Don’t Fear People, Fear God

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!”

Luke 12: 4-5

In the Bible, Jesus tells his friends not to be scared of those who can only hurt their bodies but can’t do anything to their souls. He wants them to understand something important about fear, faith, and God’s power.

In Luke 12:4-5, Jesus talks to his friends, calling them “my friends.” He knows that people naturally get scared of things that can hurt them physically. But Jesus wants them to think about bigger things beyond this life.

Jesus shows that while people can hurt our bodies, they can’t decide what happens to our souls after we die. Only God has that power. He’s the one who decides where our souls go after we leave this world.

This passage reminds us that we should respect and honor God above everything else. It tells us to think about fear itself and turn our focus to God instead.

In the Bible, there are other verses that say similar things. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus says, “Don’t be scared of people who can only hurt your body. Be scared of God, who can decide what happens to your body and soul in the afterlife.” This verse reminds us to care more about our spiritual lives than our physical safety.

Also, the Psalms, which are like songs and poems in the Bible, offer comfort when we’re scared or unsure. Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; whom should I be afraid of?” These words remind us that God is always with us, especially when we’re going through tough times.

Many wise people, like Augustine of Hippo and John Calvin, have thought deeply about these ideas. They’ve written books that help us understand fear and faith better.

In the end, Luke 12:4-5 teaches us to trust God and not be afraid. It encourages us to have faith and show respect to God in everything we do. As we go through life, let’s remember Jesus’ words and trust God to take care of us, no matter what happens.

References

The Holy Bible, New International Version

Augustine of Hippo, “Confessions“

John Calvin, “Institutes of the Christian Religion”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “The Cost of Discipleship”

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🌷Every morning, I am blessed with an inspiring wake-up call from His Excellency, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Selvister Ponnumuthan, the Bishop of Punalur in Kerala, India. Today’s blog post draws inspiration from the beautiful verses he shared in his morning message.