“he does not harp on water, but harps on being born again ‘in the spirit.’”
How do you know what His emphasis was? You can’t just lightly dismiss Christ’s plain, straightforward word about the necessity of water baptism. Since we disagree, who is the authority we can go to to resolve our differing opinions?
“How do you know what His emphasis was?”
Joh 3:5-15 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (8) The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (9) Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? (10) Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? (11) Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. (12) If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? (13) And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (14) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (15) That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Because, right afterwards, Christ discusses entirely on being born again in the Spirit, on the nature of the Spirit, and the necessity of faith in Himself. In Christ’s sense, to be born of water is to be entirely converted, as that is what the Jews understood baptism to be. Not that the water itself led to spiritual results. This latter conclusion would force one to utterly ignore Christ’s constant emphasis on spiritual regeneration, real fruits of the Spirit wrought by God, throughout the Gospels.
“Since we disagree, who is the authority we can go to to resolve our differing opinions?”
Spiritual truths can only be understood spiritually. Therefore, until the Holy Spirit reveals it to you, you will not believe the scriptures which declare that salvation is entirely the work of God.
1Co_2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.