Fear Not

We first see fear mentioned in scripture, after the partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We find Adam, with eyes opened to know good and evil, attempting to hide from God, covering his shame with fig leaves. When God asks the question, Adam where art thou, he responds, I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. It is at this point that we are introduced to the concept of fear through scripture.

How powerful is this emotion of fear in our lives and what are it’s effects? Fear is at the root of all that opposes us in life. We did not begin in fear, but fear entered in at the fall, the result of sin. Fear is a byproduct of sin and/or separation from God. We have lived in this fearful condition all the days of our lives. We have grown so used to it, that most of the time we don’t even recognize it, or it’s effects; but it is an integral part of our lives and it colors everything we do.

Prior to conversion or regeneration fear does play an essential role. Fear of fire is a good thing until one learns respect for it. Fire can burn you if you stick your hand in it but it as well is essential for heat and for cooking ones food. It is not a bad thing to instill fear in someone about a certain thing until they have knowledge of the thing. Scripture states, pertaining to God, “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom”. However, as we come to know God, through the Son, “perfect love casts out fear”. Yet we continue in fear, even though the Lord Jesus Christ said, “fear not”. The casting out of fear is essential in our belief of the gospel, the good news of salvation. Yet, the fear of God seems to be the theme of most Christian doctrine to this day.

Jesus Christ came to set free all those who were all their lives subject to bondage through fear of death. Death is a realm that encompasses many aspects but for this study it is sufficient just to know that we have entered into life.

If one should consider the many things that we fear as we make our way through life, one would find that we truly do live in and by fear. We fear lack. We fear failure. We fear rejection. We fear death and disease. We fear losses of every kind. We fear for our safety. You might wonder what these things have to do with the fear of death, aren’t they just a part of life? They are a part of the life we once knew, which in reality was death. We had only come to know it as life.

In Christ, we have entered into the true life that God intended and through the cross, we have been delivered from the curse of the law of sin and death. We are no longer subject to bondage through fear of a life lived separated from God, knowing Him only as one to be feared. We have come to know Him as Abba Father, the one who loved us enough to give His life for us.

What has changed is our understanding of God, that He is love and to be loved, not feared. Fear is an awful thing and we all need to be delivered from it, because “fear hath torment”. We need to believe the total provision that we have in the Lord. We need to realize that He spoke the words, “fear not” and “be anxious for nothing”, that we might walk in newness of life, set free from fear and worry. These were not words spoken pertaining to” over there ”, where there is nothing to fear or be anxious about, but words that pertain to here and now. However, to be delivered from fear, we will have to trust in the Lord and believe all that He has declared.

All the modern day Christian seems to believe is that he will go to heaven when he or she dies. The Lord created the earth to be inhabited. He taught us to pray,” thy kingdom come, thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven”. Why then do we relegate all that pertains to the kingdom to some time in the future? The life Christ started at His resurrection. When He arose, we rose with Him, to walk in all the benefits of the Kingdom of Heaven, the total provision of God in Christ.

How can I fear anything? All things are for me, not against me, and all things are of God. I am an heir with God and joint heir with Jesus Christ. How can I lack? One of the groups that will not make it in to the Kingdom of Heaven is the fearful and unbelieving. This is written in the Book of Revelation. In fact, the fearful and unbelieving have their part in the lake of fire.

We see the effects of fear every day on the natural level. It plays a major role in sickness and disease by weakening the immune system. Fear causes us to worry, and worry causes stress, and stress causes bodily and emotional systems to fail. We were not designed to function under fear. We were designed to function in God where there is no need to fear. I know this sounds like a contradiction of scripture, the fear God being the beginning of wisdom. This is true, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, but only the beginning. As we grow in wisdom and the knowledge of Him, love casts out fear, as we come to know the love of God that passes understanding and His enduring mercy and loving kindness.

We give praise to the glory of His grace and we rest in Him through Christ Jesus our Lord, who has saved us out of the bondage of fear and corruption. We have come to know God as the love that He is and our fear is changed to reverence and true praise.

Let me interject, at this juncture, that fear has been instrumental in bringing us back to God. But once the instrument has served its purpose, it is discarded, for it is no longer needed.

We lived our life in our first father, Adam, in fear. We died and rose again in Christ to live a life of freedom from fear, being set free to love even as we are loved by God. He is our provider, our healer, our wisdom, our righteousness, our peace, our strength, our exceeding great reward and our rest from all that would trouble us. We are the most secure people on earth as the children of God. Let’s stop walking by sight and unbelief and let’s start walking in faith and in all that God has promised.

Amen !

Art Groesbeck