An unconverted person sins boldly but has no fear of the wrath of God and Hellfire. These poor blind people are so courageous in their wickedness that they dare to sin while those who are converted dare not. They dare to miss church, drink, tell dirty stories, have lost friends, and think little of God. They dare to risk the wrath of God and Hell itself. If you tell them these things it has no effect on them whatever. In their insane courage, they dare to destroy their own souls. Like a psychologically imbalanced lunatic, who dares to leap in the water and drown himself, or a blind man, who dares to go down a dangerous mine-shaft, because he cannot see the great danger, this is the kind of insane courage lost people have. But in the way of doing what is right, they are well-known cowards. They will not go through the slightest suffering now to prevent eternal suffering later. They are not willing to have any person even slightly make fun of them for Christianity and church attendance. Yet they have no concern at all about whether God is displeased with them. If they have some thought about becoming Christians, a wicked man can easily tease and laugh them out of it. Unconverted people do not dare to stand up against the mocking of their lost relatives and lost friends, the weakest enemies of Christianity. Yet they boldly risk the flames of Hell on a daily basis. This is common among unconverted people. But when converting grace comes, you will be affected in the exact opposite way. Then you will be afraid of God and His displeasure, and very courageous against the opposition of lost friends and relatives. You will think then that it is insanity, not courage, to be fearless of the wrath of God. No one can stand against the all-powerful God, if He is against you. Therefore, in conversion, a person lays himself at the feet of God and says, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:6). This is the reason that converts in Bible times used to come trembling to Christ (Acts 16:29; 9:6). The Bible says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). Now, in conversion, you would not dare to do what you did before. You would have cursed and sworn, but now you don't dare. You would have secretly deceived and tricked other Christians, but now you don't dare. You would have committed other secret sins, because no one saw you, but now you don't dare do it, because you fear God who is greater than all. Now if you are tempted to sin, you think, "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9). By this "fear of the Lord, men depart from evil" (Proverbs 16:6). It is the work of conversion to bring hardened sinners to the fear of God. When you are converted you will have little fear for the threats of men, worldly losses, or anything else that stands in the way of getting to Heaven! The truly converted have very little fear of these things. Here, where the lost are most cowardly, the converted soul is most courageous. (Dr. Hymers' note: I have often been asked where I got the courage to take various unpopular but Biblical stands. My answer is that I didn't feel courage at all. I just felt this was the right stand to take, and took it. I think when a person is converted God becomes real and man is seen for what he is – a little shadow – swiftly passing away. When these Bible truths are seen in conversion, little courage is needed to take the right stand. The reason so few pastors do this in our day of apostasy is that so few of them are converted today). The converted person will say, "The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?" (Psalm 118:6). "In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me" (Psalm 56:11). "Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation" (Isaiah 51:7,8). When God changes people in conversion, He makes them soldiers under the flag of Christ, and sets them to fight against principalities and powers – the demons of this world. God therefore certainly gives courage to the converted. The reason we see so little courage among church people today is that only a few of them have been converted. Make sure you are one of that small number! "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). -Dr. R. L. Hymers
