Latter-day Saints:—Our next witness is the Jewish ruler Nicodemus.
TESTIMONY OF NICODEMUS.
The World:—Nicodemus, had you an interview with Christ?
Nicodemus:—I had. I called upon Him one night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him." (John 3: 2.)
The World:—What did Christ say in reply?
Nicodemus:—He told me that I would have to be born again—born of water and of the Spirit. He spoke most emphatically concerning this matter, saying, "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." (John 3: 5.)
The World:—What did you interpret the words "born of the water and of the Spirit" to mean?
Nicodemus:—I interpreted them to mean the baptism of water and of the Holy Spirit. Christ was born of the water and of the Spirit when He was baptized; His disciples were born of the water and of the Spirit, and the Savior declared that except a man receive this new birth he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
The World:—We have been taught that the water which Jesus spoke of was the word of God.
Nicodemus:—He did not tell me that. I am sure that if Christ had meant the word of God He would have said so. Christ did not say one thing and mean another. Why should men put false sentiments into the mouth of the Son of God? That you may see the absurdity of this interpretation which men have put upon the words of Christ, I will make a few quotations from the scriptures, substituting the words "word of God" for the word "water": "And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the word of God." "And John was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there were much words of God there." "And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the word of God. * * * And when they were come up out of the word of God." u Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid the word of God, that these should not be baptized." "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the word of God by the word."