The Scourge Of Racism
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Released January 5, 2024
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In last week’s post, instruction to Jewish and all would be believers came from the Lord Jesus Christ who is the truth about His ability to free from slavery to sin.1 Slavery to sin is the most serious form of slavery among men due to it being both temporally detrimental and eternally consequential. A man can die suffering in physical bondage and be freed of it forever though, if he also dies in spiritual slavery to sin, he will be judged for his sins and condemned eternally to “the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:11-15, NKJV). Although physical slavery is used punitively by God, He cares ultimately that men be set fully free from every vestige of evil oppression through faith in Christ (Luke 4:16-21)!
As a black American descendent of those once physically enslaved in this nation, I write with a heavy heart for what I have learned was one of the most brutal practices of slavery in the history of men on earth; its legacy combined with systemic racism still affecting many. Yet, rather than through the lens of a victim, I also write as a victor with the purposely intended biblical assurance the painful oppressions of physical slavery that my slave forefathers experienced were not of God’s perfect, but permissive will to punish sin and accomplish His purposes of good in the end.2 Physical slavery has been tolerated and used by God for His good purposes and to punish human sin for millennia.
As last week’s post pointed up, Jewish history was launched by their forefather, Abraham, who God informed He would be purposely allowing his descendents to be slaves for four hundred years ‘“in a land that is not theirs.’” That land turned out to be Egypt where Abraham’s descendents served and were severely afflicted. God also tells Abraham His good ends in that He would judge the oppressing nation and bring his descendents ‘“out with great possessions.’” Their time as slaves was preparation for something far greater that involved a return to the land currently occupied by others whose sin needed to reach fullness before He judged them (Genesis 15:13-16, NKJV).
When Israel came to the edge of the land, God warned through Moses that among the curses for disobedience to Him and His commandments He would bring upon the nation were oppressions and slavery (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Israel’s history bears out how God kept His Word! Of the many ways the victims and their doctrines of victimization among my people condemn themselves before God is the attempt to portray our West African forefathers in their various kingdoms and tribes as innocent of having done anything that would provoke His offense enough to allow their suffering and slavery when He has declared His verdict of universal human sin guilt (Romans 3:9-20, 23).
Beginning with Israel, judgment has been upon all earth’s nations from the 6th century B.C. for their sinful and wicked practices (Jeremiah 25:15-29). Such practices include making idols to worship in idolatry, the worship of the sun, moon, stars, earth’s sky and nature including animals, rocks, trees and bodies of water (Exodus 20:1-6). They also practiced witchcraft, sorcery, sacrificing their children and attempting to speak to dead ancestors (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). Truly, what men admire as culture and tradition in those practices, God most holy rejects and judges!3 West African kingdoms and tribes were guilty of all of the foregoing practices along with rejecting the Gospel of Christ.
Thus, in not treating their sins as they deserved in every case (Ezekiel 18:4), God allowed the sorrows of oppressions and slavery to come upon the West Africans forcibly brought to the New World to punish their sins and humble their hearts before Him as I have written in other places.4 Now, here is where those black Americans that have chosen victimization also greatly offend God in implying that we are somehow better than His Son who endured painful oppression at the hands of those who arrested and put Him on the cross and should not have had to suffer oppression of any sort (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 26:47-68, 27:1-26).5,6 However, Christians are even exhorted to have Christ’s mind who came into the world as a slave to God for our sakes (Philippians 2:5-8).7
And what was the good end of Christ’s servitude? How about the salvation of the world! Also, please note He did not go unrewarded by God for His service (Isaiah 53:4-6, 8-12; Philippians 2:9-11)! Those of our slave forefathers that recognized the grace and mercies of God in the Gospel of Christ repented of their sins, put faith in Him who knows all about the stifling oppressions of men and were freed from sin’s bondage. Rather than rebel or run away they served often cruel masters prayerfully waiting for God to free them from His remedial judgment. Many were freed through death (Psalm 116:15-17); countless faithful others lived to see God’s reward of perseverance in the day of freedom! All who waited will reign eternally free with Christ in His Kingdom (2 Timothy 2:11-13).
1 Read the April 14, 2024 post, The Truth Frees From Sin, under the category, Instruction.
2 As I write in my book, The Scourge Of Racism, black males in anger as a natural reaction to our historic and ongoing experiences with systemic racism’s sting and as slaves of sin tragically embrace the victim mentality. Christ’s ability as the truth that frees from sin’s bondage paves the way to the mindset of a victor through faith in Him! The book is available for purchase at your favorite internet book seller and in the Strong Man Store. The E-Book version is also available at major E-Book sellers. Learn about it at https://www.opendoorcommin.org/featured-publishing-resource.
3 So, for example, those that admire the practice of communicating with ancestors in Marvel’s film franchise, Black Panther, are celebrating what God despises and bringing judgment upon themselves.
4 See for example the March 3, 2024 post, When God Fights Your Battle, under the categories, Black History and Glory To God! ‘“God shows no partiality,’” (Acts 10:34, NKJV). Therefore, it cannot be that throughout the Scriptures the bad and ugly of Israel’s “fathers” are transparently presented (Nehemiah 9:1-2; Acts 7:51) as God has led me to do with my West African forefathers in this post and somehow give white professed Christians a pass because the truth about the wicked deeds of their fathers sullies their heritage as they choose to see it (Proverbs 3:34; James 4:6).
5 While there is a God ordained place to oppose the injustices of oppression, this should not supersede calling on and trusting in God to help in accord with His sovereign will and timing. Submission to His being oppressed as part of God’s will and trusting in His vindication brought forth no complaint or protest from the mouth of Christ. Until He directs otherwise in the situation, Christ’s example of submission trusting in Him is what God wills (1 Peter 2:18-23).
6 Unless one can demonstrate the sinless perfection of Jesus Christ, it is the height of evil arrogance to consider oneself not worthy of divine punishment for sin (John 8:46; Hebrews 4:15; 1 John 1:8)! If you possess such arrogance as a professed Christian, you have surely strayed from the truth and need to repent. Hear the Lord’s gracious call to return to Him in this Ministry’s Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, on our YouTube channel.
7 This is the mind of every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in Christ’s image I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. It is also avail- able at your favorite internet book seller and in the Strong Man Store. The E-Book is also available at major E-Book sellers.
As the Lord led in last week’s post, we saw how representing God, Jesus Christ by His own testimony came into the world as part of His mission “to bear witness to the truth,” (John18:37, NKJV). As God in eternal unity with the Father and Holy Spirit, He is “truth” and ‘“the truth’” as it concerns the message of salvation He was also sent into the world by the Father to proclaim (Deuteronomy 32:3-4; John 8:13-30, 14:6, NKJV). It is in the context of salvation that He asserts by remaining in His ‘“word’” believers in Him would truly be His ‘“disciples,’” ‘“know’” Him ‘“the truth’” and they become ‘“free,’” (John 8:31-32, NKJV). Only Christ in the Gospel can set men free from sin!1
‘“…the truth shall make you free’” is one of a number of words and phrases lifted from the Bible and corrupted by misapplication while being used in many ways by professed Christians and rank unbelievers (John 8:32b, NKJV). Though it is true having knowledge of the truth in a matter can be very liberating, this is not what the Lord Jesus is speaking of when He makes His statement to the Jewish listeners who had believed on Him. Indeed, they got their hackles up in offense right away at the statement because they did not receive it from Christ as something beneficial. But they correctly heard in the Lord’s statement that they were in some kind of bondage.
In smugly refuting the Lord’s statement they cited their connection to Abraham and did not tell the truth in saying they “have never been in bondage to anyone” since God reveals to him his descendants would be slaves for over four hundred years as they were in Egypt (Genesis 15:12-16; Exodus 12:40-42; John 8:33, NKJV).2 This was followed by localized oppressions in the land as well as the major Assyrian and Babylonian captivities in which they were removed from it (Nehemiah 9:36-37). Following those days, though they were not enslaved, the Medo-Persians, Greeks and currently Rome oppressed them. Even so, the Lord spoke of a deeper form of bondage that is spiritual.
He said, ‘“Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave to sin,’” (John 8:34, NKJV).3 Human slavery to sin began when the first man, Adam, yielded to it in Eden and brought upon him and his progeny the promised divine penalty (Genesis 3:1-11, 17-19, 22-24, 4:1-7; Romans 5:12-14). Rooted in the body, sin exerts such power, influence and control in the desires, thinking, attitudes, words and deeds of its hosts that they can be described accurately as nothing but slaves. Sin in presence and its works originating in the heart also spiritually pollute or “defile” a man before the holy God who has no fellowship with it whatsoever (Isaiah 59:1-8; Mark 7:14-23, NKJV).
However, back in Eden God showed how He could cope with sin in man on a temporary basis by shedding the blood of an animal; taking its life instead of man’s (Genesis 3:21). He developed this in the Law given to Israel which when done right gave the people an annual temporary atonement for and release from their sins (Leviticus 16). All along though, God’s plan called for eventually setting willing men free eternally from sin’s penalty, power, presence and pollution as He intimated at another of the great feast days of Israel, Passover (Exodus 12:1-14). What the Jews who believed on Christ yet disputed with Him that day did not realize is He was God’s Passover Lamb (John 1:29-34)!
Christ goes on to instruct His would be Jewish followers the slaves of men do not have a permanent place in the house of their masters, but a son does (John 8:35). They stood in the presence of the only begotten Son of God with an eternal standing in His Father’s house. If He as the Son of God therefore, set them free from bondage to sin through the truth of His finished work in the Gospel, they would “be free indeed,” (John 8:36; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Hebrews 9:22-10:18, NKJV). For it was Christ alone who enabled the Father to remove sin’s penalty through forgiveness; who broke its power, made a way for eternal freedom from its presence and pollution through His cross (Romans 3:21-26, 5:1-8, 6, 7:7-8:17)!
Thus, by remaining in His word, we as those Jewish believers should have been, are to be earnestly seeking to know the truth better and deeper rather than arguing with Him.4 Then we would understand more fully and “rejoice” in all that Christ accomplished for us (Romans 5:9-11; Colossians 1:3-14; 2 Peter 1:1-11, NKJV). This includes having access to God’s forgiveness of our sins through confession and repentance as often as needed (1 John 1:5-2:2). Then too, we will have eternal freedom not only from sin as sons made gloriously immortal, but every evil and hurtful thing that would enslave us; living and reigning with Christ “forever and ever,” (1 Corinthians 15:47-57; Revelation 21-22:5, NKJV)!
1 Read the April 7, 2024 post, Suffering For The Truth, under the category, Glory To God!
2 Many professed American Christians also falsely believe themselves to be grandfathered into salvation because of heritage or parents that were Christians. If you are one of them please take heed and realize you can only be saved by making a personal decision to repent of your sins which like everyone else you have and believe the Gos- pel of Christ. Watch this Ministry’s Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Reconciled To God, on our YouTube channel.
3 Committing sin is the evidence we are slaves to it! Among the sins many white conservative evangelical Christians commit daily is the practice of racism. Learn more by getting my book, The Scourge Of Racism. It is available at your favorite internet book seller and in the Strong Man Store. The E-Book version is also available at major E-Book sellers. Also, please watch another Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, on our YouTube channel to hear Christ’s call for you, O professed Chris- tian, to turn back to Him in obedience and faithfulness to His Word.
4 This is the heart of every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in Christ’s image I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. It too, is avail- able at your favorite internet book seller and in the Strong Man Store. The E-Book is also available at major E-Book sellers.
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