Curtain 2
"The journey of salvation does not end with a mere acknowledgment of Christ's sacrificial death, however. We must respond to the incredible love of God, and that response is revealed in the second step of the new birth experience. Jesus explained this second step this way: "Except a man be born of water…he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5).
Again, notice Christ's words carefully. While the first step of the new birth results in seeing the kingdom of God, in the second step we are invited to enter that kingdom through water.
How do we do this? Immediately in front of the second curtain, or gate, stood the basin of water. Every priest who entered the tabernacle was required to wash first, and this symbolized the spiritual cleansing represented by baptism (Romans 6:3-5).
This is why Jesus next told Nicodemus that he must “be born of water” in order to enter the kingdom of God.
Many Christians believe that an expression of accepting Christ is sufficient for salvation, and even mark the date on their calendars when this occurred as the day that they were saved. But Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). There is nothing magical about immersion in water, of course, but Christ's point is clear: the new birth experience is just that, an experience, and if it stops at a verbal or mental assent to truth, we will in the end be lost.
We must pass through the second curtain and allow God to begin washing sin away from our lives. "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:25,26)."
TimRumsey/Fulcrum7
