Ephesians 5:26-27 26in order that he might sanctify her by cleansing her by the washing of water with the word,
Thinking about Christ’s sacrificial love sends Paul off on a theological tangent in verses 26-27. The reason for Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was to make the church holy (hagiasē). This holiness is the goal of the new, transformed life and should reflect who God is (4:24). Christ does this by changing each person within the church, thus forming a new community of people who reflect his own image. Sanctification is an outcome of Jesus’ atonement for sin. His death and resurrection not only removed the penalty for our sins of action but took care of the deeper issue of illness due to the power of sin within us.
The way this change is made is shown in the instrumental participle by cleansing (katharisas). This important biblical word is also used for cleaning and purifying that which has been made dirty or defiled. Sin makes us spiritually dirty, unclean, and unfit to be in God’s glorious and holy presence. The last phrase of verse 26 shows further the means by which this holiness comes. The relationship of the words is not obviously clear. Washing (loutrō) is a word related to the worship practices whereby a person is ceremonially washed and cleansed from sin and defilement. Paul is not referring to a physical washing, which never solved any problem of inner sin, but a spiritual washing that comes from the water by the word. The challenge is to consider the relationship of the water and the word. The washing is done “by” the water. This water is found “in the word.” The key thought is that our cleansing from the defilement of sin is done by the word. Paul is not clear what this “word” is here. Minimally, it would include the word of the gospel of the crucified Messiah, for that is where the power of God is found (Romans 1:16). Of course, this gospel for us is found in Scripture, but in Paul’s day, it was verbally proclaimed by apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11).
This verse continues the reflection of how husbands ought to related to their wives with love. Paul may not simply be giving a theological tangent here, as it first appears. There may be a deeper intention in how this verse connects to the responsibilities of a husband towards a wife. The husband is in some way responsible for the spiritual growth of his wife. The goal of a husband ought to be to help his wife be entirely sanctified from the influence of sin in her life and be fully dedicated to Christ’s lordship and supremacy. This spiritual maturity will help God’s love grow within her heart and within the marriage. The spiritual bond between the husband and wife will far surpass the emotional and physical bonds between them. When God is put first in this way, many challenges of life will be put in the right perspective and priorities aligned in ways that bring joy and peace to the relationship. One key component in all of this is the word of the gospel. Sharing together in spiritual growth will bring a unity within the marriage that cannot be broken by temptation, compromise, or earthly challenge.
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