My Final Word

Brown says all the examples of "of (from, out) the dead" dealt with physical death.  That most of them do is quite obvious.  But, this does not negate what "out from among the dead" or "away from the dead" connote.  Further, not all the passages that were referenced dealt with physical death.  Notice these words:

"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."  (Rom. 6: 4-6)

"Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God."  (Vs. 13)

Paul says that Christ being resurrected (quickened) "from (ek) the dead (nekros)" is "like" the conversion experience of Christians wherein they also were quickened "from (ek) the dead (nekros)."  Before being saved by the Spirit and word of the Lord, they were unconverted, and among the unconverted, literally, and as a class.  They were dead and among the dead.  When they were quickened (converted or regenerated) they were no longer "among the (spiritually) dead," were no longer dead.

Clearly these verses are talking about the new birth, when sinners begin their spiritual existence as children of God, when they are raised from spiritual death to spiritual life.  And, the same phrase is used as in Eph. 5: 14 - "from the dead."  Thus, to rise "from the dead" is used both in the context of physical death and resurrection and in the context of spiritual life and resurrection.

In Ephesians 2:1, the KJV adds the words "hath he quickened."  These words are not in the original Greek but are implied from the context. Paul ended Chapter 1 by affirming that the resurrection of Jesus is the pattern for our Christian resurrection (quickening), just as he did in Romans Chapter six.  Paraphrased, Paul is saying - "Christ was quickened from (out of) the dead and so have you been quickened from (out of) the dead in your conversion and will yet be quickened in your mortal bodies."  The "and you" means "and you also."  Meaning, "and you (also), like Christ, have been raised up from among the dead, or made alive."  Thus, the addition of "has he quickened" is implied.  Paul is clearly showing a likeness between Christ being "quickened out of the dead" and Christians being "quickened out of the dead."  Notice the context of Eph. 2: 1:

"And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead...And you hath he quickened (raised from the dead), who were dead in trespasses and sins..."    (Eph. 1: 19, 20-2: 1)

Not only does Paul connect Christian enlightenment with spiritual quickening but also faith (belief).  One has experienced Christian revelation concerning Christ and the plan of salvation when he has been quickened. 

Kenneth Wuest translates Eph. 5: 14 as follows:

"Wherefore He says, Be waking up, he who is sleeping, and arise from the dead, and there shall shine upon you the Christ."

Doubtless these words speak of the Christian salvation experience.  A Christian is one who has awakened from sleeping among the dead, has come to life.  In this experience the Christian has been "shined upon" by Christ who is "The Light."  (John 1: 8, 9; 8: 12)  Paul elsewhere spoke of salvation being an experience wherein the light of Christ and of the Gospel has "shined" into the heart "to give the knowledge" of Christ and salvation.  (II Cor. 4: 4-6)  Thus, Paul joins Christian enlightenment with being raised from the dead, showing that they are inseparable.  He who has been raised to Christian life in Christ has also been enlightened by Christ, and knows, loves, and trusts Christ.   Sadly, Hardshells divorce evangelical enlightenment from the experience of being quickened, but the Apostle joined them together. 

Clearly the rising "from the dead" of Eph. 5: 14 is talking about the same experience of Eph. 1: 19-2: 1.  It is not sound interpretation to say that the resurrection experience of Christians (regeneration), described in the introductory verses of Eph. 1: 19-2: 1, to be different from the rising "from the dead" of Eph. 5: 14.  But, this is what Brother Jason does.  He says that the rising from the dead of Eph. 1: 19-2: 1 denotes strict regeneration, and not conversion, but that the rising from the dead of Eph. 5: 14 is not regeneration, but the later experience of conversion. 

So, it is not true that "from the dead," in the fifty six examples I gave, are only used with regard to physical resurrection.  In both Rom. 6 and Eph. 1:19-2: 5, "from the dead" is used with regard to being regenerated or quickened.  And, there is absolutely no justification for making the first usage of "from the dead" in the Ephesian letter (chapters 1 & 2) to be connoting a different meaning of "from the dead" in Eph. 5: 14.

Further, the argument still stands unrefuted, that every instance of "from the dead," when talking either of physical death or spiritual death, denotes that the one "among the dead" was dead.  To make Eph. 5: 14 a singular exception is thus unsound.  If fifty five instances show that to be "among the dead" denotes that the one among the dead is himself dead, then the singular disputed passage of Eph. 5: 14 should be taken in the same sense. 

Jason thinks that I have ignored his argument in regard to how Paul, in other passages, addressed saved Christians with the call to wake from sleep (from slothfulness and failure to watch).

Brown wrote (see here):

"I want to say first, (nay, scream, rather) has Brother Garrett addressed 1 Thess. 5:6 and it's use of katheudo? Has he addressed the general context of 1 Thess. 5:5-10 and Romans 13:11-14 and what it surely implies to the same practical section of Ephesians 5:14 that we find in Paul's epistles? No he has not. I wonder why? What more needs to be said unless he gives us a good reason to see katheudo differently than how Paul used it himself?"

But, it is not true that I have not addressed this.  Notice these two citations from my previous rebuttals.

"Normally the word "sleep" refers to the slumber of the living but sometimes for those who are dead, as Jason admits.  So, how are we to determine which it is in a given verse?  Does the context not decide the issue?  When Christ spoke of the sleeping of Jairus' daughter, the context shows he is referring to death.  So likewise the context of Eph. 5: 14 shows that death is under consideration for the second part says "AND rise from the dead."

"Jason admits that the Greek word for "sleep" (katheudō) is used to refer to those who are physically dead.  However, he argues that it is not used with regard to those who are spiritually dead, that the word "nekros" is used exclusively to refer to the spiritually dead.  But, the passage in Eph. 5: 14 uses both katheudo and nekros in regard to the same condition of the same people."  ("More on Eph. 5: 14" - see here)

So, though I did not mention specifically I Thess. 5: 6; 5: 5-10; Rom. 13: 11-14, yet I did clearly refer to them indirectly when I said that sleep (katheudo) normally refers to what the living do.  I agree that the passages named mainly is a call to Christians, to those already alive from the dead.  But, I have shown that the context and syntax of Eph. 5: 14 show that sleep is used with regard to those who are dead just as in the case of Lazarus and Jairus' daughter.  So, brother Jason, you ought not to be screaming.  Calm down brother. 

Further, Jason's interpretation of Eph. 5: 14 implies that Paul is presently addressing the Christians in Ephesus, and rebuking them for their sleeping condition.  But, nothing could be further from the truth.  Paul commends the Ephesians for their wakeful condition throughout the epistle.  He could not speak of them as already awake and enlightened, as he does in the immediate context (vs. 8), if he viewed them as still asleep and still in darkness.  Thus, the command to awake and arise is not specifically addressed to the Ephesian Christians for they had already heard Christ say to them "awake and rise from the sleep of death." 

Now, unless Jason offers some new argument or makes some outlandish statement, this will  be my last word on this particular issue.  He can have the last word.