Describe Him: Quickener
Romans 8:11
The ESV helps us better understand the meaning of “quicken”:
The Spirit will quicken, or make alive, our mortal bodies.
We needed to be made alive because we were dead--much more dead than the corpse turned to dust after lying deep in the earth for a century.
Not only were we dead, but there was absolutely nothing we could do to change our state.
However, we read in Ephesians 2:5 that “even when we were dead in sins, [God] hath quickened us [made us alive (ESV)] together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;).”
We were dead, but through His Son’s life, God has given us life--not just the life we had before, but an altogether new life.
God quickened us.
He is the Quickener of the spiritually dead.
Before God gave me new life, (back when I was a spiritually dead corpse at the bottom of the ocean, unable to make any effort to save myself), I was still under sin’s dictatorial rule. The physical members of my body—my hands, feet, mouth, mind--could not help but do those deeds that are filthy, wretched rags in God’s sight.
In fact, I willingly acted in unrighteousness.
All because I was spiritually dead.
I was acting according to my spiritual state.
But all that has changed now that I have been quickened—made alive--in Christ.
How does being made alive change how I live?
Romans 8 develops the marvelous truth of the believer’s new life by confidently declaring that not only is the believer alive, but the believer is now free from sin and death (8:2).
As a believer, I am now free to walk according to the Spirit living in me (8:4).
In other words, my mortal body once again reflects my spiritual state:
When I was spiritually dead, my physical body was utterly incapable of doing anything but filthy unrighteousness and ungodliness in God’s sight.
However, now that I have been made alive in Christ, I have also been made alive physically so that my members can now live according to righteousness.
What does that mean?
It means that this very body—this body that has skin holding my insides in and wrapping around my toes--has been given the divine life that enables me to yield my members as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13).
This mortal body has been made alive so that I might serve Him in righteousness, being no longer a slave to the demands of sin.
Because this mortal body has now been quickened--my hands can now be instruments of service through Christ’s love, and my thoughts can be on those things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise.1
Because my mortal body has been quickened, my feet can now flee from the counsel of the wicked2 and my mouth can now offer up the sacrifice of praise to God.3
I am free from sin’s death-grip that compelled me to do unrighteousness and am instead now enabled by the Spirit to do those things that are not only right, but pleasing in God’s sight.
Hallelujah!
Praise God that He is the Quickener—the One who has given us new life, with the freedom and power to live each day according to Spirit!
1 from Philippians 4:8
2 from Psalm 1:1
3 from Hebrews 13:15
“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.” (KJV)
The ESV helps us better understand the meaning of “quicken”:
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
The Spirit will quicken, or make alive, our mortal bodies.
We needed to be made alive because we were dead--much more dead than the corpse turned to dust after lying deep in the earth for a century.
Not only were we dead, but there was absolutely nothing we could do to change our state.
However, we read in Ephesians 2:5 that “even when we were dead in sins, [God] hath quickened us [made us alive (ESV)] together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;).”
We were dead, but through His Son’s life, God has given us life--not just the life we had before, but an altogether new life.
God quickened us.
He is the Quickener of the spiritually dead.
Before God gave me new life, (back when I was a spiritually dead corpse at the bottom of the ocean, unable to make any effort to save myself), I was still under sin’s dictatorial rule. The physical members of my body—my hands, feet, mouth, mind--could not help but do those deeds that are filthy, wretched rags in God’s sight.
In fact, I willingly acted in unrighteousness.
All because I was spiritually dead.
I was acting according to my spiritual state.
But all that has changed now that I have been quickened—made alive--in Christ.
How does being made alive change how I live?
Romans 8 develops the marvelous truth of the believer’s new life by confidently declaring that not only is the believer alive, but the believer is now free from sin and death (8:2).
As a believer, I am now free to walk according to the Spirit living in me (8:4).
In other words, my mortal body once again reflects my spiritual state:
When I was spiritually dead, my physical body was utterly incapable of doing anything but filthy unrighteousness and ungodliness in God’s sight.
However, now that I have been made alive in Christ, I have also been made alive physically so that my members can now live according to righteousness.
What does that mean?
It means that this very body—this body that has skin holding my insides in and wrapping around my toes--has been given the divine life that enables me to yield my members as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13).
This mortal body has been made alive so that I might serve Him in righteousness, being no longer a slave to the demands of sin.
Because this mortal body has now been quickened--my hands can now be instruments of service through Christ’s love, and my thoughts can be on those things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise.1
Because my mortal body has been quickened, my feet can now flee from the counsel of the wicked2 and my mouth can now offer up the sacrifice of praise to God.3
I am free from sin’s death-grip that compelled me to do unrighteousness and am instead now enabled by the Spirit to do those things that are not only right, but pleasing in God’s sight.
Hallelujah!
Praise God that He is the Quickener—the One who has given us new life, with the freedom and power to live each day according to Spirit!
1 from Philippians 4:8
2 from Psalm 1:1
3 from Hebrews 13:15
Comments
Post a Comment