What Regeneration is, and why it is caused. Why little is known at the present day concerning regeneration, the causes thereof, nos. 3761, 4136, 5398. A man is born into evils of every kind, and on that account is from birth in respect to his Self (proprium) nothing but evil, nos. 210, 215, 731, 874-876, 987, 1047, 2307, 2308, 3518, 3701, 3761, 8480, 8549, 8550, 8552, 10283, 10284, 10286, 10731. A man's hereditary nature is nothing but evil, see the extracts quoted above in this Doctrine, no. 83. A man's Self (proprium) is nothing but evil, see also above, no. 82. A man of himself, in respect to his hereditary nature and his Self (proprium), is worse than the brute animals, nos. 637, 3175. Wherefore, a man of himself constantly looks towards hell, nos. 694, 8480. If, therefore, a man should be led by Self (proprium), he could not possibly be saved, no. 10731. A man's natural life is opposed to spiritual life, nos. 3913, 3928. The good which a man does from himself, that is, from Self (proprium), is not good, because he does it for the sake of himself and the world, no. 8480. A man's Self (proprium) has to be removed in order that the Lord and heaven may be present, nos. 1023, 1044. A man's Self (proprium) is actually removed when he is being regenerated by the Lord, nos. 9334-9336, 9452, 9454, 9938. Wherefore, a man must be created anew, that is, regenerated, nos. 8549, 9450, 9938. Creating a man, in the Word, signifies regenerating him, nos. 16, 88, 10634. A man is conjoined with the Lord through regeneration, nos. 2004, 9338. He is also consociated with angels in heaven, no. 2379. A man does not come into heaven, before he is in a state in which he is led by the Lord through good, which is the case when he has been regenerated, nos. 8516, 8539, 8722, 9139, 9832, 10367. With the man who has not been regenerated, the external, that is, the natural man rules, and the internal man serves, nos. 3167, 8743. The state of a man's life is thus inverted from his birth; wherefore, in order that he may be saved, his state must be inverted by all means, nos. 6507, 8552, 8553, 9258. The end of regeneration is, that the internal, that is, the spiritual man may rule, and the external, that is, the natural man may serve, nos. 911, 913. This also is actually the case after a man has been regenerated, nos. 5128, 5651, 8743. For after regeneration the love of self and the world no longer reigns, but love to the Lord and towards the neighbour, consequently, the Lord, and not man, nos. 8856, 8857. From this it is plain that unless a man is regenerated, he cannot be saved, nos. 5280, 8548, 8772, 10156. Regeneration is a plane for perfecting a man's life to eternity, no. 9334. The regenerate man also is perfected to eternity, nos. 6648, 10048. The quality of the regenerate, and of the unregenerate man, nos. 977, 986, 10156.