The laver of bronze is the secret and the key for the operation of all the other furnishings in the tabernacle; if the priests did not first of all wash at the laver, they were not qualified to do anything in the tabernacle, and they could not offer any sacrifice. Spiritually speaking, the experience of Christ as the life-giving washing Spirit is vitally necessary in our Christian life; without such a regular experience, our vision and experience of Christ will be very limited, and we cannot function as priests to God.
The content of the laver of bronze was water, and water signifies life; Christ as the flowing life is in us to wash us, cleanse us, reconstitute us, fill us, and make us the same as He is in life, nature, and expression but not in the Godhead. It is only by experiencing and enjoying Christ as the flowing life-giving Spirit that we can become the same as He is and we can enter into a deeper experience of Christ for the building of God.
The laver of bronze is intimately connected with love: the Lord loved His disciples to the uttermost, and He washed their feet (see John 13), commanding them that they would also wash others’ feet. We need to come to the Lord and allow Him every day to wash our feet, removing all defilement and corruption by His flowing life, and we need to cooperate with Him by being one with Him to minister Christ as the living word of God to others to wash their feet in love.
Eventually, by remaining in this process of being washed all the days of our life, we are not only cleansed and purified but any spot or wrinkle are being removed, and the washing of the water in the word has the effect of reconstituting us with Christ so that we may become the beautiful bride of Christ to match Him in every possible way.
We simply need to remain in this process of being daily washed not only by the Lord’s blood from sin but also by the Lord’s love from spots, wrinkles, and any such things, so that we may become His beautiful bride for who He will return!
The Ascended Christ is Cleansing the Church by the Washing of the Water in the Word
Today our Christ is in His ascension: He is the ascended Head of the Body, and in His heavenly ministry the ascended Christ is cleansing the church by the washing of the water in the word (see Eph. 5:26). This shows us the importance of reading the Bible with a heart turned to the Lord and a spirit exercised before Him: when we read the Bible, we are being washed and cleansed so that we may become the beautiful wife of Christ, the church.
We may not remember too much from what we read in the Bible, but we are washed, and any impurity is removed. We need to encourage one another to come to the word of God again and again, and we shall be cleansed!
The Greek word for “washing” in Eph. 5:26 is literally “laver”; the Jews knew that this laver was vitally necessary in the tabernacle, for the priests had to wash in it before doing anything to remove any earthly defilement (Exo. 30:18-21); now this laver, the washing of the water, washes us from defilement. The water in Eph. 5:26 refers to the flowing life of God, which is typified by the flowing water (Exo. 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4; John 7:38-39; Rev. 21:6; 22:1, 17).
We all were given to drink one Spirit, and by drinking the life-giving Spirit, we are metabolically and organically washed, cleansed, and renewed in a very subjective way.
According to the divine concept, water in Ephesians 5:26 refers to the flowing life of God, which is typified by flowing water (Exo. 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4; John 7:38-39; Rev. 21:6; 22:1, 17). The washing of the water here is different from the washing of the redeeming blood of Christ. The redeeming blood washes away our sins (1 John 1:7; Rev. 7:14), whereas the water of life washes away the blemishes of the natural life of our old man, such as the “spot or wrinkle or any such things” mentioned in Ephesians 5:27. In separating and sanctifying the church, the Lord first washes away our sins with His blood (Heb. 13:12) and then washes away our natural blemishes with His life. We are now in such a washing process, that the church may be holy and without blemish (Eph. 5:27). (Eph. 5:26, footnote 3, Recovery Version)
The Lord’s cleansing washes away the natural element from the depths of our being. The washing away of our natural disposition cannot be accomplished by teachings or doctrines but by the impartation of the Lord’s element into our being. While His element is imparted into us, something of the old element is being carried away; on the one hand we have the addition of Christ, and on the other, the subtraction of the natural element.
The result of this process of being washed by the water in the word of God is transformation; the more we open to Christ as the life-giving Spirit and tell Him that we are willing to take Him as our life and person, the more He will work within us as the life-giving Spirit to carry away all our oldness and to add Himself to us.
We need to daily come to the Lord in His word, turn our heart to Him, and exercise our spirit to pray over God’s word; then, we need to allow Him to shine in us, expose any dirt or problems, and wash us as the life-giving Spirit. Every time we enjoy Christ as the washing life-giving Spirit, we enjoy organic salvation. Any moment we enjoy Christ and His fresh washing, we are full of joy!
Christ in resurrection has become the Spirit, and we need to drink Him as the Spirit, the river of water of life; every time we drink, we enjoy His washing, and a renewing takes place to make us the New Jerusalem! Hallelujah, Christ in ascension is constantly cleansing the church by the washing of the water in the word!
Lord Jesus, cleanse us by the washing of the water in the word so that You might obtain a glorious church who has no spots or wrinkles or any such thing! We want to daily experience Your flowing life so that any earthly defilement would be washed away and we may be cleansed and reconstituted with Your divine element. Lord, may this metabolic spiritual process take place in us every day: may every day more of God would be added to us while more of our old element is removed and washed away!
Being Washed by the Water in the Word to be the Bride of Christ, a Glorious Church
We need to daily be in the process of being cleansed by the Lord through the washing of the water in the Word; the indwelling Christ as the life-giving Spirit is always speaking an instant, present, living word to us so that He may metabolically cleanse away any old element in us and replace it with God’s element, causing an inward transformation in our being.
The redeeming blood of Christ washes away our sins (1 John 1:7; Rev. 7:14), whereas the water of life washes away the blemishes of the natural life of our old man, such as spots or wrinkles. Spots come because of hurts and wounds, and wrinkles are a sign of oldness; apart from Christ we are hurt and old, but when we are in the washing of the water in the word, we are new!
In the past, Christ as the Redeemer gave Himself up for the church (Eph. 5:25) for redemption and the impartation of life (John 19:34); in the present, He as the life-giving Spirit is sanctifying the church through separation, saturation, transformation, growth, and building up; and in the future, He as the Bridegroom will present the church to Himself as His counterpart for His satisfaction. Therefore, Christ’s loving the church is to separate and sanctify her, and His separating and sanctifying the church are to present her to Himself. (Eph. 5:27, footnote 1, Recovery Version Bible)
Humanly speaking there’s no way for us to remove the spots and wrinkles; once someone hurt us and we’re wounded, there’s a spot there that will stay forever, and as we grow older, wrinkles will spontaneously show. But God has a way to remove any spot and wrinkles or any such thing: He desires to obtain a beautiful bride for Christ, and He provides a fresh new way for us to be renewed: the washing of the water in the word!
The most basic way to be beautified to be the bride is to take care of being in the washing of the water in the word: stay in the washing of Christ as the wonderful life-giving Spirit! In order for us to be the bride of Christ, a beautiful bride with no spots or wrinkles but without blemish and perfect, we all need to never graduate from exercising our spirit, rejoicing in the Lord, calling on the name of the Lord, opening to the Lord, announcing the Lord, preaching the gospel, shepherding people, and staying in the process of being washed by the life-giving Spirit daily!
Let us not quench the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) but be filled in spirit praising, thanking, psalming, praying, and amen-ing the Lord’s inward speaking, thus allowing Christ as the life-giving Spirit water to bring us into the reality of every aspect of the tabernacle so that we could be His counterpart.
How can the spots and wrinkles be removed so that we may be a beautiful bride for Christ? It is by the washing of the water in the word. May we give the Lord our cooperation day by day so that He may be able to present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish!
Lord Jesus, sanctify us, cleansing us by the washing of the water in the word so that we may be a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things but be holy and without blemish to be Your counterpart! Lord Jesus, we want to never graduate from exercising our spirit, rejoicing, and praising the Lord! Oh, Hallelujah, now Christ is the life-giving laver – He is the washing One, and He is sanctifying us, renewing us, and transforming us to beautify us and present the church to Himself glorious! Praise the Lord!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, brother Dick Taylor’s sharing in the message for this week, and The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 215 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Exodus (3), week 7 (week 31), The Laver of Bronze.
- All Bible verses are taken from, Holy Bible Recovery Version.
- Hymns on this topic to strengthen this burden:
# Now Christ is the life-giving Spirit; / Now Christ is the living Word too. / The Spirit will flow in our spirit, / The Word will be life to us through— / Praying, reading, praising and / Calling upon His name; / Praying, reading, praising and / Calling upon Him. (Song on Christ as Spirit washing us)
# ’Tis by the Word the church is made / Holy and pure as He; / All spots and wrinkles it removes / That she His Bride may be. (Hymns #1310)
# Who will now be washed by water in the Word? / “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh!” / Spots and wrinkles cleanse before the shout is heard, / “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh!” (Hymns #1309)
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