Joh_3:5
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."
Those who endorse water baptism for salvation, refer to the word "water" in this verse and claim it is speaking of water baptism. The problem that first arises is, the word "baptism" is never mentioned in this chapter. You see, one must always ADD to God's Word to create a doctrine that is foreign to the mind, purpose and will of God.
Now, let us examine the context and other Scriptures which will shed the light and give us the proper meaning and interpretation of this verse. Notice that John 3:5 corresponds with John 3:3, the end result being the same, that of seeing the Kingdom of God (John 3:3), and entering the Kingdom of God (John 3:5).
"...Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." - John 3:3 "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." - John 3:5 In these verses we see that the end result is the same, and so is the causative action. Therefore, "born again" means exactly the same as "born of water and the Spirit," only phrased differently. Christ made it perfectly clear that our first birth will never fit us for eternal life, and it is recorded in John 3:6...
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh..." So corrupt was our first birth, that God never tries to remake it, repair it, or reuse it. That is why our earthly bodies will never enter the glories of Heaven. Paul made this clear in 1 Corinthians 15:50,
"...Now this I say, brethren, that FLESH AND BLOOD cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth CORRUPTION inherit incorruption." In other words, no amount of good works, promises, resolutions, water baptism, church membership, or any human efforts of SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS will ever merit eternal life. That which is "born of the flesh" is still flesh, no matter how it is dressed up with religious attire; it will always fall short of God's righteousness (Romans 3:23).
You can take a car, fix all the dents, patch all the rust, put "mag" wheels on it, and paint it with the finest lacquer there is; BUT, if it doesn't have a motor (the new birth), it's not going anywhere! I have preached hundreds of funerals, and every person in that casket was dressed in fine attire, but they were all still dead! No matter how you dress up this old nature with religious garments, God Has concluded...
"There is none righteous, no, not one." - Romans 3:10
Therefore, a new birth—a spiritual birth—is necessary to enter the Kingdom of God. This is called "born again," or "born from above", or "born of the water and the Spirit." This same phrase or wording is used in 1 Peter 1:23...
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed (first birth), but of incorruptible, by the WORD of God, which liveth and abideth forever."
It is the Word of God that embodies the truth; and the Holy Spirit which convicts a person of that truth (John 16:7-8). Since we are "born again" by the WORD of God in 1 Peter 1:23; it can only be that the word "water" used in John 3:5 is used metaphorically of "the word," and water baptism is not what is being conveyed here. In John 15:3 we can see that cleansing is used in connection with the Word of God, "Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you."
Paul, in speaking of the of the Body of Christ, uses "water" in reference to the Word of God in Ephesians 5:26, "...That he (Christ) might sanctify and cleanse it (the Church) with the washing of water by the word,"
You see, water for cleansing, pictures the Word of God; and water for drinking, pictures the Holy Spirit of God.
"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (38) (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)." - John 7:38-39 (See also, John 4:14)
Christ makes it perfectly clear what He means by "being born again," while still speaking to Nicodemus. Here is the record, given by our Lord, Himself, in John 3:14-16; John 3:18...
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (14) That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (15). For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (16)
... He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."(18) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." - Romans 10:17 No one is ever saved by water baptism; it is the blood of Christ shed on Calvary's Cross which provides salvation; and faith on the believer's part which activates that salvation for eternal life.