The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.
Proverbs 28:1, New King James Version(Emphasis added)
From my umbrella-shaded lounge chair, I found myself watching a spirited, curly-haired toddler as she broke away from her father’s attempts to clothe her. She dashed naked through the sand toward the shallow ocean waves, gleefully unaware that she was undressed. Reaching the ankle-deep water, she jumped and splashed, unaware of any dangers that the ocean might hold.
As I was taking it all in, I couldn’t help but think about Adam and Eve before the Fall. Naked before God, they lived their lives without shame—until they forfeited their righteousness through sin. Disconnected from God, they became fearful. They tried to cover their shame and nakedness with fig leaves, wrongly believing they needed to flee from their loving Creator.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the end of the story for Adam and Eve or the rest of humanity. God sent His Son to deliver His creation from sin and shame. Through Jesus Christ, our righteousness has been restored, and we can now approach God with confidence. In fact, because of Christ and His redemption, we are now:
1. Adopted. No longer spiritual orphans, we have a heavenly Father who calls us His own, and He will never leave us (Heb. 13:5). The love He has for Jesus is the love He has for us. We have received His Spirit, which is not a spirit of fear and slavery but of boldness and freedom. Now we can call Him “Abba, Daddy!” (Rom. 8:15-16).
2. Accepted. In His love, God always knew that He would restore us to a state of blameless innocence. Forever without fault, we are accepted in the Beloved (Eph. 1:6) and encouraged to come boldly before His throne to receive all the help we need (Heb. 4:16).
3. Approved. Through the abundance of grace and the gift of God’s approval, we are now equipped to rule and reign in life (Rom. 5:17). The God of the universe, our Father, views us with a deep, abiding, never-ending delight. If God is for us, who could possibly be against us (Rom. 8:31)?
4. Authorized. Not only can we come confidently before God’s throne, but we can also stand boldly before our Adversary. In Christ, we are not victims but victors. God has authorized us “to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19, New International Version [1984 edition]).
I recently heard someone say that an attitude of faith will cause a believer to swing out over hell on a cornstalk and spit in the devil’s eye. That’s a great picture of how bold we should be as children of the most High. Proverbs 28:1 says that the righteous—that’s us—are bold as a lion!
Looking for wisdom? Be sure to tune in to the Gospel Truth broadcast all this week, where Andrew is sharing insights from his teaching Proverbs: Timeless Wisdom for a Life of Blessing.W
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