Where can I see God's plan for salvation in its full flower?
The full flower of God's plan for salvation is found in Paul's letters, his epistles. The rest of Scripture remains necessary as root, stem, and leaves, but the bloom—the revelation showing the beauty of God's overall program for salvation and its power—is seen in Paul's writings.
Les explains that everything before Paul builds toward this, and you have to go to Paul's epistles to get the full picture. You do not throw out the rest; you need the root, stem, and leaves before you can enjoy the bloom. Yet many theologians and preachers clip off that beautiful bloom of Paul's revelations, saying, “We don't need Paul,” and spend all their time in the Gospels. They thereby cut off the very part that shows the beauty of God's overall program for salvation. Les says that if you want to see God's plan in its fruition—apart from Revelation's end-time events—so far as salvation and the power of salvation are concerned, the full flower is in Paul's letters. He then turns to Philippians chapter 2, where Christ is shown as the servant, agreeing with Mark's presentation of Him as the Son of man.