Welcome to the Study of God Podcast. This is episode #62
I am your host, Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International. This podcast is designed to give you a basic understanding of God, the Bible, and Christian beliefs. J. Dwight Pentecost said, “There is no higher activity in which the mind may be engaged than the pursuit of the knowledge of God.”
Let’s start out reading the Word of God Itself. Today’s passage of Scripture is Jeremiah 31:33-34 which reads: “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
The Bible Knowledge Commentary says about this passage: In addition to a new beginning God promised to make a New Covenant with His people. This New Covenant was expressly for the house of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and the house of Judah (the Southern Kingdom). It would not be like the covenant God had made with Israel’s forefathers at the time of the Exodus because that covenant had been broken by the people. The earlier covenant God referred to was the Mosaic Covenant contained in the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Twice God had announced a series of punishments or “curses” that would be invoked on those who violated His Law. The final judgment would be a physical deportation from the land of Israel. With the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 b.c. this final “curse” was completed. God had set a holy standard of conduct before the people, but because of their sinful hearts they could not keep those standards. A change was needed.
God’s New Covenant will involve an internalization of His Law. He will put His Law in their minds and on their hearts, not just on stones. There will be no need to exhort people to know the Lord because they will already all know God. God’s New Covenant will give Israel the inner ability to obey His righteous standards and thus to enjoy His blessings. Ezekiel indicated that this change will result from God’s bestowal of the Holy Spirit on these believers. In Old Testament times the Holy Spirit did not universally indwell all believers. Thus one different aspect of the New Covenant is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in all believers.
A second aspect of the New Covenant will be God’s provision for sin. The sins of the people resulted in the curses of the Old Covenant. However, as part of the New Covenant God will forgive Israel’s wickedness and remember their sins no more. But how could a holy God overlook sin? The answer is that God did not “overlook” sin–its penalty was paid for by a Substitute. In the Upper Room Christ announced that the New Covenant was to be inaugurated through the shedding of His blood. Forgiveness of sin would be part of the New Covenant only because God provided a Substitute to pay the penalty required of man.
Today’s words from a theologian are from J.I. Packer. He said: “Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life’s problems fall into place of their own accord.”
In this podcast, we are using as our texts, the following two books: “The Moody Handbook of Theology” by Dr. Paul Enns and “Understanding Theology in 15 Minutes a Day” by Dr. Daryl Aaron.
Our topic for today is titled “What Is Sin?” from “Understanding Theology in 15 Minutes a Day” by Dr. Daryl Aaron.
Dr. Daryl Aaron writes…
This topic of theology can be unappealing because it is not enjoyable to think about and is so unflattering (to put it lightly) to us. Nevertheless, it is critical because it speaks to our perspectives on God, ourselves, the world around us, and the need for salvation based on God’s grace alone.
Deviating From God
The most fundamental thing about sin is that it is whatever is contrary to God. He is perfect holiness; sin is anything that deviates in any way. Romans 3:23 says it best: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” God created us in his image to reflect his glory. However, due to sin, we can no longer perfectly or adequately do that. The divine mirrors that we were created to be have been distorted by sin.
Disobeying God
Another way of saying the same thing is that sin is disobeying God in any way. The commandments he has given to us are a reflection of his holy character. When we break them, we are acting contrary to who God is: “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).
Another very fundamental truth about sin is that it is first and foremost something that happens inside us and only secondarily something we do or do not do on the outside. This is what Jesus was getting at when he said, “The things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matthew 15:18–19). The biblical concept of the heart includes our thoughts, attitudes, and motives. And these reflect who we truly are, from which comes what we do.
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Let’s Pray —
Before we close, dear friend, I want to remind you that while it is important to engage in the study of God, it is far more important that you have a relationship with God. I fear that there are a lot of people who will die knowing a lot about God, but not really knowing God. You don’t want to be one of those people.
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, and you want to get to know Him today here’s how.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Pray and ask Him to come into your heart and He will.
May God bless you and keep you until we meet again.
BCNN1 WP 