I really should be using this time to work on the course in Pentateuch I’m taking, but I read something this afternoon in N.T. Wright’s Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship that got me thinking. He writes about fear as one of the greatest obstacles to personal discipleship.
The most frequent command in scripture isn’t to be holy or good, but rather to not fear. This is the first command given after Christ rose from the dead. Wright goes on to say:
Let’s make no mistake about it: until you learn to live without fear you won’t find it easy to follow Jesus.
Ouch.
Can you imagine living a normal, wise, responsible life without the nagging sense that everything is about to go horribly worng…?
… the gospel of Jesus comes with good news and bad news. The good news: there’s just one command this time, not even ten. The bad news: this one command tells you not to be afraid, and we haven’t a clue how to obey it.
… don’t be afraid; because the God who made the world is the God who raised Jesus from the dead, and calls you now to follow him.
Believing in this God means believing that it is going to be all right; and this belief is, ultimately, incompatible with fear. As John says in his letter, perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).
The fact is this: because Jesus rose from the dead he can be trusted with pretty much every area of life. If we don’t trust him, our fear will deeply hinder our ability to follow Him. This is why faith is so essential to discipleship and obedience. Yet in our twisted religious world we often try to make fear the grounds for obedience: obey God or else! Fear can paralyze the ministry of a whole church. Imagine what our personal and corporate ministries would look like if our decisions were determined by faith rather than fear.
The way out of fear is to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. He’s conquered death, and He can be trusted with all the difficulties of life.
Now I’m off to the Bulgarian house church. We’re studying John 4 and the story of the woman at the well.
2 responses so far ↓
northpointcc // July 1, 2008 at 10:10 pm |
I wish I could say that I deal with fear quite well. I am somewhat encouraged by the fact that God repeated the command to “not be afraid” three times in the first 9 verses of the book of Joshua. I assume that Joshua had some fearful moments. The key is keeping our eyes on Jesus and not on our abilities or circumstances – easier said than done. There is usually a well-meaning, spiritual person around to point out all the ways we could fail.
rickdugan // July 3, 2008 at 8:44 am |
What I find interesting in those verses is that the strength and courage that God commands is linked to obedience. I’m not sure we can ever be rid of fear forever – Joshua was afraid, Paul was afraid, the disciples were afraid. Was Jesus ever afraid?
But we must not let fear control us. We must find the faith to obey even when it scares us.
At the same time, fear is wasted energy, and we must try to reduce it. ‘Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.’
I’m also reminded of the words of St. Seriphim: ‘Acquire inward peace and thousands around you will find their salvation.’