“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” John 3: 5
Personally, I think this is one of the most important verses in the entire bible. Why? Simply because Jesus reveals the secret to entering the kingdom of God.
Baptised in Water + Baptism with the Holy Spirit = Salvation
This is the only way, otherwise “he CANNOT enter the kingdom of God”
Many people get baptised in water, MANY! However, for some, it is a short bath. In Hebrew, the word baptism means burial. In this case, it is burial of your old life. The life of sin. However, to truly bury your old life and become dead to it, a person needs to sacrifice.
If a person gets baptised, but a few days or even minutes later falls into sin, the baptism becomes invalid and the old life was never buried so resurrects again.
Sacrifice is what draws a person close to God and vice versa. Even God had to sacrifice, his only Son. The greatest of all sacrifices.
To receive the Holy Spirit, it is the same. One must live a life of sacrifice. A person cannot and will never receive the Holy Spirit without sacrificing their life on the altar of God. Some people believe everyone has the Holy Spirit, some believe everyone is a Child of God. This is a lie the devil invented to deceive many people. “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his” Romans 8:9. This proves that to be considered a Child of God, you must have His Spirit. In other words, the New Birth must occur.
God bless you and look forward to sharing thoughts on John 4 with you.
Michael A
