The Washing of the Word

"...that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word" Ephesians 5:26

Those of you who appreciate music may be familiar with the debate of "analog" versus digitally recorded music (if not, think LP records versus CDs). One website summarizes the difference this way: "Digital signals must have a finite set of possible values. That's the big difference between analog and digital waves: analog waves are smooth and continuous, digital waves are stepping, square, and discrete." Rock musician Neil Young described this difference as, instead of water pouring over you (analog), ice cubes are being poured over you (digital). Rock guitarist Carlos Santana similarly describes music as being "a complete ocean".

In our passage above (and elsewhere in the Bible), God's word is likened to water, and there is an ocean of water for us to swim and be cleansed in (cf. Ezekiel 47:1-5). Though we are cleansed from sin by the precious blood of Jesus, it is the daily reading, meditating, and applying this word to our lives that causes the "washing" and renewing of our minds (see Romans 12:2) Paul the apostle speaks of.

Unfortunately, some of us are still having an "ice cube" experience with God's word. We have a patchwork understanding of the bible, verses here and there clunking around in our heads, but no real organic, life-changing understanding. 

The apostle Peter tells us to "desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2). The Lord's brother James puts it this way: "receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:21). 

So therefore we are to 1) desire God's word, and 2) approach it humbly. 

When by the Lord's grace I became "saved", God put in me an intense desire to study his word. I couldn't get enough of it. The universal testimony of Christians throughout the centuries is that a strong desire to read and understand God's word is felt. Unfortunately in today's churches many do not desire to read God's word, and the church suffers accordingly.

For those who do desire the word, however, the word is often not received with meekness. As I grew in my faith I developed spiritual pride, and interpreted the bible as I wanted to, which led me off course. The word translated "sincere" in the passage from Peter means "unadulterated". Although loose translations of the Bible have value, I believe someone only using loose translations will not ultimately be transformed, because too much of man's thought has already been inserted. We must approach God's "pure" word with our preconceived ideas set aside. 

The final step to keep us on track is to compare scripture against itself (see 1 Corinthians 2:13) to make sure we are not taking passages out of context.

The washing of God's word is a wonderful, ongoing experience that should be shared by all Christians. I leave you with a quote from a great scientist and medical doctor, Dr. Howard A. Kelly (professor of Gynecology at Johns Hopkins University from 1889 through 1940): "The very best way to study the Bible is simply to read it daily with close attention and with prayer to see the light that shines from its pages, to meditate upon it, and to continue to read it until somehow it works itself, its words, it expressions, its teachings, its habits of thought, and its presentation of God and His Christ into the very warp and woof of one's being."