Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, 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? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. John 3:3–5
Before we launch into an analysis of what Jesus said here, it would probably serve us well to know a few things about Nicodemus. It is likely that the average reader will underestimate this man and discredit him as a man completely ignorant of God’s ways. The truth is that there were few Jews, if any, who were as widely respected for his knowledge of the Scriptures as was this man. Not only was he a Pharisee, but he was also a “ruler of the Jews” (v 1). This probably means that he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the elite ruling body which was composed mostly of the powerful Sadducees and reserved very few seats for the Pharisees.
There were some important things that Nicodemus had missed. First, he didn’t recognize the need for rebirth. Certainly the Pharisees would have seen it as advantageous if the Gentiles could be born again as children of Abraham, but the fact was that Jews needed to be born again as well. To the Jews, their descent from Abraham was their ticket to salvation (John 8:32–33), but John had taught them that it was nothing to be sons of Abraham if they persisted in sin (Matthew 3:7–10). Because the prophet Ezekiel had written about the rebirth that would come to pass (Ezekial 36:25–27), Nicodemus should have anticipated it, but instead he had rejected it (Luke 7:30).
This new birth involves two elements. First, water. Where Jesus says that one must be “born of water,” some have proposed that this could refer to the amniotic fluid present at one’s natural birth. One problem with this interpretation is that there is no evidence that natural birth was ever referenced this way among first-century Jews. Another problem is that the Greek syntax indicates that being born of water is actually the same as being born of the Spirit. These are not two separate births; they are one and the same, even though there are two elements present. If it is possible to know when one is reborn spiritually, we will know when he is born of water.
The apostle Paul tells us that one begins a new life spiritually when he is immersed into the death of Christ and raised in the likeness of His resurrection (Romans 6:1–7). Notice the two elements: water and the Spirit. What does the Spirit have to do with this new birth? Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63). Paul also tells us that it is when we are baptized that we truly become the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:26–29). Nicodemus is shocked to learn here what so many have difficulty accepting: he himself needed to be born again (v 7)!
Many will marvel at this like Nicodemus because they have always been told that baptism is not essential for salvation. Jesus said that we must be born again to enter the kingdom. Whom will you choose to believe? Whom will you entrust with your eternal destiny?