Based on 1 Peter 4:1-2, this episode spells out the gospel expectation that "calling Christ Lord" means "living for the will of God." Peter says that Christians "no longer live for the lusts of men but for the will of God." In essence, a Christian is one who repents from living for his own lusts and now follows Christ. So calling Christ Lord presumes repentance. Unfortunately many trust in confessional formulas where assent to the truths of the gospel, devoid of repentance, is sufficient for salvation. But mere assent doesn't address one's attitude towards sin, which is fundamentally not living for the glory of God. The evangelist then should not shy away from preaching repentance, the repudiation of the flesh-centered life that misses the glory of God. Faith in Christ manifests itself in an obvious change of direction: "living for the will of God" replaces living "for the lusts of men."
Conviction, Indispensable to Confessing and Calling
This episode summarizes the specific content of the gospel that informs evangelism, emphasizing leaning on the Holy Spirit's leading. Calling Jesus Lord presupposes knowledge of the gospel and personal appropriation of Christ as king, as Lord. The evangelist as co-laborer with the Holy Spirit consequently conveys the "negative" side of the gospel story, that all are judged as sinners for not trusting in Christ. The episode introduces the essential role of the Holy Spirit in convicting the world of "sin, righteousness, and judgment." (John 16:7) These convictions, or Spirit-impressed truths, are the natural consequences of any Spirit-led evangelistic encounter, in which "the good news" is founded on "TERRIBLE NEWS." Ultimately calling Christ Lord then rests on knowledge of one's hopeless desperate state before a holy God, and the wise evangelist simply cooperates with the Holy Spirit in conveying these truths.
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.
“Are You Dying to Live?”
Application of the resurrection of Christ to everyday life is largely contingent on acknowledging the depth of spiritual death that dominates the flesh. New Christians typically see sin mostly as outward manifestations, without appreciating the depth of spiritual depravity that warps the soul. The work of sanctification is designed to expose the futility of the flesh in accomplishing any genuinely "good" thing. Ideally the recognition that "the flesh profits nothing" leads the believer to completely rest on Christ till His power is manifested. So while we all naturally want to identify with the resurrection of Christ, the presumptive precondition of spiritual life is in fact acknowledgment of spiritual death. Intimate acquaintance with our own spiritual poverty opens us up to resurrection power that strengthens us to walk in the newness of life.
Saved to Think like Christ
This episode challenges Christians to have a holistic Biblical understanding of salvation. The superficial perspective of many believers sees Christianity primarily as a means of deliverance from the penalty of sin. While many genuinely battle against the flesh, they fail to see the effort as part of a greater objective of salvation, thinking like Christ. Paul exhorts the Philippians to put on the mind of Christ. (Phil 2:5) When thinking like Christ becomes the goal of believers, and not merely the forgiveness of sins, appreciation and love of the Law are natural bi-products. Doing God's will is largely informed by God's Law, and the one who delights in God's Law seeks to do the will of the Father, perceiving it as "food." Christ said his food was to do the will of Him who sent Him. The goal of Christianity is therefore doing the will of God, informed by the Law, the food we crave, and this is tantamount to having the mind of Christ.
Grace to Repent
In addition to describing the psalmist's dependence on the grace of God to repent and embrace God's way, this episode addresses the underlying struggle to repent. We depend on the grace of God to repent because, based on our fleshly sympathies, we really don't believe that God's ways are better. 1 John 5:3 states that God's commands are not burdensome. This is utter nonsense to the flesh since "commandments" restrict "freedom." The voice of the flesh understands freedom as the ability to do whatever pleases the flesh without incurring negative consequences. We consequently need God's grace to enlarge our hearts (32) to consider "commandments" as the path of true freedom. When we come under the commandments we discover true freedom: "I will walk at liberty for I seek your precepts." (45) And, with the grace of God, we see the destructive nature of "libertine" freedom. The flesh promises the world but conceals a harvest from hell. One application of Psalm 119 to NT Christian life is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, Who applies grace to our lives to assist us in repenting. We discover that God's commandments are NOT burdensome and that sin amounts to slavery. "Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin." (John 8:34)
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)
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.
Another casualty of sin-obsession: love of neighbor
This episode builds on the last two, in which a misplaced focus on sin distorts the central purpose of salvation, which is to serve the living God. In addition to rehashing the consequences of this misplaced focus, whether one apparently gets the victory over sin or not, this episode addresses how this approach undermines love of neighbor. Being sin-focused and not God-focused gets projected on one's neighbor, potentially leading to a judgmental attitude towards neighbor because the primary lens for the self-absorbed Christian has become victory over sin. A service orientation towards God is much more conducive to love of neighbor.
Cleansed to Serve
This episode challenges believers to become God-obsessed and not sin-obsessed. Since the ultimate objective of the forgiveness of sin is heartfelt, unimpeded service to God, believers err when they make salvation mostly about getting the victory over sin. While this is a noble objective, it should not be the ultimate objective. According to Heb 9:13, the blood of Christ has cleansed our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Forgiveness is the foundation of peace that allows us to serve God more fully. The author of Hebrews even notes that no worshiper in the Old Testament had a totally clean conscience (Heb 9:9), and subsequent service to God was always tinged with sin. But New Testament believers now have a cleansed conscience, and this allows them to serve God more completely. When the ultimate objective of the Christian life becomes service to God, repentance is more readily embraced as the ongoing practice of the believer.
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