Water

Water refreshes, cleanses and is vital for all known forms of life. It makes the earth fruitful while droughts result in deserts and a lack of productivity.

saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5). As believers we are baptized in water by another Christian, while it is Jesus who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19; Mk 1:8; Jn 1:26,33).

The Bible uses different word pictures in relation to this spiritual, life-giving necessity. God in His mercy pours (rains) His divine grace and blessings on those who are thirsty, causing them to flourish in their Christian life, just as water does to dry land (Isa 44:3; Mt 5:6). Because the Holy Spirit is within, divine living streams flow from believers in ministry to others (Jn 7:38). It also speaks of the satisfaction of diligent effort – “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isa 12:3). Jesus said, the water He gives satisfies the spiritual thirst within, so there is no need to drink from any other source, and in fact, He would become a spring of living water rising up in His followers (Jn 4:10,13,14). This is magnified countless times over with the inexhaustible river of the Water of Life coming from the throne of God from which all are invited to come and partake (Rev 21:6, 22:1,2). However, some forsake this spring of Living Water, choosing to try a different god but to their own peril (Jer 2:13).

God's invitation, "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters..." was specifically given to the people of Israel to come and receive that which they have not earned and cannot pay for (Isa 55:1). However, this invitation for forgiveness and restoration is now extended to all people everywhere (Jn 7:37; Rev 22:17).

The book of Psalms starts by stating a person who lives an upright life and delights in God’s Word is like “a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither, whatever they do prospers” (Ps 1:1,3). The metaphor language continues, "It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jer 17:8). Do I continually draw on the life sustaining Word of God whatever the season of life? The NT describes that in love Christ sanctifies His church, washing her with the water of His Word...our bodies washed with pure water...believers are cleansed as if by water (Eph 5:25,26; Heb 10:22; 1 Pet 3:20,21).

The first miracle Jesus performed was turning water into wine (Jn 2:1-11). Later in His ministry he said that even the insignificant act of giving a cup of cold water to a fellow believer would not go unrewarded, and  that He viewed it as, in fact, being done to Him (Mt 10:41, 25:35-45). However, Pilate’s symbolic use of water was ineffectual. He washed his hands in water, mistakenly thinking he was acquitting himself of all responsibility as to what happened to Jesus (Mt 27:24).

Globally, each day around 6,000 humans die because of contaminated water.

See also: baptism (water), rain, river, springs, thirst, well.