GOD THAT QUICKENS ALL THINGS PART 2

THEME: GOD THAT GIVES LIFE

God give life to all things, 1Tim 6: 13

He quickens by his word

He quickens by His Spirit

He quickens by Holy Communion and

He quickens by His miraculous power.

THE SPIRIT QUICKENS

Joh 6:63 KJV It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

What does the Bible mean by “the Spirit quickeneth” What does he quickens and why does that thing need the quickening?

ANOTHER CASE STUDY

2Cor 3:6 KJV Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

The word “giveth life” is also quickeneth.

“for the letter” (mere formal and literal precept, of the law) killeth (as in Rom 7 , brings the knowledge of sin, it’s guilt and its punishment. But the Spirit (of the gospel, i.e. God’s Holy Spirit, acting in and through Christ, Who (1Co 15:45 ) giveth life (not merely life eternal, but the whole new life of the man of God, see Rom 6:4 ; Rom 6:11 ; Rom 8:2, 8:10 ).

The word “letter” does not mean the entire written Word of God. Many have taken this view and declare that the Bible must not be taken literally, just as it says. 

It is a contrast between the old covenant and the new covenant, between the law and the gospel. The word “letter” stands for the law, which in its ministration kills and cannot give life. What the purpose of the law is and what it can do and cannot do is learned from the following passages: Rom 3:20 ; Rom 5:20 ; Rom 7:5-11 ; Rom 8:3 ; Gal 3:10 ; Gal 3:19.

By the law no flesh can be justified; by the law the offense abounded; the law means death to man (Rom 7:10-11 ). It is weak and has no power to help man, and it curses man. In this sense the letter, the law, killeth. But the spirit giveth life. It means that the spirit of the Gospel is different from the law, for the Holy Spirit operates through the Gospel and quickens the sinner who is dead and under the curse

How does the spirit quickeneth?

In order to understand what the Spirit quickeneth means, we have to go back to our first encounter with the Spirit in relation to man

The man was created in Gen 1: 27 but was formed in Gen 2.

Gen 1:27 KJV So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

The Hebrew word for “created” is “bara.” It means to bring something out of nothing. Every other thing created came from another existing material. E.g, he asks water to produce fish and ground to produce herbs and animals. But when it came to creating man, God spoke to Himself. So, God is the source of man. The man that was created was a spirit and lives in the spirit until Gen 2: 7

Gen 2:7 KJV And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The Hebrew word for “formed” is “yatsar” and it means to form, fashion, frame. It means to make something from an existing material. He was formed from the soil. He is earthy 1Cor 15: 47-57

When a woman was “made” a different Hebrew word was used. It is “banah” and it means: Phonetic: baw-naw’: to build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue.

The man created in Gen 1: 27 was the one lying down in Gen 2. But when the spirit that was created was breathed into him, He was quickened or became a living soul. So the spirit quickened him.

This was the situation of man until Gen 3 where man ate the forbidden fruit and he died. He died spiritually. He was separated from God.

When a man dies, the spirit leaves and according to James 2: 26, as a body without the spirit is dead… So a body without a spirit is dead.

When Adam sinned in the garden, he died spiritually. There was a separation between him and God. The spirit of man became dead, Every man born since that time comes with a dead spirit.

The flesh and mind may be wonderful, trained and educated in good schools but it profits nothing.

UNDER THE NEW COVENANT

So, now under the new covenant, the Spirit quickens in this way as discussed by the Lord. There is a fact which we must know.

1Co 15:22 KJV For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Rom 5:12 KJV Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

That spirit of man must be quickened in order to regain fellowship with God. And this is how the Spirit quickens or how we can be quickened.

In John 6 there has been discussion between the Jews and the Lord jesus. They were talking about Manna and Jesus told them He was the manna that came from heaven. He said He was the bread of life. If they want to have life then they must eat His flesh and drink of His blood.

The Jews were like ” are we cannibals” How can we eat His flesh and drink His blood?

Most Bible teachers have come up with the theory that He was talking about sacraments or Holy Communion. It is not true. Here He was talking about eating and drinking in a spiritual sense or by faith. In order words, He was talking about being born again.

When He speaks of being the Bread from Heaven He refers to His incarnation. “For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven and giveth His life for the world.” They rejected that Bread.

He speaks of eating His flesh and drinking His blood both for the reception of life and for the sustenance of that life

The Bread of God, He Himself, gave His life for the world. He gave His body and shed His blood on the cross. It is His sacrificial, atoning death. By faith we partake of it. Without it there is no life. 

Note the difference in John 6:53-54. 

In John 6:53 He speaks of those who have eaten His flesh and drunk His blood, apart from which there is no life. By faith the sinner appropriates Him, Who gave His body and shed His blood, and then receives eternal life. 

In John 6:54 He speaks of a continuous eating and drinking. He is the Source of eternal life. The believer feeds on Him; the eternal life the believer has must be sustained, nourished and kept by Himself, by ever feeding on His dying love. “The life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal 2:20 .) And the believer eating and drinking becomes one with Him. “He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth (literally: abideth) in Me and I in him.”(annotated)

it is the godhead of Christ united to human nature, which adds all virtue, efficacy, and merit, to the obedience and sufferings of human nature. It is the spirit, or divine nature of Christ, that quickeneth; the flesh, or human nature alone, profiteth nothing; and therefore the carnal eating of his flesh would do no good.

it is a spiritual eating of him by faith, that bringeth that quickening life of which he had spoken. It is the spirit, or divine nature, that quickeneth; the flesh, or human nature, alone, separated from his godhead, profiteth nothing, and can give no life.

ADVANTAGES OF BEING QUICKENED

1. A NEW CREATURE IS FORMED

2Cor 5:17 KJV Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

A new creature is formed when the spirit that is dead is quickened.

Eph 2:1 KJV And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Eph 2:5 KJV Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Please note we were dead in trespasses and sin before we became born again, after we received the quickening of the Spirit, we became dead to sin.

Rom 6:2 KJV God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Rom 6:11 KJV Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1Pet 2:24 KJV Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

(What does it mean to be dead to sin? Death means separation. It means we have been separated from it. It does not have power and dominion over a Christian any longer. We are free from its condemnation, guilt and punishment of sin.)

2. HE RECEIVES ETERNAL LIFE

When a man believes the gospel, just like in the creation, the Spirit enters into him by the word (the word & the Spirit are the same) and it imparts life to the man. This time he became a new creature.

Joh 6:54 KJV Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

It is the quality of the Father. It has all the attributes, power, anointing and ability of the Father.

This is how Jesus define eternal life:

John 17:3 KJV And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

This eternal life is also a deep intimate personal relationship with the Father and the Son.

It is this eternal life that makes him the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

2Cor 5:21 KJV For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

3. HE BECOMES PARTAKERS OF DIVINE NATURE

The life that he receives now is “zoe.” It is the life of God. It is eternal life. Life makes us to be partakers or sharers of divine nature.

2Pet 1:4 KJV Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

He that is joined with the Lord has become one spirit with Him. 

1Cor 6:17 KJV But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

4. GOD DWELLS IN YOU AND YOU DWELLS IN HIM

The Lord had said in Jn 15 that we should abide in Him.

Joh 15:4-7 KJV 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

How do we abide in Him? Is there what we must do or be doing to abide and for Him to abide in us?

Joh 6:56 KJV He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

It is when we eat His flesh and drink His blood that we dwell in Him. You become what you eat and what you eat becomes part of you. Take for instance, if you take too much cloves of Garlic, sooner than later your skin will start smelling Garlic odour.

5. EVER ABIDING PRESENCE

The Greek word used for “dwelleth” is “meno”. It means to remain, abide in reference to place, to sojourn, tarry, not to depart, to continue to be present, to be held, kept, continually, to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): – abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain and stand

5. ASSURANCE OF YOUR SALVATION

Joh 6:54 KJV Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Joh 6:58 KJV This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

What He gave to us is eternal salvation because we have eternal life. it is not a momentary one.

6. THE SPIRIT QUICKENS YOUR BODY

Rom 8:11 KJV But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Rom 8:11 YLT and if the Spirit of Him who did raise up Jesus out of the dead doth dwell in you, He who did raise up the Christ out of the dead shall quicken also your dying bodies, through His Spirit dwelling in you.

The word “mortal” there is “thnetos” Phonetic: thnay-tos.’ it means liable to death or liable to die.

So, it is not talking of a dead body now but one that is not yet dead but capable of dying and what that means is that our present living body can be quickened, rejuvenated, made alive and be impacted with life again. The sickness could be one inch away from where the Spirit is and if you don’t know, you may suffer affliction.

7. QUICKENED FROM THE DEAD

Just as Christ was quickened from the dead so also the believers had been quickened in Him and will be raised when he comes back by His Spirit.

1Per 3:18 KJV For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

Christ was raised from the dead by his divine nature, the Spirit of holiness, the eternal Spirit, by which he offered himself, and by virtue of which, as he had power to lay down his life, so he had power to take it up again; when he was also justified in the Spirit, and all the elect in him. and as Christ is quickened and raised from the dead, so all his elect are quickened together, and raised with him, representatively, and shall, by virtue of his resurrection, be raised personally, and live also

“He was put to death in flesh,” that is, His body. There could be no quickening of His spirit, for His spirit was alive. Furthermore, the word quickening, as we learn from Eph 1:20 and Eph 2:5-6 (refs2) , by comparing the two passages, applies to His physical resurrection, it is the quickening of His body. To teach that the Lord Jesus was made alive before His resurrection is unscriptural. The “quickened by the Spirit” means the raising up of His body. His human spirit needed no quickening; it was His body and only His body. And the Spirit who did the quickening is not His own spirit, that is, His human spirit, but the Holy Spirit

Conclusion:

We are not ordinary people. Some people will say “we are only human” It is not true. 1/3 of me is wall to wall Holy Ghost and I have His ever dwelling presence in me. I am not alone. I have the nature of God, i have the life of God, His ability is working for me. I have the wisdom of God. I cannot be defeated.