Ephesians 5:26 – Cleansing in the bath of water

…according as Christ also loves the ecclesia and gives Himself up for its sake, that He should be hallowing it, cleansing it in the bath of the water (with His declaration)…

Christ loves the ecclesia. The ecclesia is (as we saw) not just the sum of all believers, no, it is the believers who are gathered around him. Which also gives expression to their unity. That company loves Christ and he gives himself up completely for her. These verses speak about what Christ does today. He gathers a people and dedicates himself completely to sanctify her (read: to set her apart). And to clean her. How else than by bathing her in what he pronounces? Which is his word. Because what he pronounces is “spirit and life” (John 6:63) and has everything that the ecclesia needs.

A nice picture of this we see in the upper room (John 13-17) where the Lord was gathered with his own. Not on the ground floor (the earth) but above. And there he took off his outer garments to gird himself with a linen cloth and wash his disciples’ feet with a wash bowl. That is the love of Christ for the ecclesia!

Delen: