Jeremy approaches Bible teaching with a passion for getting the basic doctrines explained so that the individual can understand them and then apply them to circumstances in their life. These basic and important lessons are nestled in a framework of history and progression of revelation from the Bible so the whole of Scripture can be applied to your physical and spiritual life.
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Nicodemus came under cover of night to seek out Jesus and got more than he asked for; the requirement for being born from above. Saying water baptism is required for salvation is foolishness; but is there something to the regenerative work of water baptism?
Jeremy Thomas is the pastor at Spokane Bible Church in Spokane, Washington and a professor at Chafer Theological Seminary. He has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years, always seeking to present its truths in a clear and understandable manner.
Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and our series on the New Testament framework. Today, a smaller, bite-sized piece from the larger lesson. We hope you enjoy it.
SPEAKER_02
The second issue, and we may just get through these two questions, but these are both very important passages and questions that people need to resolve.
So turn to John chapter 3. This one's also super interesting. John chapter 3, the discourse between Jesus and Nicodemus. The question that was, I didn't cover this verse last week, but someone brought it up. They said, Well, how do you approach John 3 5? This is the interaction that they had, you know, at night. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. You know. I don't want anybody to see this. But I am curious. So he came at night, and um he asked in verse 2, Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Talking about the miracle. Um, and he's being quite obvious quite forward here. Hey, God has got to be with you to do this. Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now we talked about this several weeks ago. Uh, the doctrine of regeneration, one of the works of the Holy Spirit is we have to be born again, or technically, you're born from above. Gana'o anothen. And if you're not regenerate or born again, you you cannot see the kingdom of God. You will never enter into it, right? The kingdom begins with exclusively believers, the messianic kingdom. Just like the world after the flood began with exclusively believers, only eight people, and they were all believers. So the millennial kingdom, when it comes, it will begin with only those who are believers. All unbelievers will be removed from earth, and all God's people said. Amen. Uh it sounds imprecatory, like in one of the imprecatory psalms, when you when you praise God and you want him to destroy his enemies, but I mean, ultimately we do. I mean, yes, we want them to be saved now, but ultimately, in the final situation, when they've rebelled and said no and no and no and no and no, and it's time for the kingdom to come, we want him to eliminate them. So we want to side with him and his thinking. Um, so you have to be born again to see the kingdom of God. And Nicodemus said, Well, how can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born again, can he? So, what kind of birth is he thinking about when he made that statement? What type of birth? If you had to crawl back in your mom's womb, and every mother's like, Well, no, no, no, we're not doing this. We already did that. You're out, you stay out, don't come back. Um, so obviously, physical birth, right? This is a physical birth. He says, You can't, that's what he's thinking. Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I
say to you. This was a question someone asked, uh, what is the meaning of born of water? Is this water baptism? Is what they're getting to. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is of flesh is flesh, born of flesh is flesh, that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed, I said to you, you must be born again. Um there are three or four interpretations of born of water and the spirit that I want to talk through just briefly. Um, the one that people sometimes invoke here that is not biblical is that born of water means water baptism. The belief that you have to be water baptized in order to go to heaven, in its most consistent form, argues that when you are being baptized and you are in the water, that is when the Holy Spirit regenerates you. So they happen in association with one another. When you are being baptized, then you are regenerated. Again, that's the most consistent approach to that viewpoint. There are others, of course, that say that's not the case, but they're not as consistent. This is the best view of that idea. Um so is that what it means? That's the first view I've mentioned here. First, first of all, it's just this is very easy to refute.
SPEAKER_01
Okay, very easy. Was Abraham, water baptist? Was Isaac, Jacob, uh Joseph, Moses? Oh well, they put him in the little ark. Yeah, but he didn't get wet, it wasn't a baptism.
SPEAKER_02
Um was David, Daniel, Hosea, Amos, Malachi. Was any of these people ever baptized? Water baptized? No, no. So if you if you get regenerated in the water, guess what? None of those people I just mentioned were regenerated, and none of them will see the kingdom of God. Is that a very sustainable position? Or is that just foolishness?
SPEAKER_01
That's foolish, okay.
SPEAKER_02
Um here's the thing about Nicodemus, he did not know about what we call Christian baptism or water baptism. He would have known about John and what John did. He could have known about that, but he wouldn't have known about what we think of as water baptism. Um, so no, that can't possibly be the meaning of this verse. Obviously, Nicodemus was supposed to understand this because Jesus said in verse 10, Are you the teacher of Israel and you don't understand these things? So if Jesus meant water baptism by that, Nicodemus was supposed to understand it. And if Nicodemus was supposed to understand it, then that means it's a part of the Old Testament. But guess what? It's not. So that's not possible as the meaning. Further, we know, of course, Paul wasn't even sent to baptize, but just to preach the gospel. So we know all those other things too. Um, second, and I'm just gonna kind of, I think view two is really pretty much the same as view three, so I'm just gonna treat them together. Um regeneration is in view, is what some say. That is, water and spirit are being equated. Okay, water and spirit are being equated. This is a this is a highly possible view grammatically and contextually. Meaning they're not really two separate things, but they're looking at the same event of regeneration. So that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is, I'm sorry, verse uh five. Uh unless one is born of water and the spirit. Now, here's the thing. In the Greek, it doesn't say in the spirit, it doesn't say the. So there's no definite article there, and that's significant grammatically, because before the word water, you do you see the word of? It's a Greek preposition x. And whenever you have this construction of a single preposition followed by two nouns, and the second does not have a definite article, the, then the of is controlling both of those nouns. That is water and spirit. Equating them, okay? This is a common grammatical structure in the Greek language, and that structure is here. Okay, so it could be equating water with the work of the spirit, meaning it's a picture of his regenerating work. He washes us or cleanses us when he regenerates us, but not two separate things. That's what this view is arguing for. Now, this is interesting, especially when we hold our place here and we go back to Ezekiel, because obviously, who what Bible did Jesus use?
Um the Old Testament, right? So just before the book of Daniel, have Ezekiel go to chapter 36 and look at verses 25, I think it is. Yeah, 25. Speaking of Israel and their restoration in the last days and so forth, but look at the imagery in verse 25, 26, and 27, Ezekiel 36. 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. 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, and you will observe carefully my ordinances. Did you see in verse 25 the water, the sprinkling, the cleansing, as a metaphor for what the spirit will do for Israel? And it's talking about regenerating them and giving them the Holy Spirit, right? And that seems to be the same imagery that Jesus is picking up in John 3, 5, porn of water and the spirit, meaning the cleansing agent that the Spirit uses metaphorically to cleanse you so you can be fit to enter and see the kingdom of God. So that is a that is a very good approach to the meaning of John 3.5. And Jesus does in verse 7 go on and explain this as regeneration. He says, Do not be amazed that I said to you, you must be born again. So that view has grammatical support. It also has Old Testament support. We're seeing these together, water and the spirit, as a cleansing agent in a picture of regeneration.
Thank you for joining us on Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas. If you would like to see the visuals that went along with today's sermon, you can find those on Rumble and on YouTube under Spokane Bible Church. That is where Jeremy is the pastor and teacher. We hope you found today's lesson productive and useful in growing closer to God and walking more obediently with Him. If you found this podcast to be useful and helpful, then please consider rating us in your favorite podcast app. And until next time, we hope you have a blessed and wonderful day.
