◄ The Only Divine Life ►

I can guarantee this truth: No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. (John 3:5 GW)

No one has ever yet been "volitionalized" into the kingdom of God; that is, soappealed to in their wills to make a decision, and todetermine to be in the kingdom of God, as by thestrength of that decision and that determination to havegot through. It cannot be done.A great deal of mistake has been made in thatconnection, and an entirely false position has beenbrought about for multitudes of people because the efforthas been made along those lines, and they have beenappealed to along those lines to exercise their ownreason, and their own feelings, and their own wills, asthough that would regenerate them.

Thus interest and activity in Christianity is one thing,but being in the kingdom is quite another. Multitudes ofgood-meaning people are interested in Christianity, andare active in Christianity. They see the value of theChristian standard of life, and Christian teaching, andhave thought if only it could be applied, how different theworld would be. So they have become busy inChristianity, and have thought they were in the kingdomof God. Not at all!You can have all the interest in Christianity without beingin the kingdom.This is what the Lord Jesus said, in effect, and in otherand more concise words, to Nicodemus. The only way inis by our receiving Divine Life as a gift through faith inJesus Christ, and that becomes the new basis of the newcreation, the basis upon which everything begins and iscarried through, the basis of Divine Life. That Life has in itall the qualities and energies of the new creation. Itconstitutes our being in what is called the Kingdom ofGod.