A Quickened Spirit

“And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness.” Romans 8:10.

We need to have our spirits quickened, so that at the rapture we can receive a body like Jesus’ glorified body. This is the greatest and most glorious event to which we can look ahead with expectation.

When a person is converted, his spirit is saved from perdition, but it is not made alive. This only happens after the body has en­tered into the ministry of righteousness. “In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie” (Ecclesiastes 11:3); and if an ungodly person receives grace, he has not thereby learned righteousness (Isaiah 26:10). God can bless a person with gifts and good feelings, but He cannot bless him with a quickened spirit, because everyone must suffer to come to it.

Jesus said to His disciples, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink.” Mark 10:39. This can only be said to disciples—those who have forsaken everything and who do not consider it bondage to suf­fer in the flesh. 1 Peter 4:1. The disciples enter into the fellowship of the sufferings of Jesus, and drink the cup of suffering through the obedience of faith. Romans 1:5 and Philippians 3:10. Thus their spirits are made alive and their bodies are being redeemed from sin in the flesh. This is the salvation of the body. Romans 7:23 and 8:13. The body has to be a temple of the Holy Spirit so it can be conformed to Jesus’ glorified body. Romans 8:11 and Philippians 3:21.

This is a sac­rificial, priestly stewardship of the gospel. Romans 15:16. This stew­ardship is not found among those who do not believe that Jesus was born of the seed of David according to the flesh and that He has inau­gurated a new and living way through this flesh into the Holiest. Romans 1:3 and Hebrews 10:20. Therefore “to reckon ourselves dead indeed” sounds strange and unintelligible in such people’s ears.

They do not see any glory in suffering in the flesh. On the con­trary, it is said among such religious people that John, who was lean­ing on Jesus’ bosom, and the thief who was on the cross will be equally great in heaven. Jesus was raised from the dead through the blood of the everlasting covenant. Hebrews 13:20. The disciples must also partake of the blood of this covenant. We are sanctified “with” the blood of the covenant (Hebrews 13:12) and washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22. However, we enter into the Holiest “in” the blood of the covenant. Hebrews 10:19. If we expect to receive a glori­fied body without going through this dying process, we will be left standing outside just like the five foolish virgins. Matthew 25:11-12.

When the body is reckoned dead, the spirit can be made alive. Then we will not just receive an imputed righteousness, but we will partake of a personal righteousness that surpasses the righteousness of the scribes. Matthew 5:20 and 1 John 2:29. Now the “Sermon on the Mount”—which religious people consign to Mount Sinai as unattain­able—can be fulfilled. This is God’s hidden wisdom which is revealed to those who are mature, and which God has ordained before the ages for our glory. 1 Corinthians 2:6-7.

Jesus was the first one to reckon His body dead. “Being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18. Jesus is the Savior of His body. Ephesians 5:23. Therefore the same death and development of life occurs in His disciples.

May God bless those who are faithful in the battle with the oil of gladness. Hebrews 1:9. When the end result will be that we receive a glorified body, the fight of faith will have been worth all the effort. God be thanked for the light of His wisdom and knowledge.