Believers should fear God alone

Living in fear of what evil men may do is just as idolatrous as falling down in front of a statue. So what does it say about us when our churches are filled with fearful people? It says we’re not being very honest about our faith.

To claim faith in Christ, and then live in fear of something else, indicates that our true object of worship may be other than what we confess on a Sunday morning.

If this is confusing, it may help to remember that the word “fear” often appears in our Bibles as a synonym for faith. That is, they are the same thing. So, when you’re reading your Old Testment you will see “the fear of the Lord” exalted as a virtue repeatedly, while “the fear of man” is a moral failure.

The faithful person will be referred to as one who fears God. Abraham, for instance, judged that one city was filled with unbelievers when he saw that there was no fear of God in the place.

As a preacher has said, fear of evil is just faith in the devil. Practically, this means you don’t get to do anything out of carnal fear, and still claim you have great faith.

I’m not saying believers don’t take precautions. Precisely because we know what bad guys are like, we do. Nehemiah built a wall around Jerusalem because of all the villains on the outside. However, no one reads that book and comes away thinking he and his crew were cowards. That whole story rebukes our own fearfulness.

So, sure, lock your doors. Have some means of protecting yourself nearby. And then, what? Say your prayers; lay your head on the pillow; and, go to sleep. This is different than staying awake and jumping at every sound.

We’ve been through months of election campaigning, where, to my simple mind, the only real motivation for voting offered by either side was abject terror over what the other side stood for. Many voted for a man they know is a scoundrel, because they were more scared of the other scoundrel.

Whatever this is, it cannot be called “walking in faith.”

But, pastor, someone says, didn’t David fear men repeatedly in the Psalms? Yes, he did. Read those Psalms again and see what he did with that natural fear. In Psalm 17, for instance, David begins by complaining about the “wicked”ones who surround him. They are his “deadly enemies” (verse 9). He may stuggle with some fear, but he ends with a bold declaration of faith in God. (17:15)

We should handle our fears in the same way. Take them to the Lord and leave them with him.

The fact that you believe this advice is cheesy (because you know you need a ruthless man to protect you from more ruthless men) should send you back to your Bible. If the promises of the one you call “Almighty”are not enough to calm your fears, it’s worth taking a moment to question what you really believe.

Gordan Runyan is the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Tucumcari. Contact him at:

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