Fear of Man

Written By Jeff Rybacki
 

When People are Big and God is Small by Edward Welch. I have been reading this book to grow my understanding of fear. The book has been very insightful on the fear of man. This is something that we will be challenged with at one point in our lives, so here are some insights found in the book. As Christians, it is easy to say that we fear God and not men, but SELF is lurking in the background and ready to take our attention from God. As Christians, we should desire to turn our gaze from an inward focus (self) to an outward focus (God). Being overcome by the fear of man is a battle that we all face. Not only does the fear of man hinder us from our love for God, but it also hinders us from loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as our neighbors and even our enemies. A focus on God and His glory is necessary if we are to properly worship Him and not make an idol out of other people and their opinions of us. 

The fear of man is when we replace God with people and begin to fear others more than we fear the Lord our God. At the root of the fear of man is an idolatrous heart. As image bearers, we are made to reflect the glory of God. While we do not do this perfectly, we were created to image Him before all of creation. Yet, sin has marred that image and often redirects man’s focus inward. “After the fall into sin, people remained image-bearers, but Adam’s disobedience brought fundamental changes to our ability to reflect God’s image. The direction of the human heart became oriented not toward God but toward self. Adam said, I want. I want glory for myself rather than giving all the glory to God. I love my own desires rather than loving God.”(p.148) 

I do what I do because I want what I want. I heard this statement at a biblical counseling training, and we see it displayed every day in our own desires, thoughts, and actions. If we are focused on self, then we do what pleases and glorifies us. If we focus on God, then we do what pleases and glorifies Him. If our focus is turned inward, on what others think about us and can do for us, we have turned from fearing the Lord to fearing man. Fear of man can be seen in our lives when we become concerned that people will see us as we really are, so we work hard to try to impress them. It can also be seen in a fear that people will reject us. When this happens, we become concerned with their approval rather than the approval of God. 

The fear of the Lord is a worship that recognizes the work that God has done through Christ on behalf of His people. Worship should leave us in awe of God and thus draw us closer to Him. As we draw near to God in worship our thoughts are less and less consumed with others. The idolatrous thoughts that we once held toward other people and their opinions will be replaced with thoughts about the majesty, glory, and holiness of God. This is the movement that should take place in all of us as we grow in our faith. A growing knowledge of who God is also results in a more biblical understanding of who we are. We recognize our idolatrous tendencies and how quickly we downplay sin in our lives. We move toward repentance on a regular basis and begin to see the good that God has showered us with. This knowledge of God is crucial for us as we grow in knowing a proper fear of the Lord. The Spirit of God works in us through His Word to turn our hearts from an inward focus upward to the glory of God. Our focus will be more on the glory of God and knowing Him, rather than the opinions and approval from others. Loving others well will become a natural outflow of this process. As we come to know God we see His love for creation, which leads us to love others as Christ loves us. This causes us to love others sacrificially. This love is costly, as we love others regardless of what they can or cannot give us.

Think through some people in your life whose opinion you highly regard. Is there a temptation for you to fear what they think and therefore taking your eyes off of God?

 
Jeff Rybacki
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