Jno. 3:5 ... "Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'"
The "kingdom of God," as the name indicates, is the kingdom that belongs to God. He is the King, or monarch, over it. His word is its law. Those who are privileged to enter into this kingdom to be citizens of it do not own it, do not share in its government, and are absolutely subject to its law. Furthermore, it is not their prerogative to determine by what means they may enter into it. God, as the Designer and Builder, alone decides how people may enter to enjoy citizenship. It is the ultimate of the sin of presumption for people to act as though they own some part of God's kingdom and try to dominate its affairs by their own power, and to redesign its constitution to suit themselves. Nevertheless, the history of Christianity is a long, complicated affair of men who have intruded into God's domain to do these things.
And so today, within the broad sphere of churches nominally Christian, there is a babel of confusion about the means of entry into the kingdom of God. But in the test above Jesus simply tells us what God has determined. It is important to note, moreover, that in spite of all human conceptions and zealous debates to defend them, no one enters the kingdom of God in a way different from what Jesus here specifies. The word "cannot" is specific and absolute when He declares, "Except a man ... he cannot enter the kingdom of God." One might indeed enter some church of human origin by subscribing to a human methodology, but he will not also enter into the kingdom of God.
Jesus sets two requirements that one must meet in order to enter. First, he must be born of water. Second, he must be born of the Spirit. These seem like simple provisions, and indeed they are. Nevertheless, many have tried to complicate them in order to establish something other of human origin. For example, it is argued that being "born of water" refers to one's physical birth and being "born of the Spirit" refers to one's spiritual birth. This view, however, interprets Jesus to say that one must experience natural childbirth in order to move toward entry into the kingdom. Since no one would be alive to consider entering His kingdom had he not been physically born, obviously this view is illogical. One suspects that it is rather an attempt to dodge the true meaning of the phrase, "born of water."
In Acts 2 we are told that on Pentecost the apostles "were all filled with the Holy Spirit ," (v.4). This had been promised by Jesus, who said that the Spirit would "guide you (the apostles) into all truth," (Jno. 16:13). So when Peter spoke on that day, his message was the truth from the Spirit. By that message he convicted his audience of sin and generated within them faith in the Lord whom they had crucified. When they cried, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?," Peter, still guided by the Holy Spirit, answered, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit," (Acts 2:37-38). Then we read in v.41, "They that gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about 3000 souls." The events of Acts 2 explain the words in Jno. 3:5. Through the gospel, which the Spirit communicated to man, the Spirit produces faith within the individual, and induces him to undertake a new course of life with a new allegiance. This is the birth of the Spirit. Then, still through the gospel, the individual subjects himself to baptism "for the remission of sins." This is the birth of water. Having accomplished these two essential things, the Lord opens the door of His kingdom for that person to enter.
