No Fear In Life. No Guilt In Death.
One morning, sitting on a flight to LA, I found myself humming In Christ Alone. What I did not realise is that repeatedly, for the entire song, I kept reversing that great line with which many of us are so familiar—no guilt in life… no fear in death. I kept murmur-singing it the other way around—no fear in life… no guilt in death—so much so that as I prepared to tweet it as an encouragement to others, I wrote it backwards.
I caught my error before hitting send and changed it to the written order. I then paused momentarily and thought to myself, “wait…. this is equally true, in Christ.” I quickly tweeted my reversal and sent it into the unforgiving territory of the little blue bird.
As I sat pondering my reversal for a moment, it became more evident why the reverse is both true and necessary for us—particularly if we are followers of Jesus’ way. So many of us live with so much fear. So many people die with so much guilt. Fear of what? Failure. Success. Opinions. Expectations.
Fear dominates the lives of so many people, consuming your joy, derailing your plans, leaving you petrified even in situations where you are competent to be confident. But if you are a follower of Jesus’ way, you do not have to be dominated by fear. The Scriptures are replete with declarations and promises that free you from the fear cycle.
ISAIAH 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
1 John 4:18
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear…”
2 Timothy 1:7
“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
PSALM 27:1
“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the
stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”
JOHN 14: 27
“Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not
give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.”
Reading these words reminds each of us that in so many ways, fear is a choice. Of course, clinical anxiety is a real thing and something over which one might not have control, but the vast majority of us are not clinical; we are conditioned.
We inherited a fear response from our family of origin or gained it along the way as we unhealthily navigated difficult circumstances, but you do not have to stay there; you can be reconditioned by the truth you believe.
Jesus promises you peace; do you believe it?
God’s perfected love leaves no room for fear; do you believe it?
Proximity to Jesus’ presence puts away all anxiety. Will you move toward Him?
“No fear in life… this is the power of Christ in me.” Like fear, guilt is a powerful and controlling emotion. It has had extreme control over me in my life at different times. Guilt comes in many forms. You might be guilty for what you did or did not do.
You may be guilty for what you did or did not accomplish. Especially toward the end of life, or after losing a family member or close friend, one may be guilty for what they said or did not say. Guilt is powerful, but it does not have to be consuming.
One of my favourite movies is Inception, with Leonardo DiCaprio. A scene in the movie has lingered with me since my first viewing of it. I will spare you the plot details, but in this scene, DiCaprio is trying to awaken another character from a lengthy sub-subconscious state. The line that rouses the man to presence is one from a shared memory of a conversation. DiCaprio starts, saying, “I do not want to be an old man…” The other character finishes his sentence, saying, “… filled with regrets.”
I believe this line stayed with me so long because it has been an underlying concern in my life for years that I never recognised until recently. Guilt has been an unwelcome companion for some time, but the fear of future guilt has become even more significant.
How do you overcome the foreboding sense that when the end comes, you will feel guilty for what you have left undone, unaccomplished, or unreconciled? Remind yourself again of the truth—you do not have to carry guilt now or to the grave.
ROMANS 8:1
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). If you follow Jesus and stay true to Him, you don’t have to worry about judgment; your guilt is a thing of the past.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”
In addition to cleansing away all of your sins through the blood of the Lamb, God gives you a brand-new life—a new heart that will help keep you from sinning again.
Whether fear or guilt, there are incredible promises for those who follow Jesus’ way—neither has to hold you, prisoner… not now… not in the future. No fear in life. No guilt in death. Who knew my strange brain reversing the words of that powerful song would produce a mirrored truth that can free us all?