The Spirit of Fear
By J.P. Thackway
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
2 Timothy is the last letter Paul wrote. It is his “farewell” to Timothy, who was to be Paul’s successor in the furtherance of the gospel and the care of the churches. It will not be easy for Timothy to come after Paul. Like Joshua after Moses, and Elisha after Elijah, following Paul was humanly the last thing Timothy would want to do.
This was partly due to Timothy’s nature and personality. The New Testament shows him a sensitive young man, easily given to “tears” (2 Timothy 1:4). He was also fearful and lacked confidence (1 Corinthians 16:10). Opposition and trouble could easily put him off (2 Timothy 1:8). Consequently, he had tended to rely on Paul – but how will he fare when Paul is no longer there?
However, there were other factors that made Timothy quail.
a] The changing attitude toward Christians.
At this time there was a growing hostility toward believers. Paul’s second imprisonment at Rome was different from the first, which was more like house arrest, and where he could minister to visitors (Acts 28:30,31). We believe that afterwards he was freed to continue his missionary work. But this second imprisonment at Rome was around AD 64, when Nero made Christians the scapegoat for the great fire of Rome. It unleased a terrible time of persecution. Paul’s incarceration at this time would end in martyrdom in about AD 66 (2 Timothy 4:6-8). And there was more persecution to come from Nero and successive emperors.
b] False teaching was threatening the church.
Paul alludes to some of it in 2 Timothy 2:17,18 where he names the heresy and the perpetrators. Their teaching is called a “canker” (or in the margin gangrene) because false teaching is indeed a deadly infection that is rank, spreading, offensive, and fatal. Timothy had to “charge some that they teach no other doctrine;” “keep that which is committed to thy trust;” “preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:3; 6:20; 2 Timothy 4:2). This was a more than daunting task for someone like Timothy.
c] The terrible moral climate.
Paul predicted that in the “last days” (the time between the first and second coming of Christ, Hebrews 1:1,2) there would be seasons called “perilous times” (2 Timothy 3:1). There follows a grim catalogue of evils that characterise such a time. Timothy’s day was like this. The following centuries would see the power of the gospel transform society and produce Christian morality and principles: times like the Reformation, the Puritan era, the effects of the 18th century Awakening and the Victorian era. However, when this declines, the default is always spiritual and moral degeneracy, as we see today.
To encourage Timothy, Paul reminds him of his ordination (2 Timothy 1:6). Timothy is a gifted, called, and set apart man. He is a minister! And if God has called him, then He will enable him (1 Thessalonians 5:24). For those of us who are ministers, this is what keeps us going through tough times. Reminding ourselves that God has set us apart to this work, and that He is our divine Helper, is the important thing that matters, and so we keep on keeping on. “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
Then come Paul’s encouraging words, which relate to the earlier verse: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). This is a word for ministers (including Paul, for he includes himself: “us.”) But this is for all of us too, because who has not struggled with “the spirit of fear”?
1. THE CONDITION
“The spirit of fear.” Paul describes Timothy’s problem. Although partly temperamental as we have noted, it is mainly a spiritual condition.
1] It can be a general feeling.
It takes the form of an uneasiness, apprehensiveness, a sense of foreboding on our spirit. The average unbeliever can feel this as well, but a Christian has a unique reason: this world is not a friendly place to the people of God. We can sometimes palpably feel the spirit of the age against us. The atmosphere of the world is not favourable to spiritual religion. In the past, the world’s attitude to Christians and the church could be described as benevolent toleration. Nowadays it is more like militant opposition.
This is because those with immoral and perverted agendas, or those who approve them, feel threatened by Christians with their biblical standards. Therefore, the opposition is greater compared to days when society was more Christianised. Nowadays, Christians must be silenced. If we feel intimidated by all this, it is a sign of divine grace in us. We are “pilgrims and strangers” (1 Peter 2:11). We will be at home in heaven, where there is no spirit of fear; only eternal blessedness.
2] It can be a lack of assurance.
A similar expression to “God hath not given us the spirit of fear” is in Romans 8:15 “ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear.” Here, Paul refers to our experience at conversion. The Holy Spirit, in convicting us of sin, held us in dread of God’s justice. We had “a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation.” But through Christ revealed in the gospel, we saw His gracious way of salvation. Believing on Christ, God justified us in His righteousness and adopted us as His children. This set us free to enjoy a heavenly Father’s love: “but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
However, we can lose sight of this. When we do, we slip back into legal fears and uncertainty about our standing before God. But this precious reminder assures us that now we are saved, the Holy Spirit no longer works in us that spirit of fear. He has brought us into peace with the God who only loves us as a Father. He can “witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
James Haldane expressed it helpfully: “God … often impresses that fear on those whom He purposes to lead to the knowledge of His salvation. But when they are born of the Spirit, this servile fear gives place to a filial fear which proceeds from love, as the proper effect of the Spirit of adoption. ‘Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.’”
As Charles Wesley put it,
My God is reconciled,
His pard’ning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child,
I can no longer fear.
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And, “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.
3] It has an infernal source.
“The spirit of fear” in the worst sense originates with the devil. He trades in fear. It is as if it is personified: “the spirit” – whose commission is to inject fear into the mind and heart. There is evidence to suggest that Satan has certain devils who are known by the evil they try to lure people into. An example is in 1 Kings 22:22, where we read of “a lying spirit in the mouth of all [Ahab’s] prophets.” We read in the gospels of “an unclean spirit,” one who specialises in tempting to moral uncleanness. And here, one who delights to frighten the Lord’s people and disturb their peace. To realise this infernal source is half the deliverance from it.
2. THE PREVENTION
“God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” What do these words entitle us to say about this spirit of fear?
1] God is not the source of it.
“God hath not given us the spirit of fear.” This is the same as saying that fear is not what He wants us to know. Anything that is not God’s will releases us from obligation to it. It is another way of saying that we need never have this spirit of fear. It is an echo of the Lord’s words: “see that ye be not troubled;” (Matthew 24:6) and “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:2) The Lord only wants us to enjoy peace, to be assured and comforted. This fear is not from Him and should not be in us.
2] There is a threefold prevention.
“But of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” We can take this as a reference to the Holy Spirit as opposed to “the spirit of fear.” Therefore, it means what the Holy Spirit will work in us instead.
a] Inward enabling.
“But of power.” The Holy Spirit indwells us to impart strength. When the Holy Spirit was given, Peter, who before in cowardice had denied the Lord, now had such “boldness” that his enemies “marvelled.” Elsewhere Paul prays that his readers might have the same: “That he would grant you … to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). As the gracious Comforter, the Holy Spirit can be “the One called alongside to help” and such strengthening will banish servile and slavish fear.
b] Outward-looking affection.
“And of love”. Why does love come next? It has been suggested that there is a psychological reason. Because fear is really over-preoccupation with self: “I am afraid.” But love turns us outwards towards the Lord and others. As the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), we are moved to think more about the needs of others than of ourselves. Being preoccupied with them, we forget ourselves and how we are feeling. “A heart at leisure from itself to soothe and sympathise” is rarely fearful and more often warmed and encouraged.
c] Rational thinking.
“And of a sound mind.” The word translated “a sound mind” only occurs here in the New Testament. It means a self-controlled, disciplined mind. This again is what the Holy Spirit can create in us. How does this help our fear? Fear is irrational: it imagines scenarios which are not usually real. We know that if we are frightened of something, but are given information and knowledge about it, we see it rationally, and the fear disappears. For example, if we are alarmed at the prospect of a major operation, but the surgeon kindly and patiently explains what he will do, and the nurse assures us of the after-care and recovery, fear is replaced by a sound mind.
In this way, God’s word exhorts us to “Fear not…” and gives us reasons why we need not be afraid. The mind is then “sound” in the promises of God. For example: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10). When the Spirit applies such a word to our understanding and heart, fear is cast out. Let us, therefore, go into the New Year of 2025 with all its uncertainties, in this godly confidence.
In closing, we can say,
i] The Gospel does not change our temperament.
It sanctifies and strengthens it. Timothy will always be Timothy, with his inherent infirmities. But grace through the Spirit will make him strong in the Lord and enable him to be another man. As the Puritan George Swinnock said: “In regeneration nature is not ruined, but rectified. The convert is the same man, but new made. The faculties of his soul are not destroyed, but they are refined, the same viol, but new tuned.”
ii] Our temperament must never control us.
By grace we are to have a Spirit-controlled temperament. No weakness or negative propensity is too great for the divine Comforter to counteract and overcome.
iii] The devil is subtle.
We hardly realise that he is behind all our fears. Why do we listen to him, who is dedicated to one thing: undermining our peace and joy in believing? It is as if we imagine that worries and fears are inevitable. However, let us remember that the Lord releases us from any need to fear by His special prohibition.
iv] Let us concentrate on what the Lord has given us.
Through His Holy Spirit, it is His will that we know “power … love … and a sound mind.” This trio of the graces of the Spirit make for a life of comfort, and that pleases and glorifies God.
Finally, did this exhortation help Timothy? There is evidence it did. Paul informs his readers: “Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you” (Hebrews 13:23). This is likely to be between Paul’s two imprisonments, and tells us that Timothy himself has been incarcerated. But Timothy came through this as Paul did, with all needed grace, and he lived to prove that “the spirit of fear” can give way to the Holy Spirit’s comfort and strength.