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There are
many instances of personal courage and courage relating to conviction and many verses
regarding courage in the Bible. Courage
is as we have seen the result of a sense of duty, honor, faith, happiness and love. For the Christian, courage in life and in faith is
the ability to trust God completely and know that no matter what he will take care of us. For the Christian courage is the result of
committing our hearts and lives to whatever God has planned for us. In order to have courage, and we will see this as
we go book by book through the Bible to see what God has to say about courage, we must
first have made a total commitment to His work in your life. That’s 100 percent
unequivocal, completely radical, no surrendering, undeniable, total commitment. Because courage follows commitment! Genesis
22:1-14 tells the story of Abraham and his son Isaac.
Abraham and Sarah wanted children desperately, however they were never able
to have any. God promised Abraham that he would give him children that numbered the stars
and that he would be the father of many nations. Abraham
committed himself and his wife and their desire for children to the Lord and God gave them
a child in their old age, Isaac. When
Isaac was a boy, God commanded Abraham to take Isaac, his only son and offer him up as a
burnt offering. Abraham showed tremendous
courage by obeying God’s command and God spared Isaac because Abraham was courageous
enough to obey God and God provided a lamb for Abraham to sacrifice instead of Isaac. Number
13:16-14:10 tells of Israel’s arrival at the land God had promised them. Israel was
discouraged at first because it looked almost impossible to take the land, however they
had faith and courage in God’s promise and they knew God would give them victory.
Joshua 1:5-9 says, “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your
life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. "Be
strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to
their forefathers to give them. Be strong
and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn
from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not
let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you
may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be
discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.’” The people were again facing seemingly
insurmountable odds and Joshua was reminding them that the Lord told them to be
“strong and of good courage” because he would provide for them. Judges
chapter 7 tells of a soldier named Gideon. Gideon showed great courage in that facing
great odds, he obeyed God’s command and attacked an opposing army being extremely out
numbered, allowing God to not only give Gideon the courage to do so but showed his
strength and provision for the people by giving them the victory. 1st
Samuel 17:20-58 tells of David and Goliath. David
showed great courage by facing Goliath and conquering him.
Esther
4:1-58 - Esther also was a woman of great courage. She
was married to a king who was being manipulated by one of the governors to destroy all the
Jews. Esther was a Jew as was her uncle, Mordecai who raised her when her parents died. Esther, fearful for the lives of her people risked
her life to save them. Esther’s bravery resulted in the lives of all the Jews being
spared and the manipulative governor being hung on the very gallows he constructed to use
for the Jews. Psalms
chapters 27, 46, 56, 91 and 118 also tell us of courage.
David is the author of all these chapters and he tells us that courage
is found in obedience and relying upon the Lord, for in His strength, all things are made
possible and God will give us the courage to face every obstacle. Proverbs
28:1 says, “ The wicked flee when no man pursuit but the righteous are bold as a
lion.” Proverbs 29:25 says “ The
fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”
These verse also speak the fact that when a Christian trusts in the Lord they are
courageous because they have the strength of the Lord and his protection to rely on ! The book of
Isaiah also has much to say on the topic of courage. Chapters 12, 35,40, 41,43 and 51 all
speak of courage. The most well known of these chapters would be Isaiah chapter 40 which
says (starting in verse 29) “He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no
might he increaseth strength Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men
shall utterly fall But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall
mount up with wings as eagles they shall run and not be wear and they shall walk and not
faint.” These verses again show us that
through God, we can be courageous and have the courage to carry on even under difficult
circumstances . The book of
Daniel chapters 1, 3:1-4 and 6:1-22 also tell us about a man of great courage. Daniel is
captured by King Nebuchadnezzar and told to eat food that was against Daniel’s
convictions, God gave Daniel the strength to stand for what he knew to be right and ask to
be allowed to eat only what God commanded him. God
protected Daniel from the King’s anger and caused the King to consent. In chapter 3, the King orders Daniel to bow down
and worship an idol, knowing this went against God’s command to worship no other god
but Him, Daniel refused and the King tried to kill Daniel but God protected him again from
harm. In chapter 6, Daniel is ordered to stop praying to God but again, Daniel shows
courage by sticking to his convictions and is thrown into the lions den, but God
honor’s Daniel’s courage by keeping him safe from harm. Matthew
5:10-12 and 10:26-31 also speaks of courage. Chapter
5 tells us that those who endure persecution for their faith and suffer for the cause of
Christ are courageous and blessed and the Lord will reward them in Heaven for their
suffering. Chapter 10 says that we are
to have courage and not be afraid of what men may do to us because of our faith in Jesus
Christ because He always knows what happens to us and will always protect us. Luke 1:70-75, 12:31 and chapter 4 are also places
where courage is spoken of. Chapter 1
tells us that we are able to serve God without fear because God will save us from our
enemies. Chapter 12 verse 32 says, “ Fear no, little flock, for it is your
Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
This tells us that because we know that God will reward us, protect us and care for
us we have no reason to be afraid but should be courageous and serve him faithfully. Chapter 4
tells us that we are to have courage when facing temptation. Jesus was tempted many times
with all manner of things but was courageous and never gave in, but he held onto his
convictions. We as Christians are to do the same and face temptation with courage and
conquer it rather than face it with fear and give in. John 15:13
shows us that there is no greater love or courage than those who give their lives for
their friends. This also is true for giving your life for your faith. The book of
Acts has much to say about courage references being 4:1-30, 5:40-41, 6:8-7 16:1-40,
19:1-41 and 20:22-24. The most notable of these however is 4:1-30. Peter and John were arrested for preaching about
Jesus, even though he was facing death Peter showed courage and preached to the judges. It
says in verse 13 that when they (the judges) say Peter’s courage they were astonished
and realized that Peter and John really had known Jesus. Romans
8:31-39 is a well-known passage about courage; verse 37 says “Nay, in all these
things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” This again supporting the theory that courage for
the Christian comes through commitment and faith in Christ.
2nd
Corinthians speaks of courage in the following chapters, 1:1-12, 6:4-10, and 11:23-30. In
chapter 6:4-10 Paul is encouraging the believers at Corinth to be courageous in all
circumstances regardless of the suffering to rejoice in the confidence they have in
Christ. Philippians
1:27 say “And in nothing terrified by your adversaries which is to them an evident
token of perdition but to you of salvation and that of God.” This means that we are
not be afraid of physical things, of the harm our enemies can cause but to be courageous
in Christ who never fails and will always give us the strength to endure. 2nd
Thessalonians 1:4-5 says “ So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God,
for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure.
Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy
of the kingdom of God for which ye also suffer.” This also speaks of courage in that
we are to not fear or be disheartened by tribulation and suffering but to rejoice in it
and be courageous knowing that in the end we will be victorious. Hebrews
chapter 11 speaks of courage also. Chapter 11
tells us that by having faith in God we are given the courage to face and conquer all
manner of difficulties. Hebrews 13:6
say, “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper and I will not fear what man
shall do unto me.” Because have
faith in Christ, courage is given so that we may boldly proclaim the name of Christ under
all circumstances. 1st
Peter 3:8-22 speaks of courage, specifically in verse 14 which says “But and if ye
suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye and be not afraid of their terror
neither be troubled.” This means that we
are to “be of good courage” as Joshua 1:9 says and have confidence in Christ and
the protection and strength he gives us. Revelation
also speaks of courage, though rather indirectly. In
Revelation the martyrs, those who died throughout the tribulation after Christ raptures
the church because they came to know Christ were seen as courageous for accepting Christ
and facing a horrible death as a result.
As we have seen as we have traced courage through the Bible from the beginning to the end, courage is big part of being able to face not just trial but temptation as a Christian. Without courage, the Christian wouldn’t be able to be an effective or bold witness for Christ and as a result, Jesus’ love for mankind would never be taken to the uttermost parts of the earth. Courage, according to Aristotle was something that came from having a feeling of duty or love, but as we have seen here courage comes from having faith and confidence in Christ! With out Christ, there is no true courage because only God can give men and women the courage to stand for what is right even in the face of death.
I hope you have enjoyed this journey through the aspects and ideals of courage. If you were to take one thing away from this web site I hope it will be the realization that courage isn't something you are born with it, it is something that through the strength of Christ you develop. As Christians it is important to remember that God is the God of the impossible, He alone gives us the courage that enables us to face our day to day challenges and struggles. Aristotle is correct in saying courage is voluntary however he doesn't go quite far enough for the Christian. I say this because for the Christian courage comes from reliance on Christ to empower you, this mindset is an ultimate test of our faith in Christ because it requires us to surrender to His strength and not our own. Through faith in Christ and what he can do through you , you can be courageous in every situation because your allowing Christ to work in and through you! Thank you for visiting this site. All comments welcome! To e-mail the webmaster click here To return to navigation click here |