In another place He [Christ] said, “That which is born of
the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” The
meaning of this is that if man is a captive of nature, he is like unto an
animal because he is only a body physically born—that is, he belongs to the
world of matter and remains subject to the law and control of nature. But if he
is baptized with the Holy Spirit, if he is freed from the bondage of nature,
released from animalistic tendencies and advanced in the human realm, he is
fitted to enter into the divine Kingdom.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk at the home of May and Sutherland Maxwell, 1 September 1912, Montreal, Canada
‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during
His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912’)
