13
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:13
Explanation of John 1:13
Po Brian David
John 1:12 talks about people receiving the Lord and being reborn with pure hearts and living as angels. This verse shows where such acceptance and life must come from – first by showing where they do not come from.
"Blood" here means a desire to deny and resist what the Lord teaches, in the Bible and in earlier forms of His Word. "The will of the flesh" means a craving for selfishness and evil. "The will of man" means the false reasoning that erupts from selfishness and justifies it. If we allow our eternal selves to be born of those things – denying the Lord’s leadership, serving ourselves and justifying it in our own minds – we will end up in hell. But if our eternal selves are born "of God," under His leadership and serving His will, then we will be the sons of God described in the previous verse, living in peace and joy in heaven.
(Reference: Arcana Coelestia 1608 [2], 2531 [4], 8409 [3], 9241, 9454; Teachings about the Lord 18 [5]; The Apocalypse Explained 151 [5], 745 [4])
Luke 16:22-31
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It happened that the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried.
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In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom.
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He cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.'
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"But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But now here he is comforted and you are in anguish.
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Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that none may cross over from there to us.'
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"He said, 'I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house;
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for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so they won't also come into this place of torment.'
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"But Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.'
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"He said, 'No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'
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"He said to him, 'If they don't listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.'"
