COURAGE | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 12, 1900

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 26, No. 37.

COURAGE.

MAN is naturally a coward. Sin has made him so. At the very time when, per force of strength, he imagines himself brave, he is the most arrant coward. God is courageous; He is courage itself, just as He is love and power. The moment man yielded to the tempter in Eden, he became a coward. He tried to hide from God, his only friend, because he was afraid. It was his first experience in fear. After the disobedient act of our first parents, the record says:—

"And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day; and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." Gen. 3:8-10.

In the process of redemption, one of the essentials is the inspiration of true courage.

But for sin, the words "courage" and "fear" never would have been necessary to the human vocabulary. Courage would have been instinctive, and fear (as now understood) would have been unknown. The contrast in condition has made both words necessary in order to express the contrast. The idea of fearing God, and the injunction to fear God, mean a returning to confidence in God from the natural fear of man with which the human heart is imbued as a consequence of sin.

Now that man has become a coward, whom shall he fear? Jesus says: "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him." Luke 12:5. From the words of wisdom given to Solomon, we learn this: "Fear God and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man." Then fearing God simply means obedience from the heart. This is not an abject fear, as of a formidable enemy. Compare the thought, "Fear God, and keep His commandments," with John's expression, "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments." Thus the Biblical expression, "Fear God," means to love God. Spiritual things are always the antipode of the natural. Naturally, to fear God would mean to hide from Him. Spiritually, it means to love Him and draw near to Him. "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you."

Therefore, fearing God means courage to return from the dread of an enemy to the love of a Friend. Throughout the Gospel dispensation—which means all of man's probation on earth—God aims to inspire men with courage. To Joshua He said, "Be strong and of a good courage." Why?—Because Joshua had to lead His people against an enemy that seemed to be invincible. What was the basis of this advice?—It was the covenant made with the people at Sinai: "If ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people."

Through David the Lord gives this counsel: "O love the Lord, all ye His saints; for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord." Ps. 31:23, 24. Courage means standing in the faith. "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity." 1 Cor. 16:13, 14. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Eph. 6:10, 11.

That is just the point where we need courage—the point where our first parents failed, and became cowards, entailing cowardice on all their posterity. They could not "stand against the wiles of the devil" because they neglected to "put on the whole armor of God." They were for the moment attempting to stand in their own might, and of course they fell. Just so will every one who attempts to stand in the imaginary courage of his own might be sure to fall. It takes courage to resist the "wiles of the devil," but it is not the courage of bravado nor the might of muscle. It is the courage inspired by the love of God and the desire to do His will that enables one to overcome all of this world's obstacles. "Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in His commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon the earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house; and his righteousness endureth forever." Ps. 112:1-3. G.