You Must Be Born Again

John 3:5-15 says that no one can enter into the kingdom of heaven unless he is born again. Israel’s teacher, Nicodemus could not understand this great mystery. Jesus said in verse five, “…no one can enter into the kingdom of heaven unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” This verse has drawn a host of interpretations, but it seems clear enough that it was interpreted in the very next verse. “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit (3:6).” In other words, we are born of water in the mother’s womb and then born of the Spirit when we accept Christ into our heart. Carson explains that the previous interpretation is only one of many interpretations and explains:
Many find in ‘water’ a reference to Christian Baptism (e.g. Brown,2. 139-141) for Bultmann (pp.138 n. 3) and others who have followed him, this is so embarrassing that he suggests the words ‘water and’ were not part of the original text, but added by a later ecclesiastical editor much more interested in Christian ritual than the evangelist himself…Those who adopt this position, of course, are forced to admit that John’s words could have had no relevance to the historical Nicodemus.”20

In other words, some use this as an argument that one must be baptized to be saved.

There are other places in the Bible where it appears as though water is the symbol for the Spirit. Jesus said to the woman at the well, “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice:

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified (John 7:37-39).

This is a plain explanation from John that the living water from within is the Spirit.

The washing of the disciple’s feet in John 13:8 is not necessarily a symbol of the Holy Spirit, but possibly a symbol of the servitude that will be instilled in each believer when he is indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Now that you know these things you will be blessed if you do them” (13:17). Carson says that it is a symbol of what Christ has done for us on the cross. He says, “The act of footwashing is a symbol of this complete washing, and not some additional cleaning.”21 As with much of the Bible this is quite possibly one of the meanings, but the Scripture is rich and has many meanings. Jesus is also speaking of being a servant. He is admonishing the disciples to keep serving one another in love and thus continue to show the world the true meaning of love (13:12-16).