To clarify, my Catholic heritage teaches that "born of water" means infant sprinkling (they call baptism).
I wasn't told until I was a certain age that I was begotten from my mother , not a stork, nor the basin of water 💦 the priest flicks upon the baby after it was born of it's...... mother's water filled womb.
They superimpose the phrase, out of context, "born of water" to mean spiritually born in a literal hidden symbolic but actually the FIRST birth of the child getting wet by way of the appointed authority, the RC priest who uses a special holy water to perform such a mystical "reality." It's as clear as mud. They call that a sacrament of which there are 7 or 8.
Some protestant founders were priests who held to that teaching even after leaving their Roman Catholicism. It's been ingrained ever since.
All of those activities are good deeds/ works by which we were taught have divine power to impart grace to those who take the effort to do them.
I repented (reconsidered and changed my mind) once I learned that salvation from Hell was by God's grace through faith in His only begotten Son......John 3:16. KJV
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2
Applied to me after repenting of works based ,(faith in water baptism), salvation....
"
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us."
Titus 3:5
Glad you saw the light are you still humble? We all need to be, none of us know it all and never will.
I NEVER tell you what I think, I just share HIS WORD.
I LOVE all of HIS word again ALL OF IT.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him (((should not perish))), but have everlasting life.
It says should not because if you believe in HIM you should obey HIM.
If you believe JESUS in 3:16 then you should believe HIM in 3:3-5. Look what he says just before that in the same conversation.
John 3,
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
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.
JESUS told HIS disciple's NOT TO GO OUT with out until they get the PROMISE OF THE FATHER.
Acts 1,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the (((promise of the Father))), which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
This happened Acts 2,
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Then this happened the first message that JESUS promised to be preached.
ALMOST THE SAME THING that what JESUS says in John 3:5!!
Acts 2:38 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.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Mark 16:16-17
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Do you call being baptized a work?
If so can we enter Heaven with our sins? If not how do we get rid of them?