Bible Study
“The wicked flee when no one pursues them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.“
Proverbs 28:1 AMP
Righteousness is the ability to stand before God without a sense of guilt or condemnation. It is being justified and declared not guilty of sin or wrongdoing.
Righteousness makes one acceptable to God; having freedom to have and enjoy relationship with Him (Romans 2:13).
As Christians, we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21), a status we received by faith in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:21-22).
There is boldness associated with righteousness.
Proverbs 28:1 likens the boldness of the righteous to that of the lion.
“The wicked flee when no one pursues them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.“
Proverbs 28:1 AMP
I’ve been meditating on this verse of scripture for a while now, particularly about how the lion became identifiable with boldness. Proverbs 30:30 shades some light on how the lion fits the definition of boldness….
“A lion, which is mighty among beasts and does not turn away from any”
Proverbs 30:30 NKJV
From Proverbs 28:1 and Proverbs 30:30, there are a few things we can say about the lion.
The Lion Conveys That It’s In-Charge
The lion assumes the position of dominion and power intentionally. He is the (self-acclaimed) king of the wild.
The Lion Presents A Fearless Front
The lion makes a choice to live a fearless and not easily intimidated life. It is not that the lion doesn’t have an urge/reason to fear, but it refuses to fear or retreat in the face of danger, opposition, or anyone.
The Lion Musters Strength From Within
The lion portrays great strength (might/power) and control at all times, especially in the face of danger or threat (beasts). It refuses to communicate fear to others.
In addition, the lion doesn’t go mute in the face of opposition/adversity, no, it opens its mouth and roars.
So the lion is courageous, confident, fierce in spirit, not easily intimidated, in-charge, in control, strong.
If the Bible likens the righteous to the lion, then the righteous (who understands his identity) is therefore all of these things.
Righteousness and fear should not co-exist.
You know as I think about the general disposition of the lion, I am wondering what gives it the confidence to live as it does and why other animals of the wild have accepted its dominance.
That’s a 2-pronged thought, and I’ll like some insight about the first part, but I would think that for the second part, the lion has overtime proven to other members of the wild, that it’s truly in-charge. So there’s a shared knowledge between the lion and rest of the wild- that the lion doesn’t just roar in vain, it truly tears apart when rattled beyond limit. The lion knows this and the rest of the jungle does too.
If we consider this as regards the boldness of the believer, the expectation would be that the believer knows and understands the source of its dominance and of its boldness and authority. Both the righteous person and the opposition, adversary, or adversity know this.
Our confidence is in the name of Jesus Christ. Our sword is the Word of God. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. And our testimony is that We Are Born of God! We have the Spirit of Christ because we are joined with Christ. We do not keep mute in the face of danger or opposition, we roar the Word of God (Ephesians 6: 17, 1 John 5:14, Revelations 12:11).
I tell you the truth, the enemy (the adversary of our faith) knows who has the dominion right now, unfortunately some believers don’t and the enemy rides on their ignorance to afflict them.
“Jesus said to them, “I saw Satan falling like lightning from the sky. He is the enemy, but know that I have given you more power than he has. I have given you power to crush his snakes and scorpions under your feet. Nothing will hurt you.”
Luke 10:18-19 ERV
Child of God, Satan fell, you have the authority!
Below I share 4 areas of usefulness of the boldness of the righteous in victorious Christian living…
Four (4) Applications Of The Boldness Of Righteousness In The Life Of A Believer
1. Righteousness Emboldens The Believer To Stand Before God
Hebrews 4:16 tells us how we should approach God….boldly…..
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.“
Hebrews 4:16 NKJV
Come boldly; no begging, no pleading, no ‘if the Lord wills’, no ‘maybe’. With a righteous status, nothing should make us feel intimidated or fearful in approaching God.
There is mercy and grace to meet our needs at the throne of grace. Halleluyah! So we come confidently. And if we have any condemnations in our heart, if our conscience condemns us, we fix it quickly and …..come boldly to the throne of our God where mercy and help is always available to us. Halleluyah!
“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”
I John 3:21-22 NKJV
We have Jesus’s assurance that everything we ask the Father in His name will be ours. Amen.
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.“
I John 5:14 NKJV
2. Righteousness Emboldens The Believer To Stand Before Men
Without a sense of guilt or condemnation, the righteous man learns to sort criticisms into constructive and non-constructive ones. He maintains a teachable spirit and readily takes corrections and makes amends when necessary. However he never moves around with a heavy load of condemnation on his shoulders, because in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation…..
“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 NKJV
God doesn’t condemn us, He corrects us when necessary. The accuser of the brethren is the devil.
Now here is something, the confidence and boldness that comes from the knowledge of being righteous, can also easily turn into arrogance and pride. People can become unapologetic about wrongs done to others while conveniently hiding under righteousness. This would be a misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the boldness of righteousness.
3. Righteousness Emboldens The Believer To Stand Against Satan
There are at least 2 responses we are to give the devil as believers;
1. ‘It is written’
“Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”
Matthew 4:7 NKJV
2. ‘Get out of here’!
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.“
James 4:7 NKJV
“Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
I Peter 5:9 NKJV
Believe the Word, align with the Word, resist the devil by faith in the Word. Speak the relevant Word for every situation and circumstance. Say what the Word says.
Use the authority in the name of Jesus. Every other name in heaven, earth and under the earth bow at the mention of the name of Jesus.
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth”
Philippians 2:9-10 NKJV
Use the name of Jesus.
4. Righteousness Emboldens The Believer To Stand Up Against Life Circumstances
Righteousness emboldens us to rule and reign in life through Jesus Christ.
“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”
Romans 5:17 NKJV
It is erroneous to understand God’s command in Genesis to have dominion as meaning to dominate other people. That is an error. Man’s dominion from God was given over all other creations, not man. God did not tell Adam to dominate and conquer himself, and being that every man emanated from Adam, any desire in man to dominate another is not from God.
We rule and reign over life circumstances, over all forms of challenges, over trials and temptations.
Once it was sin/death that reigned, but now in Christ, because of the gift of righteousness we reign and rule in life through Christ.
The resultant effect of the sin/death nature was the curse- sickness, poverty, death. But praise God, that through grace and the gift of righteousness we triumph and have dominion. Halleluyah!
“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
Romans 8:37 NKJV
The Righteous is as bold as the lion.
Child of God, you are the righteous, you are as bold as the lion. You are courageous, confident, fierce in spirit, not easily intimidated, in-charge, in control, strong (in the power of the Holy Ghost).
So today, in the face of that seemingly fearful, challenging, troubling circumstance, take your place- rule and reign. Open your mouth and speak the Word of God in faith. Roar!
“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,…..let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.“
Hebrews 10:19, 23 NKJV
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