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 - What do we practice?
Does what we practice, that is do on a regular basis, define who we are or our eternal state? It can't possibly define us.
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:Can we enjoy a sinless experience if we meet certain conditions? Yeah, if we abide, if we're living by faith, christ is formed in us. We're walking by the Spirit. Okay, the fruit at the end of that is 100 amen. So now we have three, five.
Speaker 2:You know that he appeared in order to take away sins. Is that why jesus came to take away sins? Sure, right, we all agree with that. Paid for the penalty on the cross, paid all the penalty for sin, it says. And in him there is no sin. Do we all agree with that? There's no sin in him, absolutely. This is good news, right? And then he says something no one who abides in him sins. Do we really have a problem with that? No, because we've already been taught that in John 15. You can have a sinless production of Christ through you, so no one who abides in him 15. You can have a sinless production of Christ through you, so no one who abides in him sins. There's the idea of a sinless experience there. And then it says no one who sins has seen him or knows him. That's where some people have problems.
Speaker 2:Because let me ask you a question have you sinned? Have I sinned? Well, yes, yes, amen. I agree. I agree with you. Let's quit it, right. Um, we can say quit it, but what ends up? That's what paul was saying in romans 7 I want to quit, but he couldn't quit right. So the answer was to Paul was saying in Romans 7. I want to quit, but he couldn't quit right. So the answer was to learn to walk by the Spirit, not to learn to quit sinning. That's a very important lesson, right, you can't stop yourself from sinning, but you can learn to abide, walk by the Spirit, and then you can enjoy a sinless experience until you stop abiding. He says so.
Speaker 2:No one who sins has seen him or knows him. What would that mean then? In the context? What it would mean is you don't know him rightly. As a believer, you don't really understand who God is at that point. So when you sin, when I sin, do I know God correctly at that point, or have somehow I stepped away from knowing Him correctly? I've stepped away from proper knowledge of God? Can a believer step away from proper knowledge of God? Sure, sure, every time you sin. You have done that Every time. In fact, what you mostly do when you sin is you put him out of mind. You don't have him in your thinking, do you? What do you have in thinking? You have. Whatever you're sending, you're sending. That's what you're thinking, so you don't know him correctly. At that point you stepped away from that.
Speaker 2:Little children, verse 7 make sure no one deceives you. And then we have a terrible problem. The one who practices righteousness is righteousness just as he is righteous. He, the one who practices sin, is righteousness just as he is righteous. The one who practices sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.
Speaker 2:What is so frustrating about this is the way they translated this to try to alleviate a problem and what they conceived to be a problem in the book of 1 John. Do you see that where it says practices righteousness. So you know, if you practice righteousness, you're righteous, if you practice sin, you're of the devil. Okay, do you practice sin? Does anybody want to deny that they practice sin? Did you sin today? Did you sin yesterday? How about two days ago? Three days ago? Four, five, six, seven? So are you telling me that you continually practice sin?
Speaker 2:Well, this verse says, in this translation, that you are continually sinning. It says you're of the devil. But what did chapter 1, verse 10 say? What did chapter 1, verse 10, say If you say you've not sinned, you're a liar? And the word is not in it. So chapter 1 says you can't say you're not sinning, but chapter 3, verse 7, says well, you see that some people feel like this is a contradiction between these two verses. In one, you can't say you're not sinning. In the other one, if you're sinning, you're of the devil.
Speaker 2:What I don't like about the verse and the way they translate it here is practices. They put that word in there. They added that word. That word is not in the Greek text. It is a possible meaning of the present tense, but it is not the only meaning of a present tense. Okay, here's what they're trying to do here.
Speaker 2:I'm going to explain a whole lot in Christianity right now, in one minute. They want to say translators here and other theologians that if you are really a believer, you will not continually or habitually sin. That's the only way they can reconcile this with 110. This is a well-known discussion. The problem is in the last 70 years in theology is, this viewpoint has come to a halt, and the reason is is because it creates that conflict with 110, because 110 doesn't just say sin, it uses the exact same word that's over here in the same 10. So if you're going to be consistent and you want to translate this practices sin, meaning you're of the devil, then over here in chapter 1, verse 10, you have to say practices sin meaning you're of the devil. Then over here in chapter 1, verse 10, you have to say practices sin. But that creates a direct contradiction. In one passage it says the exact opposite of the other passage. So that solution will not work.
Speaker 2:Besides we just went through it Do you continually practice sin Habitually? Yes, and guess what? If you're an honest believer, every believer does continually, habitually sin. Try going 10 days. Try going two days without sin. Okay, good luck. I mean, you can deceive yourself and say you don't sin. But Paul says, or John says, if you do, that you're a liar and the truth's not in you. Then over here it says he who sins is of the devil. So it's not a habitual sin. That's not what Paul's talking about and that's not how you measure whether someone's a believer or not. Look for a pattern. That's not what he's about here.
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.