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I’ve heard an interesting take on “born of water”....referencing when a womans “water” breaks prior to delivery. “Born of water”. Born of the flesh.

Yes, what you said is true...so I suppose people should clarify which Baptism they’re referencing. That’s not always clear.

When Jesus is referring to being born physically, and says, *born of water*, it only makes sense that it refers to physical birth.

If He meant baptism, that would have been the perfect time to say so.

And He didn’t.

I believe when Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3, "You must be born again.", and Nicodemus thinks he is saying a man must go back into his mother's womb, that Jesus then said, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." I see here that Jesus was referring to being born of water as the human/flesh birth - the sack of waters, like you said. There are so many people who really believe Jesus is speaking of water baptism here, but he very clearly is not.

In Mark 16:16, Jesus says,"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." So, to me, he is saying that those who believe WILL be baptized (by the Spirit) and will be saved and those who do not believe will be condemned. Notice he doesn't say "those who do not believe and are not baptized will be condemned" but those who do not believe. Many people get water baptized as children and go on to be atheists, so it obviously is not the water baptism that saves.