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Bible Dictionaries
Courage
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
or One characteristic of the person who has a strong faith in God is courage in the midst of danger. There are, however, different kinds of dangers and different kinds of courage.
Courage may be obvious where a person is brave or heroic in circumstances of physical danger on every side, such as in war or natural disasters (1 Samuel 14:6-15; 2 Samuel 23:13-19; Acts 27:24-262 Corinthians 12:25-26). It is obvious also in cases where, by speaking or acting in a certain way, a person knowingly faces consequences where physical suffering is a clear possibility (Numbers 13:30-32; Daniel 3:16-18; Mark 6:17-18; John 2:13-17; Acts 4:13; Acts 5:27-30). But greater courage may be necessary in cases where there is no immediate physical danger, but other pressures make it difficult to stand for what is right against a majority who want to do wrong (Proverbs 28:1; Luke 14:1-6; John 7:50-52; cf. Luke 22:54-62; Galatians 2:11-14; see FEAR).
The courage of believers comes through their faith in God (Deuteronomy 3:22; 1 Samuel 17:45-46; Psalms 56:3-4; 1 Corinthians 16:13) and is maintained through prayer (Psalms 27:14; Acts 4:29; Ephesians 6:18-19). But it still involves effort, since it requires people to set out deliberately to do what they know will be dangerous (Mark 15:43). Such courage is an example to others, urging them to greater confidence and increased boldness (Philippians 1:12-14). Like the biblical expression ‘Be of good courage’, it is a way of giving encouragement to those who need it (Joshua 1:6-7; Joshua 1:9; 2 Samuel 10:12; see ENCOURAGEMENT).
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Fleming, Don. Entry for 'Courage'. Bridgeway Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/bbd/c/courage.html. 2004.
