BE CLEANSED BY THE WATER OF THE WORD
Thursday – March 9, 2017
I again present Adam and Eve. We owned these two buffalo for several years and had a great deal of enjoyment from them. No, we did not eat them! Welcome back to our Bible Study presented by The Three Minute Word publications. I am currently teaching on the topic of submission and we will continue with this today. Even when the words ‘submit, submission, or be subject to’ are not used this is a huge topic and really the centerpiece of where each of us are in our world, in the Kingdom of God. The failure to submit shows out in areas we might think are innocuous but are symptomatic of a serious spiritual issue for example speeding, not putting the basket away at the store and so on. Now let’s review our text.
Ephesians 5:24-28 (KJV)
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
As we delve into Ephesians 5:26 we are still talking about the relationship between Christ and the Church not the husband and the wife. That is not to say that each don’t have a role to play in seeing to it that each is washed in the Word. The primary responsibility for this however resides with the individual. Jesus Christ does not force any of us to read the Word much less pay any attention to it. Many read, look at the Word, but they do not choose to have ears to hear or eyes to see, it is a perfunctory process in their lives, a form of Godliness but devoid of Power. Water in the Word of God (Bible) is frequently a metaphor for the Word of God. We all know, at least I hope we do, that water is a cleanser of the physical body and so the Word of God is a cleanser of the spiritual body.
The reason for the Word of God, the cleansing obtained by the Word of God is so that we can be presented to Christ as a glorious Church. The Church at large is not there but do not allow that to keep you from being pure, cleansed, in the sight of God.
To be glorious is to be precious, valuable, and honorable in the sight of God. We are to be undefiled by the world (not having spot), meaning we are to have discarded all of the high places planted by the world and devil. High places in our thinking are thoughts and ideas that have been placed above the Word of God, it is idolatry. To be wrinkled is to be drawn together rather than spread out which is the mandate of God. We are commanded to go, to make the whole earth as the garden of Eden. We are to have set ourselves apart (holy) for service to God and we are to be faultless before Him. As we proceed into Ephesians 5:28 we find the admonition, really command, to love our wives physically the same as we love ourselves physically. The word ‘love’ throughout this verse is Bible love so it is adherence to the Word of God, selflessness, and observance of the Blood Covenant.
The husband that fully supports, shows Bible love toward his wife is showing love for himself because in so doing the marriage will be stronger and more pleasing to the Lord. Together they will make a significantly greater impact for the Kingdom of God. The man is obligated, commanded of God to take good care of the wife just as Jesus takes good care of the Church (and each of us individually).
Ephesians 5:28-30 (KJV)
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
The Lord does not physically or in any other way force anyone to serve Him, submit to Him, study His Word, or any other thing. The husband is to act accordingly but all is available to the wife. Just as the Lord has made all available to each of us, to His bride, the Church so we husbands make all available to the wife to assure her success in the marriage and in the Kingdom of God.
Then Paul reminds us that we are members of the body of Christ or His flesh and His bones. Eve, the Woman, the wife (bride) was flesh of Adams flesh, and bone of Adams bone. The bride of the first Adam was taken from his flesh and bone. Likewise the last Adam, Jesus, came as flesh and bone which He sowed for you and me, thus we are all partakers of His flesh and His bone. I will pick up with this again next week starting with verse thirty-one. Tomorrow I will be discussing the Feast of Lots otherwise known as Purim. Purim is a wonderful demonstration of the faithfulness of God to rescue His people in adversity if they will do their part.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
