What does "“quicken" mean? And what gives life, Spirit or water?

BrotherJJ · Jan 23, 2026

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words: QUICKEN [ G2227, zoopoieo ] to make alive:" See LIFE, C.

[ G4806,suzoopoieo / sunzoopoieo ] "to quicken together with, make alive with" (sun, "with" and No. 1), is used in Ephesians 2:5; Colossians 2:13, of the spiritual life with Christ, imparted to believers at their conversion.

THE SPIRIT QUICKENS — THE SPIRIT GIVES LIFE

When Christ performs the New Testament baptism with the Holy Spirit, it is a spiritual circumcision, done without hands & without water.

Matt 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
(NOTE: John clearly distinguishes his water baptism from Christ's Holy Spirit baptism. Also see Lk 3:16)

Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

1 Cor 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
(NOTE: Translators capitalized "Spirit" to indicate the Holy Spirit. Only Christ baptizes with/in/by the Holy Spirit.)

Jn 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
(NOTE: Spiritual life "being born again" is produced by Christ's Holy Spirit baptism, not by any physical act.)

Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision "made without hands", in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
(NOTE: The OT covenant of circumcision in Gen 17 was a PHYSICIAL, flesh‑cutting ritual done by human hands. The "circumcision of Christ," done "without hands", is the inward, spiritual work of the Holy Spirit & not the physical ritual of water baptism.)

Deut 30:6 (A) the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart

Rom 10:17 FAITH come's by HEARING the word of God.

Acts 10:44 They were QUICKENED/made spiritually alive, by HEARING & BELEVING.

Acts 10:47 They HAD already received the Spirit by FAITH. They were QUICKENED/made spiritually alive before water baptism.

Acts 1:15 The 1st 120 at Pentecost were baptized in/with/by Christ' Holy Spirit > QUICKENED/made spiritually alive all without water (Acts 2:4). They were eternally sealed before any water ritual

Jesus' Holy Spirit baptism Forever (Jn 14:16) Seals (Eph 1:13-14, 4:30, 2 Cor 1:22, 5:5, 2 Tim 1:14) the believer is received by Faith (Rom 5:1-2)

Eph 1:
13 In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God].

14 The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.

Finally:
Water baptism a commandment given by Jesus, Peter & others.

Water baptism as an act of obedience, a public identification with Jesus death & resurrection & a doorway to discipleship. Every believer should partake.

Jesus also commanded partaking in communion. These actions are commanded, every believer should partake as an act of discipleship, obedience & remembrance.

Neither action is the doorway leading to eternal salvation. These events follow Jesus' Holy Spirit baptism-salvations eternal seal, performed by Christ alone.

See Matt 3:11, Lk 3:16, Mk 1:8, Jn 1:33, Acts 1:4-5, 2:38, 10:45, 11:16)

privatepop · Jan 24, 2026

Water baptism was a SIGN pointing having one's sins washed away even as circumcision pointed to having one's sins cut off by the shedding of blood. Water in the Bible can point to the gospel of salvation or of judgment. It is through the fires of hell, death, that Christ washed away our sins if he saved us.

stevevw · Jan 24, 2026

The Quickening referred to the first movements felt by the mother of her baby. A sort of coming alive in that the mother was feeling another life move as a life itself. Signifying they were carrying a life.

I also think 'quicken' can mean life itself. Or the 'Life Force' that exists that makes life an active, breathing entity as opposed to a inanimate object.

In some ways without conscious life there can be no spirit.

Which makes one wonder what exactly is the spirit. Is it life itself and perhaps Christs is the perfect life and spirit. But it seems to me that my conscious self whatever that is can have relationship with Christs spirit. Therefore my conscious self must also be spiritually based.

BrotherJJ · Jan 24, 2026

privatepop said:
Water baptism was a SIGN pointing having one's sins washed away even as circumcision pointed to having one's sins cut off by the shedding of blood. Water in the Bible can point to the gospel of salvation or of judgment. It is through the fires of hell, death, that Christ washed away our sins if he saved us.

The OP included Vine's NT of words dictionary defined Quicken

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words: QUICKEN [ G2227, zoopoieo ] to make alive:" See LIFE, C.

[ G4806,suzoopoieo / sunzoopoieo ] "to quicken together with, make alive with" (sun, "with" and No. 1), is used in Ephesians 2:5; Colossians 2:13, of the spiritual life with Christ, imparted to believers at their conversion.

(NOTE: Quicken together with, make alive spiritually with Christ' Spirit, given to believers at their conversion. Eph 2:5 & Col 2:13.

Christ Himself quickens/indwells the believer with/by/in the Holy Spirit at conversion.

You said, water baptism was a SIGN pointing to having one's sins washed away. Scripture tell a different story.

John the Baptist said:
I baptize with water & that the & Lamb of God (Jn 1:29) that comes after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit(Matt 3:11, Mk 1:8, Lk).

When Christ preforms the New Testament Holy Spirit baptism it's a spiritual/circumcision & it's done without hands

Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

1 Cor 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
(NOTE: Translators capitalized Spirit to identify when referring the Holy Spirit. Only Christ baptizes with/in/by the Holy Spirit. NO H2O used)

Jn 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
(NOTE: It's the baptism of Jesus Holy Spirit that gives born again spiritual life. Not any physical act one does)

Col 2:11 """In whom also ye are circumcised""" """with the circumcision""" """made without hands""", in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the """""circumcision of Christ""""":
(NOTE: The Old Testament covenant of circumcision in Gen 17 was a PHYSICIAL, flesh‑cutting ritual performed by human hands. The circumcision of Christ, "made without hands." is the inward, SPIRITUAL work of the Holy Spirit & not the physical ritual of water baptism.

Deut 30:6 (A) the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart

Rom 10:17 FAITH come's by HEARING the word of God.

Acts 10:44 Say's as Peter preach the gospel the Holy Spirit fell on ALL that HEARD.

Acts 10:47 Peter say's can anyone forbid these gentiles who "HAVE" received the Holy Spirit. They "HAD" received the Holy Spirit BY FAITH, before Peter instructed water baptism.

Acts 2:1-4, 120 received Christ' salvation sealing baptism, before partaking in any water rituals.

Eph 1:
13 In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God].
(NOTE: They HEARD, they BELIEVED in Him & were FOREVER (Jn 14:16) SEALED/BAPTIZED (Eph 1:13-14, 4:30, 2 Cor 1:22, 5:5, 2 Tim 1:14) with Christ's Holy Spirit & no H2O needed)

Finally:
Water baptism a commandment given by Jesus, Peter & others.

Water baptism as an act of obedience, a public identification with Jesus death & resurrection & a doorway to discipleship. Every believer should partake.

Jesus also commanded partaking in communion. These actions are commanded, every believer should partake as an act of discipleship, obedience & remembrance.

Neither action is the doorway leading to eternal salvation. These events follow Jesus' Holy Spirit baptism-salvations eternal seal, performed by Christ alone.

AceWestfall08 · Feb 1, 2026

Hello, I believe i have a firsthand testimony expierence of baptism of water and spirit.
I have the full testimony in the the "Testimonies" thread but below is an exceprt from it. You can find the link to the full thread in my signature below.

So the first experience/vision.....I visited my father one weekend from college. While staying at his house overnight, I get up to use the bathroom. When i finish and pass my dad in the living room. (He slept on the couch), he was awake and told me to sit next to him. He then explained to me he wasn't my father, but he was really Gabriel. He placed his hand on my forehead. Immediately air rushed into my lungs and i sneezed with my mouth. At the same time, I felt the sensation of warm water being poured over me. I was then pulled out of my body into a separate "realm" that was above. This realm was pure black. Out of the blackness a Silvery/Blue face appears, and says "Thomas, I swear by my great name you are mine". He then asks me several times what I want, and I keep changing my answer. First it was to "live lives", then it was "for my mothers healing", then it was "just to be happy", then it was "to get out of the military", then finally I answered "I wanted to marry Rachel". I was sent off to bed, and as I laid in bed I heard a voice say to me, "My dad was going to die".....so I pleaded with the voice and said "Give my dad, mercy" (meaning his soul). [side note, 14 years later. he is still alive (but his life collapsed around him and changed majorly and he is doing really good now)] I fell asleep and forgot about this vision until my 2nd experience happened. I place this vision happening just before the Holiday Season 2011. I interpret this as a baptism of water and spirit.

My White Stone? 14 Years of Wrestling with God/Theology over "My" Rachel, like Jacob

7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. Let me set the Story. 14 years ago...

www.christianforums.com

Ain't Zwinglian · Thursday at 9:20 PM

BrotherJJ said:
Rom 10:17 FAITH come's by HEARING the word of God.

This verse has nothing to do with baptism. The credos seem to go to all the passages of Scripture which do not teach baptism....TO TEACH WHAT BAPTISM IS NOT. Strange.

BrotherJJ · Thursday at 10:50 PM

Ain't Zwinglian said:
This verse has nothing to do with baptism. The credos seem to go to all the passages of Scripture which do not teach baptism....TO TEACH WHAT BAPTISM IS NOT. Strange.

You're misunderstanding why Romans 10:17 was quoted. It wasn't quoted to teach baptism.

It was quoted to show the order of salvation: Hearing > Faith > Receiving the Spirit. That's the pattern Paul gives (Rom 10:17). That' s the pattern Peter gives (Acts 10:44–47). That's the pattern Luke records (Acts 11:15–18). That's the pattern Paul teaches again (Eph 1:13–14).

None of those passages mention water because water isn’t the cause of salvation. The Spirit is. So the point isn't "what baptism is not."

The point is what salvation is & the order God Himself gives: They heard (Rom 10:17; Acts 10:44). They believed (Acts 15:7). They received the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:44; Eph 1:13–14). Then they were baptized in water (Acts 10:47–48)

If people water to be the saving moment, they have to reverse the order Peter, Luke & Paul all give.

That's the issue not whether Romans 10:17 "teaches baptism," but whether a system matches the order God gives.

AceWestfall08 · Thursday at 11:03 PM

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Well the word of god is jesus christ.....(in the beginning was the word, the word was with god, and the word was god.

Ain't Zwinglian said:
This verse has nothing to do with baptism. The credos seem to go to all the passages of Scripture which do not teach baptism....TO TEACH WHAT BAPTISM IS NOT. Strange.

So hearing and true faith comes by jesus christ.
Nobody can come to the father, except through me. (jesus says)

AceWestfall08 · Friday at 10:27 PM

AceWestfall08 said:
So the first experience/vision.....I visited my father one weekend from college. While staying at his house overnight, I get up to use the bathroom. When i finish and pass my dad in the living room. (He slept on the couch), he was awake and told me to sit next to him. He then explained to me he wasn't my father, but he was really Gabriel. He placed his hand on my forehead. Immediately air rushed into my lungs and i sneezed with my mouth. At the same time, I felt the sensation of warm water being poured over me. I was then pulled out of my body into a separate "realm" that was above. This realm was pure black. Out of the blackness a Silvery/Blue face appears, and says "Thomas, I swear by my great name you are mine". He then asks me several times what I want, and I keep changing my answer. First it was to "live lives", then it was "for my mothers healing", then it was "just to be happy", then it was "to get out of the military", then finally I answered "I wanted to marry Rachel". I was sent off to bed, and as I laid in bed I heard a voice say to me, "My dad was going to die".....so I pleaded with the voice and said "Give my dad, mercy" (meaning his soul). [side note, 14 years later. he is still alive (but his life collapsed around him and changed majorly and he is doing really good now)] I fell asleep and forgot about this vision until my 2nd experience happened. I place this vision happening just before the Holiday Season 2011. I interpret this as a baptism of water and spirit.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Fast forward to Summer break. Rachel and I had broken up at the end of the school year, and i wasn't dealing with my emotions properly. I buried them, refusing to think about the pain and heartbreak. I started a job as a flagger for the oil and gas industry and we had plenty of downtime. Enough downtime where I had hours and hours to just sit and think. During this time my thoughts began to wander towards God, and missing not having a girlfriend. So I decide to pick up the Bible and read it at work. I read the Bible from cover to cover in 3 months for the first time on my own. During the timeframe I was power-reading the bible for the first time. I was sitting with a group of friends hanging out one day. When all of a sudden, i have the thought that God himself is going to smite me dead on the spot. This feelings of utter terror washes over me, and I am paralyzed with fear. The only thing I can do, is start crying loudly in front of everybody (seemingly random to everybody) and start praying in Glossolalia. (something I learned to do by only hearing my Dad do it once, Apostolics do it). While crying and praying in tongues in front of my friends, I felt the feeling and emotion of terror wash away from me, to be replaced with the feeling of Peace and Comfort and Reassurance. As I felt this way, my mind took control of itself. Thoughts were planted into my brain forcefully, and at the same time I heard a voice accompany them. This voice wasn't a whisper. It was loud and audible to me. The thoughts and the voice said "Thomas, You are the lonely sparrow, but I have given you wings, oh what mighty wings they are, spread them and fly." The feeling and voice disappeared and my mind relaxed, and I was left with my friends staring at me wondering what just happened.

Today, I equate this experience with Solomon's verse "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom". …9Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning. 10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 11For through wisdom your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life.…

About another 4-5 months after the "Fear of the Lord Experience". I am reskimming the New Testament. I come across this verse where Jesus commands the Rich man to give away all his possessions and follow him. I took this seriously. Seriously enough to get a hold of a local church and give all my possessions away. ALL MY CLOTHES. I gave away all my electronics. EVERYTHING, but my vehicle, which was owned by my dad. I even called my boss and quit my easy flagging job. I literally owned nothing but my Dad's vehicle, my bed, my pillow, my blanket, the clothes on my back, and the socks and shoes on my feet. I still had a little bit of money in my bank account, not much. Less than a few hundred dollars, but if I had thought about it at the time, I probably would've emptied my bank account too, but that thought didn't cross my mind. At the time, I believed I was taking a leap of faith that God would provide for me. …

20“All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” 22When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.…

My Dad catching wind of this, takes me to the hospital. I am diagnosed with Schizoaffective-Bipolar Type 2. Schizophrenia runs on my mothers side of the family. My grandmother had it, and my mother had it so bad, my parents were forced to divorce when i was age 3 for my safety concerns as a child. I interpret this moment of my life as "denying myself, and taking up my cross (schizophrenia).

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Lets take a look at my own personal testimony.
My first vision i was baptized by water and spirit. I had certainly heard of the gospel before my baptism, and i believed, but my faith wasnt a "saving" faith. It was barebones, believing faith, with no actual heart behind it.
That probably why i forgot about my baptism when it happened.
But the spirit (i believe) , led me to break up with rachel to give me time seek god on my own to free me from distractions.
The spirit gave me the desire to power read the bible for 3 months, giving me my 2nd expierence (fear of the lord expierence), which unlocked the memory of my baptism.
Was i 'saved" the moment of my Baptism of water and spirit.....well thats hard to say yes or no. At that time i recieved the spirit, but forgot about it and was unaware of it. But that didnt change the fact i was baptized by spirit and water. Because of this fact, the spirit led me as a baby to god, until i "grew up" a little bit, and unlocked the memory of my baptism.

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What does "“quicken" mean? And what gives life, Spirit or water?

BrotherJJ

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privatepop

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stevevw

inquisitive

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BrotherJJ

Well-Known Member

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AceWestfall08

Lonely Sparrow

My White Stone? 14 Years of Wrestling with God/Theology over "My" Rachel, like Jacob

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Ain't Zwinglian

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BrotherJJ

Well-Known Member

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AceWestfall08

Lonely Sparrow

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AceWestfall08

Lonely Sparrow

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