Being Born of Water and the Spirit

Regeneration is being “born of water and the Spirit” (John 3.5).

This needs a little explanation.

When John the Baptist came to preach and to baptize he proclaimed: “I baptized you in water; but he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1.8).

Just as in Mark 1 John the Baptist joined the water and the Holy Spirit together, so in John 3 our Lord Jesus also joined the water and the Holy Spirit. Now since the water which John referred to was the water of baptism, then the water which the Lord Jesus spoke of must also be the water of baptism. The word the Lord answered Nicodemus with must be something which the latter could quickly grasp.

At that time many people knew of John baptizing with water. It was but natural for Nicodemus to take the water which the Lord Jesus mentioned as being the baptism of John. Had the Lord had another thought in mind concerning water, it would not have been easily comprehended by Nicodemus. We may therefore conclude that “water” here points to the water of baptism.

The baptism of John was “the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him that should come after him, that is, on Jesus” (Acts 19.4). The baptism of repentance in which John baptized with water could not regenerate people.

Except one be born “of water and the Spirit” he is not born again. The baptism of repentance announces that not only man’s behavior—being deadly wicked—needs to be repented of, but also man himself—being corrupted and dead—must be buried in baptism.

When one enters the water to be baptized he is confessing before God how wicked is his behavior and how corrupted and dead in transgressions he is, that he deserves nothing but death and burial.

When Paul wrote to the saints in Rome he inquired, “Are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?”

Paul then continued with these words: “We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection” (Rom. 6.3-5).

Both the Lord Jesus and Paul speak of the reality of baptism. But only one mentions water.

Some people look at this matter of baptism from the physical point of view. Their eyes see only the water.

Hence they insist on baptismal regeneration. They have not touched the spiritual reality. Other people try to approach this question mentally. They maintain that water cannot regenerate people. Accordingly, they explain that with some people baptism is real and inward while with others it is false and outward. The first group can enter into the kingdom of God but those in the second category are excluded they say. They too have not touched spiritual reality in this matter.

The baptism of which the Lord told Nicodemus is a reality. Paul also sees reality in baptism: burial with the Lord for newness of life. He told the saints in Colossae, “Having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him” (Col. 2.12). To him baptism and burial are one and the same thing; so too are baptism and resurrection. No mention of water.

He knows what is meant by being buried with the Lord and also what is meant by being raised with the Lord.

He does not see the water of baptism only, nor does he view some as being truly baptized while some others are not. He communicates to others the reality of that baptism which he has touched.

If you have seen baptism as a reality you naturally know what it is. The question of its being true or false, inward or outward, simply does not exist, because you see that to be baptized is to be buried and raised up together with Christ. Having seen this reality, can you refrain from proclaiming that baptism is indeed so big, so real, and so inclusive to be just water?

As soon as a person is shown the reality, then that which is false can no longer exist-all legalisms are let go of. For example, suppose someone should say: “Now that I have been baptized, I hope I may be buried and then raised together with the Lord.” The one who could utter such a statement has not touched reality, since to him baptism is one thing and burial and resurrection are quite another. But that person who perceives spiritual reality knows what burial and resurrection are. Baptism is burial, baptism is also resurrection. They are one and the same thing.

Do you realize that no one can ever perceive spiritual things with his eyes fixed on the material, that no one can ever think through to the spiritual with his brain? All spiritual matters have their realities. He who has touched reality questions no more about water or no water, nor does he hold it over others like a guillotine to puff up self which method is his idol.