Be Not Afraid

Hebrews 10:31 states a sobering truth, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” However, one of the dominant themes of both the Old and New Testaments is a recurring promise that God gives regarding His faithfulness. He repeatedly declares that we have no reason to be afraid because He will never leave us and never forsake us.

If we have placed our faith in God, trusting Him for our eternity based on the finished work of Christ on the cross, it will be an awe-inspiring thing to stand before the Supreme Judge, but we will have no reason to be afraid. It will be a beautiful and wonderful thing as God burns away our chaff, leaving behind only that which is precious in His sight.

Over and over in the Old Testament, God said to various individuals and groups, “Fear not, I am with you.” I will mention only a few instances, but there are many more. God made such promises to Isaac, Jacob, Jeremiah, and the nation of Israel.

In Isaiah 46 God said He would be with us even to our old age. In Isaiah 51, God said that because He is with us, we ought not to be afraid of any human. In Isaiah 43, God said that we should not be afraid because He is with us, He has redeemed us, He loves us, and He has wiped out our transgressions. In Isaiah 41 God said we should not be afraid because He is with us, He upholds our right hand, and He promises to help us.

The use of very similar language in the Isaiah passages and John 6 is very striking. It is clear that Jesus is connecting Himself to the Isaiah passages when He speaks to his disciples. Jesus approaches the disciples’ boat by walking on the Sea of Galilee during a terrifying storm.

John 6:20 states, “But He said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’” “It is I” translated literally is “I am.” Jesus is equating Himself with the One speaking in the aforementioned Isaiah passages. Because Jesus is the Self-Existent, Eternal Son of God, the God of the Burning Bush (Exodus 3) the disciples had no reason to fear and neither do current disciples.

Jesus similarly connects Himself to the “Fear not, I am with you” passages in Revelation 1:17-18, “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” We have no reason to be afraid because Jesus has conquered our greatest enemy. Because Jesus has conquered death, He has the power and authority to make the promise, “Fear not, I am with you.”

If you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus, then you have nothing to fear. Humans may persecute you, mistreat you, betray you, take your job, or even kill you. While those things are terrible, even tragic, they are insignificant in light of eternity. It is certain that you will wind up in the hands of the living God.

Sooner or later you will stand in front of the Supreme Judge. You will nothing to fear if you have a relationship with Christ. You will have plenty to fear if you do not.

You can email Pastor Ellison at [email protected].