What are you scared of?
The most frequently repeated command in all of Scripture is not found in the Ten Commandments. In the Old Testament there are no specific blessings for those who follow this command and no judicial regulations about what to do when people break it. Nonetheless, God says it to plenty of people. Jesus says it too, especially to his followers. On numerous occasions angels say it, and many times it is the first thing to come out of their mouths. This command shows up more often in the Bible than instructions about love, holiness, or repentance. Even more confusing are the times in Scripture when God tells people to do the exact opposite of this command, at least when it comes to revering him. “Well, what is it?” You ask. The command is: “Do not be afraid.”
Why we fear
Fear is powerful and comes from various angles of insecurity. The dark is fearful because we cannot see well in it. The future can be fearful because we do not know what it may hold. Our pasts can be full of fears that over time morph into regret, bitterness, or just plain grief over what was lost. Anything disruptive or unexpected, even the most minor of changes to our daily lives, can be cause for fear. We are creatures of habit who never think to fear our status quo, so we end up fearing everything else. News reports stoke our fears by twisting data and capitalizing on unlikely events, since fearless news sells few papers, gets little ratings, and drives scant Web traffic.
The Gospel and fear
Given that the gospel of Jesus Christ is by definition good news, is it any wonder that God must explain to us time and again not to be afraid? The gospel must disrupt our status quo. The gospel must reframe our past and redirect our future. The gospel must help us see past the alienation between people that each news cycle feeds upon. The gospel stems from God’s love and John says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18a).
John links fear to punishment, namely the price of death for our sins, so John also links God’s perfect love in Jesus to our confidence that we can be fearless in light of death. The author of Hebrews explains how Jesus took on human nature and tasted death so that by it “he might break the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Heb 2:14b-15). In other words, our fear is a big reason why the gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for us sinners, so it should not surprise us how often God must tell us not to be afraid.
Jesus’ followers had much to fear and much to be insecure about, so Jesus reminded them often to seek God’s kingdom first, knowing that it will bring the security we all long for. One time Jesus goes on to say, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
While we may outgrow our fear of the dark and come to terms with both our pasts and our futures, perhaps we are still holding onto insecure fears: Fear of what people think of us; fear of taking risks for our faith; fear of opening up ourselves by loving others vulnerably; fear of finally living out our faith at home for our family and friends to see. Brothers and sisters, I do not know what fears have stuck around since you were seized by the power of God’s love in Jesus Christ, but let go of them today. Do not be afraid!
Why we fear
Fear is powerful and comes from various angles of insecurity. The dark is fearful because we cannot see well in it. The future can be fearful because we do not know what it may hold. Our pasts can be full of fears that over time morph into regret, bitterness, or just plain grief over what was lost. Anything disruptive or unexpected, even the most minor of changes to our daily lives, can be cause for fear. We are creatures of habit who never think to fear our status quo, so we end up fearing everything else. News reports stoke our fears by twisting data and capitalizing on unlikely events, since fearless news sells few papers, gets little ratings, and drives scant Web traffic.
The Gospel and fear
Given that the gospel of Jesus Christ is by definition good news, is it any wonder that God must explain to us time and again not to be afraid? The gospel must disrupt our status quo. The gospel must reframe our past and redirect our future. The gospel must help us see past the alienation between people that each news cycle feeds upon. The gospel stems from God’s love and John says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18a).
John links fear to punishment, namely the price of death for our sins, so John also links God’s perfect love in Jesus to our confidence that we can be fearless in light of death. The author of Hebrews explains how Jesus took on human nature and tasted death so that by it “he might break the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Heb 2:14b-15). In other words, our fear is a big reason why the gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for us sinners, so it should not surprise us how often God must tell us not to be afraid.
Jesus’ followers had much to fear and much to be insecure about, so Jesus reminded them often to seek God’s kingdom first, knowing that it will bring the security we all long for. One time Jesus goes on to say, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
While we may outgrow our fear of the dark and come to terms with both our pasts and our futures, perhaps we are still holding onto insecure fears: Fear of what people think of us; fear of taking risks for our faith; fear of opening up ourselves by loving others vulnerably; fear of finally living out our faith at home for our family and friends to see. Brothers and sisters, I do not know what fears have stuck around since you were seized by the power of God’s love in Jesus Christ, but let go of them today. Do not be afraid!
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