Fear of Man

This is something I posted on another blog I write for last year.

Fear of man is one of the most insidious tools the devil uses to deter us from sharing the gospel. It is a sin because it detracts from God by not trusting Him where we are commanded to trust Him. Jesus destroys this in Matthew 10, where He talks about all the fierce opposition that His followers would receive, from insults to actual physical harm, then tells them not to fear them, and instead to fear God, who can do far more. If God be for us, who can be successful against us? No one! (Just a note: this post is in no particular order, I am merely sharing some thoughts on a subject close to my heart. Please bear with me) Back to Matthew 10, Jesus suffered, why should we not share in those sufferings? Don't misunderstand me, I am not saying we can add anything to Christ's once-for-all, perfect sacrifice, but "Is a slave greater than his master?" No, for "if they called the head of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they malign the members of His house." Peter and John rejoiced in Acts to be counted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake, as did Paul. To fight fear of man, we need to cultivate a steadfast faith in the unshakeable promises of God. To do that, we need to pray for God's help, become acquainted with God's character, especially His faithfulness and unchangeableness, and meditate on His promises. When we recognize that these promises come from God who cannot lie, and realize our future hope to which even death pales in comparison, we will be more equipped to share the gospel with whomever God puts in our path. Christ is worthy of all we have and much more, and though it is hard, He is worth it. Don't think this is all the Bible says about this subject, I haven't even covered 1/8th of it, so I encourage anyone, especially if they struggle with this, to study it and learn how to fight it in God's strength.

Boasting only in the cross,

Alex

How Free is Free?

As Memorial Day draws to a close, we would do well to consider just what kind of freedom the men who have served and died for our country have bought us, so as to honor them as we use it. In America, does one have the freedom to do whatever he or she wants? If you think so, just try to steal a car or something else of just about any value. If caught, you will be prosecuted and your freedom taken away. So we don't have the freedom to steal other people's property without paying for it. It is the same with murder, as well as small things like traffic laws. So our freedom is not total, we cannot do whatsoever we please at the expense of others. Our freedom is not lawlessness, it is regulated. But history and common sense tell us that this is the best kind of freedom, one that is regulated for the good of the society. Lawlessness is a bondage in and of itself. It is the same with the believer's freedom in Christ. But the Bible tells us that we are slaves to Christ, you may say, how can we also be free? The Bible speaks of both, and both are true. In a sense, slavery to Christ is freedom. Think about it, going back to the example of the civil law. Are Americans free? Yes. Are we under law? Yes. They are not contradictory. So it is with the Christian and Christ. Are we free? Yes, from the law of sin and death (Romans 7:2). Are we under law? Yes, the law of Christ found in His Word. Paul had to deal with this in many places in Scripture. After speaking of the free grace of God, Paul often had to deal with the question: "Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?" To which he replied in the strongest vernacular, literally: "God forbid!" We are recipients of the free grace of God, but we must not use this as an excuse for lawlessness. Peter says it well in 1 Peter 2:16: "Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God." So then, the Christian is free, but not lawless. Christ did not die so that believers could continue to live for themselves, but for Him, and that means being obedient to His Word as a loyal and joyful slave. So as we remember the price that American men through the years have paid to make us free to exercise our freedom within the confines of the civil law, let us also meditate on the free grace of Christ that frees us from the tyranny of sin and frees us to obey Him as joyful slaves!

A lowly fellow slave of Christ,

Alex