This initial episode introduces the Biblical fool as someone who responds to the knowledge of God incorrectly. The "fool" in common English parlance often suggests a fool is ignorant, but not morally culpable for that ignorance. The Bible however describes a fool as one who willfully suppresses the knowledge of God, and is therefore morally defective. Romans 1:18-22 details the regression: the fool 1) suppresses the truth, 2) rejects the knowledge of God in creation 3) produces alternate futile speculations, 4) professes to be wise, when in fact, he/she is a fool. A Biblical fool then is someone who is willfully blind to "EVIDENT" knowledge that points to God, resulting in a refusal to "honor God as God and give Him thanks." Absent the plain knowledge of God, the fool is left groping for explanations that would discount the EVIDENCE. Futile speculations now testify to the spiritual darkness that has descended on the heart. The darkness brought on by willful ignorance of God culminates in self-deception, the darkness obscures the knowledge of God and the self. The fool thinks he is wise, when he is in fact, a fool.
Do You KNOW the God You Worship?
The ultimate goals of Christianity and Islam couldn't be more different. The goal of Islam is fundamentally submission to Allah: Islam means submission to God, and a Muslim is one who submits. While Christianity teaches that Christians should submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the ultimate aim of Christianity is the knowledge of God: "This is eternal life, that they may know you the one true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." (John 17:3) Redemption, reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ, is the necessary stepping stone to attaining the knowledge of God. In fact, "mere forgiveness" without the knowledge of God corresponds to the stage of "a little child" (1 John 2:12-14) Sins are forgiven, but new converts are expected to grow into fathers, "who know Him who has been from the beginning." This intimate knowledge of God, grounded in the Truth, which is Christ Himself, leads to "sincere worship." (John 4:23-24) Christ presumed that true worship is based on genuine knowledge, for "we worship what we know." (John 4:22) False worship, by contrast, is adherence to beliefs and traditions not grounded in the Truth. In the case of Islam, "worship" is submission to an unknowable god called Allah. Indeed, the demand to submit to a god who cannot be known should alert Muslims to the nefarious presence informing Islam. Interestingly, Mohammed himself thought he was demon-possessed after his violent encounter with an "angel of light"-- Gabriel.
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.
Naturalism, a precursor of a depraved mind
The knowledge of God available in creation is inescapable, yet when men persistently and willfully reject the knowledge of God, God can give them over to a depraved mind. It is akin to the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
Naturalism: is it blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
Modern-day naturalism, where it approaches willful rejection of the incontrovertible truth of God in creation, is tantamount to the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Romans 1 concluded 2000 years ago that rejection of the knowledge of God in creation is inexcusable. With the exponential increase in scientific knowledge, the evidence of God in creation has exponentially multiplied, making modern man even more accountable. Might naturalism be the modern-day version of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?