In another article in this issue, we have spoken of the wrong kinds of fear and boldness, in the light of the Word of God. But Scripture also speaks of both of these in a good sense. Positives encourage!
Fear
Many times in the Word of God we read about the fear of the Lord. The phrase occurs particularly in the Book of Proverbs, in connection with a walk in accordance with divine principles. What, then, is the fear of the Lord — a fear which is right for His creature man? The fear of the Lord is the recognition, first of all, that man is a creature and that God is his Creator. It is the acknowledgement of God’s supreme power and authority over us and that we are ultimately accountable to Him. For the believer, the fear of the Lord is to recognize our dependence on the Lord and to fear to take a step without divine guidance. It is also to recognize that even in the believer’s life, there is a government of God and that He will not let us get away with wrong actions.
It is the fear of the Lord that preserves man from Satan, and ultimately from himself, for the heart of fallen man is “desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9). The fear of the Lord brings us into God’s presence, where we seek His wisdom and His knowledge and do not trust our own. It is a fear that does not cause dread or terror in our hearts, but rather brings about that healthy respect that is proper for a creature before his Creator. It is the appreciation that our actions here in this life have not only present but also eternal consequences.
Those in Authority
Coupled with the fear of the Lord is the proper fear of those in authority over us, for Scripture tells us that they are ordained of God. Thus we are told to “render therefore to all their dues ... fear to whom fear” (Rom. 13:7). Also, servants are told to “be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling” (Eph. 6:5). It is a fear that recognizes authority and that submission to this authority is submission to the Lord, under whom the authority is exercised.
Sin
Second, there is a fear that is connected with the fear of the Lord, but slightly different, namely, the fear (abhorrence) of sin (not of being tempted to sin). When we know the Lord and are cognizant of His claims, we have a proper fear of sin. Our blessed Lord Jesus had not the sin nature, yet experienced this fear in absolute perfection, for it is recorded that He “offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared” (Heb. 5:7). We tread on holy ground here, for our Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane went through all the agony of the cross with His Father. His fear was not what man could do, but rather the being made sin for us and the going into death on that account. As a result of His victory for us on the cross, we as believers no longer need to fear death, but we should fear being led into sin more than anything else, because of the price that was needed to put it away.
Circumstances
Finally, there is a fear of ourselves, when we are brought into overwhelming circumstances. We see this in Jehoshaphat, when he saw the great multitude of Moabites, Ammonites and Edomites coming to fight against him (2 Chron. 20). This was not really “the fear of man” that “bringeth a snare,” but rather a proper concern that his own power was not equal to the occasion. But his answer is found in the same chapter, for we read, “Stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord ... for the Lord will be with you” (2 Chron. 20:17).
Whether it is in the serious situations of life, such as Jehoshaphat faced at that time, or perhaps something of far less significance, we need continually to understand that “the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jer. 10:23). Satan is stronger than we. Also, we may well fear when we encounter very adverse circumstances and do not have the strength to meet them. A proper fear in such cases drives us to the Lord, and then our confidence is in Him and not in ourselves.
Boldness
There are times in our lives as believers when boldness or confidence is a good thing and when it is right before God. One important verse that immediately comes to mind is found in Hebrews 10:19-20: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.” It is one thing for us, as creatures, to have a proper respect for God, but it does not honor God to hang back when He has brought us into blessing through the work of His Son. It is a false humility to pretend that we are not worthy to approach Him, when Christ’s work on the cross has opened the way for us.
Now that the way into God’s presence is open to us, God is honored when we take Him at His Word and come forward to enjoy what He has provided for us. When Joseph said to his brethren, “Come near to me, I pray you” (Gen. 45:4), it would not have been to Joseph’s honor for his brethren to refuse. In the same way God says, “If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Heb. 10:38). God appreciates boldness in accepting and enjoying what He has graciously provided for us, and at great cost. To do otherwise is not humility, but rather unbelief.
Preaching of the Word
Another kind of boldness is that which should be found in those who preach the Word of God. In the early days of the church, when the chief priests “saw the boldness of Peter and John ... they marvelled” (Acts 4:13). Likewise, Paul could ask for prayer that “with all boldness ... Christ shall be magnified in my body” (Phil. 1:20). In Ephesians 6:19, he again wishes prayer “that I may open my mouth boldly.”
We are not to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, but rather to speak it openly and boldly, for it is the only means by which men can be saved. With the reproach that is connected with the name of Christ in this world, we as believers may be tempted to take an easy path and either to refrain from preaching the gospel or perhaps to “water it down” so that it does not bring the strong antagonism of the world. Over the centuries Satan has done a good job of bringing Christianity down to the level of the world, thus doing away with much of the “offence of the cross” (Gal. 5:11). But in faithfulness to the Lord, we ought to present the Word of God clearly and truthfully, lest “the trumpet give an uncertain sound” (1 Cor. 14:8).
Discernment
There is also a boldness or confidence that we may have, when we walk with the Lord, as to the discerning of His mind. To boast about it and to tell others that we are sure that we have the Lord’s mind is not of God, for it is really saying to others that we are living so close to the Lord that we could not possibly have missed His mind. But in ourselves, we can and should have that confidence that comes from a close walk with the Lord and the consequent sensing of His will. Thus Paul, having the conviction in his own soul that he had the mind of the Lord, could say to the Philippians, “Having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith” (Phil. 1:25). John could say, “This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us” (1 John 5:14). It was a boldness that was born of constant communion with the Lord and having a sense of His will.
Confidence in the Lord Touching Our Brethren
Finally, there is a confidence that we ought to have in our brethren who, in their lives, have exhibited their faithfulness and devotedness to the Lord. We know, of course, that any one of us can fail, for we are all prone to an attack of Satan. But we should have confidence in those who walk with the Lord and whose lives demonstrate a constancy that is the result of that walk.
Thus Paul could say to the Thessalonians, “We have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you” (2 Thess. 3:4). In the same way he could address his good friend Philemon with a request, saying, “Having confidence in thy obedience, I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say” (Philem. 21). Sometimes our confidence may be misplaced, and even the best and most faithful of our brethren may fail us at times, but we are entitled to have confidence in them, trusting in the Lord that they will not fail us.
Thus we see that there is fear that is right in its place, and also boldness and confidence. Much of the trouble in the world today is because of misplaced fear and misplaced boldness, for man often goes forward when he should fear, and fears when God would delight to give him boldness. Only in the presence of the Lord and in a walk with Him can we keep fear and boldness in their proper places in our Christian lives.
W. J. Prost