#DailyDevotion You Must Be Born Of The Water & The Spirit
John 3:1-17 Now, there was a Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish council. 2He came to Jesus one night. “Rabbi,” he said to Him, “we know You’re a teacher who has come from God. No one can do these miracles You do unless God is with him.” 3“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered him, “if anyone isn’t born from above, he can’t see God’s kingdom.” 4“How can anyone be born when he’s old?” Nicodemus asked Him. “He can’t go back into his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” 5“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered him, “if anyone isn’t born of water and the Spirit, he can’t get into God’s kingdom. 6Anything born of the flesh is flesh, but anything born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Don’t be surprised when I tell you you must all be born from above. The wind blows where it pleases and you hear the sound of it, but you don’t know where it’s coming from or where it’s going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Recently I’ve read or heard a few Lutheran theologians or exegetes say Jesus isn’t speaking about baptism in this text anymore than Jesus is talking about the Lord’s Supper in chapter 6. I haven’t been able to question them on this but I imagine the reason is the same. It’s Jesus’ absolute statements in both. In John 6 it’s you have to eat Jesus’ flesh and blood to enter the kingdom of God and here in three it’s you must be born of the water and the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. Perhaps they are a bit hesitant in saying it because there are some Christians who, due to no lack on their part, were unable to get baptized before death or receive the Lord’s Supper.
Truly, the major force in this passage is being born from above (some translate born again). Twice Jesus says this. This is restatement of what John wrote earlier in chapter 1, “12But to all who welcomed Him, who believe in His name, He gave the right to become God’s children. 13They have been born, not of the blood of parents, nor of a sexual desire, nor of a man’s desire, but of God.” To be born from above is to be born of God. To be born of God is to receive the Holy Spirit, receive faith in Christ Jesus. Until we are born from above we are merely flesh and opposed to everything truly spiritual of God. Paul says as much in Romans 8, “the fleshly mind hates God. It refuses to obey God’s Law because it can’t obey it. 8Those who are in the flesh can’t please God.” Concerning the Spirit Paul says in the same, “14All who are moved by God’s Spirit are God’s children. 15…you received the Spirit who makes us God’s adopted children and moves us to call ‘Abba, Father!’”
Now truly the most certain sign that God has given us that we have been born from above and given the Holy Spirit is baptism. For Paul also writes in Titus 3, “5He saved us, not because of any good works we did but because He was merciful. He saved us by the washing in which the Holy Spirit gives us a new birth and a new life. 6He poured a rich measure of this Spirit on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7to declare us righteous by His grace so that we may be heirs according to the hope of everlasting life.” Paul tells us we are united with Christ in baptism in Romans 6, “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4Now when we were baptized into His death, we were buried with Him so that as the Father’s glory raised Christ from the dead we, too, will live a new life.” What is certain is you must be born from above through the water and the Spirit. You must believe and be baptized. Through the water and the word, you are given the Spirit, born from above and believe in Jesus.
Heavenly Father, grant us to be born from the water and the Spirit so we may be your children, have faith in Christ, be preserved in the faith and enter the kingdom of your Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.