Deadness
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Definition and Concept:

In biblical terms, "deadness" often refers to a state of spiritual insensitivity or lifelessness, as well as the physical state of being dead. It is used metaphorically to describe a lack of spiritual vitality or responsiveness to God. The concept of deadness is significant in understanding the human condition apart from divine intervention and the transformative power of faith.

Old Testament Context:

In the Old Testament, deadness is frequently associated with the physical state of death, as seen in the Hebrew word "mavet" (מוות), which denotes death or the realm of the dead. However, the prophets also use the concept metaphorically to describe the spiritual condition of Israel when they turn away from God. For example, in Ezekiel 37:1-14, the vision of the Valley of Dry Bones symbolizes the spiritual deadness of the Israelites, which God promises to restore to life through His Spirit.

New Testament Context:

In the New Testament, deadness takes on a more explicitly spiritual dimension. The Apostle Paul frequently uses the term to describe the state of humanity apart from Christ. In Romans 6:11, Paul writes, "So you too must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus" . Here, deadness to sin is portrayed as a positive state for believers, indicating a separation from the power and penalty of sin through union with Christ.

Paul further elaborates on this in Ephesians 2:1-5, where he describes the former state of believers: "As for you, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience" . This passage highlights the spiritual deadness of humanity due to sin and the transformative power of God's grace that brings believers to life in Christ.

Theological Implications:

Theologically, deadness underscores the necessity of divine intervention for spiritual awakening and regeneration. It emphasizes the doctrine of total depravity, which asserts that apart from God's grace, humans are incapable of coming to Him due to their inherent sinful nature. This is evident in Romans 8:6, which states, "The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace" .

The concept of deadness also relates to the believer's sanctification process. In Colossians 3:5, Paul exhorts believers to "Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry" . This call to mortify the deeds of the flesh is an ongoing aspect of the Christian life, reflecting the believer's active participation in overcoming spiritual deadness through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Practical Application:

Understanding deadness in its biblical context encourages believers to rely on the Holy Spirit for spiritual vitality and growth. It serves as a reminder of the believer's past condition and the transformative work of Christ, fostering gratitude and a desire for holiness. The call to put to death the deeds of the flesh is a continual process, requiring vigilance and dependence on God's grace.

In summary, deadness in the Bible encompasses both the physical state of death and the spiritual condition of separation from God. It highlights the need for divine intervention and the transformative power of faith in Christ, urging believers to live in the newness of life granted through the Holy Spirit.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(n.) The state of being destitute of life, vigor, spirit, activity, etc.; dullness; inertness; languor; coldness; vapidness; indifference; as, the deadness of a limb, a body, or a tree; the deadness of an eye; deadness of the affections; the deadness of beer or cider; deadness to the world, and the like.
Greek
3500. nekrosis -- a putting to death, a state of death
... Word Origin from nekroo Definition a putting to death, a state of death
NASB Word Usage deadness (1), dying (1). deadness, dying. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3500.htm - 6k
Library

LM Anonymous. In Spiritual Deadness.
... SUPPLEMENT. 512. LM Anonymous. In Spiritual Deadness. 1 O Thou, who all
things dost control, Chase this dead slumber from my soul! ...
/.../various/book of hymns for public and private devotion/512 l m anonymous in.htm

How to Make Use of Christ as the Life, when the Believer is So ...
... Sometimes the believer is under such a distemper of weakness and deadness, that
there is almost no commanded duty that he can go about; his heart and all is so ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter xxi how to make.htm

"And the Life. " How Christ is the Life.
... 3. Yea, how unwilling are they to hear any thing that may tend to awaken them,
or to discover unto them the deadness of their condition? ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter xix and the life.htm

A New Heart.
... On the other hand, there is nothing against which our Lord in the Gospels utters
stronger warnings than that dulness or deadness of spirit which is described ...
//christianbookshelf.org/percival/sermons at rugby/xvii a new heart.htm

Conversion of all that Come.
... And this is the reason why the preachers who will not surrender the sovereignty
of God, and who will not deduct anything from the deadness of the sinner, are ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxix conversion of all that.htm

Some General Uses.
... Before we come to speak of some particular cases of deadness, wherein believers
are to make use of Christ as the Life, we shall first propose some useful ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter xx some general uses.htm

"The Great Awakening. "
... Nor was this deadness confined to the colonies alone, for the Wesleys were
soon to stir the sluggish current of English religious life. ...
/.../chapter ix the great awakening.htm

The Sixth Season
... over the thoughts and guide them. But deadness causes distraction, and
distraction increases deadness. Could you but regard your ...
//christianbookshelf.org/flavel/on keeping the heart/vi the sixth season.htm

The Necessity of Divine Influences.
... Looking into the human spirit, and seeing how dead it is towards God and the future,
must we not say, that if this deadness to eternity lasts until the death ...
/.../shedd/sermons to the natural man/the necessity of divine influences.htm

"But we are all as an Unclean Thing, and all Our Righteousnesses ...
... of faith: faith is the soul's hand and grip, John 1:12; Hebrews 6:18; 1 Timothy
6:12; Isaiah 27:5. Nobody awaketh themselves out of their deadness and security ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xv but we are.htm

Thesaurus
Deadness (1 Occurrence)
... n.) The state of being destitute of life, vigor, spirit, activity, etc.; dullness;
inertness; languor; coldness; vapidness; indifference; as, the deadness of a ...
/d/deadness.htm - 7k

Sarah (38 Occurrences)
... passages already cited, Sarah is alluded to only in Isaiah 51:2 ("Sarah that bare
you," as the mother of the nation), in Romans 4:19 ("the deadness of Sarah's ...
/s/sarah.htm - 28k

Deaf (22 Occurrences)

/d/deaf.htm - 15k

Worn (29 Occurrences)
... being weakened in faith, he didn't consider his own body, already having been worn
out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. ...
/w/worn.htm - 14k

Weak (102 Occurrences)
... being weakened in faith, he didn't consider his own body, already having been worn
out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. ...
/w/weak.htm - 38k

Womb (84 Occurrences)
... being weakened in faith, he didn't consider his own body, already having been worn
out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. ...
/w/womb.htm - 32k

Weakened (7 Occurrences)
... being weakened in faith, he didn't consider his own body, already having been worn
out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. ...
/w/weakened.htm - 8k

Weaken (5 Occurrences)
... being weakened in faith, he didn't consider his own body, already having been worn
out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. ...
/w/weaken.htm - 8k

Faced (32 Occurrences)
... being weakened in faith, he didn't consider his own body, already having been worn
out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. ...
/f/faced.htm - 15k

Deadly-wounded (1 Occurrence)
Deadly-wounded. Deadly, Deadly-wounded. Deadness . Multi-Version Concordance ...
(DBY). Deadly, Deadly-wounded. Deadness . Reference Bible.
/d/deadly-wounded.htm - 6k

Resources
Why did Jesus rebuke the scribes and Pharisees so harshly in Matthew 23:13 36? | GotQuestions.org

Summary of the Book of Galatians - Bible Survey | GotQuestions.org

What is meant by “call those things which are not as though they were” (Romans 4:17)? | GotQuestions.org

Deadness: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Deadness (1 Occurrence)

Romans 4:19
Without being weakened in faith, he didn't consider his own body, already having been worn out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb.
(WEB KJV ASV WBS YLT NAS)

Subtopics

Deadness

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Deadly-wounded
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