Are You Saved?

Born of Water?

Article #2 on Baptism

Are you born again?

Most Christians in India will respond by giving the date of their baptism. Candidates for baptism are made to read John 3:5, where Jesus Christ said, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.” People are being told that they must be “born of water” through the sacrament of water baptism to enter into the Kingdom of God, and by way of water baptism they also hope to be “born of the Spirit” through receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. However, I must warn you, this interpretation ignores the context of John 3:3-7.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” – John 3:3-7

Nicodemus was confused about what Jesus Christ was saying in John 3:3. He thought that being born again is impossible because an old man like himself would have to go into “his mother’s womb” a second time for a physical rebirth (John 3:4). Nicodemus thought the 2nd birth had to be a redoing of the 1st birth while in adulthood. The Lord corrected this misunderstanding, by saying, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:5), which means, “That which is born of flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.” (John 3:6). The Jews commonly referred to physical birth as being “born of water” because babies are formed and carried in the water of their mother’s womb for 9 months, and upon delivery these babies are born in the breaking forth of this water. With this explanation, Nicodemus was no longer thinking that the 2nd birth is the redoing of the 1st birth. Nicodemus was understanding that a fleshly birth is very different than a Spiritual birth. This is the point of John 3:5-6.

“Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit…” – John 3:5

“That which is born of flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.” – John 3:6

This is called biblical parallelism. The 1st birth and the 2nd birth are being contrasted in two consecutive verses that are parallel. In context, to be “born of water” (vs. 5) is to be “born of the flesh” (vs. 6), and to be “born…of the Spirit” (vs. 5) is to be “born of the Spirit” (vs. 6). Through biblical parallelism, the statement, “born of water” (vs. 5), is being expanded and interpreted by the statement, “born of flesh” (vs. 6). Nicodemus could now see the difference between being born of flesh and born of the Spirit. He was astonished. It was then that Jesus Christ said to Nicodemus, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (Jn. 3:7).

Are you born of water?

A correct interpretation of John 3:3-7 shows us how Indians are confusing this with water baptism. The damage has already been done, and the problem is only getting worse. Naturally, if you think that water baptism performs a miracle where people are being “born of water”, obviously, there must be something special about the water. This is how professing Christians in India end up putting their faith in the water rather than the Gospel.

A background in Hinduism makes it very easy for people to be superstitious about the water. Hindus all over India are regularly doing rituals with water. Over 70 million Indians bathe in the Ganges River annually because they believe it has the power to wash away their sins. Similarly, the sacrament of water baptism is treated like a glorified bath among Indian Christians. Is this what the apostle Paul was doing at his baptism? Ananias said to Paul, “Arise, be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the Name of the LORD.” (Acts 22:16). Do you see any similarities?

The similarities here are due to Hinduism absorbing and twisting the customs and rituals of all religions for thousands of years. Judaism, which predates Hinduism, has hundreds of ritual laws of washing and purification that were temporarily imposed upon mankind as a yoke of bondage (Heb. 9:13, Gal. 5:1). However, at the coming of Christ, the Old Testament was reformed into the New Testament, thus removing the yoke of bondage: “Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation” (Heb. 9:10). But a certain sect of the Jews in the 1st century, the Pharisees, were fighting against this reformation. They were extremely superstitious about everything – cleanliness laws, dietary laws, and washing rituals (Matt. 15:1-3, Rom. 14:17, Col. 2:20-23) – and they were the sworn enemies of Jesus Christ.

Naturally, the Pharisees also thought water baptism was some kind of ritual purification (Jn. 3:22-26). They even tried to be baptized by John the Baptist, but the famous Baptizer refused to baptize the Pharisees (Luke 3:7-10). He would not allow them to turn water baptism into another vain washing ritual. He could see that they were not sincerely repenting and believing in the Gospel. He could see that they were not spiritually encountering the Living God. This brings us back to the apostle Paul.

Paul was saved and set free from Pharisaism (Php. 3:5-7). Therefore, we can be sure that when he was getting baptized, it wasn’t anything like a glorified bath in the Ganges River. Paul speaks of his own baptism, calling it, “the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Tit. 3:5-6). Paul is describing his own encounter with God through a Spiritual Baptism, when he experienced the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. All this leads us to a very important lesson in the Bible. All religious activity being done without the Holy Spirit is vain, empty, and powerless (Ezek. 36:27).

In the Bible, unsaved people like Simon the Sorcerer received the sacrament of water baptism and his sins were NOT forgiven (Acts 8:13-21). He went into the water and came out of it as the exact same person! Nothing happened. Other sinners like Cornelius were being forgiven by God and saved, evidenced by receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, without receiving the sacrament of water baptism (Acts 10:44-48, 11:14-18). “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9). Now, let’s hear Paul speak again of his own testimony of salvation through a Spiritual Baptism.

“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;” – Titus 3:3-6

Look carefully at the word “regeneration” in Titus 3:5. Paul was “saved” through being re-generated, or “generated again”, which is another way of saying that he was “born again”. You remember how Jesus said, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (Jn. 3:7). Paul further explains things in Romans 8:8-10.

“So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is Life because of righteousness.” – Rom. 8:8-10

The apostle Peter will never forget the day when he saw Cornelius, the first Gentile convert, getting spiritually baptized right in front of his eyes, even as Peter was preaching the Gospel. This is a precedent in the New Testament. Cornelius was spiritually baptized before he was water baptized. It was then that Peter remembered what Jesus Christ said about baptism: “John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 11:16). This is an important word for India. We can see how mere men can perform a water baptism, but only God can perform the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. Salvation is entirely a work of God performed by grace through the power of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is not a work of man, otherwise we would have reason to boast.

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” – Romans 6:3-7

Spiritual Baptism miraculously joins believers to the crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Sinners who go through this experience of Spiritual Emersion cannot remain the same person. “For he that is dead is freed from sin.” (Rom. 6:7). Being born again is the greatest miracle under Heaven! Wretched and unclean sinners become clean (Acts 10:15, 11:9). Sinners become saints. The Children of the Devil become the Children of God (1 Jn. 3:7-10).

It is time for Indians to start calling upon God for a divine work of salvation in the human soul. Learn to pray like David, when he said to God, “Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” (Ps. 51:2). Only God can do it! David also prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Ps. 51:10). Too many Indians are taking ritual baths to clean their bodies, calling it water baptism, while the heart remains dirty and the conscience is unclean and guilty. The washing of a Spiritual Baptism is India’s only hope, “not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God” (1 Peter 3:21), by faith and repentance in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.