WHY You Don’t Have to Fear

God is clear—He Himself has said to us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

If we took these words to heart, we’d realize that there is absolutely no reason to walk in fear, worry, or anxiety.

Join Nathan in this episode as we unpack Hebrews 13:5-6 and explain WHY you don’t have to fear any longer. God gives us profound truth and hope regardless of the circumstance or situations we find ourselves in.

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The writer of Hebrews tells us that God Himself has said, “‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?'” (Hebrews 13:5b-6).

The New King James translates it as such: “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'”

This quotation from the Old Testament (see Genesis 28:5; Deuteronomy 4:31; 31:6, 8; Joshua 1:5) is a reminder that God is ever-present and promises to always be with us.

And the words promised are “leave” and “forsake.” Both contain a similar idea with a slightly different emphasis. Both contain the concept of desert, abandon, forsake, to leave behind, to depart and not take
along. The difference is that “leave” (Greek: aniēmi) can be used with leaving anything behind, whereas “forsake” (Greek: egkataleipō) is always in the context of relationship (e.g. see 2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

Yet the depth of the passage comes in the seven-fold emphasis of “never.” God says He will NEVER leave or forsake us. In the Greek, there are five words in the passage (several of them not translated into English) that negate the “leave” or “forsake,” and two more are found in the grammar itself. In essence, God declares: “I will never never never leave you nor never never never forsake you.” I think God is trying to tell us something.

Charles Spurgeon explained it this way:

I have no doubt you are aware that our translation does not convey the whole force of the original, and that it would hardly be possible in English to give the full weight of the Greek. We might render it, “He hath said, I will never, never leave thee; I will never, never, never forsake thee;” for, though that would be not a literal, but rather a free rendering, yet, as there are five negatives in the Greek, we do not know how to give their force in any other way. Two negatives nullify each other in our language; but here, in the Greek, they intensify the meaning following one after another … (see Sermon 477).

The reason why you never have to fear, live in worry, or have anxiety is because God has promised (emphasized seven times) to never leave or forsake us. And if we not only knew but held onto this promise, then we could declare, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6).

As Christians, we can live with peace, joy, confidence, and boldness in our God regardless of what is going on around us politically, culturally, economically, whether personally or globally—no circumstance or situation should produce fear because we have the God of the universe not only on our side but indwelling within us through His Spirit. And He has made us an incredible promise!

Let’s not just esteem such truth, but live it out in these days.

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About NRJohnson

NRJohnson (Nathan Johnson) is a Christian who has an overwhelming passion for Jesus, the Gospel, and Studying God’s Word. He is a writer, teacher, and communicator who helps other believers understand and apply the Bible as they grow and mature in their faith—desiring that they gain greater intimacy with Christ, experience the victorious Christian life, and transform the world through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Read more about him here.

About the Deeper Christian Podcast

Many Christians feel frustrated because they don’t grow spiritually. The Deeper Christian Podcast helps equip Christians to understand the Word of God and cultivate a passionate love for Jesus that turns the world upside down.

Whether you want to learn how to study God’s Word, grow in your faith, cultivate a powerful and effective prayer life, share the Gospel boldly, deepen your intimacy with Jesus, live victoriously, or transform the world through the indwelling life of the Holy Spirit, the Deeper Christian Podcast with NRJohnson (Nathan Johnson) will encourage and equip you to grow spiritually and live a Christ-centered life.