Dictionary of Bible Themes: 5819 cowardice

5819 cowardice

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Dictionary of Bible Themes » 5000 Humanity » 5760 Human attitudes and behaviour » 5819 cowardice

An unwillingness to act in a situation of danger or opposition, because of fear. Avoiding the source of one's anxiety or fear, rather than dealing with it directly.

Cowardice prevents people from acknowledging Jesus Christ publicly

John 12:42-43 See also John 7:13; John 9:22-23 parents of the man born blind; John 19:38; John 20:19

Cowardice inhibits bad as well as good behaviour

Matthew 14:5; Matthew 21:26,46

Cowardice leads to avoidance of the difficulty

Matthew 26:56 See also 1 Samuel 13:6-7 the Philistine threat; 1 Samuel 17:24 Goliath; 1 Kings 19:2-3; Jonah 1:10; Matthew 26:69-74 pp Mark 14:66-71 pp Luke 22:57-60 pp John 18:15-18 pp John 18:25-27; Luke 8:37 after the destruction of the pigs; Galatians 2:12 Peter

Cowardice can spread within a group

Deuteronomy 20:8

Caleb and the other spies:

Numbers 13:30-33; Joshua 14:8 Judges 7:2-3; Jeremiah 38:4

God can work through cowardice

In humbling disobedient people

Leviticus 26:36-39; Isaiah 30:15-17

In routing the enemy

Rahab and the Israelite spies:

Joshua 2:8-11,24 1 Samuel 14:15-16 the Philistines

God gives hope to the cowardly or fearful

Proverbs 29:25 See also Deuteronomy 1:27-31; Judges 7:10-11; Psalm 56:3-4; Isaiah 51:12-15; Luke 21:12-19

The Holy Spirit gave the disciples a supernatural boldness:

Acts 4:5-10,13,29-31

Judgment on cowards

Revelation 21:8 Where cowardice meant rejecting the gospel and denying Jesus Christ.