COWARDICE.Cowardice must be distinguished from a natural timidity in circumstances of danger, from the awe which, in the presence of the miraculous or the extraordinary, may so possess the mind as for the moment to paralyze its activities, and above all from the fear of God, His paternal love, power, and holy judgment, which may be the strongest antidote to all base and servile fear, and the source of the highest courage. The distinction is partly preserved in the words and . The latter word is always used in a bad sense (Trench, Synonyms of the NT, p. 34). It expresses not the natural emotion of fear, but the cowardly yielding to it. It is the craven spirit which shrinks from duty, loses hope, abandons what it should hold fast, surrenders to the enemy, or deserts to his side (Bernard, Central Teaching of Jesus Christ, pp. 188, 189). occurs only in 2Ti 1:7, but Joh 14:27, and (Authorized and Revised Versions fearful) Mat 8:26, cf. Mar 4:40 and Rev 21:8. But the line of distinction cannot be drawn hard and fast by the use of these words. In Mat 8:26 (cf. Mar 4:40) the question , ; is not so much a serious imputation of craven fear, as the expression of personal fearlessness, to gain ascendency over panic-stricken spirits (Bruce, Expos. Gr. Test., in loc.). On the other hand, an ignoble fear in face of danger or difficulty, or the disapprobation and hostile sentiments of others, is sometimes in view when , are used (Mat 10:28, cf. Luk 12:4, Mat 25:25, Joh 7:13; Joh 19:38; Joh 20:19). When fear of physical consequences impairs fidelity to Christ, causing men to be ashamed of Him (Mar 8:38, Luk 9:26), or even to go the length of denying Him (Mat 10:33), it incurs His severest disapprobation (Mat 10:33, cf. Rev 21:8). It is not cowardice to fly from the rage of the persecutor. Jesus not only counselled flight in circumstances of peril (Mar 13:14, Luk 21:21), but Himself evaded the malice which would have brought His life to an end before His hour was come, and His mission completed (Luk 4:30, Joh 8:59; Joh 10:39). It is only when the fear of man tempts to the compromise of truth, and the disowning of allegiance to Christ, that it becomes a snare and a sin. Cowardice is not ultimately evinced in feeling, but in action. It is cowardice when a man declines the task he was meant to render: I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth (Mat 25:25); when he turns away, however sorrowfully, from the path of self-sacrifice which the call of Christ points out to him (Mat 19:22). (See Paget, Studies in the Christian Character, p. 104).<\/p>\n
The antidote to cowardice lies in the fear of God, in His power over the soul as well as the body (Mat 10:28), the which drives out all baser fear; in the spirit of watchfulness and prayer that, in circumstances of trial, we do not fall into the temptation to forsake Christ or deny Him (Mat 26:41); but most of all in faith (Mat 8:6, Joh 14:1; Joh 14:27). Faith in the Fatherhood of Godthat the manifest duty, however difficult and dangerous, is His will; that from Him life has its appointed twelve hours, and in the path of obedience to Him there is no possible foreshortening of them (Joh 11:8-10): that over all is His unsleeping and loving carewill save the soul from all base betrayals of itself and its Divine trust through fear. To this end was the Comforter promised and bestowed, that, co-operating with the spirit of men, He might brace them to consistent courage in action and endurance. And the effect of His presence and power is seen in the contrast between those who all forsook him and fled (Mar 14:50), denied Him (Mat 26:69-74), gathered in an upper room for fear of the Jews (Joh 20:19), and the same men, not many months later, impressing the authorities by their boldness (Act 4:13), and displaying, in circumstances of severest trial, minds delivered from all craven fear, and inspired with the high and solemn courage of faith. See art. Fear.<\/p>\n
Literature.Aristotle, eth. iii. 7; Strong, Chr. Ethics; Paget, Studies in the Christian Character, 100 ff.: Denney, Gospel Questions and Answers, 86 ff.<\/p>\n
Joseph muir.<\/p>\n
General references<\/p>\n
Lev 26:36-37<\/span>; Deu 20:8<\/span>; Deu 32:30<\/span>; Jos 7:5<\/span>; Jos 23:10<\/span>; Jdg 7:3<\/span>; Job 15:24<\/span>; Job 18:11<\/span>; Pro 28:1<\/span>; Pro 29:25<\/span>; Isa 51:12-13<\/span>; Gal 6:12<\/span>; 2Ti 4:16<\/span> Courage<\/span> <\/p>\n \n Instances of:<\/p>\n \n – <\/strong>Adam, in attempting to shift responsibility for his sin upon Eve<\/p>\n Gen 3:12<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Abraham, in calling his wife his sister<\/p>\n Gen 12:11-19<\/span>; Gen 20:2-12<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Isaac, in calling his wife his sister<\/p>\n Gen 26:7-9<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Jacob, in fleeing from Laban<\/p>\n Gen 31:31<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Aaron, in yielding to the Israelites, when they demanded an idol<\/p>\n Exo 32:22-24<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>The ten spies<\/p>\n Num 13:28<\/span>; Num 13:31-33<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Israelites:<\/p>\n \n b In fearing to attempt the conquest of Canaan<\/p>\n Num 14:1-5<\/span>; Deu 1:26-28<\/span> <\/p>\n \n b In the battle with the people of Ai<\/p>\n Jos 7:5<\/span> <\/p>\n \n b Fearing to meet Goliath<\/p>\n 1Sa 17:24<\/span> <\/p>\n \n b Fearing to fight with the Philistines<\/p>\n 1Sa 13:6-7<\/span> <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Twenty thousand of Gideon’s army<\/p>\n Jdg 7:3<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Ephraimites<\/p>\n Psa 78:9<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Ephraimites and Manassehites<\/p>\n Jos 17:14-18<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Amoritish kings<\/p>\n Jos 10:16<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Canaanites<\/p>\n Jos 2:11<\/span>; Jos 5:1<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Samuel, fearing to obey God’s command to anoint a king in Saul’s stead<\/p>\n 1Sa 16:2<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>David, in fleeing from Absalom<\/p>\n 2Sa 15:13-17<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Nicodemus, in coming to Jesus by night<\/p>\n Joh 3:1-2<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Joseph of Arimathaea, secretly a disciple<\/p>\n Joh 19:38<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Parents of the blind man, who was restored to sight<\/p>\n Joh 9:22<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Early converts among the rulers<\/p>\n Joh 12:42-43<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Disciples:<\/p>\n \n b In the storm at sea<\/p>\n Mat 8:26<\/span>; Mar 4:38<\/span>; Luk 8:25<\/span> <\/p>\n \n b When they saw Jesus walking on the sea<\/p>\n Mat 14:25<\/span>; Mar 6:50<\/span>; Joh 6:19<\/span> <\/p>\n \n b When Jesus was apprehended<\/p>\n Mat 26:56<\/span> <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Peter, in denying the Lord<\/p>\n Mat 26:69-74<\/span>; Mar 14:66-72<\/span>; Luk 22:54-60<\/span>; Joh 18:16-17<\/span>; Joh 18:25<\/span>; Joh 18:27<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Pilate, in condemning Jesus, through fear of the people<\/p>\n Joh 19:12-16<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Guards of the sepulcher of Jesus<\/p>\n Mat 28:4<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>The Philippian jailer<\/p>\n Act 16:27<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Peter and other Christians, at Antioch<\/p>\n Gal 2:11-14<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n Cowardice COWARDICE.Cowardice must be distinguished from a natural timidity in circumstances of danger, from the awe which, in the presence of the miraculous or the extraordinary, may so possess the mind as for the moment to paralyze its activities, and above all from the fear of God, His paternal love, power, and holy judgment, which … Continue reading “Cowardice”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-encyclopedic-dictionary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/dictionaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/dictionaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/dictionaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/dictionaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/dictionaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/dictionaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39512\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/dictionaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/dictionaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/dictionaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: Nave’s Topical Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"