"The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion." — Proverbs 28:1
Abraham, Rahab, Moses and David: What did all these people have in common? Aside from being included in Hebrews 11's "hall of faith" as people proclaimed as righteous, they were also very bold and courageous people.
I don't believe that it's an accident that people in the Bible and even people today who are faith-filled in righteousness are also very bold.
If you're a person who struggles with fear, the answer is not to be more fearless but to be more faithful. Faithfulness is what builds righteousness in us, and that righteousness builds in us a courage that is not of this world. We do not become righteous by depending on our own strength and capacity, but through our faith in God. It is by that same faith that you can build boldness to face the storms and giants of our life.
Faith Brings Righteousness and Boldness
This is how boldness comes into our lives: It starts with faith and putting our trust in God, then gets translated into righteousness, and then builds in us a boldness to stand for God and His purposes in our life. It's virtually impossible to build righteousness and not boldness when we live a life of faith. It's a package deal.
Ephesians 3:12 says that our key is Jesus, "in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him."
When we put our faith in Christ, we will become more righteous and more bold.
Boldness Is Needed in the Pursuit of Righteousness
The reason why boldness and righteousness come hand in hand is because to walk a life of righteousness will require us to be bold. Righteousness means to stand out and be right even when things around us go wrong, and the world will not always put up with that.
If we want to stand right before God and before people, we will need the courage to stand up against the opposition in both the material and spiritual worlds. There will be conflict when we stand for God. But when our faith is placed on Him, we will be confident of the victory we have in Christ.
God Commands Boldness
Just as God commands us to be righteous through Christ, He also calls us to be bold through Christ. Joshua 1:9 says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
Faith, when it takes its full course, will empower us not just to be in the right standing with God, but will also empower us to be bold and courageous in Christ as well. Just as our righteousness comes from Jesus, so does our courage.
