Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus produced one of the most widely recognized statements in Scripture (John 3). He came to Jesus that night hoping to engage Him in conversation. Jesus bypassed the formalities and got right to the point the Pharisee needed to hear, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." When Nicodemus resisted the idea, Jesus explained further, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
The idea of being "born again" has captured the attention of Bible students since that time. The phrase itself occurs infrequently in Scripture (see 1 Pet. 1:3, 23), but one senses its presence just beneath the surface of the text in many places. John often speaks about being "born of God." Paul says that people become "new creatures" and "children of God." How? They are born again. The idea has been discussed at length and, as we might expect, mistakes have been made in interpreting it. We want to give our attention to only one aspect of the question here. What did Jesus mean when He said that one must be born of water?
One explanation is that Jesus refers to baptism. This view has been around at least since the time of Irenaeus (2nd century) and continues to be common among interpreters today. Jesus would be telling Nicodemus that he needed to abandon his current efforts to be justified by keeping the traditions of the Jews and begin anew. This new life would be brought about by the power of the Spirit and would begin as he arose from the waters of baptism. Another view is that Jesus uses the word water in a figurative way to refer to the Holy Spirit. According to this view Jesus would be saying something like, "Unless one is born of water, that is to say, the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God."
Those who take the latter explanation commonly argue that Ezekiel 36:25 provides the backdrop to Jesus' words. We read, "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes..." Furthermore, they argue, Jesus uses water as a figure for the Spirit elsewhere in John (7:37-39). Finally, they suggest that a reference to baptism would have been incomprehensible to Nicodemus. There is no way he could have understood Jesus' words as a reference to a practice that did not begin until the Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2).
Is there a connection between Jesus' words and Ezekiel 36? The connection is not as clear as some would have us believe. The two passages do have some words in common (water and Spirit), but surely there must be more than common vocabulary (and that limited to a few words) before we can accept one as the interpretive key to the other. The argument would be more convincing if the two passages shared principle ideas as well as vocabulary. For example, if "new birth in the coming covenant" was a critical part of the Ezekiel passage, then we could say with more confidence that it provides the background to Jesus' statement to Nicodemus. The principle ideas in Ezekiel are holiness in the new covenant and the new heart of flesh, but Jesus mentions neither the heart nor holiness in His comments to Nicodemus. In light of these considerations we cannot regard the connection between Jesus' words and Ezekiel 36 as certain. Second, though Jesus does associate water with the Spirit in John 7, water is frequently used in a literal way in this Gospel as well (a quick look at a concordance will bear this out). Third, remember, though the Great Commission was not yet given, Jesus' disciples were already baptizing with His approval (John 4:1). Jesus would be teaching Nicodemus to submit to the baptism that applied to him at the time, something Pharisees resisted (cf. Luke 7:30).
Is there anything in the context supporting the explanation that "born of water" is reference to baptism? Yes. Baptism is more prominent in the early chapters of John's Gospel than one might expect. That John was baptizing is specifically mentioned (1:28). John refers to baptism as a critical part of his work (1:31) and says that God sent him to administer it (1:33). Following the conversation with Nicodemus we find more discussion of baptism. Jesus and His disciples were baptizing in the land of Judea (3:22), John was baptizing in Aenon (3:23), and there is discussion among John's disciples about the work of Jesus, work that included baptism (3:25-30). Finally, Jesus retreats to Galilee because the Pharisees knew He was "making and baptizing more disciples than John" (4:1). Again, we submit that when Jesus told Nicodemus to be born of water, He referred to baptism. Clearly Jesus was teaching people to be baptized (though Jesus Himself was not baptizing, His disciples were), a baptism that would have signaled repentance, remission of sins, and a new life. Nicodemus was not an exception, though he occupied an elevated position among the Jews. In light of all the material involving baptism that surrounds the Nicodemus episode, it seems clear that "born of water" is also a reference to baptism.
Baptism continues to play a critical role in the salvation of those under the Great Commission (as we are and the first readers of John's Gospel would have been). Paul teaches that we are sanctified by "the washing of water with the word" (Eph. 5:26) and that God saved us "by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). The remainder of the New Testament teaches that sinners become Christians (another way of saying they are born again) when they believe in Jesus as Lord and Christ, repent of their sins, and are baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:36-38). There is no way around it. Each of us must be born again to see the kingdom of God, and that includes being baptized.
- Biblical Insights, May, 2012