fear God not man

"Fear will drive us to please men. Faith will drive us to please God. Tumultuous times will reveal who you truly serve."

-Dale Partridge 

Each and everyone one of us knows that we have a purpose here on earth. As much as we try, we can't create our own personal meaning. Some derive their meaning from worldly things, and others derive their meaning from their religion, but no matter the case, we all put our identity into those external things that we derive our meaning from. Specifically, we seek to put our meaning into external personal things because, as humans, we were created to be relational. A lot of the time, we find ourselves putting our identity in our friendships, work relationships, family relationships, and romantic relationships. This, at times, isn't a bad thing. Part of your identity does stem from you being a friend, a daughter, or a wife. But when this does become a problem is when we put our identity more in those earthly relationships than we do in our relationship with God. It's a problem when we give those people more authority over our lives than we give God. 

An article on Desiring God says, "The person(s) to whom we ascribe most authority- to define who we are, what we're worth, what we should do, and how we should do it- is the person(s) we fear the most, because it is the person(s) whose approval we want the most." 

Are we seeking the approval of our families more than we're seeking the approval of God? Even worse, are we seeking the approval of strangers more than we're seeking the approval of God?

The things that we seek approval from and give authority to are the things that our hearts love. They reveal the idols we have in our lives. Fearing the opinions of others more than the opinions of God reveals that we are more concerned with our own self image than we are about following Him and speaking truth.

The fear of man is a huge problem in the Church today. There is a clear divide in what is good and evil, yet so many Christians have it backwards. Many even preach the evil in the name of Jesus. Why? I believe it all comes back to fearing man more than fearing God. 

We so desperately crave acceptance from those around us that we will change the Word of God to align with the world.

But the Bible is inerrant, infallible, and unchanging. It doesn't "progress" with the cultures. Rather, it stays the same throughout time. If we change it to fit the happenings of the world, or to be mindful of the feelings of ourselves or those around us, then we're not preaching the true Gospel. We're preaching a false gospel and we're definitely not following God, no matter how many times we use His name in vain to make the false doctrine we believe and preach seem more holy. 

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says this: "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."

What makes us think that the world will not hate us for our Christian faith? We're no better than Jesus. If the world hated Him, then it will definitely hate those who follow Him and preach the true Gospel. We rarely, if ever, should agree with the world. Our view, if we truly have a biblical worldview on the matter, will never be the popular or easy one. 

We should be filled with joy when the world hates us for our views because it is proof that we're truly following God. 

So what does the Bible have to say about fearing man instead of fearing God? Here are a few of my favorite verses that deal with this issue:

// Matthew 10:28 ESV // "So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." 

Do not be afraid to proclaim loudly the Truth God has whispered to you quietly. All evil will eventually be revealed, either by us here on earth, or by God on His Day of Judgement. The difference is whether or not souls will be saved or will spend eternity separated from God. We may be hurt by other people because of our boldness in speaking this truth, but they are not capable of hurting our souls. Only God is capable of that. 

// Galatians 1:10 ESV // "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."

It is impossible to serve two masters at once. You can only either serve man or God. Not both. If we are seeking to please man more than we are seeking to follow God then we aren't really following God, not matter how much we claim we are. If we are truly servants of Christ we will be more focused on serving Him than pleasing the world. 

// 1 Samuel 15:24 ESV // "Saul said to Samuel, 'I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the Lord.'"

When we fear people more than we fear the Lord, we will be led astray. The world is not of God, and therefore their ways do not align with His ways. If we fear the world we will be guided by their ways and be led astray into sin, just like Saul was when he listened to the people rather than to God. 

// Isaiah 51:7-8 ESV // "Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations."

The opinion of man only lasts until they breathe their last breath, but God's blessings and salvation are eternal. So why do we waste our days being concerned with opinions that will only last for years at the most when the judgment of the Lord will last forever?

// 1 Peter 3:14 ESV // "Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil." 

We must always be prepared to defend the truths that we believe and the reason for our hope and joy. More importantly, we must not be ashamed of what we believe or afraid of what will happen to us if we share that our worldview, believes, and hopes come from Christ. It is better to suffer for sharing God's word and living out His will for our lives than it is to do evil and be accepted by the world. That acceptance only lasts until we die, but God's acceptance lasts for eternity. 

// Isaiah 8:11-13 ESV // "For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 'Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread."

Do not blindly follow the world and accept the things that they say are true. Follow what God says is true and fear Him first. Look at the ways of the world through a Biblical lens before you determine whether or not you agree. The world's beliefs will be shoved into our face every second of the day if we let it, but we must not let those things overshadow God in our hearts and mind. That is when we are conformed and begin to think like the world more than we think like Jesus. 

// John 12:41-43 ESV // "Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God."

Loving the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God leads us to deny Christ whenever we are questioned about the things we believe. How many less people will be led to the Truth if we are too afraid of what they might think of us if we stick up for the Gospel? How many less souls will be saved if we are too afraid of hurting their feelings or offending them by revealing the Word of God? Lauren DeMoss Benson (one of my favorite women to follow on Instagram) talked about this perfectly in a post that said this:  

"I don't think there has ever been a generation more focused on feelings and afraid to offend than ours. Don't get me wrong, there have been wicked generations in the past. Generations that have hated Christians and the message of the gospel. However, we as Christians are probably the most cowardly and prideful of all the Christians of history. We don't want to tell people they are wrong because we don't want to hurt their feelings. We don't want to fulfill the great commission because we don't want the world to feel judged. The world should feel judged! The world will be judged by a holy God eventually. On that day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Isn't it kinder to offend them now? To hurt their feelings a little bit in order to save their souls? To make them angry in order to wake them from the slumber to the possibility of a home in heaven instead of an eternity in hell? I think it is. I think we just don't want to be hated. We aren't willing to be called names for the sake of Christ so we don't speak up in the name of 'peace.' I think it's high time that we let go of our pride and hurt some feelings with the gospel. There is no peace without God, no unity without the gospel, and no salvation outside of repentance from sin. The Bible will transform every part of your life and your mind, and I think we can all agree that the world today needs a good dose of transformation." 

This world will never change for the better if we are too afraid of what it will think of us if we speak up for the truth and share the love of God with others. Lives will not be transformed if we are too concerned with not hurting their feelings if we point out their sin or wrongdoings. Souls will not be saved if we are too scared to be persecuted for preaching the true gospel boldly and without abandon. We need to let go of our pride and stop being concerned with offending others if we are to glorify God with our lives and live out the great commission.