Boldness

παρρησία (parrēsia occurs 31 times in NT) means "free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance," "outspokenness, liberality," "freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech:

1. openly, frankly, i.e without concealment.
2. without ambiguity or circumlocution.

Some occurrences of παρρησία:

• People observe Jesus speaking publicly and openly (Jn 7:26).
• Jesus declares that he spoke openly to the world (Jn 18:20).
• "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus" (Ac 4:13, NIV). "Courage" is also translated "boldness" (Ac 4:13, ESV, HCSB, NLT) and "confidence" (Ac 4:13, NASB).

How To Be BOLD

"...the righteous are bold as a lion" (Prov 28:1).

Food for thought: Consider that the boldest man who ever lived was also the gentlest man who ever lived (Rev 5:5-6).

To be bold one must know and believe the following:

1. God's love for us never changes (Jer 31:3; Heb 13:8).
2. God is good (Ps 100:5).
3. God is working all things for our good (Rom 8:28).
4. God will complete his work in us (Phil 1:5).
5. God protects his people (Gen 15:1; Ps 18:2).
6. We are precious to God (Ps 72:14; 116:15; Isa 43:4).
7. In God we fear no man (Prov 29:25).
8. God is with us forever (Isa 7:14; Mt 1:23; 28:20).

Knowing and believing the above, what then could one do practically?

Boldness, Confidence, Courage

"...the righteous are bold as a lion" (Prov 28:1b). "...the godly are as bold as lions" (Prov 28:1b, NLT).

"Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident" (Ps 27:3).

"But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high" (Ps 3:3).

"This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Josh 1:9, NLT).

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline" (2 Tim 1:7, NLT).

Here are a gazillion quotes:

Boldness

• "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." Goethe.

• "Freedom lies in being bold." Robert Frost.

• "Boldness be my friend!" William Shakespeare.

Hiding One's Sins (Prov. 28:13)

"The righteous are bold as a lion" (Prov. 28:1). One can act tough or confident based on their superior knowledge, expertise, experience, seniority, status, etc. But only one who is right with God in his heart has no fear of any man, or of any adversity, or tragedy. He has no hidden past that he is concealing/hiding (Num. 32:23; Prov. 28:18), and he is sure that God is with him (Ps. 23:6).

Conceal or Confess Sin. Prov. 28:13 says, "Those who conceal their sins do not prosper, but those who confess and renounce them find mercy." We conceal sin because we like it and want to continue in them, or because we don't want others to think how bad we are. But without confession of sin, we become hypocrites, we harden our own hearts, and we carry a load of guilt that will crush us. Pray that God have mercy on us, so that we fear God (Prov. 28:14), and be true to him.

Rebuke rather than Flatter. Prov. 28:23 says, "Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue." Polite society thinks that rebuke is bad, and flattery wins favors. But one who truly loves another will always do what's best for the other, including painful, stinging rebuke, for their good.

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