This episode mostly addresses the devastating consequences of the Fall/Great Exchange on mankind himself. The Fall initiated "Fooldom," the kingdom of fools, in which mankind suppresses truth, worshipping and serving himself, rather than God. "They exchanged the glory of the incorruptible god for and image in the form of corruptible man." (Romans 1:23) Truth is replaced with a lie, the creature is worshipped instead of the Creator. The consequences of this idolatry? Both the mind and emotions of man that were designed to glorify God are now fixated on serving and protecting the new sovereign. No longer glorifying the Creator, God-given desires become self-centered lusts, and the mind is principally employed in pursuit of "the big three," "the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life." (1 John 2:16) Fear, anxiety, envy, and strife mark the emotional life of idolaters competing in the rat-race of Fooldom. Solomon noted that "all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor." (Eccles.4:4) The episode finally provides the Biblical solution: Christ reverses the Great Exchange where fools ensnared in fooldom can experience the liberty of the Kingdom of God, if they would embrace Christ as King.
There’s a Fool in ALL of Us
This episode applies the discussion of "fooldom" to believers, who might contend that "suppression of the truth" is not their issue, since they have confessed Christ as Lord. While many Christians have determined to glorify God with their lives, sincerely desiring to reverse the Great Exchange (Romans 1:23), very few believers, if any, have come under the total Lordship of Christ. The flesh is sympathetic to fooldom, leading to "foolish rationalizations" instead of "foolish speculations." Partial submission is the operative detente of the flesh, which naturally rationalizes some disobedience as tolerable. After all, no one is perfect. Rationalization among Christians therefore reflects a common means of suppressing truth, requiring believers to come under the total Lordship of Christ. "Fooldom" then is relevant to believers who take sanctification seriously and want to be conformed into the image of Christ.
The Underlying Idolatry of a Fool
This episode spells out the consequences of "fooldom," where one prefers "foolish speculations" over the knowledge of God. Declaring in their hearts that "there is no God"(Psalm 14:1), the fool suppresses the available knowledge of God, speaking through creation and conscience. Just as nature abhors a vacuum, fools fill the void with futile speculations, ultimately aiming to "exchange the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man." (Romans 1:23) Self-serving idolatry then is the objective behind the rationalizations and actions of fools, who in varying degrees, resist the knowledge of God in pursuit of their own ends and glory. A common theme of future broadcasts is that "fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7) The underlying idolatry of the above "great exchange" anticipates hostile reactions to any who might correct the fool.
Christianity and Islam: Starting Points and Goals
This episode contrasts Christianity with Islam in the themes of sin, salvation and ultimate goals. Muslims believe that all people are born without a propensity to sin (original sin) but are corrupted by the world when they engage in idolatry. Salvation then is renouncing idolatry by embracing Islam, the goal of which is submission to Allah. Christianity by contrast insists all mankind is born predisposed against God and the knowledge of God, and pursues a life of idolatry as a result of his rejection of the knowledge of God. (Romans 1:18-25) In salvation, the Christian repents of self-idolatry, putting his faith in Christ as the sin substitute who bore his sin and gave him His righteousness. He receives a new heart in regeneration, one that delights in the knowledge of God, as the Holy Spirit progressively conforms him into the image [knowledge] of Christ. Both Christianity and Islam renounce idolatry and promote total submission to God, but the starting points and end goals are very different, largely based on acceptance/rejection of original sin and the knowability of God Himself.
Forgiveness-focused Salvation Usually Indicates a Worship Disorder
This episode addresses the subtle idolatry of many believers who fail to grasp the purpose of salvation, which should be, according to Hebrews 9:14, service/worship of God. The previous episode noted typical reasons why many say they go to church: "being a better person" and "feeling better about oneself" are some of the anthropocentric responses indicating a worship disorder. Salvation in this skewed perspective is principally about the forgiveness of sins and addressing low self-esteem, making man's needs the purpose of salvation. Hebrews 9:14 however insists that forgiveness of sins is simply the necessary condition of being a better worshipper: "the blood of Jesus cleanses our consciences from dead works [forgiveness] to serve the living God." Biblical salvation always has worship and service to God as the driving motivation behind all religious activity. While it necessarily addresses mankind's sin issues, and by declaring him holy, his esteem issues, salvation always considers the endgame, which is worship and service of the living God. All "good" works flow from sanctified worship. If worship of God is not the ultimate goal of salvation, then believers will naturally make themselves the idol gods they serve, corrupting all so-called "good" works they produce.
Why Go to Church? Your Answer Might Reveal an Idol/Idle God
The last few episodes highlight a central goal of salvation: pure, undefiled worship/service of God. Embrace of this objective, according to Hebrews 6:1 is through "repentance from dead works" and "faith toward God." This episode poses a simple question designed to test if we've truly repented from dead works: "Why do we go to church?" The Biblical answer, according to Hebrews 9:14, is that it enables us to become better worshippers. We correctly seek to be equipped for the work of ministry SO THAT we can serve God better. A common answer among those who have only partly repented from dead works is that they go to church to be better people, possibly indicating that worship and service of God is not really the ultimate objective. Their anthropocentric religious activity is aimed at self-improvement, mostly gaged by feelings and comparative assessments with others. (see the Pharisee and the Publican, Luke 18:9-14). Theocentric worship, not anthropocentric worship decked out with the form of godliness, must be the goal. Consequently, repentance from dead works is a repudiation of EVERYTHING and EVERY WORK that ultimately replaces worship of God with another substitute. And, it is absolutely essential to produce good works acceptable to God.
The god behind the ‘Good Works’ of Unbelievers
This episode addresses the root reason why unbelievers are often adamant about their ability to do good works. Works can be described as "good" in so far as they serve some purpose. Since mankind was created for God's glory (Isaiah 43:7), but has nevertheless fallen short of that glory (Romans 3:23), his works can not logically be described as "good." But if man rejects his purpose, that he was created for God's glory, and even exchanges that glory for man's glory, then the works of man are evaluated based on their service to the glory of man. Morality itself becomes a social construct ultimately aimed at the glory of man. Romans 1:18-25 traces the descent of exchanging the glory of God for an image in the form of corruptible man, concluding that man "worships and serves the creature rather than the Creator." Very critically, unregenerate man rejects the glory of God as the purpose of man, suppressing the truth in unrighteousness, and substitutes himself as the object of worship. Morality and "good" works merely reflect the god that is served, so not surprisingly, many unbelievers insist that they do good works.