Ep 1271 | Willie & Jase Robertson’s Homemade Olympic Games Were Shockingly Dangerous

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Unashamed with the Robertson Family

Episode 1271 | Willie & Jase Robertson’s Homemade Olympic Games Were Shockingly Dangerous
Date: February 17, 2026
Featuring: Al, Jase, Zach, and others

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Episode Overview

In this lively and thought-provoking episode, the Robertson brothers—Al and Jase—are joined by Zach and others to share hilarious and borderline perilous memories of their own "homemade Olympic games", reflect on the appeal and controversies of the real Olympics, and dive deep into profound discussions on Christian faith, abiding in Christ, and scriptural interpretations. Expect laughter, nostalgia, and robust Bible study, all centered around the theme of living faithfully as new creations in Christ.

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Key Discussions & Insights

1. The Olympics & Childhood "Games"

[01:05 – 09:45]

• Olympic Memories and Sentiments:
  • The guys discuss their fondness for the Olympics' inspirational stories and how they bring people together, yet note their disinterest in recent years due to politicization.
  • Al: "I love the stories behind the Olympics. ... These people are amazing." (03:34)
  • NBC’s improved storytelling of athletes’ backgrounds is praised.
• Homemade Robertson Olympics:
  • Jase and Willie recount their childhood "Olympic day," improvising ski races using rusty tin and house siding.
  • Jase: "It wasn't so much who won, it was who survived." (05:22)
• Dangerous Winter Stunts:
  • Stories include sledding on car hoods behind pickup trucks, and the near-death experiences that were considered normal fun in their youth.
  • E: "I'm just like, I pray my kids don't do what I used to do." (06:44)
• Reflection on Risk:
  • The idea of "Risk Play" and surviving wild adventures versus modern parental caution.

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2. Olympics in Today's Culture

[08:47 – 09:45]

• Polarization & Politics:
  • Discomfort with political questions asked to athletes during the Olympics.
  • Desire expressed for sports to remain focused on athletic achievements, not national political debates.
  • Al: "Can we not just be Americans for two weeks and just enjoy it?" (09:03)
  • Jase: “Let them go over there and do the events and just leave it at that.” (08:55)
• The “Quad God” Skater & Snoop Dogg:
  • Discussion about a sensation in figure skating nicknamed “Quad God”—possibly by Snoop Dogg, who is doing Olympics commentary.

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3. Deep Dive: Abiding in Christ & Sin (1 John 2–3)

[11:41 – 56:18; Major segments throughout]

a) Examining the Text: 1 John 2:28–3:10

• Al reads the Scripture and guides the discussion on what it means to “abide” in Christ and be “born of God”—and the challenging language about sin and lawlessness.
• Al: “He’s talking about a lifestyle that’s very different from the lifestyle we lived as spirit filled people.” (14:01)
• The key Greek word “poieōn” (practicing) is highlighted as crucial for proper interpretation.

b) The Struggle With Sin & Living Righteously

• Jase points out that the Christian walk is not sinless perfection, but continual faithfulness and abiding, because of God’s faithfulness—contrasting regular sinning with “practicing” sin.
  • Jase: "There's an honesty and a transparency on a minute by minute basis that is happening..." (17:25)
• Comparison to Paul’s teaching in Romans about dying to sin and living as a new creation, highlighted by the symbolism in baptism.

c) Faith, Righteousness, and Transformation

• Romans 6 & 7 Discussion:
  • Being baptized joins us to Christ’s death, which frees us from slavery to sin and the law.
  • The analogy of marriage (Romans 7): As death frees a spouse from the law of marriage, so death to sin through Christ frees us from legalistic bondage.
  • Jase: "...we died to sin. Well, how did you die to sin? Because somehow you were, you got into his death." (25:21)
• Zach links this with “abiding” and describes being in Christ as similar to a branch on a vine, drawing nourishment from the connection (John 15).
  • Zach: "It's to the degree that you're connected to him... your practice in your formation a practice of being connected in the person of Christ, being in him." (36:09)

d) Purity, Hope, and New Humanity

• Being “purified” is not by our own virtue, but by Christ’s purity and faithfulness.
• Al: "I love the concept of, of a purifying hope. That's such a beautiful way of expressing it." (52:53)
• The “new birth” and new humanity in Christ (paralleling 1 Peter and Romans).
• Living faithfully is possible because God has moved in—using the analogy of marriage for abiding and faithfulness.
  • Jase: "No, that's not what happened. That'd be like, my wife...just make a list. You may go now. I'll follow the list. It's not going to work. ... God has said, no, no, no, I'm moving in the house with you." (41:29)

e) Obedience of Faith & The Good News of God

• The “obedience that comes from faith” (Romans 1) is a theme traced through Paul, Peter, and John.
• The real Christian message: We live righteously, faithfully, and with hope because God first was faithful.

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Notable Quotes

• "It wasn't so much who won, it was who survived." – Jase, recalling childhood “Olympics” (05:22)
• "Can we not just be Americans for two weeks and just enjoy it?" – Al, on politics in sports (09:03)
• "He’s talking about a practicing lifestyle of sin..." – Al, on 1 John 3 and its meaning (14:01)
• "There's an honesty and a transparency on a minute by minute basis that is happening..." – Jase (17:25)
• "It's to the degree that you're connected to him... your practice is a practice of being connected in the person of Christ." – Zach (36:09)
• "No, that's not what happened. ... God has said, no, no, no, I'm moving in the house with you." – Jase, illustrating abiding in Christ (41:29)
• "I love the concept of, of a purifying hope. That's such a beautiful way of expressing it." – Al (52:53)

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Key Timestamps

• 01:05 – Start of the Olympics discussion
• 04:34 – Homemade Olympic Games: sledding and skiing stories
• 06:06 – Dangerous stunts and childhood risk-taking
• 08:47 – Olympic politics and culture critique
• 11:41 – Deep dive into 1 John 2–3 and Christian living
• 17:25 – The daily practice of honesty before God
• 23:13 – Baptism and identity in Christ
• 31:09 – Paul’s illustration from marriage (Romans 7)
• 36:09 – Zach’s “vine and branch” analogy for abiding
• 41:29 – Jase compares faithfulness to marriage/abiding
• 49:10 – Purity, hope, and being born again
• 52:53 – Al on “purifying hope”
• 54:36 – Abiding and the original design for humanity

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Memorable Moments & Tone

• The nostalgic, hilarious stories of makeshift winter games set a tone of laughter and warmth.
• The group’s open grappling with difficult Scriptures is earnest and honest, using humor, practical analogies, and cross-references (“Let’s just don’t talk about politics for two weeks”, “This is more than just, ‘Give me the rules’—God’s moving in the house with you!”).
• Strong emphasis on God’s faithfulness as the reason for Christian hope, transformation, and righteous living.
• Interweaving of personal stories, Biblical teaching, and cultural observations keeps the episode engaging and accessible.

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Conclusion

This episode blends lighthearted family memories with an illuminating examination of Christian doctrine. The Robertson family’s reflections on risky child’s play and Olympics nostalgia segue seamlessly into a robust spiritual conversation about the nature of sin, identity, and what it truly means to abide in Christ. Their candid, relatable approach and depth of insight make for a uniquely rich and encouraging listen.

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[End of Summary]

Transcript

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[A]

I am unashamed. What about you?

[C]

Welcome back to Unashamed. It's one of my favorite times of the year is the Olympics. Do y' all watch the Olympics? As you hadn't had tv, so you probably haven't been.

[A]

No, I have TV now, Al. But I went so long without it that we just. We're just choosing not to watch it. And plus, Al, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I'm. You know what? I have lost ten pounds in the last three weeks. Breaking news.

[E]

Just by not watching tv.

[A]

Well, I think that was a factor. Yeah.

[C]

Because you know, there. When you go on a diet, here's something amazing because I was on. I've been on a diet for.

[E]

Wow.

[A]

This has.

[C]

You don't know how many food commercials are on.

[A]

This has nothing to do with a diet. I have not altered my.

[E]

And Jesse, he's moving his body is what he's saying. He's out there chopping wood.

[A]

Chopping wood. Chainsaw and carrying lambs. It's. It. There's. There's smoke coming from my backyard constantly. It's been a week of Jason.

[C]

Why people were not fat 100 years ago.

[A]

Exactly.

[C]

You're working too hard.

[A]

I mean, you talking about working out. I'm moving along.

[E]

You're not missing anything, though. I was reading. I was just reading here that they. The article here, and this is a headline article that the Olympics may have. May be rigged, and they're demanding an investigation and new judges. I think it's around the ice skating event. I didn't click on that.

[C]

Yeah, and we watched that one and they were robbed. It was a bad. It was a bad call. But Overall, I mean, I just. I love the stories behind the Olympics. Like, and. And I have to say, you know, NBC has carried the Olympics for a long time, but I feel like they've gotten better. That, like telling the stories of the people that are competing, because these people are amazing. There was a story. There's. There's a speed skater. And. And he won. He won the gold medal. He's 21 years old, but they. He's from a little farm in Wisconsin. And they. They. They showed. They went to the farm. They meet his mom and dad and his sister. And there's a lake back there, and it was full of geese. Jays. They were. Because it's summertime, you know, so there was just geese everywhere on this pond. And. And then they show a video when he was 5 years old. And of course, it's totally frozen over. That same pond, or it's kind of. We would call it more lake. And this thing was frozen solid. And so the dad goes out there and basically makes a little skating rink on. On this thing. And they're in that show, of course, this little kid's falling down. He's five years old. And then you see him just watch the progression. He got really good at it. Then he then started taking it to practice. And then he spent his whole childhood learning how to speed skate. And then he wins a metal. But I don't know. See that? I love stuff like that because it's like.

[E]

Or the Lindsay Vaughn story. She tore ACL and say, I'm gonna keep competing. Which I don't know how. She's a downhill skier.

[C]

Yeah. And she's like 42 years old, too. I mean, she. She came back.

[E]

Of course, now she broke her leg. And now they're saying she may have to have it amputated, which is insane. So there's. Yeah.

[C]

I just. I don't know. I love the stories. I love more than in the competition just because this stuff that I never. You know, we're not. We're from Louisiana. We just had the ice apocalypse with Jason. We don't get a lot of ice and snow, so all the events are things I've never done. I mean, I skied a little bit, but. But just. It's the idea of the competition, I guess, that I like and the stories behind.

[A]

Well, we had that one day, remember when we were kids, There's a big, long hill going down to my dad's.

[C]

And I think we had Olympics. We had an Olympic day. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, we. We skied.

[C]

We. We had a big piece of Tin.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

That we had torn off of something probably rusty tin. We probably got.

[A]

I think that was off of the roof of my grandparents house, Remember?

[C]

Yeah. And then Willie took two. Two pieces of siding off of mom and dad's house and he made skis out of it. I don't know what you had some kind of board or some kind of wooden something you found.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Then we had all these Olympic skiing races. Of course, you talk about apocalyptic. We were going off the side of the hill down to the river and going in the edge of the r. Frozen. And I mean, it's a wonder we didn't die.

[E]

You survived it. I mean, well.

[A]

Well, that was. That was the event. It wasn't so much who won, it was who survived.

[E]

Surprise is you. You're alive. Well, my kids send the video of Fred, who's 14, and he's walking out on the pond that had frozen over in the middle of town. But I'm like, this ain't Wisconsin. And of course I'm trying to call him. He's not answering the phone. I'm like, you. I mean, this is how people die, you know, I mean, I'm like, you don't do two kids die, do it? I'm like, you don't? Yeah, but I mean, it's amazing that and the. The things that we did and survived and I don't know how we did. We used to take off. They would take a hood off of a car.

[C]

Yeah.

[E]

And this is when I was in college in Arkansas and it snowed like, I don't know, 10 inches. Searcy, Arkansas. And that my buddy shows up. Four wheel drive pickup truck. He's got a chain tied to the back of it which is hooked on to a hood from a car that he got from the junkyard, which is on it. And so we got on that hood and then we all were. And he just took us around town like we were like. I mean, just slinging us around like we're on a. On a tube, you know, the inner tubes behind the boat. It was like that kind of experience, but on snow. And I'm just like, I pray my. I pray my kids don't do what I used to do.

[C]

But doctor. What doctor who's the guy we had on Dr. Height.

[E]

Oh, yeah. He said, we're not here.

[C]

He's at Risk play. That's what we did, that we lived at Risk Play. Dad did that same thing in Junction City when we were up there and he was a schoolteacher. Jase, you're probably too young to Remember it? But they turned a hood over, hooked it to a chain, too. Like they would take us out. We were kids. And they would go safely. But then when they would do it for each other, they were going 50 miles an hour and turned sideways. And you're sliding. They're sliding out across that thing. They're probably going 100 miles an hour.

[E]

It was like, who's a man?

[C]

Who's a man? Exactly what it was. And. And yet they survived. So that's. I love the Olympics, but, you know, and only get to watch every four years. And so I never watch any of the sports any other time of year. I know people like these sports, but I do enjoy the stories. And so just to tie off the Olympic discussion, Jace, there's a. There's a guy on there. There's that. He' a skater. I think he's maybe from somewhere in the northeast, but he's kind of been the sensation. And they. And you'll love his nickname because I know you love all religious theme nicknames. They call him. And I'm not sure that Snoop Dogg may not be the one that gave the nickname. He's the first one I heard say it. But they call. They're calling him the quad God.

[A]

What does that mean?

[C]

Well, he does like these quadruple things, and nobody can, you know, before the triple is the thing. But he can do the quad. And he does mult multiple and he does backflips on the ice, and he's just doing things that's never been done. And so Snoop Dogg was calling him with the quad God, and now it's kind of caught on. And I guess that's where it started. But maybe they already called him that. But I said, jason, love that, because I know you love all.

[A]

Well, we have somebody called Snoop Dogg, given the commentary on the Olympics now.

[C]

He is. He is. Snoop Dogg is the. Snooping around Milan. That's what they. His segments are called.

[E]

Anybody do the iron lotus on the. That's that you pull that move off. That is move in figure skating ever the iron.

[A]

I think what happened to me while the Olympics fell out of favor with me is they ask them all these political questions and cultural quotes. Just.

[C]

And that's unfortunate.

[A]

Let them go over there and do the events and just leave it at that, you know.

[C]

And that's people stirring up. You're right. Because I never even knew. They did press conferences and they're doing these press conferences. I asked them about Trump. Of course, you know, Trump is. He's a lightning rod. So you got ones that don't like him. But I thought, why you're there compet for the country. How about we just don't do politics? I mean, let's just leave that out for two weeks. Can we not. Can we not just be Americans for two weeks and just enjoy it? And. Yeah, I just kind of had to ignore it, guys. You're right. It just, it made me mad when that happened because I was like, whether it's your guy or not your guy, like, let's just don't talk about politics for two weeks. Everybody's wearing the American flag. They're representing all of us. Even if you don't agree with me politically, I'm rooting for you, you know, to win. So it's like, I just don't like. I don't like that either.

[A]

I don't either.

[C]

It shouldn't be. Well, let's see. Let's get to first, John. We were talking recently about this idea of the coming of Christ. Jace. And really the. Where we left off is the. Is the perfect passage for that conversation to kick it back up again. That's first, John. 2. 28. And we read this before because we talked about this concept of unashamed.

[E]

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[C]

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[E]

Well, I guess I've had mine for over 20 years now because I got it when we found out we were pregnant with our first child, Layla. And now I've got five kids. And so I'm telling you, I've got several term life insurance policies that I've.

[C]

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[C]

And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears, we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. Because we were recently talking about the coming of Christ and the suddenness of it. And then he says in verse 29, if you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him. So he's kind of returning to this conversation about right and wrong and lifestyle versus non lifestyle. And that's what this next discussion is going to be about. And it really goes down to verse 10. I'm just going to read it and then we can talk about it. He says, how great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are. The reason the world. Here's this world within the world again. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure. And then verse four, which this is a bad translation, by the way, but we'll talk about it. Everyone who sins breaks the law. In fact, sin is lawlessness. They left out a key word there. But you know, that he appeared so that he might take away our sins in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known Him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right. There's back to that concept again. Is righteous just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin because God's seed remains in Him. He cannot go on sinning because he has. Because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the Devil are. Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother. Now this is one of those texts to me that is a little bit difficult, especially if it's not quite translated right, because it seems to contradict some of the earlier things that John has said about what sin is and who we are in relationship to that. But I do want to mention that in verse four that that verse that says, let me find it in my notes. Let's see. So here's what the actual Greek says. Everyone who practices, and that word practices is poison. Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness. But do you see this, the difference in just that one, when you leave that word out, it's not just that the idea that we're never going to sin, it's the idea of a practicing lifestyle of sin and which is what the verse is talking about and not just the other. So I think that's been a misunderstanding because for years I used to just go to that verse and pluck it out and you just make it like it's a formula of, you know, you sin, you break the law, and then you kind of go into why you need to become a Christian. But that's not what John's discussing here. He's talking about a lifestyle that's very different from the lifestyle we lived as spirit filled people. So I think it's important to mention that as we kind of break into this text.

[A]

Well, he says in chapter one and verse ten, if you claim you've not sinned, you make him out to be a liar.

[E]

Yeah, right.

[A]

Well, verse nine says of chapter one, if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just. So then when it says here, everyone who practices sin or sins breaks the law. But then he says no one who lives in him keeps on sinning. I think there's the part that's hard to wrap your head around. But when you put all of that together, I think Romans is helpful, which I know there's a lot of debate on some of these passages because the same thing happens with righteousness. When he says, whoever does what is right, he who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. But what I've noticed, and you've probably noticed this too, whenever you see God's righteousness, God's faithfulness is always right there. He always talks about doing what's right in connection with, with faith or faithfulness. Because the Greek word for faith is translated faith or faithfulness. Well, that's A big difference because we tend to think Hebrews 11:1 faith being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see, or the evidence of believing in the evidence of things not seen. But then the whole chapter is about how all these heroes of faith were faithful in the way they live, the way they practice, in showing a response of God's faithfulness, which I talked about this a little bit in an earlier podcast. So like when you see this in Romans 1, where he says, for in the gospel verse 17, a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith, from faith to faith, just as, as it is written, the righteous will live by faith. So what I'm saying is, so when you read the first John 3 and just insert that in there, well, are you faithful in. In your righteousness? Faithful to who? This goes back to this. We have a relationship with a being who sees all, who knows all. And you're included in this fellowship and have his Spirit in your body. So there's an honesty and a transparency on a minute by minute basis that is happening. Which is why you have the you confess your sins or you know, you do something wrong, and then you act like he's not there. Well, you're not being faithful and you're insulting God's omniscient power. I think that's more the idea you're included in this fellowship of love and forgiveness and his faithfulness. Because 1 John 1:9, right in between all of that, says he will forgive us our sins. And he gives the reason when he says verse nine, if we confess our sins. Well, here's the point. He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins. So that's the way this kind of works and the way to get your head wrapped around it. So I think it eventually leads to, you know, in Romans, when he's talking about how great the grace of God is. And he goes through a kind of a similar aspect in Romans 5 where he talks about, you know, our Father's Adam and he brings sin and death to all, not meaning we're inheriting his sin, but we're just born in this world within a world that is you're going to sin and death happens. Remember all that. And then he's like, well, in Christ, the gift is not like the trespass. Where is that? Verse 15, 5, 15, the trespass of the one man. How much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many? Again, the gift of God is not like the result of one man's sin. The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation. But the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. So, you know, he talks about how great this grace is. He gets down to the end, verse 20. Because this idea about whoever sins breaks the law. The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that just as S reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Then there's like a pause. This pause is what I think will help us wrap our head around this first John 3, because he. Then it's like he's writing and he's reading their minds. And so a question comes up, which I think the same question comes up in First John.

[C]

Yep.

[A]

He says, well, what shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? And that really is kind of the question. And when you think about what he said about those in Christ, you will not continue to sin. What does that mean? Well, both those questions are answered in Paul's words here because he says, well, by no means we died to sin. Well, that's kind of a record scratch moment because you're like, well, wait a minute. He's writing to people who are still alive. Obviously you wouldn't write a letter to dead people, but I guess he did.

[C]

He did, because he.

[A]

And now he's actually writing saying, we died to sin. Well, how are you writing if you're dead?

[C]

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[A]

So I, he, he's, he's inventing a thought provoking line of thought here. We died to sin. Well, how can we live in it any longer? Which makes sense when you say, he who's in Jesus, he's no longer sinning because whatever that guy was that was doing the sinning, he's dead. You died.

[C]

And Jay, to your point, he's not saying, and we died so we'll never sin again. He said, live in it any longer. That's the key phrase. That's what motivates you.

[A]

That was my point. So then now he brings up baptism. Or don't you know that all of us who are baptized into Christ Jesus, which is not unlike this anointing that John brought up in 1 John 2. And I went back to when Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit. Well, when did that take place?

[C]

When he got baptized.

[A]

When he got baptized, ironically enough, he had never done a miracle until that happened. His ministry didn't start till that happened. So, which I'm just, I'm just saying something happened there that changed his mode of operation on representing the Father and all.

[C]

And by the way, Jay, that's also, that was right before he was personally confronted by Satan himself in the wilderness. That happened right after that as well. So that had not happened yet either. Yet. Now that had happened. And so that gave him apparently a better way to handle that situation is a good way to put it.

[A]

So the point I want to make is this verse three, don't you know that all of us were baptized into Christ Jesus? Now here's a phrase. We're baptized into his death. Whoa. Now we're looking at Jesus death. And we're like, we're somehow getting into that. Well, what happened at his death? Well, he forgave us all our sins.

[C]

Atonement.

[A]

Yeah, sins were removed. And you're like, so he says, we died to sin. Well, how did you die to sin? Because somehow you were, you got into his death. Oh, wow. Through this baptism. And we were therefore buried. That guy's dead and buried. Which is why in First John, he's going to kind of echo. You know, we've talked about this before. John keeps saying the same things in different ways, over and over. So when he gets to chapter four, watch what he says in verse seven. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God. Was he bringing up being born? Well, this sounds like somehow you're born again. Because if you died, well, how are you still here? Oh, I was born again. Now we've moved on from Adam's legacy because we are now in a new man, the human who showed what a human should really look like, which is Jesus. And that old guy, he's gone. I'm part of a new humanity because of Jesus.

[C]

And in fact, Paul even calls him a new Adam. I mean, yeah, new Adam.

[A]

First, Kings 15 discusses this in detail. We're now part of a heavenly human who's not who really came to destroy death itself, which is how we can be a new man. And Ephesians 2 brings up this new humanity. So it says, whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. So we've been born of God, and we now know God, and we're in an intimate relationship with God, and He knows everything we did, everything we're doing, and everything we will do. And that's part of this relationship in this new man. But just to continue on, the Romans 6, in verse 4, it says, we were therefore buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live. And that little word new, a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. When I looking for future consequences of this happening, while you're on the planet, you can die, be buried, and be raised, and you will be raised again. For we know verse six that our old self, contrasting to the new life, was crucified with it, so that the body of sin might be done away with. Or there's an alternate English translation rendered powerless, That we should no longer be slaves to sin. Wasn't there a song about that somewhere? I'm no longer a slave because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. And now he's just taking this as a matter of fact. Now if we die with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. My whole point is this all started when he said, what shall we say then? Shall we sin so that grace may increase? I think we had a little trouble with that in the audience that John was writing to. And guess what? I think we still have that trouble today in Said churches, we're like, oh, well, if. You know, if God. God will forgive me, let me go do what I want to now, and then I can get forgiveness later after I've done a little messing around here.

[C]

But, you know, Jason, reminds me of the question that or statement dad made to Bill Smith when he first shared the story of Jesus with him. He said, it almost sounds too good to be true. That's the equivalent to me, of that question, what shall we say then? It almost sounds too good to be true. And you remember Smith said, oh, it's. It's. It's true, but it is too good for us. It is true. You know, And I like that concept. The idea is that the reality of it. Because if you think about it, James, the reason John brings in the idea of lawlessness with it is this is what the lifestyle lends itself to. If you think about it. Why do people make laws? You know, new laws are made every day, and they're made because someone is doing something wrong, and it's not yet a law, but people are suffering because of it. And so they think, well, we got to stop this behavior. And so we make a law, and then we make the laws. And somebody that then does this, they're breaking the law, therefore they have to pay a penalty. It's like, you can't do that anymore. Someone's being harmed as a result. That's lawlessness. Well, right. And so that's. But that's the reason people make laws.

[A]

And guess what, Al? Paul was following your train of thought. Because we think, well, wait a minute. Well, because I'm still under law. I mean, why would he say that? First John 3, 4. You're like, what did he mean by that? Let me read that again. He who's in Christ. What does it say?

[C]

Well, let me read you the esv, which is probably Zach's version. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. That's. That's a much better translation.

[A]

So I read Romans 6. But you know what he got to in Romans 7, which is very interesting.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

He says, first verse, don't you know, brothers? For I am speaking to men who know the law. You say, what is the law? It is God's decree of this is how you should live. Right, Right. And now he's speaking in Romans of the Mosaic law. That was what, over 600 of them recording? But there were more.

[C]

A moral code.

[A]

A moral code that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives. I mean, Obviously, if you're dead, you're no longer under the law. But then he says, for example, by law, a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive. Well, we get that. But if her husband dies, well, she's released from the law of marriage. She could marry somebody else, right? But some other passage says, but he must be a believer. But anyway, so then if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she's called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not adulteress even though she marries another man. You're like, what does this have to do with our relationship in Jesus? Well, he answers it in verse four. So, my brothers, you also. Now watch this. You died to sin in Romans 6, verse 2. We read it now. He says, so, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead in order that we might bear fruit to God. For when we were controlled by the sinful nature or the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we may serve in the new way of the spirit and not in the old way of the written code. Now, he then goes in to say, well, this is going to be a struggle.

[C]

You know, Zach, you know, I'm the guy paying the bills, but my grandkids will open up duplicate things, and then I find out I'm paying for them. And so, you know, I'm not sure what to do to be able to fix this problem.

[E]

Well, that's where Rocket Money comes in. I'm going to tell you right now. You download it and look, you will be shocked, everyone, you will be shocked to see that you are most likely paying for unwanted subscriptions that you didn't even know about. So I downloaded the Rocket Money app, and I saw that I had multiple subscriptions for the same exact service. And so Rocket Money was very helpful for me in identifying those unwanted subscriptions, and they even helped me cancel them. Rocket Money, what it is, it's a personal finance app that helps you find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions. It helps you monitor your spending, and it helps lower your bills so that you can grow your savings. I'm saving hundreds of dollars a year with Rocket Money. I can see all my subscriptions in one place, including the ones I forgot about. And if I see something I Don't want Rocket Money can help me cancel it. I can create a personalized budget to help keep my spending on track. I can get alerts if my bills increase in price or if there's any unusual spending activity. Rocket Money will even try to negotiate lower bills for you. They deal with the customer service teams so that you don't have to. So let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. [e-mail] Unashamed that's RocketMoney.com Unashamed RocketMoney.com Unashamed.

[C]

And he even describes his own personal struggle before he embraced Christ. And what's interesting about it, Jace, is Paul describing himself as Saul thought of himself as a righteous man. I mean very self righteous. But he thought of himself as a man who was doing the will of God in hurting people, torturing people, killing people, all in the name of God. So I mean, what I mean, he thought he was even a religious person. And then he mentions this struggle that he really didn't understand at all because he hadn't been put to death. Because he says at the end of that passage you're talking about in Romans 7, but thanks be to God through Christ Jesus that he delivered this wretched man. You know, and that's the idea of realizing who you are when you're outside of Christ. I mean, that's the point, you know, the point that, and that's what John's making too.

[E]

One of the key words here in the text in First John 3 is the word abide. It gives a better picture of it because I think to your point where we started this whole conversation was, is John contradicting himself? Because he says if we say we're without sin, we're a liar. But then he says, well, there's no sin in Christ. So if I'm in Christ, then theoretically there should be no sin in me. Yet there is sin in me because he just said if you claim to be without sin, you're alive. So that's kind of the dilemma. But I think what he's saying here, a better way of reading it is that word abide. And so he says there's no sin in Christ. It's almost like it's like a branch that wants to survive, not connected to the vine. Or like I used to work in the watermelon fields when I was a kid and, and watermelons grow on a vine and if you, when they're forming, if you just cut the vine, well, they're not going to continue to grow. They're gonna. They're gonna wilt and die. They grow because they're connected to the actual vine and the vine, it's the source of how they get their nutrients and their life source. And so what he's saying is, is like in Christ, there's no sin. It's to the degree that you're connected to him. So it's almost like a statement of. Of reality. Or like a fish has to be in water, so you have to be in water speaking to the fish. You can breathe. There's breath in the water. Yeah, it's not. It's not like, well, can a fish jump out of the water? Well, yeah, and he won't be breathing when he's out of the water. And if he stays out there long enough and he practices being out of the water, eventually he's going die. So the picture is much more about what is the lifestyle that you're practicing. And is your practice in your formation a practice of being connected in the person of Christ, being like being in him? Or is your practice a practice of evil or sinning, which is lawlessness, which in the end is death? That's the picture that he's really painting here. And, and that what it does is. And he does this in First John is. He's helping us reimagine what the commands of God are. And he's actually making the case that they're not a burden. These are not like these commands that you've been given. These aren't burdens that God has placed on you. That's what the. That's what the devil told Adam and Eve, you know. Oh, he told you not to do that because. Yeah. I mean, he didn't want you to know what he knows. He didn't want you to be like him. He's holding out on you. That's not the picture. And so John is explaining why that's true, that this is not a command from God that's meant to hurt you. It's meant to lead you into abiding with him and being connected to the life source. That's the.

[C]

Yeah, let me. Let me read verse nine, Zach. Because it says just what you just said. First John 3.

[A]

9.

[C]

No one born of. And this is again the ESV. I don't know why the NIV leaves out the word poison, which is because that makes it all make sense. Here's what it says again in the ESV in First John 3. 9. No one born of God makes a practice. There's that word again. Poison of sinning. For God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. So that's what he's. He's talking about who you live for, what you live for what lives in you. That's the. That's the change. And look, it makes you better. I mean, it makes you better in every decision. I can't tell you how many times this last week alone, Lisa and I were talking about a situation, and it was usually something that was going to cost us some money or, you know, some thing we were going to go speak at or something. And I found myself saying this several times this week. Yeah, but, babe, this is the right thing to do. So it always cost me money. It was always something I didn't want to do because it was going to be, you know, negative for me. But I kept finding myself saying, yeah, but it's the right thing to do. Nobody was standing over me to make that decision. But something lives and abides in me that makes me want to do the right thing by people, even if it cost me something, and especially when it cost me something, because that's when you make the selfish decision.

[A]

Well, that's why I keep bringing up faithfulness. Zach keeps bringing up abide. I'm like, abide. What does abide mean.

[C]

To live in.

[A]

Thank you. You've moved in this. That's why righteousness is turned to faithfulness. I mean, the reason I read the illustration that Paul gave about marriage. I mean, just think about this. So you give your life to Christ, and you're like, well, just give me a book, tell me what I have to do, and I'll figure it out. No, that's not what happened. That'd be like, my wife. I'm like, just make a list. You may go now. I'll follow the list. It's not going to work. We're here. This is more than all right. Give me the rules, and now I go home and I'll read over the rules, and God has said, no, no, no, I'm moving in the house with you. You're like, oh, you're with me? Like, well, what room are you going to be in? Nope, I'm going to be in you. And we're going to be in the same house at the same time.

[C]

Where?

[A]

And we'll see how this faithfulness goes. I'm here to stay. And that's what you do with your wife. There's nowhere to go. That's why you have conversation after a while. The solid treatment won't Work. We're living together. And when problems happen, it has to be worked out on a daily basis. He picked the one relationship that is the closest to what we have, which is you and your wife. And it's like you're not even. You know, the guy dies, okay, you're free. Why is he bringing up that illustration about law? Because it's all about faithfulness or abiding. I mean, you can say that, but it's like he's moved in to stay. And it has to be in the right order. The reason we're faithful is because he's faithful. You can't get being faithful and trying to do what's right, because that's why we try to wrap our heads around it. So you read the original Greek. I realize why you're reading it. It's like a practice, but still, it's coming from his faithfulness. And you hear about it and what he did in Jesus. That's why I went Roman. I'd like to just start off and read the first paragraph of Romans 1, because I was reading 5 and 6 and 7. But he starts with this idea, and I think we just read over it and we miss it. But when Paul wrote this letter, he said, look, I am called to be an apostle and set apart for the. And he calls it the Gospel of God. Which I find that interesting because most time we say, well, this is all about the Gospel of Jesus, the good news of Jesus. But it's interesting. Why is he saying the Gospel of God, here's the good news of God. Because you're thinking the Father here, Which I think that's what it's saying. But then he says the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. So he goes back to the Old Testament, where the law is found and recorded. But watch what he says regarding his Son, who, as to his human nature, was a descendant of David. You're like, the Gospel of God is somehow tied to his son becoming a human. Because why? We have a problem. And he addresses that when he gets to chapter five. Because the first Adam, the first human, made some bad decisions and caused some consequences for the rest of humanity. So what does God do? What is the good news? He becomes a human. And you can trace his human nature as a descendant of David. But watch this. And who, through the spirit of holiness. And I love this alternate translation in the Greek. Or was appointed. Appointed to be the Son of God with power by his resurrection from the dead. Jesus Christ our Lord. And it just shows you one. You can't just stop at his death and him becoming human. You can't stop there. You can't stop at just his death. He was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him and for his name's sake we've received grace. This is the whole good news of God, him becoming a human and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. So it's like he starts off with his faithfulness despite all of man's unfaithfulness, which is why he starts in later on in this chapter saying what about all the people from Adam to Abraham? They were faithless.

[E]

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[A]

Well, I wanted to read that just to say so when he says, think about this phrase. We haven't addressed this one, when he says in first John three, three, everyone who has this hope, being a child of God, and when he appears being like him, which I hope will devote the next podcast to that one thought. But while we're in the context of this battling with sin and our position, in verse three of chapter three, it says, everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure. Well, I can't purify myself. What does that mean? That's your first reaction? I can't not sin. How can I do? I can't do what's right. Well, those are the three things he just said you need to be doing. You're like, well, how can this be? Well, take what Peter said about this. This sounds awfully familiar with this faith that comes from obedience. First Peter 1:22 says, now that you have purified yourselves, what had he Just said. He just said in verse 18 of chapter one of First Peter. For you know that it is not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers. Handed down to you. See, think Adam, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead. There's where the power is and glorified him. And so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you've purified yourselves by obeying the truth, so that you have sincere love for your brothers. Love one another deeply from the heart. Now watch where he goes. For you have been born again. Same concept, just like one John when he says, you've been born of God, you've been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable. So you got Adam and you got Christ through the living and enduring. And watch what he says here. Word of God, which is where John started this whole thing. You're now in fellowship with the Word of life, God's communication in human form, his name with Jesus. I just think it's fascinating that all these things cross reference and you start to realize, oh, when you surrender yourself to Christ and you're anointed with the Holy Spirit, there's a death that occurs and there's a born again phase that's happening. And I think people look at it and kind of laugh, you know, and say, oh, look at these people. They're going through these, you know, they're, they're singing songs about God and where is he at? They're actually dunking people underwater. This kind of. What are they doing? We're becoming part of a new humanity. There's a new world in this old world that will live again. And while we're here, we have hope and joy and love, all these types of principles.

[C]

I was going to say, I love the concept of, of a purifying hope. That's such a beautiful way of expressing it. You know, when you think about the idea that it brings that purity that you're, that you're looking for, that people want in their lives. I mean, that's what hope in Christ does, and that's how it connects. And I love what you said. Think about the three sources we're talking about here. We're talking about John and we're talking about Peter, and we Know, they're just two fishermen. They were Jewish fishermen and. But they, you know, not very extraordinary, just ordinary men. They're described unschooled and yet. And then you got this Paul, who was Saul, who was a Pharisee, who had studied his whole life, who had persecuted people and wouldn't even let the shadow of a gentile cross him because he was so legalistic in the way he approached his Judaism. And yet they all. To your point, Jay's had this message that syncs together because they all are enjoyed by the Holy Spirit. I mean, it's just. It's a beautiful, beautiful picture.

[A]

Well, that's why I wanted to answer all these questions. So when somebody says, oh, you do what's right. How? Because he's right. You're faithful. Why? Well, how are you faithful? Because he's faithful. You're claiming to. How do you purify yourself? Well, because he was pure. This is. No matter what you ask me, that's what I'm going to say. I'm going to say, well, I'm in him. It's like, well, how are you in him? Through faith. I have his spirit in me. Well, I want to see it. Well, just follow along behind me because I'm going to point towards him. I mean, that's what we're doing.

[E]

I mean, that's the garden, right? I mean, go back to the garden. The sin at the beginning was God says, don't eat that, that fruit on that tree. All the rest of it, let's go, let's have communion together. And a lot of writers have come and commentators on the story of Genesis have talked about this, that that original sin, what was at the core of it was it was to eat the fruit for the sake of the fruit. Because the Bible says that they saw that the fruit was pleasing to the eye. And so that little nugget there, what it tells us is that they wanted to eat the fruit for the sake of it it, not for the sake of communing with God. And so when you talk about abiding, it's like it's not even something. It's not like this. We complicate it too much. It's just like the world was given to man to cultivate and exercise dominion over in communion with God. So God's the head of it. We're like vice regents. And so really, to not abide in God is just to say, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna accept my, my, the design that I was designed for. I'm just, I'M not doing that. I'm going to do something else instead. I'm going to go alone. To live with God, to abide with him, is to actually live in your, your natural state, your real state, how you were really intended. It's just a. Just do it. Do what you were made to do. That's all he's saying.

[A]

Just do what you which is why we should sing Happy Birthday a second time. I mean, look, we you. Okay, let's sing Happy Birthday. But that's Adam's birthday. At that point, God gave you life. But guess what? It's not going to end well for you until you sing the next Happy Birthday.

[C]

And it changes the way you view people, which we're out of time. But that's why we're going to get into, as we keep going through the book, such a thing about loving one another and how that's what looks like this lifestyle we live in instead of just serving ourselves. So we'll we'll stretch this out a little bit more next time on Unashamed. Thanks for listening to the Unashamed podcast. Help us out by leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. And don't miss an episode by subscribing on YouTube. And be sure to click the little bell and choose all notifications to watch every episode.