The Epistles of Jacob Behmen

[...rege]nerated in the dark abyss of the soul; but this occurs only in those in whom Christ has arisen from death. Thus, "there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit," etc. For the physical body original: "bestiall body"; referring to the animal-like, mortal nature of humans belongs to the earth, but the spiritual body belongs to God. But whoever does not have this spiritual body is dead while he lives, and neither hears nor perceives anything of the Spirit of God; it is "foolishness to him," as the Scripture says.

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12. Therefore, this point is not sufficiently understood or clarified by merely teaching and maintaining an external receiving and application of grace and the forgiveness of sins. The pardon of sin and our reception into adoption as children of grace consists in the justifying blood and death of Christ, when Christ's heavenly blood infused us original: "tinctured"; a term from alchemy meaning to permeate and transform the inner quality of a substance. With the highest love of the Deity in the name of Jesus original: "Jesu", He overcame the anger of God in our soul and inner divine foundation—which proceeds from the Essence of Eternity—and turned it back into divine humility, meekness, and obedience. By this, the broken, torn, and divided balance original: "temperature"; the specific ratio or harmony of spiritual qualities of our human nature and spirit of obedience and goodwill entered again into the harmony and unity of those qualities. [That is, into the light, love, and life of Paradise—that True Balance where variety comes together and agrees in unity.]

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13. At that very moment, the Father's wrath (which had been awakened in the qualities of our life and had made itself the lord and master of our soul and body, making us dead to the Kingdom of Heaven and "children of wrath") was turned back into the harmonious love, likeness, and unity of God. Our own human will died in the death of Christ, turning away from its self-centeredness original: "selfnesse" and selfish desiring. The original human will (which God breathed from His Spirit into Adam) sprang forth anew through the victory of God’s sweetness and love in Christ's heavenly blood. Then the Devil and Hell, which held humanity captive, were put to shame and made a laughingstock. This was symbolized by the dry Rod of Aaron, which budded in a single night and bore sweet almonds Numbers 17:8; a biblical sign of God's chosen priesthood and the power of life arising from death.

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14. Now, just as sin came from one man and spread to everyone, so also the sweet grace and victory in Christ spread, pressed, and pierced from one to all. This death and God's anger were shattered in that one Adamic soul in Christ, and the possibility for grace was opened through the breaking apart of death. Through this open gate, the soul's will may re-enter its first Mother (the source from which it originally came), which is the adoption or rebirth of a new life and will. There, it may obtain the sweet blood of Jesus Christ, which in Christ broke open the gate of death and changed the anger...