"One Blood" (Part 1)

Racism-The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
In my English 430 class we have been discussing many topics concerning African American folklore and tradition. I was flipping through my book and saw one of Dr.Martin Luther King's letters he wrote to a group of white critical pastors and he mentioned in that letter a sermon he had written called "Paul's Epistle to America." I have been inspired by the Holy Spirit to blog on a particular topic that many of my brothers and sisters both white and black will be offended of: Race,Religion, and Racism. I go to Louisiana Tech University, and I have never once seen one African American teacher but, my struggle is not with the seculiar form of racism as was Dr.King's. My struggle with this topic is among the church the same as Bishop Fred A. Caldwell.

I'm tired of seeing all of these double standards in the church and watching these race issues being undealt with in the white church. I have white co-labourers here that use to minister with me until either race or doctrine was talked about as an issue and one of my brothers said to me "slavery really wasn't as bad as people made it out to be." So at what point do we acnowledge that mindsets like this even exist in the church today? Everyone keeps telling me the same thing. "Josh don't be so touchy we just have to operate in love toward them" or "Josh you don't need to be so rude and blunt when discussing these issues and you know you won't be recieved don't you?" I'M SICK OF LOOKING AT THIS CRAP AND PRETENDING IT DOESN'T EXIST IN OUR BODY!!!
Paul says in Acts 17:24-28:"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. " Paul says that God "hath made of ONE BLOOD all nations of men." So why is it that there are so many churches and denominational differences in our fair city of Shreveport, Louisiana? Is Christ divided? Why is it that Dr. Frederick Price is not invited to any of the mega conventions like"Mega Fest" in our nation and Bishop Caldwell is censored in our fair city? Why is it that these white churches are so obssessed with taking these mission trips all over the world to preach the gospel, feed the hungry, and clothe the naked but I can't get those same missionaries in the same room for 1 hour and talk about these race related issues or to go to Cedar Grove and witness there as well? But they say "God has called them overseas." Are we the church of God? Do we all not "have access by one Spirit unto the Father?(Eph.2:18)" or are there two Spirits, one to lead the blacks and one to lead the whites?

Who or what has changed the mold? When did were the terms "white church" and "black church" coined? Rascism is a Spirit and in Paul's day he fought to maintain unity between Jew and Gentile and now in our day the fight is to maintain unity between the Caucasian and the Negro. The first slaves were brought to America in the 1600s and remained in slavery until 1865 and for all those years and more the southern whites and slave owners stole our property,raped our grandmothers, castrated our grandfathers, and lynched our brethren and they did it all with a bible in their hands and today they justify the separation of christianity into political parties........but you want me to be quiet?......I will be back for part 2.

Be Blessed
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The Righteousness of Faith

The Righteousness of Faith

This letter, I have written unto you and ALL other churches in this city to relay to as many as who would hear it, the doctrine of Christ concerning our righteousness in
Him. So many books and statements and sermons have been taught concerning righteousness and there is indeed much division concerning the topic of “how to get saved.” The Lord has put it upon my heart as well to inform as many churches as who would listen concerning our righteousness in Christ and God the Father. This letter is for all the pastors and elders in the church please read or if this does not interest you then please pass along seeing that you do not care to hear these words.

Righteousness has always been God’s “standard” for salvation. Without righteousness we can not approach God but the problem today is that most people teach righteousness through “tangible deeds” and “keeping days and times and seasons.” Others say you have to “be holy” and “stay saved.” What does the scripture say though about our righteousness let’s look at the patriarch Abraham and see. Genesis 15:4-6 says, “And, behold, the word of the LORD [came] unto him, saying, This (Eliezer) shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Now this promise was made to Abraham 430 years before the law came. The law came 430 years after this promise by the hands of Moses(And this I say, [that] the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.” Gal.3:17)

So God counted “Abraham’s faith to him for righteousness.” The Hebrew word “righteousness” is “tsedaqah” which means right or just. In other words Abraham became right in God’s sight after this very moment. Abraham was not under the law of Moses neither did he have commandments of the Lord to keep and yet the Lord “counted it to him for righteousness.” So since there is no law to account righteousness in Abraham’s case God used Abraham’s faith. Not his church attendance, not his eating habits, not his perfection, God used his faith. Paul says it like this, “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.(Rom.4:1-5).” The greek word “righteousness” is “dikaioma” which means he who is deemed to be right or just. Old testament righteousness and new testament are in essence, the same but there is an error that can be made if the age of the Law of Moses and the age of Grace is not explored.

Abraham’s FAITH was reckoned or counted or imputed to him for righteousness. Righteousness is simply “right standing with God.” Abraham recieved right standing with God by FAITH NOT BY HIS WORKS OR HIS “GOOD DEEDS.” We have to remember, good and bad from God’s perspective is identified and outlined by God’s law. Romans3:20 says, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the knowledge of sin.” The law brings the knowledge of what God deems right and wrong and ABRAHAM WAS 430 YEARS BEFORE THE LAW. So why is it taught among some of you that righteousness comes through Moses’ law? The law brings “the knowledge of sin” not salvation from sin. The bible is divided into two basic institutions, LAW and GRACE. John 1:17 says, “For the law was given by Moses, [but] grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” So what was the law for? We’ve been taught if we keep God’s commandments He will let us into the Kingdom. In fact the rich young ruler asked Jesus “Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Jesus told him plainly, “ He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.(Lk.18:24-26)”

Now what Jesus tells the young man is not inaccurate the law could make man righteous but with one spiraling stipulation; man had to keep the whole law(For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.Gal.3:10). So ultimately perfection and righteousness could be attained but because of indwelling sin nature passed to us from the first man, Adam we cant. Law could not be fulfilled because it must be obeyed with our physical bodies performing functions and duties to EARN righteousness. Now Rom.8:3-4 says, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” So we see then how the law “could not DO” what it needed to do to redeem us from sin because it was “weak through the flesh.” The law needs us in order to establish righteousness in us and we have to do everything that the law commands but, we cannot because of sin in our members(Rom.7:5-6). So because of our flesh the law is death unto us, Paul said it like this: “And the commandment which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.For sin, taking occasion by the commandment deceived me, and by it slew me(Rom.7:10-11).”

For that reason the law is known as the “ministration of death (2Cor.3:7).” So righteousness that is, right standing with God, does not come through the law but through the righteousness of our faith. God justified Abraham through his faith and through the works of the law and not through the blood of bulls and goats. FAITH IS THE ONLY THING THAT SAVED EVEN FROM THE DAYS OF ABRAHAM BEFORE THE LAW OF MOSES AND BEFORE THE LAW OF “DOING THINGS FOR SALVATION.”Romans4:13-16 says, “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, [was] not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law [be] heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, [there is] no transgression. Therefore [it is] of faith, that [it might be] by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,” So it is of faith so that God could shew grace and mercy because the law works God’s wrath on those who are under the law.

So now a new question comes into being: What is the purpose of the law? Rom.10:3-4 says, “For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.” So if Jesus was the end of the law of Moses for righteousness to all that believe what is the point of the Moses’ law? Well our answer is in Galatians 3:19 which asks, “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; [and it was] ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.” The Law’s purpose is evident right here in this verse of scripture it was given to expose the “sin problem” inside of man because of Adam’s transgression in the garden. Transgressions have multiplied since the first act of man’s rebellion but before the law came was no way for man to walk an absolute path of righteousness with no law to expose what did and didn’t please God death was allowed to reign(Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.Rom.5:14). So the law was given to show exactly what was lurking inside of man after the fall(Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. Rom.7:13) . Sin has always been the problem, not man. So the law was given as a supposed benefit to us but it could not give life and deliver us from the sin problem because it “worked death in me by that which is good.”

So the law has no power but to reveal sin working death in us using the very commandment that was ordained to be good for us. So Christ was made unto us “wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption(1Cor.1:30)” and it is by Jesus Christ that our sins shall be remitted and forgiven. “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness(Rom.10:3),” and Paul tells us in Acts 13:37-39 that “ He, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” The law has no power to condemn us to the grave anymore because of sin in our flesh, because Christ gave Himself as a sacrifice and shed His blood on the cross,we now have peace with God(Rom.5:1). The righteousness that we have is of the faith in Jesus Christ alone. “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins(Acts10:43).” So our righteousness “is as filthy rags”(Isa.64:6) in the sight of God so He sent Jesus (whose name means “Jehovah is become our righteousness”) to die for all of our transgressions, iniquities, errors and sins. We are justified in the sight of God through faith in the son of God, Christ Jesus the Lord. So now Salvation by grace through faith is preached and I have preached it. So Romans 10:8-13 says, “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, [even] in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”and we are “sealed unto the day of redemption”(Eph.4:30). Salvation is as close and easy as confessing Christ Jesus the Lord and believing in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead. After that your securely His forever. You cannot reverse oneness with the Spirit. Jesus said He would never leave us nor forsake us so there is no losing the gift of eternal life. Once the Spirit of Christ enters into you He seals you “unto the day of redemption.” I hope this helped. Once again this came to you by commandment of the Holy Spirit and I dare not say you should throw this away please pass this on or keep it and understand so that you may teach others concerning the security of the believer. If you do not care to hear this doctrine then by all means remain ignorant there is much scripture to stand on in this letter. Grace and Peace be multiplied unto you, whosoever have heard these words or maybe who have prayed to understand these things to teach others. God bless you.

Eternally Secure in Christ,

Min. Joshua Daniel Harvey