I am harmonizing scripture with scripture not wrestling against the word. Have you considered living water in John 3:5? Jesus said, "born of water and the Spirit" He
did not say born of baptism and the Spirit. To automatically read baptism into this verse simply because it mentions "water" is unwarranted. Scripture interprets itself. Notice in John 7:38-39, "He who
believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of
LIVING WATER. But this He spoke concerning the SPIRIT. *Did you see that? If "water" is arbitrarily defined as baptism, then we could just as justifiably say, "Out of his heart will flow rivers of living baptism" in John 7:38. If this sounds ridiculous, it is no more so than the idea that water baptism is the source or the means of becoming born again.
In John 4:10, Jesus said, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a
drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you
living water." In John 4:14, Jesus said, "but whoever
drinks of the
water that I shall give him will
never thirst. But the
water that I shall give him will become in him a
fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. Jesus connects this living water here with everlasting life. Living water is
not water baptism.
John 7:37 - On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone
thirsts, let him
come to Me and drink. 38 He who
believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow
rivers of living water. 39 But this He spoke
concerning the Spirit, whom those
believing in Him would receive.. In 1 Corinthians 12:13, we also read -
..drink into one Spirit.
See how this all fits together? Perfect harmony.