This morning, I’d like us to think about Christian character. And specifically, a Christian virtue that we don’t usually hear much about from the pulpit. It’s mentioned only eight times in the New Testament, but it’s critically important, for at least two reasons. First of all, it’s important because no one gets to heaven without it. So this virtue is an essential aspect of Christian character. But second, it is important, because it is what makes the practice of all the other Christian virtues possible. So it is a key foundational, or enabling, virtue. What am I talking about? It’s courage.
Let me begin by backing up those rather bold statements I just made. I said that no one gets to heaven without courage. Really? Yes. Listen to what the apostle John writes:
“1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” (Revelation 21:1-2, 5-8)
Here John is describing the new heaven and new earth, and the Holy City, the new Jerusalem. He is telling us what blessings await us there. But he is also telling us who will not be there. And while most of these will come as no surprise—“the unbelieving, the vile, murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars”—there is one that stands out: “the cowardly”. Those who are cowardly, i.e., those who lack courage, will not inherit heaven. And this seems odd to us. Because we think of courage as something extra, something which only a few people are gifted with, rather than something basic and essential. Conversely, we tend to think of cowardice as a relatively minor character flaw. If someone is timid or fearful, we may not respect them highly, but we probably don’t think of them as being in the same category as these others that Jesus is speaking of here in Revelation: the unbelieving, murderers, etc. What that tells us is that there’s a gap—a significant gap—between how we see this virtue of courage and its corresponding vice of cowardice, and how God sees them. And so we have to ask why. Why does God set such a high value on courage? Why is this an essential characteristic of a Christian’s character? To put it more bluntly: Why does the lack of courage actually suggest a lack of faith? And if we need to be changed in this area, how do we go about it?
Why is courage so important? As I said before, it makes the practice of all the other virtues possible: it is a foundational, or enabling virtue. It’s what gives us the strength to actually put our faith into practice, even when we face opposition, or risk, or threats of one kind or another. And so, without the courage to act, none of the other virtues really matter. For example, love without courage is just empty sentimentality. If you say that you love someone, but you are unwilling to take a risk to actually do something to help them, it means very little. If you stand at a distance from them, hesitating to act because of the fear of being rejected, or misunderstood, or taken advantage of, or being exploited in some way, all the while saying how much you love them, God will not be impressed. Listen to what James has to say on the subject:
“14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:14-17)
That kind of passive, inactive, so-called faith is “dead”. Useless. In fact, just sending out good thoughts and positive vibes to someone and wishing them well, without lifting a finger to help them, is actually worse than useless. Because it gives you the feeling of being virtuous, when in fact, you’re not doing anything to meet their need. And why would someone do that? Because often, meeting someone else’s need entails taking a risk. Spending money to buy them food when we don’t know if we’ll have enough for ourselves. Worrying that they may not appreciate our attempts to help them. Facing criticisms of our motives. Sometimes the hand that reaches out to help gets slapped, or bitten. So there’s a risk in doing that.
Or let’s take faith, as another example. If you say that you have faith in God, but you aren’t willing to step out in faith, to take a risk, to do something hard that God is asking you to do, what good is your faith? And if someone’s need is spiritual rather than physical, it likewise requires courage to meet that need. Courage to witness to them about Christ. Courage to offer to pray with them. Courage to share our own story. They may scorn us, they may reject us, they may turn away from us. And so we hesitate to do that.
Let me just pause here: what is God asking you to do that you are hesitating to do, that you are fearful of doing, that you perhaps lack the courage to do, because of the risk involved? But even if there is something like that, it’s OK, right? God will understand. He won’t hold me accountable for not responding in faith, if I have a well-grounded fear of the consequences of doing so, right? Won’t God give me a pass, if it’s fear that prevents me from obeying him?
To answer that, let me give you an example from the book of Numbers, chapter 13. The people of Israel have been delivered from bondage in Egypt, and they have journeyed to the border of Canaan, a land which God has promised to them as their new homeland. Only one difficulty: it’s already inhabited. So Moses sends several spies into the land to explore it, to see what it is like. Remember, the purpose for this expedition is not to determine whether Israel should advance into Canaan. God had already told them to do so. In fact, God told this to Moses, when he first spoke to him from the burning bush and called him to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. This was always the plan. But when the spies come back from Canaan after 40 days, and they report what they have seen, their words are not words of faith and courage, but of unbelief and fear:
“30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.” (Numbers 13:30-33)
As a result of hearing this discouraging report, the people panicked and rebelled: they rebelled against Moses and Aaron, and thy rebelled against God. Joshua and Caleb pleaded with them not to do so:
6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (Numbers 14:6-9)
But the people of Israel wouldn’t listen. Instead, they threatened to stone Moses and Aaron to death. They wanted to return to Egypt. And here’s the key point. How did God respond? Did God say, “I understand, it certainly would be frightening to hear about the people of Canaan being stronger and more numerous than you. I understand why you wouldn’t want to risk fighting them. Why don’t you just camp here in the desert for a while and think it over? Maybe send out another expedition? And if you decide that you still don’t want to go in, then we’ll find another place for you to settle, someplace that isn’t filled with scary enemies”? Is that what God said? “OK, I understand, you’re frightened, never mind”? No, not at all. He was angry. He was enraged. His initial response was to tell Moses that he was going to send a plague to destroy them all. Moses talked him out of that. But his second response wasn’t much better:
26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.” (Numbers 14:26-35)
In other words, fear is no excuse, even if it is well founded. Because the spies were telling the truth; the people who lived in the land were in fact, larger and more numerous than the Israelites. But it didn’t matter. God expected them to be courageous, and to do what he had called them to do. Their fear did not exempt them from obeying God. And since they did not obey, he forbade them from ever entering into the promised land. That’s sobering, isn’t it?
Because they lacked courage, they disobeyed God and never entered into Canaan. And it is the same today. Those who lack the courage to obey God will not enter heaven. Because courage and faith are inseparably linked. As James told us, faith without the courage to act; faith without the courage to obey God, is not faith at all. Listen to the author of Hebrews, in the New Testament, reflecting on this same incident:
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. (Hebrews 3:16-19)
How do we know they didn’t have faith? How do we know they didn’t believe in God’s promises? Because they refused to go into the land God had promised them. They were afraid, and so they rebelled. They lacked the courage which is an essential part of faith.
Let’s dig a little deeper into what that courage is, and isn’t. Let’s start with a definition: “Christian courage is the willingness to do what God has called us to do, despite the cost, because we trust in his promises.” Courage, in general, can be physical; a willingness to risk bodily suffering, or injury, or even death. Or it can be the courage to risk a loss of some kind: financial loss, loss of employment, loss of reputation, loss of influence or status, loss of relationships, loss of safety. Perhaps even the loss of one’s freedom. There’s also professional or political courage: taking a stand for an unpopular opinion. Risking ridicule, or ostracism, or expulsion. We see people demonstrating all of these kinds of courage, every day. And we admire them for it. But it is only Christian courage if we do these things because that is what God has called us to do; because we are responding in faith to God’s call on our lives. Christian courage is risking suffering or loss in order to obey God. Similarly, taking a risk for reasons other than faith—for example, out of a desire for achievement—that may be praiseworthy in a human sense; but it’s not a uniquely Christian kind of courage.
Christian courage is also not foolhardiness, or presumption. Taking a risk when God has not called us to do so, or when God has explicitly told us not to do so, is not an act of faith. Let’s go back to the story in Numbers. How did the people react to God’s judgment on them?
“39 When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. 40 Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country, saying, “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!” 41 But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed! 42 Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, 43 for the Amalekites and the Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.”
44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.” (Numbers 14:39-45)
Now, did the Israelites demonstrate courage in attacking the people of Canaan? Yes, but it was a rebellious, presumptuous courage, not a courage that came from faith. Because at this point, God is telling them not to attack. But they decide to go ahead anyway. And the result was a disastrous defeat. In the same way, God will only bless and honor our courage if it comes from faith. Let’s go back to our definition: “Christian courage is the willingness to do what God has called us to do, despite the cost, because we trust in his promises.”
And that gets us to the “how”. How do we come to possess Christian courage? We do it by knowing, and relying on, God’s promises. When all the loudest voices in our head say, “Don’t! It’s too dangerous! It’s too risky! Think of what could happen!”, like the ten spies in the story who gave a bad report, we need to listen instead to God’s promises. We need to listen instead to the two spies in the story, Joshua and Caleb, who said, “Don’t be afraid. We can do it. God is with us”. And we need to look to Christ, who is the guarantor of all those promises, to strengthen our faith. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.”
What are those promises? There are literally thousands of promises in the Bible. I’m sure you have your favorites. I’ll give you two that I find to be the most encouraging.
“8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
You may have good friends you can rely on; you may be blessed with a loving family. And as Christians, we support and encourage one another. All of those are reasons to be thankful. But in Christ, we have a promise of support from God himself. He goes before us; and so he isn’t surprised by anything that happens. He’s already seen it and prepared for it. He is with us at all times, day and night, without fail. He will never leave us, no matter what happens. He will never abandon us. He will never give up on us. We will never turn around and find that he is no longer there. And so we are never alone. Whatever we are facing; whether it is illness, or sorrow, or loss, or hardship, or even a seemingly impossible task, he is with us, and will be with us, every step of the way. Amen?
Here's another promise:
“Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
Paul evidently struggled with some kind of physical ailment or disability. It was so severe that he begged the Lord three times for relief. And the Lord said “no”. Not because he couldn’t heal Paul, but because he wanted Paul to trust him even in the midst of suffering. Here’s my point. God promised Paul that his grace would be sufficient; that his power, the power of Christ, would be enough for the apostle to bear it. And not only to bear up under it, but to rejoice and delight in Christ despite it. And we have that same assurance. Whatever our trials may be, we can face them with courage, knowing that although our own strength may falter, Christ’s strength in us never will. Even though we may weaken, Christ will supply us with sufficient strength, so that we can trust and obey God, whatever life may throw at us.
I’ll close with those final two exhortations. May we heed them, and may we find God’s grace to be sufficient at all times, and in every circumstance, every day for the rest of our lives.
“27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
“13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”
(1 Corinthians 16:13)
We never need to be afraid. May we trust in God’s promises, guaranteed to us by his Son, Jesus Christ, and may we therefore act courageously in faith. Amen.
