I have been reading during the last couple days about the recent shooting of a congresswoman and 18 other people in Tucson, Arizona, which resulted in 6 deaths and 13 injuries of varying seriousness. Any occurrence like this one sparks much public debate about everything from gun control to public safety to political ideology. One topic which this violence particularly brought to my mind is that of fear. How can we, the general public, live in such a violent world without fear? Is it even bad to fear? How do we live in light of our fear?
First of all, I believe that fear is not necessarily a bad thing. God did, after all, create humans with a natural tendency to fear certain things. Though some may claim to fear nothing, I highly doubt that any person can honestly live without fear, even if that person's only fear is of fear itself.
That being said, almost anything in excess (for example, medicine, food, sleep) is potentially damaging and often wrong. Fear is definitely one of them. How, then, do we overcome it? The answer lies in the power to overcome the object of fear. Now, if I, an unarmed civilian, were suddenly confronted by a raging madman brandishing a firearm, I would not have the power to overcome him. If I had a similar firearm and the knowledge to use it, I would still not have the power to overcome a tank. If I had a tank, I still would not have the power to overcome a nuclear weapon. If I had the most secure bomb shelter in the world, I still would not have the power to overcome cancer. In short, humans are not as powerful as we think. The strongest human in the world has something that is stronger than him, something to fear. How, then, can a human overcome fear? The answer lies in a source of power outside himself. That power is God.
God is an infinite, personal being who is not confined to time or space. He has always existed. It was He who created the universe and everything in it. Not only did He create it, He sustains it and has complete power over it. We, as humans, are the crown jewel of His creation. Being His creation, all humans are under His complete control. So, supposing I am attacked by a shooter, can I just ask God to make him drop dead? The answer is no. God chooses not to work this way. How then, you may ask, can God possibly help me conquer fear? The answer lies in the fact that there is something infinitely more valuable than material and physical well-being. That something is spiritual well-being: fellowship with the all-powerful God. Consider the following verses from the Bible.
Matthew 10:26-31 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (ESV)
The crux of the matter lies in verse 28: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." At first, this is not a comforting thought at all! God, however, is not only all-powerful, perfect, and judgmental. He is loving. He loves every person in the world on an individual basis. John 3:16 says, "For God so loves the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
We, as everyone knows, live in an imperfect world. In fact, all humans are imperfect themselves. We not only are imperfect, we are fundamentally marred by sin. Sin is the inability of man to live up to God's standard of moral perfection. It literally means the "missing of the mark" of God's perfection. Because of our sin, we are condemned to hell, a place of eternal torment. We will go to this place after we die, and we will remain there forever in eternal torment. This definitely is the ultimate cause for fear.
How, you ask again, can I be free from fear? The good news is that God does not want us to go to hell. This is what John 3:16 means. He sent His Son, Jesus, the only perfect man ever to walk the earth, to die for us on the cross. His death payed the penalty that is ours because of our sin. He did not stay dead, however. No dead person can have power, much less give power to anyone else. Oh, no! He rose from the dead three days later and now offers His salvation to every person in the world. All we have to do is accept it through faith in Him. Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." God will save everyone who believes in His Son Jesus Christ.
What, you may ask, is salvation? Salvation is the condition of someone who is free from sin. He no longer has to sin anymore. In addition, he is free from death, the penalty from sin. This does not mean that he will not die on the earth. It means that, instead of eternal death in hell, he will have eternal life in the presence of God in heaven.
Now, back to Matthew 10:26: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." We no longer have to be afraid of death because we have eternal life! Because of this, we do not have to fear rabid killers such as the one last week in Tucson, because we know that all he can take away is our life on earth. I am not saying that we will not feel fear whatsoever. Instead, we will not be slave to it. We are not terrified or paralyzed with fear. This is because no person or disease or catastrophe can ever touch our eternal life in heaven with the almighty, loving Creator of the universe. This is true freedom from fear!
If you have any questions whatsoever about how you can be saved, please comment and I will help in any way I can to point you toward God.
Soli Deo Gloria
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