Is being afraid of people a big deal?
Is it wrong to be afraid of others (but to stay that way forever)?
That is, is there anything wrong with being “a little shy” or scared of other people?
As one who has had to face and overcome social anxiety for many years, I certainly can understand the feeling of comfort that comes from accepting an identity like “shy” in order to help explain or to feel better about oneself.
But is it possible that there are potential setbacks, dangers, or unhealthy dynamics when it comes to embracing social anxiety as a permanent identity without taking steps to get to the root of those feelings?
Don’t shy people need a little compassion and understanding rather than being told that they need to change their personality or the way they think?
Yes, shy people need compassion, empathy, love, and understanding. And yes, they also need to go through the process of being “transformed by the renewal of their mind” in the way they see reality, view God, see themselves, and understand other people (see Romans 12:2).
This article shall examine five ancient truths about “the fear of man” according to the Bible.
The first one may shock you:
- The “fear of man” can eventually lead to murder. It can feed a bitter attitude that makes plans to hurt others.
“And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.”
–Luke 22:2 ESV
Why were these first century religious leaders in Israel seeking how to put Jesus of Nazareth to death? According to the text, it was because “they feared the people.”
Now certainly, the fear of people described in this verse does not seem to be describing “social anxiety” or the fear of having conversations with people. The chief priests didn’t always hide from a conversation, although they did come across as disingenuous in their interactions with Jesus.
One who struggles with social anxiety may not be in any imminent danger of cultivating a heart of murder. Murder is an outward expression of bitterness in its final stage after unforgiveness leads to resentment, after which a desire for retaliation cultivates rage, hatred, and violence. (1) What then is this verse talking about when it says that chief priests and scribes were seeking how to kill Jesus “for they feared the people?”
“Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”
–John 12:42-43 NASB1995
When a person views their relationship with other people to be more important than their relationship with God Himself, then they make other people (or “man”) their “god.” They will care about trying to please people more than tending to the health of their communication with God. The words of other people then have the ultimate power to either build them up or to crush them.
However, if a person values what God thinks and says about them far more than what anybody else thinks or says about them, then their spirits will not be crushed when other people reject them and say all kinds of bad things about them (see Matthew 5:10-12; 1 Peter 4:14). The chief priests and scribes cared more about what other people thought and said about them than they cared about what God said through Jesus.
- Fear of others is the offspring (fruit, result, or byproduct) of arrogant pride.
What is the alternative or solution to the “fear of man?” The opposite of and the antidote to the “fear of man” is “the fear of the LORD.” The “fear of man” is rooted and grounded in pride, arrogance, and a preoccupation with self. The “fear of the Lord” is rooted and grounded in knowing, experiencing, and receiving the truth, grace, and love of God. According to John Bevere, a person’s relationship (or “walk”) with God is like a narrow road with a ditch on both sides. (2)
The ditch to the right is called “legalism” [or perfectionism] and the “guardrail” that can prevent one from veering off into this ditch is the love of God. On the left side of the road is a ditch called “lawlessness” [or toxic behavior] and the “guardrail” that prevents a person from veering off into this ditch is “the fear of God,” which produces a pure, holy, and powerful lifestyle (see 2 Corinthians 7:1). (2)
The fear of the Lord is not being afraid of God so that you stay away from Him in panic or terror. Rather, it is the sober fear of being separated from the close intimacy that you enjoy having in your relationship and communication with Him. (2)
- The fear of man can produce bitterness and envy.
Although Luke 22:2 states that the chief priests and scribes plotted to kill Jesus because “they were afraid of the people,” Matthew 27:18 and Mark 15:10 reveal that they handed Jesus over to Pilate, the Roman governor, “because of envy.”
The “fear of man” germinates from a seed of pride–preoccupation with oneself apart from God. This seed will fester into a root of bitterness and envy as it gets nourished and fed by fear and anxiety. The first century religious leaders were afraid of the people because they lived for the praise, [job] security, and resources that people and governments gave them rather than what God commanded them to do through Jesus.
They were too afraid to give up that which helped them to feel safe and secure, but those false securities weren’t God’s best for them. Thus they didn’t listen to Jesus’ promises and commandments to not be anxious about their physical needs if they first sought His leadership and right way of doing things (see Matthew 6).
The religious leaders were envious and jealous of Jesus’ influence over the people, so they plotted to destroy His character and to even have him physically murdered. Could it be that they were envious of Jesus’ courage, influence, and confidence that He enjoyed through His close relationship with God the Father?
Jesus was not afraid of other people like they were, and they envied Him. But rather than humbling themselves, learning from Jesus, and obeying His leadership, they wanted to maintain their own positions of power, security, and influence in the community by doing things their own way. Rather than accepting Jesus’ identity as the Messiah and Son of God, they accused Him of heresy, deception, and blasphemy, because they wanted Him dead.
Thus, because the religious leaders loved praise from people more than they cared about God’s approval, delight, and leadership over their lives, they placed the people whose approval they longed for on a higher plane than God Himself. Essentially, they broke the first two of the Ten Commandments which state to have no other gods before Him and to not worship idols (see Exodus 20:1-6).
- Fear of others can lead to malicious gossip about others, slander, anger, rage, hatred, and consequently even murder.
A person who worships other people as their “god” because they are starving for their attention and affection will fight for their “god” with the “swords” of reckless words, lies, slander, malicious gossip, accusation, and character assassination (see Psalm 55:21; 64:3; Proverbs 12:18).
One who remains stuck in arrogance, bitterness, and envy does not get to experience the benefits of God’s forgiveness and grace (see Hebrews 12:14-17). For God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (see James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).
“But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
–Revelation 21:8 NASB1995
In light of these truths, does it begin to make sense how “the cowardly” leads the list of the types of people who will continue in their relational separation from God and His ways after they cross into eternity? “Cowardly” is another word for a person who lives his life cowering in fear of man but who does not show any desire to change nor take any steps to do so by the power of the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him (see Acts 5:29-32).
Fear of people (cowardice) could eventually produce murder, as seen through the ancient religious leaders who plotted Jesus’ execution. The cowardly are also “idolaters,” for when a person lives by the “fear of man,” he is making other people his “god” whom he serves and lives his life to appease and to please. One who “fears the LORD” lives his life from the joyful desire to please God, to enjoy His acceptance, and to become more like Him every day.
- Fear of people can result in sickness or disease, leading to premature death.
“And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house.”
–Ezekiel 2:6 NASB1995
Personally, I believe that “scorpions” biblically represent spirits of fear, which often manifest in sickness (see 2 Timothy 1:7; Luke 10:19; 11:11-13). (3) According to 1 John 4:18, fear has torment, which is a characteristic of the demonic entities with “scorpion” features as described in Revelation 9:3,5,10. Fear works closely with infirmity (sickness and disease).
The wealth of medical research attests that well over 80% (to be very conservative) of diseases are stress-based. (4) Behind stress are thoughts of fear and anxiety rather than a keen awareness and application of the peace of God (see Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:6-8). Infirmity works very closely with death, which (like a scorpion) is described as having a “sting” (see Hosea 13:14; 1 Corinthians 15:55).
1 Corinthians 15:56 notes that the sting of death is the law. Breaking God’s law produces death (see Romans 3:23; 6:20-23; Galatians 6:7-8). Fear is contrary to God’s law and inversely proportional to faith (trust in what God says about reality). A person sins and transgresses God’s laws because they fear (or attribute more power, influence, or value to) lesser “gods” more than the Creator God Himself.
In Ezekiel chapter 2, God tells Ezekiel not to be afraid of people or of their rejection, opposition, persecution, and mean words. Such behavior was to be expected, not because Ezekiel said or did anything wrong, but because such people were stubborn and rebellious.
The people simply didn’t want to deal with themselves or to change the way they saw reality, how they related to God, how they thought, and how they lived. God described Ezekiel’s situation in terms of Ezekiel being confronted with thorns, thistles, and scorpions, which are often symbolic of trouble, hardship, opposition, and fear. (5)
For more sobering information on fear and what to do about it, see “Which Fiery Furnace Will You Choose?”
- The stages from bitterness to murder I learned from the teachings of Dr. Henry W. Wright.
- YouTube. Encounter Today. “Urgent Warning: The Fear of God is Coming! – John Bevere” Accessed December 23, 2023.
- https://www.stevederenge.com/serpents-and-scorpions/
- https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/effects-of-stress-on-your-body Accessed December 25, 2023.
- See also 2 Corinthians 12:7.