How can I be bold?

The Bible has transformative answers to this question. If you hear and internalise what the Bible is offering, being bold is just one of many transformations you will undergo as you follow in Jesus’ footsteps. In fact, there is a kind of boldness that only Christians can have, that comes from God alone. Consider the following verses and what they mean about your relationship with God, and how you ought to live your life:

“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29–31, NASB95)

God cares about a bird that is considered “cheap” by human standards. God created humans in His image, which gives us inherent moral value. God loves us all, even the worst of us. But just because God loves us, how can this make us bold and righteous?

“…and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” (1Peter 2:24, NASB95)

God’s Son Jesus never sinned. Jesus was righteous and bold. Jesus was so righteous that he laid down his life and confidently trusted in the God who raises the dead. Jesus was raised and crowned as our righteous king, and by forming a relationship with our king, we can be “healed” and made righteous! Jesus was the ultimate expression of the Bible message that humans can be considered righteous even though they are not.

“For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”” (Romans 4:3, NASB95)

This verse is really enlightening for how the Bible defines righteousness. By believing God, and being in a relationship with Jesus, we can be counted as righteous. Notice how this verse doesn’t say Abraham WAS perfectly righteous all the time, it says that he was COUNTED as righteous. All the times that Abraham missed a deadline, told a lie, made mistakes… Abraham didn’t flee, he faced God, believed, and followed. Abraham, and many other people throughout the Bible narrative give us examples of this. God loves us even at our worst, and lifts us up, empowers us to get out of our bad situation. There is never a time that God doesn’t have our best interests in mind.

“Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as [coming] from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,” (2Co 3:4–5 NASB95)

So how can the righteous be bold as a lion? This verse tells us that we can have that confidence through Christ! Jesus kept the righteous requirements of the moral law, and God crowned him as king. We take part in Christ’s kingdom, have our “wounds healed”, and can be counted as righteous before the great Creator because of this. God loves us enough to offer us a way to eternal happiness. Where we manage to keep the requirements of the moral law, we have no reason to flee, and where we fall short, we have a righteous king who readily forgives us and wants to guide us into a better way.

Knowing all of this is why the righteous can be as bold as a lion. Nothing can separate us from God’s love, and the redemption and purpose found in following Jesus.