Saturday, January 29, 2022

Reformed Protestant Matthew M. Barret's Attempt to Explain Away the "Baptism" Reading of "Water" in John 3

  

. . . this second birth is of “water and the Spirit” (3:5). There has been considerable debate over what Jesus means by “water.” The best interpretation of “water” is one that identifies “water” symbolically, as that which cleanses the believer. Water is used to represent the spiritual washing that must take place for one to be regenerated. Such an association of water with cleansing Is supported in the OT. As already seen, Yahweh promises in Ezekiel 36:25-27, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Matthew M. Barrett, “The Scriptural Affirmation of Monergism,” in Whomever He Wills: A Surprising Display of Sovereign Mercy, ed. Matthew Barrett and Thomas J. Nettles [Cape Carol, Fla.: Founders Press, 2012], 153-54)

 

Further Reading


Baptism, Salvation, and the New Testament: John 3:1-7


See my book (*), “Born of Water and of the Spirit”: The Biblical Evidence for Baptismal Regeneration (2021) for a full-length discussion of the biblical evidence for this doctrine (as well as responses to common "proof-texts" against it, such as Eph 2:8-10 and 1 Cor 1:17)

(*) for those who want a free PDF of this book, email me at ScripturalMormonismATgmailDOTcom)