WHAT DID JESUS MEAN TO BE BORN OF WATER AND OF THE SPIRIT

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Doug

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[John 3:3, 5 KJV] 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ... 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.

Only Israel could be born again. Israel was born of God as his firstborn son. Christ was saying they had to be born again by the spirit.

[Exo 4:22 KJV] 22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel [is] my son, [even] my firstborn:

The verses above in John 3 speak of the Kingdom of God.
The kingdom is found in the prophets:

[Isa 9:7 KJV] 7 Of the increase of [his] government and peace [there shall be] no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

[Dan 7:18 KJV] 18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

Jesus was saying the prophetic kingdom was at hand:

[Mat 4:17, 23 KJV] 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ... 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

The kingdom is described in the prophets
Israel will be restored:

[Deu 30:3 KJV] 3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.

[Deu 30:5 KJV] 5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.

[Isa 11:9 KJV] 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

[Isa 56:7 KJV] 7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [shall be] accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

[Isa 65:25 KJV] 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust [shall be] the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

The Lord will make a new covenant with Israel:

[Jer 31:31, 33 KJV] 31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: ... 33 But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

The new covenant will be the water and the spirit that Jesus said was needed to enter the kingdom on earth. To see the kingdom in John 3:3 entails seeing the kingdom by being in it:

[Eze 36:24-27 KJV] 24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them]
 

Writer

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Jesus is referring to the Circumcision. To be born of water means to be born of this world. Peter says that the world, before the 1st day was created was completly engulfed in water. "...and the Spirit of the God moved upon the waters of the deep". You see the water, and you see the spirit. Adam was born of the earth and his nature was Carnal. To be born of the Spirit means we are now born of God and our nature is spiritual.
 

Verily

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He was talking to Nicodemus there who was a man of the Pharisees and a teacher of Isael

And being of the sect of the Pharisees they reject the baptism of John (which was of water)

Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

Water and Spirit

Mark 1:8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
 

Ronald Nolette

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Doug you are over spiritualizing your response way too much.

The truth is much much simpler.

Jesus was speaking of a natural birth and a spiritual birth

It was common among the nations to call a regular birth being born of water (we even allude to it today when a woman says her water broke. water birth is simply being physically born. spiritual birth is the new birth which all are required to undergo by placing their trust in Jesus' death and resurrection.
2 Cor 5_17: 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Ephesians 2

King James Version

2 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Jesus even defined the two births in John 3.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
 

Hey You!

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Saint Paul tells us what Jesus Meant...

Titus 3:5 says, "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit".

Explanation

This verse describes how God saved people through mercy, not because of their good deeds. The verse also mentions the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit, which is a reference to spiritual rebirth...
 

ScottA

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So many speculate leaning on their own understanding. Not a good practice.

@Ronald Nolette has it correct above: Water birth is natural birth, of those waters below the firmament, while spiritual birth is born (again) from above of the spirit of God.

However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.
 

Verily

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John the baptist was born of woman (natural birth) but who also was filled with the Holy Ghost from the womb (Luke 1:15) and he said he still had need that Jesus baptize him (Mat 3:14)
 

mailmandan

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In regard to the word "water" in John 3:5, there are those who would argue that the natural sense of the passage parallels water with being born out of a mother’s womb and with flesh based on the answer of Nicodemus to Jesus. Simply stated in that case, two births are necessary. The first is a physical, literal, "flesh" birth (accompanied by amniotic "water") and the second is Spirit.

There are also those who would argue that Jesus mentions "living water" in John 4:10, 14; 7:37-39 and in John 7:38-39, we read - "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the source of living water and spiritual cleansing. Jesus connects living water here with eternal life.

If "water" is defined as baptism, then we could just as justifiably say, "Out of his heart will flow rivers of living baptism" in John 7:38. If this sounds ridiculous, it is no more so than the idea that water baptism is the source or the means of becoming born again. So, to automatically read "baptism" into John 3:5 simply because it mentions "water" is unwarranted.

Yet there are still others who would argue that "water" is used in the Bible as an emblem of the word of God, and in such uses it is associated with cleansing or washing. (John 15:3; Ephesians 5:26) When we are born again, the Holy Spirit begets new life, and we are said to become "partakers of the divine nature." (2 Peter 1:4) The new birth is brought to pass through "incorruptible seed, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever" (I Peter 1:23) and the Holy Spirit accomplishes the washing of regeneration. (Titus 3:5)