In the Greek the sentence structure of John 3:5 is written like so....
Answered Jesus, truly truly I say to you, if not anyone be born of water and of Spirit, not he is able to enter into the Kingdom of God.
The word born in the Greek has the following meaning....
1080. gennaó
to beget, to bring forth
From a spiritual context being born again, is to bring forth, which implies a process and not a single day event in ones life.
If we rewrote the verse, it would render as follows....
Except a person be brought forth of Water and of the Spirit.
Water is our baptism calling into Christ, where the seed of the word of the gospel of Jesus is planted firmly in our hearts. This is our chioce to embrace Jesus in our lives.
However, with the Spirit, the process is lifelong.
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And
let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, (Hebrews 12:1)
Apostles are clearly highlighting an ongoing race of faith, which is closely tied to being sanctified, so to be brought into the fullness of Christ before a witness dies.
4In
your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrews 12:4)
Remembering that the context of this race, is onto death, that is.....
they which are called
might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
16For where a testament
is, there must also of
necessity be the death of the testator. 17For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
18Whereupon neither the first
testamentwas dedicated without blood. (Hebrews 9:15-18)
We must finish our race and keep the faith onto death, in order to be brought forth by the Son and the Spirit to the Father. This is what John 3:5 implies to every believer.
Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.
17Afterward, as you know,
when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done. (Hebrews 12:16-17)
Notice that Esau was entitled to the promise, like many justified believers, yet he at the last moment threw away his inheritance based on last moments fleshly desires.
That is why the Hebrews author states for believers not to get ahead of themselves into thinking that they have arrived, in that thy have already been brought forth to salvation and onto eternal inheritance,
because they as Testator/Withesses have not yet resisted to the point of shedding their blood.
The regeneration is lifelong and not a one time event. A justified person can still turn and loose his/her eternal inheritance if he/she so chooses to do so.
Yes that is correct, that is the evidence of their sanctification process, but by no means is it the end, for it is an ongoing process until the Testator sheds their blood, meaning dies, whilst keeping the true faith.
Notice in the Ephesians versus you quoted that there is a word that implies an ongoing process, that is....
That he
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27That he
might present it to himself a glorious church,
It is no guareentee, but a hope to get you across the line. The race is to keep the faith even into death as Jesus said....
be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)