Again Jesus said:
John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
--This is the key verse of the entire passage.
You must be born of "water" and of "the Spirit." Note that there are two agents that Jesus requires that are involved in the new birth--water and the Holy Spirit. We all know that the Holy Spirit is involved in the New Birth. But what does the "water" represent. It is symbolic of something, but what? Look at the possibilities:
1. Is it literal water--amniotic fluid: the flesh. Many believe this. I suppose that it is a plausible view, but unlikely. It is hardly likely that Nicodemus would be thinking of amniotic fluid in this conversation.
2. Baptism--the RCC and COC view. This is a heretical view used to justify baptismal regeneration. There is no justification for water to symbolize baptism. It is no where in the text, and Nicodemus would not have baptism on his mind.
What else could it be? What would Nicodemus be thinking?
What is the purpose of water? Water is a cleansing agent. That is its purpose. Nicodemus's mind would go straight back to the OT which he knew so well:
Psalms 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
--The Word of God cleanses.
Nicodemus and Jesus were probably somewhat close to the Temple. There at the Temple the Jews went through countless of ceremonial washings every day. Water is an agent of cleansing.
Jesus also emphasized this fact later on:
John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
--It is the Word that cleanses us. The Word is a cleansing agent.
Remember there are only two agents by which a person is born again--water and the Spirit. Now we see it is the Word and the Spirit.
Look again:
James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
--God begat us with the word. We are born again with the word.
There are only two agents by which we are born again--the Word (water) and the Spirit
In fairness to DHK who did such a wonderful job presenting his flawed interpretation of the New Birth or Regeneration I will expound briefly on John 3:5 which DHK calls "the key verse of the entire passage."
5. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Speaking of verse 5, DHK writes correctly of possible implications of the term "born of water", namely:
1. Is it literal water--amniotic fluid: the flesh.
I believe there is some merit to this view since in verse 6 Jesus Christ states:
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
This may be the correct view though I believe there is an acceptable alternative, different of course from DHK.
2. Baptism--the RCC and COC view.
I agree with DHK that this view is incorrect, and the use of this passage to indicate baptismal regeneration is heretical.
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Then DHK jumps into the mind of Nicodemus and takes him back to the OLD Testament, saying:
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. [Psalms 119:9 ]
The water then becomes the word, the Word of God. Unacceptable unless DHK can show Scripture where water is used in reference to the Word of God.
There is a much preferred explanation, the water represents the Holy Spirit. In John 4:14 we read:
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
There is an reason to believe that this passage is in reference to the Gift of the Holy Spirit. In John 7:38, 39 we read:
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) Here we see an obvious connection between water and the Holy Spirit.
Note, however, that Jesus Christ tells the woman at the well:
the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Now what is the prime source of everlasting life? Certainly those who are given everlasting life receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. However if the water means Holy Spirit then the passage John 3:5] would read:
5. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of the Holy Spirit and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. an unnecessary repetitive use of the Holy Spirit.
So what is the most logical meaning of the water in Verse 3:5 whan used in conjunction with the Holy Spirit. It is
the Grace of God. Note again verse 4:14:
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Now what is the source of eternal life. The obvious response is God. But God does not really fit the semantics of the verse, given that God the Holy Spirit is also mentioned. Consider again the source of eternal life. It is of course God but that life is manifested or given only by
the Grace of God.
Now see how verse 3:5 would read:
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of the Grace of God and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Is this not consistent with other Scripture:
For by Grace are ye saved [Ephesians 2:8]
Acts 15:11.
But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
Romans 3:24.
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
2 Corinthians 9:8.
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
Ephesians 1:6.
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Now Grace is the unmerited favor of God. It is only through this unmerited favor that we are regenerated or "born again". It is only through this unmerited favor that we are granted admittance into the Kingdom of God. The purchase price of that Grace, the atoning death of Jesus Christ. All Glory to His Name!