John 3:1-13.
Now there was a man among the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler among the Jews; who came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Master, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do the signs which thou doest, except God be with him. 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. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he also go again into his mother's womb, and be born? 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. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be surprised that I said to you: You
*) Cf. Erl. A. oxx. var. VII, 413 SHH. D. Red.
must be born anew. The wind blows where it wills, and thou hearest the sound thereof; but thou knowest not whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master in Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that we know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our testimony. Do you not believe when I tell you of earthly things; how would you believe if I told you of heavenly things? And no man leadeth unto heaven, but he that descended from heaven, even the Son of man, which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up a serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
First, for the sake of the feast, the article of the Trinity is to be dealt with, to preserve the faith in the church, as this is the cause of this feast. And this article is to be treated badly and simple after the pieces of the symbolum, where it is said: I believe in God etc. And in the Lord Jesus etc. And in the Holy Spirit etc. But faith is a service that belongs to God alone, and to no creature. Here disputing does not take place, but one must believe in simplicity, because it is said: I believe; but not: I think or disputire.
2. secondly, the gospel is to be spoken of (if it is necessary in this day), since it speaks of justification, and teaches that true righteousness, which is valid before God, is not from the law and works, but from the new birth. This doctrine is so high and so foreign to reason that even Nicodemus, who was a teacher of the law in Israel, has not only not done it, but does not even understand it; but murmurs against it, as against an impossible thing. "How," saith he, "can this be?" To become righteous is therefore not to work, but to be born. But a worker is not born, but rather begets the works. But here in justification is a pure suffering, because God alone works in us the faith through which He begets us. Therefore Peter calls us quasimodogenitos, as those who are born again; but the birth is spiritual, where the idea of male and female is to be excluded, namely, of water and the Spirit. This is another marriage, since out of water and spirit are begotten children of God. Here is not a spiritual or allegorical water to invent, as Münzer has done, who here called the water the tribulations, so that he could deny baptism.
and lead the hearts away from the visible signs of God to his own thoughts. Since God wants to teach us by visible signs and bodily voice, so that we would be sure of His will and would not need to wander around with our devotions and self-chosen religions. Let it therefore be understood that a true water is to be understood here. And that it may be distinguished from other true waters, which are without word, it is added, "and spirit"; that we may know that baptism is a birthing to the kingdom of God, where by water, not as by water alone, but as it is joined with the spirit, and which works with it, the children of the kingdom of heaven are born.
3. And this doctrine of faith is glorious and a great comfort to the consciences, that the oral word, being joined to the water, begets children of God: for the Spirit cannot be joined to the water, except by the word of man, which is given by Christ. For where the oral word of men is not with the water, nor Christ's command, who could know where the Spirit would be, or what water would be the baptism? It is therefore necessary that not only the water be visible, but also that means by which the invisible Spirit, who works with the water and in the water, may be known. This means is the commandment given by Christ (Marc. 16, 16.): "Go, baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son" and so on. Here everything can be taught that belongs to the honor of baptism. Similarly, all works can be taught against, which, since they do not teach regeneration, are contrary to baptism, if they ascribe regeneration to themselves. Therefore all teachers of works are nothing but Nicodemi, not even Nicodemi, but more vain than Nicodemi.