And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Christ speaks here to His friends, telling them not to be afraid of those who kill the body, because after killing the body they have no more that they can do to a person. Their power ends with bodily death, so fear of them is forbidden. What they can do is inflict bodily suffering, torture, pain and death, and that is all they can do. By that alone they cannot control the conscience, corrupt or change the character, tarnish the soul, or harm the soul of one who conscientiously serves God.
Such opposition was shown when priests and rulers did all in their power against Christ and all who acknowledged Him. It continues when people persecute even unto death to force worship of an idol sabbath brought in by the man of sin who thinks to change times and laws. All such persecution is imbued with the spirit of Satan, who is a liar and a murderer, who continually seeks to ruin souls God seeks to save and under whose direction people inflict suffering on the body. The verse belongs to a call for those blessed with great light to put their whole heart into serving Christ instead of striving in a tame, listless way, to seek the Lord most earnestly, to live and practice the truth and not only claim to believe it, and to give themselves to daily prayer and watchfulness with supreme love to God and to those for whom Christ died.
It therefore forbids letting fear of human consequences lead to disobedience to God. In keeping the seventh-day Sabbath this means not clinging to a job from fear of poverty or hardship for one's family, but trusting that God knows one's circumstances and cares for those who follow Him. The chapter containing the verse is a lesson of great importance for God's people, applied to trusting God by faith and using the Lord's money responsibly, including avoiding needless adornment when building a house of worship.
Christ speaks here to His friends, telling them not to be afraid of those who kill the body, because after killing the body they have no more that they can do to a person. Their power ends with bodily death, so fear of them is forbidden. What they can do is inflict bodily suffering, torture, pain and death, and that is all they can do. By that alone they cannot control the conscience, corrupt or change the character, tarnish the soul, or harm the soul of one who conscientiously serves God.
Such opposition was shown when priests and rulers did all in their power against Christ and all who acknowledged Him. It continues when people persecute even unto death to force worship of an idol sabbath brought in by the man of sin who thinks to change times and laws. All such persecution is imbued with the spirit of Satan, who is a liar and a murderer, who continually seeks to ruin souls God seeks to save and under whose direction people inflict suffering on the body. The verse belongs to a call for those blessed with great light to put their whole heart into serving Christ instead of striving in a tame, listless way, to seek the Lord most earnestly, to live and practice the truth and not only claim to believe it, and to give themselves to daily prayer and watchfulness with supreme love to God and to those for whom Christ died.
It therefore forbids letting fear of human consequences lead to disobedience to God. In keeping the seventh-day Sabbath this means not clinging to a job from fear of poverty or hardship for one's family, but trusting that God knows one's circumstances and cares for those who follow Him. The chapter containing the verse is a lesson of great importance for God's people, applied to trusting God by faith and using the Lord's money responsibly, including avoiding needless adornment when building a house of worship.