What is meant by the phrase "washing of water by the
Word?
It is recognized in most Christian circles that the term
"water" is used as a 'type' or 'example' describing the action and
cleansing effect that the Word of God has upon those whom believe upon Jesus
Christ as their Saviour and hence are born again of the Spirit of God.
-
- John
3:5 Jesus
answered,
Verily,
verily,
I say
unto thee,
Except
a man
be born
of
water
and
of the Spirit,
he cannot
enter
into
the kingdom
of God.
Jesus has answered "a
man
of
the
Pharisees,
Nicodemus, a
ruler
of the
Jews:" in
an astounding way.
Nicodemus had
stated that he and others like him have recognized Jesus as "a
teacher
come
from
God" because
of the great signs and wonders Jesus had been performing throughout
Israel as a sign unto Israel {especially the rulers} that their
Messiah was at hand, indeed, was in their very midst. {"Repent for
the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!"}
The expression "born of water" is a reference to the action of the water
of the Word of God upon the soul {mind} of the new believer. The soul
body is not born again or saved at the same time that the spirit body is
saved or born again. Rather, the minds eye, having been cleansed by the washing
of the Word of God, is enabled to see, in the crystalline
clarity of the moment of belief, the awful truth that they are nothing
more than an undone sinner in need of the saving grace of God
through the propitiation that is through the shedding of blood by the
Lamb of God {Jesus, The Christ}.
The expression "born of the Spirit" is a reference to the Holy
Spirit's action in the creation of a spirit body {inside the body of
the born again believer or new creation in Christ Jesus}. The
newly created spirit body is the place wherein the Holy Spirit of God will
reside, inside the new Christian, for the unending ages. Long beyond the
destruction and end of this present Earth and it's heavenly realm or
kingdom, the Holy Spirit will animate the glorified body of the firstborn son's
of God.
Let's look at another passage where Jesus reveals to a Samaritan
woman who He really is and reveals to us what the water of the Word of God
does in the lives of believers.
- Here we find that the Word of God is referred to as living or being
alive. Did you know that another name for Christ Jesus is the 'Word'?
[John
1:1-6] [Revelation
19:13]
-
- John
4:11 The woman
saith
unto him,
Sir,
thou hast
nothing
to draw with,
and
the well
is
deep:
from whence
then
hast thou
that living
water?
- John
4:15 The woman
saith
unto
him,
Sir,
give
me
this
water,
that
I thirst
not,
neither
come
hither
to draw.
Did you notice that this woman said give me this water? This woman realized
that she would not be able to do any work of any sort that would help her
attain this water." Give me" she said; long before {Ephesians 2:8-9]
was Written by the Apostle Paul. She recognized that it would have to be a
gift of God not wrought by the hands of the son's of Adam.
By this time the Samaritan woman suspects that she is in the presence
of the one she had apparently only heard others talking about.
- John 14:25 The woman
saith
unto him,
I know
that
Messias
cometh,
which
is called
Christ:
when
he
is come,
he will tell
us
all things.
- John 4:26 Jesus
saith
unto her,
I
that speak
unto thee
am
he.
-
- {So herein we see that Jesus Christ is the living Water,
the Word of God}
The scriptures themselves interpret this for us:
- [Revelation 19:12-13]
-
-
-
- 1
Corinthians 6:11 And
such
were
some of you:
but
ye are washed,
but
ye are sanctified,
but
ye are justified
in
the name
of the Lord
Jesus,
and
by
the Spirit
of our
God.
We are washed first by the blood of the Lamb of God. Thus, our
sins are washed away and we are justified and born again of the Spirit of
God. This same washing establishes the fact that we are sanctified {set
aside} unto God. The purpose for which we were justified becomes clearer. We
are to die to ourselves daily, take up our cross daily, and allow the Spirit
of Christ to rule over our lives. We are to obey His precepts.
But, daily, ongoing sins must be washed away as well. It is the washing
by the water of the Word of God that keeps us honest with ourselves.
The washing of the Word keeps us filled up to overflowing and thus
totally immersed or baptized in the Spirit of God. "Ye are
washed."
It has been said that a Christian ought to be like a full glass of water. When
the glass is moved it can't help but slosh water out of the glass and onto
everything surrounding the glass. Dear Christian, is your testimony such as
this or is it something quite different?
Christian are you so full of the Word of God that you can sit down beside
those in the Doctors office or your neighbor at the ballgame and share the
good news of the gospel of Christ with them. Will you sing praises to His
name wherever you will go?
- The next verse is the key verse to the subject matter at hand.
Notice that Paul is teaching in reference to the action that God's Word has
on the corporate body of the Church. Of course this washing action is
dependant on the individual Church members being obedient in reading
the Word of God so that it might have the desired cleansing effect upon
individual Church members throughout the body of Christ.
-
-
- Ephesians
5:26 That
he {Christ} might sanctify
and cleanse it
{the Church} with the washing
of water
by
the word,
In the next verse we see the writer of the book of Hebrews referring to the
washing of our soul bodies with the pure water of the Word of God. To say that
this is a reference to the washing of our physical bodies {the body of this
death} with some kind of pure water that might be found in the Earth and that
has been cursed since Adam, is quite unfounded to say the least.
The Spirit body is everlasting. The soul body is everlasting. The body of
this death is not everlasting for it will decompose in it's grave.
To say that this is some vague reference to the obedience of water baptism is
only possible in that our physical bodies are submerged under water
at the time of water baptism; but, it is not "pure" water. Even so,
this can never be referred to, in any sense, as a works based mechanism
whereby men might be born again of the Spirit of God and given eternal life
through water baptism!
The only "pure" water that the scriptures ever refer to is the pure
water of the Word of God, Christ Jesus. The unsaved need only believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved! After that they may be washed by the water
of the Word innumerable times and never be thirsty again.
In this last verse we find the reason that 'water baptism' cannot be a means
by which we are born again of the Spirit of God.
- 2
Peter 2:22 But
it is happened
unto them
according to
the true
proverb,
The dog
is turned
to
his own
vomit
again;
and
the sow
that was washed
to
her wallowing
in the mire.
If one were saved by the washing of common water then they most assuredly
could lose their everlasting salvation by going again and wallowing in the mire of
the world and their own vomit of sinful living. If one is saved
by water baptism how many times must one be washed by baptism? Why, there
would be no end to the washing!!! But, more importantly, why then did Christ
have to die on the cross of Calvary for the sins of the world if men could
simply wash away their sins by water baptism?
The Holy Writ says that this verse is a
"true
proverb".
To say then, that Christians are born again of the Spirit of God {saved} by
water baptism is to say that the Word of God can be found to contradict
its-self and is therefore a lie.
If one can be saved by water baptism then we must tear out many of the verses
of scripture that says men cannot be saved by works of the flesh! Again, why
then did Christ have to die on the cross of Calvary if men could save
themselves by merely submerging themselves under water?
God forbid! Let God's Word be true and every man a liar!
I hope this will be of some help to some who have been confused about the
false teachings of salvation by water baptism.
your servant in Christ Jesus,
Sam Ennis
Ennis
Island