THE SCENARIO: Ol’ Fearley Fearly; this ol’ boy’s been around awhile. Christian friend, do you know Fearley?, ever “met up,” as they say, with Fearley? Fearley is not very nice. But Fearley is “out there,” for sure, “scaring the daylights” out of folks. We’ve butted heads with Fearley a few times. Fearley is a tough ol’ boy that likes to go “toe-to-toe,” is a tough ol’ boy that doesn’t like to back down. But we whipped ol’ Fearley one day, we put a good ol’ whippin’ on Fearley. Yup, that’s right. You know what dear friend—we just don’t see much of ol’ Fearley around here anymore these days. Thanks, multiplied thanks, and praise, be to Jehovah our God, through whom alone we whipped that ol’ boy.
In the outworking of this scenario please consider the following; in keeping with the scenario, each point addresses a given aspect of human fear, and our means for overcoming it in the power and sure promises of Jehovah our God:
Points under consideration:
Figure 1 Get Thee Hence Fearley
1. Facing Loss, of the status quo; here the fear of physical death (self, a loved one) reigns supreme. There is a daunting uncertainty about death when one’s eternal affairs are not in order. Salvation, through Jesus Christ, removes that uncertainty and attendant fear (“A Letter of Invitation“). Many suppose that their eternal affairs are in order by assuming, by having become convinced, that the here and now is all there “really” is, and so death to them may not be fearsome? One wonders about the mental capacities and psychological and spiritual makeup of such people. Do they place a premium on flesh, emotions, intellect?, which individually follow observable growth-decay patterns (zero [=dead], then start, then a certain growth up to some peak, and then decay back to zero [=dead]). Do they place a premium on flesh, emotions, intellect, to the neglect of their spirit, which realizes no growth until the Spirit of God enters at Salvation (zero [=dead], continue at zero [=dead] until Salvation, then, start: Spirit-sourced growth [=Life] on into eternity; otherwise continue at zero [=dead] on into eternity). The two curves suggested here in words are markedly different: the former is bounded, the latter is not; the latter is open-ended, either at zero growth owing to no Salvation, which, theologically, is tantamount to death, or with a given growth [=Life] trajectory which has as its quintessence the Spirit of Christ. Please notice that such curves are in keeping with the character of the flesh over against the spirit: surely most mature people realize the profound difference inherent in themselves as concerns their physical “self,” versus their spiritual “self.” It is not the flesh that characterizes one’s person, it is one’s spirit, and the latter is eternal—is destined for eternity—somewhere. That “somewhere” is bound up with the issue of putting one’s eternal affairs in order as said above, and consequently, “whippin,” or not, ol’ Fearley. Facing the prospect of other losses, (physical capacities, which oftentimes translate to loss of independence, money/secular security, reputation, and the like) may also bring about nerve-rattling fear, but maybe to a lesser degree for most, than facing physical death with one’s eternal affairs out of order. ‘…do not be afraid little Flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom…’ (Luk 12:32). There’s a Kingdom that is part and parcel integral to Salvation by the way; that is to say, eternal Life in a Kingdom secure. Physical capacities, secular securities, and the like will come and go, ebb and flow, but my Kingdom, and my glorified body that awaits by my God’s grace, are forever mine, even in fellowship there with Him forever. Imagine that… You know what dear friend—we just don’t see much of ol’ Fearley around here anymore these days. Thanks, multiplied thanks, and praise, be to Jehovah our God, through whom alone we whipped that ol’ boy.
2. As an extension of point one, how afraid are you of the one thing to be most afraid of, and that is eternal separation from God—here fear of the Lord should take on part of its meaning in one’s heart and mind, for God has the sovereign right and might to separate Himself from His enemies who hate Him by casting the same out of His sight forever. Fear of the Lord is “good” fear, is the right fear for each and every one of us. Ol’ Fearley would have you thinking otherwise here, thus minimizing the Salvation that appeases this Holy God’s wrath toward the Sin that separates us from Him. But don’t be suckered dear friend, fear Jehovah God (Job 4:6, adore, love, revere, Him, and tremble before His omnipotence, omniscience, and sovereignty; let us humble ourselves before Him, and make haste to cherish and embrace tightly His Love in the Salvation He extends usward [“A Letter of Invitation“]). Brother Paul: ‘…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord…’ (Rom 8:37-39).
3. No one wants to suffer, be in pain, such that the prospect of suffering (self, or a loved one) can bring about thoroughgoing fear. But our God says that: ‘…He will cover you with His feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday…’ (Psa 91:4-6). Please compare and embrace: ‘…Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me…’ (Psa 23:4). God Himself comforts His suffering ones, such that there is no need to fear facing suffering, or fear in the midst of it. We all suffer at times, the beautiful grace here however is that God promises to comfort specifically His people in this. We know firsthand and attest that this is true—Jehovah God comforts His own when they look to Him for comfort in suffering. Notice: Jehovah God says not here that He prevents suffering, He says that He comforts His own when they suffer. Now if He or His comfort is of no account in one’s estimation, there is indeed reason to fear, for it will certainly be a rough ride (He’s likely not to show up; a true Christian would not be found in this camp), but if He and His comfort are appreciated, and much esteemed, there is no reason to fear this incrementally God-sobering and God-tethering mechanism called suffering (suffering is particular to the fallen nature, it is not of God). There is hardly much else that evokes sober reflection upon God as does suffering, especially prolonged suffering with attendant loss of one’s mundane “props.” Of course it is true that there are not a few who defy God even in the face of this; what is one to say of that? (1) Suffering meets its motivational rival in, precisely, arrogance, (2) arrogance precludes sober reflection. And in this context (1), and (2), lend to one’s eternal suffering (“A Letter of Invitation”). Let us look for and annotate and summarily appreciate our God’s comfort when faced with, or in the midst of, suffering, and let us thus put ol’ Fearley under our heels, praising God our Comforter. Jesus speaking: “…and I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper [Gr. PARAKLHTOS, literally “(the One) called (to be) nearby”], that He may be with you forever…” (Jhn 14:16). O let us praise God within Christian friend!
4. Ol’ Fearley has friends, friends that do Fearley’s bidding, so here we consider the evil imposed by others. Others can do one great harm (gossip, slander, back-stabbing, outright physical abuse, on it goes). In this early twenty-first century there is a somewhat new, not-so-pretty twist here, and that is the evil of terrorism, which strikes all alike at babes, the elderly, the lame, the lively, basically whoever, for both religious (yet carefully note this verse 1Jo 4:20) and more mundane sociopolitical reasons (terrorism has been around for awhile though; consider, as one example, the Sicarii zealots [they were Jews, “dagger-men”] of the first century AD, who stealthily knifed folks—oftentimes their own people, whom they [unilaterally] judged to be sympathetic to the Roman Eagle; then, as today, terrorism rallies around what is to it an exceedingly precious and worthy cause, the particulars of which are set unilaterally by the terrorist body; significantly, it is a cause that to it justifies its bloody hands). In our day, a “shrinking” world has become the stage on which terrorism acts; with the world thus shrunken, more people are readily exposed to its reach. “East collapses into West,” and vice-versa (odium to the modern terrorist by the way, not least owing to undesired culture-infusion), blurring borders proper and borders between cultures as the world shrinks, owing to near instant communication between countries/cultures, and not least owing to modes of transportation that make accessible many places on earth fast, and so this evil by others now takes on much more than a local character (the local character still remains as one’s immediate environs might do one evil, but we have now additionally this global element, for one might find oneself quite innocently caught up in terrorism’s nasty agenda just by being at the wrong place at the wrong time; of course the slaughter of the innocent evokes precisely the kind of fear that gives expression to terrorism; terrorism and fear are interchangeable terms are they not?). Well, the thought of all this negative (local, global) can put one into quite a state of fear. But, let us not “bite” here and get sucked into needless fear. Needless? Yes, needless, precisely for the Christian, because our God, Jehovah, mocks this fear imposed by others: ‘…I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass…’ (Isa 51:12); again: ‘…The LORD is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident…’ (Psa 27:1-3), and again: ‘…So we say with confidence, “The LORD is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”…’ (Hbr 13:6). And hear now Jesus, the very Arm, holy, and bared by the way, of God: ‘…Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid…’ (Jhn 14:27). There we have it, plain as can be—let us not fear Christian friend, in deference to this command by Jesus, regardless of the fear scenario ol’ Fearley and Fearley’s friends might direct at us. Rather, in the infinitely strong Name of Jesus, we shall confidently say: “…get thee hence Fearley…” (Fig. 1). Help us great savior God to walk that talk, glorify Thyself thus. Let us close this point with these words from Jesus: ‘…Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul…'(Mat 10:28).
5. Who, Christian friend, is behind all fear?, who is the mastermind of life’s fear-engendering scenarios? It is Satan, hands down. Now let us focus for the moment specifically on the fear that humankind imposes on itself one to another. Who is the mastermind behind that? Again, we hold that it is Satan. Humankind, even as wicked as it is deep in its heart (consider Gen 6:5, Job 15:14, 15, 16, Psa 53:2-3, Jer 17:9, Mat 15:19, Rom 3:23, et al.), is not the mastermind here; humankind, predisposed to aid and abet Satan’s fear program to varying degrees on an individual basis is but his stooge to accomplish his purposes. What are his purposes? It is Satan’s express purpose to stymie worship of Jehovah God and redirect it toward himself, thus exalting himself over God, as beforetime he impudently swore to do (Isa 14:12-14). These verses In Isaiah reveal that humankind has been given by grace (glorification, by way of Salvation) that which Satan sought by hook and crook; the sad and sorry exceeding wreckage in our wake per succumbing to Satan’s anti-God, anti-humankind designs (designs here =said “hook and crook” as it were in application) shows Satan’s intense push of these designs, even his fury here; shows his intense anger toward God and murderous jealousy of humankind over the very issue of, specifically, glorified humankind, even our exaltation as Children of Jehovah God Most High (thanks to Salvation through Jesus Christ). The only one Satan hates more than humankind is God; yet we (1) created in God’s image, and (2) exalted about His throne thanks to Salvation, are, as you can reckon, hated just about as much (“Revelation Chapter Thirteen Commentary: Perched for a Kill”). And especially, stultifying fear, quite fits into Satan’s designs here, because it is one of his most effective tools in his anti-God, anti-humankind push. Can you see why? We will offer a couple of possibilities; please add one or two others if you wish. Fear is so very uncomfortable and unpleasant that folks will do most anything to end it, including (1) all manner of unholy behavior (vertical, horizontal), and (2) engaging all manner of unholy alliances if need be. Moreover, fear degrades focus on Jehovah God and elevates fear into the position of some sort of god. There is an element of idolatry in that, which is tantamount to Satan worship (Satan is the god of idols, the idol-god; Satan worship smacks of Isaiah 14:12-14). We would agree that fear might actually prompt the reverse, thus in fact stymieing Satan, folding back on him in this way; that is, it might drive one to one’s knees, crying out for Jehovah’s salvation (which He promises to give as said above); certainly the latter is what our God would expect of you and I Christian friend.
6. Scripture tells us that there is no fear in love (precisely for this reason fear is not of God, for God is quintessentially Love [1Jo 4:8, 16, 18]). Scripture tells us that perfect love casts out fear (1Jo 4:18; note 1Jo 4:19). (a) How so?, and is this humanly doable? (perfect love that is; what is perfect love by the way? If it is not humanly doable, why is it in Scripture here?), and (b) please consider this: is that (perfect love) why Jesus had no fear? What/who was the object of Jesus’ perfect love?, and (c) please consider this series of sensitizing questions with respect to 1Jo 4:18 in the context of terrorism: would perfect love in a practical way frustrate the terrorism we contend with these days?, or is the threat and attendant fear involved here too great to be overcome this way (love is too passive; it leaves one exceedingly vulnerable, right?, wrong?). Is there a more effective way to frustrate terrorism (fear)? We don’t think so (does not God say this is the way, walk in it?), what do you think? Is perfect love anywise retaliatory (‘…you do me, I do you…’ as it were)? Does retaliation cast out fear? A tough show of force is necessary to contend with terrorism though, right or wrong? What’s the difference between retaliation and a show of force? Is there a conflict between perfect love and a show of force? We don’t think so, for the same reason that (the force of) discipline does not conflict with perfect love either (God, who loves perfectly, disciplines His own); what do you think? We would agree that a show of force is certainly necessary here; we argue however that no show of force will accomplish much of anything in the long haul if Jehovah God is not, foremost, feared, and loved, and then with a humble spirit prayerfully called upon to muster said force. This we think is why the Godless are going to come to naught here (will not be able to show enough force, be that as it may, to withstand the onslaught of terrorism in our day or any day for that matter). We are sure of that with Scripture as a precedent—all of that millennia-long, comprehensive, sacred and secular, local and global, history, and prophecy and its outworkings, speak loudly here. Jehovah God never was, and we can be sure He never will be, mocked, not even a little bit.
7. ‘…For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father”…’ (Rom 8:15 in the context of Rom 8:7-13, 14-18). Dearest Christian friend, let us walk by the Spirit, ever mindful of our great God Jehovah, even He, within (imagine that), and let us not walk by the flesh, which is subject to ol’ Fearley’s onslaughts. And let us but fear Father Jehovah, our God. We love and revere you Papa, and are so grateful for your abiding Spirit within. Sensitize us to the slavery of our misplaced fears, please reveal these to us, and help us overcome them through your blessed and powerful Spirit within us. Thank you. May you be glorified thus. Amen.