Rebirth by water and Spirit - Jn 3:5 -

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/221690023555

 

>> Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (Jn 3:5) <<

 

 

John said that God had got him to baptize the Israelites with water and that he should let people know the man who would baptize people with the Holy Spirit (Jn 1:29-34). When people came to John and asked if he was the Messiah promised by God, John said he was just a man who was to lead the bride (Israelites) to the groom (the Messiah promised by God) rather the Messiah. God let John see the Holy Spirit, like a dove, descending on Jesus who was approaching John to be baptized by him, so John announced to the people that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

 

 

In chapter 3 of the Gospel of John, Nicodemus came to Jesus and confessed, "You, the Rabbi (the Teacher), are from God." Then Jesus told him that man can enter the kingdom of God only if he is born again by water and the Spirit.

 

 

Jesus' mention of 'water' and 'the Holy Spirit' to Nicodemus confirms John the Baptist's testimony about Jesus.

 

 

Seen in the whole context,

 

 

>To be born of water< refers to accepting 'the testimony of John the Baptist who baptized people with water' as truth. According to John the Baptist, Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, a man who gives the baptism of the Spirit, a man of a very high status, and the Messiah God promised. You can achieve the first requisite to enter the kingdom of heaven if you accept such truths. This is a process that a man in the world should go through to be a member of the church whose head is Jesus. This process is absolutely necessary for a natural man to enter the kingdom of heaven. This can be called a nominal (official) rebirth, which is accomplished by the baptism of the church.

 

 

 

>To be born of Spirit< refers to the process in which a man, after receiving the baptism of water, receives the Holy Spirit and becomes a man of Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Now, the man who sends the Holy Spirit, that is, who baptizes with Holy Spirit, is Jesus (Jn 20:22). A man born of Holy Spirit has achieved qualitative changes in spiritual life after the nominal rebirth. You can be called 'born again of Spirit' when you are really Jesus' bride and a son of God and are really living as such.

 

 

Jesus says that you must be born of (from) water and Spirit in order to go to heaven, which means that both nominal and actual rebirth are absolutely necessary. We must keep in mind that salvation is only in the church with the official right granted by God to baptize, and that if you have been baptized in the church and become a Christian, you must lead a life guided by the Holy Spirit.

 

 

Jesus' saying, that you can enter the heaven when you are born again by water and Spirit, means that, in order to enter the heaven, you have to receive the gospel about Jesus delivered by the people of God, believe in Jesus as your Savior, and become a Christian whose life is led by the Holy Spirit.

 

 

>>Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me." (Jn 14:6)<<