Jesus Christ: our Peace in the midst of troubled seas!

Would you really be able to stay calm and unruffled when your child or spouse is seriously ill or when your means of livelihood is about to disappear? How does one remain unperturbed in these and other disturbing circumstances?

Believers, you cannot psych or will yourself out of fear by your own effort. No amount of mental gymnastics can transform a person from being fearful, stressed and anxious to being restful and at peace in the face of impending danger. Even when the danger has passed, the thought of a recurrence in the future can cause one to live in constant fear!

Fear is an emotion that does not budge unless it is CAST OUT by a greater power: our Lord Jesus Christ's PERFECT LOVE. See 1 John 4:18 -19

18 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us."

Fear is a confident expectation of evil things happening to one and is borne of a lack of knowledge and acceptance of the perfect love of Christ for us. It is associated with the rooster coming home to roost because of Adam's sin which subjects everyone to the ills of this world and our own shortcomings. Knowing and confessing the perfect love of Christ for us is what casts out fear. His perfect love for us is shown in John 15:13- 

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."

He died for our sins. He took our curse (Galatians 3:13) and the "unwholenesses" in our body (Isaiah 53:5.) By His obedience we are made righteous (Romans 5:19) so that we (who do not deserve to) can escape judgment and enjoy all the promises and blessings of God that accrue to the righteous in the bible, for example, Isaiah 54:15 says-

“In righteousness you shall be established;

You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;

And from terror, for it shall not come near you.”

These promises are for those who are established in the Lord’s Righteousness by the Lord Himself, not theirs from their ability to keep the Ten Commandments. We know it is the Lord’s Righteousness and not our own from obedience to the Law because Romans 3:10 says “As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;…” and Isaiah 64:6 says- “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags...”

Also see Proverbs 12:3 -

"No harm befalls the righteous, But the wicked are filled with trouble."

The difference between the righteous and the wicked is not what they do to be righteous but HOW they are made righteous; by Christ's obedience (Romans 5:19) or by their own obedience to the Law which cannot make anyone righteous in the sight of God according to Romans 3:20. Bear in mind that Galatians 5:4 says:

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."

Of ourselves we are powerless against these emotions of fear and anxiety. But in Christ, the Holy Spirit convicts of righteousness, reminding us of the perfect love of the One who laid down His life for us that we might "Fear not," and reminding us of the righteousness that we have in Him, a righteousness that does not depend on our works or ability to keep the Law.

Even when problems loom large and stare us in the face, by His Grace, wrapped up in and confessing Christ's perfect love for us with the evidence of the right-standing with God that He died that we might have, our fears disappear.

There are those who tell you to "have faith" in troubling times, with their definition of "have faith" being "Are you not a Christian? Man up and decide not to worry." With such advisers, a believer's deliverance from trouble depends on his ability to "muster up faith." Not so, believers. Faith is a gift given to all who believe "...as God has allotted to each a measure of faith." (Romans 12:3). It authored and perfected by our Saviour Jesus Christ and is not something that we muster up by sheer self-will and determination! Whether you have great faith like the centurion or little faith like Peter, He will help you. He will perfect that faith that He gave to you. We can do nothing but that which He gives us grace to do.

Our Saviour Jesus Christ never told Peter to "have faith" when Peter was sinking; in the midst of his troubles. He saved Peter (immediately) when Peter called upon him before telling Peter of his little faith! Imagine Jesus telling Peter "Build your faith and relax so that you too can walk on water" without helping him out of his trouble! 

Faith is a confident expectation of good. It is the opposite of fear which is a confident expectation of evil. And faith comes from hearing; not hearing the Law (which is not of faith) but "hearing by the word of Christ."

Some bible versions like KJV and NKJV have "hearing by the word of God" but this is an incorrect translation. The original Greek translation says "word of Christ." The Law is also the word of God but "the Law is not of faith."

Remember 1 John 4: -18 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us."

When the Law is preached (any preaching that says believers are to keep the Law in order to be righteous before God,) the wrath of God is unveiled. And because all have sinned, there remains a fearful expectation of punishment among the hearers. But the arm of flesh will fail, so like Peter who denied Jesus three times, such people under this kind of teaching find themselves doing the very things that they resolved not to do. See Romans 7:5.

But when the perfect love of Christ (His suffering and death to save us from eternal damnation and every earthly ill) is unveiled in the word of Christ, faith comes. Fear disappears and we end up loving Christ and our neighbour too. Very difficult to do things that will sadden the ones you love:) We get to live right.

Because of Christ's perfect love for us (He suffered and died in our place, paid the price for our eternal righteousness) God the Righteous is not just being merciful when He blesses us with all of the blessings of the righteous, His righteousness demands that He blesses us who are in Christ who paid the price for ALL of our past, present and future sins! And boy does He LOVE to bless us!

This is Grace. We are saved by God's undeserved, unmerited favour, right from our being-born again to our being caught up with Christ at His coming (Rapture.) Nothing to do with what we did/do; all to do with what Christ has done.

Believers, Christ's perfect love casts out fear. As He did with Peter (who went on to deny Him after walking on water! Praise the Lord for restoration) let go and let Him help you over and over and over again. You will begin to have a confident expectation of good a.k.a faith.

He never says "enough" to saving us and helping us out of the plenty messes that we create. He leads us on the path of righteousness. It is His "Neither do I condemn you" that makes us "go and sin no more."

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.