Introduction The encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus (John 3) offered divergent biblical interpretations with regards to the development of Christian baptism. There have been dissimilar interpretations for and against a reference to Christian baptism in John 3. Basically, the paper seeks to explore the encounter in John 3 and its importance for the understanding of Christian baptism. Though the paper affirms references and exact meaning to Christian baptism as presented in John 3, there will also be a presentation of arguments against such assertions. These arguments which are contrary to references of Christian baptism in John 3 are presented to help outline their flaws and misconceptions. In other words, they solidify the importance of the …show more content…
It should be noted that the paper will be narrowed to the Catholic Church’s position on baptism. The terms Church and Catholic will be used interchangeably. Lastly there would be a synthesis with regards to the outlined importance of Christian baptism in John 3. The encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus and its interpretations The dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus showcases two different viewpoints in understanding salvation. Jesus represents a new shift from the Jewish understanding of salvation which the latter, Nicodemus ‘the quintessence of Judaism’ held (Vawter 429). Though Nicodemus was a Jewish rabbi, there are signs that he believed in Jesus’ teaching when he proclaimed that; ‘Rabbi we know that you have come from God as a teacher, for no one could perform the signs that you do unless God were with