Jesus was using an idiom

JESUS WAS USING AN IDIOM
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
John 3:5 English Standard Version (ESV)
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless
one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the
kingdom of God.
Jesus Christ’s Idiom BY SPURGEON
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily.”
John 3:5
THIS expression, “Verily, verily,” seems to me to have been the peculiar
idiom of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has absolutely forbidden His people ever
to take an oath. His command upon that matter is most explicit, “I sayunto
you, Swearnot at all; neither by Heaven; for it is God’s Throne: nor by the
earth; for it is His footstool:neither by Jerusalem;for it is the city of the great
King: neither shall you swearby your head, because you cannot make one
hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yes, yes; No, no: for
whateveris more than these comes ofevil.” My text was Jesus Christ’s
strongestform of affirmation–whenHe wished to speak mostemphatically,
He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you.” Every prominent public speakerhas
his ownpeculiar idioms and very much of the man’s characterwill be found
in the idioms that he uses. And I may add that the attention which the man
deserves may sometimes be gaugedby his idioms, for as his style of speaking
will revealto you the man, you will discoverhow far you ought to lend him
your ears. If, from his speech, you judge that he is flippant, or insincere, or
that there is something sinister in his motives, or that he is aiming at the
display of himself rather than at the proclamation of the truth, you may
straightwaysay, “Then there is no particular reasonwhy I should listen to

him.” But if, from the very idiomatic force of the words which he uses, you
feel that the man is true, sincere and earnest, then you say, “I shall be wise to
give heed to his words and to let his thoughts operate upon my own.”
There are three qualities which these words reveal to us in our Savior’s
teaching. First, there was clearness–“Verily, verily.” Secondly, there was
certainty–“Verily, verily, I say this and that unto you.” Thirdly, there
wassolemnity–“Verily, verily, I sayunto you.” We must, therefore, give to
Him, in return for clearness,the desire to understand Him. In return for
certainty, the conviction of the Truth of what He says and, to His solemnity,
we must respond with a deep sense ofthe importance of His teaching and act
in accordancewith what He says.
1. I am to speak, first, upon Christ’s idiom, “Verily, verily,” as denoting to
US THE CLEARNESS OF WHAT THE SAVIOR SAID.
He knew what He meant when He spoke. Some people, when they speak, do
not know what they mean and, when a man does not make you understand
what he means, it generallyis because he does not know the meaning of what
he says. Indistinct speaking is usually the result of indistinct thinking. If men
think clouds, they will preach clouds, but the Savior never spoke in that style
which, at one time, was so common in our pulpits–a style imported partly
from Germany and which was excessivelycloudy and smoky, though it was
thought by some people to be wonderfully profound and to be the very
trademark of intellect! But there was not a sentence of that kind in all Christ’s
teaching. Hewas the clearest, moststraightforwardand most outspokenofall
speakers.He knew what He meant to sayand He meant His hearers also to
know. It is true that the Jews of His day did not comprehend some of His
teaching, but that was because judicial blindness had fallen upon them. The
fault was not in the light, but in their bleared eyes. Turn to His teaching and
see if anyone else ever spoke as simply as He did. A child can comprehend His
parables. There are, in them, hidden Truths of God which are a mystery even
to Christ’s deeply-taught disciples, but Christ never mystified His hearers–He
talkedto them like a child, as He was–God’s “HolyChild Jesus.”He never
laid aside the simplicity of childhood though He had all the dignity of fully-
developed Manhood. He wore His heart upon His sleeve and spoke out what
was on His mind in such plain, clearlanguage that the poorestof the poor and
the lowestofthe low were eagerto listen to Him.
Now, BelovedBrothers and Sisters in Christ, if you wish to imitate your
Master, speak with the same clearness. Sayto your hearers, “Verily, verily, I
have to proclaim to you, in Christ’s name, this simple yet sublime Truth of
God which I have myself grasped, and which I would also have you grasp.”

Neveraffect profundity among the poor and never use a theologicaljargon
among the uneducated anywhere! If you have, in speaking, to show the Savior
to your hearers, show Him in His own dress–do notcover Him up with the
tawdry vestments of your gaudy language, forHe will count them only as
filthy rags. Tell sinners, in simple words, first about their sins and then about
the Saviorwho can washawaytheir sins in His most precious blood. But go
not a-hunting after novelties, for they will be of no service to perishing souls.
If you are to be like Jesus, your teaching must be clear!
But next I need to sayto those of you who are still unconverted, how necessary
it is that you should clearlyunderstand this clearteaching of the Lord Jesus
Christ! There are some Truths upon which He spoke with very wonderful
clearness–as forinstance, concerning whatsin is–how a look may be a sin and
how a longing may be as much a sin as an actionor a word is. Christ has also
told us very clearly that sin must and will be punished. There never was
anyone else so kind in heart as He was, yet He clearly taught the dreadful
Truth of God that sinners shall be punished in Hell forever! There never can
be any question about the Savior’s view of sin as being a very evil thing and of
the punishment of sin as being a very terrible thing. How very plainly, too, He
speaks aboutthe new birth! He said to Nicodemus, “Excepta man be born-
again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” And He was equally explicit
concerning the way of salvation. He tells us that just as Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness and every bitten Israelite who lookedto it was
healed, so He, Himself, was lifted up upon the Cross and every sinner who
trusts Him is saved forever! The teachings of Christ and of His Apostles
concerning sinners being savedthrough faith in Him are blessedlyclear. The
Gospels and Epistles tell us that a perfectly holy and Divine Substitute for
sinners was required–and that Jesus was that Substitute and stoodin the
place of all His chosenpeople–andbore the punishment which was due for all
their sins. If we are Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, all our liabilities to
Infinite Justice are forever discharged, for Jesus bore all our sins in His own
body on the tree–andbore them so completelyaway that they shall be
remembered againstus no more forever!
I want to ask you who have not yet believed in Jesus, whetheryou really
understand this Truth of God of which I have been speaking. Lestthere
should be anyone here under a delusion upon this matter, let me say, once and
for all, that there is no salvationin any charm or ceremony invented or
performed by men. The common notion is that there is some kind of charm
which operates upon a person, young or old, who is brought to a font–that
some virtue or other goes through the fingers of the “priest” who sprinkles the

waterbecause athis “ordination” he receivedsomething or other, from
somebody or other, who receivedthat something or other from some other
body and so on, and so on, and so on right up to the Apostles!All that is sheer
superstition as base as the witchcraft for which old women were burned in the
evil days of the past! [See Sermons #581, Volume 10–CHILDREN BROUGHT
TO CHRIST, NOT TO THE FONT and #573, Volume 10–BAPTISMAL
REGENERATION,the sermon by Mr. Spurgeonwhich has had a larger
circulation than any other in the 3,052 published sermons to date–
Read/downloadthe entire sermon, free of charge, at
http://www.spurgeongems.org.]How I wish that all men, women and children
could be undeceived concerning it! Thenthere is a notion that a piece of bread,
or a drop of wine, “consecrated”and dispensedby properly-authorized
persons, will, somehow or other, charm awayevil from a dying person. That is
another superstition not a whit better than the fetish of the pretended
rainmakers of South Africa! Neither the water, nor the bread and wine can
convey Divine Grace to an unbeliever! But if I am a Believerin the Lord Jesus
Christ, my being buried with Him in Baptism [See Sermon #1627, Volume 27,
BAPTISM–ABURIAL–Read/downloadthe entire sermon, free of charge, at
http://www.spurgeongems.org.]reminds me that I am savedthroughHis death
and burial–and if I, as a Believerin Christ, eat the bread and drink the wine
at the Communion Table, those suggestive symbols help me, as Paul says, to
“show the Lord’s death till He comes.” Thatis all. There is no charm in the
water, or the bread, or the wine in themselves, whateverincantations any so-
called“priest” may have muttered overthem!
Then, never imagine that we cannot understand what the Gospelof Christ
really is. Someone perhaps says, “Well,yousee, Sir, I am not learned. I am no
scholar, so I cannotunderstand the Gospel.” Mydear Friend, there are many
people who cannot understand the Gospeljust because they are scholars!
They know too much to understand it–theyhave so much of what they think is
knowledge that they are prejudiced againstit! Knowledge may prejudice a
person as Jesus Christ, He is your Savior. The result of believing in Him will
be this–knowing that you are savedbecause Godtells you that you are, you
love God whom you dreaded before and, loving Him, you naturally ask,
“What canI do to please Him?” So you give up your old sins and, led on by
the impulse of love, which is the work of the Holy Spirit in your heart, you
seek afterholiness!The things that concernyour soul’s salvationare plain
enough for a child to comprehend! If you are lost, it will not be a mystery that
damns you–and if you are ever to be saved, it is the simplicity of the Gospel
that will save you! The Truths of God that relate to your ruin through sin–and

the only remedy for that ruin–through the Grace ofGod, are “as plain as a
pikestaff,” as our common proverb puts it. “Still,” says one, “I have often
listened to the preaching of the Gospel, but I have failed to understand it.”
Then askthe Spirit of God to guide you into it! He is waiting to instruct sincere
seekers. Letme ask you whether you have ever really tried to understand the
Gospel. “Well, Sir, I have heard Dr. So-and-So and Mr. So-and-So.” Yes, but
perhaps they have only muddled you. Have you read the Bible itself? He who
wishes to drink pure waterhad better go to the wellhead. He who wishes to
find the Truth of God had better come to these sacredpages,for here he will
find it pure and unalloyed. Have you imitated the Jews at Berea who
“searchedthe Scriptures daily, whether those things were so”? There are
many people who condemn the Scriptures, but no man who has read them in
the right spirit ever condemns them. You may remember the story of the City
Missionarywho was arguing with a cobbler–a man who thought himself a
very wise skeptic although he had never read the Bible. He said he never
would do so, yet he knew it was a very bad book! So the missionary saidto
him, “I bought a pair of boots yesterdaywhich costme twelve and sixpence–
do you think they were worth the money?” He replied, “Possiblythey were,
but I can’t saypositively without seeing them.” The missionary said, “But, if
you are a cobbler and understand your business, you can certainly tell me
their value without seeing them.” “Why you must considerme a foolto think
that I canjudge of a thing I never saw.” “Yes,” saidthe missionary, “I
didthink you were a fool because youhave been judging and condemning the
Bible which you have never studied.” So I ask you, dear Friend–Have you
read the Bible? Have you studied it? If you say that you cannot comprehend
it, I ask–Have youever tried to do so? Do not plead that you cannot
understand the Gospelif you have never tried to understand it! But if you
humbly ask the Holy Spirit to teachyou its meaning as you read it, I believe
the Light of the Truth of God will soonenter your soul.
Let me ask you anotherquestion–Have you put into practice what you really
do understand of the Scriptures? Youknow that you are sinful–have you
confessedyour sinfulness to God? You know that there is a Saviorfrom sin
and that He is to be laid hold of by faith–have you trusted Him to save you?
With the Truth of God so clearthere is no need for you to perish in the dark!
I read in the paper, yesterday, the notice of a reward to be given to anyone
who would furnish information concerning the injury done to a certain buoy
off the coast. The buoy was describedas being on such-andsuch a sand and, as
it was 20 feet in height, it must have been injured through sheercarelessness
or willful wickedness. So, if you have rightly read the Scriptures, or have

heard the Gospelplainly preached, it will be impossible for you to perish by
accident–youwill perish willfully and your blood will be upon your own head.
When Christ brings the printed Gospelbefore your eyes, as it were, in capital
letters–ifyou will not read it and understand it–you must perish as a spiritual
suicide, which may God forbid!
II. The time flies so quickly that I must pass on to notice, in the next place,
that THE EXPRESSION, “VERILY, VERILY,” AS THE SPECIAL IDIOM
OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, SIGNIFIED CERTAINTY.
He knew that what He said was true and, therefore, He said, “Verily, verily, I
say unto you.” Untold mischief has been done in our country by the kind of
preaching which was very common at one time, namely, for the preacherto
speak as if he did not know what the Truth of God is and must be pardoned
for intruding his opinions! If a man does not knowthe Truth, let him hold his
tongue until he does. “I believed, therefore have I spoken,” saidthe Psalmist.
And he alone has the right to speak who speaks that which he believes and,
therefore, knows. The Lord Jesus never hesitates as to what He shall say, His
language never halts! His “Verily, verily, I sayunto you,” is the utterance of
One who knows the Truth of God and who speaks it as One who is assured
that it is the Truth of God.
On our part, there should be a suitable response to Christ’s certainty. If we
believe Him to be the Sonof God speaking the Truth of God to us with
absolute certainty, let us receive with certainty what He says to us. “But,” says
one, “there are so many different opinions that I do not know which to
believe.” What have you to do with men’s opinions? Supposing there are
10,000“isms” in the world–what have they to do with you? If you are lost, it
will not abate the flames of Hell if you say, “There were so many isms in the
world I did not know which to choose.”There was but one Truth, for Christ
said, “I am the Truth.” If you had believed Him you would have been saved
by Him. There are, today, many persons who raise all sorts of questions–there
always have been and there always will be such persons while this
dispensationlasts–but what have you to do with them? Your business is to
trust the Lord Jesus Christand leave all those questions alone!
“But,” says another, “evengoodmen differ.” I know they do, but if you go
into a watchmaker’s shop, you find that even goodwatches andclocks differ
in some respects. Yet that fact does not affectGreenwichmean time which is
the standard for all the watches and clocks in the country! So, supposing that
one goodman sees one side of a Truth and another sees anotherside of it–
what goodman ever asks you to trust in him? You have listened to my
preaching–some ofyou for many years–did I everask you to follow my

guidance except just as far as the Scriptures prove the truth of what I preach
to you? With God’s Word in your hand as the map of the road to Heaven, ask
His Spirit to guide you and He will guide you all the way!
All that Christ teaches is certainly true and there are some things which He
tells us which are absolutely essentialforus to learn. For instance, “You must
be born-again.” Or this, “Exceptyou repent, you shall all likewise perish.”
There is no doubt that at the Last GreatDay, Christ “will judge the world in
righteousness.”We must all stand before His GreatWhite Throne to receive
from Him the final sentence whichshall fix our eternal destiny. If you are an
unbeliever, you are condemned already–andif you live and die an unbeliever,
you must be driven from His Presence into a hopeless eternity. All these things
are certainties. There are many fictions in the world, but these things are not
fictions–neitherare they trifles. And I do pray you to believe these Truths of
God and to draw the right practicalinferences from them.
There are also some Truths Forinstance, it is certainly true that if you confess
your sins to Him, He will forgive you. It is certainly true that if you trust in
Jesus, He will give you restand peace, and you shall be, “acceptedin the
Beloved.” It is certainly true that if you commit your soul into Christ’s hands
you shall never perish, and no one shall ever be able to pluck you out of His
hands. [See Sermon #726, Volume 12–LIFE ETERNALand #2120, Volume
35–THE SECURITYOF BELIEVERS–OR, SHEEP WHO SHALL NEVER
PERISH–Read/downloadthe entire sermon, free of charge, at
http://www.spurgeongems.org.]There are many blessedassurancesin the
Word of God upon which youmay surely rely. God help you to rely upon them
now!
There are other Truths in God’s Word which you will find to be sure if you
test and try them. I might address myself to many a man here and sayto him,
“Brother, did you not put Christ’s Word to the testin the time of trouble, and
did you not prove it to be true?” And I know that the answerwould be, “Yes,
that I did!” I might pick out many a humble man and womanhere who have
had a heavy task to bring up their children as they have done and many stern
struggles with poverty and affliction, and I might sayto them, “My Brother,
my Sister, has not Christ been precious to you?” And I know that the answer
would be, “Yes! That He has! He has fulfilled every word of promise that He
ever gave us to rely upon.” There is no one who canever convict Christ of a
lie–there is not a friend or a foe who can truthfully say, “He deceivedme.”
“Verily, verily,” is stamped upon every promise, every precept and every
threat–and He will prove all of them to be true to the end of time and
throughout eternity!

Then, as these things are certain, let us act upon them. O Sirs, in a short time
we shall have done with preaching andhearing the Gospel!I fear that many
people come to our places ofworship in the same spirit in which they go to
places of amusement and that the main things of which they think are–how
the preacherputs his message,whetherhe is fluent and eloquent and whether
he interests them or not. Yes, but that is not the principal matter about which
we should be concerned!You and I will soonbe before the bar of God! I shall
have to prove that I faithfully preachedwhat I believed to be the Truth of
God–andyou will have to prove whether you acceptedit and actedupon it!
And I charge you all, before the living God, at whose bar you must soonstand,
not to treat the Gospelas if it were mere fiction. Go not awayfrom this
building as though you had been watching a play, or listening to an organ
recitalwhich might or might not mean anything to you. There is a real Hell–
will you be shut up in it forever? There is a real Heaven–willyou be shut out
of it forever? There is a real Saviorwho died upon the Cross for sinners–will
you despise and reject Him? And, above all, there sits a realGod in whom we
live, and move, and have our being–shallwe continue to forget Him, break His
Laws as if we had liberty to do what we would and despise Him as if He were
a man like ourselves? Oh, by the “Verily, verily,” of the Christ of God, I
beseechyou to lay to heart the certainty, the reality of His teachings and let
them
III. The third point was to be that CHRIST’S “VERILY, VERILY” MEANT
SOLEMNITY.
Christ was a very solemn Preacher, though He was by no means a dull
Preacher. There are some speakers who confounddullness with solemnity, but
Christ’s discourses were always interesting. How He abounded in parables
and metaphors! The children listenedwith pleasure to His teachings, yet how
solemn it always was, and how forcibly the Masterproved the solemnity of
His speechby the solemnity of His life! Those nights of prayer that He spent
on the lone mountainside show that His was no mock earnestness.And that
life of untiring labor showedhow real and intense was His zeal. And His
death, as with blood-red seals provedthat, “having loved His own which were
in the world, He loved them unto the end.” It was the same Christ who said,
“Verily, verily,” who died upon the Cross, rose againand went up into Glory
to make intercessionfor the transgressors!
The solemnity of Christ’s words and work should cause us to listen to His
Gospelwith a corresponding seriousness andsolemnity. If you are worldly
and earth-bound, you will not attachthat importance to the Gospelof Christ
that you should. To many of you, the Truth that you need to be saved does not

seemto come home with power. If I were, in the middle of a sermon, to begin
to talk about the way to get money, the attention of many of you would be far
more intense than it is when I am speaking aboutthe salvationof immortal
souls. If I were to discuss the price of British bonds, many ears would be at
once opened to catchevery syllable! Whereas when I talk of the incalculable
price that Jesus paid for the redemption of the souls of men, the Truth makes
no more impressionupon many men’s minds than oil would upon a slab of
marble! Your souls, the best part of your real selves, concernyou not, O you
foolish sons of men! You treat your souls as if they were dirt, yet you prize the
things of time and sense as if they were all that you had! You have a notion
that these things concernpeople a long way off–people who are very wicked
and do not go to any place of worship, or other people in this congregation
who are somehow more fitted than you are to receive my message!But, Sir,
the Gospelis foryou, I wish that you would end this folly of passing on to
others the Gospel that is meant for yourself.
In closing, I must just mention one or two reflections concerning the solemnity
of the Gospelmessage.First, remember that the Gospelconcerns ournever-
dying souls. Mostpeople think a greatdeal about that which concerns
thebody. There is much talk about an operation, wisely performed by an
eminent surgeonupon the poor body which must soonbecome food for
worms. Yet little or nothing is said about the soul which is so vastly more
precious!The soul of anemperor or the soul of a beggaris of the same value in
God’s sight. “Where does it take its flight when its earthly cage is broken?” Is
that a question which is never askedby some of you? If so, what arrant fools
you must be! O blessedSpirit of God, teach us the solemnity of the Gospel
which concerns the soul which must live forever in raptures or in woe!
This Gospelalso concerns the never-ending eternity. We are not going into
another time-state that shall come to an end, but into that eternity which shall
know no close. I can make no meaning out of Christ’s words if it is not so–and
He said, concerning the wicked, “These shallgo awayinto everlasting "The
word is the same in eachcase in the original. Oh, eternity, eternity, eternity,
who can conceive whatit is? A million millions of years would be less than a
moment compared with eternity–and that sum multiplied by a million
millions a million times told would be but as a drop in a bucketcompared
with that which is everlasting!O Sirs, as I know that I am to live forever in
such a state as I shall die in, my first concernis to be ready for death that I
may be ready for my eternalfuture! Is it not so with you also? Oh, I do
implore you, trifle not with eternity and with your never-dying souls!Trifle
not with the God who can castyou into Hell forever! Trifle not with Christ

whose hands and feetwere nailed to the accursedtree for sinners such as you!
Trifle not with His precious blood for that is your only hope of redemption!
Trifle not with the Holy Spirit for if He should leave you to perish, your case
would be hopeless!Trifle not with your Sabbaths–youwill wish to have them
back againwhen you are near death. Trifle not with the Gospel–whatwould
the lostin Hell not give to hear another proclamationof mercy? The devil
does not trifle–he is very earnestlyseeking your destruction! God, Christ and
the Holy Spirit are not trifling with you–and we are not trifling with you! We
long to preach the Gospelto you more earnestly, more fully and more
faithfully than ever–and we pray to God to help us do so and lament when we
fear that we have failed. Trifle not when everything around you seems to be in
earnestand especiallywhenthe Lord Jesus Christ, speaking out of this
chapter, says to you, "Verily, verily, I of the crown of thorns. I of the pierced
hands and feet speak plainly, certainly and solemnly to you and bid you look
unto Me that you may be saved.”
I never go out of this pulpit feeling so utterly castdown as when I have been
trying to deal with the consciencesof the ungodly. I wish I could grip eachone
of you by the hand and look you in the face, and say, “Man, Woman, are you
going to die without a Savior? Oh, be not so foolish, so mad!” I would tell
every young man here how, when I was myself a young man, I was led to look
by faith to the Savior and I have found it a blessedthing to rest in Him ever
since. And I would say to him, “Brother, come with me to the Cross of
Calvary and restin Jesus, andbegin to live a holy and useful life–and you
shall find yourself truly blessedamong men.” I cannot come round and speak
personally to you all, but will you let me follow you to your bedside and, if you
think of getting into bed tonight without a prayer for your soul’s salvation,
just imagine that you feel my hand upon your shoulder and hear me say to
you, “What? No offering of a prayer to God?” I was about to say, “Stepping
into your bed,” but I thought that it might become your sepulcher, for you
may die there! As many have done who went to bed as thoughtlesslyand
prayerless as you have often done. But if you trust in Jesus and then fall
asleepfor the lasttime on earth, you will wake up amid the splendors of
eternal bliss!

What does John 3:5 mean? [⇑ See verse text
⇑]
Jesus introduces His comment by twice repeating the word amen. This repetition is frequently
translated as "verily, verily," or "I assure you," or "I tell you the truth." Amen is actually an
Aramaic word that was kept intact in the Greek, Latin, and many other languages. It literally
means, "faithful," or "believe," and is most simply translated as "truly." This is why the term is
often used at the end of a prayer or other statement. Putting it at the end of a phrase suggests—or
hopes—that what was said is true or sure. Putting the word amen at the beginning of a statement
is a way of claiming that this is the speaker's own personal declaration. Jesus is claiming that His
statement is absolutely true, and that He has absolute, direct, personal knowledge of its truth.
Jesus makes this comment specifically to Nicodemus, in response to his question about being
"born again." There are several possible ways to interpret His comment that only those born of
water, and of the Spirit, can enter the kingdom of God. Being born of the Spirit is clearly a
reference to accepting Christ, but the aspect of water is less sure. The most reasonable
interpretation is that water refers to baptism, but in the context of repentance—this is why John
the Baptist's ministry of baptism was a precursor to Christ. In other words, faith in Christ is an
absolute requirement for salvation. The physical ritual of baptism is not (John 3:16; John 3:36;
Ephesians 2:8–9; Titus 3:5).
https://www.gotquestions.org/baptism-John-3-5.html
Does John 3:5 teach that baptism is necessary
for salvation?
J o h n 3 : 5 b a p t i s m a u d i o
https://www.gotquestions.net/Printer/baptism-John-3-5-
PF.htmlhttps://www.gotquestions.net/Printer/baptism-John-3-5-PF.html
Question: "Does John 3:5 teach that baptism is necessary for salvation?"
Answer: As with any single verse or passage, we discern what it teaches by first filtering it
through what we know the Bible teaches on the subject at hand. In the case of baptism and
salvation, the Bible is clear that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works

of any kind, including baptism (Ephesians 2:8-9). So, any interpretation which comes to the
conclusion that baptism, or any other act, is necessary for salvation, is a faulty interpretation. For
more information, please visit our webpage on "Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus
works?"
John 3:3-7, “Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is
old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?' Jesus
answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'"
When first considering this passage, it is important to note that nowhere in the context of the
passage is baptism even mentioned. While baptism is mentioned later in this chapter (John 3:22-
30), that is in a totally different setting (Judea instead of Jerusalem) and at a different time from
the discussion with Nicodemus. This is not to say Nicodemus was unfamiliar with baptism,
either from the Jewish practice of baptizing Gentile converts to Judaism, or from John the
Baptist’s ministry. However, simply reading these verses in context would give one no reason to
assume Jesus was speaking of baptism, unless one was looking to read into the passage a
preconceived idea or theology. To automatically read baptism into this verse simply because it
mentions “water” is unwarranted.
Those who hold baptism to be required for salvation point to “born of water” as evidence. As one
person has put it, “Jesus describes it and tells him plainly how—by being born of water and the
Spirit. This is a perfect description of baptism! Jesus could not have given a more detailed and
accurate explanation of baptism.” However, had Jesus actually wanted to say that one must be
baptized to be saved, He clearly could have simply stated, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one
is baptized and born of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Further, if Jesus had
made such a statement, He would have contradicted numerous other Bible passages that make it
clear that salvation is by faith (John 3:16; John 3:36; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).
We should also not lose sight of the fact that when Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, the
ordinance of Christian baptism was not yet in effect. This important inconsistency in interpreting
Scripture is seen when one asks those who believe baptism is required for salvation why the thief
on the cross did not need to be baptized to be saved. A common reply to that question is: “The
thief on the cross was still under the Old Covenant and therefore not subject to this baptism. He
was saved just like anyone else under the Old Covenant.” So, in essence, the same people who
say the thief did not need to be baptized because he was “under the Old Covenant” will use John
3:5 as “proof” that baptism is necessary for salvation. They insist that Jesus is telling Nicodemus
that he must be baptized to be saved, even though he too was under the Old Covenant. If the thief
on the cross was saved without being baptized (because he was under the Old Covenant), why
would Jesus tell Nicodemus (who was also under the Old Covenant) that he needed to be
baptized?
If “being born of water and the Spirit” is not referring to baptism, then what does it mean?
Traditionally, there have been two interpretations of this phrase. The first is that being “born of

water” is being used by Jesus to refer to natural birth (with water referring to the amniotic fluid
that surrounds the baby in the womb) and that being born of the “Spirit” indicates spiritual birth.
While that is certainly a possible interpretation of the term “born of water” and would seem to fit
the context of Nicodemus’ question about how a man could be born “when he is old,” it is not
the best interpretation given the context of this passage. After all, Jesus was not talking about the
difference between natural birth and spiritual birth. What He was doing was explaining to
Nicodemus his need to be “born from above” or “born again.”
The second common interpretation of this passage and the one that best fits the overall context,
not only of this passage but of the Bible as a whole, is the one that sees the phrase “born of water
and the Spirit” as both describing different aspects of the same spiritual birth, or of what it means
to be “born again” or “born from above.” So, when Jesus told Nicodemus that he must “be born
of water and the Spirit,” He was not referring to literal water (i.e. baptism or the amniotic fluid in
the womb), but was referring to the need for spiritual cleansing or renewal. Throughout the Old
Testament (Psalm 51:2,7; Ezekiel 36:25) and the New Testament (John 13:10; 15:3; 1
Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:22), water is often used figuratively of spiritual cleansing or
regeneration that is brought forth by the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God, at the moment of
salvation (Ephesians 5:26; Titus 3:5).
The Barclay Daily Study Bible describes this concept in this way: “There are two thoughts here.
Water is the symbol of cleansing. When Jesus takes possession of our lives, when we love Him
with all our heart, the sins of the past are forgiven and forgotten. The Spirit is the symbol of
power. When Jesus takes possession of our lives it is not only that the past is forgotten and
forgiven; if that were all, we might well proceed to make the same mess of life all over again; but
into life there enters a new power which enables us to be what by ourselves we could never be
and to do what by ourselves we could never do. Water and the Spirit stand for the cleansing and
the strengthening power of Christ, which wipes out the past and gives victory in the future.”
Therefore, the “water” mentioned in this verse is not literal physical water but rather the “living
water” Jesus promised the woman at the well in John 4:10 and the people in Jerusalem in John
7:37-39. It is the inward purification and renewal produced by the Holy Spirit that brings forth
spiritual life to a dead sinner (Ezekiel 36:25-27; Titus 3:5). Jesus reinforces this truth in John 3:7
when He restates that one must be born again and that this newness of life can only be produced
by the Holy Spirit (John 3:8).
There are several reasons why this is the correct interpretation of the phrase born of water and
the Spirit. First of all, we should note that Nicodemus found his literal interpretation of born
again to be incomprehensible. He could not understand how a grown man could re-enter his
mother’s womb and be “born again” physically (John 3:4). Jesus restates what He had just told
Nicodemus, this time making a distinction between flesh and spirit (verse 6). Interestingly, the
Greek word translated “again” or “anew” in John 3:3 and 7 has two possible meanings: the first
one is “again,” and the second one is “from above.” “Born again,” “born from above,” and “born
of water and Spirit” are three ways of saying the same thing.
Second, the grammar in John 3:5 would seem to indicate “being born of water” and “being born
of the Spirit” are thought of as one action, not two. Therefore, it is not speaking of two separate

births, as Nicodemus incorrectly thought, but of one birth, that of being “born from above” or the
spiritual birth that is necessary for anyone to “see the kingdom of God.” This need for one to be
“born again,” or to experience spiritual birth, is so important that Jesus tells Nicodemus of its
necessity three different times in this passage of Scripture (John 3:3, 3:5, 3:7).
Third, water is often used symbolically in the Bible to refer to the work of the Holy Spirit in
sanctifying a believer, whereby God cleanses and purifies the believer’s heart or soul. In many
places in both the Old and New Testaments, the work of the Holy Spirit is compared to water
(Isaiah 44:3; John 7:38-39).
Jesus rebukes Nicodemus in John 3:10 by asking him: “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not
understand these things?” This implies that what Jesus had just told him was something
Nicodemus should have known and understood from the Old Testament. What is it that
Nicodemus, as a teacher of the Old Testament, should have known and understood? It is that
God had promised in the Old Testament a time was coming in which He would: “sprinkle clean
water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your
idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove
the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you
and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”
(Ezekiel 36:25-27). Jesus rebuked Nicodemus because he failed to recall and understand one of
the key Old Testament passages pertaining to the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:33). Nicodemus
should have been expecting this. Why would Jesus have rebuked Nicodemus for not
understanding baptism considering the fact that baptism is nowhere mentioned in the Old
Testament?
While this verse does not teach baptism is required for salvation, we should be careful not to
neglect baptism’s importance. Baptism is the sign or the symbol for what takes place when one is
born again. Baptism’s importance should not be downplayed or minimized. However, baptism
does not save us. What saves us is the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit, when we are born again
and regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).
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John 3:5 (NKJV)
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit,
he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Does "born of water" means baptism i.e., water being used in that or Jesus mean something
else?
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For comparison, the question was also asked on the Hermeneutics site. – Jon Ericson Mar
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7 Answers
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There are two common interpretations of this phrase. One is that "born of water" refers to
baptism. This view is typically held by those who adhere to baptismal regeneration.
The other view, which I will argue for here, is that it refers to actual physical birth. In this view,
the water might allude to amniotic fluid. This view seems far more likely to me as we view the
passage in its context:
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are
born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot
enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they
are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to
spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 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.” John 3:3-8 (NIV)
Notice that after Jesus says that we must be born of "water and the Spirit", he immediately
contrasts flesh and Spirit. In the context, Jesus is answering Nicodemus's concern that he must be
born "again". In one sentence, he mentions two births: water and Spirit. And in the next sentence,
he again mentions two births: flesh and Spirit. The most natural interpretation is that flesh and
water are referring to the same birth.
In addition, notice that Jesus says "So it is with everyone born of the Spirit". If he were intending
to say that everyone must be born of flesh, water (baptism), and Spirit, then it seems that he
would have said "So it is with everyone born of water and of Spirit". Water is painted here as the
already accomplished (physical) birth.
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answered Mar 11 '12 at 17:59
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Eric
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The "water = baptism" is something that the Orthodox teach and that Catholics will
allude to. – cwallenpoole Mar 12 '12 at 4:23
• 1
Note, I have one concern about the viability of my interpretation, and have asked a
question about it here: hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/q/1335/474 – Eric Mar 14 '12 at
14:43

• If water = birth, then why does he even mention water? It seems redundant. – Ignatius
Theophorus Oct 8 '12 at 4:34
• I believe water refers to the amniotic fluid. @Ignatius Theophorus - it's not redundant. It
would therefore exclude angels from salvation since they are not born of water. – Matt
Jun 11 '13 at 1:53
• 1
I just don't think that Greek ὕδωρ can refer to the amniotic fluid at all. Is this meaning
noted at all in any lexicon or any work in Greek? If a physical birth were what is intended
here, σάρξ (‘flesh’) would be much more apropos. – John Peyton Sep 9 '13 at 14:28
l "show 5 more comments
It is referring to Amniotic fluid, at least according to the sermons we hear in our Baptist Church.
Being born of water refers to natural birth, which everyone goes through and being born of the
spirit refers to the gift of the Holy Spirit imparted at the time of salvation.
While this isn't explicitly stated in Scripture, it makes sense in context, where Nicodemus had
just asked how he could re-enter is mother's womb to be born again. The idea of natural birth
was clearly in the context of the current conversation. And of course, labor begins with the water
breaking.
improve this answer
edited Mar 11 '12 at 17:48
/users/721/david-stratton /users/721/david-stratton
David Stratton
• 4
Exactly. There's a physical birth and a spiritual birth. Nicodemus didn't realize that even
though he was alive physically, spiritually, he was dead, and needed to born again! –
Affable Geek Mar 11 '12 at 18:01
• Which means fallen angels (being not born of water) cannot be saved. This salvation is
clearly meant for people - made in the image of God. – Matt Jun 11 '13 at 1:54
add a comment l "
Speaking of "born of water and of the Spirit" in John 3:5, D.A. Carson writes,

"Most important of all is Ezekiel 36:25-27, where water and spirit come together so
forcefully, the first to signify cleansing from impurity, and the second to depict the
transformation of heart that will enable people to follow God wholly. And it is no
accident that the account of the valley of dry bones, where Ezekiel preaches and the Spirit
brings life to dry bones, follows hard after Ezekiel’s water/spirit passage (cf. Ezk. 37; and
notes on 3:8, below). The language is reminiscent of the ‘new heart’ expressions that
revolve around the promise of the new covenant (Je. 31:29ff.). Similar themes were
sometimes picked up in later Judaism (e.g. Jubilees 1:23-25)." (The Gospel According to
John: An Introduction and Commentary, see 191-196; see larger excerpt)
Jesus rebuked Nicodemus because he should have been familiar with this kind of thing in the Old
Testament.
On the view that "water" in John 3:5 refers to some kind of bodily fluid, Carson writes:
"there are no ancient sources that picture natural birth as ‘from water’, and the few that
use ‘drops’ to stand for semen are rare and late. It is true that in sources relevant to the
Fourth Gospel water can be associated with fecundity and procreation in a general way
(e.g. Song 4:12-13; Pr. 5:15-18),1 but none is tied quite so clearly to semen or to amniotic
fluid as to make the connection here an obvious one. The Greek construction does not
favour two births here. Moreover the entire expression ‘of water and the Spirit’ cries out
to be read as the equivalent of anōthen, ‘from above’, if there is genuine parallelism
between v. 3 and v. 5, and this too argues that the expression should be taken as a
reference to but one birth, not two."
1. For a defense of this first option, cf. Ben Witherington III, NTS 35, 1989, pp.
155-160; Morris, JC, pp. 150-151.
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AaronShaf
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KJV Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the
word,
This verse explains what meaning Jesus had in mind in his use of the term, "born out of water",
if you understand this verse; Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
word/message of God. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith/trust it is impossible to please him: for he

that cometh to God must believe/come to trust, that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him. How back to John, the one who into Immerses into God's message,
"Repent/turn from your missing the 'Mark'/sin, back to God's righteous path, so that you can
enter the Kingdom of God which is now at hand for you to enter! John spoke words/ God's
message which washes away the lies of darkness with the message from God Himself. Did John
use water as a sign, YES! It was what he, John was told to do by God Himself. Jesus followed
with the same message, Repent/"turn from" and "turn to", and Jesus' disciples baptize into
water(the liquid), but Jesus, himself did not baptize this way, for his' would be in the Spirit
which is of God, The Father. This immersion had to do with past sins and not the new birth,
which Jesus began to proclaim the promise that God had made to HIS people, speaking of it into
the mouths of HIS prophets. Ezekiel 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and
gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Ezekiel 36:25 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. Ezekiel 36:26 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. Ezekiel 36:27 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.
Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified
seven times. Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Romans 2:8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield
yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or
of obedience unto righteousness? It is a cycle of events, that is the immersion, which must take
place in you until you trust and obey the message and HE GOD put the spirit of HIS SON into
your heart!
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answered Sep 9 '13 at 12:03
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William Jarvis
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Welcome to the site! I always recommend the following two posts to first-time visitors,
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Being born of Spirit and water John 3:5. The water here doesn't refer to aminiotic fluid because
that is of the flesh,Jesus clearly explained that born again is not the flesh but the Spirit .If this

just qualifies you to see how much more the one that qualifies you to enter the kingdom of God.
The water is the Word of God because in Ephesians 5:26 it says "that He might sanctify her (the
church), having cleansed her by the washing of water by the Word. The Word has the cleansing
effect of water as the person meditates and act on it continually, washing out your bad habits.
While being born born of the Spirit is the regeneration that is brought about by the Holy Spirit.
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answered Oct 7 '12 at 19:55
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ENEH LILIAN EKWUTOSI
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• Welcome to the site! This answer could be greatly improved by adding references and/or
links to established teachings to back this up. – David Stratton Oct 7 '12 at 20:27
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As set out by the community in What makes a good supported answer?, answers are
expected to have references and support. I encourage you to edit in references/support or
it may be deleted. – El'endia Starman Oct 8 '12 at 3:55
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Being born of water is accepting the word of God into your heart and totally depending on God's
word daily for constant cleansing until you become spiritually matured, conforming to the image
of Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ said,
"You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you" - John 15:3.
See also Ephesians 5:26. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the word of God (John 1:1, 14) and Hebrews
4:12 says,
"For the word of God is living and powerful..."
Eternal life is in the word of God and the life of the word (Jesus) is in the blood (John 6:47-58).
The word (Jesus) is described as the bread of life, and to eat the bread of life means "to receive
Him into your heart and continue in fellowship with Him daily through the help of the Holy
Spirit".
This is what it means to be born of "water and Spirit". If you are not washed with the water of
the word you are still in your sin and dead, totally separated from God eternally. Titus 3:5 says,
"...but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Spirit."
You see? The Holy Spirit uses the word of God (Jesus) to wash you constantly until you are
regenerated and conform to the image of Christ (Ephesians 4:13) see also John 14:26,16:13-15,

this is the actual meaning of salvation - to accept the word of God (Jesus Christ) into your heart
and continue in fellowship with Him in the word through the help of the Holy Spirit on daily
basis. In this manner you can be sure that you are born of water and the Spirit, thereby saved and
able to see and enter the kingdom of God.
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Thomas Shields
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answered Jun 8 '13 at 21:40
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Bernard Edehomon
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• Welcome to Christianity Stack Exchange! We really appreciate the earnestness in your
answer, but it comes off just a tad preachy, and this is not a Christian site. In general we
like to be a little more reserved and present answers from a certain point of view, instead
of as an objective "one right answer." Maybe try to rework your answer with that in mind
- otherwise it looks good! – Thomas Shields Jun 9 '13 at 5:44
• Water is been referred to as the word of God in the New Testament – Caleb Tolu May 16
'18 at 17:19
add a comment l "
If Water in John 3:5 is referring to amniotic fluid then one would have to be born natural to be
saved. Hence aborted babies, miscarried children would be lost. Notice the text unless one is
born of water AND the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom. Also the same word ( water ) is
used later in the chapter John was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much
amniotic fluid there.
Where does the Bible the word of God ever tell you to accept Christ into your heart? I have
heard this a lot but still unable to locate it in the Bible, but there is a lot I don't know. Luke 7:30
But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, not having been
baptized by him. I just wouldn't want to reject God's counsel, but that's me. I'll stand before God
and be judged for my actions or lack thereof. Not trying to offend anyone.

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edited Jul 23 '13 at 10:48
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Caleb
answered Jul 22 '13 at 12:54
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Willie
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Welcome to C.SE. This is an interesting answer, although, I'll admit, it is unclear to me if
you are being sarcastic or not. I'd invite you to see how we are different. – Affable Geek
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Hello and welcome to the site. We are always happy to have new participants. This post
is not really an answer to the question (as we would like to see answers go, that is).
Please see the help center and tour pages to learn how to use the site. Then
see How we are different. It is also unusual to make two answers for the same post. –
3961 Jul 23 '13 at 3:57
https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/6524/what-does-it-mean-to-be-born-of-water-
in-john-35
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
Of water and of the Spirit - To the baptism of water a man was admitted when he became a
proselyte to the Jewish religion; and, in this baptism, he promised in the most solemn manner to
renounce idolatry, to take the God of Israel for his God, and to have his life conformed to the
precepts of the Divine law. But the water which was used on the occasion was only an emblem
of the Holy Spirit. The soul was considered as in a state of defilement, because of past sin: now,
as by that water the body was washed, cleansed, and refreshed, so, by the influences of the Holy
Spirit, the soul was to be purified from its defilement, and strengthened to walk in the way of
truth and holiness.

When John came baptizing with water, he gave the Jews the plainest intimations that this would
not suffice; that it was only typical of that baptism of the Holy Ghost, under the similitude of
fire, which they must all receive from Jesus Christ: see Matthew 3:11. Therefore, our Lord
asserts that a man must be born of water and the Spirit, i.e. of the Holy Ghost, which, represented
under the similitude of water, cleanses, refreshes, and purifies the soul. Reader, hast thou never
had any other baptism than that of water? If thou hast not had any other, take Jesus Christ's word
for it, thou canst not, in thy present state, enter into the kingdom of God. I would not say to thee
merely, read what it is to be born of the Spirit: but pray, O pray to God incessantly, till he give
thee to feel what is implied in it! Remember, it is Jesus only who baptizes with the Holy Ghost:
see John 1:33. He who receives not this baptism has neither right nor title to the kingdom of
God; nor can he with any propriety be termed a Christian, because that which essentially
distinguished the Christian dispensation from that of the Jews was, that its author baptized all his
followers with the Holy Ghost.
Though baptism by water, into the Christian faith, was necessary to every Jew and Gentile that
entered into the kingdom of the Messiah, it is not necessary that by water and the Spirit (in this
place) we should understand two different things: it is probably only an elliptical form of speech,
for the Holy Spirit under the similitude of water; as, in Matthew 3:3, the Holy Ghost and fire, do
not mean two things, but one, viz. the Holy Ghost under the similitude of fire - pervading every
part, refining and purifying the whole.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on John 3:5". "The Adam Clarke Commentary".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/john-3.html. 1832.
l " return to 'Jump List'
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible
Be born of water - By “water,” here, is evidently signified “baptism.” Thus the word is used in
Ephesians 5:26; Titus 3:5. Baptism was practiced by the Jews in receiving a Gentile as a
proselyte. It was practiced by John among the Jews; and Jesus here says that it is an ordinance of
his religion, and the sign and seal of the renewing influences of his Spirit. So he said Mark
16:16, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” It is clear from these places, and from
the example of the apostles Acts 2:38, Acts 2:41; Acts 8:12-13, Acts 8:36, Acts 8:38; Acts 9:18;
Acts 10:47-48; Acts 16:15, Acts 16:33; Acts 18:8; Acts 22:16; Galatians 3:27, that they
considered this ordinance as binding on all who professed to love the Lord Jesus. And though it
cannot be said that none who are not baptized can be saved, yet Jesus meant, undoubtedly, to be
understood as affirming that this was to be the regular and uniform way of entering into his
church; that it was the appropriate mode of making a profession of religion; and that a man who
neglected this, when the duty was made known to him, neglected a plain command of God. It is
clear, also, that any other command of God might as well be neglected or violated as this, and
that it is the duty of everyone not only to love the Saviour, but to make an acknowledgment of
that love by being baptized, and by devoting himself thus to his service.

But, lest Nicodemus should suppose that this was all that was meant, he added that it was
necessary that he should “be born of the Spirit” also. This was predicted of the Saviour, that he
should “baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire,” Matthew 3:11. By this is clearly intended
that the heart must be changed by the agency of the Holy Spirit; that the love of sin must be
abandoned; that man must repent of crime and turn to God; that he must renounce all his evil
propensities, and give himself to a life of prayer and holiness, of meekness, purity, and
benevolence. This great change is in the Scripture ascribed uniformly to the Holy Spirit, Titus
3:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; Romans 5:5; 1 Peter 1:22.
Cannot enter into - This is the way, the appropriate way, of entering into the kingdom of the
Messiah here and hereafter. He cannot enter into the true church here, or into heaven in the world
to come, except in connection with a change of heart, and by the proper expression of that
change in the ordinances appointed by the Saviour.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Barnes, Albert. "Commentary on John 3:5". "Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/john-3.html. 1870.
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he
cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Paraphrased, this statement means that unless one obeys the gospel of Jesus Christ by believing
in him, repenting of sin, confessing his name, and being baptized into Jesus Christ (no genuine
baptism is possible without the three antecedents mentioned here), and as a consequence of such
obedience, receives the Holy Spirit, he can never enter God's kingdom, he cannot be saved.
At the time Jesus revealed this teaching to Nicodemus, the great commission had not been given;
and the immediate application of the teaching to Nicodemus regarded John's baptism which was
mandatory for all the followers of Jesus prior to the resurrection; but the glowing words of this
passage anticipated the Great Commission and the baptism therein commanded, thus making the
passage equally applicable to all of subsequent ages who would enter God's kingdom. See under
John 7:39.
The persistent and ingenious efforts of people to shout baptism out of this passage are in vain, for
there is no way it can be made to disappear. "Born of water" refers to baptism; and there is
absolutely nothing else connected with Christianity to which it could refer. For centuries after
this Gospel was received, "born of water" was never otherwise construed than as a reference to
baptism; and, as noted above, in its application to Nicodemus, it pointed to the Pharisaical refusal
to submit to the baptism of John; but, by extension, it is even more emphatic in its application to
that baptism which is greater than John's, namely, that of the Great Commission.
In the study of this passage, it should be remembered that it is only quite recently in Christian
times that interpretations of this verse have been devised to exclude its obvious reference to

Christian baptism. John Boys, Dean of Canterbury, renowned preacher and scholar of the Church
of England in the 17th century, wrote as follows:
Some few modern divines (Note: Although few THEN, they are many NOW - James
Burton Coffman) have conceded that these words are not to be construed of external
baptism; because, say they, "Christ taketh water here by a borrowed speech for the Spirit
of God, the effect whereof it shadoweth out; and so water and the Spirit are all one!" To
this interpretation answer is made: first, that it is an old rule in expounding of Holy
Scripture, that where a literal sense will stand, the farthest from the letter is commonly
the worst ... (Note: Boys wrote at great length concerning the efforts of men toward
"changing the meaning of words," calling such conduct "licentious and deluding," and
denouncing it as "perverting the text.")
Origen, Chrysostom, Augustine, Cyril, Beda, Theophylact, Euthymius, in the
commentaries on this place (John 3:5), along with Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Ambrose,
Hierome, Basil, Gregory, Nyssen, and many more, yea most of the Fathers - Hooker, a
man of incomparable reading, openeth his mouth wider, avowing peremptorily that ALL
THE ANCIENTS (capitals mine, J.B.C.) have construed this text, as our church doth, of
outward baptism.[5]SIZE>
It cannot be denied, therefore, that all interpretations that would edit any reference to
baptism out of this text are too late by centuries, to have any weight at all with people
who wish to know what the word of the Lord teaches. The warping and distortion of the
views of expositors since the Lutheran reformation, who have sought to conform this text
to Luther's erroneous theory of justification, were denounced by no less a giant of
Biblical exegesis than Alford, who wrote:
There can be no doubt, on any honest interpretation of the words, that
[@gennethenai] [@ek] [@hudatos] (born of water) refers to the token or outward
sign of baptism, [@gennethenai] [@ek] [@pneumatos] (born of the Spirit) to the
thing signified, or the inward grace of the Holy Spirit. All attempts to get rid of
these two plain facts have sprung from doctrinal prejudices, by which the views of
expositors have been warped.[6]
It is regrettable that Afford injected the jargon of "outward sign" and "inward grace" into
his comment; because the relative meaning of these two things, "born of water" and "born
of the Spirit" is not under discussion in this passage. It makes no difference what either
one of these things is in its relationship to the other, both are absolutely necessary to
salvation, that being the unqualified affirmation of this text. Thus, in order to be saved,
one must be baptized (born of water) and receive the Holy Spirit (born of the Spirit).
Christ joined these entities in this passage; and what God hath joined, let no man put
asunder! The opinions of great scholars might be multiplied in support of this
interpretation of the text; and, for those who might be influenced by such opinions,
reference is made to the Handbook on Baptism,[7] in which fifty of the most notable
scholars of the last 200 years are quoted. Only one other will be cited here, namely,
Phillip Schaff (1819-1893), Professor of Church History, Union Theological Seminary,
New York, President of the American Company of the New Testament Revisers, and one
of the greatest Christian scholars of all time. He said:

In view of the facts that John baptized, that Christ himself was baptized, that his
disciples baptized in his name (John 4:2), it seems impossible to disconnect water
in John 3:5, from baptism. Calvin's interpretation arose from doctrinal opposition
to the Roman Catholic over-valuation of the sacrament, which must be guarded
against in another way.[8]
Most of the bitterest denunciations against what Jesus taught here are actually directed
against a straw man called "baptismal regeneration," in which it is continually affirmed
that water cannot save anyone; but, of course, no one supposes that it can. No efficacy
was ever attributed to the water, even by the staunchest defenders of what Jesus here
clearly made a precondition of salvation. Fulminations against baptismal regeneration
might have been relevant in Calvin's day, when that scholar attacked the Medieval
superstition that a few drops of water sprinkled religiously upon a dead infant could save
a soul; but those arguments by Calvin are not relevant arguments against Christ's promise
that "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). And that promise is
as good a commentary on John 3:5 as any other (yes, better than any other) that might be
brought forward to explain this disputed passage. The importance of the questions raised
around the sacred words of Jesus in this place requires that further attention be directed to
their study. See "Regarding the New Birth" below.
REGARDING THE NEW BIRTH
The new birth "of water and of the Spirit" is one birth, not two, despite there being two
elements in it. One of these elements "born of water," is water baptism, that being the
element of the new birth for which man himself is responsible for the doing of it. Thus,
Saul of Tarsus was commanded, "Get thyself baptized" (Acts 22:16).[9] The other
element of the new birth, "born of the Spirit," is the reception of the Holy Spirit of
promise, which is an earnest of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13,14). Contrasting with
what is done by man, this endowing with the Holy Spirit is what is done by God. The
great heresy regarding this one birth is the doctrine that people may omit their part, not
being baptized, but that God will go ahead, despite that, and endow the believer with the
Holy Spirit anyway! John 3:5 teaches that both elements are absolutely necessary in the
new birth.
Born of water is a reference to the ceremony of baptism; but there is no magic in water,
nor does the ceremony itself contribute anything to sanctification, as often alleged.
Millions of faithful Christians can testify that submission to the commandment of
baptism did not automatically give them a new nature, the new nature coming through a
growth process in consequence of the endowment of the Spirit. Care should be taken to
distinguish between "baptism" as a reference to the immersion ceremony, and "baptism"
meaning the new birth of which the ceremony is an element. Jesus himself used the word
in this latter sense in Mark 16:16.
But if the actual ceremony does not change the nature of the convert, what does it do? (1)
It is the last of the preconditions of salvation to be fulfilled by the sinner, the others
being: believing, repenting, and confessing Christ; and upon compliance with all of them
by the sinner, God forgives all previous sin of the sinner and confers upon him a state of
absolute innocence. The fulfilling of the preconditions by the sinner does not merit or
earn God's forgiveness, nor provide any class of works that could place God under any
obligation other than his own gracious and merciful promise. However, such is the

importance of this ceremonial element in the new birth, that it may be dogmatically
affirmed that in the history of Christianity there has never been an exception to the
proposition that every true believer who repented and was baptized was then and there
forgiven of all past sin and endowed with a status of absolute innocence in God's sight.
This is accomplished not by the ceremony but by God WHEN the ceremony is obeyed,
and not otherwise. This is clear from "Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins,
calling upon the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16).
(2) In the second instance, there is achieved in the penitent a clear conscience upon the
event of his submission to the ceremony, as affirmed by the apostle Peter (1 Peter 3:1).
See my Commentary on Hebrews, Hebrews 9:13,14. There is no way that any man on
earth can have a clear conscience without submitting to baptism. That is why even the
churches that deny the necessity of baptism have not dispensed with it altogether. Their
consciences will not allow it, despite the fact that their doctrine, if heeded, would demand
it. The universal rejoicing that attends submission to the ordinance was in New Testament
times (Acts 8:39; 16:34, etc.), as now, the certain evidence of a clear conscience.
(3) The ceremony of immersion called baptism is the God-ordained rite of initiation into
Jesus Christ; and that status of being the appointed device by which God inducts the
penitent into corporate union with the Son of God, that is, into his kingdom, church, or
spiritual body - that status uniquely belongs to the baptismal ceremony. As Vine noted,
"Baptizing into the Name (Matthew 28:19) would indicate that the baptized person was
closely bound to, or became the property of, the one into whose Name he was
baptized."[10] Three times the New Testament declares that people are baptized "into
Christ," or into his "body" (Galatians 3:26,27; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 12:13). See
article, "Jesus Christ Incorporated," my Commentary on Romans, p. 123. It is
encouraging to note that present-day scholarship is taking a further look at the importance
of the baptismal ceremony. Thus, Beasley-Murray recently assented to the key thesis
maintained here, namely, that "Baptism is the occasion when the Spirit brings to new life
him that believes in the Son of Man!"[11] This is true; and if, through failure to obey the
Lord in baptism the OCCASION never comes, then neither will the new life.
(4) Thus it is clear that the baptismal ceremony is retrospective as regards the past sins of
the believer, being the pivot in which he is forever separated from them all and endowed
with a new status of innocence. Earned? A million times, No! The new status is a
gracious gift of God to the unworthy sinner who penitently took God at his word and
obeyed the gospel, the baptized believer being added, not by men, but by God, to the
kingdom or church of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:47).
(5) But that is not all. The new baptized convert, having a clear conscience, and being
forgiven of all past sins, and having been added to the spiritual body of Christ,
RECEIVES THE HOLY SPIRIT, not to make him a member of Christ (his baptism did
that), but because he is a member (Galatians 4:6). This is the second element in the new
birth. But, is not this latter thing all that matters? In a sense, perhaps, it is; but this all-
important thing is connected with the ceremonial element (baptism) and made a
contingent of it, a consequence FOLLOWING Christian baptism. That is why both are
required, both are essential and that they are not separate births but one new birth. The
apostles honored this requirement of both elements before there can be a new birth. On
Pentecost, Peter said:

Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the
remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
Thus, in that passage, the baptism of penitent believers is made to be a prior condition of
receiving the remission of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; and in this also
appears why the Holy Spirit is called the "Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13).
It will be noted from the discussion above that most of what is said relates to induction
into Christ's kingdom, the receiving of forgiveness of past sins, the receiving of a clear
conscience, and the receiving of the Holy Spirit - all of these things upon the occasion of
baptism and contingent upon obedience to that ceremony - and all of which achievements
are accomplished by God and not by the ceremony. What does the ceremony do? It
demonstrates and proves that the faith of the believer is of a sufficient degree to save him;
it is the sinner's acceptance of Jesus' promise of Mark 16:16; it is therefore his "accepting
Christ" by accepting his promise. Those who speak of accepting Christ as if it were some
kind of a subjective response are absolutely wrong. Baptism is a renunciation of self in
permitting the whole person to be buried under water as a pledge that self shall no longer
rule in the life of the convert; it is the successful passing of God's ordained test of faith to
determine if faith is sufficient to save; and, as such, it corresponds exactly with
Abraham's offering of Isaac upon the altar, whereupon God said, "For now I know that
thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son" (Genesis 22:12). In that God
said, "Now I know," it is equivalent to saying that until that time he did not know (such
language is accommodative and anthropomorphic, of course). God did not justify
Abraham until he offered Isaac (James 2:21); and, if God did not justify Abraham until he
had passed such a test as offering Isaac, how could it ever be imagined that God will
justify just any stinking sinner who believes, and purely upon the sinner's assertion of it?
Never! Baptism, the water ceremony itself, is the terminator that separates between the
saved and the lost; and as long as the faith of any person is insufficient to prompt his
obedience to God's universal commandment of baptism, there is no way that such a faith
could save. That is why Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved"
(Mark 16:16), and, in regard to the quibble which says, "Well, Jesus did not say, `He that
is not baptized shall be condemned,'" the answer that thunders from the New Testament is
that the meaning is exactly the same as if he had said that!
Now, whereas the operation of the ceremony of baptism itself is retrospective regarding
past sins, the second element of the new birth, the reception of the Holy Spirit, is
prospective and looks to the perfection of the believer in Christ. It is this progressive
work of the Holy Spirit that leads to a greater and greater degree of sanctification in the
heart of the saved. For more on sanctification see my Commentary on Romans, Romans
6:22.
When a person is truly baptized (and only believing, penitent, confessing persons can be
TRULY baptized), as Christ commanded, God sends the Holy Spirit into his heart (the
second element of the new birth); and, when viewed in connection with this divine
fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit, baptism is the new birth; but it is not a birth
of water only, but a birth of "water and of the Spirit" as Jesus said. On the other hand,
when baptism is thought of as the water ceremony only, it is only part of the new birth,
nevertheless a vital and necessary part of it. It is proper to use baptism as a synecdoche
for the new birth in its entirety; and thus Jesus himself used it in Mark 16:16.

[5] John Boys, An Exposition of the Dominical Epistles and Gospels (London, 1938);
quoted from Handbook on Baptism (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1950), p.
322.
[6] Handbook on Baptism, Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1950), p. 320.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid., p. 334.
[9] W. E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Old Tappan, New
Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1962), p. 97.
[10] Ibid.
[11] G. R. Beasley-Murray, Baptism in the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1973), p. 278.
Copyright Statement
James Burton Coffman Commentaries reproduced by permission of Abilene Christian
University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. All other rights reserved.
Bibliography
Coffman, James Burton. "Commentary on John 3:5". "Coffman Commentaries on the Old
and New Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/john-3.html.
Abilene Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
Jesus answered, verily, verily, I say unto thee,.... Explaining somewhat more clearly, what he
before said:
except a man be born of water and of the Spirit: these are, ‫תולמ‬ ‫,תונש‬ "two words", which express
the same thing, as Kimchi observes in many places in his commentaries, and signify the grace of
the Spirit of God. The Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions read, "the Holy Spirit", and so
Nonnus; and who doubtless is intended: by "water", is not meant material water, or baptismal
water; for water baptism is never expressed by water only, without some additional word, which
shows, that the ordinance of water baptism is intended: nor has baptism any regenerating
influence in it; a person may be baptized, as Simon Magus was, and yet not born again; and it is
so far from having any such virtue, that a person ought to be born again, before he is admitted to
that ordinance: and though submission to it is necessary, in order to a person's entrance into a
Gospel church state; yet it is not necessary to the kingdom of heaven, or to eternal life and
salvation: such a mistaken sense of this text, seems to have given the first birth and rise to infant
baptism in the African churches; who taking the words in this bad sense, concluded their children
must be baptized, or they could not be saved; whereas by "water" is meant, in a figurative and
metaphorical sense, the grace of God, as it is elsewhere; see Ezekiel 36:25. Which is the moving
cause of this new birth, and according to which God begets men again to, a lively hope, and that
by which it is effected; for it is by the grace of God, and not by the power of man's free will, that
any are regenerated, or made new creatures: and if Nicodemus was an officer in the temple, that
took care to provide water at the feasts, as Dr. Lightfoot thinks, and as it should seem
Nicodemon ben Gorion was, by the story before related of him; See Gill on John 3:1; very

pertinently does our Lord make mention of water, it being his own element: regeneration is
sometimes ascribed to God the Father, as in 1 Peter 1:3, and sometimes to the Son, 1 John 2:29
and here to the Spirit, as in Titus 3:5, who convinces of sin, sanctifies, renews, works faith, and
every other grace; begins and carries on the work of grace, unto perfection;
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God; and unless a man has this work of his wrought on his
soul, as he will never understand divine and spiritual things, so he can have no right to Gospel
ordinances, or things appertaining to the kingdom of God; nor can he be thought to have passed
from death to life, and to have entered into an open state of grace, and the kingdom of it; or that
living and dying so, he shall ever enter into the kingdom of heaven; for unless a man is
regenerated, he is not born heir apparent to it; and without internal holiness, shall not enter into
it, enjoy it, or see God.
Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernised and adapted for the computer by
Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved, Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr,
Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography
Gill, John. "Commentary on John 3:5". "The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/john-3.html. 1999.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
of water and of the Spirit — A twofold explanation of the “new birth,” so startling to
Nicodemus. To a Jewish ecclesiastic, so familiar with the symbolical application of water, in
every variety of way and form of expression, this language was fitted to show that the thing
intended was no other than a thorough spiritual purification by the operation of the Holy Ghost.
Indeed, element of water and operation of the Spirit are brought together in a glorious
evangelical prediction of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36:25-27), which Nicodemus might have been
reminded of had such spiritualities not been almost lost in the reigning formalism. Already had
the symbol of water been embodied in an initiatory ordinance, in the baptism of the Jewish
expectants of Messiah by the Baptist, not to speak of the baptism of Gentile proselytes before
that; and in the Christian Church it was soon to become the great visible door of entrance into
“the kingdom of God,” the reality being the sole work of the Holy Ghost (Titus 3:5).
Copyright Statement
These files are a derivative of an electronic edition prepared from text scanned by Woodside
Bible Fellowship.
This expanded edition of the Jameison-Faussett-Brown Commentary is in the public domain and
may be freely used and distributed.
Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on John 3:5".
"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfb/john-3.html. 1871-8.

John Lightfoot's Commentary on the Gospels
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.
[Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit.] He tells him, that the Jew himself cannot be
admitted into the kingdom of the Messiah unless he first strip himself of his Judaism by baptism,
and then put off his carnal and put on a spiritual state. That by water here is meant baptism, I
make no doubt: nor do I much less question but our Saviour goes on from thence to the second
article of the evangelical doctrine. And as he had taught that towards the participation of the
benefits to be had by the Messiah, it is of little or of no value for a man to be born of the seed of
Abraham, or to be originally an Israelite, unless he was also born from above.
Copyright Statement
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Lightfoot, John. "Commentary on John 3:5". "John Lightfoot Commentary on the Gospels".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jlc/john-3.html. 1675.
People's New Testament
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Jesus
does not reply directly to the question of Nicodemus, but proceeds to give a more explicit
statement concerning the new birth. One must be born of water and of the Spirit. Whatever this
may mean, it will be admitted by all (1) that no one is a member of the kingdom of God until he
is born again; (2) that the Savior declares the impossibility of one entering who is not born of
water and of the Spirit. All agree that the birth of the Spirit refers to the inward, or spiritual
change that takes place, and all candid authorities agree that {born of water} refers to baptism.
So Alford, Wesley, Abbott, Whitby, Olshausen, Tholuck, Prof. Wm. Milligan, the Episcopal
Prayer Book, the Westminister Confession, the M. E. Discipline, and M. E. Doctrinal Tracts, and
also the writers of the early Church all declare. Alford says: "All attempts to get rid of this have
sprung from doctrinal prejudices." Abbott says: "We are to understand Christ as he expected his
auditor to understand him. John the Baptist baptized both Jew and Gentile as a sign of
purification by repentance from past sins. Nicodemus would then have certainly understood by
the expression, 'born of water,' a reference to this rite of baptism."
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that is available on the
Christian Classics Ethereal Library Website.
Original work done by Ernie Stefanik. First published online in 1996 at The Restoration
Movement Pages.

Bibliography
Johnson, Barton W. "Commentary on John 3:5". "People's New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pnt/john-3.html. 1891.
Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
Of water and the Spirit (εχ υδατος και πνευματος — ex hudatos kai pneumatos). Nicodemus had
failed utterly to grasp the idea of the spiritual birth as essential to entrance into the Kingdom of
God. He knew only Jews as members of that kingdom, the political kingdom of Pharisaic hope
which was to make all the world Jewish (Pharisaic) under the King Messiah. Why does Jesus add
εχ υδατος — ex hudatos here? In John 3:3 we have “ανωτεν — anōthen ” (from above) which is
repeated in John 3:7, while in John 3:8 we have only εκ του πνευματος — ek tou pneumatos (of
the Spirit) in the best manuscripts. Many theories exist. One view makes baptism, referred to by
εχ υδατος — ex hudatos (coming up out of water), essential to the birth of the Spirit, as the means
of obtaining the new birth of the Spirit. If so, why is water mentioned only once in the three
demands of Jesus (John 3:3, John 3:5, John 3:7)? Calvin makes water and Spirit refer to the one
act (the cleansing work of the Spirit). Some insist on the language in John 3:6 as meaning the
birth of the flesh coming in a sac of water in contrast to the birth of the Spirit. One wonders after
all what was the precise purpose of Jesus with Nicodemus, the Pharisaic ceremonialist, who had
failed to grasp the idea of spiritual birth which is a commonplace to us. By using water (the
symbol before the thing signified) first and adding Spirit, he may have hoped to turn the mind of
Nicodemus away from mere physical birth and, by pointing to the baptism of John on confession
of sin which the Pharisees had rejected, to turn his attention to the birth from above by the Spirit.
That is to say the mention of “water” here may have been for the purpose of helping Nicodemus
without laying down a fundamental principle of salvation as being by means of baptism. Bernard
holds that the words υδατος και — hudatos kai (water and) do not belong to the words of Jesus,
but “are a gloss, added to bring the saying of Jesus into harmony with the belief and practice of a
later generation.” Here Jesus uses εισελτειν — eiselthein (enter) instead of ιδειν — idein (see) of
John 3:3, but with the same essential idea (participation in the kingdom).
Copyright Statement
The Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament. Copyright Broadman Press 1932,33,
Renewal 1960. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Broadman Press (Southern Baptist
Sunday School Board)
Bibliography
Robertson, A.T. "Commentary on John 3:5". "Robertson's Word Pictures of the New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rwp/john-3.html. Broadman Press
1932,33. Renewal 1960.
Vincent's Word Studies
Born of water and the Spirit
The exposition of this much controverted passage does not fall within the scope of this work. We
may observe,

1. That Jesus here lays down the preliminary conditions of entrance into His kingdom, expanding
and explaining His statement in John 3:3.
2. That this condition is here stated as complex, including two distinct factors, water and the
Spirit.
3. That the former of these two factors is not to be merged in the latter; that the spiritual element
is not to exclude or obliterate the external and ritual element. We are not to understand with
Calvin, the Holy Spirit as the purifying water in the spiritual sense: “water which is the Spirit.”
4. That water points definitely to the rite of baptism, and that with a twofold reference - to the
past and to the future. Water naturally suggested to Nicodemus the baptism of John, which was
then awakening such profound and general interest; and, with this, the symbolical purifications
of the Jews, and the Old Testament use of washing as the figure of purifying from sin (Psalm 2:2,
Psalm 2:7; Ezekiel 36:25; Zechariah 13:1). Jesus' words opened to Nicodemus a new and more
spiritual significance in both the ceremonial purifications and the baptism of John which the
Pharisees had rejected (Luke 7:30). John's rite had a real and legitimate relation to the kingdom
of God which Nicodemus must accept.
5. That while Jesus asserted the obligation of the outward rite, He asserted likewise, as its
necessary complement, the presence and creating and informing energy of the Spirit with which
John had promised that the coming one should baptize. That as John's baptism had been unto
repentance, for the remission of sins, so the new life must include the real no less than the
symbolic cleansing of the old, sinful life, and the infusion by the Spirit of a new and divine
principle of life. Thus Jesus' words included a prophetic reference to the complete ideal of
Christian baptism - “the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5;
Ephesians 5:26); according to which the two factors are inseparably blended (not the one
swallowed up by the other), and the new life is inaugurated both symbolically in the baptism with
water, and actually in the renewing by the Holy Spirit, yet so as that the rite, through its
association with the Spirit's energy, is more than a mere symbol: is a veritable vehicle of grace to
the recipient, and acquires a substantial part in the inauguration of the new life. Baptism,
considered merely as a rite, and apart from the operation of the Spirit, does not and cannot impart
the new life. Without the Spirit it is a lie. It is a truthful sign only as the sign of an inward and
spiritual grace.
6. That the ideal of the new life presented in our Lord's words, includes the relation of the
regenerated man to an organization. The object of the new birth is declared to be that a man may
see and enter into the kingdom of God. But the kingdom of God is an economy. It includes and
implies the organized Christian community. This is one of the facts which, with its
accompanying obligation, is revealed to the new vision of the new man. He sees not only God,
but the kingdom of God; God as King of an organized citizenship; God as the Father of the
family of mankind; obligation to God implying obligation to the neighbor; obligation to Christ
implying obligation to the church, of which He is the head, “which is His body, the fullness of
Him that filleth all things with all things” (Ephesians 1:23). Through water alone, the mere
external rite of baptism, a man may pass into the outward fellowship of the visible church
without seeing or entering the kingdom of God. Through water and the Spirit, he passes indeed
into the outward fellowship, but through that into the vision and fellowship of the kingdom of
God.
Enter into

This more than see (John 3:3). It is to become partaker of; to go in and possess, as the Israelites
did Canaan.
Copyright Statement
The text of this work is public domain.
Bibliography
Vincent, Marvin R. DD. "Commentary on John 3:5". "Vincent's Word Studies in the New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/vnt/john-3.html. Charles Schribner's
Sons. New York, USA. 1887.
Wesley's ExplanatoryNotes
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.
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit — Except he experience that great inward
change by the Spirit, and be baptized (wherever baptism can be had) as the outward sign and
means of it.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that is available on the
Christian Classics Ethereal Library Website.
Bibliography
Wesley, John. "Commentary on John 3:5". "John Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the Whole
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/wen/john-3.html. 1765.
The Fourfold Gospel
Jesus answered, Verily, verily1, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water2 and the Spirit3, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God!
1. Verily, verily. See .
2. Except one be born of water. By far the vast majority of scholars consider the word
"water" in this verse as a reference to Christian baptism. The Cambridge Bible says
3. "the outward sign and inward grace of Christian baptism are here clearly given,
and an unbiased mind can scarcely avoid seeing this plain fact. This becomes clearer
when we compare John 1:26,33, where the Baptist declares, "I baptize in water," the
Messiah "baptizeth in the Holy Spirit." The fathers, both Greek and Latin, thus interpret
the passage with singular unanimity."
4. Men would have no difficulty in understanding this passage were it not that its
terms apparently exclude "the pious unimmersed" from Christ's kingdom. But difficulties,
however distressing, will justify no man in wrestling the Scriptures of God (2 Peter 3:16;
Romans 3:4).

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