Freedom Without Fear
“in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.”
(Eph.3:12). After telling the Ephesian saints that God had given him the gift of making known the good news to the Gentiles, and that God’s wisdom is now manifest to the spiritual realm, Paul tells these Christians they have “boldness and access with confidence through faith” in Christ. A modern rendition of the above passage makes Paul’s statement easier to understand – “In Christ we can come before God with freedom and without fear. We can do this through faith in Christ.” While Christians are always to be respectful and stand in awe of God, unfortunately, some live with the unnecessary fear of uncertainty. This is a far cry from what Paul told the Ephesians. He told them that in Christ (“in whom”) they “have boldness.” The word “boldness” translates a Greek word that is defined as “free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance.” Those who view the Christian’s relationship with God as a Russian roulette arrangement, where one is only justified as long as they never sin, and each time they sin they must get justified all over again, cannot understand and accept the meaning of the apostle’s statement. Also, those who want to define “faith” as being the same as works will never experience being able to “come before God with freedom and without fear,” unless of course, they actually think their works are good enough to contribute to their salvation. But only a self-righteous person believes that. Paul said we have “freedom…without fear,” not because of our works, but because of our “faith in Christ.” Does a true believer work? Yes! James tells us that the works a Christian does show others that he has a genuine faith in God’s mercy. But the unnecessary fear and uncertainty so many of our brethren experience today is due to the error of those who present faith as being the same as works and teach a perverted gospel of a Russian roulette flavor. Such is heard from too many of our pulpits. As for me, I prefer the real gospel and delight in presenting it, because it gives “boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.”