Ernest T. Bass
Well-Known Member
no need for endless long articles and sermons as Jn 3:5 is clear enough as water and spirit and not water alone or spirit alone and necessary as passport to enter the kingdom - any comments - twinc
The question therefore, as I see it, is what role does water play in the new birth and what role does the Spirit play in the new birth.
The role of water is water baptism.
A few verses later (John 3:22-23) I see what Jesus meant by water.
In water baptism, one is raised up from a watery grave to walk in "newness of life" Romans 6:4. New life = new birth.
From the context of John 3, Nicodemus had not been born again. Was his not being born again:
1) the fault and culpability of Nicodemus for not having obeyed by being water baptized with John's baptism (Luke 7:30)?
or
2) the fault and culpability of the Spirit for not having acted in some supernatural way upon Nicodemus?
The role of Spirit is His word as it acts upon the heart (Ephesians 6:17 cf Acts 2:37). The Spirit's word instructs men as to how to be saved. Those that gladly receive the word and obey it by being water baptized (Acts 2:41) have in that sense been "born again..by the word of God" (1 Peter 1:23) have been "begat..with the word of truth" (James 1:18) have been "begat..through the gospel" (1 Corinthians 4:15).
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