Scripture should guide the way that professing Christians view the world. Consider Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Jesus was talking to His twelve disciples and He commanded them. He was not giving them an option.
Opposing factions to God’s truth would want to kill the disciples for preaching and teaching it. To save their bodies, they might stop preaching and teaching the truth. That is fearing them. Those trying to kill their bodies could not kill their souls. Jesus elevates the soul above the body. Sometimes today, it is not even physical death at stake. Instead, it is a less comfortable or less popular existence. People may not like you as well.
When you fear Him who can kill both soul and body, God, you fear God’s eternal judgment. The question becomes, who do you fear more, man or God? And, are you more concerned about temporal, physical, or social matters or about eternal ones? Which matter the most? Your actions will speak loud in what you do. What will you do with what Jesus said? Your actions will show who you fear, which is in essence what you believe.
God also kills body and soul of people to whom we stop preaching and teaching, because we don’t want the judgment of people, who at worst can kill our bodies. In this country, they might not even kill our bodies, but something less that is still more significant to us than the eternal souls of men. God commands us not to fear them. Instead, He commands us to fear Him. What will you do?
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