The Possibility of Being New

Summary

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Living Influence with Bill Thrall and Scott Boyd

Episode: The Possibility of Being New
Date: December 4, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the profound idea that discovering and believing who God says you are is central to transformation and influence. Bill Thrall and Scott Boyd reflect on how faith, as a gift granted while spiritually “dead,” opens the door to a new life in Christ. They consider the implications of being “no longer enslaved to sin” and discuss what it truly means to live as someone new, empowered to love and serve others, as intended by God.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Faith: Gifted to the Dead

• Faith is a Gift from God:
  Scott opens by summarizing their ongoing series—moving from "sinner to dead to sin, and from dead to sin to alive in Christ" (00:05).

  • “Faith is a gift of God to a dead man.” - Scott (00:08)
  • Bill elaborates: it's faith given to people separated from God, so they may trust Him and find life (00:24).

• Often Missed Simplicity:
  Both agree on how easily believers overlook the simplicity and radical nature of this gift, and miss who it’s given to—those spiritually dead (00:45).

2. The Possibility of Being New

• Transformation at Calvary:
  Bill shares personally:

  • “For many years, I lived with almost no awareness of all Jesus actually did for me at Calvary.” (03:09)
  • The message is not merely forgiveness, but the "old self" died in Christ and a new life began (03:35).

• No Longer Slaves to Sin:
  The co-hosts challenge the common narrative that Christians remain bound by sin, reframing the gospel promise:

  • “If I really believed I was dead, I would have a new foundation from which I would be able to believe I am no longer a slave to sin. Because if I’m dead, I ain’t sinning.” - Bill (03:58)

3. Freedom FROM and Freedom TO

• Freedom Reframed:
  The discussion pivots to not just freedom FROM sin but freedom TO live righteously and fulfill God’s purposes (06:01).

  • “It’s not only a freedom from, but a freedom to.” - Scott (06:05)
  • “Freedom to love one another, freedom to enjoy God and life.” - Scott (06:05)

• It's About Identity, Not Performance:
  Bill addresses the trap of striving and appearances:

  • “So much of our dominant theology is… strive, struggle… hide from each other all the sin that we do. And that’s a cycle, a vicious cycle of defeat.” (02:32)
  • The solution: trust in what God has done, not in our own efforts.

4. The New Destiny: Becoming Like Jesus

• Scriptural Foundation (1 John 3):
  Bill reads and unpacks 1 John 3 (07:08–13:44), emphasizing:

  • We are now children of God, bearing Jesus’ “DNA.”
  • “My new destiny is that I’m going to be like Jesus.” - Bill (08:10)
  • John’s point: “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him…” (1 John 3:9, 12:16). The focus is on abiding and living into the new identity, not endless self-fixation on resisting sin.

• Notable Emphasis:
  Bill stresses: “We must not just talk about being dead to sin unless we talk about being alive to righteousness.” (12:30)

5. Dealing with Sin: A Paradigm Shift

• Don't Deal with Sin by Focusing on Sin:

  • “Don’t deal with sin by dealing with sin. It’ll only keep you trapped in sin.” - Bill (14:24)
  • The alternative: embrace your new reality in Christ, which leads naturally to “practice sinless.”

• Loving as the Fulfillment of the Law:
  The paradox: focusing on loving others is how one “obeys” the law (16:55).

  • “What if the evidence of my Christian life was not how little I sin, but how much I love?” - Bill (17:34)

6. Personal Vulnerability & Living Love

• Scott’s Story of Loss and Love:
  Scott opens up about losing his first wife to cancer:
  • “If you love somebody, one of the two of you is going to experience the other one dying and how hard that would be.” (18:04)
  • He shares why he sought companionship again, highlighting mutual support through hardship:
    • “Life is hard. Let’s help each other make it through.” - Scott (18:42)
  • This reflection brings the conversation back to Jesus’ command to “love one another” (19:04).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Faith is a gift of God to a dead man.”
  — Scott (00:08)

• “If I really believed I was dead, I would have a new foundation… I am new, I am loved. I am no longer under the tyranny of the law.”
  — Bill (03:58)

• “It’s not only a freedom from, but a freedom to.”
  — Scott (06:05)

• “My new destiny is that I’m going to be like Jesus.”
  — Bill (08:10)

• “Don’t deal with sin by dealing with sin. It’ll only keep you trapped in sin… Deal with the reality of who God is making you to be.”
  — Bill (14:24, 14:39)

• “What if the evidence of my Christian life was not how little I sin, but how much I love?”
  — Bill (17:34)

• “Life is hard. Let’s help each other make it through.”
  — Scott (18:42)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:05: Introduction—Faith as a gift for the spiritually dead
• 02:00: Possibility of no longer being a slave to sin
• 03:09: Bill’s personal journey—discovering the depth of Christ’s work at Calvary
• 04:58: Short prayer—learning to serve righteousness
• 06:05: Not just freed from sin, but freed to live purposefully
• 07:08–13:44: 1 John 3 unpacked—identity, destiny, life practice
• 14:24: Paradigm shift—stop fixing sin by focusing on sin
• 16:55: Love as the fulfillment of the law
• 18:04: Scott’s personal story of love, loss, and mutual support
• 19:04: Jesus’ command to love one another as central Christian evidence

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Tone & Style

The conversation is warm, direct, and pastoral, rich with personal anecdotes, biblical references, and empathetic encouragement. Bill’s seasoned wisdom and Scott’s open vulnerability create a relational and hope-filled invitation for listeners to embrace their true identity in Christ and to live it out in love.

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Conclusion

This episode is a practical, theologically rich reflection on what it means to be “new” in Christ. Bill and Scott challenge listeners to shift from a focus on limiting sin toward embracing their God-given identity and destiny: to love and influence others as children of God. The transformation comes not from striving, but from trusting in Christ's life within—a possibility open to everyone.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign.

[B]

Welcome to Living Influence. My name is Scott Boyd, your host, here with my friend and mentor, Bill Thrall. We've been on a series going from sinner to dead to sin and dead to sin to alive in Christ. Faith is a gift from God to a dead man.

To trust God. That's kind of a fun statement to say faith is a gift of God to a dead man, but it's a gift God gives us when we are dead in our sin in order that we might trust God and he might bring life to us.

[A]

Amen. There's so much truth in what you just said.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We sometimes don't get the obvious. I think it's like for years we hear that faith is a. Is a gift.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But we don't often recognize who he's giving it to.

[B]

It's just this little small message that you can say in a few amount of words.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And the interesting thing is people that I know, like Bill.

Who have really been an evangelist with this message for 60 years.

It is so cool to see how much faith you have in this little small package of words, what it can do in someone's life.

[A]

Amen.

[B]

Amen. Thank you.

[A]

Thank you. So just ponder that for a minute. Again. I was dead, separated from God, and God gave me the gift of faith. Yeah. That's what that means.

Now, what did he do when he did that? He gave me in Christ the possibility.

Of being new.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And we're in a theme of dealing with no longer being a slave to sin.

And for many Christians, it's like, this is impossible theology. I know that I'm a slave to sin because I'm still practicing sin. And we'll talk about it in this podcast. Wait a minute. What if there was a way for you as a Christian, to recognize that who you are.

And living in the reality of who you are is the way to no longer practice sin? Well, what if that were true? So much of our dominant theology is just have to really work, have to strive, have to struggle, have to not sin less. Let's brave to each other how much we're not sinning and let's hide from each other all the sin that we do. And that's a cycle, a vicious cycle of defeat. So let's just really quickly, just review something for me. Many, many Years ago, at 17, I accepted a savior.

For many years, I lived with almost no awareness of all Jesus actually did for me at Calvary. I know he died for my sin. And that was the message I believed, and that was the lesson I learned. Yeah, but I didn't realize that this Jesus who died for me at Calvary, did something at Calvary for the person he died for.

He actually, at Calvary, took the guy who's talking, who was dead and gave me a new life. He not only died for my sin, but he actually gave me a new life. But in order to have the new life, he took me to his death. I died in Christ at Calvary. That's what Galatians teaches. And so often we're not learning that it sounds too simple. I don't want to be simple because I know how hard this is for people. But listen, if I really believed I was dead, I would have a new foundation from which I would be able to believe I no longer am a slave to sin. Because if I'm dead, I ain't sinning. That's the whole premise of it. I am new, I am loved. I am no longer under the tyranny of the law. I have a Savior who deals with my sin, my sinning, my shame. We've reviewed this many, many times.

And so I say to people, I had to learn something, Scott. I had to learn to pray some pretty short prayers. And one of the short prayers that I learned was, God teach me that in Christ I have the ability to. To serve righteousness.

God, teach me that in Christ I have the ability to serve righteousness. Which means, teach me that I have the ability, therefore, to no longer be.

[B]

A slave to sin.

[A]

How is that even. That's impossible. Apart from the cross. But that same faith. Remember we talked about that faith being given to a dead man? Now that same faith is the foundation for all that I have in Christ. So the question I ask me and a lot of people is this. Do you believe that Jesus died for your sin? Do you believe that Jesus at Calvary gave you a new life?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Do you believe that the old life.

[B]

Is dead and that takes us to a place where we've been freed Right. From being a slave to sin.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Freed from. But at the same time, we're freed to.

[A]

Amen.

[B]

So it's not only a freedom from, but it's a freedom to.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

And the freedom to. Is this positive pull of freedom to live in righteousness, freedom to love one another, freedom to enjoy God and life.

[A]

And freedom together to live into God's purposes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Freedom to live into God's purposes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Wait, wait. You guys are confusing me. Don't you understand? I'm sitting in the misery of seeing myself as a sinner, and you're Talking about living into God's purposes. How do I get there? This is why we keep repeating this lesson. Yeah, I get there with the trust that made me a Christian is the same trust that makes me a saint. It's the same trust that gives me life. It's is the same trust that gives me the ability to do what you just said and what I just added. The same trust to live into.

The purposes of God for my life.

[B]

It's the trust to let Jesus be our God.

[A]

I have this idea that one John, chapter three helps me with this. And I would say, let me just read a couple of verses from First John, chapter three, and let's see if we can't tie what we've been talking about these last couple of podcasts. He says this. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that they do not know Him. Now he's saying this. Wait a minute. I who died in Adam am now alive in Christ, and I am a child of God. We said it last week. We'll say it again. I literally have, as a child of God, the DNA of Jesus in me.

That has to make a difference. It has to make a difference in who I am.

Remember?

[B]

And the world doesn't know me.

[A]

And the world doesn't. They can't know me because they don't have that faith.

[B]

It will accuse me.

[A]

It will. It will abuse me and cause me to suffer.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Being a child of God means.

That I am like Jesus, that he.

[B]

Who.

[A]

Was never a slave to sin has made me like him, not having to be a slave to sin. Let me just read a couple more verses. Beloved, we are God's children now. And what we will be has not yet appeared. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope and everyone who. Who thus hopes in him, purifies himself as he is pure. He's introducing me to a new destiny. My new destiny is that I'm going to be like Jesus.

[B]

Because I've had people say, read the Scripture and said, see, you're not yet righteous.

[A]

Yeah. And so you look at that. And let's just do that. Let's just look at that. He says, beloved, you are God's children now, and what you will be has not yet appeared. But we know that when he appears, you shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is now. It's so interesting. What. What he's saying here is this. I have a new destiny. I don't have it fully yet because.

[B]

It'S not here today, but it's not.

[A]

Here today, but I have have a new destiny.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And my new destiny is that I will be like Jesus, you know?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Fully someday. Like Jesus.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Now, what you just said is people say, well, therefore it means you're not righteous. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I am righteous, but I'm not yet fully mature.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's the key to that passage. Now, but again, if my destiny is to be like Jesus, why are we spending. Not you and I, necessarily. But why is the church spending so much time on dealing with the saint who they still think is a sinner? Why isn't the church putting an emphasis that it's the purpose of God, my destiny to be like Jesus? Let me read these next couple of verses. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness, since sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sin, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning. No one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or knows him. How is it possible for me to not continue to be a slave to sin? Oh, wait, I get it.

I'm a child of God.

The destiny for my life is to be like Jesus. My abiding in him, my actually believing that he is in me and that I am in him, is in fact a significance so great that it will cause me to not practice lawlessness.

Now, John believed these things. John believed they were true. And he lived them because he believed they were true. And then he says, little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning, he's of the devil. For the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. Now, this next line is very critical. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning. For God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

There's a lot of powerful theology there, Scott, but his main point is this John saying, you know what you ate, who you used to be.

The very seed of life in you is the life of God.

Does it make any sense to you that someone who has in them the very DNA of God would continue to make the practice of sinning? He's not Saying with sin, he's saying, would make sin. Practicing it. It would be the only expression of their life. That's why last week I so strongly emphasized, we must not just talk about being dead to sin unless we talk about being alive to righteousness. We must not just talk about not practicing sin unless we're willing to practice a life that's worth living, put our emphases on the life that's worth living, put our emphases on the fact that we are the very seed of God in us. And I don't know why, just from my narrow experience as a Christian. In the places where I've been, I don't know, people being taught these truths. I think wherever I've been, the major emphases has to be all kinds of dynamics that have to do with figuring out a way to sin less to show how godly you are.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's been my story. That's been my history.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Now, I want to just finish this, but this is evident. Who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil? Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. So. So he's giving us this dynamic. If I do not understand the significance of the work in Christ in me as a Christian.

I will never, ever understand how to deal with the power of sin.

I won't. It's like a riddle. Don't I deal with sin by dealing with sin? No. No. Don't deal with sin by dealing with sin. It'll only keep you trapped in sin.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You want to effectively deal with sin. Deal with the reality of who God is making you to be.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Deal with that reality and you will practice sinless.

[B]

It's the freedom, too.

[A]

Yeah. And John's very bold in this chapter.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because he says in just a few. We won't go there. But he says this. You know what? If you keep practicing sin, you may not even be a Christian.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Wake up. Wake up, he's saying. Scream as loud as he can. Wake up. Make sure that you are in Christ before you try to deal with sin. But once you're in Christ, let him deal with sin.

[B]

Sounds like some of those little small churches where the pastor has an altar call every week.

[A]

Exactly. And to the same people.

[B]

And the same people. And keep getting saved over and over again.

[A]

Well, I'm sorry to tell you, but I went to a church like that, my wife and I did for a while, and just because of the habit came starting the 1880s. But even as late as the 1960s, every Sunday night at this little church, there was a gospel meeting.

[B]

A gospel meeting every.

[A]

Every Sunday night. And the gospel was preached faithfully every Sunday night because somebody might come in. But I want to just encourage us, we've been, these last couple weeks, especially Scott, we've been talking a lot about. Of this powerful dynamic called sin and how to deal with it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How to, how to, how to actually live without being a slave to sin. And I want to just close this part with this. John is saying, wake up, wake up. Wake up to a few things. Let them grab your attention. You wake up. You as a believer are a child of God.

You as a believer are intentionally designed of God to become like Jesus. You, as a believer do not have to practice sinning. You, as a believer can trust in your new reality. This is almost like a tease from God. I don't know how to say this well, but people who are always working on their sin are working hard to obey the law.

Here's the paradox. He says you really want to obey the law.

[B]

Love, Right.

[A]

Love is the fulfillment of the law.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Wait, wait, that's a paradox. Are you telling me that I, a child of God, by loving, would be obeying the very thing as a sinner demonstrated I couldn't do? What's going on here? What's this transaction that's taking place? Is the eternal God making such a difference in me that the evidence of my Christian life is love which fulfill the law? Then what if the evidence of my Christian life was not how little I.

[B]

Sin, but on how much I love.

[A]

But how much I love? What if I could turn that attention in my heart? So again, I have one of these short prayers, but it's a powerful prayer. Father, teach me to trust that you have given me the ability to love.

Teach me to love.

[B]

Yeah. You know what happened to me as my late wife died in that journey with pancreatic cancer?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

It was this realization that if you love somebody, one of the two of you is going to experience the other one dying and how hard that would be.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

When that happened to me and I started going, I don't want to live life alone. I want to find somebody to partner with me. I didn't. I didn't want to be unmarried.

I couldn't pick somebody 15 years younger than me. I felt like that would be like the biggest trick I could pull on anybody of like, ah, you're gonna have to watch me die. I couldn't do that because it was so horrible.

[A]

Bless you.

[B]

But the other thing that that came out of it is like, this. Life is hard. Yeah. Let's help each other make it through.

[A]

Amen. Thank you.

[B]

It was an overwhelming feeling of like, could we just do that?

[A]

Yeah. Amen.

[B]

Wouldn't the world be a better place if we just did that? Isn't that what God's calling us to do?

[A]

Amen.

[B]

Jesus says, by this, I give you a new commandment that you love one another.

[A]

Amen. Just as I've loved you.

[B]

Just as I have loved you. That's amazing. And. Yeah.

[A]

Amen.

[B]

What a journey.

[A]

Amen. What an opportunity, Scott.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

Thanks for watching this week. We hope to see you next week. Please share with your friends. Check out our new study guides. We're excited about those. See you next week. Thank you for listening to the podcast. We're really glad that you're here. We'd love to know that you're here. And so if you could leave a comment, we would appreciate that. But more importantly, if you know someone that should listen to this or hear it, we would love for you to share it with them. Thanks again.