Stratford church of Christ Column
When the apostle Paul began preaching in Corinth, the Lord spoke to him and said, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10). There were those in that city who had blasphemed against the gospel message and who had become a threat to Paul’s safety. But the Lord said, “Do not be afraid . . . I am with you.”
The same kind of assurance is found in Hebrews 13:6. “So we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” The Psalmist wrote, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
The thought of these passages is that we are not to be afraid to stand for God in our lives. We are never to be afraid to do what is right according to God’s word. Even in the face of the world’s opposition, we must continue to do the Lord’s bidding in our lives.
In the ninth chapter of John, Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth. The Jewish religious leaders, who were the enemies of Christ, even questioned the parents of the healed man about this miracle. But because the parents feared those Jewish leaders, they refused to commit themselves. In John 9:20-23, we read the following narration. “His parents answered them and said, ‘We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.’ His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’” Too many are still having this kind of fear when it comes to the people around them. Many feel fearful when it comes to standing for God. But it is so important that we stand for what is right in the sight of God, no matter what!
An example of this is seen when sometimes a stand must be taken in matters of morality. But instead of standing for God’s word on the matter, a silent attitude may be seen in a number of people simply because they fear that some mistreatment would come their way. I am grateful that Jesus did not feel this way when He stood for me at the cross.
When standing for the right, never be afraid to go against the crowd. When a crowd is gathered together, even if the circumstance finds them choosing an evil path, it becomes an easy thing for many people to get caught up in the moment. After all, our society frequently considers that the majority has to be right. It is frequently a temptation to go along with what everyone else is doing.
One Bible example of this was seen in a man named Pontius Pilate. He became afraid to go against the crowd that wanted Jesus crucified. In Matthew 27, the Bible tells of a crowd that had gathered to cry out for Jesus to be crucified. The Jewish religious leaders had falsely claimed that a need for Jesus to be killed had been established. So the crowd went along. Even though Pilate saw that Jesus was innocent, he did not want to go against this crowd of people. So, as a politician of his day, Pilate went along and allowed the crucifixion of Jesus to take place.
We read the following words in Matthew 27:20-26. “But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’ They said, ‘Barabbas!’ Pilate said to them, ‘What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all said to him, ‘Let Him be crucified!’ Then the governor said, ‘Why, what evil has He done?’ But they cried out all the more, saying, ‘Let Him be crucified!’ When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult (a riot) was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, ‘I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.’ And all the people answered and said, ‘His blood be on us and on our children.’ Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.”
Jesus taught that the majority will follow the wrong course in this life, even though they will think they are right. The Lord stated in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Christians should not seek to be conformed to the things of the world. Romans 12:2 states, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Standing for what is right will often cause the loss of friends or family. It may bring ridicule, and it might even cause us to be persecuted. It is not always easy to do the right thing, especially when it means acting contrary to what others think.
But God says, “Do not be afraid . . . I am with you.” When faith in God rests firmly in our hearts, worldly opposition loses its significance.
Remember the words of Psalm 27:1. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
