Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas

NT Framework - Image Bearers

• Jeremy Thomas • Season 6 • Episode 125

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As humans we all bear the image of God since we were created in the image of God. If you take this away by denying God then you destroy the basis for justice.

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. 

SPEAKER_00:

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_01:

The first one about his unique death on the cross is a strange idea that involves a number of ideas that are built through scripture. So I'm gonna, this is the most complicated point, but I want to build it because I think it's interesting to watch and see. Jesus was crucified as a criminal under a misallocation of justice, which was given under the divine institution number four, which is human government. Remember, we talked about divine institutions earlier in the series. In the Old Testament, we said there's basically five divine institutions. A divine institution is something that God lays down for the whole human race to follow, and if we don't follow it, there are serious consequences to pay. There are five of these. They're all given, the first three are given at creation, the other two are added after the flood. So at creation and then after the flood and the new world after the flood. The first three are responsible labor. God created man to labor responsibly before him, and all men will be evaluated as to what they have done. The second one is marriage between one man and one woman. So this is a divine institution. If we try to manipulate that or redefine marriage, well, there's going to be societal consequences to pay. The third one is family, which is built on marriage. And this talks about the population of the human race, how to raise children, all these things. And so those three are divine institutions that God gave for the whole human race at creation. Now, after the flood, he reinstitutes those three, and he adds two more. The first one he adds after that is human government. You say, well, what was going on before the flood? Was there not human government? No, there was no human government. So you say, well, how were the world's affairs arranged? How was governing, how did governing take place? Well, I mean, there's a couple of options. You know, when you see Cain and Abel, you know, and Cain kills Abel, God himself carries out the justice that was due, right? You also have the situation where you have the angels, the cherubim, placed at the eastern entrance to the garden. Remember, and they have the flaming sword. And the sword in the Bible is a picture of, if you hold the sword, it's a picture of the weapon that would be used, the instrument used for capital punishment. Okay? And so whoever holds the sword is the one who has the right to exercise governing force. And in the pre-flood world, we see the angelic realm having this uh capability. So this is an interesting story. It was a totally different world before the flood, we know that. So for about the first 2,300 years of world history, there was no such thing as human government. God had never given human government. Um, but rather the angels and himself they carried out the governing functions. But now when you come to Genesis chapter 9, which we'll turn to now, you'll see that God gives the sword to man. And the cornerstone of human government is the right for a govern a government to capitally execute those who commit crimes that are worthy of a capital punishment. So in the midst of this giving of the fourth divine institution, uh human government, he also in Genesis 9, for the first time gives them animals to eat. Any moving thing that has life in it, he says is now free to eat. So, in other words, before this, God did not authorize the eating of meat. Genesis 1 29 through 30 says that our original diet was herbivorous only. We were strictly herbivorous. But for some reason, after the flood, in the new world after the flood, God gave us uh meat to eat so that we became omnivorous, right? Both plants and animals are now on the menu. And all of God's people said, Amen. I don't want to just eat salad every day or broccoli or seeds. Uh as good as those things are, we we enjoy, most of us, eating meat. Okay, so but there's something important uh that's taking place. Let's read Genesis 9:1. God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. This is talking about family, divine institution number three. The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky, with everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea into your hand they are given, being given to eat. But God has placed this fear into the creatures, and of course, we we've domesticated some animals and so forth, but this in general, this is the state of the world between animals and man. Verse 3 Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you. I give all to you as I gave the green plant. He gave the green plant in Genesis 1 for the world up to the flood. Now, in the post-flood world, this new world, he gives everything to us, both meat and the plant. So we will be omnivores. He says, Only you shall not eat flesh with its life. And then it just says, It's blood. Um in other words, you have to drain the blood out of the animal, right? You can't eat it with the blood inside the animal. Now, why? Well, because God has assigned a value to the blood, He has uh He has assigned a signification of the blood. The blood signifies the life of the creature, of the animal, and that belongs to God, so you can't eat it with the blood in it because it belongs to God. So it was to be poured out and to go back to Him, so to speak. Okay. So He said, No, you can't eat it with the blood in it. Let's let's go on. Surely I will require your lifeblood. From every beast I will require it. What's he saying? He's saying, I require you give it back to me. It's mine. That's mine. The blood is mine. It's because it signifies the life, and I gave life to the creature. So it belongs to me. Right? He says, also from every man, from every man's brother I will require the life of man. Now, this is the institution of capital punishment for murder. We're not talking about killing. Killing is a matter of war. That's a different topic biblically. There is what we call just war, meaning wars that are to be fought to stop certain nations from spreading their bad ideas, like for example, Nazi Germany. It was right for the world, the allies, the Allied powers to to go against Germany and stop these atrocities. But murder is a different thing. That's this is this is different from manslaughter, too, right? Manslaughter is not premeditated, it's an accident where you accidentally kill someone. But murder is premeditated. That's what the intent of capital punishment is here for. To and it's this given before the law. This has nothing to do with the Mosaic law, does it? This has to do with the whole human race. It's the cornerstone of human government. A government has the right to capitally execute those who murder others. Now, why? Well, it tells us in verse 6 whoever sheds man blood, man's blood, by his blood shall be shed, man, by man his blood shall be shed. For in the image of God he made man. So see, if a man shed someone else's blood, then a man will shed that man's blood, see? Why? Because in the image of God he made man. In other words, if someone kills another person, if you look out on the world and you look at all the people, there's almost 8 billion people up there. Every one of these individuals is made in the image of God. That means they're image bearers. They're like an icon or statue of God. What's an icon or statue? If you go to the Northeast, you see that probably Paul Revere, you see Abraham Lincoln, you see all sorts of statues. Now, that's not Abraham Lincoln and that's not Paul Revere, but it is an icon or image of them. What would it mean if you defaced it or destroyed it? Well, you'd be making an attack on Abraham Lincoln or Paul Revere. Well, we little statues are icons of God. Whenever someone murders another human being, they are making an attack on God Himself. And this is why that man's life must now be taken, because it's a direct affront to God.

SPEAKER_00:

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 Spoke and 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.