READING TIME: 60 SECONDS
August 27, 2019
What did Jesus mean in John 3:5 when He talked about being born of the water and the Spirit?
The verse states what is prerequisite for entering the kingdom of God. Water is a reference to the Holy Spirit. The emphasis is, after all, on spiritual birth. Jesus essentially chided Nicodemus that as the teacher of Israel, he should know this truth about the new birth. How would Nicodemus know about the new birth? It would have to be from the Old Testament, and the most likely passage would be the very familiar New Covenant promises in Ezekiel 36:25-27.
So, Nicodemus should have known that the kingdom required the forgiveness of sins and a new ministry of the Holy Spirit in each person who believes in the Messiah.
Sources Used
Bing, Charles C. Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship: How to Understand Some Difficult Bible Passages. Grace Theology Press, 118-119.
Meisinger, George E. “The Issue of One’s Ability to Believe: Total Depravity/ Inability.” Chafer Theological Seminary Journal Volume 11.1 (2005): 65-96.