Solo said:
Read Jesus words very carefully. We will quote verse 5 first followed in context by verse 6.
5 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.
Water AND Spirit are refering to the same event. This is the belief of Christianity for 2000 years - one that even many Protestants share.
Other parts of Scripture verify this. How about checking John 13:8?
"Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him,
If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me."
The Greek word for "wash" is the same as that used in the following:
"
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water" Heb 10:22
"
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Cor 6:11
"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Eph 5:25-27
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us,
by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;" Ti 3:5
Regarding Baptism, we have the evidence of Scripture that Israel would refuse to accept the
washing which confers the remission of sins and would set up a substitution of her own instead"
Epistle of Barnabas, c. 150 AD
I have heard sir' and I, 'from some teacher, that
there is no other repentance except that which took place when we went down into the water and obtained the remission of our former sins'. He said to me, 'You have heard rightly, for it is so"
Hermas c. 150 AD
Let none of you turn deserter. Let your baptism be your armour; your faith, your helmet; your love, your spear; you patient endurance, your panoply"
Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to Polycarp, c. 110 AD
Moveover, those things which were created from the waters were blessed by God, so that this might also be a sign that men would be at a future time receive repentance and remission of sins through water and the bath of regeneration all who proceed to the truth and are born again and receive a blessing from God"
Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus, 181 AD.
I can understand your confusion, trying to make "Born of Water" and "Born of the Spirit" as two different things, IF that was the only thing you read in the Bilbe. Howver, Jesus corrects this idea in that Nicodemus has, saying flesh is flesh - meaning "I am not talking about fleshy birth at all". The witness of Scriptures and the first 150 years of Christianity show that Baptism is given for the remission of sin. You are clearly in the minority on this issue, against Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.
"Then Peter said unto them,
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Acts 2:38
And finally, it makes no sense that Jesus says we have to be born into existence before we can be saved! I would then ask you why anyone would need to even say such a thing! Sorry, you are incorrect in your interpretations.
Regards
