Commandment 44: Fear God Not Man
“Fear not them which can kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matt. 10:28
As physical beings, it is hard not to think often about the care and benefit of our natural bodies. This our mortal house in which God has placed our spirit is the ambassador of our soul presenting who we are to the world around us. Yet as believers we are warned by Jesus not to think only of our life in this world. As wonderful and splendid as it is, our physical life is indeed like dust in the wind. Regardless of our accomplishments, fame or fortune, we are merely a fading flower in the sun that briefly blooms and then returns to the One who breathed into it the breath of life. Only the memories we have left in the hearts of those who knew us remain, and we return to God just as we came into this world.
Therefore, we ought to consider our maker before this takes place. And how is it that we do so in a timely manner seeing we know not when our time is finished? Solomon the wise says:
"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; " (Ecclesiastes 12:1)
And he instructs us that "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. " (Proverbs 9:10)
To wait until one’s breath is gone before coming to Christ is not a good plan. It is He who measures the value of one’s life and it is him alone who can cast both body and soul into eternal damnation.
"Depart from me, I never knew you." These are words meant for no man, but for the devil and his angels; yet they will be spoken to those who fear not the Lord.
Hebrews tells us that, since the Lord is our helper, we need not fear what men can do unto us. (Heb. 13:5,6) Yet those who know not the Lord need fear men indeed for their vulnerability is great while living in this world where evil is rampant. In an instant life can be snatched away, and those who have not taken time to consider the Lord must face Him in judgment. God is patient but his Spirit will not always strive with man. (Gen. 6:3)
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but the love of Him is the end of it. How joyful life can be, knowing that no matter what troubles face me in this life, this too shall pass and I will one day stand in eternity, free from the shackles of this earthly realm. This is the promise given to those who put their trust in Christ:
"Whosever believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." (John 11:25)
Those who go forth bearing the Gospel need not fear what men can do unto them. At the most they can only expedite one’s trip into eternal bliss. We are like those carrying water into a dry and thirsty land and we should rejoice at the prospect of what we have to offer and not fear those whom the enemy places in our path. We do not wrestle with flesh and blood, nor our we weak in power and helpless before our enemies.
Yet we do not go forth into battle with the weapons of the sword smith, our weapon is the sword of the Spirit of God: The Living Word of Christ himself. It is life giving and powerful and it is sharper than the swords that can kill the body, for we wield it not unto death but unto Life Eternal. Our battle is not with men (except our own flesh which we must bring under subjection daily). Our battle is the age-old fight of light against the darkness. Yet darkness does not truly exist. It is merely the absence of light. When the light comes, the darkness must flee.
When the Seventy returned from their first missionary journey, Jesus told them: "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." (Luke 10:18) So also does he say to us who are called to join the battle with those dark forces fallen down to our realm, who hold men in blindness and trap them with fear and temptation. God has an army marching through the land. Like the forces of Israel who went up to possess the promised land, we take back from the alien inhabitants that which was rightfully ours. We go in faith believing that God is with us in the way and we are not afraid, for we have been delivered from the fear of death by Him who overcame death for us. (Heb. 2:15)
The following is from Holy Sonnet #10 by Poet John Donne (1572 - 1631)
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou'art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy'or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
Christ has wrought a fatal blow to death. Why should we fear him? That which came into the garden through disobedience has been restored by the perfect obedience of Christ who said, "Not my will but thine be done.”
Unlike man who seeks to please himself, Christ came to please his Eternal Father. "Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God." (Heb. 10:7) We too follow in his footsteps seeking to please Him who gave himself for us that he might present us holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: (Col. 1:21)
The foolish think they shall escape the fires of hell on their own merit but it is not so. Those who would not love God's Son in this life, would not love life in eternity with the Son. How could they enjoy then that which they have rejected now? Heaven would be hell for them, neither will they taste of it. They should heed the warning which Christ gave to the Pharisees and, "Flee from the wrath to come.” (Matt. 3:7) And we must give to those who now live in our time this same warning. The word which we bring will deliver freedom from this wrath and, with it, freedom from the fear of death for those who will take heed.
Let us who believe consider the cost of silence. While the world around us is crumbling, we may be confident in the hope we have in Christ. But let us remember those who don't know Him and pray for their salvation. May God instill in our hearts the love that caused his Son to come to the earth and give his life a ransom for many. We have but one life to live, let us live it for the Savior. We have but one voice with which we can sound forth the message of his love, let us climb to the highest places to shout the Good News and, like Jesus did for us, reach down to those on the bottom rung of life's ladder and lift them up to see the light of Christ.
Craig Marlatt