creed, doctrine, or institution—an outer life phenomenon.

The foundation of this comes from Nicodemus and Jesus speaking together in [142:6.4]

• Jesus calls it being "born from above," not "born again."
  • He also doesn't say "born above," but "born from above."
  • Nicodemus coins "born again" in this conversation.
  • Even before you can begin to enter the kingdom of God in ANY sense, there is something that happens first. Before you even get in.
  • Nicodemus even refers to a spirit that "prepares" you for entrance to the kingdom.
    • Jesus implies the Thought Adjuster is this early guide.
  • And then you can be born again.
    • Then begin manifesting the fruits of the spirit.
    • It's as if you're reaching your hands into the upper domain (spiritized mind).
    • But still a long way from planting your feet in that upper domain entirely.
    • If you're born again into evolutionary religion, you are indirectly aware of the shadow cast by the inner life.

• The evolutionary process can produce a profound "born again" experience.
  • And a first step that should be honored and recognized by others.
  • But a fervent identification with an evolutionary religion won't get you to Paradise--not even past the local system.
  • The 5th ER reveals we can guard against setting too low a ceiling. Aim higher: take the ceiling off the building.
  • Revelatory ministry can allow us to be born again again.
• Someone says they are "born again"--they are announcing they have unquestioning loyalty and wholehearted devotion... to those supreme values held up by that religion.
  • They are putting themselves into a genuine potentiality. So there IS a valid religious life there.
  • And yet, these evolutionary religions are founded in the outer life. Religions of matter and possibly mind, but not religions of spirit.
  • But their supreme values are so-called.
  • The 5th ER dares us to aim higher.

Next occurrence

• [155:6.3] is precise physics, not so much metaphor.
• To be "born again, to be born of the spirit."
• Being born again: The realization of the POSSIBILITY of finding God (not the actually finding of God)
  • Again, this is like reaching into spiritized mind with your hands.
  • That potentiality becomes like a substance unto itself (spirit substance is not like material substance that relies on actuality).

So there are two phases to being born again?

• [34:6] is the fruits of the spirit when you are born again (quoting Galatians)
  • A spirit domination--a light shining down--"divinely illuminated"
  • Notice gentleness and meekness among these.
  • Most people today would be thrilled to have this! It's just the 3rd epochal relevation, but it's plenty!
  • Spirit dominance in your life changes everything!
  • This must happen first.

• [193:2] The cosmic fruits of the spirit
  • Jesus in morontia form is teaching something more advance here--actually finding God, being born again again.
  • "Spirit born and God-knowing" is a high bar Jesus declares here. Born again again.
  • This list of fruits is transcendent. More than just meekness.

The second rebirth: Born again again

This second rebirth is in reference to the discovery and pursuit of the ministries in higher mind of the inner life of spirit. It liberates the individual, free to question everything in the quest for meaning and value. The ministries themselves foster the quest, and reality itself provides the corrective experience of tribulation when the pilgrim stumbles into error and evil, leading to the acquirement of wisdom.

The 5th ER calls all, even those self-identified as born again to be born yet again into unquestioning loyalty and wholehearted devotion to truly supreme values, as opposed to the religious dogma of the old wineskins. Self-mastery demands cultivation of inner life faculties and confronting our passively or willfully acquired standards for recognizing truth, beauty, and goodness and replacing the scientific dictation, social usages, and religious dogma with a genuine recognition of causation, duty, and worship.