Reborn in Baptism

The necessity of baptism is questioned or even denied by many Christians today. This largely stems from the false doctrine of salvation by faith alone. It is accurate to say that we are saved by Jesus alone and by grace alone, but the idea of salvation by faith alone does not square with Scripture. Yes, faith is indispensable and truly essential, but it is not sufficient for our salvation. For example, when Jesus dialogues with Nicodemus in the third chapter of John’s Gospel, He stresses that entrance into the Kingdom of God comes from rebirth from above: Jesus says “‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born anew’” (Jn 3:3-7).

So, rebirth from above is necessary – ‘You must be born anew’ – to enter the Kingdom of God, not a physical or worldly birth, but a spiritual rebirth. This rebirth is mentioned earlier in John’s Gospel, in the introductory verses of the first chapter, namely “He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (Jn 1:11-13). These verses clarify what it means to be born anew or from above, that is, to be born of God. It is not a birth into or from a bloodline (such as being a descendant of Abraham or of any other patriarch), it is not a natural birth according to the operation of the flesh (through human biology), nor is it a birth brought about by human deliberation. No, it is a birth making humans into children of God, something not possible through ancestry, biological procreation, or by man’s willing it.

Again, some are prone to say that this rebirth is merely faith empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is easy to claim that we only need to receive or accept Jesus and have faith to be reborn. Taken in isolation, the verses of John 1:11-13 suggest, but not explicitly state, that faith and acceptance of Jesus bring about rebirth. But when Jesus says in His dialogue with Nicodemus “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” it is clear that the rebirth is not by faith alone. Yes, it is by the Spirit, but it is also of water as well. Some have tried to say that the water in question is amniotic fluid, but that makes no sense whatsoever. That is a reality of natural childbirth, not supernatural rebirth. So what does Jesus mean to be born of both water and the Spirit?

We need not look too terribly far to see how water and the Spirit are related to becoming children of God. We merely need to look to Jesus’ own baptism. “And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’” (Mt 3:16-17). Here we see the Spirit, the water of baptism, and the proclamation of sonship. Jesus did not need to be baptized just as John the Baptist protested, but Jesus insisted “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Mt 3:15). Jesus already was the Son of God, He already had the Spirit, and He was righteousness incarnate. But by our birth from our own ancestry, according to the action of human biology, and by the volition of our parents, we are not children of God, we do not possess the Spirit, and we are not righteous.

To be clear, we are not saved by our works, but we are not saved apart from them. Indeed, we will be judged by our works (Mt 25:31-46, Mt 7:21-23, etc.). In his letter to Titus, St Paul makes it clear that we are not saved or reborn by our works but through baptism and the reception of the Holy Spirit: “But when the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7).

—Fr Booth