We live in a time of great uncertainty. We have more information available to us than ever before and yet seem to have ever fewer answers. We have lived through multiple end-of-the-world events in just the last few years. We are seeing a rise of anti-Christian sentiments in our nation and around the world. It can be easy to think that we are losing, that this is a time of retreat or a time to be given to fear.
It is completely natural, as sinners, for us to be afraid. When Adam and Eve were first created, they enjoyed a relationship with God that was completely free of fear. But after they sinned, they became afraid (Gen. 3:10). It is a natural response for a sinner to be afraid of the God of the Bible. Throughout the Old Testament, we read how men and women dreaded being confronted by God.
When God spoke the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, the Israelites trembled with terror (Ex. 20:18). When the Lord appeared to Samson’s father, he told his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God” (Judg. 13:22). Guilt induces fear. It is natural for guilty sinners to be afraid of the God against whom they have sinned.
So when the shepherds saw the angel of God coming to them in the heavens, their reaction was natural. They were afraid, and rightly so. But God sent His heavenly emissary with a message not of terror but of peace. So the angel said, “Fear not!” or “Do not be afraid!”
The message that Jesus brings is one of amazing love and grace from God. He has “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” And what is this joyous news? That “unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
God comes to people who, because of our sin, are rightly scared of Him, and He announces peace to us. He comes to people who deserve His wrath and judgment and gives us His own Son. And Jesus comes into the world with this message: “Fear not!” In Hebrews 2:14–15 we read that Jesus became man “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”
Jesus came into the world to rescue us from our sin. He came to remove our guilt and our fear. How? By simply announcing that we are all okay? That everyone is basically good and that we just need to esteem ourselves more highly? No! That would have been putting a Band-Aid on a cancer. Jesus did not come to treat our sin problem superficially. Rather, He came to deal decisively and completely with it. He came to be our Savior.
Jesus came to release us from fear. For those who are trusting in Jesus, there is no longer any need to fear. Your life is secure in Christ. In Him, you are assured of peace with God and eternal life in heaven. This is what Jesus came into the world to provide for us. And in doing so, He has delivered us from the bondage of fear. This is definitely “good news of great joy”!
Do you see how this works? Jesus has come into the world and by His life, death, and resurrection from the dead has taken away our greatest fear—the fear of death. So now, if our worst fear has been removed through the work of Christ, there is no reason for us to be afraid of smaller things, like losing a job, having health issues, being rejected by friends or family, or making poor grades at school.
The message of Christmas is “Fear Not!” God is ruling and overruling the world for the good of His people and the advance of Hias kingdom. He is working all things together for our good. So trust Him. Your God has come to you! Jesus Christ was born to save you from your sin! God is now with us! He is for us! Therefore, remember the birth of our Lord and take to heart the angel’s announcement:
Fear not!
(This article is taken from Tom Ascol’s most recent book, As the Darkness Clears Away. This is available now at press.founders.org.)
