Section 14
to be born of water and the Spirit means to be born of the Word and the Spirit. First Peter 1:23 and James 1:18 were given as references. Another interpretation, a most terrible way of expound ing this passage of Scripture, is that the water refers to the mother's own birth water. According to this interpretation, to be born twice is firstly to be born of the water in the mother's womb, and secondly to be born of the Holy Spirit. This interpretation is utterly illogical, and we should forget it.
We need to have a logical and solid standing as we approach this verse. We must admit that Nicodemus and the Lord Jesus were speaking with plain words. If the Lord Jesus had spoken to Nicodemus with words that were not plain, He would have given him some sort of interpreta tion. Perhaps Nicodemus would have asked the Lord what He meant by water. However, the Lord Jesus did not interpret His words and Nicodemus did not request an interpretation of them, prov ing that the words were plain to them both. Thus, the words, "of water and the Spirit," should have been plain to Nicodemus, without any kind of explanation. Since the same words were spoken by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11 to the Phar isees, they should have been fully understood