“I’ve come to slay your monster,” announces Beowulf to the harassed kingdom of Hrothgar in the old epic poem. Well, hopefully, I’ve also come to slay your monster. As I look across the landscape of this world, there is an increasing shadow monster of fear that would rival the terror of Grendel.
Governments, terrorists, media giants, tech titans, and others use fear as a primary weapon. The power of this fear rests on one foundation, “do what we say or else….” Their sword stroke demands are swung with religious fervor and orthodoxy. And sometimes, they draw blood. Folks have lost jobs for going against the grain. Pastors are on trial today in Canada for quoting Biblical and scientific truths. Others have been canceled, de-platformed, and had their viewpoint taken down because it challenged a protected viewpoint.
Without a doubt, fear is a powerful motivator. But fear only works on those who bow the knee to it. Many have tried to sway Christ-followers through fear, but we have something greater. Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28, NLT) Yet, our fear of God is tempered into reverence by something the shadow monster speaks but doesn’t understand – love.
The Bible says, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” (1 Corinthians 13:4–7, NLT) Fear, on the other hand, is impatient and ruthless. It is jealous and boastful and proud and rude. Fear demands its own way and is easily triggered. It hunts for any transgression to be found in the record, no matter how old. It often uses injustice to fix past injustice. Fear knows only its own truth. Fear, like love, never quits. The shadow monster of fear may speak of love, justice, and truth, but it is with twisted motives that demand its own way.
Now, we have to acknowledge a hard truth. Christ-followers have used fear to advance their own causes and agendas. That was and is wrong. We’ve used fear-based evangelism tactics, scaring folks into the kingdom of God even while we have the much more powerful and longer-lasting weapon of love at hand.
I’ll tell this in brief. D. L Moody was a well-known and revered evangelist in the late 1800s. For years he preached a fear-based gospel. Then, through a series of events, a young British evangelist spoke at Moody’s church for several nights in a row. During that time, he spoke on one verse with one subject. The verse was John 3:16; the topic was God’s love. “I have never forgotten those nights,” Moody said later. “I have preached a different Gospel since, and I have had more power with God and man since then.”
The Bible says, “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” (1 John 4:18, NLT) We slay the shadow monster of fear through love. When we battle over truth, our motive must be love. More than just our love for others, but that others may also embrace the love of God. That changes the conversation a bit.
Love, however, may mean short-term losses for long-term gains. The monster may actually look like it is winning. But the message of Jesus has been in this situation before and triumphed over the evil of fear. History tells us of martyrs and those that refused to bow to the fear. Many of whom expressed love and forgiveness to their executioners.
As always, we turn practical for a moment. Turning back fear and choosing love doesn’t mean we become foolhardy daredevils. We do recognize risk and operate with due caution. We also look behind the shadow of fear to find the nuggets of truth that may be driving it. Then, we approach that truth with honesty, repenting if appropriate, and addressing the truth with the love of Christ. In this, we seek to examine our own motives. Where are we motivated by fear? Where should we be motivated by love? When and where have we leveraged fear to change or control others? You see, the shadow monster of fear isn’t just out there somewhere; it is also inside of us. And that is the monster Jesus is here to slay today.
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