Strong Man Of God Blog

            On the joyful occasion of Palm Sunday last year, the Lord led me to write soberly about the why and what for of His Coronavirus judgment declaring it “a major magnitude ‘shot across the bow’ to the world that God has turned a corner on His forbearance with mankind.”¹  On this Palm Sunday commemorating the foretold nearly two millennia ago triumphant, yet lowly entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem as Israel’s King (Matthew 21:1-11), I am privileged by Him in this post to wrap up my exposition of the biblical Gospel as a special emphasis to black American males with whom I share ethnic identity.²  Hereafter, none as victims in truth will again say, “no one like me ever told me!”

            In declaring the biblical Gospel beginning with last month’s Black History Month post and all this month, I have repeatedly stated that those who repent and believe it are saved from their sins and the wrath of God.³  As I wrote specifically in last week’s post, the wrath of God is the naturally aroused, settled response of His eternal holy Person and character to sin that He judges in perfect righteousness and justice.  Sin is not natural to God or the environs of glory in which He dwells.  Sin like a virus arises from and is the unique experience of man and angels that have willfully come short of and rebelled against the divine will (Genesis 3:1-11; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-19).

            The wrath of God toward sin and sinners is a narrative and prophetic theme throughout the Bible.  His wrath makes its first appearance in the biblical narrative at the rebellion of man where God not only affirms in righteousness and justice His fore stated penalty for it physically, but spiritually too, as He separated from His now, sin tainted and guilty creature.  Even so, God also displays His grace toward man by promising a Deliverer and providing a temporary covering for his naked body and sin guilt as an animal was slain and its life poured out on behalf and instead of man.  In doing this, God signifies what must be done to forever turn His wrath away from man (Genesis 3:15, 17-19, 21-24)!

            God’s promise of a future Deliverer is the first mention of it in the Bible as prophecy and His unspoken, but clearly implied continuing wrath toward sinful mankind until all would be fulfilled.  Indeed, after writing “God is a just judge,” David adds, “and God is angry with the wicked every day.”  God’s delay to judge is due to His longsuffering grace waiting since the ancient king of Israel further warns that if the wicked person does not repent, His retribution will follow (Psalm 7:11-16, NKJV).  For this reason, Noah’s generation endured an earth destroying global flood as the first instance of divine wrath poured out upon unrestrained human wickedness (Genesis 6:3, 5-17).

            While thereafter, the Bible records many regional and localized displays of His wrath (Genesis 19:12-29; Exodus 15:1-7; 2 Chronicles 24:17-25), the reality God would “once more” express it not just on the whole earth, but the universe too, is what prophecy thematically and consistently asserts; “the day of the Lord” the apostle Peter warns is delayed only again by His longsuffering grace waiting for those He foreknows will be saved from it (Isaiah 2:10-22, 13:6-13, 40:3-5; Joel 1:15-20; Amos 5:16-20; Zephaniah 1:14-18; Luke 3:1-7; Hebrews 12:25-29; 2 Peter 3:1-10, NKJV)!  The Day of the Lord is one and the same as The Day Of Vengeance He had me write about in 2016.⁴

            As the Lord Jesus Christ was the divine instrumentality enabling this nearly two millennia period of grace through His death on the cross, burial, resurrection and ascension, so, His glorious return will finish the approaching Day of God’s wrath and vengeance (Isaiah 53, 61:1-2; Mark 14:60-62; Acts 1:9-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12; Revelation 1:4-8, 6:12-17).  For He endured the wrath of God toward human sin upon Himself in our place as our “Passover” “Lamb” and “once for all” atoning, eternally sufficient sacrifice that any who repent and believe on Him through the Gospel should receive a pass from having to experience it for themselves (John 1:29, 3:16-18, 36, 19:30; Romans 5:6-9; 1 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, 4:13-5:11; Hebrews 9:11-15, 27-10:14, NKJV).

            Rejecting His grace throughout severe, escalading warning judgments now, underway with the global Coronavirus pestilence as one among many foretold adversities (Matthew 24:3-31; Revelation 8-9, 11-14), sinners alive at the Day of the Lord will suffer the full outpour of His long held wrath that completely transforms the landscape of the earth and leaves relatively few mortals (Isaiah 42:14-17; Revelation 15-16)!⁵  God’s wrath is righteous because He did not create us to be rebels that even murder His holy sons, but to be one in fellowship with Him forever!⁶  Therefore, do not be caught with a proud, stubborn, angry and willfully ignorant heart refusing God’s salvation in the Gospel of Christ who confirms the authenticity of the former days and His own coming Day of wrath (Luke 17:20-37).

(As per usual, there will not be a post on Resurrection Sunday.  I will be celebrating my 44^th year since becoming a beneficiary of God’s grace to save sinners through faith in Christ on Resurrection Sunday 1977.  The Lord saying the same, my next post will be on April 11, 2021.)

1 Read the April 5, 2020 post, God Is Speaking, under the category, Call To Repent.

2 See the March 14, 2021 post, The Gospel Is For Black Males Too!, under the category, The Cause

3 Read the two-part post beginning on February 21, 2021, Willful Ignorance Destroys under the category, Black History and this month’s posts all under the category, The

   Cause.

4 See the June 5, 2016 Post, The Day Of Vengeance, under the category, Bible Prophecy.

5 Despite  the  unscientific  attempts  by  evolutionists  to  interpret the empirical data to the contrary, the evidence of cataclysm consistent with what would have occurred

   during  and  after  the  global  flood of Noah’s day is everywhere to be seen on earth including our nation’s famous Grand Canyon.  They look at it as a wonder of nature

   over  evolutionary  millennia  (Romans  1:18-21); the Lord’s faithful see tragedy and ruin as the recent aftermath of His wrath potently displayed globally for the first time 

   upon rife human wickedness which no one in good conscience can deny is coming to this again (Genesis 7:11-8:14; Psalm 29:10)!

6 Learn  about  the  eternal  destiny of every faithful Christian man who is also an aspiring strong man of God in the image of Jesus Christ in my book, The Strong Man Of

   God:  Back  To  Basics.  It  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.  A summary introduction of the strong man of God in Christ’s image is presented on the strong man of God Web Site.

            As should be plain to anyone that read the March 14, 2021 post the Lord led me to write presenting the biblical Gospel, salvation from sin is the uppermost concern of the living God for His human creatures.¹  Every other instruction, promise and benefit follows from this divine priority and is built on that spiritual foundation.  Any professed Christian preacher, teacher or anyone else that asserts otherwise is deceived and as a deceiver, not telling the truth (Mark 1:14-15, 13:10, 16:14-16; Luke 19:9-10, 24:46-47; John 3:16-18; 1 Timothy 1:15)!  Also, God’s salvation is not obtained through any other person or means except His Son, Jesus Christ, (John 14:6; Acts 4:8-12).

            In continuing concern for black males without Christ and now, also those that profess to know Him, I write as He leads to dissuade any that may consciously or unconsciously believe the social good works they are doing are good enough for Him to slide you into Heaven and eternal glory.  Not so, according to God’s Word the final authority for what Christianity is all about.  Indeed, Paul, the Jewish apostle to us Gentiles makes it clear that neither by attempting to keep “the law,” its works or those considered good by sinful mankind can anyone “be justified in” the sight of God, but only by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:19-4:4; Galatians 2:15-16, 3:10-14, NKJV)!

            A works based salvation is common to manmade counterfeit Christianity as men strive to be good and do enough through their own efforts to make it into Heaven.  Of course, those with no interest in religion at all during these socially conscious latter days also seek to do good works as a false show of inherit human goodness that is impressive to people and they think God too, should He be taking note.  The Lord led me to address this contemporary pitfall of people doing social good as a replacement for His call to repentance from sin and salvation in a 2016 post.²  For professed Christians, such a notion wickedly attempts to redefine biblical Christianity and is heretical!

            The reason no works or deeds no matter how noble or good can impress God our Creator enough to dismiss human sin is because of who He is eternally in character--holy, righteous and just (Psalms 90:2, 99:1-5, 9, 111:2-3, 7-8).³  As holy, God is wholly other than and set apart from sin.  Sin offends the holiness of God and stirs up His wrath against it!  Perfectly righteous, God can never just “let sin slide” or uphold it, but must judge it out of His perfect justice.  He created angels and man perfect, but some of the angels and man sinned.  God has judged all fallen sinners giving only willing mortal man grace to be saved from His wrath and eternal separation to Hell (Revelation 20:10-15).

            After being saved by grace through faith in Christ, His followers enjoy intimate fellowship with Him and the Father.  This fellowship is possible only because the blood Christ shed on Calvary is effectual forever to enable divine forgiveness and cleansing upon our continual humble and honest confession and repentance from our sins--often revealed in the study of the written Word along with the Holy Spirit’s convicting work (Psalm 19:7-14; John 16:5-11; 1 John 1:1-2:2).  Faithful Christians in this biblical context do good works serving Christ and fellow man at His direction through the power of the Holy Spirit to glorify God (Matthew 5:14-16; John 12:25-26,13:12-17; Acts 2:44-47, 9:32-43)!⁴

            Truly, for the Christian as it is written, “Faith without works is dead,” (James 2:14-26, NKJV).  Thus, we in Christ do not do good works to be saved, but because we are saved and as a result, God who is at work in and through us is glorified (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-15)!  Here is where the Lord gives sober warning to church folk doing even “wonders” in His name beyond the typical dead churchy works carried out in the midst of manmade counterfeit Christianity the religion thinking they are pleasing Him.  For unless you are doing the will of His Father which is first to actually be saved by grace through faith in Christ and walking in the intimacy of relationship with Him, your works are worthless as a means to gain entry into Heaven and immortal glory (Matthew 7:21-23, NKJV).

            Therefore, to the men I share identity with as black Americans and all others: not social good works, but salvation from sin is God’s limited time priority for us and only means of reward from Him!  Otherwise, despite self-gratification, the honor and awards of grateful mankind, “you will die in your sins” (whether that is from the “normal” ways mortal men die or the escalating judgments of God leading to His nearing foretold wrath) to await “the judgment seat of Christ” in Hades with no hope of exoneration because you refused to believe in Him through the Gospel (Luke 16:19-31; John 8:21-24; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11, NKJV).  I implore you by the mercies of God to seek His salvation now, since as His Coronavirus judgment has reminded us, tomorrow is not guaranteed and sudden happens!

1 See the March 14, 2021 post, The Gospel Is For Black Males Too!, under the category, The Cause

2 Read the January 17, 2016 post, Suffering For Preaching God’s Word, under the category, Instruction.

3 See the May 31, 2020 post, Keeping It Real About God, under the category, Instruction.

4 This  is the heart of every Christian man and woman that aspires to be like and obey Christ as strong men and great women of God I write about respectively in my book, 

   The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics.  The book is published by Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. and is available in print or digital formats at major internet 

   booksellers.  You can also purchase a print copy in the Strong Man Store.