NT Framework - The Son Adopted by the Father?

Did Jesus, the Son, exist before He was born of Mary? Some people believe so, and so we must ask if this view fully explains what the Bible says about the Son?

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):
Here's another one Ancient, dynamic monarchianism,
not modal Modes are masks.
That's the first view.
This is dynamic, also known asadoptionism, which I think is
more helpful when I explain itas adoptionism, which I think is
more helpful when I explain it.
But it is a form ofmonarchianism, because monarch

(00:31):
means what?
One solitary king or ruler.
So that is their presupposition.
A solitary one, god, anabsolute one with no diversity
in himself.
That's the key presuppositionin himself.
That's the key presuppositionwe know.
The Bible teaches that.
We know the Bible teaches Godis one.
Nobody is surprised by that inthis room.
Old and New Testament teachthat.

(00:54):
But the question becomes well,what about passages then that
teach a distinction betweenFather and Son in this God, see,
or a distinction between Sonand Spirit in this God?
That's what they're trying towrestle with in the early church
, also known as adoptionism, andin the modern day it's in

(01:16):
Unitarianism, judaism and Islam.
Now, everything I mentionedunder the conclusions will not
be true of each and every one ofthose, but I'm just saying they
all share the samepresupposition that there's an
absolute oneness to God.
Does Islam believe that?
An absolute oneness in Allah?
Yeah, they don't believe anydiversity exists within Allah,

(01:37):
it's just a solitary one, beingwith no persons of distinction
within himself.
Same thing for Judaism, right,with no persons of distinction
within himself.
Same thing for Judaism, right.
They're strict monotheists inthe sense there's no diversity
of person within God.
Same thing for Unitarianism.
They're called Unitariansbecause they uni means one right
, like the Unabomber, rememberthat guy.

(02:00):
They're not Trinitarians, whichwould be three, a reference to
the oneness in a unified God, asingle God.
So they're Unitarian.
So those are modern forms ofthis.
Again, the ideas have not goneaway.
So the presupposition againsolitary monotheism.
But it's different from theprevious idea where God put on

(02:20):
different masks successively inhistory.
In their view, only the Fatheris God and God adopted Jesus.
That's why I say adoptionism isa good term to understand this
view.
God adopted Jesus, either athis birth, his baptism or the
resurrection.

(02:40):
That's Bart Ehrman's view, bythe way.
Remember the guy who alwaysdebates christians?
He used to say he was achristian, but he rejected all
this stuff, um, or theresurrection and gave him
godhood at that adoption.
So in other words, jesus isjust a man, okay, but god
adopted him and bestowed on himgodhood.

(03:01):
That's what they're saying.
He adopted him, but he's reallyjust a man, because there's
only one God.
They say so because he wasbestowed the title or given
godhood.
He is a god, but he's not ofthe same essence of the Father.
He is a lesser essence.
He's a lesser essence.

(03:23):
So we're in John.
Go over to John 14, 28.
This is one of their favoritepassages.
To try to explain this or makethis claim, jesus' words himself
right, they're in red in redletter editions John 14, 28.
You heard that I said to you Igo away and I will come to you.

(03:48):
If you loved me, you would haverejoiced, because I go to the
Father, for the Father isgreater than I See.
So since the Father is greaterthan I, since Jesus even said
that, they say that means thatJesus is less than the Father
and in some sense he is less.
In some sense the Father isgreater.

(04:11):
But the question is in whatsense?
They are concluding that he'sless in essence.
He doesn't share the sameessence.
He doesn't have the attributesof God or the functions of God
or the names of God and thingslike that.
So he's less than God inessence.

(04:35):
We would probably argue thatthis is an expression that
discusses subordination withinthe Trinity, that the Son took a
different role or a lesser rolethan the Father and came into
this world and took to himself atrue humanity, went through all
things as we tempted right, yetwithout sin, and gave himself

(04:58):
up for us.
So it's subordination of role,and the greater, lesser would
relate to a role distinction,not an essence distinction.
You know all of these passageslike this one.
He says the Father is greaterthan I.
We have to.
That doesn't clarify everything.
We have to ask the questiongreater in what way?

(05:20):
Do you remember in Matthew,chapter 10, the Lord says about
John the Baptist that no one hasbeen born of woman who's
greater than John the Baptist.
Remember that no one has beenborn of woman who's greater than
John the Baptist.
But you still have to ask thequestion greater in what sense?

(05:42):
Like he's the greatest personwho ever lived, morally or
ethically, he's the greatestintellect that ever lived.
Like what do you mean greater?
So all these questions have tobe asked and answered in these
contexts to determine in whatsense was John the Baptist

(06:05):
greater?
I concluded in my study yearsago on that that he was greater
in privilege than any otherhuman because he was the one who
prepared the way for the kingof the universe to come into
this world.
So he had the greatestprivilege he got to announce the

(06:25):
king and proclaim his arrival.
But the text goes on to saylater, jesus even says that
someone who enters the kingdomis greater than John the Baptist
.
So the privilege of enteringthe kingdom is greater than the
privilege of announcing theking's arrival.
So all these passages that talkgreater, lesser or any type of

(06:51):
comparison like that, have to beinterpreted in context of what
the sense would be.
So we know things like if we goto John 10, for example, jesus
just said there in John 14, 28,the Father is greater than I.
But what do you do withsomething like John 10, 30?
This is also in the red letters.

(07:15):
He says in verse 29 what wejust read in John 14, 28, my
father, who has given them to me, is greater than all and no one
is able to snatch them out ofthe father's hand.
And then he says I and thefather are one.
Probably this is a reference toessence.
They share the same essence.
But as far as role, the Fathergreater because he sent the Son

(07:41):
Order of procession.
Father sending Son, son sendingSpirit.
So in that sense, as well asrole.
You can have greater or lesserwithin the Trinity.

Speaker 1 (07:50):
Thank you for joining us on Beyond 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

(08:10):
growing closer to God andwalking more obediently with Him
.
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next time, we hope you have ablessed and wonderful day.