"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." - Ephesians 5:25-27 KJV

Christ loved the church so much that He gave Himself for it – by suffering and dying on a cross. The story didn’t end with His death; He was buried, and then on the third day rose again. This is the Gospel – the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (1Corinthians 15:1-4)

How does Jesus sanctify and cleanse His church? By our obedience to the Gospel. We repent of our sins, turning our back on them. We are buried in water baptism in the name of Jesus for the remission of our sins. We receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is the Spirit of Jesus within us, speaking in tongues as His Spirit gives the utterance, just as the early church received the Holy Ghost in the book of Acts. (Acts 2:38, Acts 2:4)

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines the Greek word for “word” (“rhema”) in the second part of Ephesians 5:26 (above) as: “c. a series of words joined together into a sentence (a declaration of one’s mind made in words) B. a saying of any sort, as a message, a narrative; “cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,” acc. to promise (prop. on the ground of his word of promise, viz. the promise of the pardon of sins cf. Mark 16:16), Ephesians 5:26 …iq. ‘the gospel,’ Ephesians 6:17, Romans 10:8…”

“Sanctify” in this verse is defined by Thayer’s: “to purify by expiation, free from the guilt of sin.” (Expiation=atonement)

My understanding of Thayer’s definition is that by the Gospel (1Corinthians 15:1-5/Acts 2:38), we have the promise of Christ’s atonement applied to our life setting us free from the guilt of sin, and the power of His Spirit. (Acts 2:38-39, Acts 1:8, Luke 24:49)

By the atoning blood of Jesus applied to our life through His name at baptism, and by the power of His Spirit working daily in our life, Jesus one Day will present His church to Himself without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish. (Matthew 26:28, Luke 24:47-49, Acts 2:38-39, Revelation 1:5)

That Day will be here before we expect it – we must be ready for when Jesus returns. (Matthew 24:42-44, 2Peter 3:14, Jude 1:24-25, Colossians 1:21-23, 27-28, 1Corinthians 15:52, 1Thessalonians 4:16-17)