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 - Sins Alteration of Your Responsiveness
Although we are all born with sin, this sin does not prevent us from believing in Jesus and salvation in Him through faith. However, it is possible for sin, your continued personal sin, to prevent a person from believing.
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_02:Then we talk about personal sin on top of that. So, what I'm saying is you've got this problem, imputed sin. Now, when we commit personal sin, and that starts very early, right? Never had to teach some kid how to say no. No, mom, no. Uh yes. We're going to change that real quick if you're a good parent, right? But as you sin more and more, growing up from little boy to a young man or woman, a teenager to a young woman or a young man, an adult, uh, you you've committed more and more sin over the course of your life. What does sin do every time we do it? It hardens us, it calluses us, it makes us blind, it sears our conscience. And that's what Paul's talking about here as he talks to the Ephesians 4.17. He says, So this I say and affirm together with the Lord that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk. Contextually, there's unbelievers. He's saying, as a believer, you shouldn't walk like an unbeliever, which is to walk in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart, and they have become, having become callous, see, they weren't callous to begin with. Do you see that? But they became callous. They have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. I mean, how do you get in that condition? I mean, we look at the world today, we say, oh my gosh, the things that are going on, the things that our people are doing, which you don't even want to think about, right? But how did they get to that point? Were they just born with that? No. You're born in a fallen condition, yes. But the more you sin over your life, what happens is you become darkened in your understanding, you become callous in your heart, and you begin to be able to do things that are you know unthinkable. Wicked, wicked, wickedness, right? It doesn't just start that way. So you have the imputed sin, but then you have the personal sin that piles up over your life, which puts you in a condition of darkness and callousness and hardness for the things of God. That's what really happens. Now, by the way, uh as a brief aside, when do most people become believers? In their, I'll just give you some categories. Between zero and twenty, twenty and forty, forty and sixty, or sixty to a hundred.
SPEAKER_01:Which which age? Zero to twenty. Why?
SPEAKER_02:Because they haven't committed so many sins that they've become so hardened to the gospel and to the truth. In fact, when people are little kids, a lot of times they they're wondering about the truth. They'll ask you questions. They'll ask questions that you know a lot of adults can't answer. It's funny. Who's God? Where did God come from? You know, and and adults are like, they don't even want to deal with it, right? Most of them don't want to deal with it. But they're asking those types of questions because God has made it abundantly clear that He's there and they want to know. They they want to know. And so it's in those early years, those formative years, that's when most people believe the gospel. Yeah, they can they can believe it. Because they haven't committed so much sin that they've become hardened and callous and blind. Okay. Another good example, just an illustration of someone who believed. Think of Adam. I've I've I've thought of this. Okay, Adam is created on the sixth day, right? Um, how old was he on the sixth day? He was just in his first day. Uh was he a baby or was he uh appear as a mature adult? He appeared as a mature adult, but as far as personal sin is concerned, he has none. The first day is created. Sometime thereafter, we don't know. He does sin, right? He eats the fruit that he was told not to eat. On that day, he was imputed a sin. He had a sin nature, right? And then God comes to him in the garden. So he's in a condition, we would say he's in a fallen condition. I don't know if he has much more personal sin after that. Uh probably some, but not a lot. I mean, God came to him the day they ate, so it's not going to be a lot of personal sin. Was he responsive to God when God said, Where are you? Finally, he does. He says, Well, okay, we're, you know, we're hiding over here. We've made fig leaves, we've solved our problem or whatever. Um, could he respond to God? See? Yes. Yes, he had limited depravity. And he did not have a lot of personal sin weighing on him, so that when God confronted him with this sin, he did step into the light. Sort of. It's this woman you gave me. It was her fault. And this woman says, Oh, it's the serpent. So they you can see the blame shifting happening. But God makes atonement for them, right? In the Lamb. This is the picture where atonement begins. So, just continuing with these statements, this idea becoming more and more hardened. And this can result in some being unwilling and unable to believe when confronted with the gospel. So turn to John 5. Now, this is the condition that Calvinists say everyone is born in. I'm saying they're not born in that condition, but if they commit so much sin in their life, they can work themselves into a situation where they're not willing or capable of believing.
SPEAKER_01:John 5, 39 through 47. Speaking to the Jews, specifically the Pharisees.
SPEAKER_02:You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. I mean, did the Pharisees study the Bible? Oh, sure. They love the Bible, right? Not really, but they did study it. They memorized lots of it, huge portions. He says of this eternal life, it is these scriptures that testify about me, namely that, of course, he is eternal life. And you are, there's the word unwilling to come to me. To come in John is a uh a synonym for believe. John 6 35. He who comes to me will not thirst. He who believes in me will never hunger. Coming and believing are the same thing in the Gospel of John. He says, You're unwilling to come to me, so they don't want to, right? So that you may have life. He says, I do not receive glory from men, but I know you that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in my Father's name and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe? There's the word can. How can you believe? Ability. This is from the Greek word dunymus, which means power or belief. How can you have the ability? How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?
SPEAKER_01:Is it sinful to desire and want glory and receive glory from men? Yes.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, God alone is to be glorified. And if we are to be glorified in any respect, we want it only to come from Him. But they wanted it from men. They wanted recognition, they wanted acknowledgement, they wanted to be put on a pedestal. That's all sinful. So what had happened? They had worked themselves into a situation where they were unwilling to believe the one that the scriptures spoke of, the Messiah, and they were unable to believe. So people can work themselves into that situation by repetitively sinning, in this case, seeking the glory of men rather than seeking the glory of God.
SPEAKER_00: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.