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Quickened (Alive, Living, & Revived) – The Gospel of Regeneration
Initial Salvation
“And you hath He quickened who were dead” (Eph. 2:1). “when we were dead in sins, hath quickened” (Eph. 2:5). |
Salvation is described in a past tense experience termed in this way: when you were dead you were then quickened. This simply means, brought from death to life in Christ, which is, carnality to Spirituality, because “to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6). Now what happens when a Christian, who has passed from death to life, is no longer walking in the Spirit, but rather the flesh which is death?
Present Progressive Salvation
Present Progressive Salvation
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“And unto the angel of the Church in Sardis write; These things saith He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.” -Rev 3:1
“Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” -Eph 5:14 “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” -1 Jn. 3:14 |
To a regenerate Church of God, Christ said, “thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” (Rev. 3:1), yet they were at one time living rightly with God. A regenerate man will be judged at present, at death, or at the Judgment as dead, if he has left off saving faith in the gospel which results in the quickening power of life over death & sin. Christ is reproving the Church in Revelation 3:1 with loss of salvation as the consequence in view. This should be understood by the plain terms Jesus used when He said, “thou…art dead” (Rev. 3:1), but later Christ ends this reproof of the Church of Sardis with unarguable clarity, saying, “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels” (Rev. 3:5). Now look closely at Ephesians 5:14. Do you see how the apostle appeals to the regenerate Ephesians that they “were sometimes darkness” but now were “light in the Lord” (Eph. 5:8) because of their initial salvation, and yet, do you see how this means that they were sometimes dead but now they were alive in the Lord? You see, they were made light and alive at initial salvation, but they were not walking in the light or life of Christ! Paul judges that, at this point, they were considered spiritually dead in the sight of God. The appeal for repentance is clear: “Arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light” (Eph. 5:14). All the saints of the past understood that they could fall into a damnable condition spirituality even though they were already alive by regeneration, therefore they prayed:
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“Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.” -Ps. 71:20
“So will not we go back from Thee: quicken us, and we will call upon Thy name.” -Ps. 80:18 “My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken Thou me according to Thy word.” -Ps. 119:25 “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken Thou me in Thy way.” -Ps. 119:37 “Behold, I have longed after Thy precepts: quicken me in Thy righteousness.” -Ps. 119:40 “Quicken me after Thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of Thy mouth.” -Ps. 119:88 “I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto Thy word.” -Ps. 119:107 “Hear my voice according unto Thy lovingkindness: O LORD, quicken me according to Thy judgment.” -Ps. 119:149 “Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to Thy word.” -Ps. 119:154 “Great are Thy tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to Thy judgments.” -Ps. 119:156 “Consider how I love Thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to Thy lovingkindness.” -Ps. 119:159 “Quicken me, O LORD, for Thy name's sake: for Thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble” -Ps. 143:11 |
“When lust is conceived it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished bringeth forth death” (James 1:14), so that when a regenerate Christian backslides into a blamable state of darkness and death, firstly, they are spiritually dead (which is a recoverable condition, hence the appeal to repent), and if they tarry long in this dead rebellion then there remains only one conclusion: at the time limit of God’s choosing, they will be reprobated into an unrecoverable condition of spiritual death, doomed for the second death, and since they were once dead, then alive, and now irrevocably dead in their sins again, they are said to be “twice dead” (Jude 12). James 5:19-20 speaks directly on this grave matter. All Christians are exhorted to help recover their brethren from spiritual death before it reaches the threshold of judgment when it becomes an irrevocable reprobation into second death! “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins”. A reprobate man is a man who cannot repent, who cannot be interceded for with Christian intercessory prayer, as it is written: “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and He shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it” (1 Jn. 5:16). Why does John say, “I do not say that he shall pray for it?” Because the NT threshold of reprobation is in view; therefore that which is said in the Old Testament is echoed in the New: “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to Me: for I will not hear thee” (Jer. 7:16). “Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for good…” (Jer. 15:11).
A regenerate man must obey the gospel by command, which is to “arise from the dead”, even though he is already alive and risen, and so he must lay hold upon the powers of life that are in Christ to walk in Him, lest they be found to be as those which do abide in death, as 1 John 3:14 warns. Perhaps now you may understand the warnings of Christ, The Judge of Christians, when He said – “he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death” (Rev. 2:11). Dear reader, reckon this fact! Christ will judge regenerate Christians as He judges the regenerate Churches in Revelations 2-3, as the apostles are burdened for and seek the salvific perfection of saving faith with continuance in all regenerate Churches that were committed to their care (as seen by all the gospel language covered thus far); therefore it is imperative that we understand that we are alive by initial salvation, we must presently and progressively be alive in Christ, so as to walk in His life (Gal. 5:25), to the end that we are judged worthy of salvation by keeping the faith unto the end. Christ returning to judge between the quick and the dead means the same to say, Christ will judge between the revived and the dead, and yet, today men have made revival out to be an eternally insignificant experience in regenerate Christians. Will you understand the burden of the New Testament and look at these passages straight on, and present-progressively walk in the revived life of a Christian, even so to be judged quick on that last day? Perhaps you will understand this burden now:
A regenerate man must obey the gospel by command, which is to “arise from the dead”, even though he is already alive and risen, and so he must lay hold upon the powers of life that are in Christ to walk in Him, lest they be found to be as those which do abide in death, as 1 John 3:14 warns. Perhaps now you may understand the warnings of Christ, The Judge of Christians, when He said – “he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death” (Rev. 2:11). Dear reader, reckon this fact! Christ will judge regenerate Christians as He judges the regenerate Churches in Revelations 2-3, as the apostles are burdened for and seek the salvific perfection of saving faith with continuance in all regenerate Churches that were committed to their care (as seen by all the gospel language covered thus far); therefore it is imperative that we understand that we are alive by initial salvation, we must presently and progressively be alive in Christ, so as to walk in His life (Gal. 5:25), to the end that we are judged worthy of salvation by keeping the faith unto the end. Christ returning to judge between the quick and the dead means the same to say, Christ will judge between the revived and the dead, and yet, today men have made revival out to be an eternally insignificant experience in regenerate Christians. Will you understand the burden of the New Testament and look at these passages straight on, and present-progressively walk in the revived life of a Christian, even so to be judged quick on that last day? Perhaps you will understand this burden now:
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“Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead…” -1 Pet. 4:5
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, Who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom...” -2 Tim. 4:1 |