top of page

Born of Water (1) — Jn. 3.5

Updated: Jun 11

Sometimes people fail to think through the implications of what they believe.


Take, for example, what some believe Jesus meant when he said:


“unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3.5).


Some, who deny that water baptism is essential for salvation (cf. Mk. 16.16; Acts 2.38; 22.16; etc.), believe the term "water" ought to be understood figuratively, as a reference to physical birth. Supposedly, Jesus, by metonymy, is alluding to the breaking of a mother’s “water” (i.e., amniotic sac) and the child’s subsequent birth. In effect, then, he would be saying: “unless one is physically born and spiritually born, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”


Naturally, this poses a significant problem for the billions of innocent unborn babies, who, through the ages, for one reason or another, have perished in their mother’s womb. Is Jesus really arguing that unless a baby is physically born he cannot enter the kingdom of God?


If so, that is inconsistent with the Bible’s repeated teaching that babies are “innocent” (Jer. 2.34; 19.4; Ps. 106.38) and “blessed” (Lk. 1.42). It is also inconsistent with Jesus’ own argument that it is not God’s will that little children should perish spiritually (Mt. 18.14; cf. vv. 2-5, 10-11).


He also rigorously maintained that innocent children already belong to the kingdom of heaven, and should not be rejected (Mt. 19.14). The physically unborn not only can “see the kingdom of God,” they do see it, according to Jesus. Clearly, then, “born of water” cannot refer to physical birth.

The text reveals that Nicodemus, like many today, also misunderstood the Lord as referring to physical birth (Jn. 3.4). In his ignorance, Nicodemus “marveled” at the Lord’s assertion (Jn. 3.7), a term which denotes: “unintelligent wonder.”


But Jesus was not referring to a second birth (a birth again), but to a new birth (i.e., one not yet experienced). The term “born again” (Jn. 3.3, KJV), depending upon the context, signifies either born anew or even born from above. In other words, a sinner must experience a new kind of birth if he wishes to see the kingdom of God; and the Lord wanted Nicodemus to differentiate between the old fleshly birth and the new spiritual birth (Jn. 3.6).


Part of this new kind of birth involves being “born of water.” Since being physically born is not a new kind of birth, being born of water” cannot refer to physical birth.


Rather, this new kind of birth, which the unsaved sinner has not yet experienced, involves being “buried” in water, after which he emerges out of the water—like a birth—to walk in “newness of life” (Rm. 6.3-4). Indeed, the connection between water baptism and newness of life is abundantly maintained in the New Testament (cf. Acts 8.36-39; Rm. 6.3-4; Col. 2.12-13; 1 Pt. 3.20-21; Titus 3.5).




SYNOPSIS

Let Us Reason Online, a work of the "churches of Christ" (Rom. 16.16), is dedicated to upholding the Christian faith by exploring the study of biblical teaching, evidences, and ethics.

 

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss a spiritual matter privately, fill out the contact form.

Please consider supporting this work financially with a donation. The majority of items offered on this site are either free or available at cost. The continuation of this work, therefore, relies upon the generosity of churches and individuals like you.

Evolution Cover_edited.jpg

A booklet exploring the history of the ever-shifting theory of organic evolution.

This booklet explores the historical evolution of five chief components of macro-evolutionary theory, including human evolution, classical Darwinism, uniformitarianism, recapitulation theory, and neo-Darwinism. Each of these notions were once touted as incontrovertible “facts” of science. Yet, due to new scientific discoveries, macro-evolutionists have been forced to change their tune.

$10 (print edition)

$5 (ebook edition)

Bigger _Online_ LUR Logo — B Background_edited.png

LET US REASON ONLINE

© 2019.  All rights reserved by Let Us Reason Publications.

bottom of page