This episode links the discussion of the Biblical fool to the grand narrative of mankind's purpose, restored in salvation. The ultimate purpose of salvation is the restoration of mankind to his original purpose, where he gives God glory in response to beholding God (faith) and regarding the works of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18) Mankind's fundamental problem since the Fall is idolatry, where man and his works replace God and His works as the consuming focus of life. God initiates restoration: the accumulated sin debt of man is paid for and satisfied in Christ on the cross, and the wages of man's works, all tainted by sin, are paid in full. (Romans 6:23) Repudiation of the old man and his works, coupled with faith in God, is essential for salvation. Consequently, "repentance from dead works" and "faith toward God," ("repent and believe the gospel") are the first two foundational principles of Christianity. (Hebrews 6:1) Christ and His works progressively become the focus of life in Christian sanctification, replacing the idolatrous focus on man and his works. The Biblical fool, fixated on himself and his dead works, suppresses and exchanges the truth of God for a lie. (Romans 1:18-23) He rejects his God-given purpose of reflecting the glory of God while delighting in God and His works. The fool instead finds purpose in pursuing his own glory and ends, shaped entirely by his idolatrous fixation on himself. Perpetual rejection of the knowledge of God and His gracious offer of redemption in Christ leads to "eternal destruction." Christ, on his return, will deal out "retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9) The Biblical fool then is ultimately held accountable for his WILLFUL ignorance and rejection of the gospel.
“Hear the VOICE, and glorify..with your voice”
This episode highlights the imperative of Psalm 29:1-2, contending that Christians incorporate its mandate as an objective of holistic salvation. "Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name." The New Testament version of this imperative is 1 Peter 2:9, where believers are called to "declare God's excellencies." Glorifying God is therefore a principal objective of the Christian faith. Psalm 29:3-9 implicitly suggests the means of glorifying God. The resounding theme is the overwhelming "voice of the Lord" governing storms. The description culminates with the almost out-of-place comment that "in His temple everything says, 'Glory!'" The logic of the psalm is therefore the following: 1) Believers acknowledge the imperative of human existence, to glorify God, 2) Believers attune themselves to the sovereign VOICE of God, 3) Believers respond with their VOICE, crying out Glory. Christian salvation largely follows this pattern. Christians seek to glorify God by submitting to Christ. They abide in Christ, attending to His sovereign voice, bearing fruit as they verbally declare God's excellencies. The latter part of the episode emphasizes the imperative in the "shema," "HEAR oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one." This basic axiom of Judaism is more than a confession of monotheism: the emphasis is on the response of believers who are called to hear and obey the VOICE of God. Interestingly, Jews often referred to God as "hashem" or "the name." So with respect to the imperative of Psalm 29:1-2, Christians are called to glorify Christ by eagerly LISTENING to His Voice, glorifying His name in response. It is, after all, the NAME of the entire trinity in which all Christians are baptized, and the basis for glorifying God.
“Purpose-Derived Peace”
This episode on holistic salvation addresses the reason why many believers don't experience consistent peace. Isaiah declares that God "will keep in perfect peace all whose minds are set on Him." (Isaiah 26:3) The NT equivalent is Romans 8:6, "the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace." Holistic salvation doesn't just refer to deliverance from the penalty and power of sin--it is related to finding our purpose in God. When believers set their minds on God, they discover and regard His works and naturally want to co-labor with Him in His work. This then is the recipe for perfect peace that holistic salvation intends. Many unfortunately conclude that a lack of peace is primarily associated with sin issues, when in fact this myopic, even self-centered view of salvation doesn't grasp the principal objective, which according to Hebrews 9:14, is to serve God. When Christians identify their purpose after gazing on God and His works, they can potentially experience the perfect peace promised by Scripture. The latter part of this episode addresses obstacles to peace, coming from John 14:27. Christ offered "non-contingent" peace that couldn't be taken away if believers set their minds completely on God, for "the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace."
“Make this Year Revolutionary!”
This final episode challenges all Christians to implement Biblical imperatives that will substantially reflect God's will for their lives, resulting in revolutionary results by the end of the year. Beginning with apprehending the tailor-made vision of God through prayer, Christians should adopt a purposeful intentional approach to life instead of reacting to circumstances and challenges according to the flesh. Opposition is the expectation of Spirit-filled believers who know they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them. (Phil. 4:13) The episode culminates with the higher promise of the Christian life: in addition to witnessing how God empowers them to do mighty exploits in the name of the Lord, Christians discover the transformative Person and power of Christ. This is indeed the greatest reward.
“Do the God Thing Instead of the “Good” Thing
This episode addresses attempts by the enemy to get believers occupied in affairs unrelated to the tailor-made vision that God has prescribed for our lives. Even well-meaning church members, who aren't sensitive to God's desire for our lives can sometimes persuade us to occupy our energies and time doing "good" things that aren't "God" things. This reality just highlights the necessity of an active prayer life in which God leads and directs us to work in ministry, based on His desire for our lives, to the exclusion of the lusts of men. (1 Peter 4:2)
Glorify God by Regarding His works
This episode contrasts sinners and saints by focusing on the attitude over the "works of the Lord." Psalm 29:4-5 states that the fundamental sin of the wicked is that they do not regard the works of the Lord. Paul in Romans 1 suggests the same thing, "they do not honor Him as God or give him thanks." (Rom. 1:21) The essence of sin is failing to regard the works of the Lord, or "missing the glory of God." (Rom 3:23) and it is followed by the Great Exchange, where man exchanges the glory of God for an image in the form of corruptible man. This sin "problem" is reversed in salvation. God forgives our sin, and Christians, in gratitude for what Christ has done at Calvary, progressively seek to glorify God by marveling at the works of the Lord. And this is principally done by gazing on the glory of Christ. We are transformed as our capacity to give God glory, acknowledging His works, is filled up..with all the fullness of God. (Eph. 3:19)
“Let the King of Glory Come in!”
This episode fundamentally describes all of redeemed mankind's purpose, in light of the end of creation and the heavenly hosts. Ecclesiastes 3:11 states that God has placed eternity in the heart of man so that God's works cannot be known from beginning to end. Man is called to uncover God's works and give Him glory, and this is precisely what we will be doing for all eternity. The angels are presently declaring that the whole earth is full of God's glory. The created order is full of God's glory, and that order of beings with the capacity to perceive and honor that glory are doing just that. This larger narrative, of course, highlights the one creature that seems oblivious to the glory of God, fallen man, who has exchanged God's glory for an idolatrous image (Rom. 3:23). The purpose of salvation should be seen through this narrative, that God would remake mankind for the purposes of glorifying God as he uncovers God and His works for all eternity, giving Him glory. The redemption of the created order should also be see through this glory narrative, which is presently groaning "for the freedom of the glory of the children of God." (Rom. 8:21) Both creation and mankind's hope rests completely on the work of "the king of glory," the Lord Jesus Christ. "Lift up your heads, O gates..that the King of glory may come in!" (Psalm 24:9)
Focus on Ministry not on Sin
This episode elaborates on the two possible fruitless results of a sin-obsessed life in sanctification, as opposed to a God-obsessed life. The ultimate purpose of the redemption of Christ should be to serve the living God, according to Hebrews 9:14. But if the Christian life becomes mostly about getting the victory over sin, potential ministry becomes the casualty. If one is outwardly successful in self-denial and controlling manifestations of sin, then smug self-righteousness can set in. If, on the hand, the Christian struggles to gain traction over his issues with sin, self-condemnation and even further self-medication can result. In both cases, the misplaced focus on the ultimate ministry objective of the Christian life is obscured. The answer is of course to place sin issues in their proper perspective, and this provides the most enduring motive to holistically serve God.