Born From Above

Born From Above develops Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in John 3 as the foundation for an entire heavenly order of Christian life. T. Austin-Sparks emphasizes that the underlying expression is not merely “born again” but “born from above.” The distinction is decisive because the book is concerned with two fundamentally different kinds of humanity: the earthly man, represented at his best by Nicodemus, and the heavenly Man, Jesus Christ. Christian life begins with a birth whose source is above and proceeds as the earthly basis of life is displaced by the life, character, and government of the heavenly Man.

The opening chapter places Nicodemus and Christ face to face. Nicodemus represents what natural humanity can become through morality, religion, knowledge, and sincerity, yet he still cannot see or enter the Kingdom of God by natural capacity. Jesus belongs to another order. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh” and “that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” mark an absolute distinction between earthly and heavenly origin. Sparks applies this beyond conversion itself: the whole New Testament describes the nature, conduct, and development of life that has come from above.

The second chapter brings the two humanities to the Cross. John 3:14–21 and Romans provide the framework. The Cross is where the earthly man comes under God’s judgment and the heavenly Man goes forward in resurrection. Sparks presents Romans, especially Romans 6, as an exposition of this transition. The Cross is therefore more than forgiveness of sins; it establishes a divide between the old earthly order and the new life in Christ. Christian progress requires that this divine verdict become increasingly practical.

The third chapter develops formation after Christ through spiritual food. Joshua 5 and John 6 are used to contrast what sustains the earthly and heavenly life. Passover, manna, and the old corn of the land become pictures of Christ as God’s provision for every stage of spiritual progress. Believers are formed after the heavenly Man by feeding upon Christ. Faith receives Him as the sufficiency for wilderness conditions, spiritual conflict, and the life of the heavenly realm.

First Corinthians becomes central when Sparks turns to the earthly man operating in the realm of heavenly things. The contrast between the natural man and the spiritual man shows that a person may truly belong to Christ and still bring natural wisdom, personal importance, self-interest, or even an earthly use of spiritual gifts into Christian life. The problem is not that spiritual gifts are unreal, but that heavenly things can be handled from an earthly basis. Spiritual maturity therefore requires the increasing government of the Spirit and the displacement of natural standards.

The crisis of transition is then illustrated through Jacob. Genesis 32 and later passages show a man whose natural strength, persistence, and self-resource must come to a decisive breaking point before a new name and new basis can govern his life. Sparks uses Jacob to show that transition from earthly to heavenly is not merely a change of ideas. God deals with the strength of the natural man so that dependence upon Him becomes practical reality. First Corinthians 15 adds the larger contrast between the first man, who is of the earth, and the Second Man, who is from heaven.

Meekness is developed as a characteristic of the heavenly Man. It is not weakness or passivity but the absence of self-assertion and self-interest before God. The heavenly life is marked by dependence, yieldedness, and willingness for God’s will to govern. This stands in contrast to the earthly principle of self-preservation, self-importance, and natural insistence.

The final chapter brings the series to the Man in glory. Ezekiel’s vision of a Man upon the throne, Stephen’s vision in Acts, Hebrews 2, and Philippians 2–3 present Christ glorified as God’s standard and goal. The heavenly Man is not only the source of Christian life but the measure toward which God works. Paul’s vision of Christ in glory becomes the explanation of his abandonment of former earthly advantages and his pressing toward the heavenly calling.

The book addresses questions such as: What does it mean to be born from above? Why could Nicodemus not reach heavenly life through religion or morality? How does the Cross end the earthly basis of life? What does it mean to feed on Christ? Can a Christian still live as the natural man? Why does God bring natural strength to a crisis? What is the meekness of Christ? And how does the Man in glory become God’s standard for Christian transformation?