The fear of man
The fear of
man is a violation of the first commandment, “Thou shall have no other gods
before me.” Exodus 20:3. The Bible calls us to fear God. The term fear is meant in the
context of respect. We are to honor and worship him alone. For a more detailed
explanation of what it means to fear God, please refer to the following article: What Does it Mean to Fear God ?
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!" Psalm 111:10. When we fear men, we make idols out of
other men. The idolatry of men can be subtle and hard for us to see or
acknowledge in our lives. The fear of man is closely knit with pride.
I recently
was tempted by what appeared to be a “small” sin in my eyes. “Small” sins are dangerous as they lead us
to believe that because of the smallness in our eyes, it is small in God’s
eyes. It is true that some sins are more heinous in his eyes than others. But
no sin, no matter how small is acceptable in his eyes. And because of the
deception in our hearts what we see as small sins may actually be very heinous
sins in his eyes. God showed me in that moment, I was acting in fear of
man. My motive for wanting to partake in
the “small” sin was fueled by a much bigger and more serious sin. Breaking the first
commandment, thou shalt have no other Gods before me, is in fact a heinous sin.
Suddenly, I looked at the person I feared in another light. I saw another
creature standing before me, a creature made by God like I am made by God. Why did
I fear this creature?
The fear of
man can take many forms. Some examples include:
- Finding one’s identity other people rather than in Christ (i.e. family, friends, etc.)
- Serving others to obtain their admiration. Or serving others as an expression of our admiration of them, rather than serving them in neighborly love wrought out of love and admiration for God. Matthew 6:1 warns against this.
- Idolizing other Christians we see as a role models. Looking to other believers instead of to Christ. Forgetting Christians are a work of God and glorifying people rather than the One who worked into them the graces which we see.
- Fearing others and wanting to be accepted socially, allowing what others think, say, or do to rule over us rather than being ruled by the word of God.
When we love God we follow his commands, albeit not perfectly. Following Christ in our day to day life makes us stand out to the world. As Christians go about their life, their good works are naturally seen by others, in the way they conduct themselves, demonstrating love for God and neighbors.
In the same way, let your light shine
before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your
Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles
honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your
good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 2 Peter 2:12
The fear of
man can lead us to compromise our values in order to fit in. It can cause us to
allow men’s rules to rule our behavior. Sometimes this could cause us to
partake in someone else’s sin by going along with it to maintain the status
quo. The fear of man could cause us to try to justify sinning by a definition
other than God’s. Our culture condones sin of various kinds, in particular,
sexual sin, covetousness, murder, and pride. This is really nothing new.
Throughout the ages the world has glorified sin. We may be tempted with
thoughts like: “So and so says it isn’t a big deal.” “So and so says it isn’t
really a sin.” If King Jesus says it’s a sin, it is a sin.
In reading
though Genesis, I wonder if the fear of man played into Jacob’s sin of
deceiving his father in order to obtain a blessing. Rebekah, his mother, suggested the scheme of
deception (Gen. 27:6-10.) We see that Jacob already had sinful tendencies in
his heart to take that which was his brother’s. We see this in his sin of
tempting Esau to sell his birthright (Gen. 25:31.) Perhaps, Jacob justified the
second sin by reasoning that since his mother suggested it, it would be
acceptable. Jacob should have instead gently rebuked his mother for her
suggestion. The Bible tells us in Galatians 6:1: “Brothers,
if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore
him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
It can be particularly
tempting to fear men who resemble sheep and teach heretical teachings under a
guise of Christianity. Heretical teachings cater to idols in our hearts. They
allow for sins which the Bible forbids and/or they preach a different message
of salvation and offer hope in something other than the Lord Jesus Christ of
the Bible. In the past, I was tempted by a heretical teaching but the Lord was
merciful and kept me in the truth of his Word.
We must test
the spirits and always go to the Bible for our final authority. Our definition of sin should come from the
Bible, not from men. The remedy for sin should come from the gospel not from
man-made remedies (anything other than faith in the death and resurrection of
Christ as atonement for man’s sins.) Just to clarify, it is not fearing man to
seek wise counsel, adhere to sermons, be
a church member, and submit to church government. To do these things is fearing
God. Such things are biblical- but if any of those things contradict, manipulate,
add to, or subtract from the Word of God, we fear God by not adhering to the
teachings and clinging to his Word.
Love acknowledges that we are all sinners. It is
counter cultural yet biblical and correct to identify sin as sin. Love does not
lie to its neighbors by altering the definition of what the Bible defines as
sin. Love also does not look down upon another’s sin supposing it is worse than
one’s own. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans
3:23. Love calls sin what it is, and liberally shares the gospel.
Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Matthew 10:34-36
The sword Jesus refers to, is the Word of God. It is loving to share the gospel and live out its truths. We are shedding light on what true peace is. Yet, blind men may not act peaceably toward these truths. Our job isn’t to avoid offending people. We are called to love God and our neighbors. We shine as lights in a dark world as we trust in the goodness and mercy of the Lord. Our God gives sight to blind men and turns hearts of stone into hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26.)
The fear of man can lead to unnecessary conscience binding
The
following point primarily touched on the temptation to sear ones conscience against
the seriousness of sin in order to blend into the world and avoid condemnation
from other men. The fear of man can also lead to unnecessary conscience binding
by following man-made rules and traditions. This could be religious customs or
worship practices not mentioned in the Bible. Man-made religious customs that
are not supported by the Bible should not be followed and are an abomination to
God. One example of this is following man-made rituals during prayer. The Bible
doesn’t require us to follow rituals while praying. Rather than following
rituals, we must come to the Lord in prayer through our Mediator, Jesus Christ,
with a humble and reverent heart before the Lord, crying Abba Father.
Our
conscience could even be bound by social customs. This is not to say we cannot
follow social customs such following fashion trends, celebrating holidays, etc.
However to elevate social customs to the status of God’s law is sinful. As long
as social customs do not violate God’s law, we are free to follow them or not
follow them. We should follow our convictions, based on the Word of God, in
such matters. In the event that following a social custom would break God’s
law, we should not follow it.
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 2:20-3:1
The fear of man can be a temptation to avoid coming to Christ
Individuals
may fear coming to Christ for fear of the rejection of others. Perhaps no one
else in their family or circle of friends is a believer. I would imagine that
this temptation could be particularly intense for those that know they may face
severe persecution for their faith. There is a cost to our earthly life when we
follow Christ. Christians may lose relationships over their faith. They may
even lose their lives in persecution. But when we follow Christ we find our
lives. In Christ we are free from the bondage of sin and have eternal
life. We are adopted by God the Father into a family of believers with Christ as our perfect elder brother. His riches
are unsearchable. “And this is
eternal life that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom
you have sent.” John 17:3
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If
anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and
follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his
life for my sake will find it. Those who lose their life will find it. Matthew 16:24-25
Jesus said, “Truly,
I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or
mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Mark 10:29-31
The Lord Jesus offers forgiveness for
the many ways we may act in fear of men (and all other ways in which we sin)
The Lord
calls us to fear him alone. He alone is worthy to be praised. Although
believers lives aren’t defined by a fear of man problem, it is still a sin we
struggle with. With the Lord’s help we will overcome. “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies
never come to an end;” Lamentations 3:22. The apostle Peter denied knowing Christ publicly but
the Lord drew him to repentance and extended forgiveness to him (Luke 22, John
21.) The Lord offers forgiveness for the sin of fearing man and we should beseech
him for his mercies when we succumb to this sin. The Lord alone knows our heart
and offers forgiveness to the truly penitent; (the Lord is the one who works
the grace of repentance into us.) However, the Lord warns that a complete and
utter denial of him will result in him denying us before his Father.
For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and
loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son
of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory
and the glory of the Father and of the holy
angels. Luke 9:25-26
“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. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:26-33
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, 1 Peter 3:15
