Unless a man be born from above, he shall not see the Kingdom of God.
Now, just a couple of verses later, it says that unless a man do something (born of water and spirit), he cannot enter the Kingdom.
Just like the type that we are given in the children of Israel: They were already in the Promised Land, even if they never left their homes in Goshen. They were saved. This Promised Land was based on nothing more than being in the family.
But, to get to the Land Flowing With Milk and Honey (a Promised Land that was contingent upon works; being faithful), they had to leave their home, be baptized in the Red Sea, and remain faithful, with many of them falling in the wilderness.
But, they were already in the Promised Land.
Maybe God didn't really mean that promise, eh?