@Hiddenthings here, despite his refusal to answer the simple question: Is Christ Jesus God, nevertheless had demanded that I respond to his deliberate taking of this subject off topic by pointing out his misinterpretation of 1 Timothy 6:13, so just
for the sake of those who believe and know that our Lord Jesus Christ is God who came in the flesh to die and rise again for us after His dead body was quickened [zoopoieo] and raised for us, I'll do so:-
"I give thee charge in the sight of God, who
quickeneth [zoopoieo] all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession" (1 Timothy 6:13).
Just to be clear, even though the person who brought up this subject is deliberately attempting to derail the thread by changing the subject, and rudely falsely accusing me of deliberately ignoring his demand I speak about the above verse (which no doubt he wants to push his own misinterpretation of the meaning of),
the word
quickening [zoopoieo] in 1 Timothy 6:13
refers to God making alive again that which was dead (multiple times in the New Testament), as shown in the quotes below.
In all the verses below, the word refers to
(A) the quickening of Christ's dead body by the Spirit of God and raising Him from the dead, as well as (through and with) Christ's quickening and resurrection, (B) the quickening of
our dead bodies and us being raised again from the dead.
God is the one who gives life (as my previous posts have indeed said - in Him is life and He GIVES life IN CHRIST to those who are IN CHRIST),
and He
quickens the dead (makes the dead alive again)
through Christ who is the Word of God in whom is (eternal life) (John 1:4) and who became flesh.
So take a look at the verses and take note of the fact that they are all talking about God quickening the dead, and all using the same word:
"Fool ! That which you sow
is not quickened [zoopoieo], except it die." (1 Corinthians 15:36)
"..except it die.":
Paul was answering the question: "How are the dead raised [egeiro]? With what kind of body [soma] will they come?" (1 Corinthians 15:35), and he was talking about the resurrection of the body from death/the dead.
When Jesus died,
His Spirit did not die: His soul went into hades (Acts 2:27), where
by the Spirit he preached to the spirits in prison (1 Peter 3:18-20),
and His dead body, being quickened [zoopoieo] (made alive by the Spirit), was raised from the dead.
So take note of the Greek words [syzoopoieo] and [synegeiro] in the following verses referring to the quickening of the dead, and the raising of the dead:
Colossians 2:12-13
"Ye are buried with him in baptism, wherein also all of you are risen with him [synegeiro] through the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him [egeiro] from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
hath he quickened together with him [syzoopoieo], having forgiven you all trespasses."
"God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins,
He has syzōopoiéō (quickened together with) Christ, (by grace ye are saved); and has
raised us up together [synegeírō] and
made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-6).
"Christ is risen [egeiro] from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept.
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection [anastasis] of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so
in Christ shall all be quickened [zoopoieo: made alive]." (1 Corinthians 15:20-22).
"If Christ's Spirit is in you,
1. your
body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit (of Christ) is your (eternal) life [zoe] because of (Christ's) righteousness.
2. Moreover, if the Spirit of the one
who raised [egeiro] Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised [egeiro] Christ from the dead
will also quicken [zōopoiéō] your mortal bodies through his Spirit who lives in you." (Romans 8:10-11).
Ephesians 2:4-6, like Colossians 2:12-13, is talking about the positional reality in Christ of those who belong to Him:
"If then ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
For ye are dead, and your life [zōḗ] is hid with Christ in God. When
Christ, who is our life [zōḗ], shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-4).
(i) The word zoopoieo (quickening, being made alive) is being applied to the mortal body
in all the above verses.
(ii) The words egeiro, synegeiro and anastasis -
whenever they are referring to resurrection from death - are always referring to
the resurrection of the body in the New Testament.
Many Christians have misunderstood these verses quoted above (through non-deliberate ignorance)
, and cannot be blamed, nor should they feel ashamed -
UNLESS they
willfully continue to change the meaning of the word "quickening" in scripture to be referring to something it is NOT referring to:
So take a look at the same quickening and raising of the dead body being referred to in 1 Timothy 6:13:
1 Timothy 6
12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who
quickeneth [zoopoieo]
all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable,
until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
15 Which in his times he shall shew,
who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
16
Who only hath (possesses in Himself) immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.