If you disagree with this presentation, I invite you to PROVE ME WRONG!
Comments which discuss or even refute my evidence and arguments are most welcome.
Many religious institutions, denominations, churches, and individuals are mistaken when they:
Assert ritual water baptism accomplishes the remission of sin or the work of regeneration (baptismal remission or baptismal regeneration)
Apparently, many churches and denominations believe in either baptismal remission of sin or baptismal regeneration or both. Among the varied groups which teach these mistaken doctrines are Roman Catholicism and the several related groups identified as the churches of Christ or the Church of Christ.
One of the proof-texts for this doctrine is John 3:5,
John 3:5 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. (KJV)
John 3:5 Jesus answered: Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (DRB, Douay-Rheims Bible)
John 3:5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (NET Bible)
None of the above English translations reflects the presence of a striking figure of speech present in the underlying Greek text called hendiadys marked by the word “and.”
Two words are used (water, Spirit), but one thing is meant (Spirit). By this figure water and spirit are joined by “and.” There is no of in the Greek, supplied here by the translators. There is no article to either of the two nouns. This figure gives the meaning, “born of water, even the spirit.” That only one thing is meant by the two words is clear from verses 6 and 8 (John 3:6; John 3:8), where only the Spirit (the one thing) is mentioned. The figure may also be understood to mean “born of spiritual water,” where the “spiritual water” is, by the figure Metonymy, put for the Holy Spirit Himself, as is clear from John 7:38, 39. The reference is to the real baptism by the Holy Spirit which is the one indispensable condition of entering the kingdom of God (Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 12:13), not to the water of ritual baptism (Acts 1:5).
The distinction “real baptism” versus “ritual water baptism” is very important to recognize. Real baptism is the work of the Holy Spirit. Ritual water baptism is a rite performed by human participants.
Jesus is not referring to something done by human participants in John 3:5 and its immediate context but to the work done by the Holy Spirit.
A careful study of the repeated assertion about his (John the Baptist’s) own baptism in contrast to the coming baptism performed by Christ settles the matter.