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

[mizpeh]

Originally Posted by RonMurray

Believers together as a body are the church. It's talking about all the believers together as a whole, as the body of Christ, the church.

The term "word" is "rhema", which means a word that's applied. Washing of water by the word means actively applying water as intructed or commanded by a word in scripture. This is referring to the act of washing of water, meaning being baptized with water.

And in Jewish culture, the woman prepares for her mariage to the groom by bathing, and she had to be immersed completely under water, and takes on the name of groom before they're married. Baptism is a washig of the church in preparation for her marriage to Christ. And we take on the Lord's name by baptism in the name of Jesus.

If this verse is written to the church, to people who have already been water baptized, then according to your interpretation every time a saint sins they must be water baptized.

The word can symbolize washing with water the outer body because when the word is received by a believer (someone who is part of the church) it works toward bringing them to repentance. When we repent, God forgives us according to 1 John 1:9.

The word that Paul sent in his epistle to the Corinthians caused this very thing to happen. The word was an instrument/agency through which a result came, "by the word". The word did not literally wash them or cleanse them for the applied blood of Jesus does that.

For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.

2 Cor 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.

10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter

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If we are to understand the Ephesian's passage as speaking to water baptism ( which I suppose you could) how would Christ be able to present to himself a pure church (a church without sin) if they continue to sin after their initial water baptism unless there was a way to forgive sin without having to be repeated water baptized every time we sin?