Why Is Water So Important Throughout Scripture?

God knows how much humans need physical water. In the creation story, as God created heaven and earth and established its order, the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters that covered Earth, and God made a vault (a space) that divided “the waters from the waters” (Genesis 1:6-8). The division created a great body of water on Earth, and at the same time, the expansive “firmament” (sky or heavens) above Earth’s atmosphere. 

Some have suggested that when God made dry land appear on the third day of creation, some water covering the earth was trapped underneath and within the dry land, creating a massive amount of water — a huge, deep reservoir. In 2014, scientists reported about an “ocean” 700 kilometers beneath the earth’s crust, more water than all surface oceans combined!

When God created man on the sixth day, Adam’s body was made from the dust of the ground, but it also contained water. Science notes that the human body comprises about sixty percent water. The brain and heart are composed of seventy-three percent water and the lungs have about eighty-three percent water. Water is in our skin, muscles, kidneys — even our bones. Water accomplishes many essential functions in the human body, and it is one of God’s sustaining creations.

During the Great Flood, God exploded the “fountains of the great deep” — probably through fissures in the ground — and allowed these deep springs to flood Earth’s surface. Rain also poured continuously from the windows of heaven for 40 days and 40 nights (Genesis 7:11-12). In this cataclysm, Earth was covered with water!

Our human existence and experience are strongly tied to water, but there’s something we need even more than physical water. We need the water that the Bible describes.

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The water mankind needs is called “living water.” Its life emanates from the One who “came by water and blood” (1 John 5:6). Some say this refers to Jesus’ physical birth, but others explain that Jesus, the Lamb of God, was baptized in water and later shed His blood so our sins could be forgiven (Hebrews 9:22; John 1:29). 

Jesus told Nicodemus, “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). There are several ideas about what Jesus meant by water in this verse. Again, one school of thought says it refers to physical birth, with a baby floating in fluid until it is born and rests in its mother’s arms. Christians are said to be “born again” in the new birth. Another perspective is that “born of water” indicates spiritual cleansing. Nicodemus, a dedicated teacher of Jewish law, would understand this from his studies (Ezekiel 36:25).

After Jesus asked a Samaritan woman for a drink of water, He told her about this “living water” He could offer so she would “never thirst” again (John 4:7-14). She eventually understood what Jesus meant: He offered her the gift of salvation — the “spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 

Even as the Israelites were kept alive in the desert by water flowing from a rock (Exodus 17:1-7), New Testament Christians find their life-giving water in the Rock, the Lord Jesus. One part of the Feast of Tabernacles was the pouring out of water at the altar’s base for seven days. (On the eighth day, this pouring out of water was suspended.) Jesus was in the temple as the feast climaxed (John 7:37-39) and He made a dramatic announcement: Anyone who was spiritually thirsty could come to Him to “drink,” and whoever came to Him would find “rivers of living water” flowing into their heart. 

In this case, John tells us that “living water” is the Holy Spirit (who had not yet come). The Spirit of God would give life to those who trusted Christ for salvation, and become the channel God would use to work in believers. This was the “water” God promised in Isaiah 44:3.

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Beyond creation’s story and Noah’s flood, there are many instances related to water in the Scriptures. The Bible clearly says that Jonah was swallowed by a large fish for his act of disobedience after the prophet was tossed into the sea. Solomon advised couples, “drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well,” symbolically comparing life-sustaining water to sustaining marital love.

Moses led the Israelites’ escape through the Red Sea, with the water parting and standing up around them (Exodus 14:1-31). At different points in Israel’s journey, God’s chosen people complained about bitter water and lack of water (Exodus 15:23; 17:1-2). Under Jewish law, the Old Testament priests used bitter water — touched supernaturally by God — to determine adultery (Numbers 5:11-31). 

The Bible doesn’t address the idea of “holy water” as it’s used today in some religions, but it does report the Old Testament ritual of cleansing unclean things with water (Leviticus 15-17). 

God, through Isaiah, said He would make a way in the desert and “streams” in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19). Isaiah invited his people to “come to the waters” to satisfy their thirst — to the waters they could not pay for (Isaiah 55:1). In this metaphor, God offered those who would seek Him the gift of mercy and pardon (vv. 55:6-7).

The psalmist said God is our Shepherd who leads us beside “quiet waters,” restoring our soul and teaching us His ways (Psalm 23:2-3).

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Jews in Jesus’ day kept water in stone pots for purification (John 2:6). In Jesus’ first miracle, at a wedding in Cana, He turned pots of water into wine (John 2:1-11). 

Jesus walked on the water at the Sea of Galilee during a strong storm, coming to comfort His frightened, exhausted disciples. And Peter walked on water too — until he took his eyes off of Jesus (Matthew 14:22-33). 

Jesus offered life-giving water in the temple (signaling the fulfillment of Isaiah 12:3). In contrast, Peter compared false teachers to dried-up springs or “wells without water” in 2 Peter 2:17. Their false teachings distort or deny the life-giving gospel message. 

When God sends judgments on the earth, a third of the waters of Earth will become bitter (Revelation 8:10-11), but Revelation 7:17 says the Lamb of God will “lead them to springs of living water.” The word “them” refers to the great multitude in white robes who will come out of the tribulation (vv. 9-10, 13-14). 

Jesus, in Revelation 21:6, says, “It is done. … To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” Salvation costs us nothing; it is the free gift of God in Christ, but it cost Jesus His earthly life on the cross. The One who said, “I thirst” on the cross is the same one who satisfies our spiritual thirst.

While there will no longer be any “seas” on the new earth (Revelation 21:1), there will likely be bodies of fresh water in the restored Eden. A river of life flows from God’s heavenly throne (Revelation 22:1).

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Water baptism does not save us. Rather it symbolizes believers’ trust in Christ for salvation and their commitment to obey Him as Lord. Jesus commanded baptism as part of our identity with Him in making disciples (Matthew 28:19). 

Although the mode of water baptism differs in some Christian denominations, baptism by immersion pictures what Jesus did for us by portraying our burial with Him and resurrection to new life (Romans 6:3-7). 

Baptism is also an expression of our unity in God’s family of faith — “we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

“Living Water” in the Life of the Believer

In the Bible, brides used cleansing water in preparation for their wedding day. Paul described how Christ makes His bride, the church, completely holy — by “cleansing her by the washing with water through the word” (Ephesians 5:25-26). This washing through the Word can lead to confession of sin and repentance as Christians remember the sacrifice of Jesus to secure their pardon.

Jesus mentioned two situations related to water. First, He instructed His disciples to be hospitable to prophets and the righteous (Matthew 10:40-42) and He gave a concrete example, saying they should give “a cup of cold water” to those who follow Him. That cup represents how believers should care for others, considering their needs.

Second, Jesus modeled humility by washing feet. Because the roads in Israel were dusty, foot washing before meals was required. It was a task normally handled by servants, but Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. He did so to display His willingness to serve others. It was also a teachable moment about their servanthood as His chosen disciples (John 13:15). When Peter refused Jesus’ humble service, the Lord shocked him, saying, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me” (John 13:8). Jesus explained that only foot washing is necessary when you’ve already had a bath. The lesson is that we only need daily “washing away” of sin through confession once we’ve had the “bath” of salvation in Christ.

In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prayed for His followers saying, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” As we are washed and made holy in the Word, God expects us to “walk in a manner worthy” of our calling. The writer of Hebrews echoes this truth when he says our hearts are sprinkled and “our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22). 

Water is important because it is woven throughout Scripture in tangible and spiritual ways, teaching us much about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and how we can live as God’s redeemed children.

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