From Fear To Confidence

by Chris Simmons

After discussing at the end of Hebrews chapter 3 those who “would not enter His rest” because of their disobedience and unbelief, the Hebrew writer begins chapter 4 with the somber words “Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it” (Hebrews 4:1). Fear comes from the Greek word phobeo which can mean either “to … be afraid” as well as “to reverence, venerate, to treat with deference or reverential obedience” (Thayer). We should note the object of our fear in verse 1 isn’t God but the prospect of “com(ing) short” of our goal of entering heaven (“His rest”). The apostle Paul was “afraid” for his brethren that they would come short of the goal of heaven (2 Corinthians 11:3; 12:20) and that his work in preaching the gospel would be “in vain” (Galatians 4:11).

Yet, having begun this context with a focus on “fear,” notice how the Hebrew writer closes this discussion in Hebrews 4:16 by saying, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” How do we move from a fear of coming short of His rest to having confidence? I believe God gives us the answers in the context between Hebrews 4:1 and Hebrews 4:16.

First, we move from fear to confidence when we unite our hearing of the word of God with an active, obedient faith. We read in verse 2, “For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.” To be “united by faith” with the word (note the context of Romans 10:10-17) means that we take action on what God said. We move from fear to confidence when we act by faith with urgency and immediacy to what God says. Notice every example of faith in Hebrews chapter 11 who united the hearing of God’s word with faithful action. Whether it be Noah, Abraham, Moses or any of the others mentioned, they moved from fear to confidence by uniting faith with their hearing of the word of God and acting on what God said. It’s important to note that one of the things that Paul was thankful for the brethren in Thessalonica for was their “work of faith” (I Thessalonians 1:3). Indeed, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26) and should never provide anyone with spiritual confidence.

Second, we focus on the value of each and every day God gives us to address the receptiveness of our heart to His will. We read in Hebrews 4:7, “He again fixes a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, ‘Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.’” We move from fear to confidence when we focus on daily spiritual renewal. We accomplish daily spiritual renewal only when we divert our attention from things temporal to things eternal. Paul wrote in II Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Daily spiritual focus and renewal will keep our heart from becoming hardened and move us from fear to confidence.

Third, we unite our hearing with faith and daily renew our hearts through a lot of hard work. We read in Hebrews 4:11, “Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.” When we fight the good fight of faith (I Timothy 6:12) and run the race diligently (Hebrews 12:1-2), we can also move from fear to confidence even as Paul expressed at the end of his life in II Timothy 4:7-8. Confidence is to be found in our diligent labor for the cause of Christ. You can hear the confidence Paul calls us to in I Corinthians 15:58 where he wrote, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” Peter spoke of confidence through diligence in II Peter 1:10 where we read, “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.” Those “things” that we’re to practice are found in verses 5-7 and include such attributes as “faith … moral excellence … knowledge … self-control … perseverance … godliness … brotherly kindness, and … love” (II Peter 1:5-7).

Fourth, we allow the word of God to convict us of our sins and show us our faults. Hebrews 4:12-13, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” It may seem counterintuitive to think we can have confidence when we allow God’s word to expose our sin, but only through acknowledgment, confession, and repentance can we know and be assured that our sins are forgiven and that we can look with confidence on the day of judgment. John speaks of this in I John 3:19-22, “We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” It’s critical we use the truth of God’s word to examine ourselves to see if we’re “walking in the light” (I John 1:9) and “in the faith” (II Corinthians 13:5) so that we can seek the forgiveness that Christ gave His life for.

Finally, we move from fear to confidence when turn to our “great High Priest” and seek to draw near to Him. Hebrews 4:14-16, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We can move from fear to confidence knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was tempted as we are tempted and therefore can “sympathize” (“to be affected with the same feeling as another,” Thayer) with us and grant us “mercy and … grace to help in time of need.” Our confidence isn’t in our own righteousness but in our faith in the gospel that our sins have been forgiven and in God’s promise that our prayers (“according to His will,” I John 5:14-15) will be heard and responded to.

These points are summarized in the following passage from the apostle Paul to the brethren in Corinth. II Corinthians 1:12, “For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.”