Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word. Ephesians 5:25–26
Do you take a bath every day? That isn’t meant to be a physical question— though I hope the answer is yes—but rather it’s a spiritual question. Let me explain by telling a story.
One day, I was talking with a pastor friend of mine, and he brought up Ephesians 5:26, which talks about washing of water by the Word of God. He said, “I don’t understand that scripture because I thought we were cleansed by the blood; this says we’re cleansed by the Word.” I said to him, “Well, you have to understand, it doesn’t say that we’re justified by the Word, it says we’re sanctified by it. There’s a difference.” See, we’re justified in our spirits and sanctified in our souls. That means if you’ve been saved, your spirit is seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. By the blood of Jesus, your spirit has been completely cleaned and your sins have been forgiven.
Your soul, however, is still being saved, which, in the Greek, means “made whole.” So, it’s your soul that must be washed in the Word. Your soul is made up of three parts: your mind, will and emotions, and they are in a battle with Satan, who tries to flood your thoughts, desires and feelings with lies. The reason so many Christians are losing this battle is because they’re not being washed by the Word. For example, some Christians feel condemned because they haven’t washed themselves with Romans 8:1, which says, “There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” And some still have impure and immoral thoughts because they’re conforming to this world instead of being transformed by the renewing of their minds (Romans 12:2). That’s why it’s so important to be washed in the Word of God daily. We need to take a bath every day!
Here’s how you can renew your mind and live without condemnation. Read a chapter in the Bible every day. Maybe you feel the Lord telling you to read two or three. Then, meditate on one verse all day. Write it down on a notecard, and read it periodically throughout the day. By the end of the day, you’ll have spent an entire day meditating on the Word, and you’ll probably have that scripture memorized. Just imagine where you’ll be a year from now if you read one chapter and meditate on one specific verse each day. You’ll be transformed!
PRAYER
Father, thank You that my spirit is clean and my soul can be washed in the Word. Renew my mind through Your Word as I commit to meditate on it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
John 17:17–19; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2 Timothy 2:20–21; Hebrews 10:12–14
Taken from It Is Written, a Gateway devotion.