"washing of water by the word" Ephesians 5;25 - 27

[Originalist]

Originally Posted by RonMurray

In John 3:5, water is already used together with the Holy Ghost. And "word" in this verse is "rhema", which means a word or portion of scripture that's applied. This means water that's applied, which means literal water in baptism.

It is not a slam dunk that John 3:5 is referring to water baptism. Understand, I do believe baptism is linked to the forgiveness of sin, but I'm not convinced that John 3:5 is referring to baptism. In fact, the "water" in John 3:5 is also most likely referring to the washing of the Spirit. in the very next chapter (John 4), Jesus clearly likens the Spirit to water.