The Scourge Of Racism
E-Book Availability 4/12-26
Released January 5, 2024
Download Your Copy
Now In The Strong Man Store!
Even though men from Adam are fallen in sin and our understanding of things divine in origin non-existent or horribly distorted without God’s help, there is in every man’s heart an accurate residue of understanding about what our Creator wants from us as sons of this age and eternally. The natural love a mortal son has for his father is as close an approximation to what God the Father desires from His sons as is possible to see in action on earth by sinners. Only Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, has come and perfectly modeled for us the fullest possible display of a Son’s love for His Father. Every aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ seeks to be a son like Him!1
Father-son love is historical and biblical. From Adam mortal fathers have been desirous to beget sons to mirror their own image, raise up in their likeness and carry these on as a perpetual legacy of their existence on earth (Genesis 5:3-32). Not jealous of this in ancient times as feminists are today, godly women especially fully supported the yearning in the heart of men and their husbands to have a son after their own image and likeness and hoped in their love to bear them at least one among many children (Genesis 21:1-7, 29:31-35; 1 Samuel 1:1-11; Psalm 127:3-5). Such has been the norm amidst most ethnicities and cultures across the earth until this 21st century.
Fathers lavished love and attention upon their sons in the pride of accomplishment and joy of their manifest representation of themselves. They also took serious the challenge of purposely instructing them with knowledge and tangible skills to equip them for manhood. Again, from ancient times and across ethnicities and cultures, men have devised various rituals that enable their sons to demonstrate their readiness to pass from boy to manhood. Meanwhile, with love for and devoted hearts to their fathers, typical sons have been eager to do their father’s will and well please them; living to hear (as I did) their father’s affirming commendation in whatever fashion it might be offered.
Usually also, in humility a son’s love for his father included the highest esteem; consciously and unconsciously looking up to his father as an example to be emulated. In similitude, this natural heart of love a son has for his earthly father is what God the Father sought from His first son, Adam, who in perfect heart “is a type of Him who was to come,” (Romans 5:14, NKJV). But as I wrote in last week’s post, Adam did not do His will and displeased God his Father after He had initiated his existence, led, taught, provided for, gave protection, responsible tasks, a mate and affirmation to him (Genesis 2:7-25, 3:6-11).2 His sin drove a wedge of separation between Adam and God the Father.
Tragically, while our sons now, with sinful natures maintain a natural desire for their father’s up close, personal love, instruction, affirmation and awe-inspiring example, fewer in these latter times are getting it due to the separation, willful neglect and irresponsibility of out of wedlock births (which is where I failed my own son as an unsaved teenage father and later, a growing Christian still ignorant about biblical man and fatherhood)3 and divorce. Too, pride born of sin causes many sons to rebel against and reject their father’s instruction and example whether as part of intact nuclear families or not. Finally, confusion about family composition, roles, assignments and order is not helping.
The heart of a Son in relation to His Father was perfectly demonstrated by Jesus Christ who from the beginning served as Adam’s original role model and is for every one of his sons of this age that have followed. Indeed, for after He had come into the world the Lord Jesus first showed His love and devotion for His Father in Scripture as a Boy when He was found at the Temple dialoging with the leaders there and exclaimed to Mary and Joseph looking for Him: ‘“Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business,’” (Luke 2:41-50, NKJV)? In His love and esteem, He set about to do the will of, please and honor His Father; doing so without sin to the suffering of death (John 6:38, 8:25-29, 48-49, 10:17-18, 14:28-31; Hebrews 4:14-15, 5:7-8)!
God the Father “loves the Son” and taught Him everything He needed to know and do in His ministry (John 3:35, 5:19-23, NKJV). The Father also repeatedly affirmed His Son. Three occasions in the Gospels before, during and near the end of His ministry to Israel serve as examples (Mark 1:9-11, 9:1-7; John 11:38-44). As He leads me to write in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics,4 God seeks to relate to authentically born again Christian men as sons the same way He relates to His only begotten since He is our Father too (John 16:23-28, 20:17)! In Christ’s image we are to be humble in heart as sons; loving, esteeming and imitating the Father as He wills--in faith and obedience (John 14:15-24; Ephesians 5:1-7; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 11:6, 12:1-11; 1 Peter 1:3-9, 13-21).
1 Read the three-part post beginning January 29, 2017, Jesus, Son Of Man, under the category, The Cause.
2 See the June 6, 2021 post, Sons Of This Age, under the category, God’s Creatures.
3 See the September 20, 2020 post, What Will It Profit A Man?, under the category, The Cause.
4 The book is published by Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. and available in print or digital formats at major internet booksellers. You
can also purchase a print copy along with its companion, The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study for in-person or virtual use in the
Strong Man Store.
I am intrigued and staggered every time I read in God’s Word how all of what we have as history, taking place today and foretold for the future is the manifest unfolding of His sovereign purposes and plans prepared before such a thing as time--His purposeful construct for this present age and creation (Genesis 1:14-19; Joshua 10:12-15; Isaiah 38:4-8; Ephesians 1:3-14, 3:1-13; 2 Timothy 1:8-12; Titus 1:1-3). This continuum of purposes and plans originating with God the Father from eternity is all about His will to have sons after the image of God the eternal Son (Daniel 3:24-25; Luke 1:30-35; John 1:1-5, 14-18, 34, 8:54-58; Romans 8:28-29; Colossians 1:13-17)!
Sent to us from Heaven by the Father with His message, God the eternal Son and Word is Himself “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person;” “upholding all things by the word of His power,” (Hebrews 1:1-3a, NKJV). The Father’s message to mankind through His Son, Jesus Christ, is His love, grace and mercy motivated Good News of sin remission through forgiveness for all who will repent, believe in Him and His finished work of salvation on the cross (Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47; John 3:16-18; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Hebrews 1:3b). He, as also the firstborn Son of the sons of God from among mankind stands greater than angels (Hebrews 1:4-12).
Though the holy angels were once titled sons of God for their devotion and loyalty to God (Job 1:6, 2:1), they were not created for this purpose. They were created to be servants of God in all of the divine will including ministering to His only begotten and “for those who will inherit salvation,” (Psalms 103:20-21, 104:4; Matthew 4:8-11; Luke 22:43; Acts 5:17-23, 27:22-25; Hebrews 1:13-14, NKJV). It is solely the inheritors of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God from eternity and Son of Man by incarnation that receive adoption and relationship with God the Father as eternal sons (John 1:10-13, 3:1-8, 14:6; Romans 8:14-15; Galatians 4:4-6).1
Indeed, from the dust God formed and gave life to Adam created in the divine image and likeness to be the first man and eternal “son of God” in mortal form to whom the Lord Jesus as a Man in the natural flesh is related (Genesis 1:26a, 2:7; Luke 3:23-38, NKJV). From Adam through his seed all to follow were intended to be eternal sons of God, but he sinned incurring God’s promised consequence of physical and spiritual death along with alienation from the Father upon himself and his progeny (Genesis 2:15-17, 3:6-11, 17-4:10). Now, sin was unleashed and permanently resided in mortal man’s nature. Only those with a heart for God called upon His name (Genesis 4:16-26).
This is how it was for millennia until at His perfect pre-planned moment God sent His eternal Son, Jesus Christ, into the world a second Adam to save the willing from among fallen mankind. And why? Again, is it not because of His intent in love from the beginning that man from the dust should be exalted to the glory of eternal sons of God? Yes and so, Christ came to suffer and die on the cross to atone for man’s sins and reconcile us back to God (Romans 5:6-21; 2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2). After His resurrection He brings “many sons to glory” from among those who believe to share in His (Hebrews 2:5-10, NKJV) and with Him receive God’s inheritance (Romans 8:16-17; Galatians 4:7)!
Only born again male followers of Jesus Christ have the experience of being both mortal and eternal sons of God in the image of the first Adam and Him, the second during this present age by His purposeful design.2 As I have repeatedly written, this does not make males better than our female counterparts, but all the more accountable to God for fulfilling His assigned roles and responsibilities as sons of this age. Males in the image of God the Father are His elect leaders and are to govern accordingly. This is no easy task when you are a sinner by nature and come up woefully short of His glory in character. In fact, without God’s help it would be impossible to do His will and please Him!
For this reason, I praise Him as a redeemed fallen son and aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics;3 who among His tasks during His first coming was to show males how to be men and sons in His eternal image as the Son as well as help us (John 5:16-20, 8:25-30, 13:12-17, 14:12-26, 15:1-8; Ephesians 4:17-24; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 2:11-18, 4:14-16). In my journey since 1977 I have needed and repeatedly called upon the risen Lord Jesus in weakness, sin and failure for His help to be the man and carry out the roles and responsibilities our Father has assigned both for this mortal age and the endless eternal ages to come. If you profess to know Him, sir, I urge you to also do the same!
2 See the July 3, 2016 post, Man As God Designed Him, under the category, God’s Creatures.
3 The book is published by Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. and available in print or digital formats at major internet booksellers. You can also purchase a print
copy in the Strong Man Store.
Join The Strong Man Of God Resources Conversation!
Get Your Copy Of The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics Today!
Your purchase supports restoring men, families and communities through Strong Man Ministries!
Purchase It Now