Water of Life, Water for Life

Throughout the Bible, the symbol of water speaks to Christians in very significant ways. Water is a symbol of God’s creation of the world. Water is a symbol of purification from sin in the aspiration of a holy life. And, because water is a necessity for life, no human being should be denied the right to water.

In the first and last chapters of the Bible, we read that when God created the world, God ensured that the whole variety of life on the planet would be sustained by water. Water is a gift of God for life. Reference is made in the last book of the Bible, of a river that would flow through the heavenly city and people are invited to drink of the wondrous river of life. Therefore both in heaven and earth, water symbolizes life in its pristine form.

Jesus himself spoke of water as a symbol of a new rejuvenated spiritual life. Jesus refers to the need to be “born again” of water and the Spirit (John 3) and that He himself is the “living water” (John 4). The Church, following the teachings of Jesus, continues to this day to institute the rite of water baptism as a person’s public acknowledgement of being a believer in Jesus Christ.

There are many other references from the Books of the Prophets, which compel those who believe in God, to guarantee the rights of all people to the basic necessities of life. To a people in exile, and who have been oppressed, the prophet Isaiah holds out a vision of hope for his people when he says; “Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat”. Water is God’s gift to humanity and no person should be denied of it.

Based on such rich resources of what water symbolizes in the Bible, Churches today see it as part of their central duty to campaign for the right of water for all people.

At the global level, Churches are actively involved in advocacy to ensure that fresh water resources are not depleted through the commercializing activities of unscrupulous organisations out to exploit such resources for maximum profit. The World Council of Churches has issued strong statements to speak of clean water as a basic human right, and should be accessible to all. 

At the regional level, the churches in Asia are working with other religious groups to exert pressure on governments to have legislation in place to protect water resources and to ensure that clean water is affordable for all its citizens.

At the national level, the Council of Churches of Malaysia is in the process of drafting a statement calling on the churches to declare their commitment to ensuring that clean water is made assessable and affordable for all citizens, most especially for the poor and the needy.

Today, over one billion people do not have access to clean water, and 2.5 billion lack proper sanitation. Our planet earth has enough water for everyone, but it is not within everybody’s reach. There are many countries where poor people cannot afford clean water because its supply has been privatized.

Let us join forces, religious and civil groups and NGOs, to do what we can to ensure that water for life will be protected and sustainable for all here and elsewhere in the world.

Rev. Dr. Hermen Shastri
31st March 2007