The remedy for the fear of man is to have a greater fear. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). To fear God is to kill the fear of man.

I don’t care what you think. Let me rephrase that. I wish I didn’t care what you thought. There is a terrible place in the heart of every man that desires the approval of others. I want you to think well of me. I want to please you. In society, this is a good impulse. It’s good that we don’t just trample all over each other, but we defer to others and we try not to break all the cultural norms. And yet, that’s not really what I’m talking about. I’m talking about something called the fear of man.

The Fear

“If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Gal 1:10). Fear of man says, “I care more about what others think of me than what God thinks of me.” The fear of man causes us to turn our eyes from the only Sovereign and to bow the knee to lesser lords. When we fear men, then the ever-shifting culture has the ability to move and sway us with every wind of doctrine. It leaves us unsatisfied and ultimately disobedient. But there is a remedy.

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