And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28 ESV
Jesus said many difficult things, but this one always makes me a little nervous. He’s right, of course, as in all things, but here I am in America working through what this means without being in physical danger because of the gospel. I am in social danger because of it but that’s it for now. Who knows what things will look like in the future but we are currently safe here in America and I know there are many Christians all over the world who are arrested, beaten, tortured, raped, and killed because they follow Jesus.
You would think with no physical danger on the table, fear of man would not be an issue but of course, it is for us too. We want to fit in, be loved and praised, and have everyone agree with us. We worry that if we say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, or think the wrong thing we will be mocked, ousted, or people will look at us funny.
The fear of man lays a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
Proverbs 29:25
Why is fear of man an issue? Because we are commanded to fear the Lord. Fear. We are to understand His absolute holiness, perfection, and power and bow before Him and say yes, every time He speaks. When we blow it, we are supposed to fear the Lord enough to confess and sprint back in His direction to resolve the issue between us that is sin. It draws us to Him time and again in holy reverence and love. He is the only safe place for us.
Why is fear of man an issue? Because we are commanded to fear the Lord. This fear isn’t like the fear of man and is beautiful. We are drawn to Him over and over again and we respect and treasure His holiness, perfection, power, love, and justice. We increasingly understand how fantastically huge and perfect He is, and when He draws us closer we respond. When He draws us deeper in relationship and obedience we accept. We fear separation from Him.
the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.Psalm 19:9
But when we fear man, we fear God a little less, sometimes a lot less! It can be hard to remember some days that the things we see, hear, and touch are fleeting. They wouldn’t even exist without our God. We wouldn’t exist either! We are more than bodies; we are also spirit and soul. There is so much more than social calendars and awards at stake in this life. There is eternity for us and the men and women we fear.
If I am busy worrying what people think of what I say, write, and do then it will be harder to obey God. Can you tell I have been struggling with this? I worry about saying the wrong thing in an article that will make some people stop reading and stop talking to God. I worry that I will say something that doesn’t line up with someone’s ideas on God or society. I want to get along with everyone and not irritate anyone but of course that’s not in the cards for a loudmouth like me.
When I am tempted to fear man it saps my energy and kills my creativity as I write articles and messages. It makes me second-guess decisions on little details around my prayer groups, Bible studies, and the retreat we are planning. I guess this article is my confession! Lately, I have been dipping my toe into sin by allowing fear of man to diminish my ability to fear God. Yes, even saying this to you all makes me nervous. That’s the fear of man talking.
Well, I am fighting back. I am searching the Bible for more wisdom and reading Awe of God, by John Bevere, and I am asking God for help with this. When I see the wrong fear pop up, I will smash it with a hammer. Hopefully, God will grow the hammer and make me faster with it.
We have to fear Him, trust Him, love Him, obey Him. When He falls to second place things start spinning. If we fear man more than God then we will obey man, trust man, and love man. Fear of man makes you cower, but the fear of the Lord makes you rush into battle sword out, knowing that your commander cannot be defeated.