Victims or Victors?
Fear is a powerful motivator. The Roman emperor, Caligula, is credited with the quote, “Let them hate us as long as they fear us.”
My latest book, Philemon: Reflections on Christian Maturity, is scheduled for release in October. This personal letter of Paul — his only personal letter in the New Testament — gives us some insight into what it means to be a mature follower of Jesus. And one of the clearest signs of Christian maturity is freedom from fear.
“Fear not” were the first words of the angel who announced the birth of Messiah to the shepherds in the fields outside of Bethlehem.
“God has not given us a spirit of fear” were Paul’s words of encouragement to his young protege in ministry, Timothy.
“Perfect love casts out fear” is the message of John in his first New Testament letter.
Fear was knocking at the door of each of the three primary persons appearing in Paul’s letter to Philemon. For Paul, a prisoner on trial for his life in Rome, there was the fear of execution and death.
For Onesimus, the runaway slave and thief, death was also a real possibility. In my book, I describe how runaway slaves were dealt with by their masters. It’s not a pretty picture. At the very least, Onesimus, if he were lucky, could expect the letter “F” for fugitivus (the Latin word for “runaway) to be branded on his forehead with a hot iron.
Then there was Philemon, Onesiumus’ master. Paul urges him to forgive Onesimus and to receive him back as a brother in Christ. But the problem was the intense peer pressure Philemon faced from other slave owners. To allow Onesimus to return without punishment carried the likely possibility of being ostracized, boycotted, and blacklisted by others in the community on whom Philemon’s livelihood depended.
There are some clear parallels between the fears faced by these three men and the fears we face as Christians in today’s world. I’d like to address one of those fears — the fear of persecution from those who are openly hostile to Christian values and lifestyles.
Like many of you, I am aware of legislation, court cases, and the multitude of attacks on Christians in our world today; whether those attacks come from the Taliban on those seeking to live for Christ in Afghanistan or from same-sex couples who insist on singling out Christian bakers seeking to manage their business to God’s glory. (See the note at the end for further thoughts on this particular issue.) The truth of the matter is there are many things threatening the practice of our faith, many things to fear.
But for mature followers of Christ, these threats are powerless. They have absolutely no power over us.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” asks Paul. “Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”
The great apostle’s answer is an unequivocal, “No!” “In all these things,” he says, “we are more than conquerors (super conquerors is the literal translation) through him who loved us.”
Mature Christians reject the victim mentality that is so prevalent in much of the church today. They do this because they know that there is nothing that can hinder their faith, allegiance, and a lifestyle of worship that brings glory to their Lord and God.
In Christ,
Dan
Note: Concerning baking cakes for same-sex couples or others who do not share our Christian values, I’d like to encourage us to consider an option I’ve not heard much about. What if we bake the cake? What if we mix together the love of Christ with all the other ingredients? This, of course, is a matter of conscience for each individual, not unlike Paul’s discussion of eating meat sacrificed to idols in I Corinthians. At any rate, let’s give one another the freedom to choose what our hearts and consciences will allow in these kinds of circumstances.
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