In-Depth Studies Blog

The Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome is my favorite book of the bible. It’s an amazing God-breathed epistle that is a gold mine of deep theology. At different times in my life, dozens of verses and passages have greatly encouraged me. I especially like the “chains” found in this letter, verses that link thoughts together through words. For example, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called, those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” – Romans 8:29-30. Let’s look at another one, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” – Romans 5:3-4. Maybe that is why a certain warning from Yoda in Empire Strikes Back resonates with me. During Luke Skywalker’s training, the wrinkled green Jedi cautions Luke, “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.”

Since this statement is not even in the same galaxy as God’s Word, how does it help me to love Jesus more? Well, whenever I am aware that I am sinning, I can usually trace it back to some type of fear. This can be the fear that God is not really sovereign, that he does not love me deeply, and/or will eventually not take care of me at all. This fear happens when I don’t truly believe what God promises in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” When I think I’m alone in the midst of a trial, I get scared, and this fear, if not brought under control, can give way to anger. This makes sense because when a circumstance is beyond our control, we become frightened. Likewise, the longer we have no sense of control, the angrier we become. Therefore, the moment fear first strikes is the pivotal time to make the key decision to repent. Am I going to repent of my fear and anger, the way Luke Skywalker does in Return of the Jedi, or am I going to feed it with all the hate I can muster against my situation which is ultimately against God who controls everything?
Unlike Luke, Anakin Skywalker, in Revenge of the Sith, gives way to his feelings and believes the Emperor’s lies. The Emperor exploits Anakin’s fear as well as his bitterness toward the Tuscan Raiders who killed his mom. And so it goes, the Emperor plants seeds of distrust in the young Jedi’s mind to the point that Anakin begins to distrust the Jedi council and even Obi-Wan. However, it is the fear of Padme, his wife, dying that drives Anakin over the edge and gives the Emperor the perfect opportunity to deceive him. The Emperor tells Anakin that the power of the dark side of the force can save Padme from death and with this the Emperor obtains total domination over him. It is truly a chilling thing to watch how fear is used to turn this young boy from Tatooine into the most evil villain in the galaxy. It actually reminds me of C.S. Lewis’ book, The Screwtape Letters, which is a fictional account of Satan sending his nephew, Wormwood (a junior demon), a series of letters. These letters instruct Wormwood in the art of turning humans away from Christ. They remind us that Satan’s strategy to influence his victims is rarely in your face, but rather through a backdoor. This is how the Emperor did it, always flying under the radar until he had absolute power over his target. By that time, it’s too late. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8.

Luke Skywalker, when tempted by the dark side in Return of the Jedi, has it no easier as he watches the 2nd Death Star destroy his Rebel comrades ship by ship. Adding to the frustration of being helpless to stop it, he must endure the Emperor’s mind games. Finally, Luke cannot stand it any longer and releases his fury in a light-saber strike against the Emperor. Soon after this and when Luke is most vulnerable psychologically, Darth Vader threatens to go after Luke’s twin sister, Princess Leia, and turn her to the dark side. Suddenly, Luke’s hatred takes over and he lashes out at his father. Luke is seconds away from killing him when the Emperor orders Luke to “Strike him down with all of your hate and your journey to the dark side will be complete.” However, Luke’s decision is much different than his father’s. Unlike Anakin years before when faced with the Emperor’s order to kill Count Dooku, Luke powers down his light saber and refuses to go through it, even though he will most likely be killed for his allegiance to the good side of the force. This is why Luke is the hero of Star Wars and why he should inspire us to choose good over evil even if it means death. This should also illustrate that as long as we are alive, it is never too late to repent of our fear, anger, and hate.

When I study the bible and read about all the painful trials Paul went through, I bet he was tempted often by Satan to deny Christ. Nevertheless, he believed the promises of God and not the lies of the devil. When people or situations rattle us and we begin to feed our fear, we are playing right into Satan’s hands. The devil will continue to tell lies as he has done in the past, “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3: 4-5. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor (the kingdoms of the world), for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.” Luke 4: 6-7. Satan is like a stealth B-52 quietly bombing us with the most despicable lies — “If you tell the truth, you may lose your job, and God wants you to take care of your family.” or “Your situation is extra-bad so divorce is okay.” The situations that tempt us to take matters into our own hands and perhaps disobey God will inevitable come. In addition, obeying God in these tough situations will most likely frighten us. It’s scary to think of staying in a rocky marriage for the rest of your life, but the wrath of God should scare us more. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28.

Let’s consider the real-life situation of dealing with difficult people which can sometimes lead to fear, anger, hate and suffering. We all have to associate in some way with people who just rub us the wrong way or worse who strive to make our lives miserable. When someone like this wrongs us, our first instinct might be to get mad at the person. However, from the above reasoning, whether we realize it or not, it is fear that fuels this anger, fear that God has not really orchestrated the entire event to conform us to the image of Christ, fear that God does not love us as he says he does. If we do not repent of this fear, in essence repent of this disbelief in the Lord, we will begin to spiritually spiral down. We most likely will begin to dwell on the ostensible injustice of the situation and our anger will then turn to hatred for the person. And God says if you do not love or in other words hate your brother, then you hate God. “If anyone says, ‘I love God”, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” 1 John 4:20-21.

“…Hate leads to suffering.” So, was Yoda on to something when he pointed out this association? Well, when I hear the word suffering, I think of two kinds of suffering, Christian and worldly. Remarkably, even believers in Christ can have moments when hatred of their fellow man can enter their hearts. However, if they are really Christians, they will want to obey their heavenly Father so much that they will repent of this. All the same, the time that this hatred lingers will cause much suffering possibly for the hated, but even more likely for the hater, and all those closest to him. It is impossible to truly minister in love to others around you if you have bitterness, unforgiveness, and hatred in your heart. Christians hurt so many when we let fear take control of us even if only for a short time.

For the unbeliever in Christ, the suffering is so much worse that I hardly even dare write about because words can never fully describe it. This suffering, experienced when one does not repent of his sin (in this case, fear, anger, and hate), is the full wrath of God. And unlike the suffering of the Christian, this suffering will never, ever end. Anakin Skywalker, a.k.a. Darth Vader, finally returned to the good side of the force in Return of the Jedi. This, however, will not be the case for the unbeliever in hell. There are no more sequels after this life, no more second chances. There is only unrelenting fire and fury from a holy and just God. This should cause a different sort of fear for the non-Christian, not a fear that the promises of God are false, but that they are true especially the one promising punishment for sinners. This is a good fear to have and should never be ignored.

In conclusion, even though the fear-anger-hate-suffering chain is not found in any particular passage in the bible, there is wisdom behind it. The suffering within a bitter heart does not come in seconds but years. Hate does not spring up instantly but rather after a long time of untempered anger. Anger at a person or over a situation is at the end of the day, anger toward God. This anger has its roots in the fear that the promises of God are not trustworthy. To combat this, a Christian, at the moment fear seizes him, must remember the gospel of Christ. That is, if he really is a believer, Jesus died to provide a way of forgiveness, not only that, but his death purchased holy lives for all who believe. Therefore, fear, that is, not trusting in the promises of God has no place in a believer’s life. Fear is sin and must be repented of the second it comes upon us. If we do not repent, the fear will lead to anger, anger will give way to hate, and that hate will finally lead to suffering.

Bradley Hagan

Category : Author: Bradley Hagan, Culture, Theology Applied