Lessons from John 3: Born of Water and the Spirit

This teaching about being born again must have hit Nicodemus like a ton of bricks. He responded to Jesus’ statement in verse 4 by asking, “How can someone be born when he is old? Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

It was as if Nicodemus was questioning God and His statement.

What do you mean, I won’t see the kingdom of God unless I’m born again? That’s all I lived for. I’ve lived a strict religious life. I am well educated and schooled in the Scriptures, and have obeyed the laws given to Moses from God. I have taught others to follow the law. Excuse me! It’s taken me a lifetime to get like this. Now you expect me to change my ways and my thoughts? Seriously, how can this happen at my old age?

Jesus’ point was not to give birth to the flesh a second time. Instead, there must be a second birth through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. He comes to live and reside inside of each believer as they confess Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

So although all human beings have experienced natural birth on earth, if they expect to go to heaven, they must experience a supernatural birth from above.

Too often people are under the false assumption that because they were born into a certain religion, a Christian family, or may even be a part of the church membership, they are saved and going to heaven.

Though these can all be privileges of the body of Christ, in and of themselves they do not have the power to save anyone.

And so Jesus went on to explain to Nicodemus that if a person truly desires to be a child of God they must be born of water, and the Spirit.

I will briefly skim through three interpretations and then give you that which seems to best fit this portion of scripture.

Water often refers to physical birth. This seems very unlikely here. Jesus is clearly teaching that natural birth only left us in our helpless state (sin). It’s the reason we need to be born from above.

Secondly, “water” often refers to water baptism. But water baptism in and of itself is powerless to save us from our sins. It’s merely an outward profession of an inward reality that has already taken place in the heart and mind of a person saved by faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, physical baptism cannot be equated with the supernatural quickening of the Holy Spirit at the time of conversion.

The better explanation, and most likely use of the word water here, is found in such scriptures as Ephesians 5:26 which speaks of Christ making the church “holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.” Or Psalm 119:9 that says, “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.”

Also, I Peter 1:23 tells us, “For you have been born again not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

And so Jesus, in verse 6, goes on to tell Nicodemus that flesh gives birth to flesh.

The word flesh here is not simply our physical body. It is the human nature of the flesh which is always bent on sin and self apart from God. Therefore, a man born of the flesh can only produce things of the flesh.

A man or woman born of the Spirit is no longer produces the sinful things of the flesh. He or she strives to produce the things of the Spirit. Things such as holy and righteous living, living not for self but rather to the praise and glory of the Father who created them.

Thus, a person is “born of water and the Spirit” when God gives new birth through the power of His written or spoken Word and the mysterious work of His Holy Spirit.

Terri Hamman

Faith & Fitness Coach