Born in Water, Filled with the Holy Spirit – John 3:3-5
John 3:3–5 (NLT): 3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.
A common response: What about the thief on the cross? (Luke 23:42-43)
Ezekiel 36:25–27 (NRSV): 25 I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you, and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my spirit within you and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.
Isaiah 44:3–4 (RSV): 3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring.
4 They shall spring up like grass amid waters, like willows by flowing streams.
1 John 2:29 (NIV): 29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
1 John 3:9 (NLT): 9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.
1 John 5:1 (NLT): Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.