Strophe 8. Denn der kleinste Rest von Wahrheit wird mächtiger sein als eine Fülle von Falschheit; während die kleinste Verwirklichung des Guten imstande ist, der ganzen Kraft des Bösen zu widerstehen; und die göttliche Wahrheit wird sich als siegreich erweisen über jede widerstrebende natürliche, nicht wiedergeborene Neigung.

82. 4. It is by means of these two abilities that the Lord reforms and regenerates us; without them we could not be reformed and regenerated. The Lord teaches us that "No one can see the kingdom of God except by being born again" (John 3:3, 5, 7). However, not many people know what "being born again" or "being regenerated" actually is. This is because people do not know what love and thoughtful living are; so they do not know what faith is, either, because anyone who does not know what love and thoughtful living are cannot know what faith is. Thoughtful living and faith are integral to each other the way what is good and what is true are, the way desires of our volition and thoughts of our discernment are. On this union see Divine Love and Wisdom 427-431; The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Teachings 13-24; and 3-20 above.