"Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." These words of Jesus in John 3:5, apparently slamming heaven's door on all who have never been cleansed of original sin by baptism, have made perplexing problems for theologians through the centuries. As a loophole for adults who are pious but ignorant of the faith, such as savages and those who died before Christ, the Roman Catholic Church recognizes a "baptism of desire," and Protestant churches in general let the question rest upon the mercy of God. But the case...
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