"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" (John 3:5).
Jesus introduced the doctrine of the new birth in John 3:5. Many subsequent passages build on this teaching when they mention regeneration or new life in Christ. As discussed in Chapter 1 - An Honest Question, the new birth is the same as the past tense experience of salvation. In this New Testament church age, the new birth is an indispensable part of receiving eternal salvation.
When Nicodemus came to Jesus, the Lord told him, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). The words Christ used here can also mean "born from above," but in this case the primary meaning is "born anew." [25] As W. E. Vine noted, "Nicodemus was not puzzled about birth from Heaven; what perplexed him was that a person must be born a second time." [26] Nicodemus asked Jesus how a man could enter into his mother's womb a second time and be born again. Jesus then explained that He meant the birth of water and Spirit, that is, not a second physical birth but an experience that would impart new life spiritually. Nicodemus did not understand this statement either, for he asked, "How can these things be?" (John 3:9). Jesus in turn expressed amazement that a religious scholar and leader like Nicodemus did not understand what He meant.
Christ's doctrine of the new birth should not have been totally strange to the Jews. He built upon the promise of Ezekiel 36:25-26: "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. 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."
Since Jesus divided the new birth into two components in order to explain it, we will do the same here. We must bear in mind, however, that the new birth is a single experience consisting of two parts; one part is incomplete without the other. There is only one birth, not two.
Theologians have propagated many theories about the meaning of this phrase, the most prominent interpretations being: (1) it refers to the natural birth, which is accompanied by a flow of watery amniotic fluid; (2) it is identical to the birth of the Spirit; (3) it refers to spiritual cleansing performed by the Word of God; (4) it is water baptism; not merely the human ceremony, but the work God performs when He remits sin at water baptism. Let us analyze each of these views.
This interpretation is extremely unlikely for several reasons: (1) It would be a very strange way to describe the natural birth, especially since this usage does not appear elsewhere in Scripture or in ordinary speech; (2) Jesus specifically informed Nicodemus that the new birth was a birth of water and Spirit, not a natural birth. A comparison of verses 3 and 5 shows that "born again" is equivalent to "born of water and of the Spirit"; (3) If birth of water means natural birth, then Jesus either told Nicodemus to do something he had already done or to do a physical impossibility. If this were the case, Nicodemus' questioning was valid, and Jesus would not have rebuked him; (4) It seems unnecessary to say we must be born into this world since everyone obviously has been; (5) If the birth of water is actually the natural birth, why did Jesus indicate that the new birth has two components? There may be a parallel between water in the natural birth and the new birth, but the context of John 3 establishes that the birth of water itself is not the natural birth.
According to this view, Jesus actually meant, "You must be born of water, which is the Spirit." Of course, a few passages do liken the Spirit to water (John 4:14; 7:38). However, there are several difficulties if we try to apply this symbolism to John 3:5: (1) The natural, ordinary reading of the verse makes a distinction between water and Spirit, and all major translations preserve this distinction; (2) Many other passages indicate that water and Spirit are two separate aspects of the gospel message. (See Chapter 3 - The Gospel of Jesus Christ.); (3) In his later writings, John preserved the distinction between water and Spirit as they relate to salvation. "And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one" (I John 5:8); If John 3:5 actually equates water and Spirit, John would not have separated the two so sharply in I John 5:8, especially since both verses deal with the same subject (salvation).
This view depends heavily upon Ephesians 5:26, which says the church is sanctified and cleansed "with the washing of water by the word." However, this verse can cut both ways. If John 3:5 refers to baptism, then Ephesians 5:26 could refer to water baptism administered in accordance with the Word of God. At any rate, there is no necessary connection between the two passages; one does not necessarily provide an interpretation for the other.
F. F. Bruce stated that the phrase from Ephesians 5:26 could be rendered "cleansing it by water and word" or, as he further amplified it, "cleansing her by the washing of water accompanied by the spoken word." [27] He continued: "[T]he accompanying 'word' (Gk. rhema) is probably not here Holy Scripture but the word of confession or invocation spoken by the convert, as in Ananias' words to Paul: 'Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name' (Acts 22:16)." [28]
There are several serious objections to the view that the water of John 3:5 is actually the Word. (1) It ignores the literal meaning of water and chooses a symbolic meaning with no support from the context. This in turn raises further issues. Why would Jesus choose such an obscure symbol when explaining such a vital subject? Why would He not explain this symbolism to Nicodemus upon further questioning? Why did He not symbolize the Spirit as well? Why would He describe one aspect of the new birth literally and another aspect symbolically?
(2) This symbolism occurs nowhere in the Old Testament or in the teachings of Jesus, so how could Jesus expect Nicodemus to understand it? Since the Word of God had never been symbolized by water in Nicodemus' day or before, why would Jesus reproach him for lack of understanding? As Dwight Pentecost observed, "To interpret water as only a symbol of the Word of God… would be to render our Lord's answer unintelligible to Nicodemus." [29]
(3) We should not resort to a symbolic interpretation when the context does not indicate one. This is especially true here, where context, grammar, and later usage all offer a good literal reading. (See next section.)
(4) Theologically speaking, it is more appropriate to describe the Word of God as the agent of conception rather than part of the new birth itself. "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (I Peter 1:23). "You have been regenerated - born again - not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm) but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God" (TAB). In one of Christ's parables, a farmer sowed seed on four types of ground, only one of which bore fruit (Luke 8:4-15). When Jesus interpreted the parable, He said, "The seed is the word of God" (Luke 8:11). The four types of ground represented four types of people. Although God tried to plant His Word in all four, only three had initial results and only one had lasting results. In short, the Word of God is the origin of salvation; it is the seed that will cause conception. However, the new birth itself consists of water and Spirit and occurs when we believe, obey, and apply the Word.
We believe this last view is correct, namely, that the birth of water occurs when God remits sins at water baptism. Many theologians throughout church history have supported this interpretation, particularly the early church fathers and the early Lutherans. [30] There are many good reasons why we accept this view.
(1) This results from a straightforward, literal reading of the text. Baptism is the only significant use of water in the New Testament church, so if we interpret water literally it indicates water baptism. The Early Church commonly used water to mean water baptism. For example, Peter asked with respect to Cornelius and his household, "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized?" (Acts 10:47). John himself later used water in a literal way when he spoke of Spirit, water, and blood agreeing in the one purpose of salvation (I John 5:8); if the Spirit and blood are literal then water is literal. The Pulpit Commentary agrees that I John 5:6-8 refers to water baptism. [31] Baptist theologian Beasley-Murray has remarked that John 3:5 refers to water baptism: "At a time when the employment of water for cleansing in view of the last day had taken the specific form of baptism, it is difficult to take seriously any other reference than baptism." [32]
(2) The context of John 3:5 strongly suggests water baptism. John 1:25-34 and 3:23 speak of John the Baptist's ministry of baptism. John 3:22 and John 4:1-2 describe baptism administered by Christ's disciples on His authority. In this context, the most natural understanding of water is water baptism. This view is supported by The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: "In light of the reference to the practice by Jesus of water baptism in verse 22, it is difficult to avoid construing the words of water and of the Spirit conjunctively, and regarding them as a description of Christian baptism, in which cleansing and endowment are both essential elements." [33]
(3) This is the one meaning Nicodemus could have been expected to understand. As a Jewish religious leader, Nicodemus was familiar with the ceremonial cleansings of the Old Testament as well as Jewish proselyte baptism. More importantly, he had the witness of John the Baptist, for all the Jewish religious leaders of the day were well acquainted with John's baptism (Luke 20:1-7). Both Jewish proselyte baptism and John's baptism were part of conversion and repentance, so Nicodemus should not have been puzzled when Jesus spoke of water as part of making a new start for God. In fact, by this time Jesus may have already authorized His disciples to baptize, as recorded only a few verses later (John 3:22; 4:1-2).
(4) The birth of the Spirit means Spirit baptism (see later section); 50 grammatically speaking the birth of water must mean water baptism.
(5) There is only one baptism (Ephesians 4:5), yet the Bible clearly teaches both water baptism and Spirit baptism. We can reconcile this apparent contradiction by recognizing that water baptism and Spirit baptism are two parts of one whole, with one being incomplete without the other. Doctrinally speaking, if one is part of the new birth, the other must be also.
(6) God remits sins at water baptism. (See Chapter 6 - Water Baptism). Therefore, baptism must be part of the new birth, for how could there be a new, spiritual life until the old life of sin is erased? Until sin and its punishment are washed away there can be no eternal life in God's kingdom.
(7) Titus 3:5 is a companion verse to John 3:5, and it apparently refers to water baptism. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." Regeneration simply means new birth, so here is a second passage linking water and Spirit with the new birth. The wording of this verse points strongly to water baptism rather than to the other alternatives. It describes a specific act of washing, distinct from the work of the Spirit.
Many translations emphasize the connotation of a specific act: "the laver of regeneration" (Conybeare), "the bathing of the new birth" (Rotherham), "the bath of regeneration" (Weymouth), and "the water of rebirth" (New English Bible). This act of washing is a cleansing from sin, which brings to mind Ananias' instructions to Paul: "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16). Paul recounted the story in Acts 22 and wrote the words in Titus 3, 50 presumably he was aware of the parallel thought.
The conclusion is inescapable: "the washing of regeneration," which means "the new birth of water," is the washing away of sins at water baptism. Indeed, according to Bloesch, "Biblical scholars generally agree that the washing of regeneration refers to the rite of baptism." [34]
(8) Many other passages link water and Spirit baptism together in the salvation message (see Chapter 3 - The Gospel of Jesus Christ) and emphasize the important role baptism plays in salvation (see Chapter 6 - Water Baptism).
Opponents of this view usually protest that it makes salvation dependent on water baptism, thereby negating salvation by grace and faith alone. Of course, without repentance from sin and faith in Christ's sacrifice, water baptism is valueless. There is no saving power in the water itself or in man's actions at water baptism. The birth of water is not the human act but God's act in remitting sin. Water baptism in and of itself is not a saving act, and the birth of water is totally dependent upon God's grace. Titus 3:5 demonstrates that one can give God all the credit for salvation and still emphasize the role of water baptism in the new birth.
Throughout salvation history God has always required obedience to His Word as a part of faith, and this does not contradict His plan of salvation by grace through faith. (See Chapter 2 - Grace and Faith.) By identifying the birth of water as God's work in water baptism, we do not detract from His grace or His position as our only Savior.
A second objection is that the Old Testament saints were not baptized in water as we are today. However, neither did they receive the Spirit as we do (John 7:38-39). (See also Chapter 8 - The Baptism of the Holy Spirit). The Old Testament saints were not born again in the sense Jesus described and established for the New Testament church. (See later section.)
The birth of the Spirit is the operation of the Holy Spirit in man's salvation. This is the literal reading of John 3:5-8, and no one seriously disputes this. While there is agreement that the birth of the Spirit means receiving the Spirit of God to dwell in one's life, there is some difference of opinion as to whether this is identical to the baptism of the Spirit. Most Protestants equate receiving the Holy Spirit with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, although they usually reject the sign of speaking in tongues. Thus Bloesch stated, "We insist that the baptism of the Spirit must not be distinguished from the new birth." [35] Likewise, Adam Clarke equated the birth of the Spirit with the baptism of the Spirit. [36] In the New Testament church, the birth of the Spirit, the gift of the Spirit, receiving the Spirit, and the baptism of the Spirit are all one and the same, as we explain below.
(1) Jesus expected Nicodemus to understand what He meant about birth of the Spirit, undoubtedly on the basis of Old Testament prophecies concerning the Spirit's outpouring. (See Chapter 8 - The Baptism of the Holy Spirit.) In particular, Nicodemus should have known about Joel's prophecy, which Peter applied to the baptism of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:16-18).
(2) John the Baptist explicitly promised the baptism of the Spirit (Mark 1:8). No doubt Nicodemus was acquainted with John's ministry and should have been expecting its fulfillment.
(3) The Book of Acts teaches that we receive the Spirit when we are baptized with the Spirit. Jesus told the disciples to wait for the promise of the Father, which He described as being "baptized with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 1:4-8). The disciples received this promise on the Day of Pentecost when they were "filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:4). Peter promised this same experience, which he called "the gift of the Holy Ghost," to the repentant onlookers that day (Acts 2:38-39). When Cornelius and his household received the very same experience, the Bible describes it in several ways: "the Holy Ghost fell on all them," on them "was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost," and they "received the Holy Ghost" (Acts 10:44-48). Peter identified it as both the gift and the baptism of the Holy Ghost (Acts 11:15-17). In short, Acts equates all the descriptions of the Spirit's saving work with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. (See Chapter 8 - The Baptism of the Holy Spirit for a table summarizing these findings.)
(4) Some say the birth of the Spirit refers to the indwelling of the Spirit without the Spirit baptism. However, it is a contradiction in terms to say the Spirit dwells in someone even though he has not received the Spirit. If the words mean anything, the indwelling of the Spirit must begin with receiving, being filled with, or being baptized with the Spirit.
(5) First Corinthians 12:13 demonstrates that the work of the Spirit in salvation is the baptism of the Spirit: "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body."
(6) Many other passages emphasize the need for the Spirit baptism and link it with water baptism as part of the salvation message. (See Chapter 3 - The Gospel of Jesus Christ.)
We must stress that the new birth is a single whole. One is either born again or not; there is no such thing as being half born. Although Jesus identified two components - water and Spirit - He nevertheless spoke of one new birth. The Spirit, water, and blood all agree in one (I John 5:8). There is only one baptism (Ephesians 4:5), comprised of both water and Spirit. The Scripture encompasses both water baptism and Spirit baptism when it teaches that we are buried with Christ in baptism to rise in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4), that we are baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27), and that we receive spiritual circumcision by baptism (Colossians 2:11-13). Whatever repentance, water baptism, and the Spirit baptism accomplish individually, we must always remember that the total work of salvation is completed at the union of the three. We should never attach so much importance to one element that we deem the others to be unnecessary.
The Bible pattern is to experience all three - repentance, water baptism, and the gift of the Spirit (Acts 2:38). Even though the Samaritans had been baptized in Jesus' name, they still needed to receive the Spirit (Acts 8:15-17). Even though Cornelius had already received the Spirit, Peter commanded him to be baptized in Jesus' name (Acts 10:44-48).
Ideally, all three should occur practically simultaneously or in rapid succession. Acts 2:38 promises that when people repent and are baptized they will receive the Holy Ghost without any wait between the three components.
In particular, if people will exercise faith they will receive the Holy Ghost as soon as they repent and are baptized. This is exactly what happened to the disciples of John at Ephesus (Acts 19:1-6). The Ethiopian eunuch and the Philippian jailer both received a joyous experience after they were baptized, which apparently was the baptism of the Spirit (Acts 8:36-39; 16:31-34). God has designed it so that the entire new birth process can occur at one time.
A comparison to the natural birth will illustrate the unity of the new birth. We can view each as a single event, but each is also a process consisting of several components. One writer has compared the two as follows: [37]
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| Natural Birth | New Birth | |
| 1 | Conception. | Hearing of gospel; beginning of faith. |
| 2 | Baby leaves womb. | Water baptism. |
| 3 | Baby takes first breath. | Baptism of the Holy Ghost. |
Since the new birth is a single, indivisible whole, we believe that the blood of Christ applies throughout the process. The blood is not a magical substance to be daubed on our souls. When the Bible speaks of the blood of Jesus, it simply means Christ's substitutionary death that satisfied God's justice and made God's mercy available to us. The blood of Jesus purchases our salvation. Without Christ's atonement we could not seek God, could not repent effectively, could not receive remission of sins at water baptism, nor could we receive the Holy Ghost. In other words, the substitutionary death of Jesus makes repentance, water baptism, and the Spirit baptism both available and effective.
Using the terminology of the blood, the blood is applied to our hearts at the first hearing of the gospel to enable us to seek God, at repentance to enable us to turn from sin to God, at water baptism to remit sin, and at the Spirit baptism to enable us to receive God's Spirit. After the new birth, we continue to live an overcoming, holy life by the power of the blood. Thus, the blood is applied not just at one point in time, but throughout the salvation process, from the first hearing of the Word until the return of Christ for His church.
First John discusses the new birth from the point of view of those who have already experienced it. John did not write his epistle to teach sinners how to be saved but to teach baptized, Spirit-filled believers how to have present assurance in their born-again status and how to live as born-again Christians. Nothing in John's epistle revokes the need for birth of water and Spirit as recorded in John's gospel. First John gives us the following characteristics that the born-again person will exhibit if he obeys the leading of his regenerated nature.
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| The Born Again Believer… | Verses in I John | |
| 1 | Confesses that Jesus came in the flesh. | 4:2 |
| 2 | Has love. | 4:7 |
| 3 | Confesses that Jesus is the Son of God. | 4:15 |
| 4 | Believes that Jesus is the Christ. | 5:1 |
| 5 | Overcomes the world. | 5:4 |
| 6 | Does not continue to commit sin. | 3:9; 5:18 |
| 7 | Keeps God's commandments. | 3:24 |
| 8 | Has the Holy Spirit. | 3:24; 4:13 |
| 9 | Has the witness of Spirit, water, blood. | 5:8-10 |
Thus, the believer has been baptized in water and Spirit and applied Christ's blood. He has assurance of salvation as long as he continues to confess, love, believe, overcome sin and the world, and submit to God.
The saints under the old covenant were not regenerated in the sense Jesus taught, for regeneration is a new covenant experience. As part of the new covenant God promised to write His law in the hearts of His people (Jeremiah 31:31-34) and give them a new spirit (Ezekiel 11:19). The old covenant revealed God's moral law but gave no spiritual power to rise above the sinful nature and fulfill the law (Romans 7:7-25; 8:3). Under the new covenant, however, God's people receive a new nature - the Spirit of God - which supersedes the law and imparts power over sin on a daily basis (Romans 8:2-4; Galatians 5:16-18). As a result, we now serve God in "newness of spirit" rather than in "oldness of the letter" (Romans 7:6).
Likewise, there was no permanent forgiveness of sin under the law, but only a deferral of sin to the future, ultimately to the death of Christ (Romans 3:25). Blood sacrifices had to be offered continually in order to roll the penalty of sin forward for a season, but Christ's sacrifice made remission of sin an eternal reality in the new covenant (Hebrews 10:1-18). Only under the new covenant can we receive permanent remission of sins immediately (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 10:14-18).
To summarize, Old Testament saints were not born again in the New Testament sense because neither (1) permanent remission of sin nor (2) the new nature in the form of the permanently indwelling Spirit was available to them. This corresponds to the fact that neither (1) baptism in Jesus' name for the remission of sins nor (2) the baptism of the Holy Spirit existed in the Old Testament.
From our discussion in this chapter we conclude to be born again means to be baptized with water and with the Holy Spirit. This exactly parallels our conclusion in the first three chapters of this book. Chapter 1 - An Honest Question asked, "How can I be saved?" Chapter 2 - Grace and Faith asked, "What is saving faith?" Chapter 3 - The Gospel of Jesus Christ asked, "What is the gospel of Jesus Christ and how can I apply it to myself?" Chapter 4 - Birth of Water and Spirit asked, "What is the new birth?" In each case the answer has been the same.
From our study of four great concepts of Christianity - salvation, faith, the gospel, and the new birth - we find that the full gospel is repentance, water baptism in the name of Jesus, and receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit.