John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
In this passage, we have further comments from the Lord Jesus about the new birth, giving us three points of encouragement. Again, Jesus prefaced this statement with “Truly, truly,” to emphasize the reality of what He was about to say. So, we have good reason to believe what we are told.
First, Jesus gave the means by which one is born from above—water. I won’t take the time or space to explain why this isn’t a reference to baptism. Instead, I encourage you with what the most reliable commentaries conclude. Water was used emblematically. Jesus used water in this way in John 4:14 in speaking to the woman at the well. “But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” And again in John 7:38, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
We also learn from other Scriptures that it is the Word of God that is the seed or means of new birth. James 1:18 “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.” 1 Peter 1:23 “For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” It could also be a reference to Jesus Himself, who is the living Word. In John 14:10, Jesus said, “The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.” Then, in John 15:3, Jesus spoke of the cleansing or pruning power of His words that prepared His disciples for fruit bearing. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” So the Father does the cleansing work of new birth through Jesus’ words. We are born again through God’s Word.
Second, Jesus spoke of who produces the new birth—the Holy Spirit. We have a very clear testimony to both the cleansing effect of the Holy Spirit’s power in the new birth in Acts 15:8-9. “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.” The Holy Spirit regenerates us and gives us new life.
Third, we are encouraged by the result of the new birth—entrance into the kingdom of God. Jesus had just told Nick that without the new birth, one couldn’t see God’s kingdom. This statement perhaps enlightens us as to what Jesus meant by “see the kingdom.” To see the kingdom is synonymous with entering the kingdom. Those who are born again from above gain entrance into the kingdom of God.
The word of God is how the Holy Spirit births people into God’s kingdom. This encourages us about what to say to people who ask us about our faith and the hope we have. Our confidence is not in what we have done or are doing but in what God has done and is doing. He has caused us to be born again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:3) by the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:2) as He implanted the word of God in our hearts (1 Peter 1:23), the fruit of which is a sincere love of the brethren (1 Peter 1:22). Let us praise God for His love and power which has birthed us into His kingdom of love.
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