We hear much about fear and boldness in our everyday lives, and there is also much written in Scripture about them. In the Word of God they are sometimes spoken of in a positive sense, but at other times in a negative way. In this article I would like to look at some of the wrong kinds of fear and boldness, in the light of God’s Word.
Fear
First of all, we read in Proverbs 29:2525The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. (Proverbs 29:25), “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” Down through the ages, the fear of man has caused many to do what is wrong, or to avoid from doing what is right. In the Book of Proverbs, the Lord’s claims are before us, and the wisdom of God is given to us to enable us to “go in the way of understanding” (Prov. 9:66Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding. (Proverbs 9:6)). But the fear of man has prevented many from doing what they know is right — fear of reproach, fear of material loss, and perhaps fear of physical violence or even death. All this is a snare of Satan, and only trust in the Lord can overcome it.
Wrong Thoughts of God
Second, there is the fear that results of our having wrong thoughts of God. In both the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-3014For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. 16Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 17And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 18But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. 19After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 21His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 24Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:14‑30)) and the parable of the pounds (Luke 19:12-2712He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. 20And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: 21For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. 22And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: 23Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? 24And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. 25(And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) 26For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. 27But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. (Luke 19:12‑27)), the servant with one talent or one pound neglected to use it, but rather kept it hidden, and then gave it back to the Master. Both servants expressed fear of the Master, alleging that He would ask for more than they could give and would demand of them what was impossible to produce.
This is a common and very serious kind of fear — a fear that does not know the heart of God. Satan is behind it, just as he persuaded Eve that God was not giving them the best, but rather was withholding something good from them. He seeks to persuade unbelievers, and even believers too, that God is not a loving God, but rather one who makes unreasonable demands. Every false religion portrays their god (or gods) as being demanding and wanting constant gifts and sacrifices from man. But in Christ, God has revealed Himself as a God of grace and truth. He has found a way to show His love without compromising His holiness.
It is true that there is a government in the house of God, but even this is because of His love. Just as a wise and loving parent occasionally disciplines a child, so God does not allow His children to walk in a wrong way without correcting them. But again, this is because of love, and as another has remarked, “Whether we are sinners or saints, whenever we have to do with God, we have to do with love.”
Guilt Fear
Finally, there is somewhat subtle kind of fear that results from what is unjudged in our own hearts. We see this in men like Adam, Jacob and Job. When he had sinned, Adam hid among the trees of the garden because his conscience told him that he had done wrong. Likewise, Jacob, when he was fleeing from Esau and was brought into the presence of God in Bethel, was afraid, and he could exclaim, “How dreadful is this place!” (Gen. 28:1717And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. (Genesis 28:17)). Job, whose character and walk the Lord Himself commended, would say, “The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me” (Job 3:2525For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. (Job 3:25)). When all the power of Satan took away his property and even his children, there was fear in his heart, even though there was submission. In all three of these men, their reactions reflected what was unjudged in their own hearts.
There was only One who could submit perfectly to the Father’s will, even to the death of the cross and the suffering for sin, yet show no fear. There was perfect confidence and perfect rest, as He went ahead with the will of the Father. When He stood before Pilate, it is recorded that Pilate was afraid, but not our blessed Lord.
All three of these kinds of fear are wrong, but they can be overcome only in the presence of God. These kinds of fear are common to the natural man and are the product of his sinful nature and his lack of trust in God. Our blessed Master never knew these kinds of fear.
Boldness
Fifteen or twenty years ago, at least in North America, it was relatively common to see people, usually young men, wearing T-shirts bearing the slogan, “No fear.” This is actually the name of a clothing company, founded in 1989, that markets products along this line. The company also markets an energy drink bearing the same name. Its slogans focus on extremes of competitive sports, sometimes contempt for social norms, and even contempt for the law.
The general attitude implicit in the catchphrase “no fear” is a belief in one’s self, with the confidence that we can do whatever we set our minds to do, while touting the line that “fear is a liar.” It is the confidence of man in himself, putting himself at the center of his thoughts and focusing on the limits to which he may push himself. This attitude has some similarity with the thinking behind the acronym “yolo” (you only live once) which was discussed in the May 2017 issue of The Christian. At that time we pointed out that while such an attitude perhaps defined the common teenage desire to test the limits of acceptable behavior, it also reflected the deeper problem of frustration and disillusionment with the future of our world.
Implicit in this arrogant boldness is that there is no fear even of death and that pushing one’s performances to the limit is all right, even if this becomes fatal. But we are reminded forcibly in God’s Word that “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:2727And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)). To pretend to have no fear is to ignore the scriptural warning that “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:3131It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31)). We also read, “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth ... and walk in the ways of thine heart ... but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment” (Eccl. 11:99Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. (Ecclesiastes 11:9)). To express a lack of any kind of fear is to ignore the fear of the Lord.
Coupled with this lack of fear is the recognition that there is a God, but daring to approach Him in a familiar and unbecoming way for a creature. This began long ago with Cain, who, when confronted with his murder of Abel, dared to lie to the Lord, and then complained about the punishment the Lord imposed on him. Since then men have dared to approach God as if they were dealing with an equal, and forgetting the scriptural admonishment, “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few” (Eccl. 5:22Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. (Ecclesiastes 5:2)).
Self-Confidence
Another wrong type of boldness, or confidence, is that which sometimes afflicts a true believer, where we go forward in our own strength, instead of in dependence on the Lord. We see this in Joshua and the people of Israel, when they proceeded to go out against Ai (Josh. 7) without inquiring of the Lord. The result was that they were defeated, because sin was in the camp, and they had not judged it. Likewise Peter boasted of his faithfulness to the Lord, when he did not know his own heart, and later he denied Him with oaths and curses. So also we, if we seek to do anything in our own strength, will find out the truth of our Lord’s words, “Without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:55I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:5)).
Thus we see that there are types of both fear and boldness that are wrong, mainly because they do not bring in the Lord or His claims. But at times both fear and boldness (or confidence) can be right, and we will consider these in another article.
W. J. Prost