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What is water referring to?

Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by Jedi Knight, Jan 7, 2011.

?
  1. Water baptism

    10.7%
  2. The Word of God

    25.0%
  3. Physical Birth

    42.9%
  4. Other

    25.0%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. Jedi Knight

    Jedi Knight Well-Known Member
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    Jesus told Nick at night "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit". John 3:5 What does water refer to here in this passage to you? :type:
     
    #1 Jedi Knight, Jan 7, 2011
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  2. Winman

    Winman Active Member

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    Double post, see post #3.
     
    #2 Winman, Jan 7, 2011
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  3. Winman

    Winman Active Member

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    I believe this is speaking of God's word. We have the verse that speaks of "the washing of water by the word" (Eph 5:26).

    Notice when Jesus compared the Holy Spirit to the wind and said we could hear it.

    John 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, AND THOU HEAREST THE SOUND THEREOF, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit.

    How can we hear the Spirit? By hearing the word of God.
     
    #3 Winman, Jan 7, 2011
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  4. Old Union Brother

    Old Union Brother New Member

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    As we think about the water in John 3:5 consider the following:

    Zechariah spoke of a fountain being opened and living waters that shall go out of Jerusalem
    (Zec 13:1) In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

    (Zec 14:8) And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.

    Isaiah spoke of water out of the wells of salvation
    (Isa 12:3) Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation

    and in Revelations
    (Rev 22:1) And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

    Sounds like living water that brings salvation to me!
     
  5. Robert Snow

    Robert Snow New Member

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    I think this refers to physical birth, but I'm not dogmatic about it.
     
  6. convicted1

    convicted1 Guest

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    Here are some more good'uns to add to your good'uns, Bro. OUB!!

    John 4:4 And he must needs go through Samaria.

    5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

    6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

    7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

    8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

    9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

    10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

    11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

    12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

    13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

    14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

    John 19:33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:

    34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

    Song of Sol. 4:10 How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!

    11 Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

    12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

    13 Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,

    14 Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:

    15 A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.

    16 Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.

    Jeremiah 17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.

    Jesus is the "Living water" that we drink when we are thirsty!! Praise His sweet name!!

    i am I am's!!

    Willis
     
  7. Martin Marprelate

    Martin Marprelate Well-Known Member
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  8. Zenas

    Zenas Active Member

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    It was universally held that John 3:5 refers to water baptism from the 1st Century until Huldrych Zwingli in the16th Century. The church fathers who expressly held to this view include Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Cyprian of Carthage, Cyril of Jerusalem, Athanasius, Basil the Great, Ambrose of Milan, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysotom, Gregory of Nazianz, and Augustine. I have not discovered anyone who held another view during that period of time. There are those who pay little attention to historical development of Christian doctrines but they are missing out on the wisdom of the ages by their failure to do so. I pay attention to these things and show them great deference unless they are manifestly contrary to scripture.
     
  9. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

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    That's what I think, too.
     
  10. jbh28

    jbh28 Active Member

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    Those that say that is means water baptism, are you saying that one must be water baptized to be saved?



    An incorrect interpretation is still an incorrect interpretation no matter how many people have that interpretation. Baptism isn't even in the context of the passage. Nothing is mentioned of baptism. What is mentioned is "water" and "spirit." Most would interpret "born of spirit" as regeneration. I have debated Catholics before and they never can come up with any contextual support for water baptism. All they can do is say "well this guy here believed it" or "it was believed this way for years." Two major logical fallacies are here. Appeal to tradition and appeal to popularity.


    Now, I originally had said that it meant physical birth. This is because Jesus doesn't mention "born of water" until after Nicodemus says something about physical birth. Jesus originally mentions that one must be born again(or born from above). In studying on how the term "water" is used, I have moved more to the non physical water or "living water" that is mentioned in John 4.

    I have no problem with one that has either physical birth interpretation or the living water interpretation, I do have a problem when people add to salvation by putting in works(water baptism) as requirements to be saved.
     
  11. walkbyfaith

    walkbyfaith New Member

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    I have not done any indepth study of this particular passage. I did answer water baptism, based solely on Mark 16:16, a verse that I had read again just minutes before voting on this poll.

    Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

    Its not inconceivable that I am wrong, however. Wouldnt be the first time, nor the last.
     
  12. Jedi Knight

    Jedi Knight Well-Known Member
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    I think it's God word too. I think of 1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
     
  13. Zenas

    Zenas Active Member

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    If you take John 3:5 as referring to water baptism, then you have to conclude that baptism is an essential element in the salvation process.
    I wouldn’t say those are logical fallacies, and popularity certainly isn’t an issue here. In fact, this is a very unpopular idea among most people I know. As for tradition, I believe scripture commends us to observe tradition. Moreover, it’s just good common sense. Although I’m in the seventh decade of my life, I still find it helpful to consult people who have been around longer than I have.

    As for contextual support for baptism here, I would direct you to the very next thing after the Nicodemus discourse. In 3:22 it says: “After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing.” So immediately after the Nicodemus meeting, the next thing we see Jesus doing is baptizing. Although the Bible is silent on this, I have always thought this was the time when Jesus baptized His disciples. Moving on into John 4, Jesus offers the woman living water. I believe He was here referring to baptism as well.
    This is the problem you encounter with the exegesis of this verse when you say it doesn’t refer to baptism. You read it and say, “This can’t mean water baptism because that would mean we must be baptized to be saved. So what else could Jesus have meant here?” Then you go searching for other possibilities. Indeed you must do so if you reject baptism as being an essential element of salvation. However, the plain and simple meaning of the verse is that being born of spirit involves being born of water (baptism). This is corroborated by passages such as Romans 6:4, which talks about newness of life following baptism.
     
  14. kyredneck

    kyredneck Well-Known Member
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    To amplify or paraphrase (or whatever):

    Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water even the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God!

    Just mho....
     
  15. Zenas

    Zenas Active Member

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    I have seen this in commentaries, usually to show that Jesus was not referring to child birth. However, to my knowledge this rendering of the original text has never showed up in any of the numerous translations that we have.
     
  16. BobinKy

    BobinKy New Member

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    More verses on the living water.

    For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: (Isaiah 44:3; KJB)

    Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Isa. 55:1; KJB)

    And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (Isaiah 58:11; KJB)

    Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. (Ezekiel 47:1; KJB)

    In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (John 7:37; KJB)

    And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. (Rev. 21:6; KJB)​

    ...Bob
     
  17. quantumfaith

    quantumfaith Active Member

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    Uh jbh28, Zenas is baptist according to the profile
     
  18. Martin Marprelate

    Martin Marprelate Well-Known Member
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    This is an excerpt from my blog article:-

    Steve
     
  19. Zenas

    Zenas Active Member

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    Martin, the last six paragraphs of your blog article are excellent. However, they are a non sequitur to the first two paragraphs because they actually support baptismal regeneration. The Ezekiel 36 and Psalm 51 passages foreshadow, indeed demonstrate, the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit through the application of water. This is a sacrament, Martin! It’s scriptural! Wrap your mind around it and believe! The water doesn’t do the cleansing. The Holy Spirit acting through the application of water does the cleansing. Why does it work that way? We don’t know but the Bible says it does. Indeed that is what Paul was telling Titus in Titus 5:3. “The washing of regeneration” is water baptism, just like Ananias saying to Saul, “Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.”

    Thank you for sharing the article.
     
  20. TCassidy

    TCassidy Late-Administator Emeritus
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    The answer is very simple. Just read the next verse! John 3:6
    "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

    The best commentary on the bible is the bible!

    Born once, born of water, born of the flesh.

    Born again, born from above, born of the Spirit.

    Seems patently simple to me.
     
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