Various people have had a great deal to say about the meaning of "water" and "the Spirit" in this verse. Some people claim that "water" here means the water used in baptism. If you examine the general flow of the Bible, it becomes clear that being "born of water" means being born again by the word of God. Those who heard John the Baptist preaching repented in their hearts and were baptized. This was the baptism of repentance. We should understand this to mean that once a person has been through this process of repentance, the Holy Spirit enters his spirit.

In verse 3 it says that unless a person is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God, and here in verse 5 it says that without being born again, a person cannot enter the kingdom of God. This first step has to be taken, and then the individual comes to know the kingdom of God during his life on this earth. That is seeing the kingdom of God. Then there is entering the kingdom of God.

It is not just anyone who is able to enter the gates of heaven; it is only those who have been born again.

There are some people who claim to have seen the kingdom of God with their own eyes. They say that while they were praying they saw a brilliant light or some other vision. But we must see the kingdom of God with the eyes of our hearts.

In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote, "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened" (Ephesians 1:18).

When you are feeling dismal and frustrated and everything seems to be going wrong, and then suddenly a good friend turns up, what happens to your face? It becomes more cheerful, doesn't it? Your heart brightens because somehow it is on the same wavelength as that of your friend. The true light is emitted in the same way.

Jesus said, "Marvel not." In other words, do not think this is strange. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh." To put it simply, everyone who is born of the seed of Adam is a descendant of Adam. All of mankind has inherited the blood of Adam and therefore all are sinners. It is not a matter of how much a person has studied the Bible, or whether he has studied, or even taught, theology. That is not the way for a person to enter the kingdom of God. The individual must become a new person. We are born in the flesh, but our spirits must be renewed. In other words, we must be changed. We must be born again.

On one occasion, Peter too had a glimpse of the light of heaven and he said to Jesus, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).

These words of Peter were very different from what Nicodemus said. Peter was simple and uneducated, but when the Spirit of God came upon him, there was no comparison between his words and those of Nicodemus, the scholar who had studied the scriptures all his life. Just for a moment, Peter had heard the voice of God deep down in his spirit. He had seen the true light, and his words were a reflection of that light.

On the other hand, how did Nicodemus see Jesus? He said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." (John 3:2).

This scholar and teacher of the scriptures was simply acknowledging the presence of a certain power from God that was beyond his own sphere of understanding, and indicating that he was ready to submit to this power.

Nicodemus had been groping around in the dark, waiting patiently. Then he had made up his mind that he just had to meet this Man and so he came to see Jesus. Nicodemus' words were very refined, but if you compare them with the words of the uneducated Peter, you can see that his eyes had not yet been opened to the kingdom of God. Jesus said to him,

We cannot trace where the wind comes from or where it goes, and it is the same when a person is born of the Holy Spirit. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh." That which is born of the flesh is visible. When we are born in the flesh, we have bodies that are visible and tangible. When a person is born of the Holy Spirit, however, it is just like when the wind blows; we do not know where it has come from or where it is going. We do not
know how we are born again. That is not to say that the individual is unaware himself that he is born again. The rebirth takes place in the spirit of the individual and is not a visible experience.