Ephesians 5:26 is a verse that is used to mistakenly teach against water baptism being for the remission of sins as we read about in Acts 2:38. Many will turn to this verse and say that we are washed and cleansed by the word and the word is referring to the Bible. On the other hand, I have heard others say that this verse is speaking about getting baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. I feel both of these conclusions are wrong and in order to understand what the apostle Paul is referring to we need to examine the context and dig a little deeper into what some of the words are conveying to us. We must look at Ephesians 5:25 to see that the subject of verse 26 is the church as a whole. This isn't referring to individual persons. When we look up the word for "word" in verse 26 we can learn that it is referring to an utterance (either collectively or individually) and it is linked to what it produces in the church as a whole by reading verse 27 (producing a church without spot or wrinkle). Water in this instance is being used in a figurative sense signifying spiritual cleansing that takes place by the word (utterance) that is being referred to in context. Just like the water in John 4:14 is signifying spiritual life that we receive when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, this water in Ephesians 5:26 is meant to convey in our minds a spiritual cleansing using water in a figurative sense.

When we compare this chapter with the previous chapter (Ephesians 4:11-16), we can see the connection of how God washes and cleanses the church by the word (utterance). This all happens through the utterance (word) of the five-fold ministry (apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, and pastors). The Spirit working through the five-fold ministry is how the entire body of Christ is perfected and edified, coming to the unity of the faith. This is why it's so important that we don't forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the body and that we always desire to fellowship as the body of Christ. We need personal edification that takes place when we pray in the Spirit (in tongues) and in our own individual relationship with the Lord, but we also need to be edified as an entire body together which comes through the five-fold ministry working together as we fellowship. We must see how Ephesians 5:26 is connected with the context of Ephesians 4:11-16 in order to understand that the washing of water by the word is what will happen to the entire church through the word (utterance) of the five-fold ministry as they are led by the Holy Spirit to speak. What a beautiful picture of God's body working together by the Spirit for sanctification and cleansing so that the church will be without spot and wrinkle!