"Born of water": Answering the Church of Christ confusion

The conversation of John chapter 3.

Jesus Christ: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. "

Nicodemus: "How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"

Nicodemus was thinking in natural terms, therefore he is thinking about being in the mother's womb a second time.

Here is Christ's response.

Jesus Christ: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."

Obviously when Christ says "except a man be born of water and of the Spirit..." He is answering Nicodemus's question about entering into the mother's womb again. The phrase "born of water" referring to the first birth fits the context and makes sense....since in the womb babies grow in a bag of fluid that is much like water. Then just prior to birth, the bag breaks, releasing this water and then the birth process begins.

When talking about Christ being God coming down to earth in human flesh, John said that "This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood...." (1 John 5:6) So to say that "born of water" is referring to human birth is no stretch and 1 John 5:6 provides a good cross reference.

Only a Campbellite could suggest that the answer to "can I go back into my mother's womb and be born a second time " would be "you need to be water baptized and born of the Spirit". That doesn't even answer the question and does not fit anywhere into the context!

It would help if the Campbellite baptismal regeneration proponents could produce a cross reference to being baptized in water being referred to as "born of water".

But as it stands: the Cambellites have no context, no cross references, and no logic for "born of water" referring to water baptism.

You can always count on a Campbellite to say "WATER!" every time the word "baptism" is used and you can always count on them to say "BUPTISM" every time "water" is used.

That is how they missed the Holy Spirit baptizing believers into Christ through the faith of the operation of God....they actually said that "baptism into Christ" was the same as "baptism into water" meaning that Christ is a tank of water!

1 Corinthians 12:

[12] For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
[13] For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Colossians 2:

[10] And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
[11] In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
[12] Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

Baptism into water is not done "through the faith of the operation of God"...it is done the operation of a man. It Is done by man, not by one Spirit.

Baptism into water is not baptism into Christ because Christ is not a tank of water.

So when you see a Cambellite going on and on about Galatians 3:27 and baptism into Christ, you will know that they are being deceitful.

 

--Eli "Hoss" Caldwell