This episode highlights the dynamics involved in the reversal of the Great Exchange. When we were not in Christ, we had exchanged the glory of God for images and produced a litany of sins based on this fundamental idolatry. In sanctification the Holy Spirit progressively reverses the Great Exchange, moving us to repent from dead works and live for the glory of God. Very interesting is one of the means that the Holy Spirit uses to inspire us to repent. The Holy Spirit uncovers some of the glory of Christ, and we perceive the vileness of our idolatry contrasted with the glory of Christ. The more we see the glory of God in the person of Christ, the more we sin our sinfulness, losing all hope apart from the mercy and grace in Christ. So when we have degrees of the beatific vision in this life, when we progressively behold God's glory, we repent and change our mind about our particular sins based on self-idolatry. The result is we become more and more like Christ. Struggling to repent of particular sins? Ask God to uncover His glory, and that experience will devastate and transform you.
Repentance and the Roadmap of Sanctification
This final episode presents the typical roadmap of sanctification in which believers typically prioritize "sin" issues in their walk, eventually leading to a crisis point in which they discover they can't live the Christian life in their own power. The options are then to double down on the power of the flesh to live the Christian life (the Galatian error), or abandon all hope in the flesh and completely depend on Christ's resurrection power to live the Christian life. Repentance from dead works should ultimately result in repentance from the old self itself.
A “milk will do” attitude might indicate a fake conversion
Based on the Scriptural description that the ultimate purpose of salvation is service to God and not merely the forgiveness of sins, this episode unpacks the "milk will do" attitude towards spiritual growth and shows how this nonchalant attitude towards growth in Christ might be a sign of false conversion. True Christians are not ultimately content with their "sins being forgiven for Christ's sake." Based on the born again experience, they have a principle within them that they long to please and serve God, irrespective of the ultimate consequences of sin in heaven or hell. So true repentance from dead works is not content will a "milk will do" attitude, resting in the forgiveness of sins. It presses on to maturity to serve God.
Christians on Welfare: when the church is the problem
Based on survey evidence, this episode posits how the majority of American evangelicals are on spiritual welfare. They haven't mastered the basics and are unemployed Christians as a result. Seeker churches are symptomatic of this "milk" approach where services are principally designed to present the basic gospel message, repackaged differently every week. The seeker model contradicts the purpose of the five-fold ministry which is the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry. The endless supply of "milk" sermons in many ministries explains why the majority of evangelicals are still on spiritual welfare.
Master the “milk”…or backslide
This episode expands on the theme that Christians at a certain point should be able to teach the basics to others. If they're not, then they are on the equivalent of spiritual "welfare." Consumption of "milk" without putting the Word into practice characterizes their Christian experience, and spiritual growth is put on hold indefinitely, as they are "dull in hearing." All Christians are expected to grown in maturity into the stage of young men and women who, according to 1 John 2:12-14, have victory over the enemy because they put into practice the Word of God which abides in them. Serving the living God rests on knowledge of the Word of God and mastery of "milk," the foundational principles of the Christian faith (Hebrews 6:1-2)
Serving God and “sin issues”
This episode places sin issues in their proper perspective in light of the ultimate goal of service to God. Young believers often disqualify themselves for ministry and public service to God because they genuinely feel unworthy based on struggles with sin. While some of these considerations are valid, "victory" over sin must be subordinated to a higher purpose. Romans 13:14 provides the correct approach: "put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regards to its lusts." As the believer identifies with Christ and sees himself through heaven's eyes, desire to become the hands and feet of Christ limits the expression of sin and undermines the "lusts of deceit." Prioritization of the endgame of service to God helps believers progress in sanctification.
Saved for Good Works
This episode places the themes of redemption, sin, and works in their proper perspective. Preoccupation with sin issues is understandable for infants in Christ, but evidence of true saving faith is that service to God and/or "works" that He prepared beforehand (Eph 2:10) become the motivation for life. The episode connects "service to the living God" with the roadmap of sanctification in Eph 4:22-24, where putting off the old and putting on the new self is emphasized as the means of producing good works.
What true repentance looks like
This episode develops the application of true and false repentance based on the parable of the talents, highlighting the Biblical expectation that true believers will not be perpetual infants who see salvation singularly in terms of forgiveness of sins. "Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" is the secure foundation of Christ's work that every believer is expected to build on with 'gold, silver, and precious stone." False repentance never advances beyond preoccupation with sin issues to serve the living God.
Fake Salvation: a look at the wicked, lazy “servant”
This episode focuses on the wicked, lazy servant in the parable of the talents, providing a stark warning that true repentance is marked by service to God bearing fruit. Salvation that doesn't bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance is tantamount to burying the talent of salvation in the ground. The attitude of the evil servant never changes with respect to God: he flatters himself about his superficial salvation experience which is all about forgiveness of sins, but service to the Master is not in view, who is apparently unreasonable for expecting him to sow without seed. This contention contradicts everything the Scripture says about God who provides bountiful gifts, His own Son chief among them. The wicked lazy servant is around the gospel and pays lip service to knowing Christ, but never knew HIm.
Self-centered “salvation”
This episode applies the parable of the talents to the ultimate goal of repentance from dead works which is service to God. The servants with 5 and 2 talents had a proper perspective of salvation, which was to bear fruit pleasing to the master. "Trading" involves wins and losses: a perfect description of the Christian life where we still sin. The servant who is God-oriented is open to at least trying to bring his master profit. The wicked, lazy servant has a distorted view of salvation: God is somehow unfair for expecting a return since He hasn't given him seed to sow with. The servant who buried his talent in the ground is completely self-centered and doesn't even consider service to God as the reason for salvation.