As for John 3:5 referring to physical birth.
"Unless a man be begotten of water..."
I am no physician, so I would ask someone more knowledgeable. Is H2O (water) the source of physical birth? The Greek construction is such that "water" here is the source of whatever "begotten" refers to. It says ek hydatos. Ek is the preposition translated by the little word "of" here. Ek denotes source - out of, from, from within. I believe in some NT instances it may also denote ultimate ground or basis of a thing, the platform or footing from which some action or thing takes off. Thus it may literally translate as "out of water (as source)". Then foolish Harald asks: Is a human being "begotten" (passive in the Greek, meaning the object is not active, but passive) into this world out of H2O as a source? Not to my knowledge, but I may be wrong, not being knowledgeable in the biology of birth of man. John 1:13 says "out of bloods", same preposition here, haimatôn is a plural noun - "bloods", not "blood" as most versions render. And "bloods" was not the source of the new birth, according to John 1:13, but normal physical birth I think could well be said to be of bloods, meaning the genetic make-up of one's physical parents (mom & dad). And what little I know tells me that the sperm of a human father is the source of someone's physical "begotten". Sperm is to my knowledge not "water" but mainly proteins, which is made up of amino acids, which constitute DNA, unless I be mistaken. Not to forget the egg of a mother which then is impregnated by the male sperm. Neither of these two things is pure H2O. This taken together speaks to me that "water" is not the source of "begotten". Technically speaking a father is one who "begets". As the Scripture says "Abraham begat Isaac" etc. Isaac's mother did not "beget" Isaac, but she brought him forth, gave birth to him.
I am not convinced "out of water" in John 3:5 refers to physical birthing. Whatever this "water" is it must be something very vital to the spiritual birth in question because it is placed before the third person of the divine Trinity as to word order. If "begotten" here refers to "begotten from above" (Joh. 3:3) then "water" is its source and wellspring. If so it cannot be H2O, nor can it be the written or preached Gospel, which I argued against formerly. It must be something purely spiritual, because what it produces is said to be "spirit". Like begets like, each after its own kind. My take is that "water" here is either the very person of Christ Jesus the Incarnate God or the aspect of regeneration which is referred to as a washing or cleansing. And if it be that washing I know it is executed on the footing of Christ's shed blood in and by His Holy Spirit. Such an interpretation I think is in harmony with other passages touching upon the doctrine of regeneration.
Harald
"Unless a man be begotten of water..."
I am no physician, so I would ask someone more knowledgeable. Is H2O (water) the source of physical birth? The Greek construction is such that "water" here is the source of whatever "begotten" refers to. It says ek hydatos. Ek is the preposition translated by the little word "of" here. Ek denotes source - out of, from, from within. I believe in some NT instances it may also denote ultimate ground or basis of a thing, the platform or footing from which some action or thing takes off. Thus it may literally translate as "out of water (as source)". Then foolish Harald asks: Is a human being "begotten" (passive in the Greek, meaning the object is not active, but passive) into this world out of H2O as a source? Not to my knowledge, but I may be wrong, not being knowledgeable in the biology of birth of man. John 1:13 says "out of bloods", same preposition here, haimatôn is a plural noun - "bloods", not "blood" as most versions render. And "bloods" was not the source of the new birth, according to John 1:13, but normal physical birth I think could well be said to be of bloods, meaning the genetic make-up of one's physical parents (mom & dad). And what little I know tells me that the sperm of a human father is the source of someone's physical "begotten". Sperm is to my knowledge not "water" but mainly proteins, which is made up of amino acids, which constitute DNA, unless I be mistaken. Not to forget the egg of a mother which then is impregnated by the male sperm. Neither of these two things is pure H2O. This taken together speaks to me that "water" is not the source of "begotten". Technically speaking a father is one who "begets". As the Scripture says "Abraham begat Isaac" etc. Isaac's mother did not "beget" Isaac, but she brought him forth, gave birth to him.
I am not convinced "out of water" in John 3:5 refers to physical birthing. Whatever this "water" is it must be something very vital to the spiritual birth in question because it is placed before the third person of the divine Trinity as to word order. If "begotten" here refers to "begotten from above" (Joh. 3:3) then "water" is its source and wellspring. If so it cannot be H2O, nor can it be the written or preached Gospel, which I argued against formerly. It must be something purely spiritual, because what it produces is said to be "spirit". Like begets like, each after its own kind. My take is that "water" here is either the very person of Christ Jesus the Incarnate God or the aspect of regeneration which is referred to as a washing or cleansing. And if it be that washing I know it is executed on the footing of Christ's shed blood in and by His Holy Spirit. Such an interpretation I think is in harmony with other passages touching upon the doctrine of regeneration.
Harald