Living in a Culture of Fear
In the past two decades, we’ve seen an exponential increase of lawlessness, violence, and plain uncaring. Mass casualty events have become all too commonplace. Sexual abuse scandals have rocked the secular as well as the church world; such stories are almost a daily occurrence. Crimes against the weak and vulnerable by the rich and powerful continue, almost unchecked. One only needs to glance through a local news source to see the truth of this.
Add to that the current political climate in the United States. Every side is afraid of “the other people” gaining control of the government (whoever “the other side” may be). Almost uniformly, the main reason is a fear of what will happen if “they” run the government. The rhetoric is more toxic than this country has ever seen, regardless of where one looks on the political spectrum. In the wake of such rhetoric we have seen the rise of political violence.
And then there’s another recent trend: fear-inducing hoaxes. These have been directed at politicians, other public figures, and most recently college campuses. What is to be gained by these acts? Whether for political or non-political reasons, they all have the same goal: to cultivate a culture of fear.
Jesus said this time would come. He said, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matt. 24:12, NIV). What happens when love grows cold? As Paul says, “evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). When love grows cold and wickedness increases, we see an increase of fear–in all corners. The real question is, “How are we to live in this culture of fear?” As Christians, we are called to live in faith, not in fear. How do we do this?
The essence of faith, both Jesus and Paul tell us, is love. Jesus says that the Greatest Commandments are to love God, then love others (Matt. 22:37-40). Paul tells us, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Gal. 5:6). The central idea of faith is love. To walk in faith, we must love. However, love cannot coexist with fear, as John tells us:
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:16–18)
From this, we can see several truths that we need to understand and apply.
Fear and love are polar opposites. John often wrote in black/white language, using two words as polar opposites. In this passage, we see that love and fear are diametrically opposed. We can live in fear, or we can walk in love. We can’t do both.
Fear is a tactic of the enemy. Since “God is love,” and we are called to become like Him in Christ, anything outside of that does not come from God. Fear comes from the enemy of our souls. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). God, however, works through “faith expressing itself through love” (Gal. 5:6).
Fear paralyzes, but love empowers. Fear makes us retreat, stay silent, and withhold good (for example, see Matt. 25:25, the servant who hid his talent “because he was afraid”). Love, by contrast, emboldens us to act sacrificially, as seen in Christ laying down His life (John 15:13).
Fear focuses on self-preservation, but love focuses on self-giving. Fear asks, “How can I protect myself?” Love asks, “How can I bless others?” (Phil. 2:3–4). Jesus showed this in Gethsemane: though overwhelmed with dread, He chose love, submitting to the Father for our sake (Luke 22:42).
Fear isolates, but love unites. Fear divides communities into “us vs. them.” Love breaks down dividing walls of hostility (Eph. 2:14–16), uniting people in Christ.
Fear leads to bondage, but love leads to freedom. Paul says, “You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but the Spirit of adoption” (Rom. 8:15). In Christ’s love, we are freed to live as children of God.
We are called to walk in freedom (Gal. 5:1). The only way to do that is living by “faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6).
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