183. From Secrets of Heaven

What regeneration is and why it happens. Nowadays there is little knowledge about regeneration; why this is the case: 3761, 4136, 5398. We are born with a love for evils of every different kind, and for that reason in terms of our intrinsic characteristics, we are nothing but evil right from our birth: 210, 215, 731, 874, 875, 876, 987, 1047, 2307, 2308, 3518, 3701, 3812, 8480, 8549, 8550, 8552, 10283, 10284, 10286, 10731. On what we inherit being nothing but evil, see the references assembled above in §83 of this work. On our own intrinsic characteristics being nothing but evil as well, see §82. On our own, to the extent that we rely on our inherited and intrinsic characteristics, we are worse than brute animals: 637, 3175. As a result, left to ourselves we are constantly looking toward hell: 694, 8480. So if we are led by this selfhood of ours, there is no way we can be saved: 10731.

Our earthly life is opposed to our spiritual life: 3913, 3928. Anything good that we do on our own or when we are led by our intrinsic characteristics is not good, since we are doing it for our own sake and for worldly reasons: 8478. This selfhood of ours has to be put aside in order for the Lord and heaven to be present: 1023, 1044. It is actively put aside as we are regenerated by the Lord: 9334, 9335, 9336, 9452, 9453, 9454, 9938. That is why we need to be created anew-that is, regenerated: 8549, 9450, 9938. In the Word, our being "created" symbolizes our being regenerated: 16, 88, 10634.

As we are regenerated we are joined to the Lord: 2004, 9338. We are also brought into the company of angels in heaven: 2474. We do not arrive in heaven until we are in a state that makes it possible for us to be led by the Lord through what is good, which happens when we are regenerated: 8516, 8539, 8722, 9832, 10367.

When we have not been regenerated, the outer or earthly self is in control and the inner is its servant: 3167, 8743. The state of our life is thus upside down from birth and therefore needs at all costs to be inverted so that we can be saved: 6507, 8552, 8553, 9258. The goal of regeneration is that the inner or spiritual self should be in control and that the outer or earthly self should be its servant: 911, 913. This is actually what happens when we have been regenerated: 5128, 5651, 8743. After regeneration it is no longer love for ourselves and the world that are dominant in us but love for the Lord and love for our neighbor, so the Lord is ruling and not we ourselves: 8856, 8857. We can see from this that unless we are regenerated we cannot be saved: 5280, 8548, 8772, 10156.

Regeneration is a foundation for the perfecting of our life to eternity: 9334. When we have been regenerated, we are indeed continually perfected to eternity: 6648, 10048. The nature of people who have been regenerated and of people who have not been regenerated: 977, 986, 10156.