R.B. of Infinite Monkeys recently wrote about the anxiety produced by the heightened sensitivity to terrorism. His post echoes feeling and questions that all of us have had since Sept. 11th. In relating the tale he shares with us how he explained bravery to his 4-year-old:
He had just come through getting a shot of anti-biotics for his ear infection. I told him he was brave for handling it the way he did. He told me that he wasn't brave – he was scared. Of course, I explained to him that being brave is exactly about being scared and doing what you ought to do anyway. If you're not scared, then you're not being brave. As my 8-year-old knows, I often go on to explain that without the fear that qualifies bravery, one is simply being foolhardy, oblivious, or ignorant; but not brave.
I should note that there are times that not being fearful even in the face of apparent peril can be wise. I'm thinking specifically about those frequent admonitions from Jesus and throughout Scripture in which we are commanded, "Do not fear..." (Of course, we are commanded to fear the Lord.) Perhaps someone (Joe Carter, or Jon?) can help me get a handle on the differences between the fearlessness of wisdom and the fearlessness of folly.
Bravery is a relative concept. A 4 year-old-boy who stoically endures a shot of anti-biotics may be considered brave. If the father had endured the same ordeal, though, it would be rather silly to believe he was being "brave." The father's knowledge and experience (he's undergone the procedure before and knows the sting will only last a moment) reduces his anxiety to the point where he has no need to muster the virtue of bravery in order to handle the situation.
Bravery, therefore, is only required in the absence of such knowledge and experience. As Plato wrote, "Courage is knowing what not to fear." In we, as Christians, are to develop the virtue of bravery we must clarify what we are, and are not, allowed to fear.
The Bible makes it emphatically clear that we are to fear God. This "fear of the Lord", however, is a difficult concept to grasp for Christians imbued with the idea that God is our "best friend." While we can possess an intimate relationship with God, we would do well to remember that even Christ -- who was co-equal in the Trinity -- possessed an awesome reverence for the Father. An awe-inspiring fear should be our first response before the Lord.
Proverbs 1:7 states that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." To know God is to fear him and to fear him is to reverently submit to his will. In biblical epistemology, "to know" is inseparable from "to do." If the "knowledge" doesn't lead to action then you can hardly claim to have knowledge at all. First we believe, then we act, and only then we can we claim to "know." Holy fear leads to wisdom, wisdom leads to obedience, and obedience leads to perfect trust. To fear God, therefore, leads us to do his will.
What else are we allowed to fear? Nothing. To fear anything other than God is a form of idolatry. Fear like worship belongs to God alone.
When we're fearful and anxious it's because we don't fully trust God. We have removed our focus from the "fear of the Lord", which induces us to do His will, to the "fear of the unknown", which causes us to put the priority on ourselves. (Obviously, this trust that replaces fear is progressive. The more we trust in the Lord, the more we do His will, the less we fear anything other than Him.)
When God commands us not to fear anything other than himself, it isn't because he wants us to remain ignorant. He's not calling us to be foolish or rash. Rather he desires the best for us and the best always entails doing his will. We lack God's eternal perspective and cannot always know what we should do or how we should act.
God, however, does know and expects us to trust in his knowledge. The fear that qualifies bravery is the fear of the Lord. Once we have that, we can be truly fearless.
[Let me clarify that this freedom from fear is not a passive acceptance of fate. The anxiety produced by our war on terrorism can only be replaced by our fear, trust, and obedience to God. In an upcoming post, I'll explore some of the duties required of Christians in our present circumstance.]
2
Good explanation! Just to reinforce your point: The Bible says Fear of the Lord leads to both knowledge and wisdom because "Fear of the Lord" leads us to Christ who becomes in us the wisdom of God.
posted on 12.26.2003 9:32 AM3
Your point about fear being necessary for true bravery is an excellent one. I'd like to point out also that freedom from fear and anxiety are also a good way to define Faith. I once had an argument with a liberal minister about the essence of faith. I assert that true faith must rest at least partially on knowledge of some sort. (He prefers to look at the Bible as being highly metaphorical and not very factual therefore he had to claim that faith doesn't rest on fact or he would look silly professing a "faith" in metaphor.)
Our faith rests on fact. The more we get to know God and His Will for us, the less fear and anxiety we have and voila! the more faith we have too.
Great post!
4
Hey J.D.,
Thanks. But I have to give R.B. from Infinite Monkeys credit for his highly quotable "fear qualifies bravery" line.
You make an excellent point about faith. To paraphrase Christian philospher Alvin Plantinga, our faith is based on a warranted true belief. If faith isn't rooted in fact then it has no foundation at all.
posted on 12.26.2003 8:19 PM