Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 3:5

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God!" — John 3:5 (ASV)

In response, Jesus repeated his solemn assertion and expanded on it with reference to water and Spirit. What did Jesus mean by “water” and “Spirit”? Since he wanted to clarify his teaching for Nicodemus, he would naturally use familiar terms. Furthermore, since his ministry came shortly after that of John the Baptist, Jesus was probably referring to John’s preaching, which dealt with the baptism of water (signifying repentance) and with the coming messenger of

God who would endow humans with the Holy Spirit (1:31–33). The new birth is conditioned on the repentance and confession of the individual in response to the appeal of God and by the transformation of life by the gift of the Holy Spirit.