“God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (II Ti. 1:7).
What are the characteristics of social Christianity? What are the characteristics of biblical Christianity? What characteristics describe your Christianity?
Scores of professing Christians are timid in their expression of Christianity. You should expect timidity from mere professors and those lacking in the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The spirit of timidity is a spirit of imprisoning fear – it is the spirit of the prince of darkness grim. God gifts no Christian with cowardice.
Paul knew Timothy’s inclination to fearful timidity (I Cor. 16:10). Every saint must battle his fearful leaning toward timidity in the matters of eternity. God in Christ makes men fearless in the face of the gravest challenges.
The gospel of God’s Scripture, when applied and lived to the full, medicines the Christian’s natural temperaments so that what may have been a birth defect is converted into an excellency. The Spirit of Christ makes the crooked straight and the rough smooth. Christians are no longer reeds shaken by the wind, for they have become pillars of righteousness serving as the foundations for the construction of a new society, a New Canaan.
David did not enter the Valley of Elah in his flesh. The anointed of the Lord addressed the uncircumcised Philistine in the name of the Lord of hosts, declaring, “The Lord does not deliver by sword or spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands” (I Sam. 17:47). Sin slays a man’s spirit, and Goliath would be slain.
The Holy Spirit is the saint’s encourager. He enables you to lean upon the Divine Warrior. Paul wrote, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25).
Christianity is distinguished by power, love and a disciplined life. The timid consistently yield to the ways of the world and have little confidence in their ability to resist societal conformity. But power is characteristic of Spirit-led Christianity (Lk. 4:14; Acts 1:8; Ro. 15:13, 19; Eph. 3:16). God’s Spirit makes you adequate for the task (II Cor. 3:5; 12:9f.). Even the demons are subject to you in the name of Christ (Lk. 10:20).
The love of the Spirit for the cause of Christ is the first evidence of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you (Gal. 5:22). This Christian love is intelligent, passionate and purposeful. Biblical love expresses the character of the Eternal Lover. When you are enveloped in and moved by the love of Christ, you discover the loss of all timidity because, “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” (I Jn. 4:18).
Christians exercise self-discipline. They are sober in their address to life. Saints are temperate so that they rest in the Holy Spirit to bridle their appetites and affections. There is a healthy orderliness to the Christian life. Is your life marked by power, love and sound judgment?
If you enjoyed this offering, please consider sharing it!
