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耶稣说人必须“从水和圣灵生”才能进神的国，这是什么意思呢？祂是在说人必须接受水的洗礼才能算作神的子民吗？

简而言之，我认为答案应该是“不一定，但通常如此”。神当然可以不通过水的洗礼拯救一个人。但神选择用洗礼来与我们连接，传达祂的恩典，所以这是当今教会的普遍做法。

不过，我们最好记住与耶稣同钉十字架的罪犯的例子。那个人明白了耶稣是谁，他请求在耶稣进入祂的国时被记念。耶稣对他说：“我实在告诉你：今日你要同我在乐园里了”。（参路 23:43）

在约翰福音第三章中，我觉得耶稣是在呼应以西结等先知的说法，他们说到水是洁净罪恶的象征，说到神的灵会来充满我们，更新我们。（参结 36:24-27）约翰和耶稣在施洗时都采用了这种象征意义。

这就引出了另一个问题：如果一个人在婴儿期或成人时接受了洗礼，这是否意味着他们已经得救了？答案是：不一定。有些受过洗的人很可能还会再远离神。但是，正如一些教师所指出的，洗礼将我们置于信仰的群体——教会中，在其中我们可以越来越认识神的圣约之爱和恩典，并靠祂而活。

What does Jesus mean when he says a person must be "born of water and the Spirit" to enter the kingdom of God? Is he saying that you have to be baptized with water to be counted among God's people?

I think the short answer has to be "Not necessarily, but usually." God can certainly save someone apart from water baptism. But God uses baptism to engage with us and to communicate his grace, so that is the usual practice in the church today.

We do well to keep in mind, though, the example of the criminal who was crucified along with Jesus. This man saw who Jesus was, and he asked to be remembered when Jesus came into his kingdom. And Jesus told him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).

In John 3, I think Jesus is echoing prophets like Ezekiel, who spoke about water as a symbol of cleansing from sin, and about the Spirit of God, who comes to fill us and renew our hearts (Ezekiel 36:24-27). That symbolism is picked up by John and Jesus in their practice of baptism.

Now this leads to another question: If a person is baptized as a baby or adult, does that mean they are saved? Not necessarily. Some people who are baptized might reject God. But, as some teachers have noted, baptism places us in the community of faith, the church, where we can grow to know and live by God's covenant love and grace.