-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Romans 14:9
--- "For this reason Christ died [apothnesko] and rose again from the dead [anistemi], and lived again [anazao: lived again in a body that is not dead], so that he may be the Lord of both the dead [nekros] and living [zao: those who are alive in a body that is not dead]." ---
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jesus to Martha (whose brother had just died)
(John 11:23-26):
Jesus: "Your brother shall rise again".
Martha: "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection [o anastasis] at the last day."
Jesus:
"I am the Resurrection [o anastasis]
and the ZOE! (the life).
He who believes in Me, though he die,
yet he shall ZAO (SHALL LIVE: he shall be alive)."
(The resurrection of the dead renders the one who died alive [zao] again):
"And whoever is ZAO (alive) and believes in Me shall never die." (shall be immortal).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. He who believes in Me, though he die, yet he shall be spiritually alive. 26 And whoever is spiritually alive and believes in Me shall be spiritually alive forever and ever. Do you believe this?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
God alone has life [zoe] in Himself. Jesus (the Son of God) alone has eternal life [zoe aionios] in Himself (John 5:26). Those given the breath of life [zoe] from God are alive [zao]. Those given eternal life [zoe aionios] IN Christ (1 John 5:11) will be alive forever (immortal) following the resurrection of the body from death.
The record penned by the apostle John, has Jesus describing Himself as the resurrection of the dead body [anastasis] and the life [zoe],
saying that though they die bodily, whoever believes in Him shall live | be alive [zao] - and Jesus said it in the context of telling Martha that her brother who had just died, will rise again.
It is because they have been given life [zoe] in Christ that those who believe in Him will be raised from the dead and will live [zao] forever:
"This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life [zoe aionios], and this life is in his Son." (1 John 5:11)
There are two different things mentioned in the above passage: Life [zoe]; and the expression of life, i.e to be alive [zao].
- The one who is alive [zao] and has been given eternal life [zoe aionios] IN Christ the Lord will be alive [zao] and will never die FOLLOWING the resurrection of the body from the dead.
Only God is spiritually alive forever and ever, because God alone has life in Himself. To read what Jesus said in verses 25-26 as ".. He who believes in Me, though he die, yet he shall be spiritually alive. And whoever is spiritually alive and believes in Me shall be spiritually alive forever and ever. Do you believe this?",
is not exposition of the passage - it's an example of inserting a false theological notion into the text - a notion which is based on the conflation of zoe (life) with zao (to be alive | living), and as a result, replacing the word zao (alive in the body - the word that is used in the text) - with the word zoe (spiritual life - which is IN CHRIST):
"If Christ's Spirit is in you,
(1) your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit (of Christ) is your (eternal) life [zoe] because of (Christ's) righteousness. (Romans 8:10)
(2) Moreover, if the Spirit of the one who raised [egeiro] Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised [egeiro] Christ from the dead will also quicken [zōopoiéō] your mortal bodies through his Spirit who lives in you." (Romans 8:11).
The result of Christ's Spirit in a human being quickening the dead body (making it alive again) is the resurrection of the body from the dead when Christ returns.
-- "When Christ, who is our life [zōḗ], shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:4) --
Other passages where main-stream church theology conflates zoe and zao and then replaces the word zao with the word zoe in their doctrine:
Passages where main-stream churches conflate zoe & zao
--- ---
