Being born of water and the Spirit

The doctrine of Jesus only made evident what was recording in the prophets: to be born of water and the Spirit is the same as God sprinkling pure water on man. Only God can grant a new heart and a new spirit, that is, a new life to man!

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Being born of water and the Spirit

 

 “Jesus replied, truly, truly, I say to you, he who is not born of water and the Spirit cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3: 5)

Water and Spirit

Jesus’ answer satisfies the following question: “How can a man be born, being old?” The answer is precise: the new birth is through water and the Spirit!

To understand Jesus’ response, it is necessary to know that the doctrine preached by Him in no way differs from the message preached in the law and by the prophets.

We know that the law can never perfect anyone because it contains only the shadow of future goods (Heb 10: 1). However, she always pointed out the need for circumcision of the heart.

What the law proposed was impossible for man to achieve through it, since the law itself was sick with the flesh (Romans 8: 3). The law only served as a ‘tutor’ to lead man to Christ (Gal 3:24), that is, in pointing out the need for circumcision of the heart, the law leads man to Christ, because only in him is it possible to achieve circumcision through strip the body of the flesh: the circumcision of Christ (Col 2:11).

We can extract a great lesson from the law: it was writing on stone tablets and given to the people, but it cannot perfect anyone, since, even after the delivery of the law, Moses continued to preach the need for circumcision of the heart (Deut 10: 16; Deut 30: 6; 2Co 3: 3 and 7).

If the law were essential to man’s salvation, there would be no need for Moses to preach the circumcision of the heart. It follows that the law delivered on tablets of stone did not bring about the necessary transformation in the hearts of the people, since they still needed the circumcision of the heart.

Divine action was never through the law, since the message of God was always: “Hear, O Israel…”, because faith is the only way to draw close to God (Rom 10:17). If they heard the voice of God, there would be a radical change in them: they would no longer have a heart of stone and would have a heart of flesh (Deut 11:18; Jer 4: 4).

Divine intervention in the life of the people would only occur when they heard and recorded the law in their hearts. Circumcision is a divine action through his word (Deut 30: 6-8).

 

Promise of purification

The prophet Ezekiel on this subject said the following: “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will purify you from all your filth and all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and will cause you to walk in my statutes, and to keep my judgments, and to observe them” (Eze 36:25 -27).

Master Nicodemus already knew this biblical passage.

He had long read about the promise of a new life (a new heart and a new spirit), but he was unable to abstract the essence of what God proposed.

To reach the new life it is necessary that God Himself sprinkles pure water on man (“I” will sprinkle pure water on you).

The doctrine of Jesus only made evident what was recording in the prophets: to be born of water and the Spirit is the same as God sprinkling pure water on man.

Only God can grant a new heart and a new spirit, that is, a new life to man!

Being born of water is the same as being born of the word: Jesus is the Word of God, that is, the Word incarnate (John 1:14).

On this point, Paul wrote “To sanctify her, purifying her by washing the water, by the word …” (Eph 5:26), “If anyone is thirsty, come to me and drink” (John 7:37).

Jesus is the water that produces life in those who are purifying by Him, that is, in those who believe.

Being born of the Spirit is the same as being born of God, since, God is Spirit and those who are born of Him receive a new spirit and a new heart.

Therefore, “… that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3: 6), and those who believe are empowered to become children of God! Now, if a man believes, he has already received the fullness of God (John 1:16; Col. 2: 7-8).

It becomes a participant in the divine nature (2Pe 1: 4).

Whoever believes in the incarnate Word as the Scriptures say, from within it will have rivers of living water flowing, that is, this was saying: “… from the Spirit who should receive those who believe in him” (John 7:37 -39) born of the Spirit.

Is there a specific order to be born again? Yes! First man is born from water, then from Spirit! Like?

First, man needs the Word of God so that he can believe, that is, to believe, first we must hear (to be sprinkled by God with clean water), about the faith (gospel) that is the power of God that makes men who rest in the proposed hope children of God “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the Power of God for the Salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16).

Man only has access to the power of God after he hears the word of truth, as Paul wrote to Titus: “… He saved us by washing away regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3: 5).

When writing to Titus, Paul demonstrates that God washes and renews man through the word and his Spirit, that is, he reaffirms what Ezekiel said: (“I” “will sprinkle pure water on you …”).

Through the Word of God, which is pure water sprinkled on the sinner, the washing of regeneration occurs.

Those who are born of God are renewing by the Eternal Spirit, receiving a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone and a new spirit (Ps 51:10