To many people, the word “fear,” as found in the Bible, is confusing. Unless we grasp the meaning, the Word of God seems contradictory. In many scriptures we are told to “fear God,” while in other places, we are told not to fear anything. Let’s look at a few verses that speak of the fear of God from the point of view of a “newbie learner.” Pro. 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” So, to have wisdom, I must fear God?
Before we answer that, let’s look at some other verses. Ecc. 12:13, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Wait, the fear of God is the foundation for wisdom and also the duty of man – something I am basically required to do? Psa. 33:8, “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!” OK, am I understanding it correctly when I take this to mean that every person on earth, believer or not, should fear the God of creation? Things are getting a little confusing now. Luke 1:50, “And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.” So, I need to be fearful of God to obtain his mercy?
Php 2:12, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling….” I thought salvation was something to look forward to, but now it seems I must work that out with fear and trembling. OK, One more, “And 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” (Mat. 10:28). So, I should be scared of God because He can annihilate me? It all seems a bit much. Why would I have to fear the God who made me from dust with the promise of being in heaven with Him one day – if He does not kill my body and soul? And, just when it seems it could not be more confusing, there are other scriptures we must look at.
The Fulcrum verse between fear of God and living without fear is Pro. 14:27, “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.” But, before returning to that, let’s look at Isa. 41:10, “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” OK, so I shouldn’t fear anything because the God I should fear is with me? Let’s see if 2 Tim. 1:7 can clarify this confusing issue for us, “…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Nope, still confused. Now it seems as if fear of God gives us a spirit of fearlessness. So, which is it, “fear God or don’t”?
There are many other scriptures I could have used, but that would make the article way too long and repetitive. Also, the way I wrote the article thus far, from the perspective of a new reader of the Bible, was to highlight the danger of not carefully studying the Word. Taken out of context, or on face value of what we commonly define a word to be, it can be confusing at best and rather off-putting at worst. Moreover, not reading carefully will mix up the types of fear and have someone relate all the scriptures to fear of God instead of what it actually means. You may read them and think it silly, but I have had someone sit in my office and read some of the scriptures I have mentioned in this article entirely out of context.
In the following article, we will define the word fear and then apply it to the scriptures to discover what it means in each case.
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