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>>Do you see my point?<<

If your point was to illustrate the lack of understanding of the preacher yes I do. It's preachers like that who don't know scripture that lead people into all kinds of error. The answer to the man's question was right in the same passage.

When Jesus told Nicodemus he must be born again Nicodemus immediately asked how he could enter the womb and be born a second time. It's at that point that Jesus said "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit" but He didn't stop there. He continued by re-phrasing it saying "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit". Being born in the flesh is a water birth. The amniotic fluid is water. "Her water broke" is a common phrase meaning birth is eminent. Obviously we need to be born of the flesh in order to be born again from above.

So yes, I see your point. That preacher has no business being a preacher. And those who would claim "being born of the water" is something else are false teachers because Jesus clearly stated what it meant.

If your point was to illustrate the lack of understanding of the preacher yes I do.

:) Swing and a miss, FRiend. More, below.

It's preachers like that who don't know scripture that lead people into all kinds of error.

...or don't UNDERSTAND Scripture... right? I think especially of those who so misunderstand the Scriptures that they flatly contradict James 2:24 ("we are justified by works, and not by faith alone") and proclaim that they are justified by faith alone, and not by works; it's a sad misunderstanding that's so easily remedied by knowing the WHOLE Bible, and not just favorite bits.

The answer to the man's question was right in the same passage.

:) You're not about to indulge in interpretation, are you?

When Jesus told Nicodemus he must be born again Nicodemus immediately asked how he could enter the womb and be born a second time. It's at that point that Jesus said "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit" but He didn't stop there. He continued by re-phrasing it saying "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit".

All right. And now, you're going to interpret that for me (i.e. tell me what you think it MEANS)?

Being born in the flesh is a water birth.

Oh, for crying out loud...! (*sigh*)

The amniotic fluid is water.

No, it isn't: it's a complex mixture of water, electrolytes, proteins, carbohydrates, and loads of other miscellaneous items. "Water" is a slang term for it... which is fine, so long as no one is being silly and trying to force the word to mean something alien to its actual nature, or use the word in a silly and restricted sense, simply to try to gibe with a personal interpretation of Scripture.

"Her water broke" is a common phrase meaning birth is eminent. Obviously we need to be born of the flesh in order to be born again from above.

Side note: do you believe that unborn children who die in utero (i.e. who are not born "of water" at all) are denied Heaven? But that's an aside (don't let it distract you).

Let's do a quick Bible study, with a specific focus on CONTEXT.

1) This passage is in the third chapter of the Gospel of John. Question: was Jesus involved in any sort of activity which involved water and the Spirit, at any time immediately before this passage in John 3:5? Hint: look at John 1:32, and the surrounding verses... and compare it with Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:9-12, and Luke 3:21-23.

2) Question: did Jesus (with or without His disciples) do anything immediately AFTER His conversation with Nicodemus in John 3, which might be reminiscent of what He did BEFORE John 3? Hint: look at John 3:22-23.

3) Question: does the Bible ever say HOW Jesus would be doing that "thing" He might be doing from #2, and with what other divine Person? Hint: see John 1:33.

In case you missed it: John the Evangelist "bookmarked" the conversation with Nicodemus between two episodes of BAPTISM. Jesus was baptized with water, in the river Jordan, and the Spirit came down upon Him. WATER AND SPIRIT. Afterward, Jesus and His disciples went (in the VERY FIRST VERSE after the conversation with Nicodemus) and they BAPTIZED (with water, since that's the very meaning of the word--see Acts 8:36-38, etc.)... and we know that Jesus baptized both with water (see above) and with the Holy Spirit (see above). WATER AND SPIRIT.

So yes, I see your point.

No, I really don't think you do.

That preacher has no business being a preacher.

That "preacher" was a hypothetical construct to illustrate the absolute absurdity of someone saying "tell what the Scripture says, but don't interpret!". (It also illustrates the absurdity of using 1 Corinthians 4:6 to justify "sola Scriptura", but that's a side point.)