Fear of Losing Current Life and Coming to Christ
The prospect of losing one's current life, whether through physical death or the forfeiture of worldly comforts, can be a significant barrier to embracing Christian faith. However, Christian theology often reframes this "loss" as a necessary step toward a greater gain.
The New Testament speaks to this tension directly. Paul, for instance, declares that he counts "all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus" and considers them "nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ" [1]. This suggests a radical re-evaluation of earthly values in light of Christ. Jesus himself taught that "He that findeth his life shall lose it," implying that an attempt to preserve one's current life at all costs, especially by denying Christ, ultimately leads to a greater loss in the life to come [7].
The fear of death and the unknown is a natural human response [2]. Aquinas, in his Summa Theologica, discusses fear as being caused by the apprehension of a future evil, noting that true fear arises when there is still some hope of avoiding the evil. If the evil is certain and unavoidable, it causes sorrow rather than fear [5]. This philosophical understanding can be applied to the Christian perspective on death: for believers, death is not an ultimate evil but a transition, and thus the fear associated with it can be transformed.
Patristic writers also addressed this fear. Augustine, in his Homilies on John, notes that Peter initially thought to lay down his life for Christ, but Christ ultimately laid down His life for all, including Peter. Augustine suggests that true strength for incurring death for the Lord's name comes from grace, not from a presumptuous self-estimation [3]. He also observes that those who do not believe in a day of judgment neither fear nor desire it, but for those who begin to believe, fear can be a starting point, though perfect charity casts out this fear [12]. John Chrysostom similarly states that being bound for Christ is no shame, but to betray Christ out of fear of bonds is [6].
Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, emphasizes that the cross accustoms believers to despise the present life and aspire to the future [4]. He acknowledges the human infirmity in dreading death but offers correction and remedy through faith [4]. He also cautions against a "vain confidence" that can arise from the "remains of the flesh," urging believers to work out their salvation "with fear and trembling" [8]. This "fear and trembling" is not a terror that undermines faith but a serious reverence for God that leads to genuine conversion, involving the mortification of the old self and the quickening of the Spirit [11].
The concept of losing one's life for Christ is not about self-destruction but about a reorientation of priorities and a trust in God's ultimate plan, even when facing the unknown [10]. It is a call to embrace a newness of life that begins with dying to the old self, as articulated by Augustine in relation to baptism [9].
Sources
- Philippians “Yes most certainly, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ -- Philippians 3:8”
- Luke “Luke 21:26 (YLT) — men fainting at heart from fear, and expectation of the things coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 7: Augustine — Homilies on John — CHAPTER XXI. 12-19. (part 4): Truth. Peter thought to lay down his life for Christ,(1) the one to be delivered in behalf of the Deliverer, seeing that Christ had come to lay down His life for all His own, including Peter also, which, you see, was now done. Now and henceforth a true, because graciously bestowed, strength of heart may be assumed for incurring death itself for the name of the Lord, and not a false one presumptuously usurped through an erroneous estimate of ourselves. Now there is no need that we should any more fear the passage out of t”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 64: 2025 CHAPTER 9. OF MEDITATING ON THE FUTURE LIFE. The three divisions of this chapter,—I. The principal use of the cross is, that it in various ways accustoms us to despise the present, and excites us to aspire to the future life, sec. 1, 2. II. In withdrawing from the present life we must neither shun it nor feel hatred for it; but desiring the future life, gladly quit the present at the command of our sovereign Master, sec. 3, 4. III. Our infirmity in dreading death described. The correction and safe remedy, sec. 6. Sections . 1.”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Defects of Soul Assumed by Christ, Art. 7: Article: Whether there was fear in Christ? I answer that, As sorrow is caused by the apprehension of a present evil, so also is fear caused by the apprehension of a future evil. Now the apprehension of a future evil, if the evil be quite certain, does not arouse fear. Hence the Philosopher says (Rhet. ii, 5) that we do not fear a thing unless there is some hope of avoiding it. For when there is no hope of avoiding it the evil is considered present, and thus it causes sorrow rather than fear. ”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Galatians–Colossians–Thessalonians: cast no terror on me, no shame is here; but whether it be through life I shall not be put to shame, for I still preach the Preaching, or whether it be through death I shall not be put 195 to shame; fear does not hold me back, since I still exhibit the same boldness. Do not, when I mention my bonds, think shame of the matter; so manifold good hath it caused to me, that it hath even given confidence to others. For that we should be bound for Christ, is no shame, but for fear of bonds to betray aught that is Christ’s, this is shame.”
- Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 10:38: He that findeth his life shall lose it,.... That man that seeks to preserve his life, and the temporal enjoyments of it, by a sinful compliance with his friends and the world, and by a denial of Christ, or non-confession of him; if he is not, by the providence of God, deprived of the good things of life, and dies a shameful death, both which are sometimes the case of such persons; yet he is sure to lose the happy and eternal life of his soul and body, in the world to come: so that the present finding of life, or the possession of it, on such sinful terms, will in th”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 57: and so abused the goodness of God to their own destruction. But though you should hold that the words were addressed to elect believers, no inconsistency will follow. It is one thing, in order to prevent believers from indulging vain confidence, to repress the temerity which, from the remains of the flesh, sometimes gains upon them, and it is another thing to strike terror into their consciences, and prevent them from feeling secure in the mercy of God. 23. Then, when he bids us work out our salvation with fear and trembling, all h”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of Those Who Receive Baptism, Art. 7: Article: Whether the intention of receiving the sacrament of Baptism is required on the part of the one baptized? I answer that, By Baptism a man dies to the old life of sin, and begins a certain newness of life, according to Rm. 6:4: "We are buried together with" Christ "by Baptism into death; that, as Christ is risen from the dead . . . so we also may walk in newness of life." Consequently, just as, according to Augustine (Serm. cccli), he who has the use of free-will, must, in order to die to the old ”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 1: Augustine — Confessions, Letters — CHAP. XIV.-- 24. Consider now with attention these three most sacred days, the days signalized by the Lord's crucifixion, rest in the grave, and resurrection. Of these three, that of which the cross i (part 2): with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height." 6 Those things which we do not yet see or possess, but hold in faith and hope, are the things represented in the events by which the second and third of the three memorable days above mentioned were signalized [viz. the Lord's rest in the .grave, and His resurrection]”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 58: both derivations, for it is substantially this, that withdrawing from ourselves we turn to God, and laying aside the old, put on a new mind. Wherefore, it seems to me, that repentance may be not inappropriately defined thus: A real conversion of our life unto God, proceeding from sincere and serious fear of God; and consisting in the mortification of our flesh and the old man, and the quickening of the Spirit. In this sense are to be understood all those addresses in which the prophets first, and the apostles afterwards, exhorted t”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 7: Augustine — Homilies on John — 1 JOHN IV 17-2 (part 3): of judgment; these cannot have boldness in a day which they do not believe will come. Let us pass these: may God awaken them, that they may live; why speak we of the dead? They do not believe that there will be a day of judgment; they neither fear nor desire what they do not believe. Some man has begun to believe in a day of judgment: if he has begun to believe, he has also begun to fear. But because he fears as yet, because he hath not yet boldness in the day of judgment, not yet is charity in that man made perfect. But for ”