Why stop at "water"?
Why not argue the meaning of "spirit"?
Are there not multiple meanings of spirit that we can come up with if we try hard enough?
Can we not muddy up the meaning of spirit to mean the "spirit of knowledge and understanding" that was mentioned in Isaiah 11:2-5?
Maybe its the life sustaining
spirit mentioned in Ecclesiastes 12:7?
Or maybe its simply the spirits that minister to those being saved in Hebrews 1:14?
If it can be argued that water is not baptism but possibility amniotic fluid, living water or emblem of God then nothing is safe.
The only one that argues that the water in John 3:5 is not baptism is the one who
needs that water to not be baptism.
The Faith
Alone Regeneration Theology pushers will go to any length to protect their narrative.
Regardless of how silly.
Remember Occam's Razor:
It's very obvious that Spirit in John 3:5 is the Holy Spirit and I'm yet to hear any other conclusion on that, even from false religions (including Campbellism, Catholicism, Mormonism, Oneness Pentecostalism etc..) that teach salvation by water baptism, so to argue the meaning of "Spirit" (which is even capitalized) would be silly and redundant. The only ones that argue the water in John 3:5 absolutely must be water baptism are the ones who need that water to be baptism. H20 regeneration theology pushers will go to any length to protect their narrative in order to accommodate their works based false gospel.
In John 4:10 - Jesus answered and said to her, "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 verse 14, we read - 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. In John 7:37, we read - 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; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Also, in 1 Corinthians 12:13, baptized into
one body (Spirit baptism) and
drink into one Spirit. Notice that Jesus connects this
living water (which reaches the heart) with everlasting life. Whoever
drinks this
water (distinct from plain ordinary H20 in the well) will
never thirst. Jesus is clearly not referring to water baptism here. The natural man can only seem to understand natural water (baptism).
In John 15:3, we read - You are already
clean because of the
word which I have spoken to you. In Ephesians 5:26, we read - that He might
sanctify and
cleanse her with the
washing of water by the word. By the
word and not by water baptism. In 1 Peter 1:23, we read - having been
born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible,
through the word of God which lives and abides forever. Notice once again,
through the word of God and not through water baptism.
So, as we can see, "water" is used in the Bible as an
emblem of the word of God, and in such uses it is
associated with cleansing or washing (John 15:3; Ephesians 5:26) and when we are born again, the Holy Spirit begets new life and the new birth is brought to pass through "incorruptible seed, by the
word of God, which lives and abides forever" (I Peter 1:23) and the
Holy Spirit accomplishes the
washing of regeneration. (Titus 3:5) So, after properly harmonizing Scripture with Scripture, we can see that to automatically read "baptism" into John 3:5 simply because it mentions "water" is
unwarranted. If Jesus meant to say baptism, then He would have plainly said, unless one is water baptized, he cannot see the kingdom of God, but that is clearly NOT what Jesus said. So, after properly harmonizing Scripture with Scripture, born again does not refer to water baptism, but to spiritual washing or purification of the soul, accomplished by the word of God through the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. ✝️