1 Corinthians 15:45 reads as follows – “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” In fact, this is the only place in the Bible where “Quickening Spirit” is found. In the context in which this is written, Apostle Paul is writing to clarify and guarantee the reality of resurrection (hope in Christ in the life to come), without which the condition of ALL is most pitiable (miserable) as expressed in 1 Corinthians 15:19.

Quickening Spirit is life-giving spirit! This makes me wonder, if the first man Adam was made in the image of God who is eternal, then why is there a need for a life-giving spirit. The breath of God was breathed into Adam and Adam was made a living soul (Genesis 2:7) but his body was fashioned from lifeless (dead) dust. Genetically (or in the natural sense), as sons of Adam we inherit this. When we are born as sons of the first man Adam, we are born in the natural sense with living souls and bodies that will to perish or decay to dust. On the other hand, The last Adam (Jesus) in the beginning was God, was with God and  is God (John 1:1), and from everlasting to everlasting is God (Psalm 90:2), the Lord from heaven (1 Corinthians 15:47). And when we believe in Jesus Christ, the last Adam, the quickening spirit, our lifeless bodies will be translated (changed) in the resurrection (not reconstruction) so that it will never perish, but have eternal life. When we believe in Jesus Christ, we are born again with Jesus, the life-giving spirit in us and this life-giving spirit cannot die, for Jesus has conquered death by His resurrection.

Just as the progeny of a serpent has to be a serpent and one of a lion has to be lion, as sons of man (the first man Adam) we are made physically with a perishable mold and as sons of God, who is spirit (John 4:24) we are transformed into a new creature spiritually (2 Corinthians 5:17) , bearing the image of the heavenly (1 Corinthians 15:49) with imperishable and eternal nature.

In conclusion, if Quickening = Life-giving and God = Spirit then Quickening Spirit = Life-giving God and Jesus said that if any one believes in me, though he were dead yet shall he live (John 11:25). Jesus is THE One and Only Life-giving God. The Name is Quickening Spirit.

For a related reading – see Teach us to number our days