John 3:5
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Continuing his nighttime conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus answers the question of how a person can be born again by explaining that the new birth comes through water and the Spirit.
What Does John 3:5 Mean?
John 3:5 records Jesus restating the necessity of new birth, now describing it as being born "of water and of the Spirit." Nicodemus had wondered how a grown man could be born again (3:4), and Jesus clarifies that he is not speaking of a second physical birth but of a birth that brings a person into the kingdom of God.
The phrase "born of water and of the Spirit" has been treasured and pondered across the centuries. The mention of water naturally calls to mind cleansing and the waters of baptism, while "the Spirit" points to the renewing, life-giving work of God's own Spirit. Together they describe an entrance into God's kingdom that is washed clean and made new from above. Jesus again opens with the solemn "Verily, verily," signaling the weight of what he says. The contrast is between what flesh can produce and what only the Spirit can produce: ordinary birth gives natural life, but entrance into God's kingdom requires the work of the Spirit. The emphasis falls on God's initiative. Just as no one chooses the circumstances of their own birth, this new birth is something received, not achieved -- a gift of cleansing and renewal that opens the door into the life of God's kingdom.
In the Original Language
The Greek "ex hydatos kai pneumatos" means "of water and of Spirit." The word "pneuma" means both spirit, breath, and wind, all of which Jesus plays upon in the surrounding verses.
Cross References
“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;”
- Titus 3:5
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”
- Ezekiel 36:26
“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.”
- John 3:3
Application
The new life God offers comes through cleansing and the renewing work of his Spirit. Receive it humbly, knowing it is God's gift to give rather than your achievement.
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