This week Bro. Leo continues us on our study of “The Jesus you never knew” that we started in January 2020 by looking at the Biblical meaning of the phrase “born of water” found in John 3:5.

Before I get into the synopsis of this study I want to tell you a personal experience of mine that testifies to the importance of sound teachings and the questioning of everything we are taught in the religion we grew up in as well as the one we attend presently. While attending a Christian Church camp, when I was 14 years old, I was convicted that I needed Jesus during one of the evening meetings. There were several kids who went forward that night to be baptized, I was not one of them. I was a backwards farm boy who didn’t want any attention brought upon myself and certainly didn’t want to be front and center of a crowd. I remember feeling an overflowing joy after accepting Jesus as my Lord and Saviour that night, at the same time a great deal of confusion. You see, I grew up in a Church that taught that you had to be water baptized in order to be saved, so I couldn’t understand the joy I felt, knowing in my mind that I couldn’t be saved because I didn’t go forward and be baptized. I never spoke of any of this to anyone at my Church. 15 years later my Dad passed away and I decided I needed to be baptized if I wanted to ever see him again. So I did get baptized and I’ll never forget the disappointment I felt when I came out of the water and did not feel a change in or on me and felt the same confusion that I had been experiencing for the last 15 years. It was another 15 years before I learned, through sound Biblical teachings, that I had been saved that evening at Church camp and it is not water baptism that saves us, it is God’s divine work that saves us at the moment we truly believe and rely on Jesus for our salvation. Even though I spent several years confused, I thank God for not giving me the courage to walk up front that night, because if He had I would have never questioned what I was taught about water baptizing as a requirement for salvation.

Last week we studied the conversation between Nicodemus (Jewish Pharisee) and Jesus. We learned that the Pharisees believed they were saved because of their works of the flesh, 1) their public appearance at prayer times, 2) their fasting, 3) their giving alms to the poor (Luke 18:11-12, Phil.3:5-7). There are many Christian religions today that teach salvation by works, but that’s not what Jesus taught.

Being a Jewish Pharisee, Nicodemus should have known the Old Testament Scriptures inside and out, but he did not understand what Jesus was telling him about being born of the water and Jesus called him out on it (John 3,7,5-6).

Notice that Jesus gives Nicodemus two requirements for salvation, 1) be born of water 2) be born of the spirit. “Born of water” does not refer to physical birth, although many Christian religions teach that it is. The Scriptures never refer to the physical birth as water, Biblical examples of physical birth are “born of women”, “womb that bare thee”, “took me out of the womb”, “made of a woman”(Matt.11:11, Luke 11:27, Psa.22:9, Gal.4:4).

When Jesus told Nicodemus he had to be “born of water”, Nicodemus should have recognized Jesus was quoting Eze.36:24-26. The prophesy of Eze.36:24-26 says that God will cleanse our hearts (Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness) and indwell us with His Spirit (and a new spirit will I put within you)(Exe.36:25 is born of water and 26 is born of the Spirit). From this prophesy we know that “be born of water” isn’t water baptism because the prophesy says God will sprinkle the water that cleanses our hearts. Compare this prophesy to the Mosaic ceremonial cleansing (Num.8:5-7). Notice that the ceremonial cleansing is performed by man, but the cleansing of our hearts is performed by God (Eze.36:25c).

In Matt.23:25-28 Jesus again is quoting Eze.36:25. He is telling Nicodemus that his works of the flesh (for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter) doesn’t earn him salvation, he needs his heart cleansed (cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter), born of water.

Titus 3:4-7 is a great commentary of John 3:5. 1)after Jesus came, Titus 3:4 2)born of water and indwelt with the Holy Spirit, Titus 3:5.

Scriptures used in today’s study:

Joh 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
Joh 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Joh 3:3 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.
Joh 3:4 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?
Joh 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.
Joh 3:9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
Joh 3:10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

Luk 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

Php 3:5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
Php 3:6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Joh 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.
Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2Co 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Joh 3:3 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.
Joh 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.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Mat 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Luk 11:27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

Psa 22:9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.

Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Mat 1:2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
Mat 1:11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:

Joh 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.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh;….

Joh 3:10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

Joh 3:3 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.
Joh 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.

Eze 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Eze 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Eze 36:26 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.

Eze 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Eze 36:29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

Num 8:5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 8:6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.
Num 8:7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.

Eze 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

Mat 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Mat 23:26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Mat 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
Mat 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Tit 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Tit 3:5 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;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Tit 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Psa 51:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Psa 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psa 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Psa 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.