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No.7. The Fourth Reckoning.
"Quickened together with Christ."
pp. 235 - 238
It is a common mistake, when enumerating the steps that link the cross with the future
manifestation in glory, to step from union in death with Christ, to being raised with Him,
"Crucified with Him, dead with Him, buried with Him, and raised with Him", but by so
doing, we omit the first great anticipatory "reality". The next rung in this ladder of life is
given in Eph. 2: It is "quickened with Him", and this precedes being raised with Him,
and is experience here and now.
"Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ" (Eph. 2: 5).
The word translated "quicken together" is suzoopoieo, and occurs only in Eph. 2: 5
and Col. 2: 13, its composition being obvious. The word zoopoieo to make alive, or
to quicken, occurs twelve times in the Greek N.T., three of which occurrences are found
in John's Gospel, one in Peter's first epistle, and eight in the epistles of Paul, of which
seven occurrences are found in the epistles written before Acts 28:, and one only
afterwards.
Zoopoieo is used six times in the LXX, where it is set forth as the prerogative of God
(Neh. 9: 6); and withheld from "the wicked" (Job 36: 6).
The way in which this word is employed by the Apostle Paul, will prepare our minds
for its application in Eph. 2: 5 and Col. 2: 13.
(1)
It is of the very nature of God as the God of our salvation, that He be believed on as "God Who
quickeneth the dead" (Rom. 4: 17). It was this faith that justified Abraham.
(2)
It is of the very nature of the Law and the Old Covenant, that they could neither justify nor
"give life" (Gal. 3: 21; II Cor. 3: 6).
(3)
It is of the very nature of this "quickening" that it be associated with the resurrection brought in
by Christ as the second Man and the last Adam (I Cor. 15: 22, 36 and 45).
(4)
It is of the very nature of the life we "now live in the flesh" after having believed in the Lord
Jesus Christ, that this life should be an anticipation of the future resurrection here and now,
"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).
In the two epistles Ephesians and Colossians, the word zoe "life" occurs but three times.
(1)
"Alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4: 18); the condition of all men by nature.
(2)
"Your life", "our life" (Col. 3: 3, 4). Here Christ is revealed as our life, this life is hid with
Christ in God, and our manifestation with Him in glory will not take place until He Himself
is manifested.