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 - Only Two Races
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Multiculturalism says there are many races and cultures that are equal. You can see these races, and often the persons culture they grew up in, with your own eyes. But conservatives say there is only one race, the human race. What if there are actually two distinct races based on a persons chosen father?
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 And The Big Idea
SPEAKER_02Welcome 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_01And so
Matthew 19 And The Word Regeneration
SPEAKER_01that's what happened in regeneration. Now, there is one other passage in the New Testament. Let's look at Matthew 19 real quick. Matthew 19, 28. There's all actually the word regeneration is only used twice in the New Testament, meaning the word palangenacia. Okay, that word is only used twice. Other words like Gana'o or Anaganao are used multiple times. But this one's interesting because Jesus was in a discussion with his disciples about the kingdom. And he asked in verse 27, Peter said to the Lord, Behold, we've left everything and followed you. What then will there be for us, you know, in the kingdom? So he's talking about the sacrifices that they made to follow him. So a discipleship passage. And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, that you who have followed me in the regeneration, there's the word, Palingonesia, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, it's the throne of David, he says, You all shall also shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or fathers or mother or children or farms, for my name's sake, this is all discipleship. This isn't how you go to heaven. This is uh believers who've made sacrifice, right? Will receive many times as much and inherit eternal life. Um
Eternal Life As Future Inheritance
SPEAKER_01you say, well, we already have eternal life. Right, but um there are three aspects of eternal life. There's still a future dimension to eternal life that talks about the quality of life that you will enjoy. And it's something you inherit. I mean, do you get your inheritance the moment you become a kid? You know, the moment you're born? Is that when you get your inheritance? Or do you step into it the moment your parents pass away? See, there's a difference. Uh you're a son and a rightful heir the day you're born, but you don't actually inherit until later. And there's a dimension of eternal life that is a future inheritance. When you step into the fullness of eternal life, and your quality of life is going to be greatly improved. Because this is a quality of life that we'll enjoy in the kingdom.
A Reborn World At Christ’s Return
SPEAKER_01So, but the point here is that if you think about this passage and the use of regeneration, Jesus says that believers who sacrifice, right, and follow for to follow him in the regeneration, meaning the world itself is reborn at the second coming of Jesus Christ. And you know, you read the Old Testament descriptions of what the earth will be like in the millennial kingdom, and the entire earth is renovated.
SPEAKER_00The highest place on earth in the millennial kingdom is not Mount Everett. It's Jerusalem. That is a radical, radical change in the world.
SPEAKER_01We do not have any clue the amount of geological power that will be involved in connection with the second coming of Jesus Christ to renovate the whole earth. Ezekiel describes it like the Garden of Eden. And the prophets describe it as a place where those who are reaping will catch up with the ones who are sowing. Can you imagine the amount of agricultural abundance in the messianic kingdom? It says the hills will flow with wine. Again, talking of the agricultural abundance. It will be a remarkable world in life, so different from our current earth and world, that it's called in this verse the regeneration, that period of history, that whole world. And the
Regenerate People For A Regenerate Kingdom
SPEAKER_01thing is that makes this so wonderful in this passage is that everyone who's been regenerated in history individually, personally, has a circumcised heart, will be in that regenerate world. So it's a regenerate world made for regenerate people. So that's the usage of regeneration. John 1 or John 3 uses the terminology being born from above. And all these are referring essentially to the same idea.
Regeneration Versus Indwelling Before Pentecost
SPEAKER_01And I do think people before Pentecost were born again. Now, while believers before Pentecost may have been regenerated, the average believer did not have the indwelling spirit to empower them to live new lives. Remember, the Holy Spirit also has another ministry called indwelling. Don't confuse all these. These aren't all the same things. It's not like baptism, sealing, indwelling, regeneration. They're not all the same thing. They're all separate things, separate ministries of the Holy Spirit that look at different facets of our train of our salvation. You
Salvation Like A Diamond
SPEAKER_01might think of salvation like a diamond. In a diamond, you can look at the different facets. Right? And from every angle, it's wow, it's beautiful. You know, you see maybe a little something different, uh, as long as there's not an inclusion or something, or occlusion, whatever they call it, uh, inside. But but the the work of salvation is like a diamond because there's so many different facets that you can look at it. You can look at it from the standpoint of regeneration, you can look at it the standpoint from sealing, you can look at it from the standpoint of uh relationship, you can look at it from the standpoint of being justified or legally credited with Christ's perfect righteousness. There's just all these different facets. And some theologians have called these, you know, the riches of divine grace. And they'll talk about the 33 or the 40 things that happened the moment you believed in Christ. And regeneration is one of these things. It's talking about the impartation of eternal life that brought about in you new desires to love the Lord and to please Him. But in the Old Testament, they the one thing that's really strikingly different is they did not have the indwelling spirit on a permanent basis to enable them to live new lives.
John 14 And The Spirit Within
SPEAKER_01What they had is over in John 14. So take a look at John 14. I think this is the key verse that really distinguishes this particular work of the Spirit in the Old Testament versus his work now.
SPEAKER_00John 14, 17.
SPEAKER_01Talking of the procession in the last few weeks, how there would be the Father and the Son who would send the Spirit. Jesus is talking about this in John 14, 15. He says, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. That shows you there, first of all, love is not really like, oh, I feel like I love God. It's obedience. That's how we show love is obedience. Verse 16, I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper, that's the Spirit, that he may be with you forever. That is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see him or know him, but you know him because he abides with you and will be future tense in you. Do you see that the Holy Spirit, it was different before Pentecost than it was after Pentecost? He was abiding with them prior to Pentecost, but in the future, beginning on Pentecost, he would be in them. So to abide means to remain or stay. And in the old testament Israel, the Holy Spirit abided with them as a national community, a commonwealth, in relation to the tabernacle, the temple, in the kings and the prophets and the priests. But he was not in them to enable them to live these new lives. But it does seem that he provided some help just by being among them or with them, right? To enable them to live somewhat pleasing lives. But it was really not what we have today in the permanent indwelling of the Spirit in each individual believer. So regeneration seems to be the same for people before Pentecost, but the Spirit's role in the Old Testament verses now seems to be what's different. Okay? So that means I think everybody in the history of the world who's ever believed was regenerate. I think you have to be regenerate in order to enter the regenerate world that Jesus talked about. But they did not have the same empowerment of the Spirit that we had. They had him among them, but we have him in us. And so now we're going to look at some of these differences. So let's be clear about some things and then try to get into some of the nitty-gritty interesting things about regeneration. Regeneration,
Regeneration Is God’s Work Alone
SPEAKER_01first of all, is a work of God. You're in John, so why don't you take a look at John 1, 12, and 13? What we mean here is this is not a cooperative effort. We do not get involved in this. Just as the natural birth results in a natural person, so a supernatural birth results in a new spirit, spiritual person. And John 1, 12 and 13 discuss that this work of regeneration, so we can become children of God, is a work exclusively of God. John 1 12. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name, who were born Genao, not of blood, born nor of the will of the flesh, born nor of the will of man, but born of who? God. Okay, so regeneration is solely and exclusively a work of God. We have no part in this, and it is through this that we become children of God. And 2 Corinthians 5.17 says we're new creatures, new creation. We'll talk about that in a minute. Now regeneration
The Word Of Truth Brings New Birth
SPEAKER_01occurs through the word of God. That's interesting.
SPEAKER_00How about James 1.18? James 1.18. Or the first Peter. Tempted to use the 1 Peter, but I don't. Let's just do James 1.18. We need to teach James. I love this book.
SPEAKER_01I've taught it before, but we haven't taught it in a long time. Probably needs to be taught. James 1.18. Do not be deceived. Well, verse 16, do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given, every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there's no variation or shifting shadows. In other words, he's immutable. Verse 18, in the exercise of his will he brought us forth by what?
SPEAKER_00By what means? By the word of truth.
SPEAKER_01By the word of truth. So it's his word that he uses to regenerate us. This was the same word that was used to create the universe, right? In the beginning, God said, Let there be light. So God used the word to bring about the universe. John 1.1, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. And the word became flesh, John 1.14, and dwelt among us. So that word that he used to speak is the second person of the Trinity, but it's he's associated with language, with speaking. And just as he created the entire universe by his word, so when we believe his word is that which regenerates us and makes us children of God.
A New Nature And Two Families
SPEAKER_01Now, what is going on? What is going on with this regeneration thing? We keep saying we're children of God now, we're new creatures.
SPEAKER_00What is going on is ontologically, you are different. You are different than you were before you believed.
SPEAKER_01What do we mean ontologically? I'm stealing a philosophical term, but it's important. What we mean is your nature, your being, your essence is different now. You are literally different people.
SPEAKER_00You are not the same person that you were as an unbeliever, as a believer.
SPEAKER_01You're two different people. There are two species of humans. Jesus says there are those who are children of the devil, and there are his children, children of God. When he looks at the human race, he doesn't just see one species or kind, right? The human kind.
Rating Request And Farewell
SPEAKER_02If you found this podcast to be uh 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.