It is important for Christian writers to be bold, not worrying so much about who might be offended by the gospel or who might take biblical truth the wrong way. Despite society being fragile these days with so many people triggered by the littlest thing, this situation shouldn’t stop us from proclaiming God’s truth.
We all need to be more fearless in the way we live and communicate. After all, as children of God, we need not worry since we know He not only has our back, but also is in front of us, beside us, above us, and below us. His Spirit lives in us. Courage comes from knowing we are not alone in the battle.
But at the same time, I think we need to live and communicate a lot more “fearful.”
The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge according to Proverbs 1:7. Hebrews 10:26-31 starts with mentioning a fear of God’s judgment and ends with, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Christian writers are representing Jehovah God to the world. While called to be strong, courageous, and fearless, confident in God’s protection and inspiration, there should be a healthy dose of “fearful writing,” meaning we take great care reflecting the heart of God.
Sometimes, fearless behavior flows from confidence in self and our own ability. A confidence in God should create a delicate mix of courage (fearless) and deep humility (fearful).
This is the same for any Christ-follower in any area of life, not only writers. When you get up in the morning as a Christ-follower, you take on the role of Christ’s ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20). I don’t know about you; but while I accept that role with confidence and joy, it also scares me.
And that’s good.
Without a fearful approach to writing, your theology, goals, and purpose will waver from the true north compass of God’s Word and focus on making people like you, above all else.
What does fearful writing look like?
• Work surrounded by prayer and preparation.
• An openness to God’s leading in a different direction than you might have planned and an open mind to Scripture as it transforms your opinions and work.
• Openness to other people (like editors) to speak into what you write. God gifts and equips others in complementary ways.
I hope this post was a little more than simple word-play for you today. As God leads us through a fallen world, we all learn about balancing things like grace and truth; forgiveness and judgment; loving God and loving others; leading and submitting; faith and works; and living a confident, courageous life in service of God our Father while holding Him in reverent fear in all we do.
It’s a journey. Hold your head up as you fearlessly represent Christ to the world; but also hold your eyes down in reverent fear, so you can clearly see the road God has before you.
