John 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.
2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." 3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!"
5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ’You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
10 "You are Israel’s teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
We used to play a game called aggravation. Each player had four game pieces in a starting box. You had to roll the dice for a 1 or 6 to get out of the starting place and then you tried to move around the board to get home where you were safe. If someone landed on your space while you were on your way around the board you had to go back to the starting place. I remember being almost home and one of my sweet family would land on me and make me go all the way back to the starting box. It was very aggravating. Starting all over can be difficult. The older I get the harder it seems to be. But sometimes a new start can be a blessing. Jesus tells us about a fresh start from the Spirit of God that brings us to God’s kingdom.
Here in John 3 Jesus tells this man Nicodemus that for him to see the kingdom of God he’s going to have to start all over... be born again. This idea sounded crazy to Nicodemus. His question was, “How? Can a man return to his mother’s womb and be born again?” He may have even thought, “And what if your mother has already died?”
Of course we know that Jesus wasn’t talking about that kind of birth, but he was talking about a new beginning... one so new Jesus called it being “born again.” You can’t get too much newer than that. John 1:11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Just think about this with me. Jesus is telling us of a radical new beginning. A spiritual beginning that takes us into a whole new realm. This new beginning brings us into the rule and reign of the Almighty God. Not as sinners, but as new born children of God. God wants to be our Father. His kingdom is for his children! And for us to have this blessing, we must have a new beginning.
It is a beginning that involves three things: faith, water and the Spirit. When Jesus says you must be born of water and the Spirit he is talking about when it happens, and what it is that happens. Water and the Spirit are connected. Some have tried to separate the water and the Spirit into two different births, but this misses what Jesus actually said. He speaks of one birth with two components. It is one birth involving water and the Spirit, not one birth of water and another birth of the Spirit. One birth, two elements. The Greek word that connects water and the Spirit is “kai.” This means they happen together. It also appears that they happen at the same time. It is the Spirit that makes the real meaningful difference. The water marks the point of birth. The Spirit defines the kind of birth. Interesting that almost all births involve water. Christian birth is no exception. This can only be referring to the water of baptism. The only reason to make the water here refer to the mother’s amniotic fluid at birth at an earlier time is because there is some resistance to accepting what this tells us about Christian baptism in water. This interpretation is based on a fear of connecting salvation with any physical event because it might be construed salvation through human works. Clearly, being born again is not a human birth!
Why do I believe that the water in John 3:5 (…no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit), is baptism?
First: It cannot be coincidental that the very next thing Jesus does after this discussion with Nicodemus is to start a baptizing campaign as recorded in John 3:22. After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.
Now follow me here… Jesus had said, “no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit” then he goes out and starts a baptism campaign. In fact, Jesus became more successful in this than John the Baptist. John 4:1 The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. We see that Jesus has his disciples do the baptizing just like today.
Second: Listen to what John says in 1 John 5:5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 6 This is the one who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.
What on earth does this mean?
How did Jesus come by water and by blood? Where does the Spirit testify? Jesus came by water at his baptism and the Spirit testified by coming down upon him in the form of a dove. Later Jesus came by blood at his cross. Remember when Jesus was baptized? What happened? There was the water, the witness of God’s voice, and the Holy Spirit came down upon him. Remember when Jesus died on the cross. What happened? He shed his blood for our sins there.
But we also can have these testimonies to our faith.
The Spirit’s testimony is the Scripture and the anointing you receive from God that you are his child.
The Water’s testimony is your baptism into Christ.
The Blood’s testimony is Christ’s death on the cross for your sins.
These three are in agreement! All testify to the forgiveness of your sins.
The Spirit in the Scriptures testifies to your salvation,
The Water in your baptism testifies to your salvation,
And the Blood of Christ on the cross testifies to your salvation.
Do you have these three witnesses of faith in your life? None of them are optional. The kingdom of God involves all three.
Finally, I believe the water here is baptism because that fits the evidence of Jesus commission to make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is consistent with the witness of Acts where the conversion accounts are recorded for us. From Acts 2 to Acts 22. In each conversion case, baptism in water is involved. That is no coincidence.
But we must also say that we do put our faith the Spirit and the Blood not in the water. Just like it is not the bread and the cup that we remember in communion, it is the body and blood of Jesus. In the same way it is not the water we remember in baptism it is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus name…
Jesus calls us to be born again. Who does the labor at birth, the parent or the child? How much more is it God who does the work of giving us this new birth in Christ. Our greatest task is to believe in Jesus Christ. Faith moves us to repentance. Faith moves us to confession of Jesus as the Son of God. Faith moves us to baptism in Jesus Name. And faith keeps us close to him throughout the rest of our lives. So that John says:
1 John 5: 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Don’t you love to see someone being baptized into Christ? What a simple and yet beautiful expression of faith! Wouldn’t it be great to witness the baptism of more people into Christ right here in this church? Jesus Christ makes new birth possible through his sacrifice on the Cross. His death, burial and resurrection is for you! Receive Him in faith, repent of your sins, confess Him as the Son of God and Lord of your life, and be baptized in His name!
