The Scourge Of Racism
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I am thoroughly grateful to be saved by God in Christ from my sins (Psalm 32:1-2)! While my journey toward perfection at the end of this life continues, when I look back over the years since I first believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ (that He died on the cross for my sins, was buried and rose again on the third day) and prayed to receive Him as my Savior and Lord on Easter Sunday 1977, I can say with all who have gone on before me I heard say, “the Lord has brought me a mighty long way!” What an amazing work of God salvation from sin is! So, I thank the Lord today, every day and this Thanksgiving with all my soul, heart and mind for this work of His to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). What about you? Enjoy your Thanksgiving Holiday!
As the Director of Strong Man Ministries and lead instructor in our Strong Man Institute in-person and virtual course offerings, I am excited to announce the roll out yesterday of our Fruitful Bible Study Self-Paced Video Course on our Strong Man Virtual Institute YouTube Channel!1 With the Lord’s leading, this video course addresses the great need in His Body for knowledge of the Word through the spiritual discipline of Bible study in these latter days. For He and His apostles warned us great deception would exist in the times before His return as it does and lacking knowledge of the Word, many are being deceived and fall away as also foretold (Mark 13:3-6, 22-23; 1 Timothy 4:1-5).
Though there are many false and deceitful doctrines of demons within professing Christianity at this hour, one of the most insidious is in fact “a different gospel;” the likes of which the apostle Paul puts the purveyor under a curse of destruction and that strikes at the very heart of the Christian faith “once for all delivered to the saints,” (Galatians 1:6-10; Jude 3-4, NKJV). It asserts that God does not judge what people do in sin anymore since Christ completely atoned for human sins past, present and future on the cross. Those who know the truth from their regular, Holy Spirit led and helped study of the Bible recognize the foregoing assertion is preposterous and thoroughly false!
Truly, as Scripture teaches the Lord’s death on the cross most certainly did make a full and eternal atonement for human sin before God (Isaiah 53:10-12; John 1:29, 19:30; Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:17, 9:11-15). However, it is only the one who repents of his sins, places faith in the Gospel and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit that will be saved which Scripture also teaches (Acts 2:36-39; Romans 1:16-17, 3:21-26; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As it is written and cited in Romans 1:17, ‘“The just shall live by faith,’” (NKJV). There is no work or deed a sinner can do to earn salvation wrought through Christ’s sacrifice God has made available to all mankind by grace (Romans 3:27-4:25; Ephesians 2:1-10).2
I will declare it again. Although He died for all mankind, only those individuals who genuinely repent of their sins, believe the Gospel and receive new birth by the indwelling Holy Spirit, obtain salvation! Those who refuse to repent and believe the Gospel remain in their sins, will die in and face Christ’s “judgment seat” to answer for them (John 8:21-24; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11, NKJV).3 For of first importance salvation is “remission (by God’s forgiveness) of sins” upon repentance and faith in Christ (Luke 24:46-47, NKJV). Anyone who preaches anything contrary to this core, historic and biblical truth for salvation, puts themselves justly under the apostle Paul’s curse since it is a different gospel!
Now, even though no work or deed we do of ourselves prior to salvation can earn it, works and deeds afterward matter as evidence of its authenticity, fruitfulness and enduring faith in Christ which is not a one and done thing (James 2:14-26). We enter salvation through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and continue living by faith in Him moment by moment going forward. Purposely practicing biblically defined sin without repentance is not proof of faith, but of possible insincere or false profession, rank disobedience which is rebellion or apostasy which can never please God who despite another false doctrine, ‘“will judge His people,’” (Hebrews 10:26-39, 11:6, NKJV)!4
Thus, even though Christ’s work to pay for human sin was finished on the cross, our responsibility before God for personal sin does not end there! For this reason, the Lord Jesus explains one must “believe in Him” whom God in love sent into the world to die for our sins in order to “not perish” and instead, “have everlasting life.” Otherwise, apart from appropriating His saving work to themselves by faith, the unsaved are “condemned already” with no other hope; their deeds certifying God’s righteousness to condemn them (John 3:16-21, NKJV).5 Also, what professed Christians do reveals whether they know Christ and bear good fruit (Matthew 7:15-23,13:1-9, 18-23).6
Indeed, the whole Word of God teaches what one does whether in sin or not during this mortal life matters to God! Consequently, every human being that has ever lived will face judgment by Jesus Christ to be rewarded accordingly--those with the fruitful deeds of faith in Him having nothing to fear (Job 34:10-15; Psalm 62:12; Proverbs 24:12; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Romans 1:28-2:11, 14:10-12, 23b; Revelation 22:12). Ours is not a made to order salvation of human construction. It has sprung from the heart and mind of the living God from eternity (1 Peter 1:13-21)! Christians must get and stay in God’s Word to recognize and avoid the many false doctrines today; careful not to even pass along sound good posts on social media from maybe well meaning sources, but that are not biblical.
1 The very first Short-Term Study from the Strong Man Virtual Institute can be viewed on its dedicated YouTube Channel. A course overview with description is provided in Session One of the six session study. While it is not required, a Study Guide is available as a free download in the Strong Man Store to help interested learners as they engage with the video course at their own pace.
2 Read the March 21, 2021 post, Good Works Cannot Save You, under the category, The Cause.
3 See the April 24, 2022 post, Messiah Comes Second For Salvation, under the category, The Faith.
4 What has death been to mankind but judgment from God who lovingly, graciously warned Adam of it as the consequence in the day of his disobedience (Genesis 2:15- 17, 3:6-11, 17-19)? And as it concerns Christians, the falsehood God does not judge what we do becomes crystal clear from faithfully reading and studying the New Testament where God is seen intentionally instilling fear of offending His holiness through willful sin after He put to death Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, on the same day for lying to Him--something many professed Christians in our times foolishly consider no big deal (Acts 5:1-11). For further reflection on God as the Judge of His people in the New Testament, read the two-part post that begins August 23, 2020, The Churches Under Judgment, under the category, Instruction.
5 There are those in Christian media and not a few pastors that refute the Bible they claim to uphold teaching God does not condemn. Some even boast that you will not hear them talk about such a thing, though the whole narrative of salvation in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is about God saving willing mankind from our sins in light of His certain coming wrath and condemnation to Hell! Being unwilling to declare “the whole counsel of God” especially for the sake of gaining money from people who want to hear nothing but positive statements about Him for them, followers or to fill auditorium seats is fraud (Acts 20:26-31; 2 Corinthians 2:17, 4:1-2, NKJV)! It is also false teaching to deny or purposely omit the fact unrepentant sinners stand condemned before a holy God--woe to the false teachers who bring the Lord’s judgment upon themselves (2 Peter 2:1-3)! Who really cares for your soul: the one that tells you only the parts of God’s Word you like and want to hear or the one who gives you God’s whole Word (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12)?
6 Though he may struggle, the saved one is done with sin and is helped by the Holy Spirit to live a holy and righteous life in the image of Christ through his purposeful, persevering faith (Romans 6-8). As the Lord leads, I present this truth in some detail to the aspiring strong man and great woman of God in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and its companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study as well as Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study. These are all available in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit,” (Psalm 32:1-2, NKJV). Hallelujah! I continue to rejoice in God’s salvation as I experience the awesome reality of His forgiveness of all my past sins when I first believed the Gospel and every day since as I have obeyed His Word to “confess” and repent from them as they occurred or upon later conviction (Psalm 32:3-5; 1 John 1:5-2:2, NKJV).1 While God’s salvation begins with forgiveness, its blessed benefits do not end there. As biblical Christianity, they bountifully and gloriously expand reaching into eternity!
God’s forgiveness opens the way for sinners to be reconciled to and enjoy familial relationship with Him as well as to receive all of His promised benefits. Of the many benefits as spiritual blessings God has packaged in His salvation from sin by grace through faith in the Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ, forgiveness of all past sins is foremost and foundational (Romans 4:5-8, 5:10-11; Ephesians 1:1-10). As David testifies, God’s forgiveness for sins committed thereafter is absolutely essential to avoid the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical issues that consequentially arise from being unwilling to confess them to Him in all repentance. Sin guilt will make you sick and destroys!2
Enjoying peace with God by His forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Christ,3 the saved in Him are also indwelt and brought to spiritual life by the Holy Spirit; having an eternal inheritance as adopted sons (John 3:1-8; Acts 2:38-39; Romans 8:14-17). The spiritual life we have by the indwelling Holy Spirit is nothing short of the very life of God dynamically and eternally flowing as “rivers of living water” in our inmost being (John 7:37-39, NKJV)! There is nothing in all of human experience to which this can be compared.4 This is uniquely of God “the fountain of life,” “everlasting” and abundant David and the Lord Jesus speak of (Psalm 36:7-9; John 4:7-14, 10:10, NKJV).
The life of God in us by the Holy Spirit is evident in the display of the divine eternal nature beginning with love, character and power (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 3:14-21, 5:9; 1 John 4:8). The presence of the Holy Spirit in believers seals us not like contents in a closed jar that cannot escape, but as a living imprint that marks us out as belonging to God. Too, He is “the guarantee” and earnest payment of the Father fulfilling all He has promised us in His great salvation! As our eternal “Helper” (Comforter) and Companion, He oversees and actualizes our regeneration as well (John 14:16-17; 2 Corinthians 1:3, 19-22, 3:17-18, 5:17; Ephesians 1:11-14; Titus 3:4-5, NKJV).
As if the foregoing were not enough, the Holy Spirit carries out the will of the Father and Christ in answering our petitions for protection and deliverance (Psalm 32:6-7). He is also our Teacher teaching us the riches of God’s way in Christ through the written Word; guiding us with His “eye” that has seen and knows all past, present and future if we will be submissive to learn (Psalm 32:8; John 16:12-15; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, NKJV). Believers as disciples are not to be stubborn, resistant and without understanding like an unbroken “horse” or “mule” that have to be forcefully “harnessed” and controlled or “they will not come near you” much less be teachable (Psalm 32:9, NKJV).
Submission to learn is God’s perfect will for everyone He saves! A submissive heart to learn describes Christ who is the perfect display and example of what a disciple is (Isaiah 50:4-5; John 8:28-29) and who commanded that His disciples be taught (Matthew 28:18-20). Further, being taught the Word of God leads to spiritual growth and maturity which are still more benefits of God’s salvation (Ephesians 1:15-23; 2 Peter 1:1-11)! Otherwise, any professed Christian that will not be taught walks in the way of the unbroken horse, mule and "the wicked" suffering “many sorrows” in contrast to those who submit to and obey God’s will through faith and experience His "mercy," (Psalm 32:10, NKJV).
Indeed, for those believers who submit to and obey God’s will through faith--even every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ--the Holy Spirit willingly serves as our Intercessor interceding for us with the Father when in weakness we have no clue (Romans 8:26-27).5 He is also our Equipper and Source of ability to serve God and fellow man through spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-11). In briefly addressing just some of the benefits of God’s salvation as biblical Christianity, it should be easily seen why those of us that are His “righteous” by grace through faith are “glad in the LORD” “and shout for joy,” (Psalm 32:11, NKJV)! Forgiveness of sin in Christ is only the beginning of these blessings that create the joy of salvation in us! Won’t you share in our joy?
1 It is deceit for any unsaved person or professed Christian to believe one can hide or God not notice or care about their sins no matter how small in human eyesight! There
is no possible way to deceive God so, why try? “...you have sinned against the Lord; be sure your sin will find you out,” (Numbers 32:23, NKJV). Christians are supposed
to walk before God and “worship in spirit and truth,” (John 4:23-24, NKJV). And forget the "nobody is perfect" argument--He already knows this while still expecting our
sold out heart attitude to obey His whole Word (not just the parts we agree with) out of love (John 14:15). His way freely offered in love is for us to own our rebellion,
missing of the mark of His perfect righteousness and perversion of His straight ways so that He can forgive these in Christ!
2 For the professed Christian David says particularly in Psalm 32:4a about the time he spent refusing to confess and repent from his sins: “For day and night Your hand was
heavy upon me,” (NKJV). There is no way a blood bought, Spirit-filled believer can sin without sooner or later experiencing His convicting work which may be quietly
resisted in denial and pretense nothing was done wrong, but as David is explaining, this does not turn out very well for the person doing so.
3 Peace with the living God is a blessing beyond description since it includes not having to fear the Day of His wrath!
4 Having been an abuser of drugs and alcohol and committed hedonist in my unsaved youth, I know what I am saying.
5 Read about the aspiring strong man of God and great woman of God in the image of Jesus Christ in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, 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.
All praises, honor and glory be to the God of my salvation; the God who saved a wretch like me and granted that I with all others saved should be reconciled to Him and become an ambassador of Christ in the Gospel! In this amazing message of love, grace, forgiveness and reconciliation we proclaim to the world, our God speaks through us now and we to all with the utmost of urgency: “be reconciled to God,” (2 Corinthians 5:18-21, NKJV)! Time is of the essence as spiritual conditions and events foretold by the Lord through His prophets in Bible prophecies dormant for millennia begin to awaken to fulfillment.
The Lord’s plea to be reconciled to Him in this and every generation since the first century includes those that profess to have done so already as the Christians the apostle Paul writes to. He exhorts them “not to receive the grace of God in vain,” (2 Corinthians 6:1, NKJV). Their assumed past salvation and reconciliation to God was possible because in Christ, the proper time had come (2 Corinthians 6:2a). By way of forceful reminder to them and so many sinning professed Christians today, he also declares: “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation,” (2 Corinthians 6:2b, NKJV)!
As the larger context makes clear, the Corinthians were in need of repentance from sin which to Paul’s delight he was convinced by their behavior they had experienced (2 Corinthians 6:3-7:16). I am praying and laboring for the same outcome of repentance from sin leading to revival for those professing to be Christians throughout our nation as the Lord gives leadership since the alternatives are not at all pleasant. Thus, it is imperative that professing Christians receive the instruction the Holy Spirit is giving us for this time in all soberness and with Bibles and hearts open.
Do not be lulled into complacency in the aftermath of the recent national election that because of political philosophy would seem to hold out hope for a long-term halt to the slow decline of our nation. Not so! In the grace of our God, only a temporary door of opportunity with lessened government hostility and hindrances for the proclamation of the Gospel and practice of the Christian faith will open (1 Corinthians 16:8-9; 2 Corinthians 2:12-17). However, this door will quickly close and without needed repentance among professing Christians leading to Holy Spirit fired revival and a renewed vigor to obediently fulfill our Lord’s “Great Commission,” be squandered. For the foretold times leading up to and the “appointed time of the end shall be,” (Daniel 8:19, NKJV).
Therefore, the God and only Savior of mankind reiterates again with great urgency to all alive today in our nation: repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ; that He died on the cross for our sins, was buried and on the third day rose again. Do this, so you will be forgiven of your sins, reconciled to God, receive the Holy Spirit, eternal life and deliverance from His wrath that will destroy this present evil world as we have known it. This is urgent now because the time God has allotted for the world to respond to His gracious offer grows short as prophetic fulfillment shows. Too, all anyone has is now since no one knows the day of his death when God’s offer of reconciliation also ends.
Finally, there is the present danger and foretold latter day reality of one developing a hardened heart toward God and His offer. A hardened heart is one that obstinately resists God even after severe judgments for the sake of holding onto a sinful mindset and lifestyle (Exodus 7:14-9:7; John 3:16-21). In the case of professing Christians deceived by sin, without repentance they continue in faithless, willful rebellion against God’s clearly known will, way and Word until their hearts harden solid in resistance as we have been warned not to allow because of the painful temporal and eternal consequences (Proverbs 28:13-14; Hebrews 3:7-19, 6:4-8, 10:26-31). Indeed, as I have repeatedly warned, the Lord has already begun judging in His house (1 Peter 4:17-18).
For this reason, understanding this day of salvation aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ purposely put Him on and accept the Father’s loving discipline so we can please Him and do His will (Romans 13:11-14; Hebrews 12:3-11). This is all the more essential as we see in the persistent and growing hostility to biblical Christianity and rebellion against God as well as legalization of immorality and drug use, the trend toward hardening hearts is underway. Prophetically, we are shown this trend continues through God’s pre-wrath warning judgments that soon begin (Luke 21:11b; Revelation 8:1-11:14) and becomes irreversible in the time of the Antichrist (Revelation 13, 14:6-13) as proven when God targets his unrepentant worshippers in His wrath (Revelation 16:1-11).
Thank God, then, that in His continuing grace and mercy we still have a little bit of time left to freely preach the Gospel and witness Christ to an unsaved American citizenry that is not yet all hardened into sin. The Spirit empowered fruitful labor of this Ministry among boys and incarcerated men here in the Northwest--the most unchurched part of our nation--is evidentiary to me in this. So, now, I exhort every needful professing Christian to repent and be revived by the Holy Spirit so you may take your place among the revived saints in our nation and move with zeal to complete our Lord’s “Great Commission” here to the saving of many souls at this opportune time. The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
As the Lord led me to write about earlier this month and celebrate from Palm through Resurrection Sunday, God’s Messiah was foretold by Him through His Jewish prophets in the Bible to come twice.1 The first coming of God’s Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, during the first century A.D. was all about sacrificing Himself to save willing mankind from our sins. He finished this part of the mission on Calvary’s cross with His death. After His burial, resurrection and ascension back to glory, at God’s appointed future time He is slated to return “a second time” to fulfill every promise of salvation God has made to those of us who have put our faith in and wait on Him (Hebrews 9:28b, NKJV).
“Scoffers” living captive “to their own lusts” as foretold, for nearly 2,000 years have scoffed at the faith of faithful Christians in our willingness to wait on “the promise of His coming.” “They willfully forget” the Bible’s instruction on God’s mighty Word in creation and past visitation in destructive wrath using water; foretelling of yet another to come with fire in judging earth’s “ungodly men,” (2 Peter 3:1-7, NKJV). What the scoffers and apparently many professed Christians also fail to realize is that the return of Messiah has been purposely delayed by God this long out of His love and “longsuffering” to save the willing He foreknows from His wrath and eternal damnation (2 Peter 3:8-9, NKJV).2
As the apostle Peter soberly warns, the return of Messiah entails the outpour of God’s wrath in the eternal onset of “the day of the Lord” as earth is reclaimed for His dominion from fallen angels and men, then later, destroyed to make way for “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells,” (2 Peter 3:10-15; Revelation 11:15-19, 21:1-8, NKJV). His wrath does not fully unfold, however, until after Messiah gathers His two elects--Israel’s mortal remnant and His followers from all nations--to Himself (Mark 13:24-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, NKJV).3 These events fulfilled are among the promises of salvation God has made to both elects in His Word!
The next promises of salvation to be immediately enjoyed by the faithful followers of Messiah gathered to Him from Heaven who are resurrected and those relative few mortals alive on earth at His Second Coming are glorified immortal bodies and eternal righteousness (1 Corinthians 15:50-57; 2 Timothy 4:8)! For in God’s justification by grace through our faith in Messiah looking to that Day, is our being clothed now, with His righteousness as both a spiritual position we occupy and experience we have despite the endless attempts of sin to reassert its dominion over us with the aid of Satan and his temptations we are to vigorously resist (Romans 6-8:17; Galatians 5:16-25; 1 Peter 5:8-11).
Thus, in Messiah Jesus, I am a sinner made righteous in the sight of God through faith and understand myself to be a righteous man who sins when I do in the weakness of the sinful flesh. In sin, I confess and repent of it availing myself of God’s readiness to forgive and cleanse me through the finished work of Messiah on Calvary’s cross as often as needed (Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 1:5-2:2). So, when I say I am a sinner to sinners as a Christian, it is not because I am going about practicing sin as a way life any longer, but I am humbly and honestly acknowledging that I still sin as one redeemed by and righteous before God in my mortal journey toward perfection!4
Today, secular films and television programming regularly mock and belittle God’s social and moral order He established at creation for the good of mankind in favor of what they call “progressive” correctives, but which are evil. Contrarily, another promise of salvation Messiah will fulfill in the Day of His Second Coming is the restoration of God’s will and way now, declared in His Word across every aspect of surviving mortal human earth existence in which He will reign as King and Judge (Psalm 72; Micah 4:1-3; Matthew 25:31-46).5 Indeed, we His glorified redeemed followers and saints from all time will reign and judge with Him (Psalm 149; Revelation 1:4-8, 2:26-29, 5:8-10, 20:4-6)!6
At the end of Messiah’s millennial reign in this present earth and age, by His Father’s election as God and Man, He shall resurrect “those who have done evil” and judge for eternity every human who has ever existed that He had not already judged (John 5:16-30; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11; 1 Peter 4:1-5; Revelation 19:11-21, 20:11-15, 22:12-15, NKJV).7 Daniel in his book where we started back on January 9th this year among the prophets of the Bible were shown the coming resurrections of the righteous and the wicked along with their final judgment by Messiah (Daniel 12:2-3).8 Clearly, things will not go well in the judgment to eternal fire for the unsaved who have shown contempt for God’s Word. But the saved who love God’s Word will delight in it forever!
1 See the April 3, 2022 post, Messiah Comes Twice: Once For Sin, under the category, The Faith.
2 Read the two-part post beginning July 18, 2021, No Repentance, No Peace, under the category, Call To Repent. Also, consider the February 6, 2022 post, The Divine Delay, under the category, Bible Prophecy, to appreciate if you will, that as He gave sinful humanity in Noah’s day time to repent and be saved from His wrath, so, all in these last days since He offered up His own Son on the cross to make our salvation possible nearly 2,000 years ago!
3 See the August 15, 2021 post, The Honor Of Bypassing Death, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
4 The Christian journey toward perfection is about allowing God to make us over into the image of Messiah Jesus, His Son. This is the rallying cry and content of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and its companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study as well as Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study all available in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
5 That’s right! The same transcendent eternal spiritual principles, morality and ethics contained in the Bible the wicked now, mock and belittle as well as many professed Christians corrupt and compromise, will be put in play and enforced by Messiah since as He Himself teaches, neither the content of God’s Law or any of His Words will fail to endure forever (Matthew 5:17-20, 24:35)! See the August 1, 2021 post, Jesus Christ King And Judge!, under the category, Instruction.
6 Read the August 8, 2021 post, Kings And Judges With Christ, under the category, Encouragement.
7 Behold the perfect justice of God the Father to allow His Son, Jesus, as perfect Man to judge His fellow man (Acts 17:29-31)!
8 See the January 9, 2022 post, Easier To Read Bibles, under the categories Bible Prophecy and Instruction.
God’s salvation from my sins in Christ is the best thing that ever happened for me! When I think about how by even at the young age of twenty I had lived such a sinful life and was still alive to tell about it, I am fully thankful to God for His longsuffering He obviously had graciously and mercifully shown me. A wretch if there ever was one not a few who knew me in those days would hesitate to affirm, I marvel to this day that God forgave my sins, filled me with His Holy Spirit and took up residence in me on that Easter Sunday 1977 to begin the intended “forever” relationship He undertakes with all of those He saves (John 1:12-13, 3:1-8, 7:37-39, 14:15-24; Acts 2:36-39, NKJV).
While it took the Lord another 22 months from when He entered my life to finally have me get real with Him during a time of fasting and consecration He commanded me to,1 in the years since, I have been undergoing everything I wrote about from Scripture in a post earlier this month concerning the transformational renewing and regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.2 I am a living witness that when a professed Christian gets real with God in all submission and letting go of the world, the Holy Spirit will supernaturally act to begin transforming our way of thinking formerly governed by Satan, sin and self for example, to the bring it into line with “the mind of Christ,” (1 Corinthians 2:6-16, NKJV).3
In The Scourge Of Racism, I write about experiences with racism from my youth that filled me with anger and futile bitterness.4 Having been made in the image of the perfectly just and righteous God (Genesis 1:26a) though it is fallen due to sin, all mankind at some level has an angry reaction to injustice and unrighteous wrongdoing. For this cause, I can still be angered by the bigoted attitudes of racism and attending acts of discrimination I experience and/or see happen to others in the world. But now, after years of the mind renewing work of the Holy Spirit I am learning to dispose of my anger properly (Ephesians 4:17-32). When I do, bitterness cannot set up in my heart.5
In renewing my mind, the Holy Spirit has also fully convinced me to trust in Christ’s defeat of racism and all sin on the cross (Hebrews 9:26b); His fiery victory over racism and all forms of evil in the coming vengeance of His and the Father’s wrath (Romans 12:19; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10; 2 Peter 3:10-13)! Too, the Holy Spirit has given me the means through His spiritual gifts, calling and ministry to help His way in the right now struggle against racism and all of the harmful sins of humanity. As a preacher of the Gospel, I am able to joyfully herald the salvation of God in Christ that made human and my inner regeneration possible; teach about it as a teacher to willing believers and as I have in The Scourge Of Racism, serve also as the Lord’s watchman/prophet calling His people to obedience.
1 Read the February 17, 2019 post, Surrendering All To Jesus, under the category, Glory To God!
2 See the November 12, 2023 post, Loving With The Love Of God, under the category, Instruction.
3 Aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ are taught in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics that having the mind of Christ is an absolute imperative! The book is available in the Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Editions in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.
4 The Scourge Of Racism, Copyright 2023, ODCM Publishing Division, Portland, OR, p. 31-32. These cited pages briefly present my introduction to racism growing up in Seaside, CA on the Monterey Peninsula. Get the recently released book in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores. Watch the book trailer.
5 Bitterness as an entitlement right of victimization many blacks cling to is contrary to the will of God for the professed Christian (Ephesians 4:30-32). If you are living in bit- terness you are walking outside of Christ. He bids you return to Him. Understand this fully by watching our thirty minute Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, on YouTube.
The New Testament of the Bible is absolutely clear and unequivocal: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” (1 Timothy 1:15, NKJV). Whoever among males and females of mankind repents of their sins and believes the Gospel of Christ that He died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day will be saved (John 3:16-17, Acts 2:38-39; Romans 10:10-13; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4)! So then, God makes no distinction between male and female in the means of obtaining His free gift of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. Even so, the Christian female is uniquely shown to be saved in childbearing according to Paul, the apostle to us Gentiles.
God in sovereignty established His order of mankind at creation. The apostle Paul instructs Timothy, his son in the faith, about how this foundational truth works itself out in the way women were to perpetually conduct themselves in God’s house during this mortal age. Silence and respectful submission was to characterize their demeanor in the mixed assembly of men and they are not “to teach or to have authority over a man” because in God’s standing order of mankind “Adam was formed first, then Eve,” (1 Timothy 2:11-13, NKJV).1 He also cites the fact the first woman was the one “deceived” when she usurped her husband and “fell into transgression,” (1 Timothy 2:14, NKJV).
Apparently, Paul and God inspiring his pen took the first female’s status as the first sinner and how she became one very seriously unlike many in the churches at this hour. Typically, the first to do something is considered a trail blazer, noble and good. However, to be the first human sinner is eternally ignoble in the sight of the holy God! Truly, the fact the immediate punishment of Eve (and her daughters to follow) was only “greatly” intensified grief while pregnant and “pain” in childbirth is amazing grace indeed (Genesis 3:1-7, 13, 16a, NKJV)!2 That guilty females would instead of humility, in pride today, openly rebel against God who has shown such grace is very wicked.
Whatever circumstances may have led to the apostle’s specific instruction about women (such as perhaps having some at Ephesus attempt to teach or take authority over men), the instruction is rooted in God’s design, assigned roles, responsibilities and order of rank for man as male and female. So, the saved, Christian female purposely designed by God to bear children is to please Him above all and be content with His will to do so as a wife and mother.3 This assumes of course, she gets married and is physically able to bear children.4 Her submission to God in this is proven salvation “if” she continues “in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control,” (1 Timothy 2:15, NKJV). The latter trait is needed to help avoid the first female’s impulsive act to usurp her husband, be deceived and sin.
1 Read the July 28, 2019 post, Roles, Rank And Responsibilities, under the category, God’s Creatures.
2 The grace of God also encompasses not only being willing to save females, but to redeem their purpose in His design of them by sending Christ our Redeemer into the
world through the seed, womb and birth canal of a woman as He spoke before ever announcing Eve’s punishment (Genesis 3:15; Luke 1:26-38, 2:1-14).
3 This is the heart of the aspiring great woman of God in the image of Christ I am privileged of Him to elaborate about in The Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study
drawn from two important chapters in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. The book and group study are available for purchase in the Strong Man Store
or by order through your favorite book seller. Please note that neither the apostle Paul or I are saying women as wives cannot engage with their husbands in Bible discus-
sion or together in the manner of Aquila and Priscilla with Apollos as an uncle and aunt (the husband leading) teach the faith to a singular man in private (Acts 18:24-26)
or finally, be a gifted teacher of women as well as male and female children (Titus 2:1-5).
4 There is no specific instance of a call from God to any woman in the Bible to lifelong celibacy. As such, a Christian female that takes it upon herself to do this is to keep
her vow to the Lord. Otherwise, she is to wait on God in all purity to send her a husband. After marriage, adoption is certainly an option if either spouse has reproductive
issues.
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