Born of water is a Hebraism that means natural birth. We have a saying these days when a woman gewts ready to deliver--"her water broke". It does not mean water and spirit baptism.
Born of flesh means natural physical birth. That is what Nicodemus was referring to in the following Scripture passage:
John 3:4-7
Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew. rsv
Jesus explained that being born from a mother's womb is a fleshly birth. Jesus explained that being born of water and the Spirit is to be spiritually reborn. Jesus explains how this spiritual birth is accomplished by His command in Matthew. Baptism as Jesus commands is what makes us His disciples.
Matthew 28:18-20
"Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” niv
We always as believers abide in Him- He never leaves or forsakes us! His mercies never end!
To continue to believe in God requires continued obedience to His commandments. Acts 14:21-23
Revelation 14:12
Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. rsv
1 John 2:3
And
by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments. rsv
And I do follow Him- but it does not mean sinless perfection as some who have been deceived by that abominable lie believe.
It is wonderful if one can attain sinless perfection in thei slife. But God our Father never stops loving HIs children when we have bad days!
Sinless perfection is what we are commanded to strive for. Luke 13:23-28, Hebrews 4:1-12, Phil 3:8-12
It is true that God never stops loving His children when they have bad days. It is also true that if His children fail to repent and confess their mortal sins before they die, they will condemn themselves to the second death/eternal hellfire.
Matthew 13:19-21
When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. 20
As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. rsv
MORTAL SIN:
1 John 5:16-17
If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal.
There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal. rsv
Well we are all in the state of sanctification! We are all being made holy. some are further along than others! We are declared holy and now God is making us holy (saints simply means set apart ones which is also a meaning of sanctification- to be set apart for noble or holy uses.)
All who follow Christ by continuing to obey His commandments are in a state of sanctification. All who have forsaken Christ by refusing to continue to obey His commandments have rejected their faith. They have fallen away from Christ. They have denied Christ.
Hebrews 12:25
See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth,
much less shall we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. rsv
1 Timothy 1:18-20
This charge I commit to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophetic utterances which pointed to you, that inspired by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience.
By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among them Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. rsv
Christians can deny Christ by their sinful deeds. Christians can reject the faith by their sinful deeds.
Titus 1:16
They profess to know God, but they deny him by their deeds; they are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good deed. rsv
Matthew 10:33
but
whoever denies me before men, I also will
deny before my Father who is in heaven. rsv
If we sin mortal sins we are actually denying our faith in Christ before men.
Now read it again more closely this time! Jesus said " I NEVER KNEW YOU" not I knew you once but don't know you now! IOW these are people who were never saved, they were trying to please God by good works which cannot happen ever!
There is no "time frame" with God. There no past or future. There is only the present. If a person dies with unrepented mortal sins on his soul, he will not inherit eternal life. The righteous person who sins a mortal sin dies spiritually at the exact instant that he sins the mortal sin. Christians who commit mortal sins and do not repent before death do not inherit eternal life.
So when Jesus claims, "I never knew you", it means that He does not know them presently. IF the Holy Spirit is not present within a person's soul presently, Jesus' claim is that He does not know him, and therefore He also claims that He never knew him because only the present matters to Him. The past does not matter.
Ezekiel 33:11-16
Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death
(spiritual) of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live
(spiritual); turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel? 12 And you, son of man, say to your people,
The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses; and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness; and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins. 13
Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live (spiritually), yet if he trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered; but in the iniquity that he has committed he shall die (spiritually). 14 Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right, 15 if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, committing no iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. 16 None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right, he shall surely live. rsv
Examples of mortal sins:
1 Corinthians 6:8-10
But you yourselves wrong and defraud, and that even your own brethren. 9
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither
the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. rsv
Galatians 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are plain:
fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. rsv
Colossians 3:5-6
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. rsv
1 Timothy 5:8
If any one
(Christian) does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his own family,
he has disowned the faith and
is worse than an unbeliever. rsv
We do please God by doing the good works/deeds that God had prepared for us to do before we were born. We will indeed be judged by our works/deeds. In fact, our deeds/works will determine whether we are approved to inherit eternal life or whether we are condemned to the second death which is eternal hellfire. We were created to do good works/good deeds/produce good fruit. If we fail to do the good works that we were created to do in Christ Jesus, we are not true followers of Christ and so we will be thrown into eternal hellfire.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. rsv
Matthew 3:7-10
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sad′ducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit that befits repentance, 9 and do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10
Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. rsv
Matthew 7:13-20
“
Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy,that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few. 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17
So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. 18
A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will know them by their fruits. rsv