God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love (1 John 4:18).
A term I hear often these days is the politics of fear.
Politicians often utilizes fear as a prime motivator to garner support and votes, whether it is fear of the economy collapsing, fear of external threats to our safety, fear of the demise of the American way of life, and the list goes on and on.
Fear is one heck of a motivator my friends.
But isn’t it interesting that the most frequently used warning in the Bible is:
“Fear not!”
Someone has actually counted the number of times this warning appears in the Bible and the number totals 365.
I find it interesting that in spite of these repeated Biblical warnings against fear many Americans are eaten up with it today: They fear terrorists or when the next terrorist attack will occur, they fear being gunned down by some deranged person, they fear our country being overrun by drug running illegals, they fear our American way of life will be threatened in some way, and again the list goes on and on.
So what do we normally do in order to compensate for our fears (real or imagined)?
Well we beef up security by shielding ourselves from the rest of the world; we stock our gun cabinets with weapons and sufficient ammunition, we depend on hawkish politicians who promise to build a wall to protect us from the raping drug crazed Mexicans fleeing across our borders, we turn to our own tribe and turn our backs on those unlike us, and we resort to all the worldly security measures we think will protect us.
I actually understand why those living without hope can be so fearful.
But I have great difficulty understanding how any Christian, especially a pastor, whose life is grounded in the hope and security of Jesus Christ, can live with such mind boggling fear. I was appalled and shocked by the words of the pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. Pastor Robert Jeffress:
“When I’m looking for a leader who is going to fight ISIS and keep this nation secure, I don’t want some weak and mild leader who’s going to turn the other cheek, I’ve said that I want the meanest toughest SOB I can find to protect this nation.”
These words move way beyond legitimate concern towards utter fear. But this is the kind of fear that has permeated American society at least since 9/11.
On the morning of 9/11 I was driving to a meeting when an elder in my church called me to ask if I had heard what had happened. She then said something that I have never forgotten. She said:
“America will never be the same after today!”
I’m afraid she was right. Many Americans have been living in dreadful fear for the past sixteen years.
In fact, the most compelling narrative in America today is the narrative of fear. The surrogates of fear are the news media, politicians, and yes even certain members of the clergy. Fear has gripped the American heart and many have succumbed to the hollow promises of politicians who promise to protect us all.
Truth is: We’ve been duped.
The Christian is reminded repeatedly in the Bible not to allow fear to control us. The Scriptures are crystal clear in reminding us:
“There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear.”
This is something the world will never understand: God’s antidote to fear is love. Not just any kind of love, but rather the special brand of love called agape—the kind of love that is self-sacrificing and redemptive.
The kind of love that was able to overcome fear and be led innocently to a Roman execution.
So do a reality check the next time you hear some politician (or any person for that matter) attempt to exploit you by the use of fear to earn your support and vote. Ask yourself: “Is this person driven by the love (agape) of God embedded in his or her heart or is fear itself the prime driver.”
I close with the words of the author of 2 Timothy:
“For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
Here’s a love driven narrative we all can live with my friends.
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