Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas
Jeremy approaches Bible teaching with a passion for getting the basic doctrines explained so that the individual can understand them and then apply them to circumstances in their life. These basic and important lessons are nestled in a framework of history and progression of revelation from the Bible so the whole of Scripture can be applied to your physical and spiritual life.
Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas
NT Framework - Rejecting the Miraculous
To reject the virgin birth is to reject all miracles and events that are beyond human understanding and to replace it with a universe that mans limited mind can understand. That's rather short-sighted.
More information about Beyond the Walls, including additional resources can be found at www.beyondthewalls-ministry.com
This series included graphics to illustrate what is being taught, if you would like to watch the teachings you can do so on Rumble (https://rumble.com/user/SpokaneBibleChurch) or on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtV_KhFVZ_waBcnuywiRKIyEcDkiujRqP).
Jeremy Thomas is the pastor at Spokane Bible Church in Spokane, Washington and a professor at Chafer Theological Seminary. He has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years, always seeking to present its truths in a clear and understandable manner.
Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and our series on the New Testament Framework. Today a smaller, bite-sized piece from the larger lesson. We hope you enjoy it.
Speaker 2:This is one of the basic reasons that people are opposed to the virgin birth. It's because when you see the virgin birth, you're looking at a unique person who came into the world. This isn't just a normal birth. This is a birth of someone who was born of a virgin and avoided, imputed sin, inherited sin and, through his life, avoided all personal sin, being tempted in all things as we, and yet found without sin. So it's not just here's the thing, it's not just the virgin birth that has been so rejected in history, because the virgin birth is obviously a miracle, right? Everybody agree it's a miracle. It's all miracles. It's all miracles that are really opposed to.
Speaker 2:There's no theologians who, well, I reject the virgin birth, but I believe in the. You know the dividing of the fish and lobe. No, if you reject the one, you're going to reject all the others too. Because of what? Because of natural law. That's why I was a scientist. I had five years working in plant physiology, a degree in biology and chemistry and very familiar with evolutionary theory, both in physics, chemistry and biology. And there's all this talk about natural law and how things must work according to these laws and principles. Right, in that view of reality, there's no room for miracles. I mean, you can't have virgin births, you can't have people walking in water, you can't have people turning water into wine. This just doesn't work in that worldview. So people with that conception, that worldview, when they come to the virgin birth, they automatically reject it. Why do they reject it? Because they've rejected God. They've rejected a God who, in the Noahic covenant, said His word would control nature. Isn't that one of the most abundantly clear things in the Gospels? As Jesus goes out on the Sea of Galilee and it's all tossing and it's crazy, because all this wind would sweep over from the eastern side down onto that lake and it would stir it up and it was dangerous. A lot of people lost their life on that lake. And then he just speaks to the waters and he rebukes them right and they become still instantaneously.
Speaker 2:What's it saying? It's saying that he, his word, controls nature. There's no such thing as natural law. Okay, that's just there. Besides, what would that be anyway? Natural law I mean, as far as I can tell from everywhere I look, people make laws. People make laws. Nature doesn't make laws.
Speaker 2:The question is who made the laws by which nature basically functions in a normal sense? Nobody asked that question. Isn't there a person behind nature who is controlling it? And the normal way he does so is if I step out of the boat, I'm going to sink. But couldn't that person who controls nature also say that when I step out of the boat, like Peter, did I get to actually stand on it? If that person controls nature, then he can say what is and what is not, and that creates the opportunity for what we might call miracles. Right, like a virgin birth. But men don't want to face that because that means there's a supernatural realm, that means there's a God they're going to have to face. That means, because of their short accounts, they don't want to face that because that means there's a supernatural realm. That means there's a God they're going to have to face. That means, because of their short accounts, they don't want to face that God. So there's this resistance to the virgin birth, as well as all the miraculous things in the Bible.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining us on Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas. If you would like to see the visuals that went along with today's sermon, you can find those on Rumble and on YouTube under Spokane Bible Church. That is where Jeremy is the pastor and teacher. We hope you found today's lesson productive and useful in growing closer to God and walking more obediently with Him. If you found this podcast to be useful and helpful, then please consider rating us in your favorite podcast app, and until next time, we hope you have a blessed and wonderful day.