How to Live for God with Fear of People
If we thought half as deeply about how God thinks of us as we do about how others think of us, I believe we would see our fear of people similarly curtailed. And if we pondered Christ’s reactions to us twice as much as others, the large part of what struck fear in our hearts before would seem much smaller and less intimidating. As is so often the case, our union with Christ and the accompanying doctrines do all the heavy lifting. If only we would incline our people-fearing hearts to Christ so he could teach us to love them instead of fearing them.
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. – Galatians 1:10 (ESV)
It may be true that no discussion of common fears which compete with the fear of God is complete apart from a discussion of what is commonly called the fear of man. I use the term “people” rather than man not because I have any issue with the term “man” but because the term, “people” fits better with our vernacular.
What is the fear of people? Paul seems to put his finger right on the nose when he mentions three sets of opposing pursuits: seeking the approval of man versus God, pleasing man versus God, and serving man rather than Christ. These three seem intrinsically connected since seeking man’s approval is to attempt to please him, which in turn is equivalent to serving him. That is my interpretation. Paul only makes the connection between pleasing man and serving Christ explicit.
In this context, Paul is reminding the Galatians that the gospel he is preaching is not his but God’s and that the people who are preaching a different gospel only want to boast in the Galatians’ flesh (6:13). Paul, by contrast, is not trying to get the Galatians’ approval, nor to please them, nor to serve them rather than Christ. Instead, Paul desires God’s approval by pleasing God, which he does by serving Christ. In an ironic twist, Paul serves the Galatians in order to serve Christ. So he ends up doing the same thing, yet for very different reasons. This serves as an illustration of just how drastically different distinct motives for the same action can be.
But what would it look like if Paul had been trying to gain their approval by pleasing them and therefore serving them? This, I put out for consideration, is the sum and substance of the fear of people.
Loving More and Needing Less
For many of us, the question, “What if I am disapproved of by X?” strikes fear into our hearts relative to how strong a possibility it appears to be. So we strategize how we can please them. And in doing so, we seek to serve them.
I recently heard an answer to a question about the fear of people which I think is insightful. The person said part of the solution to the fear of people is to love them more and need them less. I believe there is something to this.
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Seeing God’s Hand in Hardship
Affliction sounds a retreat, to call us off the immoderate pursuit of earthly things. When two things are frozen together, the best way to separate them is by fire; so, when the heart and the world are together—God has no better way to separate them than by the fire of affliction.
Knowing God is in control and that he loves us should lead us to look for his loving hand even in our suffering. If you are facing difficulty right now, as a Christian, you may not fully understand what God is doing, but during it, you can look for the work of grace in your heart. No one seemed to understand this better than the Puritans. Below are four spiritual advantages of affliction, as summarized by Thomas Watson.
1. Affliction shows us more of our own hearts.
Water in a glass looks clear but set it on the fire, and the scum boils up! Just so, when God sets us upon the fire, corruption boils up, which we did not discern before.
Sharp afflictions are to the soul as a soaking rain to the house; we do not know that there are holes in the roof until the shower comes, but then we see it drop down here and there.
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Christian Health Care Workers Win Huge Victory Against New York Vaccine Mandate
The October 12, 2021, Decision and Order now prohibits the governor and any agencies or persons under her from “enforcing, threatening to enforce, attempting to enforce, or otherwise requiring compliance” with the COVID vaccine mandate. New York is also forbidden to take “any action, disciplinary or otherwise, against the licensure, certification, residency, admitting privileges or other professional status or qualification” of any of these medical professionals as a result of their seeking or obtaining a religious exemption from mandatory COVID-19 vaccination.
United States District Judge David N. Hurd has granted a preliminary injunction to seventeen medical health professionals who hold religious objections to the COVID-19 vaccines. The statewide injunction prevents New York from enforcing employers’ compliance with a “vaccine mandate,” issued on August 26, 2021. That mandate excludes exemptions for religious reasons while allowing exemptions for medical reasons. Thomas More Society attorneys initially filed for federal court relief from this discrimination and constitutional violation on September 14, 2021.
Judge Hurd’s decision holds that the health professionals are likely to succeed at trial on their claim that the mandate unlawfully forecloses the remedy of religious accommodation afforded under Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. In a major victory for religious liberty in the face of what attorneys have labelled “draconian COVID-19 regimes,” Hurd further held that the mandate also violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment because it is not a neutral law, but rather allows medical exemptions while precluding religious exemptions.
The mandate fails the legal requirement of “narrow tailoring” of non-neutral laws that impact religion because New York failed to show that less restrictive means, such as the use of personal protective equipment, were not sufficient to address the alleged “compelling interest” in limiting the spread of COVID-19. The court further noted that the mandate omitted a religious exemption that, only days before, was present in the mandate’s previous version, and that other states have mandated vaccination in certain circumstances without denying the possibility of religious exemptions.
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The Importance and Power of Setting an Example in Discipleship
We witness the importance and power of example in the lives of faithful Christians who lived before us. We can consider the practice of their faith to inspire and help us to follow Jesus and make other disciples. Knowing the outcome of their way of life, we can imitate their faith (Heb 13:7).
When I began working in construction, my boss neither offered a book to read, nor gave me a lecture about framing a wall. I was assigned to work with an experienced man. By working alongside him, I learned how to drive a nail and frame a wall. Throughout history people have served as apprentices to others, working in their shadow to learn their craft. People watch examples on YouTube to learn to how do a myriad of tasks—from plumbing to working on a car.
We see the power of example in the way many people pray in church. How do most Christians learn to pray? Most learn by listening to the prayers of others. For this reason, we hear commonly repeated phrases in prayer like, “lead, guide, and direct,” or “we lift up . . .” In the church in which I grew up, one faithful saint always ended his prayer by saying, “and let my daily walk be a testimony to others.” I noticed members in the church began using this same phrase in their prayers.
This post is part four of a practical series on making disciples. The task of discipleship requires and emphasizes faithful teaching (Matt 28:20). Biblical discipleship also recognizes the importance and power of setting an example for those we teach.The Apostles Appeal to the Example of Jesus
The Apostles point to the example of Jesus as they teach others to live a faithful Christian life. Peter’s first letter emphasizes the theme of suffering as we follow Christ. He points to the example of Jesus for us to emulate as we face suffering. He writes, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Pet 2:21–23).
Philippians 2:1–5 addresses relationships in the church. Paul calls the Philippians to follow the example of Christ’s humility. He presents the glorious theology of Christ “taking on the form of a servant” (Phil 2:7) as a powerful warrant for Christians to be humble toward one another. He points other Christians to the power and importance of Jesus’s example.The Importance of Example in Paul’s Discipleship of Timothy
Throughout 1 and 2 Timothy, Paul emphasizes the importance of teaching sound doctrine in the church (1 Tim 1:3; 4:6, 13, 16; 6:20; 2 Tim 1:13–14; 2:15; 3:12–4:5). Timothy was to use healthy doctrine to counter poisonous teachings infecting the church (2 Tim 2:17). The Apostle also highlights the necessity of Timothy setting a Godly example for Christians. He writes, “Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim 4:11-12).
Let’s consider the five areas Paul specifies for Timothy’s example in the church:Set the Believers an Example in Speech: We use speech as a primary way to communicate and interact with others. Paul consistently addresses problems with the speech/words of the false teachers (1 Tim 4:7; 6:4, 20). “In speech” translates the Greek phrase “ἐν λόγῳ” (logos). This example likely refers to what we say to others—the content of our speech. In our conversations with other Christians, or those we are discipling—what are we saying?
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