NT Framework - How absolute is Absolute Sovereignty?

When you take a characteristic of God and apply mans rational thoughts to it, does this end very well?

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. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and
our series on the New TestamentFramework.
Today a smaller, bite-sizedpiece from the larger lesson.
We hope you enjoy it.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Does anybody know what docetism means?
From the Greek doceo?
It means illusion.
So the ancient view of Jesus'humanity being simply an
illusion, that's the idea.
And modern extreme Calvinism.
I don't mean to step onanybody's toes, but watch,

(00:33):
because these presuppositions,they seep into everything and
you have to unearth these andfind them, otherwise you may be
beholding to some of these andnot knowing it right.
You pick these things up likeyou pick up gum on your shoe.
You don't even realize it tilllater, and they're sticky,

(00:58):
they're hard to get off, they'rea mess.
So watch what happens here.
Presupposition again God is thepure ideal, just like
neoplatonic idea of a projectionof God, this ultimate ideal.
And he?
But look at this, there'ssomething added here he is the
only reality.
Well, if he's the only reality,then everything down here is
just what An illusion.

(01:20):
It's just an illusion.
That's the key to these twoviews.
The conclusion of this view wasthat, well, jesus, he only
appeared to be human.
He wasn't really human, hishuman form was only an illusion.

(01:41):
Now, most held this becausethey viewed him as so divine.
They said well, he can't behuman, he's so holy or divine,
he's so God.
So everything of his humanitywas just an illusion.

(02:01):
Okay.
Now extreme Calvinism.
Why do I say this is similar?
It's similar because in extremeCalvinism the sovereignty of
God is so great that history isdetermined and human freedom is
really just an illusion.
I mean, you know their view.
I mean, all extreme Calvinistswould say, no, there's no such

(02:22):
thing as free will.
They might discuss things likeyou know, possibly we're free
agents, but they would never saywe have free choice or free
will, right?
They are violently opposed tothat free will concept.
Why are they so opposed to that?
Well, because God's sovereign.
I mean, if you hold a free will, you're rejecting God's

(02:43):
sovereignty.
This is the way they think.
And in their view then all ofhistory is totally determined.
Well, in that view, do wereally have any say in any
matter at all?
I mean, no, it's alreadytotally determined.
So if you're sitting thereright now thinking about what
we're saying or listening orgoing to sleep, that was all
just determined, okay, by Godsovereignly.

(03:07):
And they try to talk around it,I know and try to explain, it
gets really complicateddiscussions in their books.
But to try to somehow basicallyjust talk around it to satisfy
people intellectually that well,there's something there and
this really works or something,but it's really just a lot of

(03:27):
hot air and talk.
History is totally determinedin this view, and so any concept
of you having free will orfreedom or making genuine
choices is really just anillusion, and that's why I link
this concept to ancient Docetismabout Christ's humanity.
But Docetism doesn't explain howthe Word was made flesh.

(03:49):
Let's look at 1 John 4.2.
One of the early tests fororthodoxy was does the person,
the teacher or the prophet, saythat Christ has come in the
flesh?
If they denied it, they werenot a true teacher or prophet.

(04:10):
So 1 John 4, verse 1, saysBeloved, do not believe every
spirit, but test the spirits tosee whether they are from God,
because many false prophets havegone out into the world, and by
this you know the Spirit of God.
Every spirit that confessesJesus Christ has come in the
flesh is from God.

(04:30):
I mean, was it just an illusion?
Was his human form just anillusion, or is this verse
saying that he actually came inhuman flesh?
See, but there were a lot ofpeople in the first century who
were already denying this.
This is probably Gnosticism orpre-Gnostic ideas, which

(04:52):
developed later into what wascalled Docetism.
So these were popular views atthe time, and so this is written
in the text.
Say this is a test.
If anybody says he hasn't comein the flesh, that is not from
the Spirit of God is a test.
If anybody says he hasn't comein the flesh, that is not from
the Spirit of God.
Okay, how about John 1.14.
John 1.14.

(05:31):
So this gets us into someinteresting passages.
John 1.14, the whole discussionof the Word, which we know is
the second person of the Trinity.
He's the one through whomeverything came into being.
Verse 3.
And in verse 14, it says theWord became what?
The illusion of right.
He looked like flesh and thatwhat it says?
No, of course.
It says he came in the flesh,talking about the actual flesh,

(05:54):
and he dwelt among us and we sawhis glory, glory as of the only
begotten from the father, fullof grace and truth.
Okay, so another passage isshowing for sure that he came in
the flesh.
In colossians 2 9, all thefullness of deity dwells in him
in bodily form.
That one could be questioned,because it says form.
But I've shown you otherpassages that say he came in the

(06:15):
flesh, so they'reunquestionable.
It doesn't explain that he wasactually touched.
I mean, if he was just anillusion.
Can you touch an illusion?
1 John 1, 1-4?
.
1 John 1, 1-4.
1 John 1, 1-4, which I'll readwhat was from the beginning,
what we heard, what we've seenwith our eyes, what we have

(06:38):
looked at and we touched withour own hands, concerning the
word of life and this life wasmanifested.
We have seen and testify andproclaim to you the eternal life
which was with the Father andmanifested to us.
So we saw it, we touched it.
What did they see and touch?
They touched eternal life.
Well, who's eternal life?
Jesus Christ.

(06:58):
This is the true God andeternal life.
Jesus Christ himself is eternallife.
When we believe in him, see,his life is given to us.
What is that life?
It's eternal life.
That's what we're receiving.
We're receiving Him, his life.
They saw it, they touched it.
That's not an illusion.

Speaker 1 (07:18):
That's real.
Thank you for joining us onBeyond the Walls with Jeremy
Thomas.
If you would like to see thevisuals that went along with
today's sermon, you can findthose on Rumble and on YouTube
under Spokane Bible Church.
That is where Jeremy is thepastor and teacher.
We hope you found today'slesson productive and useful in

(07:39):
growing closer to God andwalking more obediently with Him
.
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next time, we hope you have ablessed and wonderful day.