NT Framework - What do we practice?

Does what we practice, that is do on a regular basis, define who we are or our eternal state? It can't possibly define us.

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):
Can we enjoy a sinless experience if we meet
certain conditions?
Yeah, if we abide, if we'reliving by faith, christ is
formed in us.
We're walking by the Spirit.
Okay, the fruit at the end ofthat is 100 amen.
So now we have three, five.
You know that he appeared inorder to take away sins.

(00:32):
Is that why jesus came to takeaway sins?
Sure, right, we all agree withthat.
Paid for the penalty on thecross, paid all the penalty for
sin, it says.
And in him there is no sin.
Do we all agree with that?
There's no sin in him,absolutely.
This is good news, right?
And then he says something noone who abides in him sins.

(00:55):
Do we really have a problemwith that?
No, because we've already beentaught that in John 15.
You can have a sinlessproduction of Christ through you
, so no one who abides in him 15.
You can have a sinlessproduction of Christ through you
, so no one who abides in himsins.
There's the idea of a sinlessexperience there.
And then it says no one whosins has seen him or knows him.

(01:18):
That's where some people haveproblems.
Because let me ask you aquestion have you sinned?
Have I sinned?
Well, yes, yes, amen.
I agree.
I agree with you.
Let's quit it, right.
Um, we can say quit it, butwhat ends up?

(01:42):
That's what paul was saying inromans 7 I want to quit, but he
couldn't quit right.
So the answer was to Paul wassaying in Romans 7.
I want to quit, but he couldn'tquit right.
So the answer was to learn towalk by the Spirit, not to learn
to quit sinning.
That's a very important lesson,right, you can't stop yourself
from sinning, but you can learnto abide, walk by the Spirit,
and then you can enjoy a sinlessexperience until you stop

(02:03):
abiding.
He says so.
No one who sins has seen him orknows him.
What would that mean then?
In the context?
What it would mean is you don'tknow him rightly.
As a believer, you don't reallyunderstand who God is at that
point.
So when you sin, when I sin, doI know God correctly at that

(02:27):
point, or have somehow I steppedaway from knowing Him correctly
?
I've stepped away from properknowledge of God?
Can a believer step away fromproper knowledge of God?
Sure, sure, every time you sin.
You have done that Every time.
In fact, what you mostly dowhen you sin is you put him out

(02:49):
of mind.
You don't have him in yourthinking, do you?
What do you have in thinking?
You have.
Whatever you're sending, you'resending.
That's what you're thinking, soyou don't know him correctly.
At that point you stepped awayfrom that.
Little children, verse 7 makesure no one deceives you.
And then we have a terribleproblem.

(03:12):
The one who practicesrighteousness is righteousness
just as he is righteous.
He, the one who practices sin,is righteousness just as he is
righteous.
The one who practices sin is ofthe devil, for the devil has
sinned from the beginning.
What is so frustrating aboutthis is the way they translated
this to try to alleviate aproblem and what they conceived

(03:37):
to be a problem in the book of 1John.
Do you see that where it sayspractices righteousness.
So you know, if you practicerighteousness, you're righteous,
if you practice sin, you're ofthe devil.
Okay, do you practice sin?
Does anybody want to deny thatthey practice sin?
Did you sin today?
Did you sin yesterday?

(03:57):
How about two days ago?
Three days ago?
Four, five, six, seven?
So are you telling me that youcontinually practice sin?
Well, this verse says, in thistranslation, that you are
continually sinning.
It says you're of the devil.

(04:19):
But what did chapter 1, verse10 say?
What did chapter 1, verse 10,say If you say you've not sinned
, you're a liar?
And the word is not in it.
So chapter 1 says you can't sayyou're not sinning, but chapter

(04:45):
3, verse 7, says well, you seethat some people feel like this
is a contradiction between thesetwo verses.
In one, you can't say you'renot sinning.
In the other one, if you'resinning, you're of the devil.
What I don't like about theverse and the way they translate

(05:05):
it here is practices.
They put that word in there.
They added that word.
That word is not in the Greektext.
It is a possible meaning of thepresent tense, but it is not
the only meaning of a presenttense.
Okay, here's what they'retrying to do here.
I'm going to explain a whole lotin Christianity right now, in

(05:26):
one minute.
They want to say translatorshere and other theologians that
if you are really a believer,you will not continually or
habitually sin.
That's the only way they canreconcile this with 110.

(05:46):
This is a well-known discussion.
The problem is in the last 70years in theology is, this
viewpoint has come to a halt,and the reason is is because it
creates that conflict with 110,because 110 doesn't just say sin
, it uses the exact same wordthat's over here in the same 10.

(06:09):
So if you're going to beconsistent and you want to
translate this practices sin,meaning you're of the devil,
then over here in chapter 1,verse 10, you have to say
practices sin meaning you're ofthe devil.
Then over here in chapter 1,verse 10, you have to say
practices sin.
But that creates a directcontradiction.
In one passage it says theexact opposite of the other
passage.
So that solution will not work.

(06:31):
Besides we just went through itDo you continually practice sin
Habitually?
Yes, and guess what?
If you're an honest believer,every believer does continually,
habitually sin.
Try going 10 days.
Try going two days without sin.
Okay, good luck.

(06:55):
I mean, you can deceiveyourself and say you don't sin.
But Paul says, or John says, ifyou do, that you're a liar and
the truth's not in you.
Then over here it says he whosins is of the devil.
So it's not a habitual sin.
That's not what Paul's talkingabout and that's not how you
measure whether someone's abeliever or not.
Look for a pattern.
That's not what he's about here.

Speaker 1 (07:17):
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

(07:37):
growing closer to God andwalking more obediently with Him
.
If you found this podcast to beuseful and helpful, then please
consider rating us in yourfavorite podcast app, and until
next time, we hope you have ablessed and wonderful day.