One day while speaking with Nicodemus, Jesus pointed out that to gain entrance into the Kingdom of God, one must be born again or born from above. He compared and contrasted the natural human birth with the “birth of water and the spirit.”
John 3:3-8 – Jesus answered and said to [Nicodemus], "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again [the Greek literally says ‘born from above’ – see also NIV margin], he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Indeed, the physical birth can serve as an analogy – though imperfect as all analogies are – of the spiritual birth. Here are some insights.
Before we are born as humans, we go through three stages: Firstly, conception when the short-lived female ovum is fertilized by the male sperm, giving it a much greater potential and longer life than it would have of and by itself. Secondly, there is a period of gestation or development, during which the embryo undergoes a remarkable transformation into a tiny human being with the characteristics of its parents. Thirdly, the actual birth takes place, through which the baby enters the physical world. (In the original Greek, there is just one word, genao, which apparently can mean both begettal / conception and birth.)
The “new birth” or “birth from above” also can be seen as having three stages, summed up in Romans 8:
Romans 8:29-30 – For those God foreknewhe also predestinedto be conformed to the likeness of his Son,that he might be the firstbornamong many brothers. And those he predestined,he also called;those he called, he also justified;those he justified, he also glorified.
From the above passage, the New Birth of the Spirit can be equated with being conformed into the likeness of Jesus, or becoming a son or daughter of God in the same way that Jesus has. He is the firstborn or pioneer of our salvation, with many to follow in his steps. The process very broadly consists of a calling, justification and glorification.
Theologian John Wesley also conceptualized grace – the process of salvation – into three types or phases. He called them prevenient grace, justifying grace, and sanctifying grace.
Below is a brief summary of each of the three phases which, with their sub-phases, are discussed in more detail in the chapters of the book.
The Calling – In this first step, the soul is opened or awakened through the Divine Love, and the person becomes receptive and enabled to follow the way to salvation. This is analogous to conception.
In John Wesley’s concept of prevenient grace, God’s grace stirs up within us a desire to know our heavenly Father and empowers us to respond to His invitation – the calling – to a relationship with God. Wesley understood grace as God’s active presence in our lives. This presence is not dependent on human actions or response. It is a gift that is always available, but that can be refused. God takes the initiative in relating to humanity. We do not have to beg and plead for God’s love and grace. God actively seeks us and wants all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Because of being given freedom to choose, not all will, however, accept this most gracious offer.
Justification – Secondly, we are justified or in Paul’s words to the church in Corinth: “In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). There is reconciliation, pardon and restoration of relationship with God. According to John Wesley, the image of God — which has been distorted by sin — is renewed within us through God’s grace.
As we shall see later, there is actually more to it than just renewing a distorted image. But again, this dimension of God’s grace is a gift. There are no special requirements that we have to fulfil in order to be loved by God. Our heavenly Father has acted through Jesus Christ – though somewhat differently than what is traditionally believed. We are not saved through his death, but rather, as shown in the book, through following his life-giving teachings about the availability of God’s Love. We become saved by praying to the Father for the reception of the Divine Love and letting it progressively transform our souls.
By accepting and responding to God’s call in faith, we will be forgiven and raised above the law of compensation, cause and effect, or judgment. This means that at a certain point in our progression, the consequences for our sins and shortcomings will no longer come to haunt us after our death, when we enter the spirit world. Our response includes following the God-given path to salvation, and by doing that, we will transcend and be freed from the ultimate penalties of the law of compensation.
The more we develop into God’s likeness at the soul level, the more we’ll “walk in the Spirit” – be motivated by the Divine Love in our daily actions – and reap blessings as a result. Being justified and growing in the Divine Love and nature will not, however, make us immune to suffering and the challenges of earthly life. In fact, trials are stepping stones and provide opportunities for growth during this period of spiritual gestation.
Glorification – Finally, we will reach a state when we are “glorified”. This is when our souls are fully transformed by the Divine Love from the image of God – the state in which they were created – into the divine substance of God. This soul transformation is referred to as the New Birth. It prepares us for entrance and habitation in the Celestial Kingdom of God, where, as divine angels, we will have glorious bodies and countenances. We’ll each be given a dwelling of unimagined beauty and have unlimited opportunities for happiness, growth and service. Theoretically, it is possible to achieve this state in this life, but few do.