"What About John 3:5?"

I just want to make a few quick observations surrounding 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." I think I have heard every idea that people have purposed what the "water" in this text means. Is Jesus really speaking about immersion, water baptism in this verse? Let's be honest and see.

In John 1:19-34 it speaks of the ministry of John who came baptizing those repentant for the remission of sins to prepare the way for them to receive the Messaih (Mark 1:4/Acts 19:3-4). John 3:22-23 tells us that after the coversersion of Nicodemus, Jesus and His disciples went into Judea and were baptizing (water immersion) while John was baptizing Aenon near Salim. This bothered John's disciples because the people were coming to Jesus to be baptized (John 3:25-27). In John 4:1-3 we find that the Pharisees took note that Jesus was baptizing and making more disciples than John. It's noted that Jesus Himself was not baptizing but His disciples were.

Sandwiched between all this talk about John's baptizing many and the disciples of Jesus was baptizing many is Jesus' discussion with the Pharisee Nicodemus. This wasn't just some empty words stretched to mean something else. I was a practice because people were coming from everywhere to be baptized in response to God's call in connection with the kingdom of God (See Matt. 3:1-2/Luke 3:4-6).

Here comes a man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a teacher of Israel speaking to Jesus. The country is filled with the gospel teaching that the kingdom of God is about it be unveiled and Nicodemus approaches Jesus wanting to know for himself. Every day people are flocking to John and Jesus and in repentance they are being baptized in connection with the kingdom message, committing themselves to the Messiah who is about to be revealed. John had prepared the way well!

Remember, Nicodemus is of the sect that refuses John's baptism teachings (Luke 7:29-30). They had demanded from John how he got his authority to baptize (John 1:24-26). They took note that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (John 4:1-2). They demanded where Jesus got His authority from (Matt. 21:23) and Jesus speaks of John's baptism asking them if it was from heaven or from men (Matt. 21:28-32)? They refused to answer!

Here is Nicodemus speaking face to face with Jesus. What do you think they are speaking about? Water immersion? Why do people try to do everything they can to demote Biblical baptism in the way it was intended to be understood and believed? Jesus was speaking of water baptism in John 3:5 just as plain as the other places. Here's the real issue: up until the days of John Calvin and the Reformation period the issue of water immersion was never in dispute. Go ahead and do a little research. You will find that it wasn't until Calvin forward that all the debates began to take place. It should also be noted that the Great Harlot of Revelation 17 was NEVER thought to be the Roman Catholic Church until the Reformation period. Wonder why that is? And no one thought that John 3:5 was anything but baptism until the work/grace wars of the Reformation period. It is amazing how people over-look Scripture and find another way to justify their belief system.