Trinity Bible ChapelTrinity Bible ChapelTrinity Bible ChapelTrinity Bible Chapel
  • Jesus
  • About
    • Service Times & Location
    • Our Mission
    • Our Four Pillars
    • Our History
    • What We Believe
      • Our Doctrinal Statement
      • Specific Issues
        • Baptism and Communion
        • Church Government
        • Church Membership
        • Church Planting Philosophy
        • Church Structure
        • Counseling Philosophy
        • Creation, Evolution and God’s Sovereignty
        • Eternal Security of the Believer
        • Sufficiency of Scripture
        • Spiritual Warfare
        • The Trinity
        • Women in Ministry
        • Worship
    • Church Staff
    • Job Opportunities
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Project Rehoboth
      • Rehoboth Updates
    • King Alfred Academy
  • Connect
    • New Here?
      • Welcome to Trinity!
      • What Should I Expect?
      • How Can I Be Saved?
      • Get Baptized
      • University Bus Shuttle
    • Get Connected
      • Step 1: Connect
      • Step 2: Consider
      • Step 3: Commit to a Small Group
      • Step 3: Commit to Serve
      • Step 4: Covenant in Membership
    • Resources
      • Weekly E-News
      • Events Calendar
      • Church App
      • Subscribe to Our Podcast
      • Pulpit Curriculum
      • Bible Reading Plans
      • Weddings
      • The Church At War Conference
      • Antichrist and His Ruin Documentary
  • Ministries
    • Trinity Kids
      • Parenting Resources
      • Web Protection Guide
      • Parenting Conference Audio
    • Trinity Youth
      • Youth Ministry Blog Posts
    • Small Groups
      • Pulpit Curriculum
      • Small Groups Blog Posts
      • Accountability Resources
    • University Bus Ministry
      • Adopt-A-Student Ministry
    • Worship Ministry
      • Family Worship
      • Weekend Song List
    • Sunday Support
    • Evangelism
      • Evangelism Videos
    • King Alfred Academy
    • Homeschool Collective
      • New to Homeschooling
      • Resources
      • Planning Pages
  • Sermons
    • Latest Sermon
    • View All by Date
    • View by Series
    • View by Preachers
    • View by Topics
    • View by Scriptures
    • Subscribe to Our Podcast
  • Blogs
    • The Pastor’s Blog
    • Trinity Ministry Blog
  • Give

The Pastor's Blog

By Jacob Reaume

The Coward’s Good Reputation

By Jacob Reaume | April 27, 2018 | Leave a Comment |
Tagged: canadians, cowardice

The sin of cowardice has a really good reputation among Canadian Christians.  People don’t usually call cowardice “cowardice.”  That would be “unkind,” “not nice,” or “unloving.”   Not being called “cowardice,” cowardice is almost often called “kind,” “nice,” or “loving.”  Cowardice has a great reputation.

That’s rather unfortunate because the Bible doesn’t call cowardice “kind,” “nice,” or “loving.”  No, the Bible calls it “sin.”  It’s right up there with porneia, murder, and lying.  In fact, the cowards are mentioned first in a list of sinners who “will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur” (Revelation 21:8).

John Gill says cowards are “they that are afraid of the beast and live in servile bondage to him.”  That’s an excellent way to put it.  They play politics with the beast’s anger.  They say as much as they can get away with, but they know the line they cannot cross.  The beast carves out some space, and he allows them to speak within the boundaries of that space.  So where the beast grants permission, the cowards speak boldly and call it “courage.”  They fear speaking outside that boundary.  So they don’t, and they call it “wisdom” or “meekness” or something else really pious.  Truly it’s cowardice.  Whoever scares you away from speaking truth is the beast to whom you cower.

As per Matthew Henry, “They could not burn at a stake for Christ, but they must burn in hell for their sin.”   One of the first Scripture verses I memorized is Matthew 10:28.  “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”  Cowards are the ones who  fear the wrong thing too much and the right thing too little.  Imagine a guy standing on the side of a superhighway who sees a spider in the ditch.  To escape the spider, he runs into the highway.  Later they scrape his body off the asphalt because he feared the spider too much and the highway too little.  Sure, the spider might bite, but the Peterbilt weighed 80,000 lbs and was moving at a speed of 110 km/hr.  He feared the spider, but the truck killed him.  The coward fears the mob’s reaction, but God will send him to hell.

Paige Patterson was a key player in the Southern Baptist Conservative Resurgence.  He played the man, and, with some other faithful pastors, he rescued the SBC from theological liberalism.  At the very heart of the controversy were denominational leaders who did not believe in biblical inerrancy.  It was a battle for the Bible.  Pastor Tom Ascol once reminisced about a conversation he had with Dr. Patterson during the controversy:

In 1980, when I was still a seminary student and just coming to understand the issues at stake in the denominational struggle, Dr. Patterson gave me a few hours of his time at his study in Dallas. When I asked him what he had learned thus far in his efforts to bring these issues to light, he said, “I have learned what I would never have imagined to be true–that so many Southern Baptist pastors are cowards.” He went on to explain that a common refrain he was hearing went like this: “I am with you, brother. I believe in inerrancy and think we need to take a stand, but because of my position, I am not able to come out and speak on this openly.”

Dr. Patterson was willing to risk name and position for the sake of the Gospel.  Other pastors were content to watch him while privately affirming his convictions.  He called them “cowards.”  A coward is one who knows what is right, has the ability to do the right, but who finds a really sanctimonious reason to avoid the cost of doing right.

I think that’s probably why it’s so easy to be a coward.  It’s typically not a sin of commission, but rather a sin of omission.  Anyone can identify adultery.  Adultery is committed.  It’s difficult to refer to adultery with a sanctimonious platitude.  The same is true with murdering or stealing.  But cowardice is an action omitted.  It’s seeing a problem that must be dealt with while omitting action.  It’s being quiet when you should speak, and being quiet is often called “wisdom.”  It’s sleeping when you should be awake, and everyone sleeps now and then.  The omitting is easily sanctimoniously dismissed as “kindness” or “niceness” or “wisdom.”

This is likely the greatest sin of the Canadian church.  People are cowards, and they call it “being nice” or “earning a hearing” or “being wise.”  I once spoke with a Christian leader who privately believes that sodomy is sin, but he won’t say so publicly because that would be “divisive” in his Christian organization.  How noble of him.  I know of pastors who’ve been caught in sexual immorality, but the leaders around them quietly and quickly restore them to leadership because that’s “gracious.”  How loving.  I once had a pastor tell me to apologize for some true things I said because apologizing would show “meekness” to people I angered.  How humble.  And there are countless others who refuse to open their mouths, and they say it’s wiser to remain silent than shine light in darkness.  Men are cowards, and they call it “godly.”  How sanctimonious.

Yes, the sin of cowardice has a great reputation.  If we want to lead this soft and effete nation to repentance, the repentance must start in the house of God.  Until then, Christians are part of the problem.


SHARE


Comments

Related Posts

  • The Meaning of “Sabbath” in Colossians 2:16

    By Jacob Reaume | June 28, 2023

    The 4th Commandment, the one that pertains to the Sabbath, is the most contested of the Ten Commandments.  In fact it’s the only commandment that is actually contested among Christians who hold to an orthodox view of Scripture.  A number argue that the requirement of Sabbath is not for today.  It was for the OldRead more

  • The Discontentment Of Pride

    By Jacob Reaume | June 7, 2023

    The homosexual movement cannot be satisfied.  A short few years ago, they just wanted the right to be “married”.  So, overhauling millennia of tradition, the government tried to reinvent marriage for them. Just for them.  They overthrew a cornerstone of civilization.  And that wasn’t enough.  It was once “GLB.”  Then “LGB.”  Then “LGBT.”  “LGBTQ.”  IRead more

  • Is A Woman’s Hair The Headcovering of 1 Cor. 11?

    By Jacob Reaume | May 24, 2023

    Last week, I reviewed Dale Partridge’s book, A Covering for Glory (see here).  The book makes the case for women wearing headcoverings during worship services, as well as for men not wearing headcoverings during worship services.  I offered a favourable review, as I wholly support his position.  In 2017, I preached from 1 Corinthians 11:2-16Read more

  • Book Review: A Cover for Glory, by Dale Partridge

    By Jacob Reaume | May 16, 2023

    Dale Partridge wrote A Cover for Glory, which Relearn Press published just recently in 2023.  Partridge is the pastor of King’s Way Bible Church in Prescott, Arizona, and he leads several other ministries, including Reformation Seminary.  The book is an exegetical study of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, which is the biblical passage that instructs women toRead more

  • John Bunyan, Josh Buice, and Christian Nationalism

    By Jacob Reaume | April 25, 2023

    Christian Nationalism is all the chatter, occupying headspace for anyone who cares to listen.  The secular establishment has been given over to unthinkable manifold depravities, and some folks are looking for a better foundation than the poisoned fluidity of secularism.  As fluid and gender-fluid as secularism might be, the definition of Christian Nationalism might beRead more

Newer PostOlder Post

Top 5 Trending

  • What does “makes her commit adultery” mean? (Matt. 5:32)

    October 25, 2018
  • Forbidden Love – The Sons of God and the Daughters of Man, Part 2: The Argument

    September 9, 2014
  • Is A Woman’s Hair The Headcovering of 1 Cor. 11?

    May 24, 2023
  • The Meaning of “Sabbath” in Colossians 2:16

    June 28, 2023
  • The Bloodlines of Jesus

    October 13, 2014

Latest Posts

  • The Meaning of “Sabbath” in Colossians 2:16

    June 28, 2023
  • The Discontentment Of Pride

    June 7, 2023
  • Is A Woman’s Hair The Headcovering of 1 Cor. 11?

    May 24, 2023
  • Book Review: A Cover for Glory, by Dale Partridge

    May 16, 2023
  • John Bunyan, Josh Buice, and Christian Nationalism

    April 25, 2023

About the Author

Jacob Reaume

Born and raised in Guelph, Jacob holds a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He became pastor of Trinity Bible Chapel in August, 2009. Jacob is married to his high school sweetheart, Joanna, and together they have six children.

CHURCH LOCATION
Address:    1373 Lobsinger Line
Waterloo, ON, N2J 4G8

Phone: 519-658-6333
Email: info@trinitybiblechapel.ca

NEW HERE?

  • Service Times & Location
  • Welcome to Trinity!
  • What Should I Expect?
  • How Can I Be Saved?
  • University Bus Shuttle
  • Our Mission
  • Our Doctrinal Statement

OUR MINISTRIES

  • Trinity Kids
  • Trinity Youth
  • Small Groups
  • University Bus Ministry
  • Worship Ministry
  • Sunday Support
  • Evangelism

GET CONNECTED

  • Step 1: Connect
  • Step 2: Consider
  • Step 3: Commit to a Small Group
  • Step 3: Commit to Serve
  • Step 4: Covenant in Membership
  • Get Baptized
  • Events Calendar
Trinity Bible Chapel on Rumble
Copyright © 2022 Trinity Bible Chapel
  • Jesus
  • About
    • Service Times & Location
    • Our Mission
    • Our Four Pillars
    • Our History
    • What We Believe
      • Our Doctrinal Statement
      • Specific Issues
        • Baptism and Communion
        • Church Government
        • Church Membership
        • Church Planting Philosophy
        • Church Structure
        • Counseling Philosophy
        • Creation, Evolution and God’s Sovereignty
        • Eternal Security of the Believer
        • Sufficiency of Scripture
        • Spiritual Warfare
        • The Trinity
        • Women in Ministry
        • Worship
    • Church Staff
    • Job Opportunities
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Project Rehoboth
      • Rehoboth Updates
    • King Alfred Academy
  • Connect
    • New Here?
      • Welcome to Trinity!
      • What Should I Expect?
      • How Can I Be Saved?
      • Get Baptized
      • University Bus Shuttle
    • Get Connected
      • Step 1: Connect
      • Step 2: Consider
      • Step 3: Commit to a Small Group
      • Step 3: Commit to Serve
      • Step 4: Covenant in Membership
    • Resources
      • Weekly E-News
      • Events Calendar
      • Church App
      • Subscribe to Our Podcast
      • Pulpit Curriculum
      • Bible Reading Plans
      • Weddings
      • The Church At War Conference
      • Antichrist and His Ruin Documentary
  • Ministries
    • Trinity Kids
      • Parenting Resources
      • Web Protection Guide
      • Parenting Conference Audio
    • Trinity Youth
      • Youth Ministry Blog Posts
    • Small Groups
      • Pulpit Curriculum
      • Small Groups Blog Posts
      • Accountability Resources
    • University Bus Ministry
      • Adopt-A-Student Ministry
    • Worship Ministry
      • Family Worship
      • Weekend Song List
    • Sunday Support
    • Evangelism
      • Evangelism Videos
    • King Alfred Academy
    • Homeschool Collective
      • New to Homeschooling
      • Resources
      • Planning Pages
  • Sermons
    • Latest Sermon
    • View All by Date
    • View by Series
    • View by Preachers
    • View by Topics
    • View by Scriptures
    • Subscribe to Our Podcast
  • Blogs
    • The Pastor’s Blog
    • Trinity Ministry Blog
  • Give
Trinity Bible Chapel