The Scourge Of Racism
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If Christians by the command of Christ are to be known by our love for one another, then it is plain for all to see that in the main historically, there has been a great failure on the part of the many who have professed to be Christians to obey. This sobering reality check cannot just be shrugged off as being due to the fact that Christians are saved, but remain imperfect. Nor can it be said the commandment to love one another by Christ is so hard He could not have meant it literally (as many say for any number of biblical imperatives they do not want to obey). Our Lord would not give us a command that could not be obeyed consistently if it were not possible.
No, failure to love one another in disobedience to Christ has largely attended the history of Christianity on earth since the first century because its assemblies have filled more and more with impostors devoid of the Holy Spirit and weak believers quenching His fire through willful disobedience (1 Thessalonians 5:19)! In the same way Gentiles came to dominate Christianity before the close of the 1st century making Jewish believers a tiny minority, so impostors and rebels have dominated professing Christian assemblies rendering the faithful from all backgrounds a minority. From these loveless impostors and rebelling weak believers came formal layers of authority foreign to New Testament Christianity including eventually, a religious priesthood and educated elite to support it.
Utterly devastating to the true faith with Christ’s command to love also was the emergence of Christianity the religion; a counterfeit, spiritually dead harlot of corruption and ostentation created by the impostors and rebels that has become a monolith in the earth with many daughters. They have also introduced many heresies and worldly compromises destroying the faith of some and on their hands is the blood of faithful saints and prophets that have cried out against their spiritual adultery and wickedly concocted religion (Acts 20:29-31; 2 Timothy 2:16-18; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 3-19; Revelation 17:1-6).
What? Did they not know Christ condemned the corruptions of religious Israel that included their evil press to murder Him, the Son of God (Matthew 23:1-36, 26:1-5, 14-16)? How could they create a Christian religion and expect God to be pleased? Satan, the great deceiver is good at what he does so that smug Christian religionists as impostors and rebels look back on and hold Israel in contempt for their faithless, loveless rejection of Christ, but hypocritically overlook the fact they do the same thing (John 5:39-47)! Because of them biblical Christianity is tarnished and maligned. Our God is blasphemed around the earth; bumper stickers declare “God save us from your people” and they as ancient Israel are proud (Romans 2:17-24)?
Even so, my God has not been thwarted in His purposes. Again in a blog and for eternity I praise the triune God for being able to work to save and keep a faithful remnant of saints in every generation down through the centuries to this hour in spite of the clever opposition of Satan carried out by his legions of carnal impostors and captive rebels in the churches (1 Kings 19:11-18; 2 Timothy 2:20-26)! Truly, God has accomplished much to the divine glory through the faithful remnant who as aspiring strong men and great women have been His witnesses winning souls and servants par excellence shaking kingdoms, bringing down evil schemes and very importantly, putting the Lord on full display in their obedience to His command to love one another.
Every Christian martyr willing to die rather than assent to heresy and corruption is among them. So is every Christian apologist and church reformer that remained true to God’s Word as well as every abolitionist and black preacher from slavery through the Civil Rights Movement who stood to challenge America’s manifestation of Christianity the religion that would not only enslave the black brothers it made in ostensible Gospel evangelism, but also brutally, thoroughly and perpetually oppress them. Towering amid all of these in American history is the 20th century’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., preacher, pastor and prophet felled by an assassin’s bullet and whose life our nation remembers as a national holiday.
As with most everything related to doing right by its black citizens, the King Holiday was a matter of reluctant acquiescence on the part of many white Americans including of course, a number professing to be Christians and their churches. Still, to this day many will not honor their Christian brother that gave his life calling them and their segregationist forefathers of a generation ago to obey the commandment to love by the Lord they claim to love in loving their black brothers. Now, we know why loving as Christ commanded has been so hard for the many professing white Christians and keeping it real, those who are black as bitter victims. It is the failure of human love in both as impostors and weak rebels filling churches of Christianity the religion that are incapable of loving and defiantly refuse to love as Jesus commanded through the Holy Spirit. 1
Therefore, in the divine love and mercies of Christ who desires that none should perish, I am calling every professing Christian who believes you are doing great things for God without the fruit of His love through the Holy Spirit to repent since you are irritating noise, nothing and gain nothing for your efforts in His sight (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). You also face the terrifying reality of His judgment for your treachery as impostors and willful rebels (Matthew 7:21-23; Hebrews 3:7-19; 10:26-31)! Finally, with certainty the religion of confusion you love with all of its pageantry, outward splendor and ornate buildings will be destroyed by the Lord as He did the former houses of corrupt harlotry in Israel (Jeremiah 7:1-15; 52:12-14; Matthew 23:37-24:2; Revelation 14:8, 17:15-18:24).
1 Read Dr. King’s Letter From A Birmingham Jail if you never have and again if you have not done so for a time. His assessment of black and white churchmen in 1963 is tragically still current.
The Bible teaches that the mark of a genuine Christian is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit within shining as light out of darkness from that Christian’s life. This happens quite naturally because the unique, superior nature and character of life embodied in the triune God radiates outward as the sun’s light and heat. Of the foremost display of the divine presence and life in genuine Christians is love. Impostors are not able to love God or others as commanded because they do not have the Holy Spirit and the love of God within them. The Holy Spirit leads me to explore the matter more fully in this re-titled and edited 2013 blog repost to help us discern true Christians.
Originally Posted January 13, 2013
It is not without superior, unimpeachable purpose that the Lord Jesus says to Nicodemus, a religious leader of the Jews that was sympathetic toward Him, ‘“You must be born again,’” (John 3:7, NKJV). Spiritual new birth by the Holy Spirit is an absolute requirement for entry into the Kingdom of and intimate relationship with the triune God. Therefore, any person professing to be a Christian that has not been born again by the Holy Spirit--no matter how educated, credentialed or the length of time in a local church--is an impostor (Romans 8:5-9)!
Such being the case, I exhort every professing Christian reading this in the strongest possible terms to heed the counsel of the apostle Paul and examine yourself to see if you are truly “in the faith,” (2 Corinthians 13:5-6, NKJV). In all humility, check yourself for the vital signs of spiritual life that come through the new birth by the Holy Spirit. In the new birth, authentic believers in Jesus Christ are made “partakers of the divine nature” as He also prayed (John 17:20-23; 2 Peter 1:1-4, NKJV). The nature and life of God are brought into the authentic born again believer’s life through the exclusive agency of the Holy Spirit who is God (Acts 5:3-4)!
There are several attributes of the nature of God the apostle Paul calls “fruit” and that serve as vital spiritual life signs in the authentic born again believer. The fruit of His presence is not created, but is the natural reality and display of His Person dwelling in the authentic born again believer (Galatians 5:22-23). Since they are of the nature and life of God, it can be accurately stated that “God is” before each fruit of the Holy Spirit the apostle lists in the well known Galatians passage cited and elsewhere such as Ephesians 5:9. Indeed, the apostle John writes, “God is love” because God uniquely in nature is love (1 John 4:8, NKJV).
The love of God is exceedingly greater than and distinct from fallen, sinful human love. While human love by divine design is modeled on and intended to be a full expression of God’s love, because of sin in us it is a corrupt, inferior imitation. For example, we that are authentic born again believers know from God’s Word and experience in His company that He loves unconditionally (John 3:16; Romans 5:6-8). We, on the other hand in the natural man of the sinful flesh, love very conditionally based on the other person’s performance and reciprocation. Moreover, the apostle Paul gives a brief description of God’s kind of love in contrast to human love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a.
Paul teaches God’s love is longsuffering, kind, forgives keeping no accounts, rejoices in the truth, bears, believes, hopes and endures all things; does not fail! Human love in contrast, however, is often impatient, unkind, envious, boastful, proud, rude and selfish, easily provoked and offended, keeps records of wrongs in bitterness, revels in perversion and fails miserably. Also, human love is very often confused with sentimentality and lust. Clearly, when it is said the Lord Jesus has commanded Christians to love each other, it is not intended for us to do so with human love. He says in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another,” (NKJV).
The new command of Christ completely fulfills and exceeds the Law which says, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18, NKJV) since He loved by voluntarily laying down His own life in the cause of saving rebel sinners and enemies; the innocent for the guilty (Romans 5:6-11). In our sinful thinking, to love a neighbor as much as we love ourselves is next to impossible since we are born selfish. So, to love even my brother in Christ as He loved me in unconditional, sacrificial self-denial is beyond impossible in human love. Thus, Christ gives His new commandment with the understanding that only His born again followers would be able to carry it out through the exclusive agency and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5)!
Impostors in the flesh cannot love either God or a supposed Christian brother with divine love because they are devoid of the Holy Spirit. This is the reason the apostle John is so brutally direct in his Holy Spirit inspired teaching on the subject of Christians loving each other (1 John 2:3-11; 3:10-24, 4:7-21). Divine love for one another actualized by the Holy Spirit is not only a commandment of our Lord, but it is the one and only authenticating sign He gave by which all (believers and the world) would recognize His genuine disciples (John 13:35). The Christian life is a supernatural life!
Hence, the unique calling card of born again believers as witnesses and ambassadors of God in the earth is the divine love filling our hearts by the Holy Spirit and tangibly seen in its display with one another (Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Colossians 3:12-14). Every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ is a genuine Christian marked by the Holy Spirit and displaying the resulting vital life signs of the new birth through Him including the fruit of divine love.1
1 Get my book The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics to learn more about the fruit of the Spirit. It is available at any major internet bookseller and at the Strong Man Store on our Web Site, www.thestrongmanofgod.org.
With thanksgiving and praise to God in my heart for the privilege as I begin to write this 400th blog post, at the same time I am concerned for all among the unsaved and any professed Christians that have made “the holidays” their bridge of deliverance over the troubled waters of this world. Some started working the sales, decorating and playing the music of the holidays well in advance seeking relief from what has truly been some very difficult months living through God’s Coronavirus judgment. Many have been spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically spent during the course of this amazing and extended global display of divine displeasure not yet over!
If all you have left as your chief coping mechanism and source of future hope is the largely secular sentimental, warm and fuzzy experience of the holiday season with memories of times past, food, family, friends, parties, trees, obligatory church attendance, helping others, cheery store music (missing from online shopping), gift buying and receiving etc., these (as many no doubt, have already discovered) are not sufficient! Neither are the largely manufactured and forced love, joy and peace of the season produced with teeth gritting effort. As a gracious word of encouragement from the Lord, the surpassingly greater means to cope with hope during the times is found in relationship with Him!
For those who do truly intimately know the Lord, Christmas in particular of the holidays is only the focused high point of daily celebration of the real history making event that has changed our lives forever! That is, the foretold first coming of “the Son of God,” “Immanuel” and “Jesus,” into this world as that virgin born “Child” to save us from our sins (Isaiah 7:10-14, 49:1-6; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38, 2:1-20, NKJV). This He did after He had grown up when as foretold, He died on the cross for our sins as our Substitute, was buried and on the third day rose again (Isaiah 53; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11). Then, He ascended back to Heaven to await His return (Luke 24:44-53).
In the meantime, as He promised, all who repent of their sins and believe God’s message of grace in the Gospel of His Son, are forgiven, “born again” and receive eternal life (John 3:1-8, NKJV). This eternal life is nothing short of the very life of God! Core to His life is love which is fully displayed in sending His Son into this world to save us from our sins (John 3:16-17; Romans 5:6-8; 1 John 3:4-11). The Lord Jesus also loves us redeemed out of this world by His sacrifice and wills that we experience it with His joy (John 15:9-11, 16:16-24, 17:13). Peace is another core attribute of the divine nature and eternal life of Christ He wills for us to possess too (John 14:27, 16:33).
God’s born again children do not have to wait until any quickly passing holiday to experience His love, joy and peace nor do we have to work them up in ourselves. We bask in His love, joy and peace displayed at and after His Son’s birth we celebrate at Christmas as well as in and through us daily by the Holy Spirit! These are of the “fruit” of His presence in us (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:8-10, NKJV). What goes on in the world does not undermine the Lord’s love, joy and peace in us unless we permit this through unbelief or other sin. Bible prophecy makes it clear things are not going to get better before the glorious Second Coming of Jesus Christ, but worse (Daniel 9:26c; Luke 21:25-28). Now, is the time to enter relationship with Him (2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2)!
(Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year as you walk by faith in Immanuel! He willing, my next post will appear Sunday evening, January 9, 2022.)
Those professed Christians that cannot bear to hear talk about God as Judge may not actually know Him from the Bible and are in a bad place spiritually. As the Lord has led me to write in recent blog and social media posts, much of the blame for this must be shouldered by those pastors and teachers whether in church buildings or the media that have deceitfully focused exclusively on what are considered the non-threatening, positive aspects of the divine nature, character and acts presented in Scripture.1 However, the evidently massive numbers of fragile souls that need God to only show His sunny side must also accept responsibility (Isaiah 30:8-11; 2 Timothy 4:3-4).
While space will not allow me to do more than give only a very lightweight introduction to the God of the Bible, I proceed as the Lord leads out of His love for those He foreknows will be helped to understand who it is that has called them to salvation and eternal life! God wants to be known by us and has taken the initiative in four ways to make this happen. God is revealed through what has been observably created both external in the creation all around us (to include the human body) as a first and internal--made as we are unique above all animals in the divine image and likeness--as a second way of knowing Him (Genesis 1:1, 26-27, 5:1-2, 9:5-6; Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:18-21).
A third way God makes Himself known to us is in His written Word; a marvel of divine inspiration using human vessels over many centuries (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). A fourth and final way humanity can know God is up close and Personal through Jesus Christ, the Son and Word who revealed God at His first century A.D. coming and after to all who believe on Him (Jeremiah 31:31-34; John 1:1-18, 14:7-26; Hebrews 1:1-4). From all of these ways of Self-disclosure, but especially the written Word, mankind can know what God wants known about Him. For this reason, every man should read the Bible for himself; not relying solely on what others tell him it says!
According to His Word, God is the eternally living God whose nature and character do not change--He is who He is forever (Exodus 3:13-15; Isaiah 40:27-28, 43:10, 44:6-8; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; Revelation 1:4-8, 17-18)! God perfect in nature is alone just, righteous, truth, holy, merciful, gracious, good, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kind, gentle, faithful and Self-controlled as some of His attributes (Deuteronomy 32:3-4; Leviticus 19:1-2; Psalm 103:8; Matthew 19:17; Galatians 5:22-23). His nature informs His character so that as holy for example, He is set apart from and has no dealings with sin lest He break out in wrath to destroy its bearer (Leviticus 10:1-3; Isaiah 6:1-7).
Because God does not change in nature and character, even after the coming of Christ in mercy and grace to endure the divine wrath against human sin as our sin bearing substitute, the benefit of His sacrifice extends only to those that repent of their sins, believe the Gospel about Him--that He died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day--and receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:36-38; Romans 3:21-26, 10:6-13; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Hebrews 9:27-28). However, those that reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ remain in their sins and must find another way if there were one to turn the wrath of God away from their sin guilt (John 3:16-21, 36; Acts 4:8-12).
Now, this is where many professed Christians and those that lead and teach them (some well intended) in these latter days are getting into trouble with God. For though, He is loving, good, kind, benevolent, merciful, gracious, longsuffering and ready to forgive the sins of believers (all disobedience to God’s written Word is sin) in the aftermath of Christ’s sacrifice, He does and will not do so unless we in humility confess, repent from and forsake them out of reverence for His holiness (1 John 1:5-2:2).2 Otherwise, the professed believer who refuses to do so faces God as Judge now, and in the future (Romans 2:1-11; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11; 1 Timothy 5:24-25; Hebrews 10:26-31).3
Indeed, Christians are called to be holy as God is in the New Covenant just as Israel was under the Old (1 Peter 1:13-21). Knowing God as He is, we supposedly need no one to teach us these things since His law is in our hearts and written upon our minds and we are eager to obey all of His commandments (Hebrews 10:11-22). Out of this context alone comes our legitimate confidence in all of God’s scripturally assured promises, benevolences and blessings. We are also enabled to “be strong” and do great deeds out of our knowledge of God (Daniel 11:32, NKJV).4 Nevertheless, the apostle John is very direct in declaring that anyone who professes to know Jesus Christ, but “does not keep His commandments is a liar,” (1 John 2:3-4, NKJV).5
Therefore, coming to Jesus Christ, Son of the holy God, believers that do not want to fear facing Him as Judge are called to follow His example of love motivated obedience to all of His Father’s commandments which are His too (John 14:31, 15:10; Philippians 2:5-8)! Keeping the Lord’s Word in obedience proves one truly knows and loves God and is in Christ, while walking as He did is proof one abides in Him (1 John 2:5-6). This is all critical to understand now and going forward. The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 See the two-part post beginning May 17, 2020, Persecution, Hatred And Betrayal, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
2 God already knows He has called us to mission impossible as it concerns sin without His help. He has provided the Holy Spirit and continuing access to His throne of
grace and mercy where our confessed and repented from sins are forgiven through the shed blood of Jesus (John 16:5-15; Hebrews 4:14-16). For more instruction on
biblical forgiveness, read my November 2, 2014 post, Once And For All Forgiveness?, under the category, Call To Repent.
3 Many Christians and their churches in sin now, endure God’s Coronavirus judgment as an example and are called to repentance.
4 This is the heart of every faithful Christian aspiring to be strong men or great women of God in the image of Jesus Christ I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of
God: Back To Basics. Get a print copy or digital download of the book at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple
(digital only). You can also purchase a print copy in the Strong Man Store.
5 See the five posts on the topic of obedience that begin on September 7, 2014, under the category, Call To Repent.
Permeating the churches in these latter days is the false teaching born of feminism’s demand for worldly defined equality that God has changed His mind about the responsibility He has assigned men to lead in their homes and in His house. Contrary to this falsehood, leading precedes only teaching, providing1 and protecting as responsibilities the immutable God has assigned men in His image and likeness. That churches supposedly of Jesus Christ would follow the world in rebellion against God in anything is unconscionable! Yet, among other things, it is happening with gender roles and responsibilities! As I have written in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics2 and many prior posts,3 Christian men are being marginalized as a negative consequence.
Besides taking authority over men from the pulpit, in administration and instruction, women are leading worship in God’s house despite the extremely plain “whole counsel of God” showing this to be sin (Acts 20:26-27; 1 Corinthians 14:33-37, NKJV).4 It is not as if there are no men to lead worship in the full assembly of God’s house (and even if there were not, obedience dictates that it would fall to the male pastor or worship does not proceed), capable men are purposely ignored! Even churches that claim they faithfully honor God’s Word are compromised on this as though their hypocrisy is masked or isn’t doctrine and practice supposed to agree (Matthew 15:1-9)? Woe to the guilty as the Lord leads me to warn in this edited 2012 Commentary as a first of those that followed!5
Originally Published July 2012
Worship of God in motivation and form on earth is supposed to mirror that which takes place in Heaven. In these last days, however, many professed Christians and church leaders have given themselves permission in their assemblies to offer God whatever forms of worship moves them. While for some in ignorance this flesh driven effort at religious devotion is well intended, if God the object is not pleased with it, then it is worthless. So, it goes in many American churches today that what passes for worship of God, is really a matter of what pleases human desires and is rejected by Him. His heretofore, forbearance to judge is also sinfully misconstrued as acceptance (Psalm 50:16-23).
According to Webster’s Dictionary, to worship anyone or anything (deity or a religious object) is to give reverence (a feeling of awe toward and profound respect). Such worship also includes the prescribed form it is to be expressed and is typically accompanied by intense devotion, esteem, love and admiration for the person or thing worshipped. When God gave man the ability in the divine image and likeness to love, exclusive worship of and foremost love for his Creator was intended to flow from his heart and be demonstrated by the action of obedience (Genesis 1:26a; Deuteronomy 4:15-19, 5:7-10; 6:4-5; John 14:15)! God also taught man how to approach Him after falling into sin (Genesis 3:21, 4:4, 8:20-22; Exodus 29:38-46).
In God's covenant relationship with Israel, only the men of the tribe of Levi would serve as priests and attendants leading the worship in the place of assembly (Numbers 3:1-13). God put to death Aaron's two sons as priests that did not worship Him as He prescribed (Leviticus 10:1-3). Later, He killed a non-Levite man who though well intended, touched the ark of God in the midst of king David's sponsored celebration of its return to Israel (1 Chronicles 13). Next time, David got it right (1 Chronicles 15:1-15). After this, the Lord revealed to David that his son would build a Temple (house) for Him (Deuteronomy 12:1-14; 1 Chronicles 17:1-15, 28:1-21; 2 Chronicles 6:12-7:3).
Jesus Christ, the Son of God and David came in the 1st century AD and emphasized the worship of God in His prescribed way. As it concerned the Temple, He rebuked the religious establishment for their failure to treat God as holy (Jeremiah 7:1-11; Luke 19:45-46). He also revealed what would become the worship reality in the New Covenant inaugurated in the aftermath of His death, burial and resurrection (John 4:19-22). He taught the woman at the well, “true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him," (John 4:23, NKJV). The Lord further explains this is absolutely necessary because "God is Spirit" (John 4:24, NKJV).
To worship God in spirit is to do so out of the deepest aspect of our inner existence given to us by Him: spirit to Spirit (Genesis 2:7; Zechariah 12:1). Worshipping God in truth has to do with inner authenticity and conformity with His Word (John 17:17). Spiritually dead in our sins, this is all impossible to us as sinners since God does not accept polluted worship (Isaiah 1:10-17, 59:1-2; Malachi 1:6-14; Acts 5:1-11). But the Lord Jesus by His sacrifice has made it possible for our sins to be forgiven and washed through His blood so that in the Spirit and faith we are able to draw near to worship God the Father as He prescribes (Ephesians 2:11-18; Philippians 3:3; Hebrews 8-10:22).
The Lord Jesus shows us by His own life what Spirit energized worship looks like in Luke 10:21. Out of His spirit spontaneously burst forth thanks to the Father. There was no choir, praise team or building; just the Son worshipping the Father in the temple of His body (John 2:19-22)! Even so, when we that are true worshippers as Christians assemble together there is worship of God in word and song as seen in the example of Israel and 1st century AD Christians (2 Chronicles 5:2-6:2; Acts 2:44-47, 16:25-26). There is also to be order, for individually and corporately we are God's house and worship Him as He prescribes (1 Corinthians 11:2-14:40; Ephesians 2:19-22, 5:17-21; 1 Peter 2:1-10).6
The worship of God is not about us; it is about Him! It does not matter whether we enjoy it or not--though in the Spirit we will. What matters is did we please God by worshipping Him as He prescribes? Therefore, let every guilty pastor repent from flesh contrived services called "worship" that feature entertainment to please people and the performing of hymns and songs led by known willful sinners. Let the Holy Spirit lead! Too, let professed Christian women that will be true worshippers of God in spirit and truth repent and voluntarily relinquish authority as a worship or any leader over men in His house (1 Timothy 2:11-14). Near is His judgment (Numbers 16:1-40)!7 The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 See the July 14, 2019 post, A Man’s Responsibility To Provide, under the categories, Biblical Worldview and God’s Creatures.
2 Get a print copy or digital download of the book at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only). You can
also get a print copy of the book on sale in the Strong Man Store.
3 A sampling of posts to read would include the July 13, 2014 post, House Of Confusion, July 20, 2014, Confused Men, Compromised Sons, October 12, 2014, Whose
House? and the two-part, Feminism’s Entry Into The Churches, posted May 27 and June 3, 2018 all under the category, Call To Repent.
4 It is a full on lie to attempt to disarm the perpetual standing of the apostle Paul’s teaching in this passage by claiming it was only for this one church and of his histori-
cal-cultural thinking of the time since in vs. 33, he asserts the truth stated is “as in all the churches of the saints” and declares what he has written “are the command-
ments of the Lord” in vs. 37, (NKJV). Therefore, I’ll say it yet again: God’s assignment of men to lead does not end at the church house steps! They are all willful re-
bels who defy and disobey the clear apostolic instruction on women in God’s house and should repent.
5 Read the January 2015 three-part 2013 repost, Worshipping God Without God and the epilogue, Final Considerations On Worshipping God, all under the category,
Call To Repent.
6 Read the July 27, 2014 post, God Of Order, under the category, Instruction.
7 Those in the churches with spiritual eyes to see, see God’s judgment in His house is in progress as warned. Guilty men considering themselves fair-minded and pro-
gresssive have much to fear as a result since rather than the good of liberating women from God’s unfair and unequal restrictions by championing their rebellion, you
are instead putting yourself and them in harm’s way of His judgment (Mark 9:42-48; Hebrews 10:26-31)!
Of the Persons that are the triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), none perhaps, has been more widely misconstrued and corruptly misused by sinful mortal flesh since the first century A.D. than the Holy Spirit. His promised arrival for His special mission among believers in Jesus Christ came exactly fifty days after the Lord’s death, burial, resurrection and ascension on the Jewish “Day of Pentecost” in 33 A.D. (Luke 24:46-49; John 20:19-23; Acts 1:4-11, 2:1-4, NKJV). In spite of ample biblical instruction about who He is and what He does, many professed Christians down through the centuries have created countless made to order falsehoods about the Holy Spirit’s Person and work.1
One of the major falsehoods is the erroneous teaching that the Holy Spirit is only a New Testament phenomenon; on earth since the first century exclusively for the indwelling and benefit of Christians. This falsehood has led directly to another which asserts that the Holy Spirit removed from the earth, also necessitates the removal of Christians He indwells. Others well intended and correctly over the centuries have written in detail on the Person and work of the Holy Spirit drawing as we all should, straight from the Scriptures. I write the following brief introduction of the Holy Spirit who like the Father and Son cannot be made to order, to expose the falsehoods I address in this post.
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the three Persons that are the “one,” “true God,” (Deuteronomy 6:4; John 17:3, NKJV)! He is first identified in the Bible as “the Spirit of God” at work in the creation of the physical universe, the earth and all its creatures as well as the plurality of “Us” at the creation of man (Genesis 1:1-26, NKJV). As marvelously seen first at creation, the Spirit of God waited on the Word of God to speak what were their purposed unified plans with the Father to bring it into existence through the exertion of divine power! He is therefore, the actualizing Agent of the will of the triune God who always moves in harmony. He is holy because God in nature is (Daniel 4:1-9)!2
For this reason He is identified as the “Holy” Spirit to also distinguish His divine, eternal Person from the spirits of men and angels He has created (Genesis 2:7; Numbers 16:20-22; Psalm 104:4). Beyond creation, the Holy Spirit is the source of every mighty miracle not performed by angels at His direction including for example, the judgment of the flood, confusion of human languages, plagues on Egypt and Red Sea parting in the Old Testament (Genesis 7:11-24, 11:1-9; Exodus 8:16-19, 14:10-31). He was also the source of wisdom and abilities among those used in and inspiration of the men who wrote it (Genesis 41:1-16, 37-40; Exodus 31:1-11, 35:30-35; Daniel 2:1-23; 2 Peter 1:16-21).
The same Holy Spirit was in the earth overseeing God’s activity leading up to and enabling the foretold miraculous incarnation of the eternal “Son” and “Word” of God in the womb of a Jewish virgin (Isaiah 7:10-14; Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-5, 14-18, NKJV); initiating the New Testament of the Bible again, written by men carried along by Him (Luke 1:1-4; 2 Peter 1:12-15, 3:1-2, 14-16; 1 John 1:1-4)! He came from Heaven on Pentecost not as if for the first time, but in a special, dramatic way to fulfill the words of the prophets and Christ who taught new birth by the Holy Spirit was required to “see” and “enter the Kingdom of God,” (Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 3; John 3:1-8; Acts 2:5-39, NKJV).3
While the eternal life of believers and His manifold ministry in and through us hangs on Him, the Holy Spirit is also busy in the world with other divine assignments (John 7:37-39, 14:15-26, 15:26-16:15; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, 12:1-13; 2 Corinthians 1:20-22). His work includes restraining lawlessness until God’s perfect time to allow the rise of the Antichrist, greater evil and deception before the return of Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).4 He does not leave the planet. He simply steps out of the way of restraining.5 This work of the Spirit is independent of Christians though, He certainly uses us in the war with Satan to be salt and light as well as preach the Gospel, make, baptize and teach disciples in all the earth as Christ has commanded (Matthew 5:13-16, 28:19-20; Jude 20-23).
Given the level of sophistication attending to much of the false teaching going on within professing Christianity in these latter days coming from what are supposed to be trusted “Christian” sources in the media and many church pulpits, it is imperative that you and I know God’s Word for ourselves. This is accomplished through purposely studying the Bible which every Christian ought to be doing as a matter of daily spiritual discipline. The Lord by the Holy Spirit leads me to challenge men that would be strong men of God in Christ’s image to do this very thing in my book, The Strong Man Of God Back To Basics.6 I now, challenge all Christians to adopt this discipline and teach how to make Bible study more profitable in our new Strong Man Virtual Institute video course.7
1 The greatest of all falsehoods (and insult) is to describe the Holy Spirit as an “it” which this first paragraph plainly counters by speaking properly from the Bible of His “Person and work.”
2 Hence, it is also accurate to say “Holy Son” and ‘“Holy Father’” to the glory of God (Luke 1:35; John 17:11, NKJV)! Too, in eternal nature and character as God the Holy Spirit is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, righteousness, and truth” among other divine attributes (Gala- tians 5:22; Ephesians 5:9, NKJV).
3 That the Holy Spirit had filled and come upon mortal flesh among those used in the Old Testament for God’s causes has already been established in this post (see also Numbers 24:2 and 1 Samuel 10:9-13). A few men were even indwelt by Him lifelong (Numbers 27:15-18; Deuteronomy 34:5-12; Joshua 1:5, 24:14-31; 1 Samuel 16: 11-13; Psalm 51:11). However, the new birth the Lord Jesus speaks of and requires is for all the redeemed beginning among the Jews as took place in the first century with a still later fulfillment to come and is what the prophet Ezekiel also spoke of as “a new heart” in connection with God’s New Covenant; the indwelling presence and working of the Holy Spirit intended to be with His beneficiaries forever (Jeremiah 31:31-34, 32:36-41; Ezekiel 11:16-21, 36:24-28; John 14:16, NKJV)!
4 While some would like to believe the mortal Church on earth is powerful enough to restrain lawlessness in the world originating from Satan (1 John 2:18), the lawless- ness that has been displayed among our guilty, unrepentant members and local assemblies throughout history to this very hour fully discloses this haughty belief as false (1 John 3:4-24). As such, we just like ancient Israel have brought grief to the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 63:7-10; Acts 7:51-53; Ephesians 4:25-32; 2 Timothy 3:1-9). No, only the Holy Spirit eternally greater and mightier than Satan can and has restrained his lawless plans and works until now!
5 The mistaken teaching the Holy Spirit leaves the earth moving out of the way of lawlessness arises from among those who also teach His departure is tied to the rap- ture of Christians before any have to suffer tribulation resulting from the increase in evil. This being so, how does anybody get saved (which those who teach this doc- trine assert people will while previously unprepared, backslidden Christians also return to Christ) since the Holy Spirit convicts of sin and brings to new birth or after, get the help Jesus promises from Him if He is gone from the world with the Church? As I write this, lawlessness continues its uptick as the Holy Spirit gradually relaxes His restraint and we are still here on earth with Him. How glad I am about that since without His companionship, comforting, helping and strengthening presence in me, I would not be faring very well as I am sure our persecuted brethren suffering all over the world concur (Romans 8:26-28)!
6 The book is available with the companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
7 View the first session of the Fruitful Bible Study Self-Paced Video Course to get an overview on the Virtual Institute’s YouTube Channel. The video course replaces and expands on the one sheet free download, Seven Principles Of Bible Interpretation, the Ministry previously offered. An optional Study Guide for the video course is now, available for free download in the Strong Man Store.
Let me begin by wishing any mother reading this a blessed Mother’s Day! In spite of the successful work of feminism over the past half century to diminish the high view of motherhood God instilled in humanity from creation, an aspiring great woman of God in the image of Jesus Christ especially that has fully devoted herself to His assignment is still blessed by Him (Luke 7:11-17).1 Indeed, a mother’s love historically self-denying, patient, kind, sacrificial and protective to name a few excellent qualities is patterned after God’s own. Historical motherhood is remarkable given the intrusion of sin by Satan’s deceit, God’s judgment, life and death in a fallen world (Genesis 3-4).
In God’s image and by His design, a mother’s natural love for her children provides and cares for, manages, nurtures and protects them. It is typically a mother’s protective love that can cause her to stand up for and defend her children against harm at the risk of her own life though, this facet of love is plainly not active when she decides to abort her unborn or otherwise murder her child outside of the womb--instances of which fill these latter times. Jochebed, the mother of Moses in the Bible, is an outstanding example of a mother’s protective love as is a harlot in Solomon’s dilemma of wisdom. Both sought to protect the lives of their children (Exodus 1:22-2:10; 1 Kings 3:16-28).
No doubt, it is protective love that would cause a mother who does not truly know God or His nature and character presented in the whole Bible to react against the truth of His coming wrath upon her progeny as I was directed by Him to warn about in a recent post.2 While a mother’s protective love is commendable and appropriate in the right situations as we saw in the earlier biblical examples, to be willing to lash out against sound doctrine to the point of corrupting God’s Word to redefine Him and revise the truth is a great evil that without repentance, He will not leave unpunished. For in the falsehood, such a mother is seeking to create a made to order god of her own liking!
As I have encountered this diabolical falsehood inspired of demons and cherry picked from God’s Word, it insists that since God is love, He cannot possibly bring wrath upon any human being, but particularly children. Now, this statement sounds good at first glance because there is the New Testament passage that declares truthfully, “God is love,” (1 John 4:8, NKJV). In context, the apostle John is asserting the source and standard of love in the eternal nature of God that ought to exist in and among born again Christians because He lives in us by the Holy Spirit. We know Him so intimately and completely in love, “the day of judgment” holds no fear for us (1 John 4:4-19, NKJV).
The foregoing exclusively involves born again Christians who have been delivered from God’s coming wrath through repentance and faith in the Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ! His sacrifice to save us from our sins and wrath is a clear display of God’s love as John reminds us in the passage cited. But God in nature has other attributes besides love. Among His eternal attributes are also holiness, righteousness and justice from which flows His condemnation of and wrath toward mankind as sinners.3 His love delays carrying out the fullness of His wrath to give time to repent as in the days of Noah, Sodom and Judah (Genesis 6:5-22, 7:11-24, 14:1-17, 18:16-19:29; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21).
In the latter instance of His wrath, children are specifically mentioned among those that would perish as the Lord Jesus also warns the women weeping for Him on the way to the cross. This happens as God comes against the sin of their parents (Ezekiel 8-9; Luke 23:26-31).4 No mother could possibly love her children more than God does mankind or His Son yet, He gave Him up to His wrath and death on the cross for us all (Isaiah 49:5-6, 14-16; Jeremiah 31:1-3; Matthew 3:16-17, 27:45-50; Romans 5:6-11)! In His image (fallen as it is), mothers that love their children have had to discipline them for cause after any number of warnings. Surely, you understand God made His own Son to suffer His wrath so we would not have to and has graciously given the world time to repent!
God’s offer of pardon and a free pass from His wrath to mankind through repentance and faith in the Gospel of His Son is now, reaching its expiration date. Whether it is my progeny or yours (God does not show favoritism) all need to take full advantage of His grace. Otherwise, “the wrath of God abides on” them and no mother’s protective love can prevent this by force of will or corrupting Scripture to propagate a falsehood to somehow make Him over and take it away (John 3:36, NKJV). Just as there can be no made to order salvation, neither is there a made to order God!5 He is who the Bible as it is written fully says He is!6 For this reason, every professed Christian must study His whole Word for themselves to know what it actually says in totality to avoid being deceived.7
1 The blessedness of motherhood as the purposeful and exclusive assignment to females by God is taught from His Word by me in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and its companion Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study. Both are available in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
2 Read the March 27, 2022 post, No Baby Boomer Free Lunch, under the categories Biblical Worldview and Call To Repent.
3 See the March 28, 2021 post, The Righteous Wrath Of God, under the categories Bible Prophecy and The Cause.
4 God is not out to get children or anyone else for that matter! However, taking Him seriously as they ought in His Word, parents are warned in the context of His prohibition of the practice of idolatry deeply offensive to Him: ‘“I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth gen- erations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments,’” (Exodus 20:3-6; Deuteronomy 5:7-10, NKJV). Sin- ning parents are the ones that in reality show a lack of love and regard for their own progeny by thumbing their noses at God’s Word and warnings about the conse- quences of disobedience (Ezekiel 18:30-32)! If you do not wish for your progeny to endure God’s coming wrath, be and live saved yourself. Then, proclaim the Gospel and witness Christ to them in the prayerful hope of their repentance, faith and salvation to escape!
5 See the May 1, 2022 post, Made To Order Salvation?, under the category, The Faith.
6 Read the May 31, 2020 post, Keeping It Real About God, under the category, Instruction.
7 Get sound help and encouragement to engage beneficially in the spiritual discipline of Bible Study by taking the Fruitful Bible Study Self-Paced Video Course on our Strong Man Virtual Institute YouTube Channel. A Study Guide is available as a free download in the Strong Man Store to help follow along with the series of short videos.
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